To Banish an Unwanted Spirit from a Home, Space or Object

This rite is to be used when a spirit has taken up residence in a space or object without permission or has outstayed its welcome. It can be done for a room, a full home, or for a single object. Before beginning, gather a candle, a bit of iron, protective herbs or salt for boundary work, a bowl of water, and an open window or door for the spirit to leave the space.

Begin by cleansing your space with sound, smoke, or sweeping. Lay down a boundary at entrances and thresholds with salt or herbs, making sure to leave the open window or door unobstructed. Set the candle in the center of the space or near the object. Light it and say:

By breath and flame, by steel and stone,

I claim this space, I call it home.

No guest unbid may linger here—

By will and word, I make that clear.

Hold the iron in your hand. Point it toward the object or the center of the room and say:

Spirit unseen, who dwells unknown,

This place is mine, and mine alone.

If you came in peace, I send you free—

If not, I drive you out from me.

Make a firm, sweeping gesture with the iron as though cutting the spirit from the space. Then walk through the room or pass the iron over the object, repeating:

Go now, go! You may not stay—

I cast you out. Be gone, away!

Return not here, nor cross this bound,

By salt, by steel, by spell, by sound.

Take the bowl of water and sprinkle it lightly at the thresholds (you do not need to skip the open door/window this time) or over the object, saying:

By water clear and breath of night,

I wash you out, I bar your right.

No hidden hand, no shadowed flame,

May linger here or stake a claim.

When you have finished, move to the open door or window and say:

The way is open—go in peace.

By my will, this haunt shall cease.

By flame and word, by heart and head,

I bind the space, the charm is said.

Extinguish the candle. Pour out the water away from the house or at a crossroads. Cleanse the iron before storing it. Cleanse the area, home or object a second time to remove any residual ties and energies left behind.