Spanish Witchcraft: Brujeria Influences (Respectful)

BY NICOLE LAU

Spanish witchcraft—brujería—emerges from the sun-drenched landscapes of Iberia, where Moorish, Jewish, Christian, and indigenous traditions blended to create a uniquely rich magical heritage. From the curanderas who heal with herbs and prayers to the complex syncretism of folk Catholicism, from the evil eye protections to the influence that traveled to the Americas, Spanish magic offers a path of passion, protection, and profound cultural depth.

Important Note: This article focuses on European Spanish brujería traditions. Latin American brujería, while influenced by Spanish practices, developed its own distinct traditions through syncretism with Indigenous and African practices. Those traditions deserve their own respectful, in-depth exploration and should not be conflated with European Spanish practices.

The Cultural Tapestry of Spanish Magic

Spanish magical tradition is uniquely multicultural, shaped by centuries of coexistence and conflict between different peoples:

Moorish Influence (711-1492)

Nearly 800 years of Moorish presence in Spain left profound magical influences:

• Arabic magical texts and grimoires
• Astrological and alchemical knowledge
• Herbal medicine and pharmacy
• Geometric protective symbols
• Evil eye beliefs and protections
• Talismanic magic

Jewish Mystical Traditions

Sephardic Jewish communities contributed:

• Kabbalistic knowledge
• Amulet creation
• Herbal healing traditions
• Protective prayers and psalms
• Mystical practices

Catholic Syncretism

Christianity absorbed and transformed earlier practices:

• Saints replacing or blending with older deities
• Holy water, blessed salt, and sacred objects
• Prayers and novenas for magical purposes
• Pilgrimage sites and holy wells
• Religious medals and scapulars as amulets

Pre-Roman Indigenous Traditions

Celtic, Iberian, and Basque influences:

• Nature spirits and sacred sites
• Megalithic monuments and stone circles
• Folk festivals and seasonal celebrations
• Herbal lore and plant spirits

Spanish Folk Magic Practitioners

La Curandera/El Curandero: The Healer

Traditional healers who treat physical, spiritual, and magical ailments using herbs, prayers, and ritual.

Methods:

• Herbal remedies (remedios caseros)
• Prayers and Catholic invocations
• Limpias (spiritual cleansings)
• Diagnosis through divination or intuition
• Removing mal de ojo (evil eye)
• Soul retrieval and spiritual healing

La Bruja/El Brujo: The Witch

More ambiguous figures who work magic for various purposes—healing, love, protection, or harm. Feared and respected in equal measure.

La Saludadora: The Healer of Rabies

Specialized healers believed to cure rabies and other ailments through breath, saliva, and prayers. This gift was hereditary.

Spanish Magical Practices

Mal de Ojo: The Evil Eye

Belief in the evil eye is extremely strong in Spanish culture, especially regarding children.

Symptoms: Crying, fever, restlessness in children; headaches, fatigue, bad luck in adults.

Diagnosis: The oil and water test—olive oil dropped in water. If it disperses, mal de ojo is present.

Removal:

• Prayers while making sign of the cross with oil
• Passing an egg over the body (limpia con huevo)
• Burning rue or other protective herbs
• Sprinkling holy water
• Specific prayers known to curanderas

Protection:

• Azabache (jet stone) bracelet for babies
• Red ribbon or coral
• Ojo turco (Turkish eye amulet)
• Higa (figa) hand amulet
• Garlic and rue
• Saying "Dios te bendiga" (God bless you) after compliments

Limpias: Spiritual Cleansings

Ritual cleansings to remove negative energy, curses, or spiritual attachments.

Limpia con Huevo (Egg Cleansing):

• Pass a raw egg over the person's body while praying
• The egg absorbs negative energy
• Break egg into glass of water to read what was removed
• Dispose of egg at crossroads or flush away

Limpia con Hierbas (Herbal Cleansing):

• Brush the body with bundles of fresh herbs (rosemary, rue, basil)
• Herbs absorb negativity
• Burn or dispose of herbs afterward

Limpia con Humo (Smoke Cleansing):

• Burn herbs, resins, or incense
• Pass person or space through smoke
• Pray or speak intentions

Spanish Herbal Magic

Rosemary (Romero): Protection, purification, memory, fidelity. Burned, carried, used in cooking magic. Extremely important in Spanish tradition.

Rue (Ruda): Protection against evil eye, breaking curses, purification. Hung in homes, carried, used in baths. Very powerful protective herb.

Basil (Albahaca): Love, prosperity, protection. Grown in pots, used in cooking magic, carried for luck.

Garlic (Ajo): Powerful protection against evil, vampires, and harmful magic. Hung in braids, worn, used extensively.

Bay Laurel (Laurel): Victory, protection, prophecy, purification. Leaves used in divination, protection, and cooking magic.

Olive (Olivo): Peace, prosperity, blessing. Olive oil used in lamps, healing, and divination. Olive branches for peace and protection.

Orange Blossom (Azahar): Love, marriage, purity, peace. Used in bridal bouquets, love magic, and calming work.

Spanish Love Magic

Love magic is a significant part of Spanish brujería, ranging from gentle attraction to more forceful compelling.

Endulzamientos (Sweetening Spells): Making someone sweet toward you using honey, sugar, or sweet foods combined with prayers and intentions.

Amarres (Binding Spells): Binding someone to you romantically. Ethically controversial but historically common.

Love Divination: Using various methods to divine future spouse or relationship outcomes, especially on St. John's Eve.

Spanish Protective Magic

Contra (Counter-Magic): Magic to counter or return curses and harmful magic to their sender.

Protective Amulets:

• Azabache (jet) for babies
• Higa/Figa hand gesture amulet
• Ojo turco (evil eye bead)
• Religious medals and scapulars
• Garlic and rue bundles
• Salt and holy water

Regional Variations

Andalusia

Strongest Moorish influence, flamenco magic, gitano (Romani) influences, strong evil eye beliefs.

Practices: Elaborate limpias, strong herbal tradition, integration of Moorish magical elements.

Galicia

Celtic influences, meigas (Galician witches), strong folk magic tradition, connection to Portuguese bruxaria.

Practices: Queimada ritual (burning aguardiente with herbs), folk healing, Celtic-influenced magic.

Basque Country

Unique pre-Indo-European culture, sorginak (Basque witches), distinct mythology and practices.

Practices: Connection to ancient goddess Mari, cave rituals, unique folk traditions.

Catalonia

Distinct cultural identity, bruixes (Catalan witches), Mediterranean influences.

Practices: Herbal magic, St. John's Eve celebrations, folk healing.

Canary Islands

Guanche indigenous influences, African connections, unique island magic.

Practices: Tajaraste rituals, folk healing, syncretism with indigenous practices.

The Spanish Magical Calendar

Noche de San Juan (June 23-24)

The most magical night of the year in Spain. Midsummer celebrations with bonfires, beach rituals, and powerful magic.

Traditions:

• Jumping over bonfires for purification and luck
• Bathing in the sea at midnight for healing and renewal
• Gathering herbs at peak potency
• Love divination and magic
• Burning old things to release the past
• Making wishes while jumping waves

Semana Santa (Holy Week)

Powerful time for spiritual work, processions, and religious magic.

Día de Todos los Santos (November 1)

All Saints Day, honoring the dead, visiting graves, leaving offerings.

Nochebuena and Navidad (Christmas Eve and Day)

Family gatherings, midnight mass, divination for the coming year.

Día de los Reyes Magos (January 6)

Epiphany, the Three Kings, gift-giving, blessing homes with chalk (C+M+B).

Spanish Saints in Folk Magic

Catholic saints are invoked for specific magical purposes:

Santa Marta: Dominating and controlling, especially in love magic. Controversial but widely invoked.

San Cipriano: Patron of magicians and occultists, invoked for magical work and protection.

Santa Elena: Finding lost objects, uncovering hidden things, revealing truth.

San Antonio: Love and marriage, finding lost things.

San Judas Tadeo: Impossible causes, desperate situations.

La Virgen (Various Aspects): Protection, healing, intercession. Different regional Virgins for different purposes.

Building Your Spanish Practice

Learn About Cultural Context

Study Spanish history, the Reconquista, the Inquisition, and the cultural blending that created Spanish magic. Understanding context is essential.

Work with Spanish Herbs

Grow or acquire rosemary, rue, basil, garlic. Learn their magical and culinary uses in Spanish tradition.

Practice Limpias

Learn egg cleansing and herbal cleansing techniques. Practice on yourself first.

Protect Against Mal de Ojo

Learn traditional protections and removal techniques. Acquire protective amulets.

Honor Spanish Saints

If working within Catholic folk magic framework, develop relationships with relevant saints through prayers and offerings.

Celebrate San Juan

Observe Noche de San Juan with bonfires, water rituals, and herb gathering if possible.

Study Regional Traditions

Choose a specific region to study in depth rather than treating all Spanish magic as homogeneous.

Respect the Syncretism

Don't try to separate the Catholic elements from the folk magic—the syncretism is authentic and integral.

Ethical Considerations

Cultural Respect: Spanish brujería belongs to Spanish culture. If you're not Spanish, approach with respect and acknowledgment.

Don't Conflate Traditions: European Spanish brujería is distinct from Latin American traditions. Don't mix them carelessly or claim one when practicing the other.

Inquisition History: Remember the trauma of the Spanish Inquisition and its impact on magical practitioners, Jews, Muslims, and others.

Living Tradition: Folk magic is still practiced in Spain. Don't treat it as dead folklore or exotic curiosity.

Gitano/Romani Practices: Some Spanish magical practices have Romani influences. Be respectful and don't appropriate closed Romani traditions.

Catholic Syncretism: The blending of Catholicism and folk magic is authentic to the culture. Don't dismiss it as corruption or superficial.

Conclusion

Spanish witchcraft offers a path rich with cultural complexity, where Moorish, Jewish, Christian, and indigenous traditions wove together to create something uniquely powerful. From the curandera's healing touch to the protective power of azabache, from the passionate magic of Noche de San Juan to the fierce protection against mal de ojo, Spanish magic invites us into a world where multiple cultures met, clashed, and ultimately created something beautiful and enduring.

This is magic that tastes of olive oil and garlic, that smells of rosemary and orange blossoms, that sounds like flamenco guitars and church bells. It's the magic of a land where the call to prayer once echoed alongside church bells, where Jewish mystics studied Kabbalah in secret, where folk healers blended herbs with prayers, and where the old ways survived by wearing new faces.

Que Dios te bendiga y te proteja (May God bless and protect you). May the saints watch over you, may rue and rosemary guard your threshold, and may you walk in the rich, complex beauty of Spanish magical tradition.