Spooky season: Reasons you should keep salt (besides cooking)

When you think about salt, what comes to mind is its use as a seasoning, a preservative as well as a way to heal wounds. 

If you’re into myths and superstitions, the use of salt varies, as it is believed to contain protective properties.

Salt usually gets a bad rep, if you spill it by mistake… it’s considered a bad omen, passing it from hand to hand is also considered bad luck. 

However, in various cultures salt is revered for its purity, and in Caribbean folklore, it’s no different.  

With the spooky season in full swing, here are some reasons keeping salt in your home might not be such a bad idea, especially if you’re superstitious.  

Throwing salt over your shoulder is believed to boost luck 

Having a case of bad luck? Well, salt is believed to be able to turn that ‘bad vibes’ around when thrown over your left shoulder. If you spill salt which is believed to bring bad luck, throwing salt over your left shoulder is believed to reverse it. Throwing salt over your left shoulder is also believed to blind the devil waiting there.  

Salt is believed to scare off spirits  

If you believe in good, then chances are it would be hard to deny the existence of evil. Some people believe salt has protective spiritual properties and could be used as a barrier against negative forces. For instance, there is a tradition in Japan, morishio in which (piled salt) in a small dish is placed by the front door and used for purification and is also believed to ward off spirits.  

Salt is believed to have positive effects in the practice of Feng Shui  

Followers of the principles of Feng Shui will tell you about their beliefs when it comes to salt and the banishing of afflictions, the removal of Qi and the attraction of wealth.  

A salt water cure in the home is believed to absorb negative energies. Some Himalayan salt in a small bowl is believed to be effective in the removal of negative Qi. By removing negative Qi, you attract positive Qi which is believed to also be tied in with attracting wealth.  

Salt is believed to ward off the Soucouyant 

Obsessed with vampires? Well, if you have any knowledge of Caribbean folklore, the tale of the Soucouyant in Trinidad and Tobago is one that requires salt to ward off her evil intentions.  

The soucouyant in folklore is believed to be an old woman who sheds her outer skin and travels through the night sky like a ball of fire, to find her prey and drain one’s blood while asleep.  

Some say sprinkling salt around your house and at every entry point can stop a Soucouyant from entering as she must pick up every grain. Other stories claim that to reveal the Soucouyant, find her skin which she leaves in a mortar and rub salt in it. When she puts it on her skin, it will start burning.  

Do you believe in any of these superstitions, or have you tried salt for other purposes besides cooking?