The Sweetening Jar: A Classic

One of the most common things I've seen in different Magickal groups over the years is the focus on hoodoo vessel spells. Particularly, the Sweetening Jar. This particular practice is so common because it's something for your hands to do that feels like getting something done. While this has led to a misguided belief that this practice is the sum total of hoodoo in some cases, it is still a powerful and simple process that is accessible for almost anyone. So, what is a sweetening jar?

A sweetening jar is a specific type of vessel spell meant to sweeten a relationship between two people. Many people will treat this as a love spell, but it has so many more applications than that. What about making your boss like you more? Or sealing a sell by sweetening a client? Or getting a better deal by sweetening the seller? There are so many more options than simply love, but love is also an ideal choice for this practice.

To make your own sweetening jar, you'll need a vessel, such as a jar or bottle, that can be sealed, a base, a petition, and auxiliary ingredients. I like to use jars for this personally, but the choice is ultimately yours. For a base, I like to choose between three. Sugar is the fastest, but fast is not necessarily always best. I find that spells that work faster tend to burn out faster, especially if they aren't maintained. Syrup is a good middle ground, not as fast as sugar, but not as volatile or fragile either. Honey is the classic. A longer burn, for a longer lasting effect, honey is often preferred for love jars because it can last longer and ultimately foster more genuine feelings of love than those created by other love spells. For this example, we will use honey.

Your petition, like the rest of the spell, will have some individual variation, but will more or less follow the same guidelines. Write your target's name in red ink three times, one on top of the other. Then, rotate the paper 90 degrees and write your name in black ink three times, one on top of the other. Then, in cursive, write a short prayer or statement of intent around the names in an unbroken line. You can use a fairly descriptive prayer to the universe to make this person look on you favorably, or it can be as simple as "love me" written over and over until the circle is complete. You can also enclose the circle in a heart, kiss the petition, spray it with perfume, etc, but these are just extras. Let your intuition guide you in these if you add them at all.

Add your petition to the jar, then pour your base over it until the jar is 1/2-3/4 full. This is all that is required for a basic sweetening jar, but there are also auxiliary ingredients you can add to personalize the spell. These ingredients will be used to work on specific areas of your intent, but you don't want to overload it. I recommend no more than 4 auxiliaries for simplicity's sake. Here are a few things you can consider as extras:

Catnip- ideal for love jars

Clove- good for love or financial related sweetening jars

Cinnamon- as above, equally good for love or financial related sweetening jars

St johns wort- good in all circumstances

Violet- best for love jars

Dill- ideal for all kinds of sweetening jars

Heliotrope- good for jars related to finances

Olive- great for jars focused on lust

Patchouli- good for financial jars

Of course, this list is not complete, but it is a good start. Do your own research when making your jar and tailor your ingredients to your work.

So what now? After assembling the jar, what next? First, you have to quicken the jar so that it comes to life, and then you have to work it to keep the energy moving. To quicken your jar, hold it in your hands and focus on your intention. Send energy into the jar and pray over it, or make a statement of intention into it, to fill it with power. As for working it, there are many methods you can use. The most common ones include burning candles on top of it to feed the spell, shaking the jar to bring activity and movement into it, and heating it with a flame to motivate both parties to move. Whatever your method, you should work the jar daily until it manifests, and then either dispose of it or store it out of sight so you can work it again if the spell needs a new spark. To dispose of it, the best thing you can do for the Magick and environment both is to thank the energy and ingredients for their work, and then pour them out at a crossroads. The jar may then be reused for a similar purpose or thrown away.

Now, a little story about the efficacy of these jars: I have a family member who comes to me fairly regularly for mystical help. Due to his life choices and the people he surrounds himself with, he has built up a lot of negativity, so I prescribe him a cleansing bath and ceremony about twice a year. He also has trouble with his love life, and he would come to about once every three months for a new sweetening jar. Well, I finally decided that enough was enough, so I altered the last jar I gave him a bit. Instead of focusing on making the relationship between him and his current girlfriend friend improve, I set it up to improve his own sense of self worth, his idea of self love, and to heal his emotions. I also added ingredients for his current relationship, but they were a minor factor. Not only has he not asked for another jar, he has felt better about himself, he's sought out more positive relationships, and his romantic life has vastly improved. So, the power is there. All we have to do is use it.