It's a salty situation...

Prompted by a discussion in the Kitchen Witch facebook group yesterday...here are my thoughts on types of salt to use for magical purpose:

You don't need to spend lots of money and buy fancy schmancy salt that was collected by flying nuns from a hidden Tibetan monestary on a Friday at noon whilst hopping on one leg and chanting prayers...no matter what poncy name it has and whether it is black, white, pink or grey...use whatever you have in your kitchen cupboard...SALT IS SALT...

Salt is a crystalline mineral made of two elements, sodium (Na) and chlorine (Cl).

Most of the world’s salt is harvested from salt mines or by evaporating sea water or other mineral-rich waters.

It is cleansing, purifying and protective.

It has a strong female energy, alchemists believed it to be the opposite of sulphur which was the male energy.

In European folk magic and Hoodoo (and other paths) it is common practice to sprinkle a pinch of salt in each corner of the room before starting any spell work.

Salt on its own is very protective but mix it with any kind of pepper – black, red or cayenne and you get a much stronger mix.

Salt Magical Properties:
Cleansing, purification, protection
Ruling planet – Earth
Element – Earth
Gender – Feminine

There are different types of salt, these are just some of them:

Table salt
This salt is usually highly refined. It is heavily ground and most of the impurities and trace minerals are removed.  Some table salt has added anti caking agents so that it flows freely, iodine is sometimes added as well.  Food-grade table salt is almost pure sodium chloride, or 97% or higher.

Sea salt
Sea salt is made by evaporating sea water.  Like table salt, it is mostly just sodium chloride. However, depending on where it is harvested and how it was processed, it usually does contain some amount of trace minerals like potassium, iron and zinc.  The darker the sea salt, the higher its concentration of “impurities” and trace nutrients will be. However, keep in mind that due to the pollution of oceans, sea salt can also contain trace amounts of heavy metals like lead.
Himalayan salt
Himalayan salt is harvested in Pakistan.  It is mined from the Khewra Salt Mine, the second largest salt mine in the world.  Himalayan salt often contains trace amounts of iron oxide (rust), which gives it a pink colour.  It does contain small amounts of calcium, iron, potassium and magnesium. It also contains slightly lower amounts of sodium than regular salt.

Kosher salt

Kosher salt was originally used for religious purposes.  Jewish law required blood to be extracted from meat before it was eaten. Kosher salt has a flaky, coarse structure that is particularly efficient at extracting the blood. The main difference between regular salt and kosher salt is the structure of the flakes which are quite large.  There isn't much difference between table salt and kosher salt other than the size although kosher salt is less likely to contain anti caking agents or iodine.

Celtic Salt

Celtic salt is a type of salt that originally became popular in France. It has a greyish colour and also contains a bit of water, which makes it quite moist. Celtic salt contains trace amounts of minerals and is a bit lower in sodium than plain table salt.
Black salt
Ritual or Witches' black salt is traditionally used in hoodoo and folk magic for protection and to dispel evil and negative energy.  It is a combination of usual salt mixed with charcoal.  You can make your own black salt very easily by mixing 2 parts salt with 1 part ash from your fire/fire pit or charcoal if you have some, you can even use black pepper in place of the ash/charcoal.
Black lava salt is black in colour and is simply sea salt that is blended with activated charcoal. You may see it labeled as Hawaiian Black Salt.
Indian black salt, or kala namak, is an Indian volcanic rock salt. It is known by many names including Himalayan black salt, sulemani namak, and kala loon. It starts out as Himalayan pink salt or sodium chloride and is then heated to extremely high temperatures and mixed with Indian spices and herbs including the seeds of the harad fruit which contains sulfur. It also contains trace impurities of sulfates, sulfides, iron and magnesium which all contribute to the salt’s color, smell and taste.
Epsom salts
Epsom salts are not actually salt but a naturally occurring pure mineral compound of magnesium and sulfate.  Use mixed with essential oils or herbs to create bath salts.  Use for beauty products, medicinal and relaxing baths, foot scrubs and cleaning - don't eat them.







Sources:
A Kitchen Witch's World of Magical Food, Rachel Patterson
authoritynutrition.com/different-types-of-salt/