3 Love Spells To Perform On Halloween, According To #WitchTok

Over the past few years, #WitchTok has played a big role in popularizing witchcraft and making magic more accessible. Thanks to TikTokers all over the world who post videos about crystals, tarot cards, candles, and other witchy things, it’s easier than ever to learn how to practice witchcraft and even cast your own magic spells at home. The #WitchTok hashtag has over 31 billion views and counting, making it one of the most popular on the app. Whether you’re already a practicing witch or you’re simply witch-curious, Halloween is an excellent time to explore and make some magic of your own.

“Everybody's talking about witches right now,” says Don Martin, WitchToker and author of The Dabbler’s Guide to Witchcraft. “As long as there have been people, there have been stories of witches, and there have been stories of people doing magic. Halloween is a time when we talk about those stories and bring that folklore back up.”

According to Maria Vashakidze, owner of Seagrape Apothocary, a Portland-based magical shop and event space active on WitchTok, autumn signifies new beginnings and is a great time for witchy rituals. “Halloween is deeply intertwined with Samhain, a Celtic celebration marking the beginning of winter and more modernly, the witch's new year,” she tells Elite Daily. “Samhain urges us to tend to our desires, our needs, and our boundaries on the brink of this great seasonal shift.” Like making resolutions on New Year's Eve, Samhain is the perfect time to focus on your desires for the upcoming season.

From making a wish on birthday candles to knocking on wood for good luck, you’ve probably used a ritual of some kind to manifest your desires. And if you ever wrote the name of your crush on a piece of paper and tucked it under your pillow in middle school, you were probably casting a love spell and didn’t even know it! That’s right — it turns out many of us are actually witchier than we realize.

This Halloween, whether you want to manifest a romantic partner, spice things up in the bedroom, or simply wish for love and abundance, these spells from experienced witches will help you bring your desires to life.

What Is A Love Spell?

Although there are countless variations, a spell generally consists of the following parts: Setting intentions, performing a ritual, releasing the energy of the spell’s intentions, and being open to receiving the results. These building blocks can be used towards any outcome you can imagine, but magic focused on love seems to be one of the most popular, especially on TikTok.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, love spells can be controversial. Many love spells in pop culture — from the lighthearted in Charmed to the dark in Midsommar — focus on making another person do something. Often, these spells are performed without the other person’s consent. But experts say that’s not what this kind of magic is really about, and that casting a love spell isn’t as simple as aiming Cupid’s arrow at someone.

Not only is aiming a love spell at a specific person ethically dubious, but it’s also unlikely to be effective. “For magic to be effective it needs to be possible [and] it needs to be reasonable,” says Martin. So don’t bother trying to cast a love spell on Harry Styles.

Even when it comes to people you know in real life, focusing spells on other people rather than on yourself is rarely the best course of action. “If what you need is to heal from heartbreak, casting a spell to get your ex back might not be the most effective strategy,” says Vashakidze.

Love Spells Are Versatile & Customizable

According to Gabriela Herstik, author of Inner Witch: A Modern Guide to the Ancient Craft, a love spell can focus on drawing in a lover or partner, bringing in new sexual experiences, or it can focus on other kinds of love, such as community or familial love. The witches interviewed for this piece emphasize that love spells are even more powerful when you focus on yourself and the life you’re trying to create. “Casting a love spell on yourself is probably the most powerful love spell that you can do,” Herstik says.

Love Spells Can Help You Practice Self-Care

Love spells can even be a valuable practice for self-care and self-reflection. “[A] love spell is a radical act of vulnerability and tenderness, and an invitation towards pleasure, healing, and nurturance for all involved,” says Vashakidze. “When we cast self-love spells, we offer ourselves permission to simultaneously process and grieve needs that were never met and invite in new opportunities for emotional nourishment.”

Love Spells Aren’t Definitive

It’s also helpful to be open-minded about the outcome of your spell. A love spell is not a Tinder wishlist. So rather than saying, “I want a partner who is at least 6 feet tall,” try “I’m seeking a partner who makes me feel safe.” You can also add language to all of your spells that makes space for outcomes beyond what you’ve thought of. Herstik suggests saying something like, “This or something better for the highest good of all involved as aligned with my true will.”

3 Love Spells To Perform On Halloween

According to Herstik, magic often relies on something called “correspondences” to help build intentions into a spell. Every culture and spiritual practice has its own set of correspondences — aka deities, objects, colors, crystals, scents, and other symbols that are associated with a particular meaning. For example, some of the correspondences commonly associated with love include Aphrodite, roses, rosemary, rose quartz, and the color red. Each spell below includes some of these correspondences to help you practice your own love spell.

When deciding what ingredients to use for your spells, you can choose from common love correspondences listed, or you can substitute ingredients and crystals with personal significance.

Honey Jar Love Spell From Gabriela Herstik

If you’re looking for a customizable, beginner-friendly spell to try, this honey jar spell from Herstik can be used to manifest a partner or simply bring more love and sweetness into your life.

What you need:

• Jar
• Honey (for sweetness)
• Alcohol (such as vodka or tequila — optional)
• Your choice of sacred objects, herbs, or crystals
• Roses (red for sex and lust, pink for romance, or white for healing)
• Candle (red, pink, or white) and matches
• Cinnamon, if you’d like to add warmth and protection
• Pen, paper, and a carving tool

Instructions:

1. First, think about what you’re trying to manifest.
2. Then, choose ingredients that represent those desires. For example, if you’d like to manifest a kinky partner, Herstik suggests leaving the thorns on the roses you’re using. Be sure to spend enough time on this step to really focus on not just the qualities you want in a partner, but on how you want to feel with them. Herstik suggests using meditation or tarot cards for this self-inquiry.
3. On a piece of paper, write a list of your intentions and the things you want to manifest.
4. Add the paper to the jar, along with honey and the other ingredients you’ve chosen. Then, seal the jar and give it a good shake while focusing on your intentions.
5. Carve symbols and/or words into your candle (like your name, zodiac sign, or a symbol for the current moon phase).
6. Melt the bottom of the candle to the top of the jar and let it burn all the way down. Just make sure you’re not leaving fire unsupervised! You may even want to do this portion of the spell in a sink or bathtub.
7. Herstik suggests disposing of the jar and the candle wax at a three-way intersection, which she describes as a modern crossroad. But she also says you can dispose of the spell anywhere or in any way that resonates with you for your practice.

If sex is something you’re hoping to manifest, Herstik says you can even give this spell an extra boost with sex magic, aka a ritual that involves harnessing the pleasure of solo or partnered sex. While masturbating or having partnered sex, focus on whatever you’re drawing in, and then when you reach orgasm (or the peak of the experience, without orgasm) send that energy to the candle through visualization. “[You] can send the energy up through your spine, out the crown of your head, or you can just look at your candle as you’re reaching climax,” says Herstik. She explains that this portion of the spell is also a good time to focus on how you want to feel and what you hope to manifest.

An Apple Spell From Maria Vashakidze & The Seagrape Witches

Second only to pumpkins, apples are the most recognizable fall treat. They also have a long history in magical practice that dates back to the 19th century. Bobbing for apples — a classic fall game — has magical origins as a love divination spell. Back then, once you captured an apple, you’d peel it, toss the peel over your shoulder, and whatever shape the peel landed in would reveal the first letter of the name of your true love.

If you’re looking for a spell for self-love, here’s a powerful love spell from the witches of Seagrape Apothecary.

What you need:

• A red apple
• Honey (or a vegan alternative)
• White rose petals
• Hot water
• A spoon
• A knife

Instructions:

1. To cast your spell, carve out the core of your apple and remove it in one piece — you’ll need it later. Think of your cored apple as waiting to be filled, and set your intention for the spell.
2. Pour honey into your apple and say, “I accept juicy, enthusiastic love.” Then, take a rose petal and hold it to your mouth. Say, “I accept radical softness,” and drop the petal into your apple. Next, pour hot water over your rose petal and say “I accept deep clarity and warmth.”
3. Finally, sip from your apple. As you drink, hold your intention for the spell in your mind. Once you feel ready, replace the core of the apple and bury it close to your home, or leave it outside as an offering.

Hard Candy Magic From Don Martin

Martin contributed the perfect spell for using up some of your Halloween candy. And like most of the spells in his book, it allows a lot of flexibility for improvisation and for customizing the spell to your intentions. This is a great spell to practice if you want to create a talisman for focusing your intentions or giving your space a magical boost. For example, you could create a talisman to hang over your bed to help increase passion and pleasure, or one to hang on your mirror to emphasize self-love.

What you need:

• Cookie sheet
• Aluminum foil
• Hard candy that aligns with your intentions (by color, flavor, smell, memory, etc.)
• Optional: cookie cutters, cooking spray, crystals or dried plants, gloves, toothpick, ribbon, or stones.

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 250°F and line your baking pan with foil. Arrange your hard candy on the foil either by hand or within cookie cutters to form them into a specific shape.
2. Bake until the candy is melted. Don’t go far, as this step only takes a few minutes!
3. While you’re waiting for the candy to melt, chant or say a few words that align with the intention of your spell. For example, manifesting love or romance.
4. Wait 4-6 minutes. When you pull your candy out of the oven, it will be soft enough to shape — but it will also be very hot! So be sure to wear heat-proof gloves if you’re going to handle it.
5. Optional: While the candy is still malleable, press crystals, herbs, or other ingredients into the candy before it hardens. You can also poke a hole in the middle and add ribbon or string for a fun ornament or garland. To avoid tracking bug friends, seal with plastic wrap, ModPodge, or another material.

Another option is to make a bunch of tiny candies, all with the same intention, and keep them in a jar. Then you can just grab one to take as needed. For example, if you’re using this spell to build confidence around manifesting a partner, you could pop one in your mouth every time you’re going to open a dating app or before you head out the door to meet someone new. Just remember to stick to edible ingredients if you’re going to eat your candies rather than decorate with them!

Casting A Love Spell Is A Personal Experience

Whichever spell you choose to try, remember that magic is flexible and works through the meaning you feel from the elements of the spell. Similar to how you’d season a meal to meet your taste, you can substitute items in your magic ritual. For example, if you don’t have a candle, use a flashlight. If sunflowers signify love for you rather than roses, use those.

Using elaborate rituals and specific materials can be a powerful way to center yourself and focus on the desired outcome, but they aren’t necessary. Journaling, whispering to yourself, or meditating with a plain white candle can be just as effective.

Magic can be a great way to give yourself a boost, but it doesn’t take the place of other actions. Martin suggests you ask yourself, “What mundane actions could I or should I be pairing with this to achieve my end results?” You could say magic helps those who help themselves. So if you’re looking for love — or just for a date — don’t forget to put yourself out there. Check out dating apps, attend events, and tell your friends you’re open to meeting people. Then, let these magic spells give you the extra clarity and confidence to approach those actions boldly.

Experts:

Don Martin, author of The Dabbler’s Guide to Witchcraft and host of the Head On Fire podcast. Find him on Instagram, TikTok, and Patreon.

Gabriela Herstik is an author, columnist, and witch based in Los Angeles. She is the author of Inner Witch: A Modern Guide to the Ancient Craft, Bewitching the Elements: A Guide to Empowering Yourself Through Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Spirit, and Embody Your Magick: A Guided Journal For the Modern Witch. You can find her on Instagram, TikTok and Patreon.

Maria Vashakidze, owner of Seagrape Apothocary. Along with the team of Seagrape Witches: Ronnie, Ava, and Alder. Find Seagrape Apothecary on Instagram and TikTok.