Check the bottom of the post for the trailer for The Infernal Detective, and ways you can stalk the author!
Now, without further ado...
The Magic of Salt
In The Infernal Detective, my metaphysical detective, Riga Hayworth creates a sea salt bath blend to break a dark magic attachment. And in The Shamanic Detective, she uses table salt to ward off some irritating fairies. For centuries, salt has been believed to have protective and purifying qualities, and the ability to absorb psychic energies. On a witch’s altar, it can represent the earth element. It’s a base element in alchemy.
Though Riga is a bit of a salt snob when it comes to magic spells, for everyday magic and protection, table salt is a great option. Specialty salts can get expensive – who can afford to create magical barriers along doors and window sills with pricey Dead Sea salt? Though it lacks the glamour of the more exotic salts, plain table salt generally works just fine. Contrary to popular belief, Kosher table salt is not blessed by a Rabbi, and therefore has no “extra” magical properties. In that sense, it’s no better or worse than “regular” table salt.
Sea salt is perceived as a step up from table salt, because it’s more “natural” and has undergone less processing.
But for protection, the “ultimate” salt is black salt – not the volcanic stuff found in the Hawaiian islands, but salt mixed with ash from a sacred fire or ritual. Riga is a suspicious type, and doesn’t trust the stuff sold in the local metaphysical shop. She makes her own.
Himalayan salt is pink due to its higher iron content. And magically, iron represents the earth and the universe. Therefore, it may be used in rituals involving protection during out of body experiences and shamanic journeying to other realms.
Like pink Himalayan salt, Alaea Hawaiian sea salt is enriched with red clay which contains iron oxide, and therefore has similar properties to Himalayan salt. Traditionally Hawaiians have used Alaea salt in healing rituals and ceremonies to purify, cleanse and bless their tools and canoes.
Black Lava salt (also from Hawaii) is sea salt mixed with activated volcanic charcoal. Activated charcoal is an absorber, excellent at removing toxins – psychic and physical. As such, it works particularly well in purification rituals.
Dead Sea salt – because of its connection to the Holy Land and because of its healing properties – is popular in purification and protection spells. Dense with minerals that have bubbled up from deep within the earth, it also feels really nice in a bath, aiding relaxation. So it can be a good choice for rituals involving submersion.
About the Author
Kirsten Weiss is the author of the Riga Hayworth series of urban fantasy/paranormal mystery novels.
Here’s the blurb from her latest, The Infernal Detective:
Murder. The undead. Irritating relatives.
When Riga Hayworth finds a dead body in the bedroom, it’s par for the course. When the corpse drives off with her fiancée… That’s a problem.
Riga knows dead. More intimately than she’d like. So when a murdered photographer walks away from her pre-wedding party, she believes there’s necromancy afoot. And when she discovers that several of her wedding guests are under the influence of dark magic, she’s certain. But how can she catch a killer and stop a necromancer when even her nearest and dearest are lying to her?
Marrying romance, mystery, and the metaphysical, The Infernal Detective is a fast-paced urban fantasy, where nothing is quite as it seems, and magic lies just beyond the veil.
“A high-voltage, cleverly-spun mystery that I couldn't put down. Riga Hayworth is addictive.”
- Diana Orgain, Best-selling author of The Maternal Instincts Mysteries
Thanks for letting me guest post, Katy!
ReplyDeleteThanks for providing such a cool one! You're welcome any time!
DeleteThanks Katy & Kirsten -- I look fwd to reading it!
ReplyDeleteThese look like really interesting and fun books, which is why I had been collecting them!
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