A Spell to Bind Donald Trump and All Those Who Abet Him: Mass Ritual (updated)
The mass ritual that inspired a global movement and the birth of the “magic resistance”
Originally published in February 2017 in ExtraNewsfeed, with over 750k views
THE FINAL BINDING OF HIS DISASTROUS PRESIDENCY took place on Tuesday night, January 12th, 2021, 11:59pm.
UPDATE: In light of the 2024 campaign, many groups have resumed the monthly rituals.
The book by the creator of this spell, Magic for the Resistance: Rituals and Spells for Change, is out of print, but copies may still be found online. With rituals and spells for protection of immigrants and refugees, reproductive rights, anti-fascism, and protection of the earth (among other critical issues), you can be part of the powerful #MagicResistance movement.
See the followups:
No Borders, All One Family: An Invocation of Hermes to Protect Immigrants(July 13, 2019)
Hands Off, Laws Off: Hekate Invocation for Reproductive Rights (May 15, 2019)
How to Curse Stephen Miller (April 25, 2019)
Blue Wave: A Spell to Save America (October 17, 2018)
Bind Kavanaugh: Emergency Ritual for the #MagicResistance (October 3, 2018)
Hex the NRA: A New Spell for the #MagicResistance (February 15, 2018)
Binding Trump: Looking Back on One Year of #MagicResistance . . . and Looking Ahead (February 12, 2018)
Art + Activism + Magic: Answers to Questions About the Mass Spell to Bind Donald Trump (March 2017)
Against Mammon: An Open Letter to the Magic Resistance (June 2017)
Psychic Self-Defense in the Age of Trump (September 2017)
A Ritual for Justice: New Working for the Magic Resistance (October 2017)
Daily Trump Binding and Justice Spell (December 2017)
This document has been making the rounds in a number of magical groups both secretive and public. It was created by me along with members of several private magical orders who wish to remain anonymous. I make no claims about its efficacy, and several people have noted it can be viewed as more of a mass art/consciousness-raising project (similar to the 1967 exorcism and levitation of the Pentagon), than an actual magical working. But many are clearly taking it very seriously.
I have been receiving a number of suggestions and variants for this ritual, and have posted some of them at the end.
Media inquiries: please email michaelmhughes@gmail.com. Fox News or an affiliate? Don’t bother.
A Spell to Bind Donald Trump and All Those Who Abet Him (version 2.0)
To be performed at midnight on every waning crescent moon until he is removed from office. The first ritual takes place Friday evening, February 24th, at the stroke of midnight. This binding spell is open source, and may be modified to fit your preferred spiritual practice or magical system — the critical elements are the simultaneity of the working (midnight, EST — DC, Mar-a-Lago, and Trump Tower NYC time) and the mass energy of participants.
See below for the upcoming dates. Some lodges/covens are doing a variation of this as a group working, while a number of solitary practitioners are planning to connect and livestream via Facebook, Twitter, and other social media.
Components:
- Unflattering photo of Trump (small); see below for one you can print
- Tower tarot card (from any deck)
- Tiny stub of an orange candle (cheap via Amazon)
- Pin or small nail (to inscribe candle)
- White candle (any size), representing the element of Fire
- Small bowl of water, representing elemental Water
- Small bowl of salt, representing elemental Earth
- Feather (any), representing the element of Air
- Matches or lighter
- Ashtray or dish of sand
Optional:
- Piece of pyrite (fool’s gold)
- Sulfur
- Black thread (for traditional binding variant)
- Baby carrot (as substitute for orange candle stub)
Preparation:
- Write “Donald J. Trump” on the orange candle stub with a pin or nail
- Arrange other items in a pleasing circle in front of you
- Lean the Tower card against something so that it’s standing up (vertically)
- Say a prayer for protection and invoke blessing from your preferred spirit or deity. Reading the 23rd Psalm aloud is common in Hoodoo/Conjure/Rootwork traditions. Experienced magicians may perform an appropriate banishing ritual.
RITUAL
(v. 3)
(Light white candle)
Hear me, oh spirits
Of Water, Earth, Fire, and Air
Heavenly hosts
Demons of the infernal realms
And spirits of the ancestors
(Light inscribed orange candle stub)
I call upon you
To bind
Donald J. Trump
So that his malignant works may fail utterly
That he may do no harm
To any human soul
Nor any tree
Animal
Rock
Stream
or Sea
Bind him so that he shall not break our polity
Usurp our liberty
Or fill our minds with hate, confusion, fear, or despair
And bind, too,
All those who enable his wickedness
And those whose mouths speak his poisonous lies
I beseech thee, spirits, bind all of them
As with chains of iron
Bind their malicious tongues
Strike down their towers of vanity
(Invert Tower tarot card)
I beseech thee in my name
(Say your full name)
In the name of all who walk
Crawl, swim, or fly
Of all the trees, the forests,
Streams, deserts,
Rivers and seas
In the name of Justice
And Liberty
And Love
And Equality
And Peace
Bind them in chains
Bind their tongues
Bind their works
Bind their wickedness
(Light the small photo of Trump from the flame of the orange candle stub and hold carefully above the ashtray)
(Speak the following loudly and with increasing passion as the photo burns to ashes)
You’re fired!
You’re fired!
YOU’RE FIRED!
(Blow out orange candle, visualizing Trump blowing apart into dust or ash*)
(Pinch or snuff out the white candle, ending the ritual)
“Our ritual has ended, brothers and sisters. May we go in peace, harming none, and continue our magical resistance under each waning crescent moon until Donald J. Trump is driven from office … FOREVER!*”
To which the participants reply (with emotion): “So mote it be!”
Now LAUGH at him. Raucous, joyous, howling laughter. This ends the ritual.
“*FOREVER” was appended to the original ritual after Trump announced he was running in 2024.
Grounding and Disposal
Afterward, ground yourself by having a good, hearty laugh, jumping up and down, clapping your hands, stomping your feet, and having a bite to eat. Grounding is very important — don’t neglect it. And remember — he hatespeople laughing at him.
Finally, bury the orange candle stub or discard it at a crossroads or in running water.
VARIANTS
The Use-His-Pet-Phrase-Against-Him Variant: In place of “So mote it be,” instead say, “You’re fired!” with increasing vehemence. This should be particularly beautiful as the flames consume his image. This has become the preferred version (appended above), and should be considered canon.
Alternate Closing for Group Rituals: Many group rituals are done in a call-and-response style. The leader may end with:
“Our ritual has ended, brothers and sisters. May we go in peace, harming none, and continue our magical resistance under each waning crescent moon until Donald J. Trump is driven from office.”
To which the participants reply (with emotion): “So mote it be!” Followed by raucous, mocking laughter.
Alternate Closing: After you’ve visualized Trump’s energy dissipating, gaze at the white candle flame for a few moments, close your eyes, and imagine a bright light emerging from the darkness and gradually being revealed as the flaming torch of the Statue of Liberty. The light from the torch then brightens intensely, expanding into infinity and burning away all darkness. After a few moments, open your eyes, ground yourself, and pinch or snuff out the white candle, closing the ritual. You can also leave it burning until it is fully extinguished.
Traditional Binding Variant: This variant was contributed by a rootworker, and incorporates a more traditional form of binding magic. In place of burning the photo, the magician ties the photo to the orange candle with black thread. As you are wrapping the thread around the photo and candle, say “I bind you” three times. You may also tie knots in the thread. Then the whole package is buried or, as the contributor suggested, “Leave it outside a Trump hotel.”
Baby Carrot Substitution: For those who can’t acquire an orange candle stub, Frater SHUF suggests using a baby carrot (and lighting the photo from the white candle). Other groups have used Cheetos.
Group workings
There are number of groups, some secret, some not, that have performed this ritual monthly since the very first binding on February 24, 2017. Ask around if you would like to join one.
Waning Crescent Moon Ritual Dates
The date/time of the bindings is always 11:59pm on the night of the very last crescent moon (before the new moon).
Trump photo for ritual (print and cut)
Addendum and FAQs
Notes on Binding Spells vs. Curses: Is This Dangerous/Harmful?
Binding spells, or defixiones, are some of the oldest in the historical record, and are nearly universal in the world’s magical systems. In this document, binding, which seeks to restrain someone from doing harm, is differentiated from cursing or hexing, which is meant to inflict harm on the target(s). It is understood, in this context, that binding does not generate the potential negative blowback from cursing/hexing/crossing, nor does it harm the caster’s karma.
In other words, this is not the equivalent of magically punching a Nazi; rather, it is ripping the bullhorn from his hands, smashing his phone so he can’t tweet, tying him up, and throwing him in a dark basement where he can’t hurt anyone.
The spell in this document was carefully crafted, in structure and language, to avoid unintended psychic consequences, but adding a prayer and invoking the blessing of your preferred deity(s) should not be neglected.
Another added benefit: this working has an embedded self-exorcism. Just peforming it will result in a lightening of the spirit, an easing of tension, and a banishing of the gnawing Trumpian egregore. And who doesn’t need that?
Finally: The threat from Trump and his cabal is enormous, not just to individuals, but to the collective body and spirit. Be bold! Say the words with ferocious intensity and feel them!
On the Ritual Phrase “So Mote it Be”
A number of respondents have suggested “so mote it be” is too Wiccan-ish for their tastes. It should be noted that the phrase originated in Freemasonry long before it was adopted by witches and neopagans. If it grates, any similar phrasing would work — amen, let it be so, so say we all, etc.
What Kind of Magic is This Anyway?
The kind of magic that works, based on the template that underlies every functional magic system, from ancient Egyptian to contemporary chaos practices. Some Christian folk traditions, in fact, both Catholic and Protestant, employ similar methods. Adherents of any formal system should be able to tweak the above ritual to suit their practice.
You really think this might work? Has anyone ever done anything like this?
Ever heard of the Magical Battle of Britain? There’s a book about it. And in 1941, author and occultist William Seabrook and a group of young people in Maryland performed a ritual to “kill Adolf Hitler by voodoo incantation.” I was also just made aware of the Center for Tactical Magic. Also, the burning of effigies, common to political protests, is considered a very simple but potent form of magic.
You’re Kidding, Right?
Why don’t you try it and find out for yourself?
Michael M. Hughes is a writer, speaker, and magical thinker. The American Spectator said, “He may play footsie with the devil, but at least the man has a sense of humor.” You can sign up for his newsletter, check out his YouTube channel, and follow him on Twitter and Facebook. The official Bind Trump group is also on Facebook, so if you’re looking for a group to work some magic with, that’s where you’ll find them.
Happy binding, magical people!
#BindTrump
#MagicResistance
