01/02/2026
I’m off to blow some cinnamon through the front door.
Gather close, beloved witches and keepers of threshold magick...
Ah, you've seen it all over social media...
The ritual of blowing cinnamon through your front door
to call in prosperity and abundance.
And maybe you've done it yourself (I have).
But... if you're anything like me...
maybe you're also wondering:
𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮?
𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯?
𝘐𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭, 𝘰𝘳 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘥?
Well, let me tell you what I know.
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𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗖𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗼𝗻?
Cinnamon is not new magick, beloved.
This spice has been sacred for 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗮.
The ancient Egyptians used it in embalming...
a substance precious enough to prepare the dead for eternity.
The Romans considered it more valuable than gold...
a luxury reserved for emperors and offerings to the gods.
In traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda,
cinnamon has been used for centuries
to stimulate energy, vitality, and warmth...
all the qualities necessary for 𝘢𝘣𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦.
In Hoodoo and Conjure traditions,
cinnamon has always been a money-drawing herb...
used in sachets, candles, floor washes,
to pull prosperity toward you like a magnet.
The spice itself is 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲.
It's ruled by the sun.
It's masculine energy... active, drawing, pulling things in.
So when you blow cinnamon into your home,
you're actually working with ancient solar magick,
calling abundance across your threshold,
inviting prosperity to 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿.
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𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗜𝘁𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳
Now, the modern ritual,
blowing cinnamon through your front door
on the first of every month,
does 𝗡𝗢𝗧 appear in ancient grimoires.
From what I've researched,
it likely emerged from older folk practices
but gained momentum in ~2020
when we were all locked inside,
desperate for 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 to shift,
some way to call in better fortune.
And it spread because 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀.
Ah, dear... cinnamon is not magic pixie dust.
This ritual is 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 + 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 + 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱 = 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿.
So here's how you do it:
𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗼𝗿
(the threshold between outer world and inner sanctuary).
𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝗹𝗺𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗼𝗻
(ground cinnamon, not sticks).
𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
what are you calling in this month?
Then 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲.
As you blow, you might say:
"As this cinnamon blows,
prosperity enters.
As this cinnamon blows,
abundance flows.
What I need finds me.
What I seek comes to me.
By fire and sun and sacred spice,
abundance enters my life."
Or use your own words.
Y'know... the power is in the intention,
not the exact phrasing.
𝗟𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝟮𝟰 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀.
Let it sit. Let the magick settle.
Then sweep or vacuum it up.
(And yes, it's safe for pets in small amounts,
but keep an eye on curious cats and dogs who might inhale it.)
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𝗢𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁-𝗼𝗳-𝘁𝗵𝗲-𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀
So cinnamon isn't the only way to mark the turning of the month.
In 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗸𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲,
people say "Rabbit, rabbit" as the first words spoken
on the first day of the month...
a good luck charm dating back over a century.
In some 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗸 𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀,
people eat something sweet as their first food of the month
to "sweeten" the energy of the days ahead.
And in my born tradition,
the one I carry from my Afro-Cuban roots,
we use 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮.
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𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗵
So 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘢 means "husk" or "shell" in Spanish.
It's just finely ground eggshell powder,
and it comes from the Yoruba people of West Africa
who brought the sacred practice of 𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗻 to the Caribbean.
Efun was white kaolin clay...
sacred earth used for protection, purification,
and offerings to the Orishas.
When enslaved people were stripped of their land,
they adapted.
First, they used powdered bark from the cascarilla tree.
Then, they transitioned to crushed eggshells...
easier to find, and carrying their own powerful symbolism:
the eggshell protects new life as it forms.
In 𝗦𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿í𝗮, 𝗛𝗼𝗼𝗱𝗼𝗼, and other Afro-Caribbean traditions,
cascarilla is used to:
✤ Draw protective circles and symbols
✤ Cleanse negative energy from people and spaces
✤ Mark thresholds (doorways, windows) to keep harm out
✤ Bless and purify before rituals
✤ Offer to the Orishas
I use both cascarilla and cinnamon on the first of the month.
The rite?
Well...
I stand at my threshold and
I draw a line of white powder across my doorway...
sometimes a cross, usually just a solid line,
and I speak my protection into it:
"By the shell that guards new life,
by the white earth of my ancestors,
this threshold is sacred.
Only what serves me may enter.
Only what blesses me may cross.
This home is protected.
This home is mine."
Then I sprinkle a bit at each window,
each entrance,
marking my boundaries for the month ahead.
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𝗔𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗳𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗜𝗺𝗯𝗼𝗹𝗰
So now, here's where it gets even more powerful.
𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗙𝗲𝗯𝗿𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗜𝗺𝗯𝗼𝗹𝗰.
Imbolc (pronounced 𝘐𝘔-𝘣𝘰𝘭𝘬) is the Celtic festival
that marks the halfway point between winter solstice and spring equinox.
It's the feast of 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗱...
goddess of the hearth, the forge, healing, and poetry.
Goddess of 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲 and inspiration.
Imbolc is about the first stirrings of spring beneath frozen ground.
The quickening.
The return of the light.
The moment when the year takes its first breath toward renewal.
Brigid is honored with 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲,
with milk and bread,
with the crafting of Brigid's crosses hung over doorways
for protection and blessing.
So if you're doing your cinnamon ritual on February 1st...
Ah, you're not just calling in monthly abundance...
You're calling it in on a 𝗌𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹.
You're aligning your threshold magick
with Brigid's flame,
with the return of the light,
with the energy of new beginnings and creative fire.
𝗦𝗼 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗙𝗲𝗯𝗿𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟭𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗼𝗻 𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗜𝗺𝗯𝗼𝗹𝗰 𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆?
1️⃣ 𝗟𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺 just after sunset on January 31st (Imbolc Eve) to honor the returning sun.
2️⃣ 𝗕𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗼𝗻 by holding it over a candle flame (carefully) and asking Brigid to charge it with her fire.
3️⃣ 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗱 as you blow the cinnamon:
"Brigid of the bright flame,
Brigid of the sacred hearth,
bless this threshold with your fire.
As the light returns,
so abundance returns to me.
As spring quickens beneath the earth,
so opportunity quickens in my life.
By your flame, by your forge,
by the turning wheel of the year,
prosperity enters here."
4️⃣ 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗿 𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗯𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 on the night of January 31st...
this is the old tradition of 𝘉𝘳𝘢𝘵 𝘉𝘳í𝘥𝘦 (Brigid's Cloak).
Brigid is said to walk the land on Imbolc,
and she'll bless any cloth left out for her.
Bring it in on February 1st and keep it on your altar
or carry it for healing and protection.
5️⃣ 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮 if you work with both traditions...
cinnamon to draw abundance 𝗶𝗻,
cascarilla to keep negativity 𝗼𝘂𝘁.
One sweeps inward.
One marks the boundary.
Together, they're unstoppable.
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𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄𝘀
So here's what I know, beloved,
after years of practice,
after honoring my Afro-Cuban roots,
after celebrating Imbolc and weaving these traditions together:
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱.
It's a moment when the energy shifts.
When the calendar turns.
When you get to 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻
𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝟮𝟴, 𝟯𝟬, 𝟯𝟭 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀.
And threshold magick is 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹!
So, whether you use cinnamon or cascarilla,
whether you speak to Brigid or your ancestors or the Universe itself,
whether you do this on February 1st or every single month...
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹.
🔥
Blessed turning of the month, beloved witches.
~Baba
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𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁-𝗼𝗳-𝘁𝗵𝗲-𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹?
Cinnamon? Rabbit rabbit? Cascarilla? Something else?
Drop a comment and share your magick!
