If you see one of these strange looking bottles the next time you’re at the beach, it’s best to keep walking.
The green bottles are said to contain concoctions of hair, herbs, local plants, nails and even bodily fluids. According to KXAN-TV, the practice of witch bottles goes back hundreds of years and “have been historically associated with the supernatural and magic.”
Dr. Annie Thwaite, a research project coordinator at the University of Cambridge, explained that the bottles were used “as a kind of medical treatment or healing” for those who were believed to have been cursed by a witch. Per KXAN, “the concoction [inside the bottle] was believed to cause the witch who cast the spell so much pain that she would either relent and undo it or else die, effectively breaking the curse.”
The Harte Research Institute told the outlet that they find witch bottles “every once in a while.”
According to Jace Tunnell, the director of community engagement at the Harte Research Institute, he has found at least eight witch bottles along Texas beaches near Corpus Christi since 2017, Fox News reported.
The most recent discovery occurred on Nov. 15. Tunnell commented that bottle had been floating for quite a while, given that barnacles had clumped on the glass.
Tunnell explained that he doesn’t “get creeped out by [the bottles],” but he is “not going to open them … [because] they’re supposed to have spells and stuff in them — why take the chance.”
Though only a small number have surfaced in the U.S., roughly 200 have been recovered in the United Kingdom, according to the McGill University Office of Science and Society.
The Society reported that “back in the 16th and 17th centuries there was a powerful belief in witches and their ability to cause illness by casting a spell.”
Is the occult still a danger?
However, “the evil spells could be fended off by trapping them in a ‘witch bottle,’ which if properly prepared, could actually reflect the spell itself while also tormenting the witch, leaving the witch with no option but to remove the spell, allowing the victim to recover,” the Society noted.
While witchcraft is often thought of a thing of the past, only portrayed nowadays in movies, Tunnell’s discoveries remind us of that not only does evil exist, but it’s closer than we think.
Nevertheless, the existence of such forces does not change the fact that evil pales in comparison to God.
Evil may inspire fear in us, and indeed be something that we feel cannot be defeated, but it is important to remember, through reliance on our Heavenly Father, we are protected from the forces that try to bring us down.
As we prepare to celebrate the miraculous birth of Christ this Christmas season, we are reminded that nothing is impossible for God. Even death is no match for the Almighty.
But while God is all powerful and will always protect us, there is no reason to try and test this protection.
As Christians, we are to avoid evil at all costs, be it sin or “witch bottles,” for we are called to turn our eyes towards God, and not towards evil.
That’s why it’s best to not allow the temptation of meddling with evil to creep into one’s heart. It’s a can of worms that cannot easily be closed once its open.
In the end, turning towards God and away from evil is the best avenue for a happy and fulfilling life, and it’s why we should let lie the things that will turn us away from our ultimate goal of salvation.
