Pagan Blog Project ~ B is for Binding

I was reading the Project newsletter to figure out what I wanted to write about this week.  And this is what popped out at me.

Binding: Binding magick is a tricky kind of magick to work. We often talk about doing binding to try and stop people from doing something we don’t like, but when we bind someone we never truly bind them to themselves, we always bind them to us in a way as well. What are your thoughts and experiences with binding magick? Have you ever worked a binding and had it go poorly?

So I will be writing about
 my one experience on doing Binding type magick.  It had the desired effect and (for lack of better words) has worked perfectly, almost too perfectly.
My 14 year old daughter's bio father was physically abusive to both of us and controlling.  When she was just over a year old, I got up the courage to leave him for good.  I got a lawyer and went to court for full custody with no visitation.  He didn't even appear in court so naturally I "won".  But I still didn't feel that we were safe from him.

That is when I decided to do a Binding spell, to keep him away from us and keep my child safe.

I had a stuffed animal he had given me and some of his hair.  I put his hair inside the stuffed animal (to have a representation of him) and wrapped it up with black ribbon.  I had written a spell (which I can't even begin to remember now) to keep us safe and keep him out of our lives.

Seven years ago, when I moved I found the stuffed animal (still wrapped up) and stuffed it in a box.  I have thought about throwing it out, but it holds a part of him.  I'm not malicious, so I don't want it to be found and cause him harm.  I know I should get rid of it, but I'm not even sure how to do that safely.

Back to the "spell worked perfectly" part.  We are both safe and have been for the past 13 years.  Since then we have never heard from him or seen him.  We are in contact with his mother, who also doesn't know where he is.  I do feel a little guilty that I could have possibly kept them apart.  I also rarely receive child support from him.  I've never forced the child support issue, because honestly I don't want his money.  It's almost as if he's dropped off the face of the earth.

I am not proud of what I did.  Working this kind of magick didn't give me a good feeling.  But if I had it all to do over again I would.  I'd make the same choice to do everything in my power to keep my child safe.

~Earthy Mom