Altar bells are cherished tools across many spiritual practices and paths, used for their ability to both clear and enrich ritual spaces. For those already familiar with sound-based rituals or if you're new to witchcraft and are simply curious about integrating sound into their practice, a bell can be a versatile addition to the altar. Here, we explore ways to use altar bells in ritual and daily practice, from cleansing and protection to calling in positive energies.
Protecting Your Space with Bells
Witches’ bells, often adorned with charms and ribbons, can be placed on doors to protect ones home. As these bells ring with each opening and closing of the door, they act as a subtle yet powerful barrier, helping to prevent unwelcome influences from entering. If you don’t have a set of witches’ bells, a simple bell kept by the door can serve a similar purpose. Regularly ringing it each time you enter or exit the home is an easy and effective way to reinforce your personal boundary and ward off negative influences.
Inviting and Banishing Spirits
In many spiritual traditions, bells play a role in spirit work, helping to call forth and release energies or spirits as needed. Bells can signal the arrival of elemental forces or other spirit guides, marking the start or close of specific ritual phases.
Cleansing Your Space with Sound
Bells emit bright, resonant tones that can swiftly clear stagnant or unwanted energy from a room. Ringing a bell before a ritual or spell establishes a cleansed, harmonious space for focused work. Sound cleansing is often paired with other methods, like burning incense or candles, but bells provide a smoke-free alternative, ideal for those who may need to avoid flames or smoke in their environment. To energetically purify your home, try ringing a bell in each room, moving counterclockwise while you visualise clearing any negativity.
Driving Away Negative Energies
The sound of bells has long been thought to ward off evil or troublesome spirits. This tradition may stem from the historical use of iron bells, which were believed to repel malevolent faeries. Ringing a bell firmly throughout your home is one of the simplest ways to protect your space from negativity. For extra potency, combine bell-ringing with other protective tools, such as lighting a protection candle or using a cleansing spray. Move through your home ringing the bell with intention, visualising any unhelpful energies leaving your space.
Attracting Positive Energy
Beyond dispelling negativity, bells can also be used to attract positive, supportive energies. Delicate bells, such as wind chimes or strings of small bells adorned with beads, create a gentle sound that invites benevolent spirits and uplifting vibrations into your space. After cleansing, ring a softer bell to fill the room with good energy. By doing so, you create a welcoming atmosphere and ensure that beneficial energies are drawn into your life.
Opening and Closing Rituals with Bells
Bells can beautifully mark the boundaries of ritual space and time. By ringing a bell at the beginning of a ritual, you signal a shift from ordinary life into sacred work. At the end of your practice, a final ring sends your intentions into the universe, helping to close and release any raised energy. This simple gesture invites clarity, focus, and an awareness of ritual’s transformative power.
An altar bell is a powerful tool for creating sacred spaces, dispelling negativity, inviting positivity, and marking the rhythm of ritual. If you haven’t yet welcomed an altar bell into your practice, it’s a thoughtful addition that brings both beauty and power to your spiritual work.
Want to add the use of an altar bell into your every day life? Check out our range of bells here.
For more witchcraft tips, tricks & rituals, delve further into our Tragic Book of Shadows Blogs here!
