# You're smart, you don't believe in curses. So anyway, how'd you go about trying to lift one? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 21, 2022, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-smart-you-dont-believe-in-curses-so-anyway-howd-you-go-about-trying-to-lift-one/973571 "2022-10-21T01:48:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dr.Colossus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.colossus/32/9423_2.png) [@Dr.Colossus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Colossus)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2022, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-smart-you-dont-believe-in-curses-so-anyway-howd-you-go-about-trying-to-lift-one/973571/1 "2022-10-21T01:48:06Z")
Imagine: You are you–You-you, whoever you are. You are at least smart enough to know you don’t know it all, which is a really intelligent place to be. You’re certainly too intelligent to believe in hokum like curses. Still being you, imagine you have an aunt who literally claims she is a witch, does “real” witchcraft and claims to have put a familial curse on you–a generational curse. She’s insistent it’s true and real, and in her mind it’s religiosity and in her heart. “Bullshit,” she can believe whatever. You wave it off. But what if shit keeps getting fucked up so weird that **people around you** start to believe you are in fact cursed? How many years of insanely failed honeymoons would be cursed out of happening before you decided “hey, if I can dig up a dead rabbit or throw some salt in some circle, I’ll play along and see…” What would you do? ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2022, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-smart-you-dont-believe-in-curses-so-anyway-howd-you-go-about-trying-to-lift-one/973571/2 "2022-10-21T02:07:46Z")
I would pray the power of Jesus can destroy any curse. The bible says A curse causeless shall not come. I don’t believe I’ve done anything to deserve one. And witches do exist. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2022, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-smart-you-dont-believe-in-curses-so-anyway-howd-you-go-about-trying-to-lift-one/973571/3 "2022-10-21T02:12:32Z")
I go with the “curse of white man from town”. If I have to go, I’m not going alone. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2022, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-smart-you-dont-believe-in-curses-so-anyway-howd-you-go-about-trying-to-lift-one/973571/4 "2022-10-21T02:16:51Z")
My empiricism is stronger than my aunt’s witchcraft. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Colossus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.colossus/32/9423_2.png) [@Dr.Colossus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Colossus)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2022, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-smart-you-dont-believe-in-curses-so-anyway-howd-you-go-about-trying-to-lift-one/973571/5 "2022-10-21T02:17:26Z")
elaborate, please. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2022, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-smart-you-dont-believe-in-curses-so-anyway-howd-you-go-about-trying-to-lift-one/973571/6 "2022-10-21T02:22:50Z")
There are no witches or curses. Coincidence does not equal causality. I don’t do anything because there is nothing to respond to. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2022, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-smart-you-dont-believe-in-curses-so-anyway-howd-you-go-about-trying-to-lift-one/973571/7 "2022-10-21T02:25:11Z")
First beg her forgiveness. If she doesn’t lift the curse I would sacrifice a kitten. If that didn’t work I would try to trap my aunt’s spirit in a goat and sacrifice it. If that doesn’t work things don’t look promising. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2022, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-smart-you-dont-believe-in-curses-so-anyway-howd-you-go-about-trying-to-lift-one/973571/8 "2022-10-21T02:25:42Z")
Salt and cold iron. ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2022, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-smart-you-dont-believe-in-curses-so-anyway-howd-you-go-about-trying-to-lift-one/973571/9 "2022-10-21T02:27:17Z")
Don’t even think about hurting a kitten! You will have a mob after you.🐈🐈‍⬛ ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2022, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-smart-you-dont-believe-in-curses-so-anyway-howd-you-go-about-trying-to-lift-one/973571/10 "2022-10-21T02:28:41Z")
> [@SuntanLotion](#): > > And witches do exist. Neither does Jesus. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2022, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-smart-you-dont-believe-in-curses-so-anyway-howd-you-go-about-trying-to-lift-one/973571/11 "2022-10-21T02:29:45Z")
Well, not now. He’s dead. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2022, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-smart-you-dont-believe-in-curses-so-anyway-howd-you-go-about-trying-to-lift-one/973571/12 "2022-10-21T02:37:21Z")
Get a pagan priest to perform a curse removal. Make sure there is lots of good ceremony. Tip generously. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2022, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-smart-you-dont-believe-in-curses-so-anyway-howd-you-go-about-trying-to-lift-one/973571/13 "2022-10-21T02:47:35Z")
It’s time for a [_ **Lottery!** _](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lottery) ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2022, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-smart-you-dont-believe-in-curses-so-anyway-howd-you-go-about-trying-to-lift-one/973571/14 "2022-10-21T02:51:50Z")
I would ignore it and suggest that some people need psychological help because witches don’t exist. They never have, and they never will, although some people will believe anything they are told. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2022, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-smart-you-dont-believe-in-curses-so-anyway-howd-you-go-about-trying-to-lift-one/973571/15 "2022-10-21T02:55:32Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#): > > I would ignore it and suggest that some people need psychological help because witches don’t exist. They do. Some are practitioners of Wicca or similar neo-pagan faiths. They call themselves “witches”, and that is okay by me. In the past many dispensed poisons or dangerous abortifacients. However, none can really cast “magic” . ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2022, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-smart-you-dont-believe-in-curses-so-anyway-howd-you-go-about-trying-to-lift-one/973571/16 "2022-10-21T03:30:22Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#): > > I would ignore it and suggest that some people need psychological help because witches don’t exist. > [@DrDeth](#): > > They do… However, none can really cast “magic” . Then they aren’t really witches, are they? They’re people pretending to be witches, which unfortunately ignorant people think are real and who can cast spells on them and destroy their lives. As I said, these people need psychological help. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2022, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-smart-you-dont-believe-in-curses-so-anyway-howd-you-go-about-trying-to-lift-one/973571/17 "2022-10-21T04:06:02Z")
I’d up the ante with auntie and ask her to curse me more. If things get worse, I’d consider doing something to lift the curse(s). If things don’t get worse, then you know it’s a load of horse-shit. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2022, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-smart-you-dont-believe-in-curses-so-anyway-howd-you-go-about-trying-to-lift-one/973571/18 "2022-10-21T04:19:50Z")
I’d start by making a pie… ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2022, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-smart-you-dont-believe-in-curses-so-anyway-howd-you-go-about-trying-to-lift-one/973571/19 "2022-10-21T04:34:49Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > I’d start by making a pie… Did we read the same book? ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2022, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-smart-you-dont-believe-in-curses-so-anyway-howd-you-go-about-trying-to-lift-one/973571/20 "2022-10-21T05:27:29Z")
Personally, I vote for a [Native American Peyote Sweat Bath](https://www.mikkelaaland.com/the-native-american-sweat-lodge.html) ceremony. That ought to purge the curse right out of you. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-smart-you-dont-believe-in-curses-so-anyway-howd-you-go-about-trying-to-lift-one/973571.md?page=2)