ANSWERS: 16
  • Oh, bruther! Just when you think you've heard it all. Now, salt is spiritual. What next?
  • Whatever! I heard that this is true!
  • Spiritual significance of salt. Mmmmm.... I think it may have a metaphorical significance, but wouldn't like to put to much value on it. Are you fighting zombies?
  • Well since Halloween is just around the corner, you never can tell....
  • Back in the old days, salt was rare and needed for food preservation and for cooking. Salt was even used as form of currency. Salt has a long and storied history. and yes, back in the old days, salt did have spiritual significance. In Buddhist tradition, salt is used to repels evil spirits. That's why it's customary to throw salt over your shoulder before entering your house after a funeral: it scares off any evil spirits that may be clinging to your back.
  • Thanks!
  • Salt has long held an important place in religion and culture. Greek worshippers consecrated salt in their rituals. Jewish Temple offerings included salt; on the Sabbath, Jews still dip their bread in salt as a remembrance of those sacrifices. In the Old Testament, Lot's wife was turned into a pillar of salt. Author Sallie Tisdale notes that salt is as free as the water suspending it when it's dissolved, and as immutable as stone when it's dry - a fitting duality for Lot's wife, who overlooks Sodom to this day. Covenants in both the Old and New Testaments were often sealed with salt: the origin of the word "salvation." In the Catholic Church, salt is or has been used in a variety of purifying rituals. In fact, until Vatican II, a small taste of salt was placed on a baby's lip at his or her baptism. Jesus called his disciples "the Salt of the Earth." In Leonardo DaVinci's famous painting, "The Last Supper," Judas Escariot has just spilled a bowl of salt - a portent of evil and bad luck. To this day, the tradition endures that someone who spills salt should throw a pinch over his left shoulder to ward off any devils that may be lurking behind. In Buddhist tradition, salt repels evil spirits. That's why it's customary to throw salt over your shoulder before entering your house after a funeral: it scares off any evil spirits that may be clinging to your back. Shinto religion also uses salt to purify an area. Before sumo wrestlers enter the ring for a match - which is actually an elaborate Shinto rite - a handful of salt is thrown into the center to drive off malevolent spirits. In the Southwest, the Pueblo worship the Salt Mother. Other native tribes had significant restrictions on who was permitted to eat salt. Hopi legend holds that the angry Warrior Twins punished mankind by placing valuable salt deposits far from civilization, requiring hard work and bravery to harvest the precious mineral. In 1933, the Dalai Lama was buried sitting up in a bed of salt. Today, a gift of salt endures in India as a potent symbol of good luck and a reference to Mahatma Gandhi's liberation of India, which included a symbolic walk to the sea to gather tax-free salt for the nation's poor.
  • Thank a lot!
  • Salt has been used in pagan rituals to break curses, hexes, and spells. It's supposed to purify things, so you use it to remove negative status effects. A line of salt is supposed to prevent spirts and demons from being able to pass. So some use it to gaurd their doorways, and windows. Others use circles to protect them from "every angle."
  • No it can't. For 2 reasons: 1) There's no spirits 2) It's SALT. Good ol' NaCl.
  • Salt is NaCl!
  • Salt, as Jesus used it, was symbolic of kingdom people bringing a flavor and preservative quality to society by their positive influence and love. It was also used by ancient peoples as a sign to seal covenants. There are many spiritual and philosophical parallels that can be drawn from the many uses of salt. Each could point to some spiritual significance and value.
  • Salt is a very important mineral and is necessary for life. Because of the fact it is a necessity many claims are made for it which are fancyful, including that it can ward off evil spirts. It has no real spirtiual significance but many believe it does have.
  • Salt has long been used in cultures around the world for "spiritual cleansings" of the home and body. Many rituals involve salt. Spells, ceremonies, superstitions. A good example that may answer your question is the practice of Hoodo by the gullah culture of the Sea Islands. Hoodo is an integration of christianity and older voodoo beliefs.
  • Salt is cleansing.
  • In the Catholic Church, the salt added to Holy Water is cleansed and exorcised. Holy water is used not only in Baptismal Rites but in daily life. When you enter the church you have Holy Water where you dip your finger and make a cross on your forehead to bless yourself is one way. Then people can take Holy Water home with them to bless their houses. I believe it is used to ward away evil spirts. There are other times Holy Water is used for blessings. Without the salt it wouldn't be significant.

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