To Withdraw an Oath You No Longer Wish to Keep

This rite is intended to withdraw an oath that must be broken: whether because it no longer serves, has become harmful, or was made in haste or error. While not to be taken lightly, the act of retracting an oath is sometimes part of living craft.

Prepare your working space with: a candle, an iron key, a bowl of saltwater, a token of the oath (such as a cord, written vow, or charm), and a small offering of bread, milk, honey, or wine/spirits. Choose a quiet space with firm ground and open air, or a liminal place such as a crossroads, threshold, or hearth.

Light the candle and hold the token of the oath in both hands. Say:

I come with truth, and truth I speak:

This vow I made, I must unkeep.

I offered will, and soul, and word—

But paths have turned, and tides have stirred.

Touch the iron key to the token and say:

What once was bound, I now unbind—

No falsehood meant, no oath maligned.

With iron’s touch and salt’s undoing,

I break this bond and end its wooing.

Place the token in the bowl. Let it soak. As you do, say:

Let it be known: the vow is done.

No debt remains, no thread is spun.

I claim my voice, my will, my way—

And from this oath, I turn away.

Leave the offering and the token of the oath outside or at the edge of your circle, and speak:

To spirit, god, or power that heard,

I give this gift in place of word.

May peace be kept, may wrath be still—

I walk away, and not against will.

Circle the space once with the iron key, saying:

By salt and key, by circle’s edge

I cleanse this space, revoke my pledge.

What’s mine is mine, I walk unchained—

The tie is cut, the will reclaimed.

Blow out the candle. Leave the space in silence. After you have left the offering and token for a suitable amount of time (ex: a few hours or overnight) dispose of the token, offering and water outside or at a liminal space.