Cloves

Overview

Cloves carry a specific, well-loved folk reputation for stopping gossip and unwanted talk — a classic working involves piercing a lemon or other citrus fruit with whole cloves (sometimes in specific patterns or numbers) and placing it somewhere it won't be disturbed, traditionally believed to silence people speaking ill of you.

Beyond gossip-stopping, cloves' warm, penetrating scent has made them a staple of prosperity, love, and protective magic across many cultures, valued for a potency that belies their small size.

Spiritual properties

Cloves' magic is protective and specifically effective against gossip and unwanted talk.

Stopping Gossip

Cloves' most distinctive magical use is silencing gossip and unwanted talk about you, traditionally worked through a pierced-citrus charm.

Protection and Prosperity

Beyond gossip work, cloves carry broader protective and prosperity associations, their penetrating scent read as cutting through obstacles.

How to use it

Pierce a lemon or orange with whole cloves (traditional counts vary by practitioner, often odd numbers like 9 or 13) and place it somewhere undisturbed to stop gossip about you. Add cloves to a prosperity sachet for their penetrating, potent abundance quality. Use in protective incense blends alongside cinnamon and bay laurel.

In spellwork

Cloves appear across hoodoo, Caribbean, and broader folk magic traditions, most distinctively in gossip-stopping citrus charms. They also appear widely in prosperity and love workings for their warm, potent character.

Substitutions

If cloves are unavailable: black pepper substitutes for sharp protective work. Cinnamon substitutes for prosperity and warmth.

Safety notes

Correspondences

Pairs well with (crystals)

Pairs well with (herbs)

Connected tarot cards

Frequently asked questions