Railroad spikes have a long history of use in folk magic and witchcraft, especially within American Southern conjure, hoodoo, and protection magic. These iron spikes carry a powerful blend of earthy, industrial, and historical energy—and are prized for their strength, protection, and grounding qualities.
 
🔮 Common Uses in Witchcraft
🛡️ Protection Magic
Bury at the four corners of your property or home to create a warding grid that deflects unwanted energies, spirits, or intrusions.
Use to anchor a protection spell—tie black thread or cloth around it, anoint with protection oil, and bury it at your threshold.
🚪 Warding Entrances
Place one near the front door or windows to block hexes, baneful magic, or unwanted visitors.
Combine with brick dust or graveyard dirt for extra potency in boundary defense.
🔨 Banishing & Hex-Breaking
Use in rituals to “nail down” or banish a person’s influence—write their name on paper, hammer the spike into it, and bury or throw into running water.
Strike the ground with it while speaking your intent to cut cords or seal energy leaks.
🪶 Spirit Work & Ancestral Connection
Some practitioners use them to anchor spirit altars, especially when calling on ancestors who worked the rails or lived during the industrial era.
⚙️ Industrial + Earth Energy
Railroad spikes are excellent for rootwork, earth-based grounding spells, and magic for justice, labor rights, or empowerment of the working class.