A hex was originally a symbol that held magic power, such as a talisman. If you Google "Dutch hex" you will see what I mean. Again, this could be either positive or negative. A "hex" is a lot like saying "charm" or "spell". Of course when people began fearing witchcraft and the like, all things magickal were viewed as evil.
I'm really not here to disagree but your acting like this is pretty much an easy situation to overcome, not to mention the fact that when I curse someone I leave no trace of the curse ever taking place. Why tell someone that your going to curse them so they can defend themselves against it? That doesn't make any sense. I agree for the most part your not going to come across someone with a workable method that will literally end you but there are methods out there that are relatively easy to find and use if one was so inclined.
For instance if someone was adept in evocation they could evoke an entity that is the master at baneful work and that being wouldn't stop until the task is completed. Simple banishings would be ineffective when it comes to a Demonic King. Also most of these beings you can find in grimoires command legions of spirits and all of their legions could be assigned to this task if needed. Not only this the operator could also create an army of egregores to take care of this task in the same matter also.
For the most part people can be taken out by simple candle magick and effigy spells. Even an adept would feel the effects of one of these spells if done properly.
The key behind this is visualization and venerating your emotions into the spell. Stabbing an effigy over and over in a frenzy while uncontrollably screaming obscenities at the effigy works with deadly precision as long as the visualization is there. You have to SEE the person not the effigy when you do this. You have to know that the wounds that your inflicting on this individual is in fact real. As much finite detail you can visualize in this action the better. Afterwards, forget about your ritual and trust that your desire will be carried out. The results will amaze you.
There are a million more ways to curse an individual that I can put down but I hope I got the point across. With surgical precision in baneful magick, Ave Satanas.
I completely agree. The effect of a curse varies from a person to person and the methods you use to do so. Yet I don't believe any curse should be underestimated. If you're asking a higher spirit to help you in such a ritual, it does enhance the impact and cannot be ignored. Plus if you're not letting the target know about the curse, how can you expect the person to ignore something they don't know about?
About the people around the target, I believe it depends on the amount of the energy put in the curse. We do affect people with the emotions we feel or the energy we give. If ones aura is filled with negativity, it will influence others around.
Adding this, people have different opinions and each deserve respect even though it may sound nonsense. You don't have to believe in someone's idea but you have to respect yet show you disagree.
I can just picture a shadow grabbing someone and pulling them into the bushes lol. A spell or curse will 'jump' its target the same way, you direct it at them. When you cast any type of spell you charge energy and through visualization direct it at the target. If it's a love spell you visualize your crush asking you out as you send your love and positive energy towards them. A curse is the opposite, you visualize your enemy getting hurt while you focus your anger and negative energy in their direction.
In Western magic, curse is usually a negative thing, but in some Asian culture, curse is neutral; it can be either/neither good or bad. In Japanese, the word for curse is noroi and the word for spell is usually called omajinai, but the way you write those two characters in kanji are the same for both noroi and omajinai. In other sense, every kind of spell is a form of curse because the practice is associated with strong emotions from the caster whether it's anger, love, sadness...etc. In onmyouji, there're no differences between a love spell and curse because they're both the same thing; you're "cursing" someone by casting your unwanted emotion to them without consultation against their will. You want to cast a love spell because you're trying to get the persons' attention without considering the persons' intention towards you. If the caster already knows that the person is in love with him/her, what's the point of casting the spell in the first place? Same goes with cursing a person, you want to destroy the person without them knowing it and not thinking too much about the consequence.
Personally from what I studied, there're no bad spells or good spells because magic behaves like technology, it can be used for evil or for good since ad hominem spells that's meant to manipulate person's thought or life are caused by the selfish desire of the caster without thinking too much about the victims of their spell.
You are all discussing how it is only fear that activates the curse as if it is a fact, but that is not the only element that triggers the affects. If the person performing the curse has enough knowledge and experience with what they are doing, then it is possible they are smart and strong enough (mentally speaking) to break through the "no-fear" zone of the victim or target, if that makes sense. And if they keep persisting, it adds up the energy and more misfortune can arise. However, it is also all on the view of the target: if they know what is happening and they accept something unusual is happening to them, it is true that they are going to more likely be aware of what is going on. They can also take this "bad experience" that has occurred and perceive it as something good, thus will only frustrate the caster and will likely leave it to faulter in the end.
If you are good when it comes to working with energy, then you should be able to detect what needs to be protected (whether it is an injury on your body or some other object being injured), and then you can cleanse that thing, and shield it.
Also, backfires are a personal belief. If they caster of the curse does not believe in karma or backfires, like myself, then they would not be affected in any way.
