Placing shoes to the opposite direction

This was a peculiar one so I decided to ask about it here.

I had an apartment mate who is deeply religious, a Christian. He has now moved away, but not before making one gesture.

He had placed one of my shoe pairs, which I had left to my apartment, to the doorsteps of my room, the shoes facing opposite directions (one shoe facing one way, the other one to the direct opposite).

It didn't seem like it was made in a haphazard way, it was a conscious action. My shoes are normally at least half a meter away from the door.

I do know that he believes in different kind of spells, both good and bad, so I'm now thinking whether he was simply neurotic and wanted to place them to a certain place and to a certain position, or was there some kind of a spell involved? Perhaps it was a warding spell?

The man wasn't from Asia, that much I can tell.

Perhaps someone here happens to know about shoes being placed to opposite directions?

- Meditarot

I've actually heard of this...I believe it is a superstition that says when you place shoes in opposite directions it makes any poltergeist/spirits in the home leave OR it blocks them from coming in at all.

I don't know where this originated but I know I've heard of that somewhere. Maybe the person thinks you have an entity of some sort in the house or was trying to protect you from one coming in?

EmpressArwen said:

I've actually heard of this...I believe it is a superstition that says when you place shoes in opposite directions it makes any poltergeist/spirits in the home leave OR it blocks them from coming in at all.

I don't know where this originated but I know I've heard of that somewhere. Maybe the person thinks you have an entity of some sort in the house or was trying to protect you from one coming in?

Click to expand...

I read about this before starting the thread, but there were only mere mentions about it on the Web, nothing detailed.

Now I'm interested to actually contact him and ask about this, if even out of curiosity.

He does believe in both the God and the Devil and that every spiritual entity, with the exception of God and angels, are merely manifestations of the Devil (ghosts, poltergeists etc.)

Perhaps he thought that there could be Devil at play in the apartment. He knows I don't really believe in the Christian God and I have a habit of seeing premonitive dreams, which in his opinion (at least he said so), could be "Messages from either the God or the Devil."

So perhaps he thought that the apartment needs to be shielded or something.

A small update.

I now found coins under an item which I requrarly use They sure weren't there before he moved out.


- Did he want to prank me by placing them under the item (which was at a kitchen closet of mine), so that when I grab the item, the coins will fall to the table?

- Perhaps he felt that he didn't need the coins (they are of a currency which is not used here, so they are basically worthless. They are not rare coins, but simple pennies of another currency) and he wanted to give them to me. But if he wanted to give them, why place them inconveniently under an item?

- I've also read about money spells which some use by placing coins under or inside an item (inside a shoe or under a working table, for example), to bring economic luck for oneself or a person.

Old thread, but I thought I'd add - I've heard of the shoes one too. Thought it was an exclusively Asian practice lol. Especially when one is staying in hotels and afraid the rooms might be haunted (so many superstitions concerning hotel rooms). The idea is, placing shoes in the opposite direction would prevent mischievous spirits from slipping into and walking around with them.

Not sure about the coins one though.

Pretty sure the roomie was placing those objects cause he was afraid of YOU, Meditarot! Looks like he was worried your spiritual power would allow you to "follow" him to his next place. I think he was protecting himself from you.

Like Padma, I thought he maybe saw you as a threat - or thought you COULD be and he'd better be on the safe side.

The shoes thing reminded me of warding with the sign of the cross, even by just crossing one's fingers. But I didn't know it was an Asian thing, so maybe he heard of that and used it.

I have no idea about the coins! Sounds most likely a prosperity charm, as you thought, but if he was also warding against you (or perhaps something he was afraid you'd "let in"), he wouldn't also want you to prosper...

I did find a couple of interesting shoe spells in one of Scott Cunningham's books, but not this particular one. (Placing your shoes upside down will quiet a howling dog. Placing salt in the shoes of a tiresome guest - assuming they've been taken off - will compel the guest to leave.) These seem to be in the ballpark, though. Maybe there are more in other folk-magic sources.

The only thing that I can relate these to are a few backwoods superstitions that I know.

Honestly it sounds like he was trying to protect himself from YOU with the shoes. I've heard of this done at a few back doors, it prevents any spirits that have attached themselves to you from following him.

As far as the coins, it's a protection from being hexed and/or an offering to keep spirits in that location.

*eta* The thing that puzzles me most is why he would place them so obviously... I've fallen victim to this superstition once or twice, :blush: but I've never placed the coins where they'll be so easily found. Unless maybe he wanted you to know that he made the offering because he was making it to you. LOLOL.

Just realized how that could have come across. Hope you know I didn't mean that in a bad way.