“Bad cess on you. Devil take you. May you never prosper. The first drop of water to quench your thirst — may it boil in your bowels. May the flesh rot off your bones and fall away putrid before your eyes. May your limbs wither, and the stench of your rotten carcass be too horrible for hungry dogs. May you fade into nothing, like snow in summer.”
So then, Curses depend on the “force” behind the curse and the person doing the cursing. The more “integrated” we get, the more powerful our thoughts and utterances become. However, most of us are dissipated and not in touch with our inner self.
Curses also have a life. Some last a few moments, some for a few days and the really powerful one's last lifetimes. Curses coming from mere jealousy may be ineffective. Curses coming from righteous indignation last awhile. Curses coming from those who are defenseless and grievously wronged or betrayed will last a long long while.
However, curses may take a while to take effect, sometimes so much time may elapse that the curser and the cursed would have forgotten what the curse was all about…like across lifetimes. There are several types of Dark Magick Spells, you might consider as “Curses’, and each work differently!
The witch who can throw a genuine curse/hex/crossing without the knowledge of the target is actually pretty rare, though it’s not unheard of. Most curses work by letting the target know they’ve been cursed, and the target basically does a psychological number on him/her own psyche and in effect curses him/herself. Generally, though not always, if a witch lets you know you’re cursed it’s for that purpose.
Real, down’n’dirty baneful magic is actually quite a lot of work and a drain of energy. You have to have REALLY p*ssed someone off. Are people going to tell you how to throw a legit curse here? Bwahahaha………nope.
Contrary to popular belief, reflection spells and mirror spells are not curses. They only reflect back exactly what has been sent out, good or bad. You can’t “curse” with karma!!! Karma, if one believes in it, is an inexorable universal force that is going to roll around in the next lifetime, and that cannot be hastened or altered. Karma simply “is" and it’s separate from witchcraft and magic.
Would I call upon a “dark” god/dess for baneful magic or revenge? Let me tell you, the god/desses ALL have a “dark” side (and a constructive side), and I would not ask the assistance of any deity unless I already have a working relationship and the task is in some way related to their field of expertise or sovereignty. And I’d be darn sure this wasn’t petty and that I have all the facts. But going to deities for spells, whether constructive or baneful, is never something to do lightly. AND they may not see the situation the way you see it. Being gods and all. I’d be cautious about leaving hair from a hairbrush, nail clippings and other personal items lying around in my presence though.
You can live for an eternity, learn everything, do everything, accomplish everything because you have no time-limit, and therefore endowed with near- infinite promise.
But in the end as immortal we might be we are still human beings and our sanity, our view of the world and of time will eventually break down.