The Spellcaster's Source

Mother Bombie's Witch's Bottle for Curse Removal and Spell Reversing

2012-01-27T14:57:00.000-08:00

The witch bottle is a very old spell device. Its purpose is to draw in and trap harmful intentions directed at its owner. Folk magic contends that the witch bottle protects against evil spirits and magical attack, and counteracts spells cast by witches. Mother Bombie's Book of Witchcraft contains the following recipe for constructing a witch's bottle:

To Make the Witch’s Bottle
Which shall cure of all sorceries
done against ye

You must have a bottle which sealeth with a cork or wooden plug, in which you shall place the following:

A quart of your own water shall be taken and boiled with a paring from each toenail, and with some of your hair, for fire will burn away all evils, and as the water reduces so shall your trouble. Put thereto sulfur, XII nails made from iron, and VIII pins of brass. Add also a heart that has been shaped and cut from from leather or cloth, which you shall pierce with one more nail or pin, for that is the heart of the evil doer who must now be undone and have his ill work returned unto him.

All this to the bottle goes, where it is stopped up, and shall be buried outside your home, or if you are in the city, you may tuck it within your chimney, and for as long as this remains unmolested you shall be well.

Low Cost Occult Books

2012-01-22T15:56:00.001-08:00

Good news, folks! My printing house has recently changed their pricing structure, meaning certain books under my control can be produced for $1-$2 cheaper than previously. I am thus passing these savings on to you, by lowering the costs for the effected publications. These are:

VOODOO CONJURE

MOTHER BOMBIE

Burning Incense is Scientifically Psychoactive

2012-01-21T21:22:00.000-08:00

"In spite of information stemming from ancient texts, constituents of Bosweilla had not been investigated for psychoactivity," said Raphael Mechoulam, one of the research study's co-authors. "We found that incensole acetate, a Boswellia resin constituent, when tested in mice lowers anxiety and causes antidepressive-like behavior. Apparently, most present day worshipers assume that incense burning has only a symbolic meaning."

Read the full article at http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080520110415.htm#.TwrdJ5pTHFc.facebook

The Conjure Cookbook: Its History of Creation

2012-01-18T19:02:00.000-08:00

I was recently having a less than lovely conversation with a certain fellow practitioner of hoodoo, who seemed to view me merely as some kind of maliciously deliberate competition, and thus she wasn't the most charming of people to speak with. Among other things, she was griping on and on about my Conjure Cookbook. Making some lemonade of this lemon, it has inspired me to give this brief history of the book's composition.

When I was a new person to magic -- having fallen into it by a weird accident of timing and irrelevant search engine results -- I wanted to make my own formulas from the start. Similar to how I usually prefer knowing how to cook than to going to restaurants, and prefer making my own beauty products to buying them, I wanted to make them. And even back then, when I knew nothing about how to make a good magic formula, I'd still try to make them, from all kinds of stupid ingredients that I'd be embarrassed by these days. Thing was, I never had any inclination to buy a formula if I really just wanted to make it: and the friends I was making in the magical world tended to be of a like mind. The ones who wanted to buy would buy without hesitation; but the ones who wanted to make would put off and put off until they could learn to make.

After a few years of trying to learn more about recipes, and keeping that Hoodoo Review blog that's become absurdly popular (with its fifteen followers! Woo!) I was starting to figure out what was good and bad in mixtures. I was also begins quite aware that most recipes one would find were all from the single source of The Magickal Formulary by Herman Slater.

After one evening of being on a magic forum and trying to swap a recipe with someone who seemed to be very knowledgable and have a good traditional background in magic and creating formulas, and sharing with her one of my own finest creations as a swap for one of her recipes -- and being ultimately disappointed when the recipe she gave in return was another of those Magickal Formulary recipes -- I decided I could probably write a better book. And I concluded that there was need for one, because that Magickal Formulary really did seem at the time to be the only hoodoo-centered book of formulas out there, which was why everyone was using it.

So, imitating the structure of the good but very Wiccan/Neopagan work by Scott Cunningham, The Complete Book of Incense, Oils and Brews (it lies, it's not complete because it omits all harmful or dominating formulas; and it even mentions Slater's book and chides him for including them, meaning it acknowledges that they do exist) I began The Conjure Cookbook. It was all done in about three very intense weeks in which I had little time to sleep or bathe, but it's the sort of project where I'd get too bored with it if I let it drag on for weeks so I had to do it fast while the muse was with me. I had years of collected notes and sources already, it was just a matter of putting them into something useful. Some came from websites, some invented, some from other books, and some were technically from other books but I had repurposed them to be hoodoo (this is to say -- in a move that I understand is not untraditional -- I would sometimes find a recipe for a medicine or a perfume or something that was not inherently meant to be magical, but it had the right sort of ingredients in it. So I'd call that "Follow Me Boy" or whatever, even if it had started as "Eau de Pucelles." Evidently pharmacists would do this all the time in the old drugstore days.)

Our unpleasant conversationalist whom I mentioned above, seemed to suggest she thought I had intentionally stolen the name from another publication called something like The Conjure Cookery or something like that -- I'd never heard of it before she mentioned it. In fact, I chose the title Conjure Cookbook simply because I've found that alliteration is my friend. The Saxons new the value of this; their poems were all alliterative. Publishers know the value of this; Jane Austen did not change the name of her book First Impressions into Pride and Prejudice without reason; alliteration makes things sound catchy and catchy catches attention and that means sales. I had already observed as much with my blogs as well -- any blog I've made that didn't have an alliterated title seemed to ultimately fail ("Hoodoo Review" for those who wonder, is an internal alliteration.) Conjure Cookbook won out over other titles like "Making Magic" and "Finest Formulas" that I'd considered using, because it was the most descriptive.

I then arranged a bunch of oils and things on a tabletop, snapped some photos, then ran them through a few Photoshop filters and voila -- a cover! I was trying to make it look like the kind of art I had seen around New Orleans when I'd gone there, so I used bright colors and the polygonal lasso tool. The original picture, undoctored, is at left.

And so it was done. Conjure Cookbook is my best seller and probably my most useful book (and maybe it's one because it's the other.) In one of the reviews on Amazon, someone speculates that I left out quantities in a deliberate effort to protect the "secrecy" of the recipes. Obviously, any recipe I was able to get my hands on in the first place wasn't all that secret -- but the notion of keeping good information secret just seems stupid to me anyway. It was my frustration with secrecy that motivated the book's whole creation. Down with secrecy! Information's no good if it's just in your head.

And so Conjure Cookbook came to be, to fill that little need I saw in the world.

Candle Wax Divination for Knowing Spell Outcome: Part 2

2012-01-15T22:51:00.000-08:00

Certain figures and symbols are of so frequent occurrence that it may be well to emphasise their general significance by referring to them here, in addition to their meaning being given in the dictionary.

Among those which threaten misfortune, or sorrow, are the following: crosses, snakes, spades, pistols, guns, toads, cats.

Joy and success are indicated by such symbols as a crescent moon, clover leaves, flowers, trees, anchors, fruit, circles, stars.

This is from the book Telling Fortunes by Tea Leaves, by Cecily Kent. Fortunately, the symbols are very much the same for candle wax divination -- if you're the kind of person who needs an interpretation list instead of just working intuitively. Below (should be if I did the html right) a little window that shows the correct excerpt from her book and provides the meanings of various symbols you may perceive.

Candle Wax Divination for Knowing Spell Outcome: Part 1

2012-01-12T22:18:00.000-08:00

When one performs a candle spell, often there is leftover wax remaining. Some people like to use this wax to detect shapes, which they perceive will relate to the final outcome of the spell.

The images or symbols one will see can generally be broken down into four categories, which are:

NATURE.

Shapes to do with the organic world, such as flowers, mountains, branches, stars, etc. These can be indicative of circumstances that are beyond your power to control, and the general environment in which the spell is cast.

PEOPLE.

Shapes to do with human beings, such as full-body silhouettes or body parts like hands, ears, mouths and so on. These are said by some to be indicative of the role we, or the spell target, is playing or will play. Others also say that they represent actions which are being taken or will need to be taken.

ANIMALS.

Shapes that resemble animals found in wax are sometimes said to represent personal qualities that we, or the spell subject, are expressing or secretly feeling, based on the behavior of the animal in question. Additionally, there are animals like owls and snakes which usually have their own symbolism associated with them, and many people will read such shapes by whatever ideas the creature is usually felt to represent.

OBJECTS.

These are any man-made objects like cars, tools, hats and so on that one might perceive in the wax. These are said to demonstrate what is being done or will need to be done in relation to the magic spell. They can also show what the final outcome that has been created will be.

Additionally, one will rarely have the fortune of finding actual words spelled in the wax, though it's advised that the spirits "can be a little shakey in their spelling." In these cases the word should be interpreted within the context, to the best of one's ability.

Not all candles will produce shapes in the wax; in fact some candles will even burn very clean and leave nothing behind at all. I knew a fellow from South America (grew up in Peru and then moved to Brazil) who said he was taught that if the candle burns with no leftover wax, it is a bad omen that means someone is working against you. Meanwhile, the attitude I've found amongst most American hoodoo practitioners I've talked to, has been that little or now wax is a favorable sign and that it means the spell is working unhindered or that there isn't going to be anything "left behind" after the spellcast that would need further work.

Personally, I like it better when they burn clean because then I don't need to scrape out the candle holder.

Florida Water Cologne and Its Use In Hoodoo

2012-01-09T16:35:00.000-08:00

Florida Water is a popular spiritual perfume used in hoodoo, Santeria, and other magical practices. It has a scent resembling a citrus-spice, but with some soothing floral elements that give it its famous calming, cooling fragrance. It was considered a "universal perfume" because the odor is suitable for both men and women, and it can be used in a variety of ways. One popular trick in hot weather is to mix it with cold water and use it as a spray or to soak a cloth in it and rest the said cloth around your neck.

Magically speaking, Florida Water cologne tends to be used most commonly, these days, for purification. It is sometimes even used as a substitute for holy water. It is sprinkled as a spiritual cleansing agent onto mojo hands that one worries have received negative influences, it is added to baths and washes, and is even used in some versions of Peace Water. Just opening a bottle and leaving it in a room is said to purify the air of bad spirits and energies. Some people also recommend it for removing a person's melancholy and depression. Many people also now use it to cleanse their candles and altar tools before use, replacing the more traditional Bay Rum which was once preferred for the purpose by magical spell casters.

Historically in old time hoodoo magic, though, Florida Water was more often used as a drawing ingredient. One simple trick for using it was to put it in small a fireproof container and ignite it, then warm one's hands over the flames as a way to call money into one's hands. Another old money spell was to hang a little horseshoe magnet over one's door that had been fed with gold and silver magnetic sand, and then periodically sprinkle it with Florida Water perfume so that it would attract success and money into the house. One variant on the honey jar spell for love uses an apple full of Florida Water, clover and verbena oils, and honey as its mechanism: it is placed in a flower pot and as the plant grows, so grows the target's love.

While Florida Water is a relatively inexpensive cologne, there are some people who prefer to make it themselves. Here is one old time recipe:

Essence lemon, 6 ounces

Oil lavender, 8 ounces

Oil lemon grass, 2 ounces

Oil cloves, 4 ounces

Alcohol (use perfumer's grade or Everclear - NOT rubbing alcohol!), 4 gallons

Distilled water, 1 gallon.

Mix and bottle, let sit for 2 weeks before use.

BUY FLORIDA WATER PERFUME FROM LUCKY TEMPLE.

Spiritual Bathing: Old Time Hoodoo and De Laurence Style

2012-01-06T16:47:00.000-08:00

S.L. MacGregor Mathers translated and edited the Key of Solomon in the 19th century. Capitalizing on some loopholes in copyright laws of the day, L.W. De Laurence reprinted The Key of Solomon with his own name pasted in as author. De Laurence, nevertheless, was extremely influential in the magical world and particularly popular with blacks all over the world, causing his publications to become the basis by which many magicians from the areas learned their craft.

Here are the instructions for spiritual bathing as recorded in the Key of Solomon. Simplified versions of this ritual are still used by many hoodoo practitioners today before starting their work.

CONCERNING THE BATHS, AND HOW THEY ARE TO BE ARRANGED
THE Bath is necessary for all Magical and Necromantic Arts; wherefore, if thou wishest to perform any experiment or operation, having arranged all things necessary thereunto according to the proper days and hours, thou shalt go unto a river or running stream, or thou shalt have warm water ready in some large vessel or tub in thy secret cabinet, and while disrobing thyself of thy raiment thou shalt repeat the following Psalms:--Psalms xiv. or Iiii.; xxvii.; liv.; lxxxi.; cv.
And when the Master shall be entirely disrobed let him enter into the water or into the Bath, and let him say:--
THE EXORCISM OF THE WATER.
I exorcise thee, O Creature of Water, by Him Who hath created thee and gathered thee together into one place so that the dry land appeared, that thou uncover all the deceits of the Enemy, and that thou cast out from thee all the impurities and uncleannesses of the Spirits of the World of Phantasm, so they may harm me not, through the virtue of God Almighty Who liveth and reigneth unto the Ages of the Ages. Amen.
Then shalt thou begin to wash thyself thoroughly in the Bath, saying:--
MERTALIA, MUSALIA, DOPHALIA, ONEMALIA, ZITANSEIA, GOLDAPHAIRA, DEDULSAIRA, GHEVIALAIRA, GHEMINAIRA, GEGROPHEIRA, CEDAHI, GILTHAR, GODIEB, EZOIIL, MUSIL, GRASSIL, TAMEN, PUERI, GODU, HUZNOTH, ASTACHOTH, TZABAOTH, ADONAI, AGLA, ON, EL, TETRAGRAMMATON, SHEMA, ARESION, ANAPHAXETON, SEGILATON, PRIMEUMATON.
All the which Names thou shalt repeat twice or thrice, until thou art completely washed and clean, and when thou are perfectly pure thou shalt quit the Bath, and sprinkle thyself with exorcised water, in the manner described later on, and thou shalt say:--
Purge me, O Lord, with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Whilst again clothing thyself, thou shalt recite the following Psalms: Psalms cii.; li.; iv.; xxx.; cxix., Mem, v. 97; cxiv.; cxxvi.; cxxxix.
After which thou shalt recite the following Prayer:--
PRAYER.
EL Strong and Wonderful, I bless Thee, I adore Thee, I glorify Thee, I invoke Thee, I render Thee thanks from this Bath, so that this Water may be able to cast from me all impurity and concupiscence of heart, through Thee, O Holy ADONAI; and may I accomplish all things through Thee Who livest and reignest unto the Ages of the Ages. Amen.
After this take the Salt and bless it in this manner:--
THE BENEDICTION OF THE SALT.
The Blessing of the Father Almighty be upon this Creature of Salt, and let all malignity and hindrance be cast forth hence from, and let all good enter herein, for without Thee man cannot live, wherefore I bless thee and invoke thee, that thou mayest aid me.
Then thou shalt recite over the Salt Psalm ciii.
Then taking the grains of the exorcised Salt thou shalt cast them into the aforesaid Bath; and thou shalt again disrobe thyself, pronouncing the following words:--
IMANEL, ARNAMON, IMATO, MEMEON, RECTACON, MUOBOII, PALTELLON, DECAION, YAMENTON, YARON, TATONON, VAPHORON, GARDON, EXISTON, ZAGVERON, MOMERTON, ZARMESITON, TILEION, TIXMION.
After this thou shalt enter a second time into the Bath and recite Psalms civ. and lxxxi.
Then thou shalt quit the Bath and clothe thyself as before in linen garments clean and white, and over them thou shalt put the garments, of which we shall speak in the proper Chapter, and thus clothed thou shalt go to finish thy work.
The Disciples should wash themselves in like manner, and with like solemnities.

The Intranquility Spell

2012-01-03T14:53:00.000-08:00

I've written before on the Intranquil Spirit Spell, and it remains one of my most popular blog posts. As I've said before, it is a curiously popular spell -- perhaps because the desperate who wish to bring back a lost lover enjoy the idea of making their mate as tormented as they are. Some people who cast the spell for themselves even find they feel the spell to have "backfired" on them and claim that THEY, instead of their would-be lover, were the subject rendered intranquil and unable to think of anything else but their desired person.

I don't have any great moral objections to the Intranquility spell: I just don't love doing them because I find their reputation to be rather ill deserved. They just don't work all that well, in my observation: I have seen it to be one of those spells where even if it works, it doesn't really work -- that is, it doesn't do what the person obviously had intended to achieve. Even in cases where everything goes perfectly -- the person who wanted the spell stays quiet and doesn't contact the target of the spell, where there's no backfiring or weirdness, and where the target doesn't just hold out for a lifetime of intranquility -- what generally seems to happen is that the target is rendered intranquil and depending on circumstances, either contacts or comes back to the person who wanted the spell cast. Things are then hunky-dory for a short while, but once the (usually male) target feels contented again, he leaves again. Working with the Intranquil Spirit is, let us say, not a one-time affair.

But as I said in my last post on the subject, it seems to be almost as common for the target to just hold out for a lifetime of strife and stress, based on the reports I've heard from those who used the spells and were able to keep tabs on their exes. It is a general matter with love spells that they cannot go against a person's free will: and no, that's not saying there's some universal rule declaring it's immoral to force a person's free will, I'm saying that love magic spells -- unless the person being targeted is extremely weak-minded and incapable of judgment -- are not able to turn a person into a "zombie" who has no free will and no ability to discern if the course of action being proposed is unreasonable*. This is, for example, why love spells on celebrities whom you've never met don't work: Brad Pitt knows perfectly well, just by way of rational thinking, that it would be a dumb idea to drop what he's doing and go scouting around rural Idaho for some girl he had a dream about (for example) just because he's having bizarrely fond thoughts for this mystery person. Likewise, your ex may know that he just cannot deal with you anymore, and know that even if he's having remorseful or impassioned thoughts that life with you is just not something that's logical any longer; and so he'll ignore the calls from the love spell and keep about his business. This includes Intranquility spells.

As is warned by Jaya over at her blog, "The Anima Sola and Intranquil Spirit don't necessarily reunite lovers so that they are married and live happily forever amen but may reunite lovers only for a short time. After that time is over, it will be very difficult for you to find another love or even have sex with another person as such a strong love spell will certainly create a sexual dysfunction for you other than your former beloved."

Intranquility spells can of course be used by anyone, but they ought be done with much caution.

*And I just love it when people insist "No, it's totally possible! I know someone who did it!" Of course, if this is the truth I want to know all about it! Unfortunately, this story never holds up to further questioning.

Last Chance - Discount on Selected Magical Occult Texts

2011-12-31T01:45:00.000-08:00

This limited time discount offer is only available for a couple more days -- don't let yourself miss this chance!

Occult books by Talia Felix are currently priced at 15% off the normal amount at the Createspace Store, whenever you use the coupon code TXDAQ5LH

This coupon can be used for all of the following books:

Death and Destruction: How To Cast Magic Spells for Vengeance, Harm, Etc. ~~$14.95~~ SALE$12.71
Voodoo Conjure: Recipes, Charms and True Tales of Magic~~$14.95~~ SALE $12.71
The Conjure Cookbook: Making Magic with Oils, Incense, Powders and Baths ~~$15.99~~SALE $13.59
Mother Bombie's Book of Witchcraft and Cunning Magick ~~$14.95~~SALE $12.71

Buy one or buy them all, save 15% off retail! This coupon only works through the Createspace store and only for a few more days!

How Not To Feel Discouraged While Waiting For a Spell to Manifest

2011-12-28T01:28:00.000-08:00

Negativity is an unfortunately easy way to kill a spell's working, even if it was otherwise an effective spell: at least, this is generally found to be the case by those who commonly deal in magic.

Those who are casting a spell in desperation are particularly prone to this mindset. Now, admittedly it is not a good idea to turn to magic out of desperation anyway -- magic is put to best and most effective use when it's used with familiarity as a supplement to one's usual routine rather than something turned to with hopes of instant miracles. You might compare it to a person who opens a jar of face cream and uses it once expecting it will instantly and permanently cure all their beauty woes, versus the person who uses the cream with frequency. The frequent user will tend to be happier with the results achieved.

Nevertheless, whether you used magic as a last resort or whether it's a supplement to some particularly worrisome situation, everyone needs a little help from time to time staying positive while awaiting the magic's manifestation. My usual recommendation is to keep yourself busy so that you don't have time to worry: take the time to watch all those movies you've been curious about, start a hobby, read some books, take up video games or that horrid Farmville thing everyone's so obsessed with -- something that keeps your mind engaged and prevents you from fretting about the magic spell, and ultimately ensures that you don't have time to be unhappy and worried.

There is also an old trick used to inspire a more cheerful mood: force yourself to smile. Even if it's artificial at first, the act of smiling will actually tend to cause your body to think it's already happy, and your mood will adjust itself accordingly. It's an excellent example of the cause and effect reversals that we use in magic all the time.

Eternal Love Spells Daily Spellcast

2011-12-25T02:37:00.000-08:00

While I confess I have some doubts as to how successful I will be at maintaining this project in the long run, I have a new blog: Eternal Love Spells. Why is it called this? Well, hopefully, I will be posting one new love spell every single day on this blog.

Love spells were chosen for the topic because it remains the single most common thing I am asked about. These spells are gathered from various books or websites -- in which case I make sure to credit my sources -- or else are original love spell ideas crafted by me.

Visit the Eternal Love Spells Blog.

Hoodoo Curio Catalogues

2011-12-23T00:06:00.000-08:00

A while back I made a popular post about some old time curio catalogues. This blog has found many new readers since that time: today we shall re-feature the story so that they can see these interesting delights for themselves!

Was Googling about trying to find some new incense for the Hoodoo Review project, when I came across an interesting site called the Church of Good Luck. In addition to some old pictures of antique hoodoo items (such as incense, which was what fielded my results to them) they have another interesting thing for the eyes of collectors -- complete scans of old hoodoo curio catalogues! It's interesting to see how common a lot of this artwork that was used in the 40s still is: a great deal of Lucky Mojo's product artwork is pulled right from the King Curio line of the 40s, and Augustine's Spiritual Goods [Ed: now called The Lucky Mojo Bag Company, apparently finding that's actually less likely to get them sued than the old name] also reuses a lot of the artwork in their own catalogue. In addition to magical items, the books usually have sections selling jewelry, and hair straighteners and skin lighteners. I also recognized, in the cover art for a book clept "The Magical Science of Black Arts" (from the 1930 King Curio) the same cover used on a book I own called "The Devil's Legacy to Earth Mortals" (from ca. the 1890s.) And because I am secretly a 15 year old boy, I could help but snicker at the "douche powder."

(I wish some of this stuff were still available! I'd totally buy an incense burner that looks like a cat puking smoke!)

Easy Planetary Incenses for Magic

2011-12-21T17:42:00.000-08:00

The Obeah Bible (probably quoting Agrippa) declares that simple planetary incenses can be made to lend their fragrances to appropriate rites.

"To Saturn are appropriated for fumes, odoriferous roots: as pepperwort root, &c, and the frankincense tree. To Jupiter, all odoriferous fruits: as nutmegs, cloves, &c. To Mars, all odoriferous woods: as sanders, Cyprus, lignum balsam, and lignum aloes. To the Sun, all gums: as frankincense, mastick, benjamin, storax, laudanum, ambergris, and musk. To Venus, flowers: as roses, violets, saffron, and the like. To Mercury, all the parings of wood or fruit: as cinnamon, lignum cassia, mace, citron peel, and bayberries, and whatever seeds are odoriferous. To the Moon, the leaves of all vegetables: as the leaf indum, the leaf of the myrtle, and bay tree."

Most of these appropriate odors can be found in the standard stock of nearly anyplace that sells incense. Some common fragrances can be utilized for your magical planetary incense as follows:

Moon: Patchouli incense
Mars: Sandalwood incense
Mercury: Cinnamon incense
Jupiter: Vanilla incense
Venus: Rose incense
Saturn: Vetivert incense
Sun: Amber incense

For a more detailed explanation of what each planet controls, see the description at the Lucky Temple Spells Page.

Spiritual Soaps and Laundry Detergent

2011-12-19T14:37:00.000-08:00

Ever gotten the perfect spiritual or magical soap for your need and then gone, "Oh, but I want to fix my laundry for magic as well! I need to buy some extra bath crystals/powders/perfumes to add to the wash." Well, fret not, because YOU DON'T!

The concept of a different soap for each different purpose has only been popular since the mid-20th century. It used to be a single bar of soap was expected to serve all purposes. The Hurston family used old fashioned Octagon laundry soap as their laundry and body cleaning bar. Modern spiritual soaps are no different. Here's how to convert any magical bar soap for laundry:

Mix equal parts soap scrapings, borax and baking soda together, and beat to a uniform powder. Use about 1 to two tablespoons of this mixture in the laundry depending on load size; half that for high efficiency machines. It produces very little foam but it does get the job done.

Low Cost Discount Magical Texts

2011-12-17T01:47:00.000-08:00

This limited offer is still available -- don't let yourself miss this chance!

Talia Felix occult books at the Createspace store are currently priced at 15% off the normal amount whenever you use the coupon code TXDAQ5LH

This coupon can be used for all of the following books:

Death and Destruction: How To Cast Magic Spells for Vengeance, Harm, Etc. ~~$14.95~~ SALE$12.71
Voodoo Conjure: Recipes, Charms and True Tales of Magic~~$14.95~~ SALE $12.71
The Conjure Cookbook: Making Magic with Oils, Incense, Powders and Baths ~~$15.99~~SALE $13.59
Mother Bombie's Book of Witchcraft and Cunning Magick ~~$14.95~~SALE $12.71

Buy one or buy them all, save 15% off retail!

Prayer Against Voodoo

2011-12-15T01:41:00.000-08:00

Author: MrPastor77

Title: Prayer Against Voodoo.
Copyrighted © 2010 By MrPastor77.
All Rights Reserved.

Introduction
Father God, the only TRUE living God. The God of this whole universe and everything made. The God who said in Genesis 1:1, "Let there be light our father who is in heaven". Father God this person listening to this prayer is being attacked by voodoo spells that have been placed on them and they want it to be removed. Father God anoint, give life to, and fill with power, every word that is going to come out of my mouth in Jesus Christ name.

Voodoo CURSES Fall
Father God every voodoo enchantments spoken toward this person hearing this, cancel them all and curse those curses sent toward them. Have every word spoken at them to fall and have every enchantment that has be successful, put it's evil works to a standstill, and undo every evil thing that enchantment was sent out to do in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

Against the Weapons of Voodoo (Spells)
Father God there are earthly things used from nature, when used the wrong way by the people of darkness can cause serious harm to others, so I want you to make invalid the powers of each of these earthly things and render them powerless when used to cause harm to the person listening to this.
Anyone using:
- Graveyard Dust or Goofer Dust.
- Black Ants.
- Aunt Sally's Dream Oil.
- Bat's Blood.
- Bats Eye.
- Dove's Heart.
- Voodoo Magic Powder.
Render them all POWERLESS in Jesus Christ name.

Voodoo Dolls Pt I (Breaking Curse)
Father God the satanic worshipers who sent the voodoo spells toward this person listening to this, mite also have a voodoo doll with a picture of their face on it symbolizing them, and using sticking of pins into the doll to strengthen and direct the spells they casting. Father God make ineffective the power of the black pins, known as Mojo, to cause mental problems and to make stronger the results.

Voodoo Dolls Pt II (Breaking Curse)
Father God there are symbols and pictures on the voodoo dolls where pins are stuck into, let them have no effect, make it unproductive, stop these curses from moving forward.

*Airplane (Travel, journey, route)
*Dollar (Money, prosperity, finances, assets, credit)
*Briefcase (Job, success, business, employment)
*Angel (Guardian spirit, virtues, powers, protection, spiritual)
*Lips (Passion, seduction, infatuation, intensity, sex appeal)
*Skull & Crossbones (Poison, evil, frighten)
*Thundercloud (Weather, climate, air temperature, strike)

Against Voodoo Spirits Pt 1
Father God concealed forces working under the power of voodoo magic, powers of darkness, dark magic spirits of the night, dark forces, dark entities, voodoo spirits that come as shadows, father God chain up every single one of them right this instant in Jesus Christ name.

Against Voodoo Spirits Pt 2
Father God there are evil spirits of voodoo attached to this person listening to this. It's not dwelling in their spirit but it's following them, watching them. It's still tampering with things they own. Their causing injures to them, causing misfortune, destruction, making them feel sad, feeding off their emotions. Father God send a death strike towards every last demon of voodoo harassing this person listening to this in name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

Voodoo Spirit (Removal) The FINAL
If there is a spirit of Voodoo in this person's life, dwelling in this person's spirit present yourself. Jesus Christ of Nazareth has died and resurrected from the dead thus you are DEFEATED.
Father God, have the Blood of Jesus Christ to cancel all the spirit of voodoo assignments and render the spirit of voodoo and all the other demons it has joined up with powerless in Jesus Christ name.
Evil curses, generational curses, charms, vexes, hexes, spells, jinxes, psychic powers, that have been put upon this person or their family line going back as far as ten generations break these satanic rituals and curses, break their hold. Break it's power over them. I command you by the authority of Jesus Christ spirit of voodoo to loose this person listening to this Father God DETACH and LOOSE this person from the spirit of voodoo in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

Amen

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/christianity-articles/prayer-against-voodoo-3450078.html

About the Author

Religion: Christian

Occupation: Assistant Pastor

Chruch: Global Faith Ministries

Speciality: Prayers

Samurai Voodoo Doll - The Truth About Voodoo Dolls Today

2011-12-13T01:47:00.000-08:00

Author: Faith Lamb

The Samurai voodoo doll and in fact voodoo dolls in general, have seen a great revival in recent years, with a growing number of westerners expressing interest in these curios. Yet the world is not preparing itself for a riot of black magic - for these little Samurai voodoo dolls are armed with charm and a cheeky little smile! Voodoo doll charms have become hugely popular with people for a wide number of reasons.

Voodoo itself carries with it much mysticism and intrigue, with many people perceiving it through the lens of Hollywood. Certainly films have depicted dark, mysterious and undoubtedly evil doings relating to voodoo, with voodoo dolls being tortured, stuck with pins and burnt. Yet this image is distinctly unfair, and the reality of voodoo, and its use of dolls, is as distant from black magic as the little voodoo charms carried by people today.

Used as key rings, attached to bags and zippers or simply hidden inside a pocket, the little samurai dolls which people enjoy today are in no way symbols of dark magic or of a culture which entertains dark or evil forces. Indeed, voodoo is very much an aspect of the ancient Caribbean religion which worships Loa, and Loa's sub-deities. It is a religion which harnesses the natural world, and which takes on board the idea that everything is interconnected, with spirits and natural energy underpinning all that we see, both in the natural world and in the behaviour of people.

It is particularly this idea that people's behaviour can be affected by natural forces or energy which has encouraged the increased interest in lucky charms, samurai dolls and voodoo dolls. However, rather than seeing these little doll charms as being dark, restricting or affecting people's behaviour against their will, it is instead the idea that people who approach you with dark thoughts, ill intentions or bad news will find that their negative energy is either dispelled or rebuffed.

In practice the concept is that one of these brave little voodoo doll charms will defend you from this negative energy, bouncing it back towards the other person, and keeping you safe from harm. Sticking pins in your little doll charm will do little else but risk him losing a little of his stuffing, and you wouldn't want to impair his ability to defend you, would you?

Whether you believe in the idea of natural energy, negative energy or the ability to defend yourself from negative energy is unimportant. Certainly many people do, and we all know people who seem charmed, able to float through life untouched by negative energy, or like ducks, able to let bad news or dark times simple trickle off their back as they drift onwards towards warmer waters. Similarly many of us know people who seem always to be the ones to experience bad news, calamities, failures and problems, constantly stressed, upset or angry, with a fuse so short that it barely has any delay before bursting with a furious reaction!

Why should it be that some people have it so easy, whilst for others life seems to be a constant challenge? Is there something in the idea of being charmed? Is it simply that by believing that things will get worse, that they do, and that by having faith that things will improve, they will? If this is the case, then our plucky little heroes, your little samurai voodoo doll or other voodoo doll charms may work simply by being around, filling you with just enough confidence to make the difference.

Of course, for many people charms have great importance, from special pebbles or shells, to crystals or pendants, jewels, rings or other items which seem imbued with energy or associations which help the owner feel more positive. Voodoo dolls manage to evoke the mystery of an ancient and powerful religion from a part of the world connected deeply to the natural environment. A holiday to Haiti will not only bring you right to the heart of the origins of Voodoo, but is likely to help invest you with renewed vigour, feeling positive and energetic! But of course, that might simply be the sun, the white sand and the local rum!

There are many people who carry such charms simply for their visual appeal, and this is understandable looking at the wide selection of voodoo dolls available today. Delightfully designed, with great detail and a distinct sense of charm which has a great deal to do with their cheeky little expressions.

The samurai voodoo doll may offer you protection against those who may mean you harm, or he may provide you with a renewed sense of confidence and faith in yourself, or he may simply be a rather unusual little character hanging from your bag or tucked in your pocket. But one thing is for certain - voodoo doll charms won't needle you, and who knows - maybe neither will other people whilst you keep him with you!

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/new-age-articles/samurai-voodoo-doll-the-truth-about-voodoo-dolls-today-939331.html

About the Author

Faith Lamb has long been fascinated by various New Age and Paranormal subjects and regularly writes articles on them.

For more information on Faith and her interests you can visit her New Age Shop, Moonrust.

Faith also runs the Moonrust Forum, where like minded people can discuss New Age lifestyles and ideas.

Sale Price Magic Hoodoo and Wicca Books

2011-12-11T01:55:00.000-08:00

Discounts available from the Createspace store. Use the coupon code TXDAQ5LH

This coupon can be used for the following books:

Death and Destruction: How To Cast Magic Spells for Vengeance, Harm, Etc. ~~$14.95~~ SALE $12.71
Voodoo Conjure: Recipes, Charms and True Tales of Magic~~$14.95~~ SALE $12.71
The Conjure Cookbook: Making Magic with Oils, Incense, Powders and Baths ~~$15.99~~ SALE $13.59
Mother Bombie's Book of Witchcraft and Cunning Magick ~~$14.95~~SALE $12.71

Buy one or buy them all, save 15% off retail!

Ammonia Bath

2011-12-09T23:10:00.000-08:00

Some of those who research the old-time bath habits may be familiar with adding ammonia to the bath for spiritual cleansing purposes. Here is an interesting recipe for "refreshing" bath, not from any hoodoo manual but from a 1908 book of household hints:

"A refreshing bath to be taken when one is fatigued or for overstrung nerves is made by simply mixing an ounce of ammonia in the water; but this bath should not be frequently used as ammonia, for all its tonic and refreshing powers, is not conducive to the beauty of the skin. Immediately after a bath let the body be sharply rubbed with a soft towel and then powdered all over with a little plain rice or starch powder. A ball of medicated wool, costing about six cents, can be used in place of the large and expensive powder puff."

Hoodoo folks know of course to use a good spiritual powder as the after-bath dust.

Do Voodoo Love Spells Work?

2011-12-07T01:39:00.000-08:00

Author: Jack Daniel Morris

Voodoo is a religion or a collection of religious ideas mainly from Africa and the Caribbean country Haiti, creating two types of voodoo. They are quite different in nature and are called Louisiana Voodoo and Haitian Voodoo respectively. The former kind of voodoo is a product of Afro-American religious culture.

But in 1930s a new misconception was perceived that voodoo was a culture of sticking pins into dolls and was associated with hexing and some people took up the voodoo career in search of a fortune, something which the true voodoo followers never did. Now, the modern concept of voodoo comprises of voodoo hexes and more significantly voodoo love spells.

Although the modern form of voodoo is an occult practice and believed as superstitious by some of the common population, yet there are those who really believe in voodoo spells, especially love spells.

However, the modern form of voodoo is specifically a practice and business that mostly includes voodoo dolls. These dolls, along with spells and rituals are said to protect and / or destroy people at one's content, same as voodoo love dolls and spells.

Voodoo love spells, the most commonly used voodoo practices, are used to bring back lost love, to repair damaged love, to make someone interested in you and to punish one's spouse or partner.

For most of the times, they are bound to be associated with a good intent of returning love completely. They often use, candles, herbs, flowers, shells, gris-sris bags,talismans and voodoo veves, along with the most commonly used voodoo dolls. These spells also sometimes used along with love potions.

As already said before, although voodoo love spells seem to have no scientific base; some people still believe very deeply in it. And both of these groups of people ask for one common thing: do they really work?

Well, the answer is that we may never know for sure. It is perfectly true that science is not complete yet, which proves that it is still not able to explain every mystery of this world. Also the voodoo practice has not been proven right yet, we may never disprove it totally.

On the other hand, if we look at the very basic of voodoo love spells business, we observe that the assumptions are very similar to other occult practices such as tarot reading or Egyptian love spells and moreover, awakening love for someone in a person's heart by means of some enchanted dolls and some seemingly meaningless rituals offend common sense.

So a definite answer to this question can never be attained. But still, the bottom line remains, no one can tell you whether voodoo love spells really work or not.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/spirituality-articles/do-voodoo-love-spells-work-2269789.html

About the Author

Want to experience the most enjoyable and accurate phone psychic readings by authentic and best psychics? Don't waste your money over the fake ones, you must consult the industry-leader and at Psychic Source, you will get the most valuable phone psychic advice through 24/7. Any sort of problem, but no answer, you must go http://psychicsourcecenter.com/aps/ or call 888-302-2070 now.

3 Top Free Voodoo Magic Spells

2011-12-05T01:37:00.000-08:00

Author: Jack Daniel Morris

Voodoo is a world famous black magic art. In past people applied different types of Voodoo magic spells for their personal gains. Now, in this modern era, the Voodoo magic spell is still practiced by the Voodoo magic spell casters. You can even get free Voodoo magical spells if you search properly in online sites. These sites will provide you full assistance and co-operation by offering you different sorts of free Voodoo magic spells which will benefit you in the long run in many ways. Now, there are many young boys and girls who suffer from the mental setback and frustration due to the painful and caustic love affair. If you have any problem in your life regarding futile love, you must utilize the free voodoo magic spells.

Generally, Voodoo love spells are cast by hougan or mambo. Hougan is the priest who invites Loa, the spirit to cast Voodoo love spells. To cast Voodoo love spells, you need the specially designed amulet through which the Voodoo love spells are activated. It is very powerful love spell and you will get the success in winning the heart of your girl friend. You can even bring back your former wife who left you in past. Voodoo love spell will improve the relationship. That means if the relation between you and your lover is fast deteriorating, you must learn how to cast Voodoo love spells to increase the intimacy with your partner.

If you want to save bucks, you need to get short brush up training in Voodoo occult art to learn how competently and fantastically you can cast voodoo magic spells. If you feel confident, you must perform free Voodoo magic spells to serve your purpose. Your lover must be attracted if Voodoo love spells are cast in perfect way. On the other hand, in case you want money for leading life comfortably and happily, you should depend on the free Voodoo magic spells which will provide the complete backup to you to get out of the critical situation.

Voodoo money spell is very famous. You need to mug up the different techniques and procedure to cast voodoo money spells. You should collect the necessary accessories and magic tools which will come handy at the time of applying Voodoo money spells for gaining success in the sphere of financial wealth and resources. To perform Voodoo money spells, you need to opt for the basic tools and accessories like paper money, needle, Amber incense stick, candles, piece of red cloth and Tangerine oil for casting money spells.

If you are physically weak or disabled, you must seek for effective Voodoo healing spells which will make you bold and powerful. The Voodoo healing spells can be cast to remove the long lasting illness or devastating disease which eats into your body. You must safeguard yourself by casting Voodoo healing spells. In this connection, you can talk to your seniors and friends to gather data and information about free Voodoo magic spells.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/spirituality-articles/3-top-free-voodoo-magic-spells-2220634.html

About the Author

Discount Sale Price Magic Occult Books

2011-12-04T23:16:00.000-08:00

Don't forget that through the holidays, all Talia Felix occult books at the Createspace store are 15% off the retail price when you use the coupon code TXDAQ5LH

This coupon can be used for the following books:

Death and Destruction: How To Cast Magic Spells for Vengeance, Harm, Etc. ~~$14.95~~ SALE$12.71
Voodoo Conjure: Recipes, Charms and True Tales of Magic ~~$14.95~~ SALE $12.71
The Conjure Cookbook: Making Magic with Oils, Incense, Powders and Baths ~~$15.99~~SALE $13.59
Mother Bombie's Book of Witchcraft and Cunning Magick ~~$14.95~~ SALE $12.71

Buy one or buy them all, save 15% off retail!

Low Cost Cheap Florida Water Cologne

2011-12-02T19:17:00.000-08:00

I don't know how long this is going to last, for Amazon and its aStore program are fickle creatures and change without warning: nonetheless, while checking out the Lucky Temple's Online Occult Shop this evening I saw Florida Water listed at 55¢ for a 7.5 ounce bottle. Considering the nearest store to me sells the same size Florida Water cologne for $8 a bottle, I must say that it's a fantastic deal and probably worth any shipping costs you're likely to incur.

Click here for discount Florida Water while the deal lasts!

Mugwort Maggie's

2011-11-30T01:30:00.000-08:00

My sister is obsessed with this laundry soap, so figured I'd give it a mention. It appears to be difficult to find outside of Minnesota -- locally made?

In any case, the brand is Mugwort Maggie's. It is an all-natural laundry powder. It comes in scents like sandalwood, peppermint and patchouli. (Too bad I've not yet seen a lemongrass or I'd probably be hooked on it, too.)

Old Time Van Van Shampoo

2011-11-20T14:49:00.000-08:00

This post about homemade shampoo at the Gibson Girl blog gives a recipe for "verbena" shampoo. During this period, verbena oil was a term which usually meant, in fact, lemongrass oil; thus making the recipe one for Van Van shampoo. Here is the recipe:

"Cut in small pieces one-half pound of pure imported castile soap. Put in porcelain kettle with two quarts of warm water and dissolve by boiling. When cold it should be of the consistency of rather thin cream; if thicker, add more water. Stir in one-fourth pint of alcohol and let stand several days in a warm room. All the alkali and impurities will settle to the bottom of the bottle, leaving the liquid as clear as crystal. Pour off carefully, leaving the residue for kitchen purposes. Perfume with a few drops of oil of verbena, or any scent one may prefer. A small quantity of this used in the shampoo is delightfully cleansing."

How Much For a Spell at Lucky Temple?

2011-11-18T13:41:00.001-08:00

The most common email question I get about the site is, "How much do you charge for a _______ spell?" (________ here might be love spell, money spell, whatever.)

I hate getting this question because it's explained right on the site.

Flat rate: $425

OR you can buy the Spellcast Reading which will determine your spell and its exact price, but this reading must be bought FIRST. There is no advanced quote for this, only the results of the reading itself decide the price. It will be something between $70 and $300, usually more like $100 - $250.

This is because there is no one single spell for everything. Each person gets totally customized work, and it's extremely rare that I ever perform an identical ritual for more than one person. Because of this, the price varies, because the ingredients and time spent varies. The $425 flat rate was calculated on the basis of the most expensive spell I'm likely to ever cast, and was listed despite my disapproval of flat-rate spells because I hoped it would cut back on people writing me asking "How much does a ________ spell cost?" But no, it didn't. Fuck you guys.

Daily Candles

2011-11-13T00:53:00.000-08:00

While many hoodoo magical spellcasts are meant to be done for a certain length of time -- 1 day, 3 days, 7 days, etc. -- some works are meant to be a part of one's daily life, at least for a span. Sometimes one is instructed to burn a candle every day. The Black and White Magic of Marie Laveau uses this tactic many a time. Many Henry Gamache candle spells also do this.

The question then becomes, for how long should I burn the candle in such a spell? Or what if the spell says to burn the candle for an hour a day, but I'm using a chime candle?

Here is a quick guide to the burn time you're likely to see for the more popular candle styles:

Chime candle - 10 minutes

Household candle - 30 minutes

Jumbo candle - 1 hour

Devil's Formula

2011-11-03T23:32:00.000-07:00

There are a few magical recipes that I know but did not include within the Conjure Cookbook. I wish I could say it was due to some grand scheme like wishing to prevent the careless from misusing such knowledge or trying to protect occult secrets, but frankly, it was just that they slipped my mind when I was compiling the list.

So, here is a special recipe, which should have been in the Conjure Cookbook, but I had forgotten to put in:

DEVIL'S

Frankincense

Tobacco

Vandal root

Sulfur

Nightshade

Used in various kinds of malicious work.

This might also be a good time to point out that the Lucky Temple aStore now has a new section of magical formulary books available. Check them out!

Who Will I Marry? A Halloween Divination

2011-10-25T18:38:00.000-07:00

For those poor souls who are yet unmarried and concern themselves with who or if such an event will ever come, Halloween is considered a special night for such divinations. There are many old European tricks for learning your future spouse on Halloween night. Here is an easy one:

You need:

Hard boiled egg

Salt

Before bed, and without speaking to anyone once you begin the rite, take a hard boiled egg and salt it very heavily: nearly as much salt as there is egg should be used. Eat this egg and the salt all over it. Do not drink any water or other liquids, but proceed directly to bed.

It is said that in your sleep, you will dream of someone coming to you to quench your thirst by giving you water or another drink. The person who appears in the dream to provide this refreshment is the person you will marry. If nobody comes or you don't have a dream, then you won't ever be wed.

Happy dreaming, and happy Halloween!

Book Sale! 15% Off Occult and Magick Books!

2011-10-20T16:44:00.000-07:00

From now through the holidays, all Talia Felix occult books are 15% off the retail price from the Createspace store, when you use the coupon code TXDAQ5LH

This coupon can be used for the following books:

Death and Destruction: How To Cast Magic Spells for Vengeance, Harm, Etc. ~~$14.95~~ SALE $12.71
Voodoo Conjure: Recipes, Charms and True Tales of Magic ~~$14.95~~ SALE $12.71
The Conjure Cookbook: Making Magic with Oils, Incense, Powders and Baths ~~$15.99~~ SALE $13.59
Mother Bombie's Book of Witchcraft and Cunning Magick ~~$14.95~~ SALE $12.71

Buy one or buy them all, save 15% off retail!

Spiritual Bathing: Fast Version

2011-10-16T10:19:00.000-07:00

What happens when you require a spiritual cleansing but haven't the time, or perhaps just haven't the ability, to take a complete bath or a shower for purification? The following ritual can help you to perform a fast spiritual cleansing on yourself for jinx removing, turning around bad luck, starting fresh, etc.

YOU NEED:

Perfume - Florida Water is a good multi-purpose mixture, but Van Van, Indian Clear Water, Divine Water and so on can be used depending on your intent and on what is available to you.
Soap - a cleansing spiritual soap is best, such as Florida Water soap, camphor soap, sandalwood soap, Octagon, lemongrass soap, etc.
Water - plain tapwater, or whatever water you usually bathe with, is fine. You do not need to fill a tub with this but you do need to have easy access to it while doing the rite.

Wet your lower arms (elbow down) and lather them up using the selected soap. Try to use strokes going from the elbow out to the fingers when applying and scrubbing with the soap.
Wet your legs from the knees down, and likewise lather them with the soap, using downward strokes (knees to the toes.)
Rinse off the soap.
Mix in your hand a bit of water and perfume. Apply this mixture in downward strokes to your arms and hands and to your legs and feet, the same areas just washed.
Dot a small amount of the perfumed water on your head.
Let yourself air dry so the perfume will soak into your skin.

There you go -- a fast and in my experience reasonably effective spiritual cleansing. Start to finish this can usually be done in 3 minutes or less. Of course very bad conditions will still need a full bath and possibly some other uncrossing work as well, but for general maintenance this spiritual cleansing is quite suitable.

2011-10-12T15:36:00.000-07:00

Now this story just shows, for those who complain they can't get some personal concern or another, how there is always a way...

Nigerian Prostitutes Sell Sperm

A commercial sex worker, who gave her name simply as Joy, told our correspondent that the semen found with some of her colleagues were secretly taken away after they had sex bouts with their patrons.

In an attempt to extract the semen from unsuspecting male "clients," she said, commercial sex workers exhibit extraordinary care and sex appeal, attributes which, she further claimed, caused many men to lose their guard.

As soon as the man gives in fully to the pleasure of the illicit affair, she said, the prostitute moans and screams wildly in fake ecstasy thereby setting the stage to carry out her mischief.

But where the male "client" refuses to succumb to the trappings of the fake expression of passion, she said, the girl would rub fetish powder on her nipples and offer them to the man to suck. After sucking the breasts, the man loses consciousness and the sex worker would steal all his valuables and collect his semen.

Mother Bombie's Book of Witchcraft and Cunning Magick

2011-10-09T15:13:00.000-07:00

I have to say I loved the spells in the book Old Love Charms and Spells. Did not love the fake Ye Olde English which basically consisted of adding the suffix -eth to every verb whether it made linguistic sense or not. Sadly I've seen this phenomenon in many fashionable magical texts.

I've also seen many texts that advertise their stuff as "old time" when the stuff in fact can be dated to the 1920s at best.

I was sick of this. I decided I would make a more authentic book of old time spells. Ironically, this involved my taking up a false persona: Mother Bombie, named for, and based upon, the character in the John Lyly play.

The fact was, if I was going to be doing legitimate Medieval/Renaissance magic I'd be venturing out of my usual comfort zone of modern hoodoo, and it seemed a book all about harming none might be inappropriate from the crazy lady who composed Death and Destruction Spells.

I am officially listed as a "translator" on this one, but truth be told, the book is, I would estimate, about 1/3 translation, 1/3 original material, and 1/3 reprints of appropriate public domain assets. It includes items that have never been before translated into Modern English (note: Shakespearean English is Modern English. Genuine Old English... well, let's just say there's a reason it needed translating. "Sceal betonican benedicte hindhaelethe haenep hindbrer isenhearde" means little to most people nowadays no matter how many times they saw that Romeo + Juliet movie.)

In any event, my latest work, Mother Bombie's Book of Witchcraft and Cunning Magick, is now available from Amazon.com and from the Lucky Temple aStore.

Mother Bombie may be my favorite looking book of all that I've printed. I was trying to make it look like things I'd seen at the Huntington Library in California, and I think I did pretty well.

Compassion Fatigue

2011-10-08T05:23:00.000-07:00

There's an interesting article from the New York Times here about "compassion fatigue" -- the tendency for people in trades like doctors, counselors, nurses (and not mentioned but definitely applicable -- spellcasters) to become frustrated and irritable from a 'wearing out' of their compassion.

Fatigue often results “when you’re seeing the same problems repeatedly, when they’re chronic, and when the outcomes are not good,” said Bret A. Moore, a former Army psychologist and co-author of “Wheels Down: Adjusting to Life After Deployment.” “One sign that you’re there is that you start hoping your appointments cancel.”
The public has a similar reaction to mass joblessness and starving countries alike: the problems sap the imagination in part simply because they are daunting and have not responded well to previous efforts. We have already pumped billions into each, with little visible effect. If only they would cancel their next emergency.

In his book “Death in Life: Survivors of Hiroshima,” the psychiatrist Robert Jay Lifton argued that rescue workers at Hiroshima were able to function at all only because they succeeded in “turning off” their feelings of compassion. He called that process “psychic numbing,” too, and it’s a reminder that empathy may be a limited resource for a reason.
Real action, when it’s called for, often requires a cool heart, if not a cold one.

Custom Incense Blends with Self-Lighting Powder Incense

2011-10-03T20:06:00.000-07:00

In The Conjure Cookbook: Making Magic with Oils, Incense, Powders and Baths I explained how one could make a self-lighting powder incense from scratch by mixing saltpeter and an appropriate grade of fine sawdust. I did not mention that certain companies like the Lucky Mojo make life a little easier by offering single-note incense powders already mixed and designed to be suitable for blending up your own custom fragrances.

Mixing up a custom blend, as for say a hard-to-find incense mixture like Shifting Sands (used for inspiring change) is pretty easy using this method. Choose a single-note fragrance appropriate to one of the ingredients in your recipe. Shifting Sands is made with eucalyptus, rosemary, lemongrass, calamus and myrrh; therefore I used rosemary incense powder as my base.

Prepare whatever other ingredients you'll be using by powdering up any herbs or spices. If any extra minerals or resins are to be added to the incense mixture, grind or sift them fine as you can and only add a small amount -- too much of these and the incense won't be able burn correctly.

Simply mix together a small amount of your powdered ingredients plus any additional essential or fragrance oils, and combine thoroughly. Your self-lighting incense base should still make up the bulk of the final mixture -- too much of your herb mixture and you may find the final formulation hard to light.

When done, burn it like you would any normal self lighting incense powder: by forming it into a tight cone-shape and lighting the tip so that the spark can travel all the way down.

Remove and Repel Unwanted Love

2011-09-24T10:42:00.000-07:00

Being loved by everyone is not always a positive thing. Sometimes you may find you are attracting the affectionate attention of a person you wish would just leave you alone. Here are some suggested methods of dissuading such a person if you do indeed discover yourself in this position:

Wear Love Breaker oil on yourself as a perfume any time you go to meet them or are forced to encounter them.
Bathe with rue or with black cohosh root infusions to repel their attention.
Use the freezer jar spell to "chill" their emotions: take the person's photo or name paper and place it in a small jar of water (optionally you may add ingredients like vinegar to sour them, Love Breaker to kill their love, etc.) then set the jar in the back of your freezer where it won't be disturbed.
Burn Mars incense over their photograph, or carve their name on a human figural candle of the appropriate gender and dress it with Mars oil. (Mars is God of War and works contrary to Venus, Goddess of Love.)
Write the person's name on a paper using water-based ink. Take the paper to the sink and thoroughly scrub with soap and water till the name is obliterated. Take the remaining paper outside and hide it under a rock.
If the person is so troublesome that you want them out of your life completely, sprinkle powders of Lost and Away or Banishing when they get near you, in order to send them packing.

Now, if the person is also using love magick on you, you will probably need to perform some additional uncrossing and spell breaking magick as well to get them off your back. That is another post, but for now, use this information wisely and good luck to you.

Coffin Nails for Sale

2011-09-12T21:52:00.000-07:00

Pricey, but they're the real deal. Genuine, authentic coffin nails for occult practice.

According to the traditions of American folk magic, you can use coffin nails to...

* Make a Separation Powder by combining peppermint oil, black walnut hulls, cayenne pepper and wormwood with cornstarch, talcum powder or baking soda. Place the mixture in a container with a coffin nail and let it sit for 9 days. The powder is now powerfully charged with the properties of the coffin nail, and the powder may be sprinkled at the home of a couple one wishes to see split up, or it can be used on one’s own self as a way to ease out of a dead relationship.

* Set a coffin nail in a place where it will be hit by the first beams of the sun as it rises in the morning. After the sunrise, take the nail and scrub it clean, and polish it till shiny. The resulting charm is said to protect the person who carries it from all harm or injury.

* To do harm, place some of your victim’s hair into a jar with a metal lid, and drop into it 5 pins and your coffin nail. Sprinkle some grave dirt or some Crossing Powder into the jar as well. Seal up the jar, and upon it burn black candles for as long as you wish to cause trouble.

*Create a voodoo doll according to the traditional methods. Instead of using a pin, use your coffin nail to stab the doll. This will really ‘drive home the point’ as far as your intention!

The Obeah Zodiac

2011-08-22T23:37:00.000-07:00

The so-called Obeah Bible of De Laurence was mostly copied from the 19th century book The Magus, which itself was largely copied from the works of Agrippa. Though very European in origin, De Laurence marketed his books well in countries like Jamaica and parts of Africa, with the result that his publications and his formulas often supplanted the traditional folk magic of the regions.

There are numerous recommendations about what herbs and colors to use for each sign of the zodiac (you can find some of the alternatives in this previous post) but here are the recommended herbs according to De Laurence's book:

ARIES
Ginseng

TAURUS
Upright Vervain

GEMINI
Bending Vervain

CANCER
Comfrey

LEO
Ladies' Seal

VIRGO
Calamint

LIBRA
Forget-Me-Not

SCORPIO
Mugwort

SAGITTARIUS
Pimpernel

CAPRICORN
Dock

AQUARIUS
Tarragon

PISCES
Pipevine

Zodiac herbs can be used by adding them to spells where a person is being influenced or represented. Find the person's sign and then add the appropriate herbs to the other candles or formulas to enhance the work on them.

The Concept of Success in Hoodoo Magic Spells

2011-08-14T22:25:00.000-07:00

Old time hoodoo includes many spells for success. However, a look at their methods can be telling. The black cat bone was said to guarantee success -- yet its original purpose was to make a person invisible, and from there it gained a reputation for 'law keep away', 'power' and 'money' because it made stealing more easy. A traditional formula for success was Jockey Club, a fragrance which seems to have come into use because of its association with racetracks and betting upon them (though some bottles did, admittedly, use a horseshoe as their logo, which probably helped its reputation for luck bringing.) Another old spell for success was to get the finger bone of a noted gambler, so his spirit would help you in catching money.

Clearly the notion of success was not that of wealth gained through wise decisions or careful strategy. "Success" was something more akin to a gamester getting lucky at the table or a thief getting away with his crime; the aim was not longterm stability or prosperity but just the bit of luck needed to get through another week. One's own cunning was of little account. Success was about small advantages presented directly from the hands of Fate.

Nowadays, formulas like Crown of Success are often used for matters like success on a test or with a job interview, and while it may be able to help in such undertakings, understanding the perception of success in hoodoo helps to understand what kind of "success" to expect (it is closer to what we'd typically now call "chance" or "luck.") Your interviewer might become distracted and miss bad answers you give, or grow restless and decide to choose someone for the job after interviewing only you and a couple other candidates instead of the dozens he originally had in mind, thereby improving your odds to win. Your success on the test won't be from the magic "bringing out the best in you" but from coincidences effecting the world around you, like the computer slightly misreading your answer sheet to your advantage or time running out before you could lose any points by filling out a wrong answer.

I myself have been disappointed by success spells in the past, but this was again from not fully understanding at the time what should be expected. Something I've gradually come to learn about hoodoo -- and most folk magic for that matter -- is that it's not meant as an aid to those with big dreams or who want to do or have great things. It's meant to get you through the day to day just a bit more happily.

13 Herb Bath for Curse Removal

2011-08-07T23:54:00.000-07:00

13 Herb Bath for curse removal can be made from from any 13 uncrossing and purification herbs.

For example, if I needed to fix a batch of 13 herb bath right now based on what I've got in the house, I could mix bay leaves, rue, mint, rosemary, wood betony, sage, verbena, angelica root, white rose petals, lemongrass, lemon peel, agrimony and arnica, and it would suffice well. Other herbs like hyssop, pine needles, juniper leaves, boldo, eucalyptus leaves, mullein, basil, lavender, or marshmallow leaves would be good to use too.

By no means complete, here is a list of just a few herbs said to remove a curse or jinx that you can use to make your own 13 Herbs bath:

Agrimony
Alkanet
Angelica
Arnica
Basil
Bay leaves
Black Pepper
Blessed Thistle
Boldo
Cayenne Pepper
Chives
Eucalyptus
Garlic
Hyssop
John the Conqueror
Juniper
Lavender
Lemon
Lemongrass
Lime
Marshmallow leaves
Mint
Mullein
Onion
Pine
Rosemary
Rue
Sage
Sandalwood
Verbena
White Rose Petals
Wood Betony
Wahoo Bark

To take the bath: mix your herbs in equal parts (for one bath, a teaspoon of each is probably adequate) and boil the herbs together in water to make a strong liquid infusion. Some people like to boil the herbs for 13 minutes, but I prefer more like 30 to ensure the mixture is as potent as possible. Let the mixture cool and strain the herbs out. You are left with an herbal water which you must add to your bath.

It is traditional to take 13 herb baths daily for for 13 days in order to remove very strong curses and hexes, but you can take it only one time if you think you've merely run into a little bad energy and need a small cleansing. As always, do not add any other soaps or perfumes to a spiritual bath (take a separate shower beforehand if you need to shampoo your hair or anything of that sort.) If you don't have a bathtub you can either wash yourself out of a pan of the herb water with a washcloth, or you can use a foot soak instead of a full bath -- but you must be certain in either case to wet your head with the herbal water.

If you need stronger curse removal help, visit a professional spellcaster.

De Laurence Magic Books

2011-07-30T02:37:00.000-07:00

Amazon.com Widgets

Available from the Lucky Temple aStore

Steady Work Candle - Botanica Style

2011-07-28T13:35:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, on a visit to Chicago, I was able to visit my first botanica that did custom dressings for the candles. So I got a dressed Steady Work candle.

The candle was dressed with rose petals, white mustard seed, rosemary, rue, gold glitter and some kind of perfume oil poured over the top of the candle. (Reminds me of the Milionario oil I got at a different place a few years ago.) They also had me write my name on a tiny piece of cardboard which they seem to have wrapped around the wick.

Haven't burnt the thing so don't know how well it works, but figured I'd share this interesting info with others who don't get to see their own botanicas very often.

So that's how it works...

2011-07-22T01:38:00.001-07:00

see more Failbook

The Hoodoo Voodoo Spellbook (New Version)

2011-07-20T13:24:00.001-07:00

The new and improved version of Denise Alvarado's Hoodoo Voodoo Spellbook is now available for pre-order online! I'd heard she was getting it redone by an actual publisher instead of resorting to self-publishing like the rest of us. Good job, Voodoo Mama!

If you buy the book on pre-order from my aStore, it is 35% off and if the price goes any lower before the publishing date you will get that discount as well.

Cosmograms

2011-07-18T13:43:00.000-07:00

A cosmogram is a flat geometric figure depicting a cosmology. Some of them were created for meditational purpose. Mandalas are the best known cosmograms, but similar diagrams, known as schema, were also used in western Europe during the Middle Ages.
Many cosmograms feature a circle and a square, or a circle and a cross. The circle may represent the universe, or unity. The square or cross may represent the Earth, the four directions. The centre may represent the individual. Many diagrams featuring circles and squares or crosses may be interpreted as cosmograms, although they may not be intentionally created as such.

Here's a link to a page all about Kongo Cosmograms with some interesting info.

...One of the major functions of the cosmogram of Kongo, to validate a space on which to stand a person or charm, remains in force in certain Afro-Cuban religious circles.[see the section of the "Ken Brown Interview" when he speculates that Levi Jordan imported slaves from Cuba].Kongo-Cuban priests have said "All spirits seat themselves on the center of the sign as the source of firmness" (52). Songs (mambos) are chanted, as in Kongo, to persuade this concentration of power upon the designated point. Kongo-Cuban priests activated old, important charms by singing-and-drawing a sacred point. They chanted sacred texts in Spanish and creolized Ki-Kongo while lowering a charm from the ceiling of a shrine to a chalked sign drawn upon the floor....

Free Spell To Draw Luck

2011-07-10T03:48:00.000-07:00

You need:

cinnamon oil

salt

allspice

Combine these and sprinkle three drops of the resulting oil in all the entrances to your house. Say as you do so, "Come in" to bring in luck.

Blessed Salt

2011-07-01T23:10:00.000-07:00

Blessed salt has been used in various forms throughout the history of Christianity. Among early Christians, the savoring of blessed salt often took place along with baptism. In the fourth century, Augustine of Hippo named these practices "visible forms of invisible grace". However, its modern use as a sacramental remains mostly limited to its use with holy water within the Roman Rite.For centuries, salt that had been cleansed and sanctified by special exorcisms and prayers was given to catechumens before entering the church for baptism. According to the fifth canon of the Third Council of Carthage in the third century, salt was administered to the catechumens several times a year, a process attested by Augustine of Hippo (Confessions I.11). Two specific rites, namely a cross traced on the forehead and a taste of blessed salt, not only marked the entrance into the catechumenate, but were repeated regularly. By his own account, Augustine was "blessed regularly with the Sign of the Cross and was seasoned with God's salt." Early in the sixth century, John the Deacon also explained the use of blessed salt, "so the mind which is drenched and weakened by the waves of this world is held steady". Salt continued to be customarily used during the scrutinies of catechumens or the baptism of infants.In recent times, the use of blessed salt is only found within the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church. The 1962 Rituale Romanum includes salt as component in three rites:Baptism: Before the candidates enter the church or baptistry, salt is blessed with an exorcism, and a pinch can be put in the mouth of the candidates. However, in modern practice this can be skipped. Reconsecration of an altar: In one rite for the reconsecration of an altar which has been disturbed, salt is exorcized, blessed, and mixed with ashes, water and wine, the resulting mixture being used to make the mortar with which the altar is resealed. Blessing holy water: Salt is added to water in silence after a prayer in which God is asked to bless the salt, recalling the blessed salt "scattered over the water by the prophet Elisha" and invoking the protective powers of salt and water, that they may "drive away the power of evil". An additional rite provides for the blessing of salt for animals. Salt as sacramentalSalt may also be blessed for us as a sacramental, using the same prayer as is used during the preparation of holy water. This salt may be sprinkled in a room, or across a threshold, or in other places as a invocation of divine protection. It may also be consumed.

Spells for Getting Rich

2011-06-25T00:25:00.000-07:00

At Lucky Temple, it is rare that I'm asked for a money spell that isn't just a get-rich-quick spell. Sometimes the client assures me that they know someone else who became rich by using a spell; but typically a little investigation shows one person or the other is greatly exaggerating or else using a very loose definition of the word "rich."

Let's face it, if hoodoo and voodoo were good at making people instantly wealthy, 19th century black slaves would have just routinely bought their freedom, and probably would have come to run the whole country due to their fabulous riches. (Unless it's as Chris Rock put it, they spent it all on rims...) Not to mention if it could be done, probably nobody would cast spells professionally -- we magicians would just cast an instant riches spell on ourselves and never work again.

Magic will always take the path of least resistance, and unless you're just a step away from becoming rich already, a spell won't cause such an event to happen -- not immediately, at least. However, it is not to say that your finances can't be much improved with hoodoo magic properly applied. Remember, magic is not a last resort. it cannot be relied upon to do exactly what you want whenever you want it; but it can provide many benefits if you are patient and have reasonable expectations.

For those who would like to gain luxuries and wealth, Venus incense should be burned every day to attract such things. Also using a Road Opener spell to make possibe more chances for large amounts of money to enter your life should be used.

And most of all, don't forget what was said in Aradia:

Money I ne’er give, ’tis clear;
Only help to thee, my dear!

Real Coffin Nails

2011-06-20T02:24:00.000-07:00

Coffin nails are believed to be powerful in the tradition of hoodoo magic because the dead are seen as powerful and able to help intervene in magical spells -- this is based on African spiritual practices where one's ancestors are seen as being able to intervene with the gods on your behalf. Now, of course, virtually nobody selling coffin nails is really selling nails salvaged from a used coffin (and if anyone is, you're sure not going to be paying $3 for a set of nine.) In the photo above is a set of genuine from-an-old-coffin nails I acquired out of sheer luck (the leftmost); to the right are some quality replacements made by myself (top) and by the famous Karma Zain (bottom.)

Typically, if you buy so-called coffin nails from a large hoodoo supplier, all you're getting is a set of rusty nails. Smaller retailers like me and like Karma Zain sometimes make replacements using more elaborate methods. Indeed, since most things sold as coffin nails are not really nails from coffins and thus have nothing really to do with the dead, it's not too difficult to replace them with something that's probably even better. Here are some ideas:

Take regular nails and bury them in grave dirt or a graveyard to charge them with powers of the dead.
Find a "lucky nail" -- basically, any nail you find out on the street or sidewalk by chance is believed to be a lucky item, and would be particularly auspicious to use in luck bringing magic.
Rub a regular nail with a powder or oil like Goofer Dust or Bones of the Dead to charge it with the same kind of powers it would acquire if it were from a coffin.

As I've demonstrated, a determined person can come upon real coffin nails with some effort and luck -- old caskets are sometimes dug up for various reasons, providing rare opportunities for the real thing. From about the 1950s coffins ceased to be made primarily of wood (at least in America) and the lids became hinged and locked instead of nailed into place; so nothing any newer than that is going to have any quantity of nails in it, though you might be able to find screws or brads in a newer coffin. You would need to keep an eye out for an older graveyard if your heart's set on coffin nails. Then wait for cases where, either accidentally or intentionally, things may be disrupted in the yard; for example, old graveyards sometimes only technically leased the land, and will dig the body back up when the lease runs out -- this is basically how the Museo de los Momias in Mexico came to exist. Natural disasters like floods can also cause havoc in a graveyard, and you may be able to find some bits and pieces around in the aftermath. My own stroke of luck involved a rodent infestation. (I know, I know, I sound a lot cooler if I let everyone think I just went out and dug up a coffin on my own, preferably with some fancy Voodoo ceremony to accompany, but facts are facts; it was the prairie dogs that unearthed the pieces for me.)

So let me reiterate; you buy a spell from me, and I am one of the few practitioners with a real coffin nail for use in your spells. So goes my commitment to using quality products in spellcasts.

St. Anthony relic was found!

2011-06-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=10708

Police in Long Beach, California, have arrested Maria Solis, 41, in conjunction with the theft of a relic of St. Anthony of Padua from a parish on June 13. The relic was discovered undamaged in her living room and has been returned to the parish; the suspect is not a parishioner.

“St. Anthony is the patron saint of travelers and lost things, but today he’s also the honorary saint of the Long Beach Police Department,” said Father Jose Magana, pastor of St. Anthony’s Parish.

Real Magic Spells Cast For You at Lucky Temple

2011-06-15T01:28:00.000-07:00

The magic spells I cast are real and very traditional. Ideas about magic are subject to opinion – please do not ask if they are “black magic” or will give you “bad karma” as these questions cannot be answered definitively. You will find more information about this on our Black Magic and Karma page. I really do cast spells; what effects they may produce are a matter of belief.

If your need is great and you’ve suffered from difficult troubles, choose the following:

COMPLETE SPELLS

COMPLETE SPELLS are the strongest and most thorough spells offered here. They include a fortune telling consultation to determine exactly what spells will help youthe very most, are arranged with timing to match the casting to appropriate magical planetary hours to make their powers even stronger, and they all make use of specific conjure formulas and curios that have been used for ages to help solve spiritual problems. Many of these magic spells will take several consecutive days of casting, and often have a waiting period during which genuine rare magical spell materials are acquired and prepared.

COMPLETE SPELL CAST AND READING

PURCHASE PROMPTLY!

Remember — time is precious! A lesser magic spell, cast in a timely manner, can often produce superior results to a more elaborate spell that would have to be delayed so you can ‘save up for it.’ Don’t waste your chance for success — Ask for a spell that suits your needs at once!

GREAT DEAL: Instead of the Buy Now cost, you can get a lower price on the spell by purchasing a One Question Reading to ask about your spell. I then will determine what particular magical spell would work and what will be its exact cost for you (generally between $70 and $399, based on the exact cost of ingredients and the amount of time to be spent on the casting, all of which is determined by the reading. Please note the price you’ll be quoted is only good for up to two weeks; any longer and the cost of the fresh herbal ingredients and other goods may change.)

For those who cannot wait and are in need of immediate assistance, choose the following:

SUPER OBEAH SPELLS

SUPER OBEAH SPELL PRICE: $20

These instant magic spells consist of apowerful petition paper written with genuine magical inks for manifesting the desire, and a special Temple Incense offering of the kind recommended by renowned magician L. W. De Laurence in the famous Obeah Bible. The combination is then set on the altar of an entity carefully selected to effectively help with your cause.

Include your name and the matter which which you need assistance on the Paypal form when ordering (under additional instructions when checking out), or in a separate email. Obeah spells are usually cast the same day as ordered.

St. Anthony relic was stolen.

2011-06-14T16:59:00.001-07:00

If only there were someone to pray to to help find lost things...

LOS ANGELES -- A 780-year-old religious relic of St. Anthony of Padua has been stolen, and parishioners at a Southern California Catholic church are praying to the patron saint of lost causes and missing objects for its speedy return.
The relic was stolen from inside a cabinet beside the altar at St. Anthony Catholic Church in Long Beach on Monday, the feast day of the church's namesake.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/06/14/nearly-800-year-old-religious-relic-stolen-from-calif-church/#ixzz1PIXrbqIh

On Chinese Wash

2011-06-10T09:14:00.000-07:00

I've talked a bit before on Chinese Wash, but figured I'd do a little feature, having lately collected a few recipes.

Chinese Wash is an old washing product that's also believed to remove bad luck and restore good; part of the movement of spiritual merchants to promote the idea that physical cleanliness equates to spiritual cleanliness. Its scent is similar to that of Van Van and Hindu Grass formulas. Originally the product was sold in a bottle and a practitioner was told to add broomcorn straws to increase its powers, but nowadays many versions are made wit the broomcorn already mixed in.

The book Sticks Stones Roots and Bones, gives the following combination for a Chinese Wash recipe:

6 oz unscented liquid castile soap
3 oz Murphy's oil soap
6 oz distilled water
1/2 tsp citronella oil
1/2 tsp lemongrass oil
7 pieces broom corn straw
pinch of dried lemongrass
a 16 oz bottle in which to store the mix

Lucky Mojo gives this recipe on their site:

Start with whatever combination of essential oils of
Oriental Grasses you normally use for compounding Van Van
oil concentrate
http://www.luckymojo.com/vanvan.html
(e.g. citronella grass, lemongrass, gingergrass, palmarosa
grass, khus khus grass, and vetivert grass, singly or
together). Cut a bunch of broomcorn straws (from a natural
broom, or from broomcorn plants, if you happen to grow them)
and place the straws in a bottle. Add a goodly squirt of Van
Van oil concentrate and a small lump of frankincense gum,
then top with your own (or any commercial) preparation of
liquid oil soap (e.g. Murphy's Oil Soap). Dilute Chinese
Wash in water before use, of course.

Additionally, Carolyn Morrow Long reports in her book Spiritual Merchants that the Lucky Mojo Chinese Wash uses a mixture of vetiver, palmarosa, citronella and lemongrass for its mixture of 'oriental grasses.'

My own proposed recipe, given in Conjure Cookbook based on my research, was:

Lemongrass oil
Citronella oil
Gingergrass oil
Frankincense oil
Storax
Broom straws
... in a base of liquid castile soap.

Additionally, there are some quick and easy Chinese Wash recipes out there. These include dumping a whole bottle of Van Van oil into any other soap base, or using Octagon soap dissolved in water -- of course, don't forget your broomstraws! (By the bye, one person has told me that you should use 13 broom straws in the bottle.)

A Pleasant Washing Liquid

2011-06-06T12:53:00.000-07:00

Not strictly hoodoo, but due to the large amount of rosemary oil could be used for uncrossing, for memory or for spells to help women be more dominant in the home. The stuff is called Pearl Water, probably due to the effect one gets upon dissolving Castile soap in water. I found the recipe here, but I think it's one of my new favorite soaps.

1 ounce castile soap, shaved

1 cup water

3 tbs + 3 tsp vodka or other spirit

1/2 tsp rosemary essential oil

Boil the water and stir the soap shavings into to, till dissolved. Let cool, then add the alcohol and rosemary oil. Blend well. Bottle and save for your use.

By Popular Demand

2011-05-30T19:16:00.001-07:00

I've been one of the first to dismiss spellcast websites with Buy It Now buttons on the spells, but the fact is that the people have spoken. Custom service, it seems, isn't desirable.

And so, Lucky Temple now charges a flat rate for all magic and spellcasts. Enjoy.

A Protective Salve

2011-05-29T23:00:00.000-07:00

Nowadays oils are the common medium for magical formulae, but once upon a time salves and thick ointments were preferred. Here is an old remedy against nocturnal visitors, incubi, succubi and elves (which, unlike their modern counterparts, were viewed as evil spirits akin to demons.)

Ewe hop
Wormwood
Bishopwort
Lupin
Ashthroat
Henbane
Viper's bugloss
Heatherberry
Cropleek
Garlic
Grains of hedgegerife
Githrife
Fennel

Set these herbs in a dish and place them under an altar, and let nine masses be chanted over them. Then take the herbs and boil them in butter and mutton grease, and add thereto a large amount of holy salt. Strain this, and dispose of the herbs in running water. Use the ointment by smearing it on the forehead of the affected person before he goes to bed.

This is an old time English charm.

Dragon's Blood Ink

2011-05-17T01:57:00.000-07:00

I lately had the opportunity to work, for the first time, with dragon's blood ink. Now, I typically practice in the hoodoo tradition, where fancy magickal inks aren't really used (being told to use red, blue or black ink is traditionally as complicated as it gets.) But, on this occasion I was doing a spell from The Black Pullet and while it didn't specify to use any particular kind of ink, it seemed like the appropriate place to try one out. I mixed the ink by myself and laid it down Chinese style (that is, with a brush instead of a pen.) I was surprised that the ink came out a rather brownish color, rather than the red tone dragon's blood appears to have when pulverized, and that fake dragon's blood talismans are usually printed in (I had always assumed they at least were attempting to match the hue of the real thing.)

Here is the recipe for dragon's blood ink which I used:

2 parts dragon's blood resin
1 part gum arabic
17 parts alcohol (pure -- use Everclear or 100% rubbing alcohol)

Finely powder the resins and combine thoroughly with the alcohol. You may need to let the mixture sit a while for the resins to properly blend into the alcohol, before it is ready.

This stuff dries out fairly fast, or at least it did when I made a tiny batch like I did. I think most commercial Dragon's Blood formulas have some water mixed in to keep down the evaporation, and I suppose you could do that here (though you'd probably want to do it AFTER it's blended into the alcohol.)

Alternately, you can just let the mixture dry out like I did, and save the leftover resin powder for a batch of Agrippa's Sun incense.

St. Hildegard's Cookies

2011-05-07T12:18:00.000-07:00

St. Hildegard of Bingen lived in the 12th century. She was known to receive visions from God, and perhaps utilizing these, she not only invented a new genre of music (pretty much the first new thing since the Gregorian chant) but also wrote some medical books, plays, and was a highly respected abbess. She was never formally canonized, but it was a simpler time, and she's made her way to having a special feast day on the calendar.

One of her recorded medical remedies was a small cake or cookie intended to make a person smarter and happier. The original recipe was only cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and flour with some water added. However, many versions are going around which try to make these a little more palatable to modern tastes. Here is my own effort:

2 c all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 c butter
1 egg
1 c white sugar
1/4 c water
2 1/2 tsp each: ground nutmeg, cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves

Directions:
1. In large bowl, cream together the shortening, sugar, egg, milk, and vanilla. Stir until well blended. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to egg mixture and mix well. Cover and chill for 4 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease baking sheets.
3. Roll out dough on a floured surface to a 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out cookies with round cookie cutter and place 1 inch apart on cookie sheets.
4. Bake 10 to 20 minutes (time will depend greatly on what kind of cutouts you made) or until lightly colored. Cool on wire racks. Makes about 4 dozen.

While baking these up, you might listen to a bit of St. Hildegard's music:

A note for the bookworms...

2011-05-06T07:01:00.000-07:00

From time to time folks mention to me that they've been looking for my books in their local bookstores, but that they haven't been able to find them yet. Well, I'm afraid to tell you, there is a reason for that -- bookstores simply don't carry them.

Because my books are Print-On-Demand from a small publisher, they are not carried many places. In fact I've often contacted stores about carrying them, and been told they won't stock such books. The only two specific stores I know of that stock them right now are Amazon.com and the nice folks at 13Moons.com, and I also have a sort of consignment deal with Shadowscapes New Age Store and at Warehouse 21 in Santa Fe.

So, if you are looking to buy any of my occult books, I'm afraid online ordering is your best if not only option. However, those who would like to resell them have another possibility -- you can buy my spiritual and occult books wholesale. Yes, if you are a retailer, these often-requested books are available to you at wholesale prices! And if you're not a retailer, I can still offer you a deal -- send me an email to inquire about coupons or discounts.

The Gris Gris

2011-04-30T15:26:00.000-07:00

The modern gris-gris is viewed similarly to a mojo -- sometimes the words are even synonymous. Generally the gris-gris one finds in the United States today are either miniature mojo hands made with herbs wrapped in cloth or leather, or else decorated balls filled similarly, meant to be hung up in a house. A popular folk-etymology is that the word means "gray-gray" because it exists in a halfway point between black and white magic; another explanation is that it refers to the color of old-style herbal mixtures. However, research indicates the similarity to the French gris (gray) seems to be coincidental -- merely an effort to transcribe a native African word according to French spelling rules, apparently having been first introduced to Europe through the works of Le Maire in 1695.

The earliest gris-gris were something rather different than the modern herb charms -- something much more specific. The 1797 Encyclopedia Britannica gives an entry on the word:

Grisgris: a superstition greatly in vogue among the negroes in the interior parts of Africa. The grisgris, according to Le Maire, are certain Arabic characters mixed with magical figures drawn by the Marabuts or priests upon paper. Labat affirms, that they are nothing else than scraps of the alcoran (Koran) in Arabic ; but this is denied by Barbot, who brought over one of these grisgris to Europe, and showed it to a number of persons deeply skilled in oriental learning. None of these could find the least trace of any character they understood. Yet, after all, this might be owing to the badness of the hand writing ; and these words are probably of the Mandingo language, though the characters are an attempt to imitate the Arabic. The poorest negro never goes to war without his grisgris, as a charm against wounds ; and if it proves ineffectual, the priest transfers the blame on the immorality of his conduct. These priests invent grisgris against all kinds of dangers, and in favour of all desires and appetites ; by virtue of which the possessors may obtain or avoid whatever they like or dislike. They defend them from storms, enemies, diseases, pains, and misfortunes ; and preserve health, long life, wealth, honour, and merit, according to the Marabuts. No clergy in the world are more honoured and revered by the people than these impostors are by the negroes ; nor are any people in the world more impoverished by their priests than these negroes are, a grisgris being frequently sold at three slaves and four or five oxen. The grisgris intended for the head is made in the form of a cross, reaching from the forehead to the neck behind, and from ear to ear ; nor are the arms and shoulders neglected. Sometimes they are planted in their bonnets in the form of horns ; at other times, they are formed like serpents, lizards, or some other animals, out of a kind of pasteboard, etc. There are not wanting Europeans, and otherwise intelligent seamen and merchants, who are in some degree infected with this, weakness of the country, and believe that the negro sorcerers have an actual communication with the devil ; and that they are filled with a malignant influence of that evil spirit, when they see them distort their features and muscles, making horrid grimaces, and at last imitate all the appearance of epileptics.

^ An 18th century grisgris preserved in Philadelphia.

The gris-gris is specifically the verse from the Koran, which then is usually wrapped in a particular way as recommended by the maker -- leather or cloth appear to be most common, but metal coverings are also known. Gris-gris are still used in Africa today. Some interesting information can be found at this site, describing modern use of African gris-gris -- they are worn around the neck, or hung in the house, or sometimes the writing is washed off into a bowl of water and drunk. The Koran verse is the only element -- they don't seem to use any other ingredients beyond this. Muslims believe the Koran to be the direct word of God, so the power attributed to it is understandable. One popular (though lengthy) section of the Koran, which is believed to ward off many misfortunes when recited, is the Surah Yasin:

[36.1] Ya Seen.
[36.2] I swear by the Quran full of wisdom
[36.3] Most surely you are one of the apostles
[36.4] On a right way.
[36.5] A revelation of the Mighty, the Merciful.
[36.6] That you may warn a people whose fathers were not warned, so they are heedless.
[36.7] Certainly the word has proved true of most of them, so they do not believe.
[36.8] Surely We have placed chains on their necks, and these reach up to their chins, so they have their heads raised aloft.
[36.9] And We have made before them a barrier and a barrier behind them, then We have covered them over so that they do not see.
[36.10] And it is alike to them whether you warn them or warn them not: they do not believe.
[36.11] You can only warn him who follows the reminder and fears the Beneficent God in secret; so announce to him forgiveness and an honorable reward.
[36.12] Surely We give life to the dead, and We write down what they have sent before and their footprints, and We have recorded everything in a clear writing.
[36.13] And set out to them an example of the people of the town, when the messengers came to it.
[36.14] When We sent to them two, they rejected both of them, then We strengthened (them) with a third, so they said: Surely we are messengers to you.
[36.15] They said: You are naught but mortals like ourselves, nor has the Beneficent God revealed anything; you only lie.
[36.16] They said: Our Lord knows that we are most surely messengers to you.
[36.17] And nothing devolves on us but a clear deliverance (of the message).
[36.18] They said: Surely we augur evil from you; if you do not desist, we will certainly stone you, and there shall certainly afflict vou a painful chastisement from us.
[36.19] They said: Your evil fortune is with you; what! if you are reminded! Nay, you are an extravagant people.
[36.20] And from the remote part of the city there came a man running, he said: O my people! follow the messengers;
[36.21] Follow him who does not ask you for reward, and they are the followers of the right course;
[36.22] And what reason have I that I should not serve Him Who brought me into existence? And to Him you shall be brought back;
[36.23] What! shall I take besides Him gods whose intercession, If the Beneficent God should desire to afflict me with a harm, shall not avail me aught, nor shall they be able to deliver me?
[36.24] In that case I shall most surely be in clear error:
[36.25] Surely I believe in your Lord, therefore hear me.
[36.26] It was said: Enter the garden. He said: O would that my people had known
[36.27] Of that on account of which my Lord has forgiven me and made me of the honored ones!
[36.28] And We did not send down upon his people after him any hosts from heaven, nor do We ever send down.
[36.29] It was naught but a single cry, and lo! they were still.
[36.30] Alas for the servants! there comes not to them an apostle but they mock at him.
[36.31] Do they not consider how many of the generations have We destroyed before them, because they do not turn to them?
[36.32] And all of them shall surely be brought before Us.
[36.33] And a sign to them is the dead earth: We give life to it and bring forth from it grain SQ they eat of it.
[36.34] And We make therein gardens of palms and grapevines and We make springs to flow forth in it,
[36.35] That they may eat of the fruit thereof, and their hands did not make it; will they not then be grateful?
[36.36] Glory be to Him Who created pairs of all things, of what the earth grows, and of their kind and of what they do not know.
[36.37] And a sign to them is the night: We draw forth from it the day, then lo! they are in the dark;
[36.38] And the sun runs on to a term appointed for it; that is the ordinance of the Mighty, the Knowing.
[36.39] And (as for) the moon, We have ordained for it stages till it becomes again as an old dry palm branch.
[36.40] Neither is it allowable to the sun that it should overtake the moon, nor can the night outstrip the day; and all float on in a sphere.
[36.41] And a sign to them is that We bear their offspring in the laden ship.
[36.42] And We have created for them the like of it, what they will ride on.
[36.43] And if We please, We can drown them, then there shall be no succorer for them, nor shall they be rescued
[36.44] But (by) mercy from Us and for enjoyment till a time.
[36.45] And when it is said to them: Guard against what is before you and what is behind you, that mercy may be had on you.
[36.46] And there comes not to them a communication of the communications of their Lord but they turn aside from it.
[36.47] And when it is said to them: Spend out of what Allah has given you, those who disbelieve say to those who believe: Shall we feed him whom, if Allah please, He could feed? You are in naught but clear error.
[36.48] And they say: When will this threat come to pass, if you are truthful?
[36.49] They wait not for aught but a single cry which will overtake them while they yet contend with one another.
[36.50] So they shall not be able to make a bequest, nor shall they return to their families.
[36.51] And the trumpet shall be blown, when lo ! from their graves they shall hasten on to their Lord.
[36.52] They shall say: O woe to us! who has raised us up from our sleeping-place? This is what the Beneficent God promised and the apostles told the truth.
[36.53] There would be naught but a single cry, when lo ! they shall all be brought before Us;
[36.54] So this day no soul shall be dealt with unjustly in the least; and you shall not be rewarded aught but that which you did.
[36.55] Surely the dwellers of the garden shall on that day be in an occupation quite happy.
[36.56] They and their wives shall be in shades, reclining on raised couches.
[36.57] They shall have fruits therein, and they shall have whatever they desire.
[36.58] Peace: a word from a Merciful Lord.
[36.59] And get aside today, O guilty ones!
[36.60] Did I not charge you, O children of Adam ! that you should not serve the Shaitan? Surely he is your open enemy,
[36.61] And that you should serve Me; this is the right way.
[36.62] And certainly he led astray numerous people from among you. What! could you not then understand?
[36.63] This is the hell with which you were threatened.
[36.64] Enter into it this day because you disbelieved.
[36.65] On that day We will set a seal upon their mouths, and their hands shall speak to Us, and their feet shall bear witness of what they earned.
[36.66] And if We please We would certainly put out their eyes, then they would run about groping for the way, but how should they see?
[36.67] And if We please We would surely transform them in their place, then they would not be able to go on, nor will they return.
[36.68] And whomsoever We cause to live long, We reduce (him) to an abject state in constitution; do they not then understand?
[36.69] And We have not taught him poetry, nor is it meet for him; it is nothing but a reminder and a plain Quran,
[36.70] That it may warn him who would have life, and (that) the word may prove true against the unbelievers.
[36.71] Do they not see that We have created cattle for them, out of what Our hands have wrought, so they are their masters?
[36.72] And We have subjected them to them, so some of them they have to ride upon, and some of them they eat.
[36.73] And therein they have advantages and drinks; will they not then be grateful?
[36.74] And they have taken gods besides Allah that they may be helped.
[36.75] (But) they shall not be able to assist them, and they shall be a host brought up before them.
[36.76] Therefore let not their speech grieve you; surely We know what they do in secret and what they do openly.
[36.77] Does not man see that We have created him from the small seed? Then lo! he is an open disputant.
[36.78] And he strikes out a likeness for Us and forgets his own creation. Says he: Who will give life to the bones when they are rotten?
[36.79] Say: He will give life to them Who brought them into existence at first, and He is cognizant of all creation
[36.80] He Who has made for you the fire (to burn) from the green tree, so that with it you kindle (fire).
[36.81] Is not He Who created the heavens and the earth able to create the like of them? Yea! and He is the Creator (of all), the Knower.
[36.82] His command, when He intends anything, is only to say to it: Be, so it is.
[36.83] Therefore glory be to Him in Whose hand is the kingdom of all things, and to Him you shall be brought back.

I've read of this verse being used to render one safe from enemies, and cure sadness, illness and pain. Other shorter verses used for protection include:

Our Lord! We have wronged our souls: If You do not forgive us and bestow upon us Your mercy, then we shall certainly be from amongst the losers.
My Lord! I seek protection from the prompting of the Devils; and my Lord! I seek your protection from them approaching me.
Allah is our Lord and your Lord. For us is our works and for you is your works. There are no arguments between us and you. Allah will bring us together.

These are, interestingly, similar to many of the protective methods used in books like Pow-Wows or the Long Lost Friend (most of which I quoted in Voodoo Conjure.) Even in cultures and religions which disapprove of the use of magic, using protective magic is considered an exception, at least by regular practitioners (often the clergy still have other opinions.) Virtually all the early accounts of gris-gris say they were for protection of some type, rather than luck-drawing or jinx-making amulets.

One sometimes finds in Hyatt's hoodoo spells, mojo hands made containing Bible verses -- perhaps replacing the Koran verses of old African gris-gris.

While a gris-gris was usually made by a holy man of some type, it does not appear that there was any other ceremony about the creation of the verse other than possibly reciting it aloud. Likely the holy men were simply the ones who knew how to write and also knew verses from the Koran from memory to be written. Interestingly, some old gris-gris have been fond, such as the one mentioned in the above encyclopedia outtake, that seem to have either been written by fraudsters or simply by people who didn't know enough Arabic to write out the verse and tried to do their best with something else; the result was supposed gris-gris with "strange designs." This might promote the using of magical seals or sigils in a modernized-old-fasioned gris-gris.

The Voodoo Museum suggests the term gris-gris might be Mandé in origin, while mojo is Congolese. Nevertheless, the Congolese concept seems to have usurped the making of a gris-gris, eliminating its Mandé-Islamic origins from practice.

Lucky Temple Occult Library Now Open

2011-04-24T04:44:00.001-07:00

Making the most of the unlimited pages at Lucky Temple, we've now got a new feature -- The Lucky Temple Occult Books Online Library. The library features an assortment of spell and magic books which you can read now online. Many of the works are classics like The Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses and The Lesser Key of Solomon. Others are less well-known but still chock-full of useful information, like the scholarly book Magic and Fetishism.

The library will be updated with more books when I have time to scout and add them. In the meantime, look around the library, and the rest of the new features on the Lucky Temple.

Espiritus del Ande Incense from Peru

2011-04-20T04:00:00.000-07:00

Espiritus del Ande Incense is a 100% natural product, hand crafted from plants & resins native to The Andes Mountains. The main ingredients: Palo Santo & Wiraqoya are known throughout the land as medicines for cleansing, purification, & good fortune. The lighting of the incense represents our intention and prayer, being released into the enery field to come forth & manifest. They are produced with loving hands, carefully holding a meditative space while they blend and shape the sticks. They are then dried and packaged in handmade boxes. They are made by local natives in Southern Peru, it is a Fair Trade project with people receiving a living wage & working in a cooperative environment. The individual blends offer a diversity of scents & energetics. The Palo Santo & Wiraqoya shown here have been used for thousands of years to promote spiritual & physical health. They are both native to the Andes Mountains. Green box - Rosemary: A meditteranean bush now found throughout the world, rosemary is honored for it's healing properties of improved memory, digestion, clarity, & protection. Blue box - Copal: A resin found inside petrifying forests deep in the jungles of the America's, copal has many incredible healing properties; cleansing, purification & protection. It was kept burning atop the pyramids of the Aztec & Maya.

Spells to Remove Bad Karma and Sin

2011-04-07T22:54:00.000-07:00

I'm not one to believe in karma, myself -- at least not the way most people perceive it. I do, however, agree that guilt or embarrassment over a past deed can cause needless unhappiness in one's life.

Hoodoo folk magic doesn't traditionally possess a concept of karma, but it does acknowledge sin, which is all in all a pretty similar notion. There is a traditional ingredient for removing sin (or karma) and that is the herb hyssop. Its use for this purpose is given in the Bible. It is most commonly used in the form of a bath. One can either boil dried or fresh hyssop herb into a strong infusion and add it to the bath to free one's self from sin and karma, or one can simply buy it as a prepared bath such as this one (link.)

If one has been a very bad person, a formula mixture like Cast Off Evil may be used to help encourage one to give up bad habits and behaviors. Here's a strong spell for removing all kinds of sin, bad deeds and wickedness from one's conscience:

Hyssop bath
New Life oil
Cast Off Evil incense
13 white candles (any size, though I would advise chime or tea light)

Prepare the candles by dressing them with New Life oil, and arrange a safe place for them and the incense to be burnt. If possible, whatever room that you are in the most would be an ideal location.

Start the spell by taking a hyssop bath. Remain in the water at least 30 minutes, and be sure to wet your head. Do not use any other soaps or shampoos in the bath, and do not rinse off afterward.

Once out of the tub, light your incense and one of the candles. Leave it alone to burn all the way down, however long it takes.

Each day, for the next 12 days, burn more incense and light another candle in this same manner, for a total of 13 days. Save all ashes and wax remains. When the spell is finished, take these and dispose of them in running water (a river or ocean is ideal, though a kitchen sink garbage disposal or a flush toilet can be resorted to if no other option presents.)

Agrippa and his Planetary Incense

2011-04-02T13:58:00.000-07:00

Agrippa's planetary incense recipes have made the rounds, and turns up all over the place, from Scott Cunningham's Incense Oils and Brews to Lauron William De Laurence's Obeah Bible. He basically gives two recipes for each type, one that usually was specific and which involved something unpleasant and hard to find like a weasel's brain, and another that came down to a single type of substace (woods, leaves, etc.) that could be formed into a planetary incense.

From Wikipedia:

Agrippa was born in Cologne in 1486. In 1512, he taught at the University of Dole in the Free County of Burgundy, lecturing on Johann Reuchlin's De verbo mirifico; as a result, Agrippa was denounced, behind his back, as a "Judaizing heretic." Agrippa's vitriolic response many months later did not endear him to the University.
In 1510, he studied briefly with Johannes Trithemius, and Agrippa sent him an early draft of his masterpiece, De occulta philosophia libri tres, a kind of summa of early modern occult thought. Trithemius was guardedly approving, but suggested that Agrippa keep the work more or less secret; Agrippa chose not to publish, perhaps for this reason, but continued to revise and rethink the book for twenty years.
During his wandering life in Germany, France and Italy he worked as a theologian, physician, legal expert and soldier.
He was for some time in the service of Maximilian I, probably as a soldier in Italy, but devoted his time mainly to the study of the occult sciences and to problematic theological legal questions, which exposed him to various persecutions through life, usually in the mode described above: He would be privately denounced for one sort of heresy or another. He would only reply with venom considerably later. (Nauert demonstrates this pattern effectively.)
There is no evidence that Agrippa was seriously accused, much less persecuted, for his interest in or practice of magical or occult arts during his lifetime, apart from losing several positions. It is impossible of course to cite negatively, but Nauert, the best bio-bibliographical study to date, shows no indication of such persecution, and van der Poel's careful examination of the various attacks suggest that they were founded on quite other theological grounds.
It is important to mention that, according to some scholarship, "As early as 1525 and again as late as 1533 (two years before his death) Agrippa clearly and unequivocally rejected magic in its totality, from its sources in imagined antiquity to contemporary practice." Some aspects remain unclear, but there are those who believe it was sincere (not out of fear, as a parody, or otherwise).[1] Recent scholarship (see Further Reading below, in Lehrich, Nauert, and van der Poel) generally agrees that this rejection or repudiation of magic is not what it seems: Agrippa never rejected magic in its totality, but he did retract his early manuscript of the Occult Philosophy - to be replaced by the later form.
According to his student Johann Weyer, in the book De praestigiis daemonum, Agrippa died in Grenoble, in 1535.

My favorite magical encyclopedia, Man, Myth and Magic, adds the following:

Much of his career is shrouded in mystery and even before his death he became the centre of stories in which he figured as a master black magician. Goethe drew on some of these stories for the title character of his play Faust.
...
Agrippa says that everything which exists has a 'soul' or spiritual component, pat of the total world soul, which shows itself in magical properties of herbs, metals, stones, animals and other phenomena of Nature.
...
Agrippa builds up a system of the universe in which everything is part of a great spiritual whole, which is God. Magic is the way of investigating this system but magic is only for the initiated few, for men like Agrippa himself -- as most of them were, in fact -- of secret societies. He does not press the point fully home but his conclusion that man 'containeth in himself all things which are in God' is well in line with the magical theory that the magician can make himself God and wield the supreme power of God in the universe.

Here are some suggested formulas for each of the basic planets as based on the recommendations of Agrippa, for his simple planetary magical incenses:

MARS (made from woods)
Oak, Hickory and Mesquite.

VENUS (made from flowers)
Rose, Balm of Gilead Buds and Clove Buds.

MOON (made from leaves)
Patchouli and Clary Sage.

MERCURY (made from barks and peels)
Orange Peel, Cinnamon and Mace.

JUPITER (made from fruits)
Vanilla or Tonka Bean, Nutmeg and Allspice Berries.

SATURN (made from roots)
Calamus, Vetiver and Mandrake.

SUN (made from resins)
Dragon's Blood, Frankincense and Gum Arabic.

Man, Myth and Magic also includes the following little rumor about Mr. Agrippa:

...He went out one day, leaving the key of a secret room with his wife. She foolishly lent it to the lodger, a student, who went into the room and found a huge book of spells, which he began to read. After a while he looked up and found a demon standing in front of him, asking why it had been summoned. He gaped at it in horror and the demon strangled him.
Agrippa returned and, fearing a charge of murder, made the demon restore the student to life for a few hours. The young man was seen walking in the street but when the demon's magic wore off, he collapsed.

Graveyards

2011-03-27T04:55:00.000-07:00

A common question/complaint I hear from people who want to cast their own spells but don't want to do them the right way:

"But I'm afraid of the graveyard!"

Then, I must ask, why are you dabbling in spells that require you to go there? There are maybe two kinds of spells that require going to these places, either to collect or deposit ingredients; either you're doing harmful works, which isn't exactly supposed to be fun and pleasant for anyone to start with, or else it's something that has you directly contacting the dead like psychic work or ancestor work, in which case if you're so frightened of the dead you really shouldn't be doing this anyway.

Now, I suppose to be fair some folks live in bad neighborhoods where the graveyards become gathering places for criminals (if you've ever been to the St. Louis Cemetery in New Orleans you know there are even signs all over the place warning about the muggings that go on there) but even at that it should just be a matter of either going with friends or else traveling to a nicer graveyard to do your work. Most of the time, though, this doesn't seem to even be the trouble. Usually the complaint is defended with a mere "I'm just really creeped out by them" or something along those lines.

If you're not able to handle graveyards then you likely can't handle a spell that utilizes them. In these cases, consider whether you really even need to be doing the spell in question, or else

Gypsy Witch Tropical Spells Hoodoos and Voodoos

2011-03-25T14:48:00.000-07:00

So. I have a small collection of occult books, and am always on the lookout for ideas for new spells, given my line of work and all. The other day I came across a new book called Tropical Spells: Hoodoos and Voodoos. Sounded like a good bargain; it includes the text of the Black Pullet, so it's like two books in one. Might have some neat spells, since the title sounded like it was going to focus more on "tropical" (i.e. less-Americanized) Voodoo and hoodoo.

So I get the book, and it's one of those things where it's mostly just material lifted from other easily-found sources. The copy of the Black Pullet they're using is that same one floating around the internet with grainy images (I'd sort of hoped it would be a new translation... or at least have better quality scans of the pictures.) And the spells are lifted from various websites. Including my own. They didn't even change my bizarre inclination toward archaic wording that results from reading too many medieval cookbooks. So they nabbed my Bottle Spell to Coerce Love (spell of my own invention) and my To Be Rid of an Old, Budensome Relationship (spell of my own invention) and my own rehashing of a Marie Laveau spell that I'd been using in promo materials when I had those cat bones for sale -- didn't even bother to change my wording, it opens with my old This is reputed to be "The Best Gambling Hand" in the work attributed to Marie Laveau.... (Though I think they did mess with the instruction for how to make a fixed nutmeg that goes within the spell. I'm sure I'd have mentioned using mercury before offering up the substitute for it.)

Anyway, not going to try to sue them or anything since I doubt this would make up even 4% of the total book and I'm usually of the opinion that spreading info around is better for the culture as a whole, anyway. (Though damn, you could have at least RETYPED IT yourself so it was your own, lady, instead of just reformatting it. If you don't retype it all yourself into your own words, then you credit your source -- that's just normal procedure.)

Anyway, if you buy through this link, I actually can get my deserved 4% of the price, courtesy of Amazon.com --

On a related note, the Free Spells Blog that I keep, from which a couple of the spells were lifted, is another example of reapplying spells from various sources and republishing them. I have noticed, however, some misunderstandings about that blog. For example, someone a while ago was reposting a spell from it on a forum, and accompanied the post saying something like "the author says you can reuse them as long as you credit her." No no no! That was not said anywhere AND that's not at all the goal of the blog! That whole blog was published with the intent that anyone who uses the spells should REPORT BACK WHETHER IT WORKED, and it says this right on the info page. It's of note that I don't think a single person has yet reported back to me whether the formulas or spells worked for them -- every bit of data I have was gathered from myself or from the person who gave me the spell in the first place. I encourage you all -- go check out the free spells, and use them, and then COME BACK AND TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED :)

CONJURE COGNAC

2011-03-19T23:14:00.000-07:00

http://sandrarose.com/2010/01/ludacris-cognac-a-hard-sell-in-the-hip-hop-community/

Apparently, rapper Ludacris has his own brand of cognac. He called it "Conjure Cognac."

Looks like we know the new lucky-by-word-association liquor to offer spirits!

A Great Occult Find on Amazon... The EVIL EYE STORE

2011-03-16T07:28:00.000-07:00

The Evil Eye Store.

Yes, someone put together a whole Amazon Marketplace business focusing on evil eye charms. Some of the highlights of the stock:

The Evil Eye is an internationally held belief that someone (usually unintentionally) can place curse upon you by envying you or something of yours. The mechanics of it, as I picked up from the oft-recommended Eros and Magic in the Renaissance, is that every object has a pneuma, or spirit, which can be absorbed or damaged by another person looking at it. The book quotes from Agrippa:

"Fascination is a force which, emanating from the spirit of the fascinator, enters the eyes of the fascinated person and penetrates his heart. Spirit is therefore the instrument of fascination. It emits from the eyes rays resembling itself, bearing with them spiritual quality. Hence rays emanating from eyes that are bloodshot and bleary, on meeting the eyes of the beholder, carry with them the vapor of the spirit and of tainted blood, thus spreading the contagion to the beholder's eyes."

Evil eye charms are used to protect a person or their possessions from falling victim to this phenomenon, which is said to cause illness, bad luck, or emotional problems. Evil eye charms can be worn on the body or placed on one's property. They usually involve the color blue and something eye-shaped.

Hoodoo Deodorants, Part II

2011-03-15T11:22:00.000-07:00

In part I I gave the recipe for making your own hoodoo deodorant using condition oils. Here is how to make one using essential oils:

1 part baking soda
1 part cornstarch
2 parts coconut oil
essential oils -- use your judgment. Spicy scents like cinnamon need to be used more cautiously than something generally harmless like rose oil.

This mixture is well combined and rubbed onto the underarms. Coconut oil is specified for its antibacterial qualities.

Additionally, you may add a small pinch of well powdered herbs to this mixture if your desired herbal ingredients doesn't come as an essential oil (for example, John the Conqueror root.)

For Destruction of Somebody

2011-03-14T18:43:00.000-07:00

An old spell from the Obeah Bible:

"Make the image of a man, with double countenance before and behind, and perfume it with brimstone and jet, and put it in a box of brass and with it brimstone and jet, and the hair of him whom they would hurt."

(Note that in this context "image" probably means a wax figure or other sculpted form.)

Hoodoo Deodorants, Part I

2011-03-02T14:23:00.000-08:00

Old time conjure spells often instruct that sachet powders be used on the body, particularly around the chest area. Perfumes are also a common device, instructed for use in many old spells and curio catalogues. These were common products at the time and were used as part of a person's daily toilette, to keep a person fresh and sweet-smelling.

However, these days, how many people use talcs and perfumes every day? These spell instructions are clearly the products of a time when deodorant and moisturizers weren't the norms, like now, and body powders and colognes were more common instead. Current belief is that perfumes are a nuisance, and the only person I know that uses body powder on a daily basis for health and beauty, is over 90 years old.

The body powder of today is underarm deodorant. Curiously, no one seems to sell these with hoodoo scents that I have seen. Lately, I have learned how to make an excellent deodorant at home -- in fact I got rid of my expensive premade deodorant because the homemade stuff worked so much better. It's not an antiperspirant and it can sometimes leave a powdery mark on dark colored clothes, but if you can deal with that you can not only make your own deodorant, but you can also fix it with whatever hoodoo folk magic formulations you want!

There's a few different ways I have found to go about this, so here is one of several varieties of the homemade hoodoo deodorant. This one uses anointing oil.

You need:
3 parts* anointing oil of your choice
2 parts cornstarch
4 parts baking soda

Combine the dry ingredients thoroughly, then add the oil and combine well to make a paste.

*I find a creamy texture is the easiest for me to apply and use, but if you'd like a thicker or thinner texture you can add or subtract oil as desired. This is intended to be applied with your fingers, but I know of people who've made firmer-textured versions that could be pressed into empty deodorant containers and applied the normal way.

Other variations include the deodorant made with powder and deodorant made with colognes like Hoyt's or Florida Water. I will post recipes for these varieties at a later time.

Lover, Return! A New Book of Return Lover Spells

2011-01-30T19:35:00.000-08:00

For the benefit of those who want return lover spells, without the cost or concern of hiring a spellcaster, I have created the following:

Lover, Return! Instant and Emergency Spells for Romance, Reconciliation and Bringing Back a Lost Lover

I've created this as an eBook because one has to be damned swift about performing return lover work; a eBook allows one to get the book instantly, without having to waste a week or more on waiting for a paperback to be shipped. The odds of success, as the book itself will explain, will go up a quite a bit when action is taken in a hurry and no time is wasted.

The book also describes the mistakes people often make that will ruin any love magic, helps in deciding what kind of reconciliation spells will best suit your situation, and explains the purposes behind the magical ingredients used.

If you need magical help to return your lover, get this book immediately!

An Early Greek Love Spell, To Draw Back an Unfaithful Lover.

2011-01-15T23:07:00.000-08:00

From the pages of Theocritus:

Where are the bay-leaves, Thestylis, and the charms?
Fetch all; with fiery wool the caldron crown;
Let glamour win me back my false lord's heart!
Twelve days the wretch hath not come nigh to me,
Nor made enquiry if I die or live,
Nor clamoured (oh unkindness!) at my door.
Sure his swift fancy wanders otherwhere,
The slave of Aphroditè and of Love.
I'll off to Timagetus' wrestling-school
At dawn, that I may see him and denounce
His doings; but I'll charm him now with charms.
So shine out fair, O moon! To thee I sing
My soft low song: to thee and Hecatè
The dweller in the shades, at whose approach
E'en the dogs quake, as on she moves through blood
And darkness and the barrows of the slain.
All hail, dread Hecatè: companion me
Unto the end, and work me witcheries
Potent as Circè or Medea wrought,
Or Perimedè of the golden hair!
Turn, magic wheel, draw homeward him I love.
First we ignite the grain. Nay, pile it on:
Where are thy wits flown, timorous Thestylis?
Shall I be flouted, I, by such as thou?
Pile, and still say, 'This pile is of his bones.'
Turn, magic wheel, draw homeward him I love.
Delphis racks me: I burn him in these bays.
As, flame-enkindled, they lift up their voice,
Blaze once, and not a trace is left behind:
So waste his flesh to powder in yon fire!
Turn, magic wheel, draw homeward him I love.
E'en as I melt, not uninspired, the wax,
May Mindian Delphis melt this hour with love:
And, swiftly as this brazen wheel whirls round,
May Aphroditè whirl him to my door.
Turn, magic wheel, draw homeward him I love.
Next burn the husks. Hell's adamantine floor
And aught that else stands firm can Artemis move.
Thestylis, the hounds bay up and down the town:
The goddess stands i' the crossroads: sound the gongs.
Turn, magic wheel, draw homeward him I love.
Hushed are the voices of the winds and seas;
But O not hushed the voice of my despair.
He burns my being up, who left me here
No wife, no maiden, in my misery.
Turn, magic wheel, draw homeward him I love.
Thrice I pour out; speak thrice, sweet mistress, thus:
"What face soe'er hangs o'er him be forgot
Clean as, in Dia, Theseus (legends say)
Forgat his Ariadne's locks of love."
Turn, magic, wheel, draw homeward him I love.
The coltsfoot grows in Arcady, the weed
That drives the mountain-colts and swift mares wild.
Like them may Delphis rave: so, maniac-wise,
Race from his burnished brethren home to me.
Turn, magic wheel, draw homeward him I love.
He lost this tassel from his robe; which I
Shred thus, and cast it on the raging flames.
Ah baleful Love! why, like the marsh-born leech,
Cling to my flesh, and drain my dark veins dry?
Turn, magic wheel, draw homeward him I love.
From a crushed eft tomorrow he shall drink
Death! But now, Thestylis, take these herbs and smear
That threshold o'er, whereto at heart I cling
Still, still—albeit he thinks scorn of me—
And spit, and say, ''Tis Delphis' bones I smear.'
Turn, magic wheel, draw homeward him I love.

Psychics Predict Who Will Win Lotto

2011-01-04T20:31:00.000-08:00

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/telling_fortune_Xb98u7OllDBKgJqKOlLzYI

Chris Ochun, 34, a Bronx spiritualist, predicts that a woman from New York will win -- but that she'll have to split the jackpot with "someone from out of state."

How does he know? The seashells told him so. He reads African cowry shells and chants incantations.

The shells, formerly the homes of snails, unfortunately didn't disclose the numbers, but he says 5, 6, 52, 55, 44 and 27 are "lucky."

And he's certain the winner will be a Gemini.

De Laurence's Magic

2010-12-30T19:22:00.001-08:00

I'd written once before, just a little, on De Laurence and his influential Great Book of Magical Art and Hindu Magic (aka The Obeah Bible.) It's interesting to see early uses of common hoodoo ingredients, like when I found 17th century references to lodestone and swallow's heart love spells in Wecker. De Laurence -- plagiarizing from The Magus, which was itself plagiarizing from earlier sources -- brings up the first mention I've seen of black cat and black dog hair for a breakup spell, in the following:

...for divorce and separation of the man from the woman, make a seal of red copper, being the image of a dog biting his tail; and then perfume it [id est, smoke it in an incense] with the hair of a black dog and a black cat.

Interestingly, some of these "seals" that De Laurence/Barret describes in the Great Book, I've seen described elsewhere as being more like poppets or voodoo dolls (in this case, a copper state of a dog biting its tail.) I'm unsure which method is more correct; though for this case it's probably easier to engrave a copper seal than to cast a statue.

Additionally, it is mentioned elsewhere in the book that one should write out (for that particular spell above) the symbols and names of the spirits of the moon, which it includes on graphs elsewhere.

De Laurence and his books were so influential that in some regions, casting a magic spell on a person is called 'De Laurencing.' In fact, the association with Obeah and Voodoo practice has fixed it so that to this day, De Laurence's books are banned in Jamaica.

Despite a negative review left for the facsimile edition of the Great Book (note that I prefer the Obeah Bible printing, because it was actually retyped and some of the images redrawn for better clarity), the book actually is more than just a ripoff reprinting of The Magus. Somewhere around halfway in, Book Two of "Hindoo Magic" (which unlike part one does occasionally have something legitimate to do with Hindu practices, like its section on yoga, prana and breathing techniques) does appear to be legitimately written by De Laurence. He gives tons of magic spells using some kind of Temple Incense that he used to sell (Rev. Jim at COGL tells me it was made from patchouli and sandalwood) -- henbane and Temple incense produces visions of apparitions, sulfur and Temple Incense drives away evil spirits, burning Temple Incense every Tuesday in your rooms keeps you holy and powerful, so on and so on.

It's got lots of other things that were probably new information at the time (or at least the first widely distributed printing) like guides to color therapy and use of colors in magic, a guide to how to tell if your dreams are ominous or not, and the said breathing methods, a lot of which is a part of modern magical practices. Sometimes things said by Hyatt's informants make more sense in light of reading De Laurence's book.

While the writing can be a little dull -- since it's quite old-fashioned -- it's definitely a worthwhile thing to check out if you're interested in "old style conjure" or voodoo.

Using Magic, and Why Use Magic

2010-12-20T16:10:00.000-08:00

Over at a certain magic forum I frequent, the not-altogether-unusual occurrence of someone trolling with sarcastic comments about how magic doesn't work and complaining about how people still believe in such things, came about. I finally decided to answer one of the posts with the following, which I repost here as I think it of some merit.

Since you seem to be trolling I was disinclined to answer any of your posts in this vein -- I mean for God's sake, you're on a forum for discussing magical practice and tools for magical practice, what did you think we'd be talking about here? However, your complaints touch upon a common misperception about magic that even believers hold, and thus I will respond.

Virtually nobody that I know who has any longterm experience with magic claims that it is effective 100% of the time, even when performed by skilled practitioners. (And a quick read around this forum will probably indicate to you that a great deal of the folks who come by here are not very skilled or experienced.) Not everyone in the world practices magic, and not every magic spell practiced succeeds in achieving the intent. I used to have a notice on my website warning people who wanted me to cast spells that a spell is more like an aid to reaching your goals, rather than a method -- but it seemed to be bad for business, and the people who don't know that already tend to just find someone else who will play into their misconceptions instead, so I said screw it and took the notice down. I figure they're still better off with me than finding some scammer that will tell them what they want.

In any case -- if you cast a spell for food but there is seriously no food to be had, guess what? Spell won't do anything. If you cast a spell to make someone love you, but you're obnoxious and mean to the person every time you see them, guess what? Mundane actions and circumstance can always cancel out whatever influence the magic possesses. Magic doesn't override the natural order of things, it just kind of shuffles them so they might land a bit more in your favor. This sermon by my friend Rev. Jim at the Church of Good Luck might be of interest, having some more information on the matter.

I tend to feel it is best to keep expectations of magic fairly low, since if it could routinely do anything spectacular it would be a scientifically provable phenomenon; though admittedly many things that once were considered a part of magic have now been absorbed into science and psychology.

Now you may say, "But if it doesn't always work, why use it?" The fact is there are many things that are done, and which are agreed by most folks to be worthwhile, that don't always work. Doctors aren't always successful at treating an illness; in fact if you've got something like acne you might find a lower treatment success rate and spend more money on these worthless remedies than most magicians do with even the most hopeless of spell genres. Applying to certain colleges like Harvard or Oxford might not succeed in most cases, but folks usually agree it's a thing worth doing if that's where you'd like to go. Just because something doesn't always work doesn't mean it's not of any value or potential.

As far as telling everyone to use magic for all their problems, I will cite the matter of lottery spells -- something with only a narrow chance for success to begin with, and for success at which more people cast spells or prayers than don't. With the odds leveled out like that, it's not of much benefit to any of them, and most people I know wouldn't waste time casting a spell for something like that.

Magic should not be used as a last resort, nor should it be a first resort. It is a supplement to other reasonable behaviors.

Carry on.

Glass Encased vs. Standalone Candles in Spells

2010-12-10T18:38:00.000-08:00

Something has lately been coming to my attention, which, curiously, bothers me. I hang around on some forums, I give magical and spell advice to folks, and it seems that a lot of people only want to use screened glass encased candles in magical working.

It's actually to the point where people have been shocked to learn that you can use REGULAR CANDLES in magic.

Glass encased candles are nice, I use them a lot, but I certainly don't use them for everything. The main thing that's useful about glass-encased candles is they can burn, in relative safety, for days at a time. Thus, they are good when you're doing something where it suits you just be able to just 'set it and forget it.' If you need a lot of help in a relative hurry, or want to be able to leave something burning as a 'backup' then a glass-encased candle is perfect for you; they are big, often temperamental and thus give clear signs about how your work is going, and easy to dress once you get the hang of it. They also come frequently screened with suitable images relating to the work at hand, and give an extra little boost in that regard.

However, this reliance on the screened or pasted-on images is part of them problem I am seeing, that has me a little worried. The kind of glass-encased candle one is probably most likely to find outside of a botanica or magic shop is a saint candle. Lately, I've been observing an awful lot of folks turning, often inappropriately, to saints (and some other entities who get their own candle like the Intranquil Spirit) for help in magical matters just because that's the candle that's most commonly available. Folks seem to just see that the prayer on the back matches their need so they buy it, often with no idea how you treat that saint or what kind of work they excel at or won't help with, and sometimes even combine the things in rather poor matches -- for example, buying a Santa Muerte, St. Martha and an Intranquil Spirit candle and burning them all together for help in love matters. (For reference: Santa Muerte doesn't like sharing the spotlight with other saints, St. Martha will only help if you have legitimately good intentions, and the Intranquil Spirit is evil. Burn these three together for the same goal and you're probably going to just cancel everything out.)

Standalone candles like tapers, votives, pilar candles, chime candles, are not only much more traditional but also much more versatile. The overreliance on screened candles has some folks fretting about what to do when your exact circumstance isn't covered by a standard make of novena light; when really a plain white candle (even a glass-encased one) will do for any job where a candle is appropriate. Freestanding candles are also easier to snuff and relight for multi-day spells, and to maneuver for Gamache-style candle rites.

Don't forget our friend the freestanding candle! In honor of this device I provide the following Uncrossing spell which can only be done with such a device.

You need:

1 freestanding reversible ("double action") candle

Special Oil #20 or Van Van Oil

A petition paper or a photo of the person to be uncrossed

Begin by cutting off the tip of the candle on the red side. Flip the candle around, and on the black side, shave off enough of the wax from the base to expose the wick. This reversing of the candle is the first step towards reversing your unwanted circumstance.
Carve into the black side of the candle the person or problem you want to be rid of.
Carve into the the red side of the candle the new happy situation you want. A word like "contentment" or "success" or whatever has been interfered with will do.
Dress the candle, from the center up on both sides, with the oil. Also dot the corners of your photo or paper with the oil.
Set the candle in a holder over the paper, and light it on the exposed black side. State your prayers/requests while so doing.
Leave the candle to burn 1/3rd of the way, then snuff it out (don't ever blow out magical candles.)
The next day, light your candle again, while repeating your prayers or requests, and let it burn down another 1/3rd. This will burn from the black into the red side. Snuff the candle again.
On the final day, light the final portion of the candle, again with your requests and prayers, and let it burn itself all out.
When the candle is done, take the leftover paper and any wax or candle debris that remains to a crossroads and leave it there.

Santeria Baths - Magical Herbal Baths of Santeria

2010-12-01T15:46:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite spellbooks over time has been the (unfortunately now out of print) Magical Herbal Baths of Santeria. Now, I would not consider myself to be one that practices Santeria, but if you're willing to appeal to certain entities in your work through either their Catholic or Santerian forms (example, Our Lady of Cobre or Ochun for love work) then you can perform the level of work that this book goes for. In fact the reviews by actual Santeria practitioners tend to be a bit negative, as the book's spells seems to go much more towards folk magic than formal Santeria.

If you don't speak Spanish you may have a little difficulty with this book, as a lot of the ingredients are given in their Spanish forms -- and plant names often don't literally translate very well. For example, lengua de vaca is no more a cow's tongue than lady's thumb is the digit of a female corpse. It's a good idea to try to scout a botanica to buy from that carries the ingredients under the same Spanish names listed in the book, if you're at all unsure about the plant's identification.

Here is a spell from the book, in its official folk magic spell section, which is a love bath that appeals to Maximon, or San Simon. By my translation, you need:

Palo Amansa Guapo
Abre Camino
Cinnamon
Coconut Water
Aguardiente
Holy Water
Honey
Red Male Figural Candle
Red Female Figural Candle
Red Thread

Boil the Palo Amansa Guapo, the Cinnamon and the Abre Camino in one gallon of water.
Allow the mixture to cool.
Mix the Coconut Water and the Holy Water with the liquid infusion.
Carve your name on the candle that represents you, three times.
Place the two candles facing each other and tie them together with red thread.
Light the two candles and invoke the name of San Simon asking him to send you a lover.
Pour the liquid into your bath water.
Anoint yourself with the honey.

Remain in the bath water 30 minutes. Allow the candles to completely burn out. This bath should be taken for five consecutive days before leaving the house daily. Be careful what you ask for because you will get it.

Now, to add some additional commentary onto this recipe: Amansa Guapo is an herbal ingredient, from a plant reportedly in English called Sagebud. Its magical function is usually akin to the conjure formula called Compelling, and I'm sure this formula can replace it in a pinch. Abre Camino is better known, though some disagreement continues about its botanical identification. Quassia is usually said to be the Abre Camino plant. Road Opener formula could replace if it were needed.

Coconut Water is the clear liquid from a coconut. Luckily it has lately come into fashion as a beverage, and I can find it at Whole Foods. Of course, one can crack open a coconut and pour it out directly, if necessary.

Aguardiente is an alcoholic drink common to Spanish and Portuguese speaking countries. The name more or less means Fire Water. Precisely what it constitutes seems to vary country to country. If you can't find something labeled Aguardiente, pretty much any strong, clear liquor can serve (vodka, unsweetened schnapps, grappa, etc.) It can be flavored but shouldn't be sweetened.

On a final note, those of us accustomed to dressing candles might also pick up some San Simon oil to use on them. He'd probably appreciate the thought.

Susto

2010-11-20T18:51:00.000-08:00

Susto is usually translated as "fright" but a better way to translate it would be trauma. As Wikipedia puts it:

Susto is a cultural illness, specifically a "fright sickness" with strong psychological overtones. Susto comes from the Portuguese, and Spanish word for "fright" (i.e. sudden intense fear, as of something immediately threatening). A more severe and potentially fatal form of susto is called espanto (also from Spanish and Portuguese, meaning terror or intense fright). It is indigenously attributed to "soul loss" resulting from frightful or traumatic experiences.[1] Among Native Indian populations of Latin America, susto may be conceptualized as a case of spirit attack.[2]
Culturally stressed adults (women more often than men) are most likely to suffer from susto, although children may also be afflicted. The onset of the disease generally follows a sudden frightening experience such as an accident, a fall, witnessing a relative's sudden death, or any other potentially dangerous event. Research shows that knowledge of the existence of susto is a major contributing factor in improving the condition.

The condition seems to have some vague connections and maybe origins with the stress-induced out of body experience -- that situation one hears described from time to time during a dramatic or upsetting event of "it was like I was somewhere else watching myself!" -- hence "soul-loss" is used to describe it even though a person stays relatively functional in most cases -- just is never quite himself again, until recovery.

These days many susto cases don't include the out of body experience, perhaps because we're more accustomed to stress nowadays than in the times and cultures where the concept was born. But susto does still arise from high stress situations and has a lot of overlap with medical and psychological concepts like depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Bullying, a bad breakup, being in an accident or witnessing a violent event are all possible causes, as well as lesser traumas like seeing a dead animal or a scary bug. Some people are even said to be struck with susto while still in their mother's womb! Its symptoms can lead to anything from a general sense of disturbance to actually bringing on chronic illnesses and pains.

At any event, upon getting a susto, the remedy is to coax the spirit back into the body, and the sooner it's done the better. A mild case can be remedied with something very simple like a bath in bluing or drinking teas like orange blossom or orange leaf, mint, or a stronger fig-and-vinegar concoction.

For harsher cases, the typical remedy is to go to a healer where a sweeping ritual is performed, often over multiple days. Unfortunately, many people, even when struck with susto, don't live in an area near such healers -- or, unfortunately in some cases, do have suitable healers nearby but find a bit of a language barrier toward working with them. Susto is something of a Latin-American concept and as such, it can be difficult for Spanish-non-speakers to get much information or help for the condition.

I recently came upon the book Rainforest Home Remedies which has a small section on what is called "spiritual illnesses," and susto is included thereamongst. In it, it includes (naturally!) a home remedy for even severe susto. It is summed up as follows:

*Begin with buying some copal incense, and be sure to burn this daily and especially during the performance of all subsequent steps.

*Start with a series of 9 healing prayers said in a row, and repeat these 9 prayers over multiple days -- 3 days at least. The prayer should be said thrice while holding the pulse of the right wrist, thrice holding the pulse of the left wrist, and thrice holding both hands over the head. Really any healing prayer can be used, I should think, as long as it's sincere, but author Arvigo offers the following suggestion, which can be used for yourself or for a person you are assisting: "In the name of God the father, God the son and God the holy spirit, I am the one who prays for susto. I ask God to help me, and I ask for the nine Maya spirits to help me too. I say these prayers nine times to release this susto from the flesh of ______. I have faith with all my heart that this prayer, these herbs, baths and incense, will cure the susto of ______. In the name of God the father, God the son and God the holy spirit." (NOTE: The Apostle's Creed is also another traditional prayer for the cure of susto.)

*Gather some rue, basil and marigold, and use these to make an herbal bath. Take the bath "twice weekly" is as it's put -- in other words every 3 days.

Proceed in this until you feel completely cured -- how long this will take can vary depending on severity of the case and could even require years of work in some cases.

I quite recommend the Rainforest Home Remedies book if you have any more interest in South American folk medicine or in spiritual illnesses and treatment (though be warned -- rue, basil and marigold bath seems to be the recommended cure for just about every spiritual ailment there is.)

Another remedy I've used for susto and other stresses which I can recommend is New Life incense burned about the room, along with Peace Water or 7 Holy Waters mixture applied to the body. New Life is a formula particularly used for unhappy pasts that need to be let go of -- Cut and Clear is another similar formula. (Recipes for both variants are available in The Conjure Cookbook.) 7 Holy Waters is a nice recipe I got from the ever useful Lucky Mojo site, and I prefer it for applications to the body over many other variants -- it's not oily like Peace Water and it has alcohol to disinfect and preserve it (some folks might live near cleaner rivers than I do, but my local source is a semi-stagnant, muddy mess which ever stinks of storm drain and hobo piss -- so I'm glad for the whiskey and cologne in the mix.)

Susto is a miserable condition, but studies find that awareness of it is key to being able to cure it. Hopefully if you find yourself in such a state, some of this will be useful to you.

Cleopatra Love Spells

2010-11-10T16:14:00.000-08:00

Cleopatra: This is an exciting scent for lovers only. Rub it on the ear lobe, between fingers, and behind knees. Also place five drops upon each corner of the bed to excite the senses.

So says Anna Riva in Golden Secrets of Mystic Oils.

The word Cleopatra is Latinized Greek for "Famous Father" (kleos = glory or fame, patros = father) and was a popular name for the Greek Ptolemy queens of Egypt. "The" Cleopatra that usually comes to mind is Cleopatra VII, the last of the pharaohs.

And I ask, why the heck would anyone want to wind up like her in a love spell?

Frankly, the famous Cleopatra wasn't exactly a great example of a happy love life. She was forced to marry her brother, then had an affair with the already-married Julius Caesar till his murder, and then finally killed herself over Mark Anthony.

She also failed to preserve Egypt from being absorbed into the Roman empire. She wrote books on science and chemistry that were all lost.

She wasn't known in her time as any sort of great beauty -- some reports even say she had a goiter, and her possession of the so-called Ptolemy Schnozz is well documented.

The reputation of Cleopatra as a great seductress was based on negative political propaganda from Rome. In fact, what made her seem appealing to men of her age was not her beauty or sexiness or luxury, but her education. Women were dumb as bricks in those days -- they didn't usually get much in the way of education. But Cleopatra -- ! She spoke numerous languages and was well-instructed in science (Galen quotes from her!) and we can presume other intellectual pursuits. In other words she was a woman who could actually hold a reasonable conversation -- and probably in any major language you wanted, as she was also well known for her linguistic skills, including having been the first Pharaoh in hundreds of years to have troubled herself to actually learn to speak Egyptian instead of Greek. She also had a bit of good luck, in that she tended to bear sons to her boyfriends rather than daughters (or in the case of Anthony, a set of twins, one male one female.) This made her seem much better than their wives to whom they were already wed, who weren't doing as much.

A respectful Cleopatra oil, based on the truth would probably consist of -- King Solomon oil, frankly. That too is for wisdom and love, plus other things that Cleopatra strived for like success, beauty (many of her chemistry recipes were cosmetics) and wealth.

You can also trouble yourself with some male-heir rites while you're at it, to really capture the essence of the famous queen.

Palm Reading How To

2010-11-05T23:43:00.000-07:00

Some years ago I picked up a great book about palm reading in a second hand bookshop: The Complete Encyclopedia of Practical Palmistry. Not really an encyclopedia but more of an oddly formatted instructional book, it isn't guilty of the cold-reading so many palm reading guides give (this one actually claims to predict broken bones and results of romances!)

Palm reading, of course, is a long-term fortune predictor -- it's not something you generally do to find out the news on your latest business endeavor or whether this guy or that is worth dating, unless you believe the event in question is likely to have some longterm effect. It gives, rather, an overview of your whole life.

I had, apparently at some point in the past, written down my palm reading according to the book and tucked it away amongst the pages. I recently came back across it, several years now having passed, and it seems to still be holding quite true! Thus, I quite recommend the palmistry book of Marcel Broekman.

Getting a Lover Back - The Magic Words Used that Your Ex has to Return Your Call Every Time

2010-11-05T00:03:00.000-07:00

Syndicated article time -- but something of use to folks out there that read these magical blogs, for I can tell you without fail that bring back lover spells are the most common thing I get asked for at Lucky Temple.

Getting a Lover Back - The Magic Words Used that Your Ex has to Return Your Call Every Time

Author: joshuaben
Getting a lover back starts with communication. However, the communication only comes in after some time of the break up as your ex will need some space and time to cool down and reflect. When it is time to do so, the one that initiated the call will wonder what to say and what not to say so that the receiving party will response.

Perhaps your ex is still upset with you and dun even want to answer your call the moment your number shows up. Perhaps they are busy or left their hand phone somewhere that they fail to get your call. All kinds of 'perhaps' and 'maybe' will be in your mind. You will never be getting your lover back with all these thoughts.

The good news is there are indeed some `magic' words we can use that work like magic spell to make your ex unable to resist but feel compelled to return your call.

What NOT to Say!

"Peter, please call me. I have been calling you many times since this morning, I have to talk to you."

And the EMERGENCY-

"Susan, this is an emergency. Please call me immediately when you get this message."

Very obvious you can tell what is wrong with the above approaches.

What to Say!

You need to say something that can trigger the human mind which are Curiosity and Self interest. Combining this two forces will make a powerful recipe that can work like magic and make your ex return your call every time...

"Hi Peter. It is me Susan. I wanted to let you know that I appreciate what you did for me. Call me please so that I can thank you personally in person."

Peter finds it hard to resist! He would wonder what he has done to make her appreciate for. There goes the power of curiosity and self interest.

What I described above is only a very preliminary step in getting a lover back. If you apply this technique with no plan or any underlying strategy, your ex calling you back may be doing you more harm than good. What you do before, during and after you get them to return your call is more important than getting them to return your call. Please do not proceed without a complete plan.

Therefore getting a lover back is not a matter of getting a call from your ex but a complete plan that has proven to work and helped many broken relationships. You should find out from http://getting-a-lover-back.blogspot.com and learn the complete plan in getting your ex to return your call and know how to respond accordingly to get your ex back successfully.

Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_1554918_35.html

Old Fashioned Candles

2010-10-25T09:04:00.000-07:00

Paraffin, the primary ingredient of most modern spiritual candles, was only discovered in the 19th century; and it seems that just because it was known did not instantly make it the market leader. Lard and tallow candles continued to be used for a while yet, at least until lightbulbs made non-decorative candles a thing of the past.

If you want to try some old-school hoodoo, here's a recipe from the 1870s for wax for making lard candles:

Dissolve a quarter pound alum, and a quarter pound saltpeter, in a half pint of water on a slow fire; then take three pounds of lard cut into small pieces, and put into the pot with this solution, stirring it constantly over a very moderate fire until all the lard is dissolved; then let it simmer until all steam ceases to rise and remove it at once from the fire. If you leave it too long it will get discolored.

Lard is available at most groceries, and alum and saltpeter can be had with only a little trouble from many online retailers and occult shops. Obviously, be careful when making this -- the text specifies 'very moderate fire' for a reason!

Though modern-style colored candles only developed in the early 20th century, colored wax has been known since ancient times -- records even indicate that Egyptian temples used candles dyed red with alkanet. Nonetheless, coloring candles only became common once their function turned primarily decorative, rather than functional. You can add some modern wax pigments to the above wax recipe, or try to tint it old-style with natural botanicals like alkanet (red), turmeric (yellow), indigo (blue), anacardium nuts (black) -- I'd suspect the best way would be to tint the lard in advance by gently heating it with the pulverized botanicals, and letting it take the colors before mixing it as described in the above recipe.

Power Enhancing Formulae

2010-10-10T09:37:00.000-07:00

In honor of 10/10/10, let's take a look at some formulations that are used to increase the power of your spells. Everyone knows, of course, that sometimes your work just needs an extra kick. Add a little of these formulas to your working for a general power-boost.

Van Van

Usually only employed for spells of a positive nature (although some of Hyatt's informants suggested there were some negative uses for it.) The primary -- and often sole -- ingredient is lemongrass.

Conjure

Theoretically can be used for works of any kind, but in practice seems to most often be used for neutral-to-negative practices. Recipes vary by maker, but I myself used tobacco oil in this place.

Blessing

Another that is generally used for positive workings though from time to time can be used to bless a negative spell if there's potentially righteous motives for it. Most recipes for this formula include frankincense, which is a powerful ingredient in its own right.

Holy

Similar but slightly different from Blessing formula, Holy is seen as being a bit more sacred. Some folks even say that only priests are supposed to be using such formulation, and only use it in a modified form (Abramelin oil is one such modification, and can be used in place.) Nevertheless confident magicians often employ the mixture to increase power.

Witches

Frequently is designed for some effect on mental faculties, to put a person in a mindset more conducive to the practice of magic. Used for beneficial and harmful spells alike.

Most Powerful

Supposed to be the most powerful oil and to lend its properties to other formulas and tools into which it's put in contact.

Frankincense

An ingredient in many of the aforesaid formulas, frankincense alone can be used to enhance other spells.

Voodoo de Laurence

2010-10-07T15:02:00.000-07:00

Look at this marvel of modern POD technology! The famous De Laurence book is back on the market!

WIKIPEDIA SAYS:

L. W. de Laurence (full name Lauron William de Laurence) was an American author and publisher on occult and spiritual topics. He was born in 1868 and died on 11 September 1936 in Chicago, Illinois, USA at the age of 68. His publishing company (De Laurence, Scott & Co.) and spiritual supply mail order house was located in Chicago, Illinois.

Although he is mocked and reviled among modern occultists for his plagiarism (or, more properly, book-pirating) of the Pictorial Key to the Tarot by Arthur Edward Waite, he also wrote his own works, including The Master Key, and The Great Book of Hindu Magic. In addition, he is believed to have co-written some books with his fellow Chicago resident, the prolificNew Thought and yoga author William Walker Atkinson.

De Laurence was a pioneer in the business of supplying magical and occult goods by mail order, and his distribution of public domain books, such as Secrets of the Psalms by Godfrey Selig and Pow Wows or the Long-Lost Friend by John George Hohman had a great and lasting effect on the African American urban hoodoo community in the southern United States as well as on the development of Obeah in Jamaica.

In early 1930 he was consecrated a bishop by the Spiritualist Arthur Edward Leighton (1890 to 1963), a bishop of the American Catholic Church (a church body founded by Joseph René Vilatte). One surprising result of de Laurence's consecration was that it helped influence the move of some black spiritualist churches towards a more traditional view of Christianity and in the year of his death, 1936, he may have consecrated the first bishops for these churches, e.g. Thomas B Watson (1898 to 1985) of New Orleans.

Hoodoo Recycling

2010-10-05T04:32:00.000-07:00

...And the lesson here is that the box your spell-supplies arrive in can be used to make something just as valuable. The original box the coffin was made from came courtesy of Lucky Mojo Curio Co. (They must know how valuable the stuff is, too -- no wonder I had to pay $11 shipping on a 4x6 inch box of herbs!)

Found objects on the street can also be quite useful. Behold, my oils and powders shelf!

Admittedly, I know many magicians (often with more Wiccan or Neopagan leanings) who'd be appalled by the idea of using trash in their magical supplies -- in fact the other day I even came across a guy who was fretting about how to wash a sacred object he had; he perceived tap water to be too unclean. But I say, waste not want not; and I do enjoy the informality and slight dirtiness of hoodoo.

Arts and Crafts: Making Magical Liquid Soaps

2010-09-29T15:48:00.000-07:00

While I include the basic instructions for this process in my book The Conjure Cookbook, I figured I would give a more detailed -- and illustrated -- version of this process.

Now of course, one can often buy ready-made magical washes, but sometimes they are little more than generic perfume with a lot of colorful dyes added. Then of course, one can make their own (particularly if you have access to a good formulary like Conjure Cookbook and thus know your magical recipes.) An obvious way to do this is by adding essential oils to an unscented soap base -- but what can you do if the recipe requires ingredients that don't come in essential or fragrance oil? Many traditional recipes use things like cinquefoil, sugar, bistort and solomon's seal root that aren't exactly fragrant. For these cases, we use the following process:

Step 1: make a nice strong infusion of your herbs. I'd recommend starting with at least 3 cups of water, and simmering it down till you get 1 cup. How much of your herb or spice mixture to use depends a bit on the specific recipe and whether you're going to add any essential oils to the final mix, but just keep in mind you're probably going to get four or more uses from the final mixture and so, try to use enough herbs for four or more occasions.

Step 2: grate up about 1/3 cup of solid castile soap with a cheese grater (or chop it very finely.)

Step 3: to 1 cup of your cooled herbal infusion, add your 1/3 cup grated castile soap. Stir till dissolved.

Step 4: if you are adding any extra essential or fragrance oils to the mixture, now is the time to do so.

Step 5: bottle your mixture in an 8-ounce bottle, and keep it for your use. You may need to shake the mixture before using, as the castile soap can create an interesting pearlescent sediment when left undisturbed. (An old beauty formula called Pearl Water was made in this way.)

The result.

How To Make a Zombie

2010-09-21T15:56:00.000-07:00

Found this interesting article about Haitian zombies. It's actually not what the title suggests, but an interesting read nevertheless. Here is the link.

Stress in Spellcasts

2010-09-18T17:34:00.000-07:00

In The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind, Jaynes gives his supposition that man, in early times and too in some situations today, was not 'conscious' which is to say, self-conscious. Decisions were made by the alpha of the group or tribe, which others followed without too much question. As communities widened and there came to be less contact with the leader of the group, this way of thinking gradually was lost; people had to make their own decisions. During this transition, people whose brains were not wired to particularly think for themselves beyond basic animal functions (hunt, eat, sleep, frolic, etc.) would occasionally get something in their heads which most people nowadays would recognize to be an "idea." In these simple societies such a thing wasn't common, and it was not immediately recognized to be one's own thought. Thus -- this command that has suddenly entered one's brain must have been a command from God. Reading the history of the Trojan war, which is among the earliest literary documents in the world, one finds that virtually everything the characters do is directed to them by gods (Aphrodite tells Paris to find Helen and Helen to go with Paris; Athena tells Pandarus to kill Menelaus; Hermes tells Priam to coax Achilles back to war -- no one just decided to do these things on their own, everyone was under direct orders from the divine.) Most early writings follow a similar way of describing the characters' behaviors, and that is much of the basis and backup for the theory.

These commands from the gods seem to come about under stress, and in a very simple and primitive society it appears that just having to make a decision was an unusual amount of stress for most people. Nowadays most folks brains are integrated, and we usually have levels of stress that keep us getting ideas constantly. This is, I suspect, part of why domination and other coercive work tends to be so much better regarded in simpler cultures: if a person is not used to getting his own ideas and making his own decisions in the way with which now we are familiar, some new command put in by a magician's magic might be enough to make you act it out readily. In most of the world people are accustomed to being discerning and are in the habit of freely choosing which ideas to follow or not (this, says Jaynes, developed as a survival method -- one who can choose to not act out every impulse is able to avoid angering others an thus is less likely to get themselves killed or in other trouble.)

But back to the topic of stress. Many spellcast traditions suggest or require actions like meditating or doing breathing exercises or something in that vein before working magic. Often you're told you must "let in no other thought" beside the spell's intent or something like that. The Master Key System -- a Law of Attraction book which is used by some root doctors as a manifestation guide -- directs that the user must learn to clear ALL thoughts in order to manifest desires. Jaynes notes how in cultures that appeared to be losing the bicameral mind, rituals were developed to try to provoke the gods to speak again -- usually boring repetitive tasks. These all have apparently the same function, however. They are to lull you back into that animal mindset which is needed if you're to work with gods.

Being that one cannot distinguish the difference between gods and ideas when under stress, it is therefore no wonder that spells tend to do poorly if the person casting them or wanting them cast is fretting. (I have heard this called "worrying to death" a spell.)

What do we do with witches? TAX THEM!

2010-09-13T05:49:00.000-07:00

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2010/09/12/15325476.html

Romania's Senate has rejected a proposed law that would have taxed witches and fortune tellers.
And the politician who pushed the plan said his colleagues caved because many of them feared being cursed.

Communication Spells

2010-09-07T01:03:00.000-07:00

Many times, usually for cases of love gone badly, folks request communication spells to make someone with whom they are no longer in touch call them. Most of the time these people don't want to initiate the contact themselves for whatever reason.

Some spells reputed to bring about communication are:

*Put a paper with your target's name written 9 times into a container of whiskey along with some black candle tobacco, and let it sit for 7 days. When the mixture is ready, spray it on whatever you want to hear from the person through -- your phone, your mailbox, your computer, etc.

*Write in cursive your name and the name of the target in a circle, without lifting your pen, such that the two names are joined together. (Go back and finish any crossed t's or dotted i's afterwards.) Jam two pins through the circle, such that the pins make an X shape crossing each other. Keep this paper by your computer, phone or whatever.

*Keep a paper in your shoe with your targets name written 7 times.

*Take a nutmeg and wrap it in a red ribbon while saying "__name__, you will contact me." Light a white candle and set the nutmeg near it, and let the candle burn an hour. Snuff the candle and then place the wrapped nutmeg by your phone, mailbox or computer.

*Get a coconut and drill a hole in it, and pour out the liquid. Into the coconut place a paper with your target's name 3 times written, and a piece of his/her hair, and 3 grains of paradise, sugar, and honey. Cork up the hole and every day for 9 days, take the coconut and shake it while commanding your friend to contact you. Dispose of the coconut after 9 days.

*Take a small bottle and put into it a name-paper of your target and a drop of mercury (or, safer and more available alternative, Mercury Oil.) Add a spoonful of water and 3 parrot feathers to the bottle. Cap the bottle and shake it daily, calling on the person to contact you.

I will tell you I have tried many of these kinds of spells, there is only one I've used that is routinely successful. It goes as follows:

INGREDIENTS

Ganesha Yantra (on paper)

Black/Orange Double-Action Candle

Olive Oil

Cinquefoil

Sugar

Deerstongue

Jinx Killer Powder

Cleansing Oil

Lotus Incense

Begin by powdering some of the sugar, deerstongue and cinquefoil together till they are fine enough to use for a candle dressing. Also reserve some additional sugar as an offering.
Use the yantra to write the names of the people the spell is for 3x each in the usual manner (intersecting, one written over the other, to make a + shape.)
Butt the candle if needed, so the black side will burn first. On the black side of the candle carve a word describing what it is you don't want the target person to do (I tend to favor the semi-grammatical "ignorement.") On the orange side, carve what it is you do want ("correspondence" or "communication.")
Dress the black side of the candle with the Cleansing and Jinx Killer formulas. Dress the orange side with the oil and powdered herbs. Set the candle up in its burner.
Place the candle on the yantra and surround it with some more sugar. Also put some sugar in a little bowl and dedicate it to Ganesha.
Set the candle on the yantra, the light the incense and light the candle.
Let the candle and incense burn out and dispose of all spell materials in a crossroads when through.

Now, though this candle spell works uniformly in my experience, there are some things it does not do. It doesn't work if you don't initiate the contact in some way -- write an email or make a phonecall while the candle is burning. Next, it's a one-off in general -- it doesn't seem to breed a back-and forth exchange, just a one time response to your initiated communication. Finally, that response is not guaranteed to be favorable, and may merely consist of "Stop talking to me" or the like. Therefore, use with some caution.

2010-08-28T05:04:00.000-07:00

Everything is information
If you had a magic microscope that could see how things work on the tiniest scale in nature, you might get a bit of a surprise. Right at the bottom, holding everything together, is something we think of as abstract: information. The idea that has big thinkers all worked up is that everything in physics is made up of atoms of information. Any experiment or observation can be boiled down to asking a yes/no question, and the answer is a piece of information analogous to the 0 and 1 binary digits (bits) that computers process.
Ultimately, the universe works as a giant computer, with answers to questions such as "Did the photon pass through this point?" providing the digital information to be processed. Constructing the full range of binary answers to questions the universe might pose will take a while, but it might provide an entirely new way to simplify - and thus understand - the fundamentals of how everything works.

This taken from a science article at http://www.newstatesman.com/ideas/2010/08/life-universe-graphene

Interestingly, the I Ching (probably my favorite divination method of those I practice) is essentially a binary system. Maybe this is why it works so well.

Lucky Temple aStore Links

2010-08-25T15:37:00.000-07:00

Magical and Occult Books

Fortune Telling Supplies

Self-Improvement and Educational Books

Complete Magic Spell Casting Kits

Magic and Spell Supplies and Ingredients

Footage by Zora Neale Hurston

2010-08-19T23:43:00.000-07:00

A sort of visual aid to the book Mules and Men: some footage shot by Zora Neale Hurston in 1928, the same period when she was gathering information for the book.

http://hnn.us/blogs/entries/130052.html

Site updates

2010-08-14T02:05:00.000-07:00

Updates have been made to the Lucky Temple Magic Spells page, including additional information about the Instant Spells and some additional policies regarding Uncrossing Spells.

"You Have to Have Faith"

2010-08-12T01:19:00.000-07:00

Recently had a rather unpleasant conversation with a friend who practices true Voodoo (when you just do folk hoodoo, talking with the true Voodoos about magic is often not a fun experience, I find -- it's like being a health vegetarian and trying to find common ground with a moral fruitarian.) I made a remark about how love spells usually don't work (it was actually meant in a general sense) and was then accused by her of not having enough faith and that my lack of faithfulness is what ruined my spells.

Now, firstly, I've heard this one before. I don't entirely understand the logic behind it, particularly as many of my most successful spells were done only halfway expecting them to work (obviously if you don't think it's going to work at all, you don't even waste your time to bother with casting it.) I also don't know if people who say this realize just how mean it comes off, given that just about any spell you cared about enough to complain after the fact if it didn't work was something you probably had very high hopes for: not only have you failed but you're told, it's YOUR FAULT it was so! For not having "enough" of a vague concept like faith.

Now, my Voodoo friend claims her love spells always work. She didn't give examples, and I am not too interested in talking to her on the subject again, but honestly I've found in my researches that about half or more of "successful" love spells weren't true successes anyway, and would be interested to see if that's so for her as well.

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Candle Wax Divination for Knowing Spell Outcome: Part 1

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Last Chance - Discount on Selected Magical Occult Texts

How Not To Feel Discouraged While Waiting For a Spell to Manifest

Eternal Love Spells Daily Spellcast

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Prayer Against Voodoo

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3 Top Free Voodoo Magic Spells

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Devil's Formula

Who Will I Marry? A Halloween Divination

Book Sale! 15% Off Occult and Magick Books!

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Mother Bombie's Book of Witchcraft and Cunning Magick

Compassion Fatigue

Custom Incense Blends with Self-Lighting Powder Incense

Remove and Repel Unwanted Love

Coffin Nails for Sale

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The Concept of Success in Hoodoo Magic Spells

13 Herb Bath for Curse Removal

De Laurence Magic Books

Steady Work Candle - Botanica Style

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SUPER OBEAH SPELLS

SUPER OBEAH SPELL PRICE: $20

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