144 Years of De Laurence

L.W. De Laurence was born in 1868 in Ohio. By the time of his death 68 years later, he'd become one of the most influential occultists around the world.

He is often despised for his blatant book-pirating of works by people like S.L. MacGregor Mathers: a loophole in US copyright laws at the time allowed him to reprint new books by British authors as if they were in the public domain. Since he had already built up a reputation for himself as a hypnotist, to make these books more sellable from his company, he would doctor the text so that his own name was listed as author. This caused the name De Laurence to be associated with some of the most respected magical texts of the 19th and 20th centuries. His mail-order occult business ensured these texts were spread around the globe, and consequently so was his reputation. In fact, De Laurence is better known outside of the US than he is within his homeland, due to the spread of his merchandise.

Eventually, occult products became another De Laurence specialty. The original formulas for perfumes and incenses he sold were top quality, and their prices reflected this (his Vale of Kashmar perfume sold for about the equivalent of $40 for two ounces in today's money.) We know it was good stuff because, much like his books, his original products were actually relabeled versions of goods manufactured by the era's top-of-the-line perfumers and purchased by himself for resale.

While his actions may have been sneaky, at the time that he was operating it was all perfectly legal; the only thing he did that was not, was the actual selling of occult products by mail. An unhappy ex-employee turned him in for this -- excerpts from the trial are available in Carolyn Morrow Long's book Spiritual Merchants. The lawsuit didn't seem to stop the De Laurence company, however. They continued going strong for many years, even outlasting the companies that manufactured most of their original perfumes and incenses. The official De Laurence Co. are technically still in business, but I am told their focus is now on jewelry.

Hoodoo Magic Herb List - Hoodoo Online's Handy Guide for DIY Spells

Acacia - keep away evil Adam and Eve root - good luck, especially in love Adam root (from an Adam and Eve) - to hold a man’s love Alfalfa leaves or seeds - to make money last Allspice – for success, money drawing and for good luck Aloeswood - good fortune, spirit contact Angelica root - protection from harm Anise seed - against evil eye Asafoetida - prevents disease and keeps away police Ash leaves - for luck in love affairs Balm of Gilead buds - reconciliation, protection from jinxes Basil - against evil; for purification, for luck-bringing, and for money drawing Bay Leaves – protection from evil; victory and success Bayberry - money drawing, luck drawing Betel nut - protection and luck Bistort - for good luck Bloodroot - protection, job-getting, luck Blue flag root - money drawing Buckeye root - success in any undertaking Buckeye/Chestnut/Horse chestnut - for good luck and protection Burdock - protection Calendula - make dreams come true, prevent nightmares Cara...

Perfume, Cologne, and Its Use In Hoodoo

The original recipe for cologne was reputedly given to St. Elizabeth of Hungary by an angel -- the concoction was known as "Hungary Water" and was used primarily as a medicine, rather than just a mere fragrance. Charles Godfrey Leland remarked that it therefore was appropriate hoodoo practitioners would use such a substance for feeding their conjure bags and other talismans. The term cologne actually comes from a later preparation, Cologne Water (named for the German city.) The original Cologne Water is a spirit-citrus perfume launched in 1709 by Giovanni Maria Farina (1685–1766), an Italian perfume maker from Santa Maria Maggiore Valle Vigezzo, Italy. In 1708, Farina wrote to his brother Jean Baptiste: "I have found a fragrance that reminds me of an Italian spring morning, of mountain daffodils and orange blossoms after the rain". He named his fragrance Cologne Water, in honour of his new hometown. The Original Cologne Water composed by Farina was used on...

Paper-in-Shoe Spells

A popular and very traditional hoodoo spell, often used for any situation where you need to control someone with magic , is the namepaper-in-shoe spell. It's very easy: you write the target's name 3, 7, or 9 times on a paper (depending on intent and who's giving instruction) then fold it up, sometimes after dressing it with oils or powders, then put it in your shoe. This "keeps the person underfoot" or "stomps out the trouble" or "puts pressure on them" or any other number of metaphors. I have had this work several times over the years. In one instance, I was working for a very unpleasant boss, on a short-term job. It was the last day, and I only had about 3 hours of work left on the project; and I wanted him to up my pay for the day since it almost wasn't worth the trip across town for the amount he was paying me, for only 3 hours. He was very reluctant. So I wrote his name 3 times on a 5-dollar bill he'd given me, and dusted it...

The Intranquil Spirit

(EDIT: Up to date information about the Intranquil Sprit can be found in my book The Intranquil Spirit , available on Amazon. This post has some incomplete information which is clarified in the book.) The Intranquility spell is, unfortunately, the first resort of many a rejected lover. In some ways it makes sense -- the more unhappy and forlorn one is about a breakup, the better this idea of making the other partner feel just as much so starts to sound. Unfortunately, this spell is often not well suited to a case. The purpose of the standard Intranquility spell is to have the person be tormented by the spirit until they make contact with you, or whomever the spell is being cast for. This means that if a person is already in good contact with their ex OR if they're one of those people who cannot restrain themselves from initiating contact, then this already is probably not the right spell for that case. If you've had an Intranquility spell cast and you make contac...

Spiritual Use of Turpentine in Hoodoo and Witchcraft

I have posted in the past about the use of giving one's bedding a spiritual cleansing from time to time. I recently was laundering my pillows in the same load of laundry as some turpentine-soaked rags, with the result that the pillows emerged from the wash reeking of turpentine. From a magical perspective, this may not be a bad thing. Turpentine is used in old-time hoodoo rituals for purposes such as uncrossing, protection and sometimes as a feed for mojo bags. Its solvent powers and strong odor do indeed suggest a powerful spiritual cleansing agent, and it is still used in some modern day cleaning products on a purely practical level for these same reasons. Old time medicines sometimes included turpentine as a thing to drink, in small doses. A book from the 1850s, The Domestic Medicine Chest , recommends giving it to children in a dose of one teaspoon for killing tapeworm. Relatedly, in old time hoodoo cures for "live things" turpentine might be made into a tea...

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