I love this old poster (1901) for Cinco de Mayo!
Have a great day if you are celebrating!!
Love,
Mambo Sam
www.spellmaker.com
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Cinco de Mayo!
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Get Creative!
Hello!
I wanted to let you all know about a little product tip I have recently discovered. I was doing some work with the Baron and Maman Brigitte over the winter. It was cold out, and dark all the time, and I was really having trouble focusing on some projects I was working on. I felt stuck, blah, Shortly after completing my service, I happened to pick up a vial of Spellmaker's Voodoo Sexual Essence Oil and dabbed a little on my wrists. First, let me just say that the scent is AMAZING! Then, something else happened – the work which was feeling blah before was going better – I felt more creative and motivated than I had is quite some time. Then it hit me – who else would be at the center of creating new and exciting things ? The Baron and Brigitte, of course! They are all about creation! Now, when I set out for work in the morning, or I feel stuck on an idea or way of thinking that needs an "outside of the box" approach I dab on a bit of this oil, and let the new, super creative ideas start rolling :-) This oil would be great for artists, writers, etc, who are looking for some creative inspiration. But you do not need to be an artist to benefit from the creative boost this oil provides!
Love
Sister Bridget
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Doing a Quick Service.
Hello everyone! Happy Friday! Some of you may remember awhile back in another blog post I answered a question about what to do about service the lwa (Vodou
Spirits) when you just don’t have a lot of time (or money, or energy, etc.).
While in a perfect world we would all have lots of time to devote to our
spiritual lives, realistically this just may not be true!I developed this quick service and have found it to be very well received by
the lwa. Since I posted this a couple of years back (I think!), quite a few
people have given me feedback that this service has helped them tremendously and
they, too, felt it was very well received!Many Vodouisants have problems with keeping up with service to their ancestors, the lwa, etc. Most of this stems from the idea that every service has to be a big deal with lots of food, tons of candles, music, and lots of time spent. This just isn't true.
Smaller, more frequent services are going to be much more well received than that once a year "guilt service" that many tend to do – that is when they go all out and put on a big spread for their ancestors and the lwa. Now, that is great – and that will be well received. However, if you want to really build a relationship with someone, is taking them out for a big dinner and night on the town once a year or every six months really going to do that? Nope! The same is true spiritually – a little bit of time spent frequently will move your spiritual progress along much faster than waiting until you have a ton of time to do what you think is a "proper service." ALL service done with a good heart is proper service! 🙂
Here is a repost of that particular blog:
Hello everyone!
People tell me all the time they would do more service/ritual to the Lwa
(Vodou Spirits) but they “just don’t have the time.” Now I realize that we
could go back at them saying that they should or could “make the time.”
However, in today’s world, that sometimes is not as easy as it sounds! But
almost anyone can find five minutes in a day to do my quickie service
below.The service does assume that you have a few things on hand and have some
basic knowledge of ritual: Candles (keeping a few white candles on hand is
great because you can use them for any lwa or your ancestors), a glass of water or other beverage,
and a small food offering that would be appropriate for almost any lwa
(something simple such as a cookie or even a piece of bread).You can do this quick service almost anywhere! (Please note this can be configured for the lwa and/or your ancestors.)
1. Put your candle with a glass of water or other beverage on a counter or
table.2. As you light the candle, ask Papa Legba to “please open the gate for me
and allow ___________ (which ever lwa or ancestor you are honoring) to pass over.” (You can also, alternatively, ask Papa to just open the gate and not ask for anyone in particular. If you are doing it that way, then you are making a general offering to the lwa and/or your ancestors.)3. “Present” the glass of water by holding it out to the East, West, North,
and South. Say, “For you __________________ (which ever lwa you are
honoring).”4. Place the water back down near the candle.
5. “Present” the food offering as per #3 above. Place it down next to the
water and candle.6. Take one or two minutes to talk with the lwa you have asked to come over
to you. You might have a request or perhaps you are just wanting to honor that
particular lwa.7. Thank the lwa and Papa Legba for their time and help.
8. If you can, leave the candle burning (safely) for a little while longer
while you do other things. This is a great little service to do while you are
getting ready for the day. You can start it up, get showered and dressed, and
then end the service. If you need to close out the service more quickly, then
just proceed to Step #9.9. Extinguish your candle and ask Papa Legba to “close the gate when it
pleases you.” You can leave the food and water for disposal until later or
even the next day. If you need to get rid of it more quickly it is great if you
can pour the water outside and leave the cookie/food outside somewhere. If you
cannot, then just dispose of the water down the sink and wrap the cookie/food up
in brown paper (such as just a brown paper bag) and throw it away.There you did a little service in five minutes! And yes, it counts. Yes, it
can help. Yes, it is pleasing to the lwa. Folks have a tendency to think that
the lwa will only respond to big, elaborate
service. That just isn’t
true. Every service that is well intended is well received!Please continue to have a great and safe weekend!
Love,
Mambo Sam
www.spellmaker.com
Painting by Saundra Elise Ziyatdinov -
May Day, May Day, May Day!
Happy May 1, one and all! I have posted about May Day in the past – see below, with some new additions! 🙂
Ah, May 1! This day has been celebrated in so many ways through so many cultures. The halfway point between the spring equinox and the summer solstice, May 1 has elicited many different rituals through the years.
For Wiccans, this is Beltane; many Catholics celebrate the life of the Vigin Mary in some way. Yours truly was once the "May Queen" at her Catholic elementary school – St. Anthony of Padua on Canal Street in New Orleans. Yes, I got to wear the beautiful white outfit and lead the procession into the church and lay the first roses at the foot of the statue of the Virgin Mary. Pretty heady stuff for an 8-year-old girl. (Somehwere I have a picture of this and just have to find it – I am sure some of you will find it a hoot!)
Of course, nevermind the Catholics totally borrowed the holiday from the pagans who celebrated their first fertility rituals of the year on this date. ;-) Children conceived on this date are said to have special magickal powers. Children conceived on Walpurgis (the night before May 1, Beltane Eve) are said to have the ability to communicate with the dead because Walpurgis is, traditionally, one of the days when the veil between the world of the living and the dead is considered most thin and penetrable.
May 1 is often celebrated with different types of floral offerings. In some countries the ladies all wear flowers on this day – if your flower is worn on your right side, you are available; a flower on the left signifies that you are already taken. This is also considered the day to meet a new lover or celebrate an old one. ;-)
The earliest May Day celebrations appeared in pre-Christian times, with the festival of Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers, and the Walpurgis Night celebrations of the Germanic countries.
It is also associated with the Gaelic Beltane. Many pagan celebrations were
abandoned or Christianized during the process of conversion in Europe. A more
secular version of May Day continues to be observed in Europe and America. In
this form, May Day may be best known for its tradition of dancing the maypole dance and crowning of the Queen of the May.This day is often associated with new beginnings, planting a new seed, looking towards shedding off the past and looking towards the future with new, hopeful ideation. Not too many of us get the chance to dance around the Maypole these days, but certainly you can do that in your heart and mind. I hope you all have a beautiful May 1 and beyond! Let's look towards new beginnings, new hope, and beautiful outcomes for us all.
Love, light, and peace,
Mambo Samantha Corfield
www.spellmaker.comP.S. Despite my title of this post, the distress call "MayDay" has nothing to do with May Day! LOL. It is from the French venez m'aider, meaning "come help me". Of course, we could do some work to ask for help today from a particular lwa, such as Erzulie Freda. ;-) And there is the fact that the distress call MayDay is always said in groups of three. Gee, I can find Voodoo in anything! 🙂
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Ceremonial Clothing
Happy Tuesday, one and all! :-) I am reposting this blog about ceremonial clothing because for awhile my mother-in-law, the talented and wonderful Eileen, was unable to do the apron and scarf sets because she had a double knee replacement. She is all healed and back in the garden and at the sewing machine! ;-) So for those of you who have been waiting to order, she is available again for your orders.
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Monday Morning Inspiration.
Hi there-
Hope you all had a lovely weekend. It was pretty snowy and cold where I am, so I spent a little time watching movies. I rewatched a classic – Cool Hand Luke. Paul Newman and those baby blues — Oh My!
This scene below has been staying on my mind, and I wanted to share it with all of you. It is the epitome of determination, the fighting spirit, and to just keep on swinging, no matter how things seem.
Hope you all have a great week!
Love
Sister Bridget
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Following a Resolution.
Hi there!
Part of ny New Year's resolution was for me to try new and exciting things. I am taking a jewelry making class. I am getting ready to sell my house and make a really bold move. I am looking at my financials in a new light. I have also decided to try branching out a bit in my practice. I am currently starting up a shop on Etsy, and have also recently listed my readings on KEEN. It can be relaly hard in today's world to know how and where to focus one's energies. There are so many options on the 'net today and social media, to say the least, can be overwhemling. They key for me is to try really hard not to get overwhelmed by the choices, and know that the only way to know what path is right for me, is by trial and error. I do my research, listen to my guidance, and then take a try. It is a step – not always forwards, but a step none the less. Change can be scarey. New things can be overwhelming. But no progress can be made by standing still. In these days following the New Year, when your resolutions are still fresh in your mind, I encourage you to try, to take a step and see where it goes. You will miss 100% of the chances that you do not take.
Blessings,
Sister Bridget
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Belleau Wood.
Happy New Year!
I may be a bit early with my wishes where you are – and a little late where some other are. But wherever you are, I hope you are with loved ones, and enjoying the last of this holiday season.
I recently came across this song by Garth Brooks again, after kind of having it slip my mind. It really is lovely, and tho it is about something that happened at Christmas time during WWI, the message fits New Year's as well. The lyrics of this song are really poetic – but my favorite are really the last 2 lines.
Enjoy, and I wish for next year to be the best ever for all!
Love
Sister Bridget
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Happy Thanksgiving!
Hello!
Here we are, the day of turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, football and parades 🙂 As I am in the kitchen, chopping and prepping, I look back on this year with much gratitude. It has been, by all standards, a year of great sorrow. And yet, those we have lost in my family, are not really lost at all. They are still here, just in another form, and I am very grateful for their continued presence in my life. While they may not be able to help in the preparations or such, they surely will have a seat at the table today 🙂
HappyThanksgiving to all — to my family, my wondeful clients and friends. I wish you all a lovely day with those you love, here and gone, but not really.
Love
Sister Bridget
Thanksgiving
Prayer
We return thanks
to our mother, the earth, which sustains us.We return thanks
to the rivers and streams, which supply us with
water.We return thanks
to all herbs, which furnish medicines for the cure of our
diseases.We return thanks
to the moon and stars, which have given to us their light
when the sun was gone.We return thanks
to the sun, that has looked upon the earth with a beneficent
eye.Lastly, we
return thanks to the Great Spirit, in Whom is embodied all
goodness, and Who directs all things for the good of Her
children.Iroquois Prayer,
adapted bySisters of St.
Joseph of Peace -
Get Ready for a Walk through the Chakras.
Hello All!
I hope you all have been enjoying your Autumn. I just returned home last week from a visit with Mambo Sam and Parran Matt for Fet Ghede and more 🙂 It was a really wonderful ten days, and even though it was a whole ten days, boy it went by fast! I have alot to report, and alot of photos to share, including a really awesome trip to a local New Mexico cemetary which included a big sign from my dearly departed Dad. Lots of new posts to come!
As I get back into the swing of things here, I would like to start off with some information about the Chakras, and how they influence our life and our well being – both physically and emotionally. I have a series of articles ready, which will walk us through each chakra, it's associations, and also the life issues which may be manifesting if we have a chakra that is a little "out of whack." This will be something that we can discuss over a few weeks, and I really do welcome questions and comments. Please feel free to post a comment here on typepad, or on facebook, or even email me directly at bridget@spellmaker.com
Chakras are energy centers within the body that affect our physical,
emotional, mental and physical well-being. Chakras come from the
Sanskrit word meaning "wheels of light." Chakras are like a blueprint of
energy for individuality. These energy centers hold a vibration and
color, like a human rainbow.There are many ways that can help balance your chakras (and we will get to this!)
But first, do you know if you're out of balance?When you work on
the chakras that are closed or weak, you'll be directly influencing that
particular area of your life, for example, finances, sex life,
self-esteem, compassion, expression, intuition and spirituality.Are
your finances in trouble? Are you feeling insecure? Do you need to
perform better at work and get that raise or promotion? Strengthen your
Root or 1st Chakra.Do you want to spice up your sex life or feel more passionate and creative? Unblock your Sacral or 2nd Chakra.
Want to feel more self-confident and powerful in achieving your goals? Strengthen your Solar Plexus or 3rd Chakra.
Want
to feel more love, be able to forgive past grievances, and connect
better with your spouse, kids, friends and co-workers? Work on your 4th
or Heart Chakra.Afraid of public speaking? Want to be able to express your truth and be understood? Balance your 5th or Throat Chakra.
Want
more inspiration on which path you should take in life? Want to
increase your intuition and psychic abilities? Open your 6th or Third
Eye Chakra.Want to feel at one with all there is? Have more peace, harmony and connection to spirit? Work on your 7th or Crown Chakra.
If
you want to get balanced, get centered, get energized, get relaxed, get
inspired, get clear, get connected, get going… chakra healing can be
your answer. When your chakras are balanced, your life will also feel
balanced.When we learn to balance our chakras, we learn to craft
our lives the way we want them to be, rather than living in constant
reaction to forces outside of us.These spirals of energy are
wheels that heal, feeding the body good energy and relieving it of that
we do not want. Chakras cannot be held, stroked or bottled up like a
genie, yet our physical bodies soak them up thirstily and they
profoundly affect our metabolism, emotions, sensations and behaviors. In
addition to their roles in the physical realm, chakras work on a higher
plane, waking us to the realization that our body, mind and spirit are
forever and inextricably linked.Ok, that is enough for one day! Please look for more new posts to come, and even some new products in the works as well!
Hope you all have a wonderful day!
Love
Sister Bridget
www.spellmaker.com/bridget.htm
bridget@spellmaker.com