Category: Uncategorized

A Thankful Time.
Hello Dear Ones,

I would like to take a moment this morning, before we each get caught up in holiday prep chaos, to say how thankful I am for all of my wonderful friends who make my days a true joy! I am grateful for each and every one of you! Please enjoy your holiday, and your time with friends and loved ones. Take time to savor the small things about the big holiday. Those are the things great memories are made of.

Much Love,

Mambo Sam

The Thanksgivings

by Harriet Maxwell Converse
Translated from a traditional Iroquois prayer

We who are here present thank the Great Spirit that we are here

          to praise Him.

We thank Him that He has created men and women, and ordered

          that these beings shall always be living to multiply the earth.

We thank Him for making the earth and giving these beings its products

          to live on.

We thank Him for the water that comes out of the earth and runs

          for our lands.

We thank Him for all the animals on the earth.

We thank Him for certain timbers that grow and have fluids coming

          from them for us all.

We thank Him for the branches of the trees that grow shadows

          for our shelter.

We thank Him for the beings that come from the west, the thunder

          and lightning that water the earth.

We thank Him for the light which we call our oldest brother, the sun

          that works for our good.

We thank Him for all the fruits that grow on the trees and vines.

We thank Him for his goodness in making the forests, and thank

          all its trees.

We thank Him for the darkness that gives us rest, and for the kind Being

          of the darkness that gives us light, the moon.

We thank Him for the bright spots in the skies that give us signs,

          the stars.

We give Him thanks for our supporters, who had charge of our harvests.

We give thanks that the voice of the Great Spirit can still be heard

          through the words of Ga-ne-o-di-o.

We thank the Great Spirit that we have the privilege of this pleasant

          occasion.

We give thanks for the persons who can sing the Great Spirit's music,

          and hope they will be privileged to continue in his faith.

We thank the Great Spirit for all the persons who perform the ceremonies

          on this occasion.
```
 
```
November 25, 2013
Take a Break

We are always so serious when we petition Papa Legba. We ask him to 'open the path', 'help me communicate with…', etc. Why not take just one session with Papa and ask him to bring you some roll-around-on-the-floor, knee-slapping, laugh-until-you-can't-breathe FUN? What a great stress reliever that is!

Love and Light – and Fun,

Khouzhan Echo

November 24, 2013
Follow Mambo Sam and I on Instagram!

Morning!

With so many social media outlets available these days, sometimes I get a little overwhelmed. One outlet that I still find really fun and easy is Instagram 🙂

Both Mambo Sam and I use Instagram. We post pictures not just of our magickal life, but of all of our life – family, friends, pets, nature, etc. Things we find cool! It is a way you can get to know us better, or just enjoy some neat pictures!

Follow Mambo Sam on Instagram - @samanthacorfield

Follow me on Instagram – @sisterbridgetcorfield

Check out some of my rosaries – @griffonageboutique

Love

Sister Bridget

November 21, 2013
It’s STILL too much trouble!

Hello everyone,

I had to go back and look because I swore I had posted about this before, and I was right. So here it is again! The constant,ongoing theme of being told "I would do anything to get him/her back" and telling that person, "well, here are some things you can do" only to be told how much trouble it is (or some version thereof), still reigns on in my top three aggravating things that people say to me! LOL And, yes, that was a big ol' run-on sentence.

Someone recently told me that they didn't have 30 minutes a day to devote to getting their love back. So I asked them if the HD wanted 30 minutes a day of their time, could they do it? Oh, yes, of course… well, duh!

Here is my old post!

That Looks Like a Lot of Trouble!

Happy Sunday, everyone!
Parran Matt and I had some guests for dinner a couple of weeks ago. He had run into an old friend that he had not seen in many years and it was a great reunion! Now this friend doesn't care for spicy food (which most of you already know is my passion in the kitchen). What's a poor cooking Mambo to do? 😉

Well, easy enough, right? I decide that we will grill up some barbequed chicken and ribs, with some baby red potatos, and asparagus with Hollandaise sauce. Now, let me digress for a moment here: Who in the heck can afford asparagus right now, right? Well, as luck would have it, my darling mother-in-law Eileen, who many of you have met at our conventions, found wild asparagus growing near her property a few years ago. The property is public property owned by the Nature Conservancy here, but if it borders your property, you have water rights, etc., to it. SO, Eileen, bless her heart, transplanted the wild asparagus beds onto her property and they took off like wildfire. (This is the lady who "accidently" grew cantaloupes last year by throwing the seeds and rinds into her garden for mulch and off they took into a cantaloupe vine yielding big, beautiful cantaloupes. LOL.)

So, bless her heart, in addition to her usual victory garden that she grows every year, we have fresh-picked asparagus this time of year. Well, as far as I am concerned I never met a grilled asparagus I loved more than with fresh Hollandaise sauce on it. 😉

Now Hollandaise sauce is best served fresh so I make it right before putting everything on the table to serve. As I was cooking it, our friend kept saying that it "looked like a lot of trouble." I don't think it is, for me it only takes a few minutes to make and is so worth it. The same with whipped cream, I always whip it fresh if we are having it. It just takes a couple of minutes and it is so much better, but I usually get the same response of "wow, that looks like a lot of trouble."

It made me think of how many times people have told me the same thing about spell casting, especially after exclaiming that they would "do anything" to get Jack (or Jill) back into their life. However, when presented with recommendations of what they should do to make this happen, I often get, "that sounds like a lot of trouble."

For those folks, sadly, I usually expect them to get a poor outcome from their spell work. Right away they are setting themselves up into a negative state of mind of how much trouble they are going through for their HD; how much work it is; how much time it takes, etc., etc., etc.

But spell work, like good Hollandaise sauce, IS worth the effort. So if you are thinking your spell work is too much trouble – stop putting that into your mind. Consider calling that trouble "effort" instead of trouble. Consider calling it "being proactive." Because if you are thinking this is all too much trouble, you couldn't be thinking in a more negative manner!

Love, light, and peace,
Mambo Samantha Corfield
www.spellmaker.com

Mambo Sam's Hollandaise Sauce
4 egg yolks
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter
1/2 cup half and half
1/2 teaspoon hot Hungarian paprika (or just regular paprika;you can also use cayenne
) Pinch of salt

Whisk the egg yolks and lemon juice together in a stainless steel bowl and until the mixture is thick and approximately doubles in volume. Place the bowl over a saucepan containing barely simmering water (or use a double boiler if you have one.) The simmering water should not touch the bottom of the bowl. Continue to whisk rapidly. Be careful not to let the eggs get too hot or they will scramble. Mix your cream and butter together gently and slowly drizzle in the mixture. and continue to whisk until the sauce is thickened and doubled in volume. Remove from heat, whisk in paprika and salt. Keep warm until ready to use. If you are making this ahead of time and it thickens up too much, you can whisk in warm water a tablespoon at a time until you get the right consistency – thick, but still pourable.

September 19, 2013
‘Tis the Season!

Hello good folks!

Seasoned Spellmaker friends and family know the season of which I speak: Love Potion #9 making season!

Remember, Love Potion #9 is made starting 9:00 a.m. on 9/9 – every year! So the time is coming soon!

This potion IS a drinkable potion. It is meant to slip a little bit into your intended's drink or food. It is a classic love potion. There are some other lesser known usages that I will also blog about later.

But what, if you say, you do not have an "intended" or you don't have access? Take heart, make the potion anyway. I feel like making this potion is a great affirmation stating that you will get your intended (or someone better!). Besides, the potion making process is pretty wonderful, soothing, magickal!

The recipe for the potion is located on the Spellmaker website, right where it has been for years and years:

http://www.spellmaker.com/potion9.htm

Khouzhan Lucy posted on the Spellmaker Novitate blog about it, too! 🙂

So get to planning, get to making! Oh, and as we found out in 9/9/9 – it cans really well! If you are into canning or can boil some water and use a canning jar, it seals up nicely and when we opened one to check it three years later - still perfect!

Love, Mambo Sam

www.spellmaker.com

September 5, 2013
LaSirene and Capitaine Agwe This Thursday

Please join us for Spellmaker.com's next online Spellmaker Spiritual Power Group Ritual. We will be honoring LaSirene and Capitaine Agwe as our August lwa power couple! The ritual will be held on Thursday, August 29, 2013 9 PM Eastern time, 8 PM Central, 7 PM Mountain, 6 PM Pacific. For more information please visit http://www.spellmaker.com/prayer.htm

via voodooboutique.typepad.com

Don't miss this one!!! It is sure to be awesome!

August 25, 2013
Inspiring Quote of the Day

Inspiring Quote of the Day

From Khouzhan Kat
"Accept and allow. This is the key to living a life full of Love." ~ Chris Johnson

Eliminating judgment does not mean you lose your ability to choose what is desirable to you, what you prefer. It's to recognize that you and others are expressions of divine Love. Love is unconditional acceptance. So we allow others and ourself to be as we are, joined in our essence.

via voodooboutique.typepad.com

July 15, 2013
How much is too much?

Hi there-

I came across this very good little commentary and wanted to share! It says so much in a few paragraphs. How much is enough? How much is good for us to tolerate? or not tolerate? I hope you all find this as helpful as I did.

Love

Sister Bridget

Too much Tolerance can be a Bad Thing.

Commentary

By

Robert Pagliarini

(MoneyWatch) You may not know it, but you have a tolerance meter — an internal gauge that tells you when enough is enough. The problem for many is that their tolerance meter is set too high — that they put up with far too much for far too long. We stay at jobs we hate because it is "comfortable enough," and because changing requires so much more energy. We'll endure critical bosses who never have nice things to say about us because we tell ourselves that they're not "that bad." We'll live paycheck to paycheck for years because we fool ourselves into thinking it's the "best we can do."

It is easy to fall into the mental trap of mediocrity. Because it doesn't take much to get by, we grow complacent. We stop growing and seeking challenges. We don't push ourselves to succeed. We cultivate a lifestyle well below our potential, but one that is just good enough that it doesn't require much challenge or action.

Tolerance is critical for survival. It has allowed us to endure horrific conditions by helping us quickly adapt to the situation. Our ability to adapt to our surroundings is both a gift and a curse. There are some life forms that cannot survive unless their conditions are ideal. Vary their environment even a little and they perish. We don't have this problem. We can tolerate, and even flourish, in wild extremes.

But when it comes to our careers, relationships, health, and lives, tolerance and adaptability are also curses. It's amazing how much we can tolerate when our environment changes slowly. Incremental change is our worst enemy. It permits us to gradually accept living standards that we never would have accepted in the beginning.

The best way to determine if you have settled is to take an honest look at your present situation. Are you where you want to be? Have you forgotten once vivid dreams and aspirations? Success has been defined as the progressive realization of a worthy goal. Based on this definition, are you successful?

There is a dark side to not "settling." I'm sure there is at least one person in your life that suffers from the belief that nothing is ever good enough. No matter how successful they become or how much money they make, they are never satisfied with their lives. This mindset is a guaranteed formula for frustration and unhappiness. So while it is healthy and motivating to work for and dream about reaching your goals, it is imperative to be thankful for where you are and what you already have. Regardless of your situation, you have a thousand things for which to give thanks. Do not lose sight of these aspects of your life. Don't lose sight of how far you've come and of what you've already accomplished on your journey in life.

The solution is to demand more from yourself (and often from others!). Draw a line in the sand and make a commitment to progress. Look at your situation with a set of fresh eyes and ask yourself, "How can I do better?" The moment you realize getting by isn't good enough is the moment your life can start to change.

© 2013 CBS Interactive Inc..

June 19, 2013
On FB and in a relationship – this is a MUST READ!

Happy Friday!

Do you want this….

or this?

I came across this artlcle last night just before bed, and I had to restrain myself from getting up right then and there and posting the link! Over the past few years, I have seen this exact thing happen over and over — some of you who I have read with will remember me telling you to get off of FB and stop looking at certain people's profiles — For The Good of your Case! I am so glad that there are people looking into this issue of the impact of FB and the whole new level of knowledge or exposure we have about other people in our lives. Being able to look into someone's life this closely was not heard of 10 or 15 years ago – and of course, people were not sharing this much information then either. Balance is everything!

I do hope this article is helpful to some! And have a great weekend everyone!

Love

Sister Bridget

Excessive Facebook use can damage relationships, study finds

Facebook and other social networking web sites have revolutionized the way people create and
maintain relationships. However, new research shows that Facebook use could actually be damaging
to users' romantic relationships. Russell Clayton, a doctoral student in the University of Missouri
School of Journalism, found that individuals who use Facebook excessively are far more likely to
experience Facebook–related conflict with their romantic partners, which then may cause negative
relationship outcomes including emotional and physical cheating, breakup and divorce.
In their study, Clayton, along with Alexander Nagurney, an instructor at the University of Hawaii at Hilo,
and Jessica R. Smith, a doctoral student at St. Mary's University in San Antonio, surveyed Facebook users ages 18 to 82 years old. Participants were asked to describe how often they used Facebook and how much, if any, conflict arose between their current or former partners as a result of Facebook use. The researchers found that high levels of Facebook use among couples significantly predicted Facebook-related conflict, which then significantly predicted negative relationship outcomes such as cheating, breakup, and divorce. "Previous research has shown that the more a person in a romantic relationship uses Facebook, the more likely they are to monitor their partner's Facebook activity more stringently, which can lead to feelings of jealousy," Clayton said. "Facebook-induced jealousy may lead to arguments concerning past partners. Also, our study found that excessive Facebook users are more likely to connect or reconnect with other Facebook users, including previous partners, which may lead to emotional and physical cheating."
Clayton says this trend was particularly apparent in newer relationships.
"These findings held only for couples who had been in relationships of three years or less," Clayton said.
"This suggests that Facebook may be a threat to relationships that are not fully matured. On the other hand, participants who have been in relationships for longer than three years may not use Facebook as often, or may have more matured relationships, and therefore Facebook use may not be a threat or concern."
In order to prevent such conflict from arising, Clayton recommends couples, especially those who have not been together for very long, to limit their own personal Facebook use.
"Although Facebook is a great way to learn about someone, excessive Facebook use may be damaging to
newer romantic relationships," Clayton said. "Cutting back to moderate, healthy levels of Facebook usage could help reduce conflict, particularly for newer couples who are still learning about each other."
This study is forthcoming in the Journal of Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking.

ships. However, new
research shows that Facebook use could actually be damaging to users'
romantic relationships. Russell Clayton, a doctoral student in the
University of Missouri School of Journalism, found that individuals who
use Facebook excessively are far more likely to experience
Facebook–related conflict with their romantic partners, which th

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-06-excessive-facebook-relationships.html#jCp

ships. However, new
research shows that Facebook use could actually be damaging to users'
romantic relationships. Russell Clayton, a doctoral student in the
University of Missouri School of Journalism, found that individuals who
use Facebook excessively are far more likely to experience
Facebook–related conflict with their romantic partners, which th

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-06-excessive-facebook-relationships.html#jCp

ships. However, new
research shows that Facebook use could actually be damaging to users'
romantic relationships. Russell Clayton, a doctoral student in the
University of Missouri School of Journalism, found that individuals who
use Facebook excessively are far more likely to experience
Facebook–related conflict with their romantic partners, which th

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-06-excessive-facebook-relationships.html#jCp

ships. However, new
research shows that Facebook use could actually be damaging to users'
romantic relationships. Russell Clayton, a doctoral student in the
University of Missouri School of Journalism, found that individuals who
use Facebook excessively are far more likely to experience
Facebook–related conflict with their romantic partners, which th

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-06-excessive-facebook-relationships.html#jCp

ships. However, new
research shows that Facebook use could actually be damaging to users'
romantic relationships. Russell Clayton, a doctoral student in the
University of Missouri School of Journalism, found that individuals who
use Facebook excessively are far more likely to experience
Facebook–related conflict with their romantic partners, which th

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-06-excessive-facebook-relationships.html#jCp

ships. However, new
research shows that Facebook use could actually be damaging to users'
romantic relationships. Russell Clayton, a doctoral student in the
University of Missouri School of Journalism, found that individuals who
use Facebook excessively are far more likely to experience
Facebook–related conflict with their romantic partners, which th

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-06-excessive-facebook-relationships.html#jCp

ships. However, new
research shows that Facebook use could actually be damaging to users'
romantic relationships. Russell Clayton, a doctoral student in the
University of Missouri School of Journalism, found that individuals who
use Facebook excessively are far more likely to experience
Facebook–related conflict with their romantic partners, which th

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-06-excessive-facebook-relationships.html#jCp

ships. However, new
research shows that Facebook use could actually be damaging to users'
romantic relationships. Russell Clayton, a doctoral student in the
University of Missouri School of Journalism, found that individuals who
use Facebook excessively are far more likely to experience
Facebook–related conflict with their romantic partners, which th

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-06-excessive-facebook-relationships.html#jCp

Facebook and other
social networking web sites have revolutionized the way people create
and maintain relationships. However, new research shows that Facebook
use could actually be damaging to users' romantic relationships. Russell
Clayton, a doctoral student in the University of Missouri School of
Journalism, found that individuals who use Facebook excessively are far
more likely to experience Facebook–related conflict with their romantic
partners, which then may cause negative relationship outcomes including
emotional and physical cheating, breakup and divorce.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-06-excessive-facebook-relationships.html#jCp

Facebook and other
social networking web sites have revolutionized the way people create
and maintain relationships. However, new research shows that Facebook
use could actually be damaging to users' romantic relationships. Russell
Clayton, a doctoral student in the University of Missouri School of
Journalism, found that individuals who use Facebook excessively are far
more likely to experience Facebook–related conflict with their romantic
partners, which then may cause negative relationship outcomes including
emotional and physical cheating, breakup and divorce.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-06-excessive-facebook-relationships.html#jCp

Facebook and other
social networking web sites have revolutionized the way people create
and maintain relationships. However, new research shows that Facebook
use could actually be damaging to users' romantic relationships. Russell
Clayton, a doctoral student in the University of Missouri School of
Journalism, found that individuals who use Facebook excessively are far
more likely to experience Facebook–related conflict with their romantic
partners, which then may cause negative relationship outcomes including
emotional and physical cheating, breakup and divorce.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-06-excessive-facebook-relationships.html#jCp

June 7, 2013
On again/off again – frustrating relationships!

Good morning everyone! Hope you are having a great Saturday. Very often we get in our Heart's Desire letters for spellwork information that the relationship has been "on again/off again." These relationships can be SO frustrating, right? In fact, however, sometimes this can be an upward spiral in the relationship as you learn more about each other and learn what to do (and not to do!).

Very often, these kinds of relationships responds extremely well to love spell work! I believe that is because there is something there or there would only be "off" and no "on again" to the relationship! The couple is generally searching for a way to make things better – they keep coming back for more! 🙂

Many times, we get some of our best spell casting results from those people who are in these kinds of relationshps – they know there is something worth fighting for! 🙂

I like this article about on-again/off-again types of relationships! It can help put some things into perspective!

http://www.sheknows.com/love-and-sex/articles/816541/on-again-off-again-relationships-not-always-bad-1

Love, light, and peace,

Mambo Samantha Corfield

www.spellmaker.com

June 1, 2013