Category: Uncategorized

  • Another laugh!

    Bob was in trouble. He forgot his wedding anniversary. His wife was
    really pissed.

    She told him "Tomorrow morning, I expect to find a gift in the
    driveway that goes from 0 to 200 in 6 seconds AND IT BETTER BE THERE !!"

    The next morning he got up early and left for work. When his wife woke
    up, she looked out the window and sure enough there was a box
    gift-wrapped in the middle of the driveway.

    Confused, the wife put on her robe and ran out to the driveway, brought
    the box back in the house.

    She opened it and found a brand new bathroom scale.

    Bob has been missing since Friday.

  • Twitter??

    Hi everyone! Have you heard of Twitter.com? I had heard of it, but wasn’t really sure what it was. The whole point of it, as far as I can tell, is to keep up with each other, sort of like Facebook. But it is done either through text messages that go to your phone or emails. One just puts brief messages of their daily life and friends can “follow” you.


    So we set up a Twitter account, but I am curious to know: How many of you are interested in something like Twitter? It seems fascinating to me in a way, but also I wonder about these internet social sites like Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter. So I would love to hear from you all with your opinions. Is this something you enjoy??


    If you want to follow us on Twitter here is our URL:


    I think it is like the rest of the social sites, you have to sign up for it, but it is free.


    I would love to hear your opinions on this.


    Love,

    Mambo Sam

  • Do Something Nice for Someone!

    Happy Friday, everyone! I know that some of you are going to be alone for Valentine’s day tomorrow. Understandably it is a rough time of year with signs of love all around. I would like to encourage all of you to do something nice for someone tomorrow, someone you know will be alone or needs cheering up. It might be someone with a broken heart, but it might also be someone lonely, sick, afraid.


    If there is some way for you to give from your heart tomorrow, it will be appreciated and your heart will be filled with love and contentment from bringing joy into someone else’s life.


    This doesn’t have to be something grand or something that costs money. E-cards are free and can brighten up someone’s day! Writing a real letter or bringing someone a card (the dollar store here has cards 2/$1.00!!) is a great way to show someone you care. Just sit and have a conversation with someone who needs the company!


    Open your hearts to someone, somewhere out there! Don’t sit in bitterness and tears because another Hallmark holiday is passing you by. Now, of course, we hope that you are joining us for our Erzulie’s Valentine’s Day Ritual. That obviously isn’t going to take up your whole day! So I encourage you to make plans! If you plans can include brightening someone else’s day, it will be a great day for you both!


    St. Valentine’s Day is about giving, sharing love, remembering the meaning of love in all of its forms. I copied in below a little bit of the folklore about St. Valentine from goodworksonearth.org. I have heard a few different versions of the St. Valentine story, but this is a nice one and captures the idea of what different kinds of love exist for all of us to embrace. Whether the story is folklore or fact, it is still a reminder of the love that lives in all of our hearts, Valentine’s or not!


    I wish for love of all kinds for all of you!


    Love,

    Mambo Samantha Corfield


    ST. VALENTINE’S DAY – How It All Began


    The story of Valentine’s Day begins in the third century with an
    oppressive Roman emperor and a humble Christian martyr. The
    emperor was Claudius II Gothicus. The Christian was Valentinus.


    Claudius had ordered all Romans to worship the state religion’s
    idols, and he had made it a crime punishable by death to associate
    with Christians.


    But Valentinus was dedicated to the ideals of Christ, and not even
    the threat of death could keep him from practicing his beliefs.
    During the last weeks of Valentinus’s life a remarkable thing
    happened. One day a jailer for the Emperor of Rome knocked at
    Valentinus’s door clutching his blind daughter in his arms. He had
    learned of Valentinus’s medical and spiritual healing abilities, and
    appealed to Valentinus to treat his daughter’s blindness. She had
    been blind since birth.


    Valentinus knew her condition would be difficult to treat but he gave
    the manhis word he would do his best. The little girl was examined,
    given an ointment for her eyes and a series of re-visits were scheduled.


    Seeing that he was a man of learning, the jailer asked whether his
    daughter, Julia, might also be brought to Valentinus for lessons.
    Julia was a pretty young girl with a quick mind. Valentinus read
    stories of Rome’s history to her. He described the world of nature
    to her. He taught her arithmetic and told her about God. She saw
    the world through his eyes, trusted in his wisdom, and found
    comfort in his quiet strength.


    ‘Valentinus, does God really hear our prayers?’ Julia said one day.


    ‘Yes, my child, He hears each one, ‘he replied.


    ‘Do you know what I pray for every morning and every night?
    I pray that I might see. I want so much to see everything you’ve
    told me about!’


    ‘God does what is best for us if we will believe in Him,’ Valentinus
    said.


    ‘Oh, Valentinus, I do believe,’ Julia said intensely. ‘I do.’ She
    knelt and grasped his hand. They sat quietly together, each praying.


    Several weeks passed and the girl’s sight was not restored. Yet the
    man and his daughter never wavered in their faith and returned each
    week.


    Then one day, Valentinus received a visit from Roman soldiers who
    arrested him, destroyed his medicines and admonished him for his
    religious beliefs. When the little girl’s father learned of his arrest
    and
    imprisonment, he wanted to intervene but there was nothing he could do.


    On the eve of his death, Valentinus wrote a last note to Julia –
    knowing his execution was imminent. Valentinus asked the jailer
    for a paper, pen and ink. He quickly jotted a farewell note and
    handed it to the jailer to give to his blind daughter. He urged her
    to stay close to God, and he signed it ‘From Your Valentine.’ His
    sentence was carried out the next day, February 14, 270 AD, near
    a gate that was later named Porta Valentini in his memory.


    When the jailer went home, he was greeted by his little girl. The
    little girl opened the note and discovered a yellow crocus inside.
    The message said, ‘From your Valentine.’ As the little girl looked
    down upon the crocus that spilled into her palm she saw brilliant
    colors for the first time in her life! The girl’s eyesight was restored!
    A miracle!


    He was buried at what is now the Church of Praxedes in Rome. It
    is said that Julia herself planted a pink-blossomed almond tree near
    his grave.


    Today, the almond tree remains a symbol of abiding love and
    friendship. In 496 Pope Gelasius I named February 14 as Saint
    Valentine’s Day. On each Valentine’s Day, messages of affection,
    love and devotion are still exchanged around the world.

  • Time to Blog!

    Hello to all out there! Before I get into today’s post I want to apologize for taking so long to get into the idea of blogging. I am not a person who usually writes what I want to say. I usually prefer to talk to someone face-to-face and it is taking me some time to get used to the idea of mass messages, text messages, and all of the other media we use to communicate with each other now.


    But I have to say that I am starting to enjoy the idea of social and business communication on the computer and so I promise to make time to blog!


    So what would you like to hear from me? Are there subjects that you would like to hear my perspective on from my position in our New Orleans Voodoo family? I have some ideas, but certainly would like to hear from all of you on an ideas you have for me.


    Looking forward to communicating with you all!


    Best to all,

    Parran Matt

  • Facebook Fun!

    Hello everyone!

    Any Facebook fans out there?? 🙂 I admit to having been somewhat bewildered at the popularity of Facebook when I first heard of it. However, after some time of exploring it and seeing so many friends, family, and client on there I decided to take a stab at it!


    It is fun and quirky and interesting to me. It is great to connect with everyone and see what is happening in their lives.


    I even made my first “app” for all of us to use to send lwa to each other! I even blessed the app, which may sound silly, but I chose all the pictures very carefully and sent my best possible blessings into each one in hopes that we could all help each other by sending different lwa to each other. 🙂


    We now even have a Spellmaker page on Facebook where you can become a fan of Spellmaker! It’s fun and it is a great way for all of us to stay in touch.


    So if you have been avoiding the whole Facebook scene, come see us, join us, and have some fun with us!


    Love,

    Mambo Sam

  • Gossip Girl

    Okay, okay… I confess, I have never seen the show “Gossip Girl” but I love the name of it! Or maybe I hate the name of it. I am not sure! LOL.


    On a more serious note, I have talked about this before on our forum (which is soon to be resurrected, by the way!), and even in person at conferences and lave tets: There is an unfortunate side effect to having friends that you made through Spellmaker – either you met them online or in person, doesn’t matter. What ends up happening is that you talk too much about your spell casting work!


    But, Mambo, you ask me, what’s wrong with that? Well, plenty. You know how in the spell casting instructions it pretty clearly states that you should tell no one of your spell work? There is a good reason for that. Unfortunately, talking about it too much, even to those you think support you, can often have an adverse effect.


    The first thing is that discussing it too much makes you tend to dissect it: What did you do, Susie Spellmaker Friend? Oh, I didn’t do that, I did this. Maybe I should have done what you did, SSF. Or maybe you should have done what I did, SSF. Oh, SSF, my HD called me. SSF says: Oh big deal, that doesn’t mean anything. You say: But I thought it was a good sign. SSF says: You put too much into it. Don’t let him take advantage of you, calling whenever he wants. You say: Is this spell work really working? SSF says: Maybe. Maybe not.


    My point is that very often SSF actually is jealous of your progress, or doesn’t interpret the spell work the way you do, or just plain old isn’t actually a “friend.” We have such a loose interpretation of what a friend is these days. Someone we meet on the internet and have a little something in common with is suddenly the definition of “friendship.”


    I find this especially true, unfortunately, of my female clients. They want to compare spellcasting notes with their SSF’s, pour over what is happening to them, lament the state of their case, cry on each other’s shoulders, etc., etc., etc. Frankly, I think it is detrimental to your spell work. I have tried to tell some people this and am met with a fairly chilly reception and THEN am told I am wrong. Well, guess what, I can’t be wrong because I crafted your spellwork. I created the very place where you met SSF.


    Look, I am not trying to say you shouldn’t talk to your personal SSF, but what I am saying is that you should try to keep the talk down that dissects your personal spell work and its results. You are truly doing yourself a disservice in that you might be wrecking your own work by putting doubt into it or worrying about the fact that SSF got some kind of result that YOU were hoping for and you are still waiting. Or SSF seems to be in one disaster after another and is dragging you in with her. Yes, keep your SSF! But think about the discussions you are having – are they truly helping you? Are those discussions truly supportive? Do you come away from talking to SSF feeling BETTER or WORSE?


    The main thing that prompted me to write this post is that I have received some pretty emotional letters from some of you regarding your SSF and a relationship with her that has gone terribly wrong or is counterproductive. One thing I do recommend is that if you have an SSF and you feel like the relationship isn’t doing either one of you any good, you should talk to her! Tell her how you feel. If she is truly your friend, then she will work with you to salvage the relationship and keep it healthy. If she is not your friend, you will know it right away and should just cut your losses.


    Sorry for shooting straight from the hip on this one, but I just thought you should all think about it!


    Love, light, and peace,

    Mambo Sam

  • “with alacrity”

    Greetings everyone!

    Although I am not a huge sports fan (my favorite players for all sports are my grandsons!), my husband Matt and I do enjoy watching the Superbowl with family. Generally we root for whomever my son and grandsons are rooting for! (Sigh – Arizona.)


    During the Superbowl, one of the announcers said that a player consistently did something “with alacrity.” One of my grandsons asked me what that meant. So I told him: Cheerfully, quickly, with enthusiasm. “We wish you would get ready for bed with alacrity.” 😉


    After we talked about it a bit it made me think about how often a client will tell me that they did their spell work because they “thought they had to.” I will then hear how they resented having to do spell work on their target in the first place. Then later on I might hear how I made spells too hard, and why do they have to do all that work to get what they want?


    Granted, no one is going to be 100% enthusiastic about doing their spell work; it is after all “work.” But, we have to think about what kind of result we are looking for with spell work. What do you want in return? Do you want resentment? No? Then don’t put resentment into the work. So many people are always asking me, “Why am I the one who has to do all this work? Well, you are the one who wants what you want. That’s why. If you resent working for what you want, are you going to resent it when you get it?? If so, you are already dooming yourself and what you want to eventual failure. Remember, if you are doing spellwork to bring a particular someone special into your life, that someone special did not ask you to do spell work. That was your choice! 🙂


    So sometimes things are not so easy. Sometimes they take a lot of time. Sometimes they seem like they will NEVER pay off. 😉 But if you approach your work “with alacrity” you will always reap a reward: reaching your goal, strengthening your spirit, learning something new, etc. All of these are the result of approaching a goal with all you have in you!


    How do you do your spellwork and adjunct work? How do you keep your spirits up and your eye fixed firmly on the prize? Do you have some tips and tricks? Just reply into the comment link below!


    Love,

    Mambo Sam

  • FREE RITUAL TO ERZULIE FOR VALENTINE’S DAY!

    Hello everyone!  Yes, we are doing it again!  :-)  As February nears, we cannot help but have our thoughts turn to one of the most beloved (and sometimes most dreaded) holidays of the year.

    For three years now, we have been doing a special free ritual at the Spellmaker office in honor of Vodou love goddess, Erzulie Freda. Many of you have called and written to see if we are going to do the ritual again this year and yes we are!

    As always, we will ask that you send us an email with your requests for the ritual.  There is no charge to be involved in the ritual.  We do have products dedicated to Erzulie available again and this year we have added a special one-day ritual kit that we are offering. 

    So many people enjoyed the Sobo Ritual Pack that we decided to create one for Erzulie Freda!  However, there is no need to purchase anything to be included in the ritual – the Erzulie Ritual Pack is a convenience for those who wish to use it.

    Check it all out at www.spellmaker.com/erzulie.htm

    Love, Mambo Sam

    Erzulieheart

  • Papa Alegba Has Arrived!

    Hello everyone!  I am really excited to announce that we are now offering our special Ritual and Service Pack for Papa Alegba!  This has been a long time in the making and offers us a great new way to communicate with and ask for the help of our dear Papa Alegba. 

    Papa has truly guided me every step of the way with the kit, making his desires for this kit crystal clear to me.  It has truly been my pleasure to work on this project and bring to life this package in his honor.  He showed me the way to open every door that I needed to craft his special Red and White Bath, Open Door incense, Gatekey oil… so many wonderful things!

    You can go read all about it on his special page at www.spellmaker.com/legba.htm - get ready to unblock all the barriers in your life and open every door! 

    Love, Mambo Sam

    Crosslet

  • Martin Luther King

    Hello everyone!  First of all, let me take this opportunity to wish you all a Happy New Year.  I am a bit late in doing so and have been reworking my ideas for this blog and can't wait to get back in touch with all of you!  🙂

    The main reason for my post today is, of course, to honor the great leader, Rev. Martin Luther King.  Like so many forward-thinking leaders, he was cut down before we could benefit from all of his wisdom.  Most of us know him most poignantly from his "I Have a Dream" speech.  He has become an icon for all of us who have a dream!  His words can inspire even the most reticent amongst us to realize that we can and should try to follow our dreams!

    Many of you may already know that the King family and our incoming president's, Barack Obama's, family have declared this day a day of service for all Americans.  I am thrilled to see this and hope that each and every one of you will consider this to be not just "one day" of service, but rather a day that you will think about what you can do for others.  A day of service is a wonderful thing, a lifetime of serving others in some capacity is a glorious thing that will reap you many rewards.

    Sadly, most of us get caught up in our lives, our own problems, our own desires and wants and fail to see how much more needy some people are in their lives.  Failing to give others a helping hand is failing to give yourself a helping hand.

    Over the years I have had so many clients tell me that they were alone, in a bad place, a depressed and dark place.  Most of the time when I suggest that doing something for someone else would help them greatly, I was met with resistence:  "I am too tired."  "I am too poor."  "I am turned off by poor people."  "Volunteer?  That's too boring."  "What will I get out of it?"  "I haven't found anything that I like to volunteer for."  "I don't have any special skills."  "I don't know how to volunteer."  "What could I possibly do to help others when I am so down."  Well, you get the idea. 

    The truth is, most of us don't know how good we have it.  Anyone and everyone can find a way to serve their fellow man and reap the rewards of doing so.  Those people that have listened to me have some amazing tales!  I won't repeat them all here, but one woman met her future husband while volunteering for Habitat for Humanity.  Another person was hired on at the Red Cross in a high paying job (after she did the Get a Job spell and was feeling like it didn't work for her – I told her to go volunteer somewhere for awhile – she was hired two weeks after volunteering there)!  Trust me when I say that nothing will make you appreciate your life more than getting out and seeing what you can do for someone else.

    You know, it doesn't have to be dramatic!  Maybe you can just talk to a friend that you know is down and offer to take her to lunch.  Maybe you can go to a church and ask if there is a family who needs some kind of help – it doesn't have to be monetary.  Your time can be turned into "money" for a family who needs someone to babysit, or help with yard work, or help their children with homework.  Everyone can do something that someone else needs! 

    Most of us have a tendency to sit around feeling sorry for ourselves when things aren't going our way; getting out and seeing who else has things that aren't going their way and teaming up with an effort of help, charity, and hands up is a great way to heal yourself and others!

    Martin Luther King had a dream, I have a dream, you have a dream, and so does someone else who could use your help.  Together, we CAN all make dreams come true.

    Love, light, and peace, Mambo Sam

    Martinlutherking