From Mambo Sam's own BOS! Enjoy!
Category: Uncategorized
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Product Spotlight! Marie Laveau Clean Sweep House Blessing Kit
Product Spotlight!
Marie Laveau Clean Sweep
House Blessing Kit
the ultimate fresh start for your home!
Based on the traditional New Orleans Voodoo formula, this kit calls on the beloved spirit of Marie Laveau! Open your windows and open your doors wide now and sweep out the bad or stale juju and bring in the warm, fresh Autumn air! This is a perfect time to energetically cleanse your living space before things get all shut up for winter! Includes all blessed equipment needed for cleansing! Located only HERE! -
The Three Harvests!
The Three Harvests and Witches!In the enchanting realm of folklore and mysticism, there exists a captivating link between the Three Harvests and witchcraft. As autumn's golden hues paint the landscape, the Three Harvests—Lughnasadh, Mabon, and Samhain—play a significant role in both agricultural traditions and the mystical world of witches of all kinds. This delightful connection transcends time and geography, revealing a tapestry of interconnected beliefs and practices.
To begin our journey, let's delve into the first harvest, Lughnasadh. Celebrated in early August, this Celtic festival marks the beginning of the harvest season. It's a time when the fields are ripe with grain, and the earth offers her bounty. Witches, often seen as guardians of nature's cycles, harness the energy of Lughnasadh to honor the Earth's generosity and to manifest their intentions. It's a period when spells for abundance and prosperity are cast, and the echoes of the harvest's first fruits resonate with the rituals of the natural world.
Moving forward to Mabon, the second harvest celebrated during the autumn equinox, we find another layer of connection between the Three Harvests and witchcraft. As day and night achieve perfect balance, witches recognize this equilibrium as an opportunity for reflection and gratitude. Mabon serves as a time to honor the autumnal harvest, with crafting elaborate altars adorned with symbols of abundance, like apples and gourds. We use this period to give thanks for the bounty of nature and to attune themselves to the changing energies of the season.
The final harvest, Samhain, is perhaps the most famous, as it coincides with modern Halloween celebrations. For Vodouisants, it is a time for Ancestor service and more! This sacred time, observed at the end of October, marks the end of the agricultural year and the beginning of winter's slumber. Witches and practitioners of all kinds view Samhain as a liminal space when the veil between the physical world and the spirit realm is thin. It's a time for divination, honoring ancestors, and seeking wisdom from the other side. Many may perform rituals to communicate with departed loved ones or to harness the potent energies of this time for their magical endeavors.
As we contemplate the harmonious dance between the Three Harvests and witchcraft, we find a delightful interplay of nature, spirituality, and tradition. These celebrations, rooted in the agricultural cycles of our ancestors, have evolved into a modern enchantment that weaves its way through the tapestry of life. Whether you are a practitioner or simply a lover of folklore, the Three Harvests offer a bewitching connection to the rhythms of the natural world and the mystical realms beyond.
In conclusion, the Three Harvests and witchcraft share a charming and symbiotic relationship, as we draw inspiration from the bounty and magic of each seasonal celebration. These ancient traditions continue to resonate with those who seek a deeper connection with nature and the mysteries of the universe. So, as we revel in the beauty of autumn's colors and the warmth of the hearth, let us also celebrate the rich tapestry of traditions that connect us to the past, the present, and the enchanting world of nature.
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7 Questions for the New Year! #3!
Question 3!
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7 Questions for the New Year – #2!
Question #2!
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Venus and the Sun
So I wanted to talk a bit about a Venus and Sun conjunction we have recently experienced in the sign of Libra.
First, what does all that astro mumbo jumbo mean? Well…the sun is the sign of the self, your identity. When someone asks you what your "sign" is the answer most people give is the sign that the Sun was astrologically transiting in the heavens on the day they were born. For example, if your birthday is today, October 27, you were born when the sun was in the sign of Scorpio. But the sun, as a rule astrological, translates to the self.
Venus is the planet that rules love and romantic love especially. Also anything that gives us pleasure-lovely art, delicious food, music, beautiful poetry, falls under the gaze of Venus. And Libra, in the 12 houses of the zodiac, rules the 7th house, or the house of partnerships.
So this sun and Venus conjunction in Libra on a very universal level, is giving humankind an opportunity to take stock of our personal relationships. What relationships nourish or deplete you? If you are single, what traits do you want to attract ( or avoid) in a potential partner? How do you approach relationships? Is there room for improvement in your own behavior? Do you and your current partner need to make some changes to improve your relationship?
These are all things that have been coming to and will continue to be, in the forefront as this conjunction finishes out in the heavens. And don't be afraid to put your intentions out there for the things you want in relationships right now!
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Happy National Black Cat Day!
As a lifelong Halloween lover and cat lover, I am delighted to wish everyone a Happy Black Cat Day 🙂
I have always, until recently, had a black cat in my brood. Black cats also show up in my life to bring me messages from my ancestors. I don't take this as anything sinister. As a matter if fact, I feel like it is a message for me expressed in a way that I will pay attention, which is pretty darned clever, in my humble opinion!
Of course, all that black cat nonsense about their being signs of bad luck, etc…well that is just a bunch of nonsense! But legitimately, Black cats tend to be euthanized in animal shelters at a higher rate than felines of other colors. This fact has always been so heartbreaking ro me!
I have always found little black cats to be the most magically inclined and loyal! ( Though let's face it…kitties all seem to be rather otherworldly, don't they?)
Many shelters in the U.S. hold adoptions on black cats during the month of October as an effort to keep them from being harmed. I have noticed recently that most of my friends that have gotten cats or kittens in the past few years have adopted a black cat. Salem from Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Thackery Binx from Hocus Pocus were, I think, good P.R. for black cats everywhere 🙂 And though I have never had one who speaks "human"- I have noticed they tend to be the chatty sort, as far as cats are concerned 😉
So, in honor of this spooky season, I bid you all Happy Haunting, and may you all be lucky enough to be loved by a little black cat…or many!
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Voodoo in TV culture
So I recently had a conversation about the representation of Papa Legba in American Horror Story. In the opinion of any of the practicing voudousaints I know (myself included) seeing Papa steal babies and send souls to the underworld was just heartbreaking and so SO inaccurate!!!
Papa Legba, our dear, wonderful, big and benevolent Alegba is loving, playful, helpful anVoodoo.
I must say I loved the incomparable Angela Bassett as Marie Laveau in AHS! I don't think there is another actress alive who could have portrayed the famous Voodoo Queen of New Orleans as well as Angela! She was strong, regal, noble, fierce and compassionate-just as I imagine the real life Madame Laveau would have been!
So-the AHS depiction of Papa was unfair-but several other popular shows over the past decade or so have depicted hoodoo, voudou and santeria accurately. And in some cases, tv shows have shown that this practice is the deeply spiritual and healing practice we know and love!
In Corazon, a Criminal Minds episode, we see a Santerian priest who helps Dr. Spencer Reid,banish his mysterious headaches. As Spencer works with a team that hunts down serial killers, the priest warns him that his work is causing the problem because of the violent nature of the victim's deaths.
In an episode of Blue Bloods, Detective Danny Reagan visits a Voodoo service where he witnesses a young man being healed of a possession. The same young man is depicted as having dressed in a Baron Samedi costume for Halloween.
In the show Bones, Dr. Temperance Brennan is shown in New Orleans helping identify bodies after the Hurricane Katrina tragedy. She visits a Voodoo shop in the famed French Quarter and encounters a very helpful voudousaint who works as an orderly in the morgue and educates her on voodoo.
And of course I would be remiss if I didn't mention the many references to hoodoo, goopher dust, red brick powder, graveyard dirt, and even our fantastical Baron Samedi, in the Supernatural series.
If you are interested in seeing some Voodoo come to life on TV for your viewing pleasure I highly recommend any or all of these television episodes:)
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In defense of diy Halloween
Tis the season of grinning jack-o-lanterns glowing in the night, when we fell like a haunting haint or a bone chilling skeleton could creep up behind us at any moment.
As Halloween has grown in popularity, so have the ready made decorations in every store. This was not always so! Years ago, those of us who are mad for this spooky holiday had to really rely on our own creativity to create a memorable display or costume for Halloween.
I, for one, am really a purist when it comes to Halloween. What I mean is-I love the classics. Carved pumpkins, ghosts made from old white sheets or curtains, and all manner of witchy things, like black pointy hats, bubbling cauldrons, and flying brooms.
I get that same sense of satisfaction whenever I work with my spell kits here at home. Our beloved and wonderful Mambo Sam has done much work on my behalf, and I am so thankful for that. But- there really is a feeling I can only get from working magic myself. Whether it is with one of my cosmic voodoo egg kits, a doll, or one of our wonderful 9 day spell kits, there is a gratification there that only true magic can give me.
Just as I love dispersing garlands of leaves, orange and black candles, and spiderweb galore when creating a Halloween atmosphere all by my little self, I do so love to work my own bit of magic.
If you have ever been in doubt that you can work with any of our beautiful kits, I can only give you my own experience…and I say, give it a try! You have so so much to gain. Ayibobo!!