Category: Day-to-Day

  • Is a “New Year New You” Necessary?

    Good morning, everyone!  As we all head back to work in the shiny new year, many thoughts turn to makeovers, resolutions, changing one’s self.  The beginning of a new year is always a great time to make those resolutions to change things that we were not so happy with last year!

    I have noticed with myself that I often tend to go overboard on resolutions, like so many people do!  Unfortunately, that is a great way to set yourself up for failure.  But, I do believe that there is a great deal of validity in bringing in the new year with a new version of yourself.  Sometimes it might just be  a matter of firmly deciding to leave last year in the past where it belongs.  If you had a particularly bad year in 2010, now is a great time to decide to try to let go of whatever negativity, pain, or trauma that you had.  You CAN take it with you, but why?  Even if problems of the past are still unresolved, you can leave the last months of negativity behind – cleanse yourself of them, and decide that this is a NEW beginning to solving old problems.  Sure, we sell products for cleansing  – Lady Samantha’s Hex Removal Kit, white candles, Milk of Damballah white bath, etc. and those are great to use. However, sometimes just making a very resolute promise to yourself to start over, even if it is with old challenges, can be very effective!

    Sometimes we cannot see how to change or, with some folks, why!  I get tons of letters from people who can tell me exactly how they want their intended partner to change, but very little of how they could or should change.  Making a resolution to be more self-aware, take responsibility for some of what is going on in your life, could be just the thing to help some people.  I am not talking about blaming yourself for everything that happens – that is just as unhealthy as being totally unaware of what role you play in your own life.  Look for the balance in your life – drop the “poor pitiful me” victim attitude OR the “everything is my fault” martyr attitude. Instead realize that you cannot control everything, but you can control your own actions, attitudes, and self-awareness.    Now that is a resolution!

    So keep those resolutions realistic but be willing to accept, create, or believe in a miracle! 


    Love, light, and peace,

    Mambo Samantha Corfield

    www.spellmaker.com

  • Happy New Year!

    Hello everyone and a big wish for a Happy New Year to all!  It is always so invigorating and exciting to start a brand new year.  I hope that your 2011 will be filled with wonder, joy, excitement, and magick! 

    Looking out over the Spellmaker 2011 plans, it is great to see some old favorites coming up – the annual Erzulie’s Valentine’s Day Ritual, the start up again of the Free Prayer Group in February, of course the annual St. Patrick’s Day ritual to Sobo – not to mention that we will be doing another video voodoo conference this year!  Plus, we are planning to do a big free ancestor ritual to celebrate what would have been the 100th birthday of my father on 11/11/11.  It will be a great birthday party and an open party to honor your own ancestors.

    Needless to say, there will be more public events that we will be doing, so please do stay tuned for more info!

    In the meantime, take care of yourselves and have a safe and peaceful holiday weekend.  Love to all!



    Mambo Samantha Corfield

    www.spellmaker.com

     

  • Stop poisoning yourself!

    Happy Friday, everyone!

    Of course, everyone knows that I speak to a lot of folks!  Sadly, I often find that a lot of them are constantly poisoning themselves with toxic thoughts about themselves.  

    We have talked in the past about toxic relationships with others, but what about a toxic relationship with yourself?  I, unfortunately, see it all the time.

    Of course, we always recommend products from www.spellmaker.com that can help with this:  White image candles, Milk of Damballah white bath, Lady Samantha's Hex Removal kit, etc.  Any of our dear caseworkers can help you with that. 

    However, I think it is also important to put some psychological practices behind the spiritual practices.  I ran across this article that is an excerpt from a book. I have not read the book – if any of you have, I would love to have you weigh in on it!

    The article did have some good tips in it:   10 Ways to Transform Toxic Thoughts

    So many of you out there are just poisoning out the good in yourselves – let's try to take some steps to stop that!

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

    Whiteflowerbasket 

  • Stress in Social Media?

    Hello everyone,

    I read a very intriguing article today that stated that doctors were starting to see stress symptoms caused by people trying to keep up with Facebook, Twitter, etc.  These people felt compelled to keep their statuses updated, pictures uploaded, etc., etc.  When they fell behind, they felt like failures.

    In looking back over my fairly short history with social media (just a couple of years at most), I did see where there were times when I felt like needed to add "something" to Facebook or Twitter – otherwise it seemed like I was just sitting stagnant somewhere.  There is, to me, sometimes a huge obligatory feel to catching up on Facebook.

    But doesn't this kind of go against the whole idea of social media?  Weren't we supposed to be on Facebook to have fun, catch up with one another, find old friends, reach out to those we love and care about?  Was it ever supposed to be a chore?

    I had read quite some time ago about some people thinking that the verb "friending" someone on Facebook demeaned the whole idea of a friend…. that it took away from the very word "friend."

    Obviously, as an online business owner, I do feel that I should be on Facebook, not just for family and friends, but because I believe that it offers potential customers of Spellmaker another way to get to know me.  Most of you who do know me, already know that I am big on having customers get to know us. I feel it is important for them to know who they will be not only giving their money to, but who are they entrusting with fragile things such as their love life!  I have always been a big believer in telling pretty much all my personal business to my customers.  LOL.  That has been sometimes a bone of contention with certain family members, but I figure if you are entrusting me with your personal information, turnabout is fair play.

    However, on a personal level, how do you feel about social media such as Facebook?  Do you ever feel stressed about it?  Do you feel that it is something you MUST keep up with or do you just want to keep up with it?

    One of my  Spellmaker Novitiates recently mentioned in one of her posts about evil Facebook and stalking people on there!  LOL – that is worthy of a whole 'nuther post, but first I would like to get your opinion on social media in general! 

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

    1spiritualpower

  • The State of Fear.

    Last week I had the opportunity to speak with an old friend that I had lost touch with. A rather unfortunate memory of this person is that she was always afraid of something!  While I enjoyed catching up with her, I was also sad to find that she was still that fearful person – she was working the same job that she absolutely hates for fear of going to find another one ("not in THIS economy"); she still had very little outside interests ("the world is full of crazy people") and she was still alone ("there are no good men left").

    While Ellie knows what I do for a living, she is not a person prone to do things like spell work or candle work! I wish she was… I would definitely recommend that she try something like some white candle magick or a Milk of Damballah white bath to try to help her remove some of the fear and negativity that she finds herself steeped in!

    So we will call my friend Ellie.  Ellie lives the State of Fear. Everything is riddled with negativity and fear and I began to remember why I had "lost touch."  While Ellie is an extreme case, how many of you out there are living in the State of Fear?  Are you afraid to make new friends, talk to people, put yourself out there, take a chance on… well… anything?

    You know that old saying "nothing ventured, nothing gained?"  It is just as viable today as it ever was.  Even in these tough economic times, even while we are bombarded with news of atrocities throughout the world, there is still goodness, love, and fun to be had out there.  Notice I said OUT THERE.  It isn't coming to your doorstep.  You must go out there and live your life.  If you are afraid of every little thing – the dark, people, new friends,conversations,etc., you are doing yourself a terrible disservice.

    I am not saying it is easy to overcome these fears, but won't you please try?  If you see any of yourself in those paragraphs above, try to master your fears of just one thing!  Are you afraid of people?  Are you sure that all of them are up to no good?  Try just talking to one new person a month – maybe they will be a rat bastard, but maybe they will be a new lifelong friend! Are you afraid of new ventures? Go some place new!  Force yourself if you have to.  I am sure you will find that there wasn't anything scary about it at all. 🙂 You might even enjoy yourself!

    It's a big wide world out there people – if you are just existing in your tiny corner of it, never venturing out of your safe zone, not only are you doing yourself a disservice, you are doing the world a disservice – the rest of us out here might enjoy the pleasure of your company!  🙂

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

    candle magic for healing

    © Illreality | Dreamstime Stock Photos

  • Look within.

    Inspirational-quotes-1
    Get to know the wonderful you! 

    I was speaking to someone today about the "God Within" – that which lives in all of us and is there to guide and nourish us.  If you can find that within yourselves, you can accomplish anything. Find your God Within and it won't matter what other people think, or what anyone else thinks you can or can't do. Once you truly know yourself, you know everyone you need to know.

    Love,

    Mambo Sam
    www.spellmaker.com

  • Yes You Can!

    CAN'T – A POEM BY EDGAR GUEST

    Can't is the worst word that's written or spoken;
    Doing more harm here than slander and lies;
    On it is many a strong spirit broken,
    And with it many a good purpose dies.
    It springs from the lips of the thoughtless each
    morning
    And robs us of courage we need through the
    day:
    It rings in our ears like a timely-sent warning
    And laughs when we falter and fall by the
    way.

    Can't is the father of feeble endeavor,
    The parent of terror and half-hearted work;
    It weakens the efforts of artisans clever,
    And makes of the toiler an indolent shirk.
    It poisons the soul of the man with a vision.

    It stifles in infancy many a plan;
    It greets honest toiling with open derision
    And mocks at the hopes and the dreams of a
    man.

    Can't is a word none should speak without
    blushing;
    To utter it should be a symbol of shame;
    Ambition and courage it daily is crushing;
    It blights a man's purpose and shortens his
    aim.
    Despise it with all of your hatred of error;
    Refuse it the lodgment it seeks in your brain;
    Arm against it as a creature of terror,
    And all that you dream of you some day shall
    gain.

    Can't is the word that is foe to ambition,
    An enemy ambushed to shatter your will;
    Its prey is forever the man with a mission
    And bows but to courage and patience and
    skill.
    Hate it, with hatred that's deep and undying,
    For once it is welcomed 'twill break any
    man;
    Whatever the goal you are seeking, keep trying
    And answer this demon by saying: "I can."

    "End of Poem"—————————————

    Happy Sunday one and all!  Remember that you CAN! Whatever it is, you truly can do it. I really enjoy this poem because of it's strength in railing against the "can't" attitude.  Written in the 1800's well before the "new age" movement of watered down affirmations, this tells us to HATE the word "can't," to fight against it!

    I love that! Now don't get me wrong, I love a good affirmation as well as the next person – but there is something wonderfully invigorating about this poem and it's healthy hatred of the word can't! 🙂

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

  • Patience.

    Hello everyone!  Can't believe it is already July!  :-)  I know we have talked about the subject of patience before, but I ran across an article that I thought might be really helpful for everyone.  Probably one of the biggest issues that I find with people who are trying spell casting is that they run out of patience before they can reach their goal.  This is becoming more and more true.

    Just by the very nature of our society with "instant messaging" abounding, we are all now seeming to expect that our lives will "instantly" manifest for us just in the way that we expect them to.  Well, although technology has jetted us into some kind of alternate universe that we THINK we live in, guess what, the REAL universe hasn't changed that much.  Life isn't an XBox game nor is it a Facebook page nor a tweet on Twitter.  Those things are peripherals to the real life that still exists seemingly to be ignored by quite a few people.

    More and more I hear from clients that they don't want to wait, they want everything now, and even the least amount of waiting sends some of them into an angry orbit.  Some of the stress levels that I see from even the youngest clients worries me; I want to tell them just to slow down before God slows them down permanently.  I just don't see how they can continue to live like this where everything is supposed to happen at the pace of a ding on their phone with yet another text message coming in. 

    A lot of people no longer seem to want to grow with the process; they don't want to improve themselves or their spirituality.  They don't want to learn about themselves or, gasp, change anything about themselves.  It is all about instant gratification; an eternal rat race to get more and better gratifications that in the long run turn out to be not at all what they thought it would be and so now we need a prescription to alter our minds and makes us think we are gratified.  Slow down, people!  Experience what is in your life – quit jumping from thing to thing looking for the bigger, better, faster "thing."

    Don't get me wrong, I love the technology that allow us to communicate with each other and be in touch – if only it were truly used that way.  Instead, I think it just gets to be information overload as we jump from one tweet to another without even a moment's consideration of feeling something about what we just read…. gotta get to the next tweet – it might be something even more important!  It isn't the technology I have a problem with!  I use it all.  What I am concerned about is people's inability to get beyond this technology and remember to live their real lives.

    Anyway, I think this short article is great and I have inserted some comments into it.  Kudos to the author!  I couldn't have said it better myself.

    Love, light, and peace,
    Mambo Samantha Corfield

    www.spellmaker.com

    THE ARTICLE

    How To Develop Patience – by Steve Scoresby

    In a world of instant gratification, people jump from "stimulus" to "response" without as much as a second thought. Patience is the "pause" in between that allows us to get the result we are really looking for. Here is how to develop more patience in your life.

    Webster's defines patience as bearing pains or trials calmly or without complaint, or being steadfast despite opposition, difficulty or adversity. I believe this why patience is called a virtue. It is little practiced, but much needed. At the first sign of difficulty, many jump to an easier, smoother path, hoping to avoid the pain and suffering that is necessary on the road to personal growth. But it is only by taking this rough road do we gain the experience necessary to develop our character. Impatience robs us of these types of life experiences. How would your world be different if you practiced more patience?

    Patience is the ability to hang on when everyone else has given up. Patience is ability to release your need for immediate gratification and wait for the things to come in their own time frame. Patience overcomes criticism and intolerance. Patience develops committed relationships in marriage, family, church, community and career. Many a great leader have displayed patience by looking before they leaped, thinking before they acted, and considering before they decided. Patience is the mark of maturity. So now we know the virtues of patience, how do we develop more patience?

    First, realize that no one is perfect, including yourself. Accept yourself and others, imperfections and all. Everyone is struggling with their own set of fears, weaknesses, obstacles and crises. We are all on the road of personal growth together and can help each other by showing more patience and kindness to each other.

    >>> MAMBO'S NOTE:  This is so true! So many times there seems to be a forgetfulness in people doing spell work that their HD might be going through something in their life, TOO. When it is pointed out, generally the response is that one doesn't care about that, just hurry up and get to me!

    Second, develop a consistent philosophy of life based upon a value system you believe in. Then when you are confronted with a situation, you can make your choice based upon the value system rather than an instant gratification response. With every choice is a consequence. Do you act now and settle? Or do you wait to get the result you truly desire?

    Third, change your perspective on the past, present and the future. Stop dwelling on your mistakes and failures. They cannot be changed. Instead, focus and what you can do now to make a difference. Life is a blessing and each day should be lived as if it were your last. Start fresh everyday and remember the future comes one day at a time. What can you do today to change the results you have in the future?

    Fourth, confront your fears rather than avoid them. Do the thing you fear the most and the fear will go away. "That which we persist in doing becomes easier to do, not that the nature of the thing has changed, but our ability to do it has increased." By doing more, it becomes easier, and when it becomes easier it becomes fun rather than stressful.

    Finally, realize that all things come to those who wait. The Universe, the infinite force that connects us all, will bring the people who can help, the answers you may need, the tools and resources you are looking for when you need them. You must have faith and be patient and believe in your goals, realizing that they will often not be accomplished according to your original plans. Circumstances change. People change. Things change. Let go of your anxiety, disbelief and doubt about achieving your goal. Know that The Universe is constantly supporting you and will always help you achieve the things you desire. Just be patient!

  • Self-esteem vs. Self-importance

    Hello everyone!
    Did you ever notice what you considered to be a disturbing trend but couldn't quite figure out what it was? Well, that is what happened to me! Over the last couple of months, in dealing with different people in different situations, I kept thinking, "Wow, there must be something in the water!"

    Now, I know we have discussed before that some people seem to have a very strange sense of entitlement – like the world, and all of us living in it, seem to somehow owe them something! It has been a real head scratcher for me to try to figure it out. This is beyond just your every day, garden-variety snob. Those folks will always be around. These people I am talking about are the ones who seem genuinely distressed and disturbed when they aren't treated like some kind of royalty

    Well, I don't know if I ever really will figure it out, but I do think I managed to nail down at least part of it: People have confused their self-esteem with self-importance. This seems to be especially prevalent in women, which, in part, I also attribute to the ubiquitously-called "Women's Movement." Now before you all start writing to me about women's rights – don't bother. I get it. I was in a very early, very abusive marriage in my extremely young days; I already experienced being paid less than a man for the same job; got called, "sweet cheeks" and "tits" as a nickname.(REALLY!! I actually answered phones at a place where the boss and his cronies called me "tits." Sigh.)So, yes, I am a believer in women's rights.

    Tied up in the whole women's rights movement, there has been, in the last 25 years, a real call to women to boost their self-esteem, lift yourself up (and not just with a good bra!), and overall feel great about yourself. There are shelves of books about women's self-esteem issues, etc. Somehow, for some women, this has all gone horribly wrong. This has turned into the idea of their self-importance; that they are great and wonderful and smart and beautiful, and the rest of us just better bow down and do their bidding. WHOA, girlies! Self-esteem is not about self-importance.

    Perhaps it is because I deal with so many women that I feel especially bombarded with this attitude, but it is really disturbing. I fear for these women (most of them are under 30 and no doubt raised by the women of "Tits Nickname" generation)! Out they go into the world pumped up by their self-importance and find themselves with a hard row to hoe when not everyone feels the same way about THEM as they feel about themselves.

    Yes, of course, this whole idea of self-importance,entitlement,and "you owe me" attitude crosses all genders and generations. It is just that I seem to be seeing more and more of it that really bothers me. So what do you think? Do you have a story about a Self-Important person that wreaked havoc on your life? Did you one day realize that YOU were the one with the attitude? If so, how did you deal with it? What made you realize it? Or am I just old and can't get with the new idea of "it's all about me?" Tell me!!!!!! Just click on the "Comments" link and leave a message!

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

  • 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.