Tag: voodoo

  • BELTANE! A Time for Renewal.

    Hello, everyone!

    Happy May to all. Spring often brings about a sense of renewal in us.  The trees, birds, and earth itself seem to be coming out of their long winter's sleep.

    One of the rituals performed on May 1 is burning a fire for Beltane.  Of course, this is also considered "May Day" and is known by other names as well.  It is a ritual stemming from Old Gaelic tradition and is celebrated by many Wiccans, Pagans, and other spiritual groups.  It is about renewal, protection, fertility,asking for abundance in crops, safety for our children and animals, etc.  It is a fun holiday and can be simple, as ours was, or can be much more elaborate (next year, we hope!). In my opinion, you don't have to be any particular religion to benefit from this cleansing and protecting ritual!

    Parran Matt and I did the ritual part as the High Priest and Priestess and Sister Bridget was the May Queen.  It was simple but powerful with a ritual fire for Beltane.  We said our parts and walked around the smoke of the fire to ask for protection and prosperity for ourselves and all those we know and love.

    I had mentioned that if people saved their ashes, I would tell them how to use them and here I am to do that!

    There are several ways to use these ashes.  After reading the list, you might think of some creative ways of your own.  I would love to hear them!

    1.   They are used are for protection.  Putting the ashes around the ground of your home.  It just takes a little bit.  Sometimes they are used on one's body – just rubbing a little bit around your heart area if you are going into a dangerous or scary situation is said to help protect you. It can also be put around areas where you keep animals.

    2.  The ashes are used to encourage growth.  People scatter them in the garden, potted plants, yards, and fields, anywhere that you want to encourage growth.  This growth can also be in the form of luck, having enough food, providing for your family, etc.

    3.  They can also be used to encourage spiritual growth.  A little bit can be put in a bath or even mixed in with some kind of oil and anoint yourself with the oil and ashes.  If you are a Vodouisant, or like to use Spellmaker oils, you can definitely mix a few of these ashes in any of our oils that would be used to encourage growth of any kind.

    4.  If your fire was big enough that it left you coals, you can use those coals in magickal writings, veves, wards, drawings of magickal symbols, etc. Commonly, the coals used for writing would be used for petitions in love, life, luck, abundance… rarely is the word "money" used at this time.  Mostly it is "abundance, plenitude, bounty" or some similar word. 

    5.  Some people like to save a coal and put in a little bag and use it as a protection charm year round, returning it to the Beltane fire the next year.  Then they get another coal from the new fire, and so forth and so on.

    6.  It isn't uncommon to even mix a little bit of the ash into a big glass of water and drink it.  This is said to encourage protection from hexes, enemies, and illness.  At one time, these ashes were used as medicine, put into wounds, etc.  They are said to aid in fertility.  Please use common sense if you are going to imbibe the ashes.

    7.  What are your ideas?  If you bear in mind that these ashes are meant to cleanse, protect, and represent renewal, you might find some very creative ways to use them yourself!

    So there are some ways to use your ashes!  I also wanted to mention that one should not mix up this tradition with the Catholic tradition of getting ashes on your forehead on Ash Wednesday.  That is about repentance and humilty.  Actually, there are lots of ways that different ashes are used in spiritual rituals – might expand on this topic later!

    Peace out, kiddos,

    Mambo Samantha Corfield, www.spellmaker.com

    P.S.  Look for our mighty stag in the pictures!  You can barely see him! LOL

      Beltanehome

     

  • Freya, a May Queen.

     

    “With a crown of the lilies of light —

    For a maiden they crowned her in May,
     For the Queen of the Daughters of Day
     That are flowers of the forest of Night.”

    ~~~May Queen by Aleister Crowley

     

    Freya, a May Queen.

    Yesterday, during our Family Beltaine/ May Day activities, I played the role of the May Queen.  Mambo Sam spoke about the holiday and its significance, and how it is celebrated in many cultures across the world. Today, I was doing some reading about the May Queen and how she is represented in other places and times. I found myself drawn to some information about Freya, an important Germanic Goddess.  Her main festival is May Day.  Walpurgisnacht ‘Walpurga’s Night,’ when the festival actually begins, is April 30, the evening before May Day is named for Freya.  This time of year coincides loosely with the first dew fall, that is the time of year when frost no longer forms at night, but rather the temperature remains above freezing at least for some of the nights. This change in the weather allows the growth of green things and the blooming of all the flowers. This in turn allows for the cattle to be turned out of their winter quarters and released to  graze on the new grass which increases the amount and quality of milk available to humans.

    Walpurgisnacht is not named after St. Walburga, as is commonly said. However, the saint’s name became attached to the festival as a way of “explaining” the meaning of the name of the holiday. St. Walburga’s feast day is set to May 1st because that was already the name of a major festival of Freya. The pretense that the festival of Walpurgisnacht is named for St. Walburga provides a convenient way of obscuring the festival’s older Pagan origin.

    Freya’s domain is the garden, especially a walled garden with fruit trees, properly an orchard with a spring or well. She is responsible for making the flowers bloom and she is always associated with flowers especially flowering trees. As a Goddess of spring time, she is especially associated with romantic love among human beings. Songs of love are well-pleasing to her; it is good to call on her for furtherance in love.

    An important event in the changing of the seasons was the moving of livestock from their winter pastures to summer pastures, and vice versa.  In some areas of Europe, as the weather permitted, cattle were moved to summer pastures during the May Day/ Walpurgis/ Spring  time festivities and Freya was invoked for their protection and fertility.

    The following Middle High German charm is to protect cows when they are turned out into the forest, as they were in spring in northern Europe. The exact date would depend on the climate and when the grass was sufficient to support the cattle, though some traditions closely associate this prayer with May Day and associated festivities. “Lady” may refer to the Goddess Freya, the Virgin Mary, or to any unspecified but highly respected woman. The ambiguity may be intentional, and possibly life-saving, since people could ask for assistance from the Goddess while pretending to refer to one of the Christian deities.

    Herdsman’s Charm to Protect Cows

    Today my herd I drove into our Lady’s grove,
    Into Abraham’s garden; Be, good St. Martin,
    this day my pledge and warden,
    and good St. Wolfgang, good St. Peter,
    (whose key can heaven unlock),
    throat of wolf and vixen block,
    against blood shedding, and bone shredding.
    Help me, holy one, who ill hath never done,
    and [by] his five holy wounds;
    keep my herd from all wood-hounds!
    [Say] 5 Pater Nosters (Our Fathers) and 5 Hail Marys

    StampIMG_0345v2

     

    Hope you enjoyed reading about this as much as I did!

    Love

    Sister Bridget

     

     

     

     

  • Stubborn Intruder? Read This!

    Hello!

    Recently, I have had a few clients write me about an intruder who just was being stubborn about going away. Things get close…OH SO CLOSE! … but then, nope, they do not go. As I was drifting off to sleep last night, I remembered these special candle magick instructions I received from Mambo Sam several years back. So, I would like to share them with you here. These instructions are great for those stubborn intruders, but also if your HD has one of those BFFs who just keeps running you down, saying negative things to your HD about you, or maybe is jealous and interfering in some way. Those of you who are unfortunate enough to have exeperienced this know what I mean!

    What you need: 1 brown image candle magick kit to represent your HD. 1 brown image candle magick kit to represent the person who is interfering. 1 Famous Black Mummy Candle kit. A fire proof surface.

    What to do:

    Stubborntowards

    The Black Mummy is going to be in the middle of the two different brown candles, one that you use to represent your HD, one that you use to represent the intruder. Have the two candles face each other.The candles should be prepped as per the instructions that came with the candles (I just pulled some candles off the stock room shelf to take this picture – prep yours as you would normally)

    Get the two brown candles going with their ritual (again see Candle Magick Kit instructions that came with candles), your petition is that there is fighting, distaste, discord, repugnance, whatever you would like to happen between these two people. Then get your Black Mummy candle going (again, as per the specific instructions for that candle!) 

    Now, turn the brown candles so that they are facing AWAY from each other. Do your Black Mummy petitions that they will turn away from each other now and forever never to look back! 

    Stobbornaway

    Let the candles burn for however long you would like to do the session (9 – 33 minutes). IMPORTANT –  at NO TIME do you mention yourself or put yourself into the petiton in any way – no “leave Susie and come to me, Judy” – just “leave Susie”  or "turn away from so and so" or whatever your petition is. Petition for HD to come to you in some other work. This work is simply to drive apart someone interfering with you  and your HD.  Also, at NO TIME are you angry or upset with your HD! You are simply using this candle to get him/her away from this intruder.

    Hope you find this helpful! Any questions, just ask!!!

    Love

    Sister Bridget

     

  • Gris Gris Bag Tips!

    Hello!!

    Dusting off another older post by dear, sweet, Orleanna 🙂 This one is about different ways for using those all important gris gris bags after your castings are completed!

    Love

    Sister Bridget

    IMG_0337

     

    Q:  What are some ways I can use my gris-gris bag?
     
    A:  **When using a gris-gris bag, say the appropriate
    chant for that bag aloud and then in your mind, focus
    on what you want as it pertains to that spell. Here's
    an example for someone who'd cast three spells and
    wanted to know about using the gris-gris bags. Note:
    Not all of the things I wrote as far as what to focus
    on might pertain to your case - you'd focus on what's
    applicable for your particular situation:
     
    1. The gris-gris bag from the #5 Leave My Man Alone
    Spell(tm). That spell was to banish any intruders and
    also work on negative influences. So, when you chant
    with the gris-gris bag, you can focus on his not
    dating others and that his fears of marriage, fear of
    commitment, fear of financial problems, etc., will be
    soothed and he'll stop being so AFRAID to commit to
    you.
     
    2. The gris-gris bag from the #3 Love Me Again
    Spell(tm). That spell was to rekindle his love for
    you. When chanting with that gris-gris bag, focus on
    his loving you deeply and realizing how much he does
    love you.
     
    3. The gris-gris bag from the #9 No One But Me
    Spell(tm). That spell included for his making a
    commitment to you and to make you the top priority in
    his life. When chanting with that gris-gris bag, focus
    that he'll commit in a relationship to you and make
    you the top priority in his life.
     
    Certainly, you can add other appropriate things to
    focus on with each gris-gris bag - I was giving you
    examples and the above examples were for a particular
    situation but it gives you an idea.
     
    As to me, I first cast those three love spells six
    years ago. Those spells were how I first came to know
    Rev. Kaye - they were the first magick I'd ever done.
     
    Q:   If Papa Alegba is the keeper of the gate, do you need to ask 
    hime to open the gate each time?
     
    A:  ** No, you don't need to ask Alegba to open the gates when you use the gris-gris bags. 
    (If you did, that would be included with the instructions about how to use the gris-gris bag.)
     
     
    Q:  When I petition with my gris gris bag, I ask for the Lois to help 
    me. I am not specific with which Lois I need. Is that ok? Do I have 
    to petition for a specific one to help me? 
     
    A:  ** There's usually a preface with the incantation, like "Ogoun Badagris T'maidez" which 
    asks for Ogoun Badagris to help you. (In fact, when six years ago when I first started with 
    the love spells, the incantation didn't have a preface. The gris-gris bag is the connection.)
     
    If you forget the preface, it's not the end of the world  Each gris-gris bag is particular to 
    the Loi who helped you with that spell.
     
     
    Q:  Do our reflections have any power outside of spellwork, ie: 
    with the gris gris?
     
    A:  **Yes. Reflections with your gris-gris bag have power. 
     
     
    Q:  Is there is a way to use the
    gris-gris bags without having to do the chants out loud? 
     
    A:  **The chants should be said aloud. Having said
    that, that doesn't mean you have to talk in a loud
    voice!
     
    Try keeping your mouth almost closed (similar to a
    ventriloquist) and whispering very softly! With
    practice, you'll find you can do this without anybody
    else around you really even realizing you're saying
    anything! Also, remember that you're on a bus - most
    people don't really pay close attention.
     
    I've said chants (in the manner I described above) in
    hospital rooms with 8 people around a bedside - and
    nobody knew I was doing it.
     
    Try practicing keeping your mouth almost closed - just
    opening it a very small amount, enough to enunciate
    with very softly whispering. Your lips really don't
    move that much at all then and keep the whisper level
    so low that anyone next to you can't really hear you.
    And if anybody looks slightly askance at you, well,
    it's a bus anyway - commuters get bored and I'm sure a
    lot of people "talk to themselves" in some way!
     
     
    Q:  What's the best place to store the various gris-gris bags I have
     from my spellwork? Currently I am storing them all in the same box
    as my deluxe doll, except where specified per the spell
     instructions.
     
    A:  **That is not a problem. You can keep all your Vodou stuff together
    except those things that are specifically instructed not to do so.
     
     
    Q:  Since the doll is versatile and can be used interactively with 
    the gris-gris bags, can I also use the white male
     candle during my session with the doll?
     
    A:  **Generally speaking, I tell people to allow 45 minutes between the
    usage of products. However, the reason I tell them this is because
    sometimes people want to mix up intentions and do it all in one
    session, so it is easier to just make the 45 minute rule. However,
    if the purpose is the same, and you feel okay about it - you can use
    certain products together. The white candle with the doll is not a
    problem.
     
    For questions about any step in a spell or how to use an item from 
    a spell kit, please ask techsupport@spellmaker.com
     
     
    Light and love,
    Orleanna

     

  • Love doll advice!

    Morning!

    I came across this post early  this morning in one of my files. It is by my dearly departed friend and mentor Orleanna, the original Spellmaker Caseworker and first ever Khouzhan of our House of the Nine Mysteries. The post talks about a method Orleanna developed to use her Voodoo Love Doll (www.spellmaker.com/doll.htm)  while communicating with her fella via AIM or some form of online messenger. After rereading the post, I can see how this method can also be used while texting! I hope some of you find the information helpful! If you have any questions about using it, or anything else for that matter, please feel free to email me at bridget@spellmaker.com

    Have a wondeful day!

    Love

    Sister Bridget

    LD3

     

    ************************************************************************

    Begin Post:

    Now, here's another little trick I liked to use when I'd use our
    #VDK1 Voodoo Love Doll(tm).
     
    Most of us have computers - that's how you're reading this forum,
    that's how you write email, etc.
     
    Most of you also use some type of instant message service like
    AOL's Instant Messenger (AIM).
     
    My love would usually be on online around 10:00 p.m. and we'd
    always (and still do) chat via AIM then if he wasn't with me that
    night.
     
    I'd set up the doll in front of my computer. I'd place the doll in front
    of the monitor, a candle to each side of the monitor and then the
    incense to the very left of the left side candle.
     
    I also made up a "buddy" to represent the intruder as well as all
    other lovers - something like "Her&AllOthersButMe"
     
    Take some of the leftover banishing oil from the #5 Leave My
    Man Alone Spell(tm) and make a cross over the buddy's name to
    represent the intruder and all others. Then take any leftover love
    oil and make a cross over your lover's buddy name. Later, wipe
    your monitor clean with glass cleaner like Windex.
     
    Now, per the instructions with the doll kit, light the candles and
    incense, sprinkle the herbs over the doll (I kept it in a shoe box
    for that) and say the chant that comes with the doll kit. I'd do that
    just before 10:00 p.m. and then I'd log on when I knew he'd be
    online.
     
    Voila, I'm now actively working magick on him WHILE in contact
    with him but he has no idea!
     
    Note: The instructions talk about 13 minutes but you can have a
    longer session with a doll - the 13 minutes are more of a
    suggested guideline.
     
    So, after I'd get the doll all set up and done the opening ritual,
    then I'd log on and while typing to him via AIM, I'd also say aloud,
    "While we type, the doll work is affecting you right now. You're
    thinking of the last time we were together and you want me even
    more. Your desire for (intruder) is totally leaving and if she's
    online now, I'm banishing her from you - anything she types,
    you'll hardly pay attention. Your attention is focused on me, solely
    on me. You find your thoughts of love for me are getting stronger
    and stronger right now as we type."
     
    Then, I'd go into whatever detail for anything specific on my mind
    aloud with the doll. For example, suppose I wanted to see him
    on a Wednesday night, I'd say aloud with the doll set-up and
    candles still burning, "You'll find a way to see me Wednesday.
    You'll WANT to see me Wednesday. You miss me and can
    hardly wait to see me - you'll find yourself making plans to get in
    your car and come over on Wednesday evening." Then I'd type
    an IM to him, something like "I look forward to seeing you next
    time." And you'd be surprised how often I'd get an IM reply like
    "Wednesday night looks good." (Or whatever night I'd have
    petitioned for with the doll while I was online then.)
     
    The whole time, he and I are exchanging IM's - and I'm actively
    using magick on him WHILE in contact with him - but he has no
    idea!
     
    That's a great way to use a doll, folks :) I know most of my clients
    use some type of online messenger service to chat via typing
    with the person they love - try setting up the doll for when you do
    that!
     
    I also found beeswax candles to last a long time. I bought red
    beeswax candles and used them for my "AIM-doll sessions."
    (You can use either purple or red candles with the doll.)
     
    Light and love,
     
    Orleanna

  • You Were Made For This!

    Hello!

    Having gone through a great many changes in my life the past two years, there were many times I have read and reread this article below. The images of ships upon the water spoke deeply to me, and reminded me frequently to seek guidance from Capitaine Agwe. Master of the Sea, he is one to go to for guidance, setting a course through the stormy seas of life. Our own Brother Menfo now offers readings and rituals to his guardian lwa, Capitaine Agwe and his wife, LaSirene. You can view his offerings at www.spellmaker.com/menfo.htm  I hope you find some jewels in this article to help you through any stormy patches you may find yourself in.

    Love

    Sister Bridget

    You Were Made For This

    By Clarissa Pinkola Estes

    My friends, do not lose heart. We were made for these times. I have heard  from so many recently who are deeply and properly bewildered. They are concerned about the state of affairs in our world  now. Ours is a time of almost  daily astonishment and often righteous rage over the latest degradations of what matters most to civilized, visionary people.
          You are right in your assessments. The lustre and hubris some have aspired to while endorsing acts so heinous against children, elders, everyday people, the poor, the unguarded, the helpless, is breathtaking. Yet, I urge you, ask  you, gentle you, to please not spend your spirit dry by bewailing these difficult times. Especially do not lose hope. Most particularly because, the fact is that we were made for these times. Yes. For years, we have been      learning, practicing, been in training for and just waiting to meet on this exact plain of engagement.
          I grew up on the Great Lakes and recognize a seaworthy vessel when I see one. Regarding awakened souls, there have never been more able vessels in the waters than there are right now across the world. And they are fully provisioned and able to signal one another as never before in the history of humankind.

    Look out over the prow; there are millions of boats of righteous souls on the waters with you. Even though your veneers may shiver from every wave in this stormy roil, I assure you that the long timbers composing your prow and rudder come from a greater forest. That  long-grained lumber is known to withstand storms, to hold together, to hold its own, and to advance, regardless.
          In any dark time, there is a tendency to veer toward fainting over how much is wrong or unmended in the world. Do not focus on that. There is a tendency, too, to fall into being weakened by dwelling on what is outside your reach, by what cannot yet be. Do not focus there. That is spending the wind  without raising the sails.

    We are needed, that is all we can know. And though we meet resistance, we more so will meet great souls who will hail us, love us and guide us, and we will know them when they appear. Didn't you say you were a believer? Didn't you say you pledged to listen to a voice greater? Didn't you ask for grace? Don't you remember that to be in grace means to  submit to the voice greater?
    Ours is not the task of fixing the entire world all at once, but of stretching out to mend the part of the world that is within our reach. Any  small, calm thing that one soul can do to help another soul, to assist some portion of this poor suffering world, will help immensely. It is not given to  us to know which acts or by whom, will cause the critical mass to tip toward an enduring good.

    What is needed for dramatic change is an accumulation of  acts, adding, adding to, adding more, continuing. We know that it does not take everyone on Earth to bring justice and peace, but only a small, determined group who will not give up during the first, second, or  hundredth gale.
          One of the most calming and powerful actions you can do to intervene in a      stormy world is to stand up and show your soul. Soul on deck shines like gold in dark times. The light of the soul throws sparks, can send up flares, builds signal fires, causes proper matters to catch fire. To display the lantern of soul in shadowy times like these – to be fierce and to show mercy    toward others; both are acts of immense bravery and greatest necessity.

    Struggling souls catch light from other souls who are fully lit and willing  to show it. If you would help to calm the tumult, this is one of the strongest things you can do.
          There will always be times when you feel discouraged. I too have felt despair many times in my life, but I do not keep a chair for it. I will not entertain it. It is not allowed to eat from my plate.

    The reason is this: In my uttermost bones I know something, as do you. It is that there can be no  despair when you remember why you came to Earth, who you serve, and who sent  you here. The good words we say and the good deeds we do are not ours. They are the words and deeds of the One who brought us here. In that spirit, I hope you will write this on your wall: When a great ship is in harbor and moored, it is safe, there can be no doubt. But that is not what great ships are built for.

        Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Ph.D

  • Why do we need spiritual protection?

    Hello everyone!

    Very often people will ask me about protection charms, spells, oils, rituals, etc.  We have many things to use for protection at www.spellmaker.com! 

    However, sometimes when I ask them do they mean physical or spiritual protection they ask me, "Do I need spiritual protection?"  YES!  We all do.  Sometimes I think we need it now more than we have ever in the past.  The world is a changing place, and right now, I am not sure that it is changing for the better. (Might have to have a whole post just on that!)

    Spiritual protection is something we can all benefit from!  Mean people, negative people, negative energies, evil spirits (though that is the least of it usually, mostly it is humans we need protection from, even ourselves!), self-imposed negativity, lack of confidence, low self worth… all of these types of things harm us.  Spiritual protection can help us battle those things! 

    One of the items we use is a spiritual protection charm.  It is consecrated on the points of the great power couple lwa, LaSiren and Agwe. 

    Every so often, we change out the designs of the charms – truthfully, the design of the charm is inconsequential, though we always want them to look nice! The power in the charm is what we do to it here to make it work for you AND what you do to it when you get it to make it powerful.  Our team efforts, yours and ours, is amazing! :) 

    Anyway, we recently changed out the design of our spiritual protection charm – it is a beautiful stainless steel mermaid! I don't know how long this design will last – we use a small manufacturer who doesn't always have the same designs.  But we enjoy the personal attention from them and love to support small business!

    Spiritual protection is important… it can be complicated or it can be simple.  Sometimes that depends on your circumstance and how much negativity you are encountering. 

    The Spiritual Protection Charm is simple, beautiful, and a great place to start with spiritual protection!

     (Please note that the picture on the website might not have been updated yet, but it is the mermaid shown below, while supplies last!)

    Best to all,

    Mambo Samantha Corfield, www.spellmaker.com

      PAC236

     

  • New video with Mambo Sam.

     Hello!

    Many clients ask us what happens during the spell casting process. What happens before, during and after? Well, we can not show *everything* but there are some things we can share! In this video by Mambo Sam, Mambo explains about the end of the casting process – what is involved, where it takes place, what offerings are made, what some of the closing prayers are. It may seem strange to begin at the end, BUT endings really are not endings, are they? Especially where spellwork is concerned!

    Hope you enjoy!

    Love

    Sister Bridget

     

  • See Mambo Sam working on Spellmaker’s Valentine’s Ritual to Erzulie Freda!

     

    Hello!

    Every year, Spellmaker puts on a free ritual for all who wish to participate to the Lwa of Love, Erzulie Freda. This year, we had the benefit of taping some parts of the ritual (the parts we can share with the public) and have made the video available to view. I was lucky enough to be the one recording Mambo Sam (you will hear my voice as I join her with the Hail Mary).  Be sure to watch it till the end, as Mambo Sam includes a special blessing for all of you. Mambo Sam, Parran Matt and myself feel very privledged to have each of you in our lives, and hope that you enjoy seeing this look into some of the things we do here at Spellmaker!

    Love

    Sister Bridget

     

  • New Moon, New Year! Super Moon, Super Year!

    New Moon, New Year! Super Moon, Super Year!

    The night of New Year’s 2014 is also the night of the first Super Moon (when the moon orbits slightly closer to Earth than usual and looks bigger in the sky) of the year, AND it is a New Moon as well. What does that mean for us? Many say that the New Moon is a time for setting intentions. The new moon is seen as the beginning or birth of the moon’s various phases. The night of the new moon is is the perfect time for birthing and planting your intentions. The dark side of the moon, with its mysterious unseen forces, offers a nurturing environment where our intentions can establish roots before their manifestations begin to sprout and reach out to the light. A New Moon on the New Year seems a really great time to set forth some positive intentions for 2014! Forget resolutions, and all that is associated with them. Take a few minutes this special night to focus your intent on what you wish 2014 holds for you. What a wonderful energy to begin this new year on 🙂

    I wish each of you a Super New Year 🙂

    Love

    Sister Bridget