Tag: spellmaker

  • Marie Laveau-A Voudou Queen of People’s Hearts

                              

     Marie Laveau; A figure of fame, pop culture and the stuff of legend to people who visit New Orleans. Her tomb in St. Louis Cemetary #1 draws thousands of visitors to the Big Easy. She has been immortalized in song, shows and artwork. But who was this woman behind all the mystery?

    Marie Laveau,also known as The Widow Paris, after her first husband departed on a sea voyage but never returned, or Marie Glapion,after she remarried, was in life a woman with an immoveable faith, a charitable soul, and the smarts of a hustler. She was a hairdresser by trade and served as a midwife, healer and also a nurse to yellow fever victims in the French Quarter during outbreaks. Marie was also known to pray long into the night with prisoners condemned to death before their execution.

    But of course her most famous incarnation was that of a voodoo priestess. She led annual rites on June 23rd, or St. John’s Eve on the shores of Lake Ponchartrain and Sunday afternoon services for those of the voodoo faith in Congo Square. Marie would advise clients who needed her counsel and magical intervention in her home on St. Ann St. (Much like our dear Mambo Sam does for spellmaker.com clients!)

    Laveau is still a prominent figure in New Orleans culture,and has a dedicated shrine at the New Orleans Healing Center where people also make requests for the voodoo queen’s intercession for problems. To ask for Marie Laveau’s assistance, it is customary to draw 3 red x’s (red likely being an homage to the red brick dust used to inscribe the wishes on her tomb, which Is no longer allowed) and the X because Laveau was said to sign her name this way),knock 3 times and leave an offering of some sort. Money,flowers,candy or an item of significance to the wisher are all acceptable offerings of thanks when she grants your request. 

    Spellmaker.com offers you a unique way to invite Madame Marie’s help into your home with the Marie Laveau House Blessing kit. If you like there is also a free spell where you can see the actual photograph of Marie Laveau’s final resting place and make a wish on the voodoo queen’s tomb. 

    In researching Marie Laveau for this article, I was inspired not just by her legendary skill as a voodoo practitioner and Spiritual Godmother to her many children. I was also very moved by her great faith (evidenced by the fact that she ministered to the sick with only the Parish Priest of St. Louis Cathedral during epidemics) and strength. Many credit Marie Laveau with the melding of Catholic Saints and the lwa of Haitian voodoo to give us the New Orleans Voodoo practice we have today. To be certain, her legacy and spirit live on today in the hearts of many. I wish you much love and many blessings if you choose to explore her life and legend. I truly hope you feel as touched by her iconic presence as much as I have been! Ayibobo!

     

  • Fear vs Faith

          “ That the birds of worry fly above your head-this you cannot change. But that they build nests in your hair-this you can prevent” -Chinese Proverb

                                            

    Hello there and thanks for allowing me another opportunity to share my thoughts! Oh worry-it has has been one of the most passionate pastimes in my life. So today I’m going to talk to you a little bit about it and some things I hope you will take the heart .I am an intrinsically anxious person. As a lifelong klutz I try to make sure I take every possible precaution to prevent me from falling or cutting myself or creating some other type of havoc (like catching my altar on fire) .Didn’t really see that one coming though. Thankfully I was able to put the fire out with no injury to self or property and I don’t recommend sprinkling Florida water on the open flame of a candle. 

    I have obsessed over everything from finances to my jobs to my love life-and the thing is I realized that throughout the course of my life so many things were not changed by my anxiety or my worry. As a matter of fact I’m certain that I have choked the magic I worked so hard to create many many times through my tendency to obsessively think about it. 

    Now- I really like to fancy myself a person of deep faith. I know there were certain spiritual things I was meant to do in this lifetime and so many circumstances have led me to this path I currently walk. 

    I once heard that faith is the opposite of fear. And what is fear? It is imagining something that has not happened ye or nay never happen.  It is  worrying constantly  that  what I have done  in fact did nothing  and just didn’t . If you look in the spellmaker.com archives there is actually a wonderful article by the late great sister Candelaria about how there are really only two emotions -love and fear. I read this article years ago, but it has always inspired me. I tried to remember in my moments of greatest doubt that I can choose to approach and think about life with either love or fear. Sometimes the fear wins. But sometimes in those shining moments of clarity the love comes out on top and I can let go of a situation and its outcome and let things unfold. I don’t need to micromanage every single thing that seems to be happening to either help or hinder me in the situation. For me this is one of the greatest blessings in life. We are so very fortunate  to have the lwa to assist us. Our spirits and our dedicated spellmaker.com family is another. 

    For me I know that if I’ve done the work and put my petitions out there those spirits will work out a way to help me that in a fashion that is also  meant for my greatest good. 

    So many times situations have worked out after I’ve done a spell. Whether it was due to a nine-day kit, a session with the cosmic voodoo eggs or even a service, so many times problems have worked out in ways that I could never have possibly imagined. Things may not always work out in the way I wanted initially but still events unfold that will allow me  to understand why  things happened and things turned out even better. 

     There is one thing I know for absolute certain; for me, never trying and  not bothering to ask would be my greatest failure. When people lie on their deathbeds they usually regret the things that they didn’t do or the words that they never said. For me that regret would be the greatest tragedy. I came into this world fighting-and I always tell myself that I will only go out that same way. 

    So I guess my point is this,really; You can do the work and you can worry less. Asking for something and trying your best really are two things that are well within your control. As for the rest, we have these wonderful gentle the benevolent  spirits who are willing to listen to our petitions and work on our behalf. And you have our wonderful Mambo Sam, Parran Matt, Sister Bridget and spellmaker family to guide you, support you and root for you every step of the way.

    In service,

    Khouzhan Morgann

     

  • A Musing on Summer Goodies

    So about those berries… 

    Okay hear me out… I know I posted all poetic and stuff about strawberries and I DO love me some fresh summer strawberries. But this year I'm really diggin the blueberries. Oh and the watermelon…. Ok AND the corn. 

    Like alot of you, there are foods that just scream summer to me.  Foods we maybe picked fresh, helped make (champion corn shucker here) or even caught (for all you avid fishermen out there). 

    The organic and slow food movement that is so popular right now makes me grateful for this. I am glad that we are reminded that food does not come from a can, a box, or a freezer bag. Food comes from the ground, the trees and the life that bustles around us. 

    And although I am eternally grateful for convenience there really is something to be said for knowing those tomatoes came from Aunt Doris's garden or that those zucchini were picked by that rosie cheeked old farmer at the outdoor market. 

    Some of these things bring back memories of departed loved ones, or summers spent with childhood friends. 

    Sun tea reminds me of my dear Nan's porch on a warm July evening, instilling the knowledge that the beautiful summer sunshine can brew better than any teapot or kettle. Cucumbers remind me of my Grammy and the rows of empty jars washed until they sparkled in the sunlight, waiting to be used for canning so we would have pickles all winter long. 

    I guess what it boils down to is this- the bounty of summer reminds me that Mother Earth has ancient, nourishing, sacred roots that lovingly nurture our place in this world… and so do I. 

    In Service, 

    Khouzhan Morgan

     

  • Happy Ogoun month!

    Wow I cannot believe it's alread July! Time soon for my annual solar return and more importantly the month we celebrate the wonderful spirit General Ogoun!

    Those of you who have worked with some of our products are likely familiar with this wonderful powerhouse of a lwa. The July 4th holiday, with its theme of Independence, fireworks and American flags lets me feel his presence in everything. 

    Ogoun's love of flags, the color red, and energy of David v Goliath change seems to be everywhere right now. 

    Just a reminder that Ogoun can be called on for immediate protection from physical harm and when you desire great change in a magical situation. That is why you will often see the image of a butterfly around Ogoun altars. He is often referred to as Papillion which is French for butterfly!

    Ogoun is a great strategist and is above most everything else, a military man. So when I think of our brave soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines who keep us safe and keep the banners of freedom flying all around the globe, I always ask Ogoun to be with them❤️🤍💙.

    Happy July, General Ogoun! Ayibobo! 

  • Summer Cinema

    Recently we had a heat wave here in Pa. Having this kind of weather for several days in a row generally reduces my itty bitty little house to a stuffy little sauna/toaster oven.

    The only indoor respite from this kind of weather is to retreat with a cold drink to a dark room with air conditioning and something fun to watch.

    It got me thinking about how many movies and television shows contain magic nowadays. I feel like that wasn't always a thing-I mean-it was always my thing-but a thing for more mainstream stuff? Meh-not so much.

    Besides that, seeing voodoo/hoodoo on screen is even more of a rarity. It is often portrayed in a bad light, or in a very exaggerated manner.

    Still, sometimes the depictions get it right, or somewhat right, and it just makes my heart sing. It makes me happy that this wonderful practice is getting some acknowledgement and exposure. 

    Here are some shows and movies that feature voodoo or voodoo themes, good, bad, or indifferent:

    American Horror Story-Coven

    The Princess and the Frog

    Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

    Angel Heart 

    Skeleton Key

    Criminal Minds-Corazon

    Bones-The Man in the Morgue

    Orange is the New Black-various episodes with Gloria's backstory

    *This is by no means a complete list but just represents shows and movies that I have personally seen. 

    I would love to hear about any other depictions of voodoo on screen at morgan@spellmaker.com

    Happy Viewing! 

    In Service

    Khouzhan Morgan

    Skeleton Key

    Eve's Bayou

    Angel Heart

     

  • Days of Strawberries and Roses

    So today is the last "supermoon" of 2021 and will be at peak fullness at about 2:40 PM EST.

    As a lifelong lover of all things pink, I love that this moon can often have a glow as if viewed through rose colored glasses. 💕🌚🌹What a fitting way to describe that lunar effect on our emotions and the world at large! 🤗

    In fact this moon is known as the strawberry moon, the rose moon, and even the honey mead moon. June always did mean the yummiest berries and the most beautiful and plentiful roses of the year here in the northeast US. 

    In the latest edition of collecting random facts I learned a little something today. Mead, a medieval  fermented beverage brewed from honey, was the celebratory beverage of choice for wedding feasts. And that the aptly named post wedding couples getaway the "honeymoon" may very likely have received that name because June is traditionally the month for weddings.

    It's a great time to charge divination tools, altar accessories and crystals under the glow of the Summer Solstice sun AND the full moon. 

    That being said, I should get to that. All this energy has me kind of inspired. And I suspect I know someone who would love some pretty pink roses😉. 

    In service, 

    Khouzhan Morgan

     

  • Here comes the Rain Again

    At last the glory of summertime is upon us with her long languishing sunny days and her warm nights that brazenly hum with inviting expectation. But today we have cool rain.

    I never lament dreary days in the summer. I love the energy of a thunderstorm, the way the downpour sounds on the roof, and the peaceful stillness it affords. Nature makes sure that everything outside keeps growing, and inside it allows my imagination to blossom in solitude.

    I love to light candles "in case the lights go out" all the while knowing I am just finding an excuse to burn them.

    There is magic there, in the rain, in the isolation, the way water washes over everything and makes it clean.

    The misty fog hovers along our rural roads like the whispers of a spirit, beckoning us to uncover what is unknown or even  frightening to us.

    Indeed, sometimes we are lucky enough to spy a beautiful rainbow, in all her glorious shades, her colors painting the sky in hope and endless possibility.

    I try to "catch" rain water for Ayido Wedo, the rainbow serpent and wife of the great Papa Damballah. I truly believe that these great spirits are like the foundation of the Earth herself. Ever present, solid, and quietly supporting us as we surge- unaware through day to day life. I am so very grateful for them. 

    What about nature nspires you to  be fanciful, grateful or magical? We love to hear your stories at customerservice@spellmaker.com.

    In service and with love and light, 

    Khouzhan Morgan

     

     

     

    What inspires you when Mother Nature showers us with the waters of life? Does it bring out the magic in you? 

  • Readings during castings.

    Hey there!

    Below are some very wise words from our dear, dear late Sister Candelaria. This is a topic we see come up from time to time, and every once in a while, I think it bears repeating.  This is not directed at any one in particular (as Sister says below).  But it is important information everyone should know 🙂

    ***Begin post****

    The reason why we ask you not to have readings while you are casting,

    is quite simple. When you are actually casting a spell on someone or

    having one cast for you, the energy surrounding that person and the

    entire situation is all stirred up. Any time you read the energy

    around spellwork, during the casting process, you will get a turmoil

    of emotion. Spellwork stirs the pot, so to speak, and shakes things

    up. That's what it's crafted to do! Because of this, any time you

    get a reading during spellwork the reading will not be accurate.

    It's just a simple fact. I have had some people tell me recently

    (I'm not pointing fingers, I've heard this more than once.) that they

    got a reading during spellwork and it was accurate because they were

    told what they expected to hear, such as "your HD is blocking"

    or "your HD has no emotion toward you." Even though you were willing

    to take that as an accurate answer, I'm here to tell you that it was

    NOT AN ACCURATE ANSWER, because that person was in the midst of

    receiving your spellwork, thus their emotions were all twisted and

    turned around!! Now, those are pretty mild for a reading during

    spellwork. Other examples of readings during spellwork are "your HD

    doesn't like you," or "your HD wants you to just go away and leave

    him alone,"or even "I don't think you and your HD will be together."

    THOSE ARE NOT ACCURATE READINGS EITHER, yet if someone tells you that

    about your HD, you are going to believe it!! So you would take that

    information, thinking it was correct, and you would process it over

    and over again in your heart and in your mind and you would start to

    have negative (hurt) feelings about your HD and it would basically

    break your heart. This in turn will cause real damage to your case,

    simply because you are putting negative energy toward it. But here's

    the kicker…THAT INFORMATION WAS NOT TRUE, YET YOU TOOK IT TO HEART,

    AND YOUR SPELLWORK IS NOT EVEN FINISHED YET!!! You've taken a step

    toward destroying something that you have not even completed yet.

    That's not constructive, my friends! In fact, that's destructive and

    I have seen it hurt cases that could have had a swift and successful

    end.

     

    So basically what I'm saying is, that even though it sounds like a

    good idea, GETTING A PSYCHIC READING DURING SPELLWORK IS NEVER AN

    OPTION. It's not fair to you, it's not fair to your HD, and it's not

    fair to your case. It's destructive, and it really can do serious

    damage to your case. Mambo has set down these rules to help you. I

    know it's hard, but I can tell you that if you play by the rules

    Mambo has set forth, you have much greater chance of getting your

    Heart's Desire, and isn't that why you are here in the first place.:-)

     

    So, as far as getting psychic readings during spellwork…Please

    DON'T DO IT!! We want you all to get your HD! Help us, help you.

    ***End Post***

    Love

    Sister Bridget

     

  • Candle Magick 101!

    Hello All!

    I came across this post written by Mambo Sam from waaaaaay back in the day when Yahoo! groups were new 🙂 It is an awesome post (of course!) about candle magick, how it differs from but is complementary to NOV, and so much more. I am sure you will enjoy it!

    Love

    Sister Bridget

    IMG_20150111_002220

    ***** Begin post****

    Hello! There has been much discussion on the list about our candle magick kits1 I just wanted to elaborate a bit and help to alleviate some of the confusion surrounding our candle magick kits.

     

    And to head off the obvious question of where they are located on the spellmaker.com website, you can find them here:  www.spellmaker.com/witch.htm 🙂

     

    (edit note – as most of you know, Spellmaker now offers candle burning services which can be viewed here – www.spellmaker.com/candleburn.htm )

     

    HISTORY: A little bit about the candle magick kits: The candle magick kits are based on my tradition of Old New Orleans Witchcraft. This is a separate entity from my tradition of New Orleans Voodoo, BUT I find they work hand-in-hand very well. There is certainly NO contraindication to using our New Orleans Voodoo products with our New Orleans Witchcraft products. They simply strengthen each other. New Orleans Witchcraft is a much more loosely-constructed practice than New Orleans Voodoo. This doesn't mean one is more desirable than the other, but New Orleans Witchcraft is not a religion. New Orleans Witchcraft is more based simply on trying to achieve a goal. As most of you know, New Orleans Voodoo works on that premise as well, BUT (as many of you have experienced), you get many benefits

    from the New Orleans voodoo spiritually. New Orleans Witchcraft can bring you to a spiritual place, but New Orleans Voodoo picks up from there in spiritual practice.

     

    The candle magick kits are not a substitute for doing regular spell kits for your situation. However, in cases where there is difficulty, extreme stubborness on the part of your goal, extreme damage that has been done to a relationship, etc. – candle magick kits are an excellent way to put some extra effort into your goal.

     

    USAGE OF CANDLE MAGICK KITS: One very popular usage that I have recommended to people and, thusly, Sister Bridget and caseworkers have been recommending, is the use of three white male or female candle magick kits. This type of usage is very powerful if you feel that your heart's desire is a very stubborn type of person, or if you have been told (or know) that they are somehow spiritually damaged, or if they are the type of person who has been through extreme trauma in their life, or if your relationship with them was exceedingly damaged through negative influence either outside or inside the relationship. The three candle magick kits are used on Body, Mind, and Spirit, one candle for each of these.

     

    What you are petitioning for (and this assumes you are going to do or have done regular and/or deluxe spell kits) is that these problems/challenges/influences be removed from the Body, the Mind, and the Spirit of the person you are working on. That this person be healed of that negative damage, that they become whole again, that they have the ability to accept your spell work. Usage of the candles in this way is truly an act of healing. In essence, you aren't asking for them to come back to you, you aren't asking for any benefit to yourself EXCEPT that they have the ability to "hear" you through your spell work. Some clients have had great success using our St. Louis Cemetery #1 Black Banishing(tm) incense at the same time. Remember, you are using it to banish the negativity, and word your petition accordingly.

     

    This same method can be used to try to facilitate true physical healing of a person who is sick, a person who is under the influence of drugs, a person who is depressed, and so on.

     

    The same tact can be used when using pink or red male/female image candles to enhance the romance/love part of the relationship. In this case, the difference, of course, is that now you are asking them to accept your love, feel your love, and return your love. Again, Body, Mind, Spirit. This usage is appropriate having done spell work and feeling like the relationship still needs an extra "power boost." This, of course, has a lot to do with the status of the relationship, and how bad things are/were before, during, and after spell work.

     

    Other methods to using the candle magick kits are if you have gris- gris bags from your spell work, put them near the candle magick kits when using them. Hold them and petition much the same as you did with the spell work. Also, using one of our incenses appropriate to the situation along with the candle magick kit boosts the strength as well. Of course, I think everyone doing spell work should own a High John the Conqueror root bag — it strengthens ALL magick. If you have a love doll (deluxe or regular, doesn't matter, OR if you have dolls from a deluxe love spell) that you are using for your heart's desire, you can also put your love doll near the candle(s) and send more energy that way, too. (Just don't do the whole love doll ritual at this time, just use the doll itself.) Again, usage of all these things depends on your perception of how difficult the situation is! Not all situations warrant extra work and truthfully only you can be the real judge of that. Naturally, your caseworker or Sister Bridget can help you with that decision, but when you get right down to it, no one knows your situation better than you.

     

    Many of you have asked about usage of the Famous Red Mummy Power candle magick kit. This kit is used particularly to help gain control over a situation. Now, this doesn't necessarily mean trying to control the person in question. However, PROPERLY DIRECTED control can be very useful. This candle is especially useful if you are feeling helpless and out of communication in your situation. This candle can be used to help facilitate contact with your heart's desire, i.e., "controlling" the situation so that you run into each other, or that s/he suddenly thinks of a reason why s/he needs to contact you. It can also be used to help control an interfering party to get out of the situation.

     

    The Famous Black Mummy candle should only be used on an interfering party if they have KNOWINGLY interfered in your relationship, job, etc., and have done evil to you that was through no fault of your own. Again, this is a "control" candle — interfering with their life in the way they have interfered in yours and to send them out of your life. This is when you need a leg up on a situation that has gotten out of control due to the influence of someone who knew about you, went out of their way to harm you, and basically has no conscience about what they did to you.

     

    The New Orleans Red Witch love candle is something that is used to acquire either new love or help rekindle an old love. It is a milder candle that is based on what was once known as "crimson witch magick." The Crimson Witch was supposedly once a real person (early 1800's) who did witchcraft to save marriages, get those girls or guys who had no real prospects a relationship, etc. She was purported to be a kind old lady interested in bringing happiness to others. Interestingly enough, the legend goes that she never married having lost her own true love to some kind of accident.

     

    The 7 knob wishing candles are just what they say – candles for wishes. A wish is made on each knob of the candle, whether it be for spirituality, love, money, etc. You can make a different wish on each knob, or the same one on each knob.

     

    There has also been some talk here that using one of our potions on your candles make them much stronger. The potions ARE much stronger than the regular oils. The potions are based on very strong magickal principles. As to HOW much stronger (four times, ten times, fifty times stronger), I don't really think there is any way to know that. But obvious wisdom says that if you use a product that is naturally stronger, you are upping the strength of the candle. Again, usage is based on your perception of your situation – unless you are advised to do so by Sister B or your caseworker. When they recommend a strategy such as this, they have a good reason for it – they are either being guided, or have seen a good result in a similar situation. Many times, we recommend to other clients what we have seen work for a client in a similar situation. Certainly we want everyone to benefit from everyone else's success!

     

    I hope this is helpful to you all.

     

    Love,

    Mambo Sam