Tag: spellmaker

  • To my soulmate…..

    Hello,

    I came across this article just yesterday online. It addresses something which Mambo Sam has said, well, forever, which is this more than one person (some call it soul mates) for each of us.  I believe many of us have experienced that strong moment of recognition of another person that is almost indescribable. You feel as if you know them, I mean really know them, and yet how can that logically be when your first glimpse of him/her was just a moment ago?

    Imagine if there were truly only one person we were supposed to meet up with while here on Earth. How long would the odds be that first, we would actually find them… it is a big planet, after all. And then if we do find them, that they are available? And that we are also available? And then that there is no cultural or economic or other issue which is not getting in the way? See where this is going?

    With that in mind, it makes sense to me that we have multiple opportunities to love in this life. Because, as the author sums up so well…

    "It is powerful to acknowledge these soulmates and thank them for the small reminder that in this massive, swallowing world we are never without the possibility of love."

    Hope you enjoy the article!

    Love,

    Sister Bridget

     

    Begin article:

    To my Soulmate which I choose not to love

    by Janne Robinson

    I have a theory that we have multiple “ones.”

    That there is not just one soul reserved for us to love, learn and go deep with.

    This was a hard lesson to learn, meeting my first soulmate, one—what have you, and realizing I wasn’t going to spend the rest of my life with him.

    I remember grieving the day he got engaged, because in a hopeful, stubborn way part of my heart had refused—until that moment—to believe he wasn’t my forever person.

    He was on the wishful back burner of my heart.

    I called my mother, in tears and she told me that he still was my person. He still was a one. He was still my soul mate.

    I realized that just because he wasn’t my forever didn’t invalidate his importance in my life and our connection.

    Our connection has remained something incredibly significant, something I fall back upon in my heart when I need to.

    When I need to remember exactly what I want in a partner, I remember what a staggering soul he is—and I wait.

    I want to talk today about the other “ones,” the soulmates we may meet while we are single or in a relationship that we don’t end up with.

    That we have a sure fire connection with, real as any—but because of timing we don’t always go deep with.

    I think it is incredibly mature to, without shame, acknowledge that in our lifespan we will bump into handfuls of succulent souls we want to take a bite out of.

    Whether we are single, in a relationship, engaged or married we will run into other ones.

    I also don’t think acknowledging these connections means we love our partners or want to be in our relationship less—it just means there’s a f*ck ton of souls/lovers on this planet we could dance with/learn from.

    They are the ones we meet in a coffee line-up, the one beside us in our yoga class, the guy at the bbq who’s engaged.

    It’s the ones we meet and feel an undeniably powerful connection.

    A connection that leaves us wanting to know more.

    I think we make a choice, whether we engage in these connections.

    These words are for the ones we meet and don’t explore. 

    The ones we love fully but don’t spend the rest of our lives with.

    Those we run into at the grocery store and never see again.

    The lovers we never take apart with our lips.

    The partners we don’t open to and go deep with.

    The people we don’t have a chance to have a first soul dip with.

    The soul mates we skip coffee with, and look over our shoulder—for just a slight moment and wonder about.

    The connections that exist that are missed, by choice.

    Because we are involved, because they are unavailable, because one is simply not ready for love.

    These ones are just as important as the forever–for we are here to connect, and what a gift to know that there are endless humans to open our hearts to and dance with.

    What a treat to grow with multiple souls in a lifespan, or to simply know there are others out there who want to grow with us.

    It is powerful to acknowledge these soulmates and thank them for the small reminder that in this massive, swallowing world we are never without the possibility of love.

     

  • Ancestor Candle Making!

    Hello dear readers!

    As most of you probably already know, we have begun making ancestor candles and offering them in our Etsy shop!  Parran Matt is hand making these candles and we are consecrating them in the names you provide for ancestor service. Each and every candle is handmade, hand poured, specifically for the person who orders it.   Even though we always think of the ancestors at this time of year, we certainly will be offering this candle year round, as anytime is a good time to work with and honor your ancestors.  

    The making of these candles has been such a fulfilling experience!  We ask each person to send in names of their ancestors when they order the candle.  Then using an "ashes to ashes" type of mindset, we burn those names and offer up a prayer of honor to your ancestors.

      Candleashes

    After the ashes are burned and the proper prayers have been said, the ashes are then added to the candle wax of your candle.

    Candleashesinwax

     

    Your candle is then poured into the skull mold and allowed to cool and then get ready for shipping to you along with incense, a little bottle of Fet Ghede potion, and instructions on how to use your candle for ancestor service.

    If you don't know WHY you are serving your ancestors, let me just say that you must thank them for life itself… without them, there is NO YOU!  If you are going through tough times, feel lost, have problems you cannot find the solution to,  call upon your ancestors.  If you are doing well, prospering, and living a happy life, then thank your ancestors!  

    Ancestor service is certainly not unique to the Vodou life; many, many cultures and religions offer honor and service to their ancestors.  All Souls' Day, Dia de los Muertos, and many other celebrations all offer honor to our ancestors. However, as Vodouisants, we believe that not just one day is for ancestor service, but rather we always want to keep our ancestors in mind.  Our hierarchy is:  God, ancestors, the lwa.   So your ancestors are considered even more important than the lwa themselves; if you call upon the lwa, you should also be honoring your ancestors! 🙂

    Your ancestors know you; they can protect you, guide you, and walk with you.  All you need to do is call on them and offer them the respect that they so richly deserve. This particular candle is one way to do just that! 

    If you need it by Fet Ghede (November 2, 2014), then please order by 10/24/2014.  However, the candle can be used anytime!

    https://www.etsy.com/listing/207245046/maman-brigittes-ancestor-memorial-candle

    Love, light, and peace,

    Mambo Samantha Corfield

    www.spellmaker.com

     

     

     

  • A new look at Ancestor Service.

    As Vodouisants, calling on, feeding, and honoring our ancestors is something we are very familiar with. Our Ancestors are a part of us; they are with us and around us always. Ancestors can be called on as a group, or individually. It is fairly traditional to hold an Ancestor service one a year, but they can be held anytime at all. Just yesterday I was at one of my favorite spots in a local cemetery, and came across this site***

    Partygrave1

      Partygrave2 copy

    The family and friends of this departed little boy had held his tenth birthday party for him. At first, a wave of sadness passed through me. But after a moment, I realized the people at this party were far from sad. I could see them decorating with streamers, laughing and joking, sharing stories about their little one, but also telling stories to him. I am certain there was a cake with candles, balloons, presents (which were left here with him) and punch. He was very much a participant in his own celebration. 

    Even though this young person passed before many of those in his family, he is still of their blood, and thus, now an Ancestor. The openness and joy in this birthday party was, for me, very moving.  It has given me much to consider (or reconsider) about the “routine” my own service has fallen into. I plan on shaking things up a bit next time around! 

    Love

    Sister Bridget

     

    (***Names and dates have been photoshopped out)

     

  • Words of Wisdom from Mambo !

    Hi there-

    As I was hunting through some old files just now, looking for something completely different, I ran across this post by Mambo Sam from back on the old Yahoo! forum! (Remember when….. hee hee) Anyhow, it seemed relevent to a few folks I have spoken to this week, so I decided to dust it off and repost it 🙂

    Hope you all have a wonderful weekend and enjoy some warm summer sun!

    Love

    Sister Bridget

     

    Begin post:

    JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS, SELF SABOTAGE, AND MORE
     
    Hello everyone,
    I wanted to post a few words here (which I have done before) about
    certain people immediately jumping to conclusions about their heart's
    desire, self-sabotaging their own work, and not giving spell work its
    due time.
     
    Sorry, (Yahoo! forum name redacted!)  you get to be my guinea pig for this post, but
    believe me you are in excellent company! :-)
     
    So you saw your HD's car at her current boyfriend's house, or his at
    her's or whatever: So the immediate conclusion is that the spells
    aren't working (which are barely finished, by the way), they MUST be
    getting closer, I'm going to tell her off/cut her off from the one
    real contact I have with her (really bad idea), etc., etc. Folks,
    this is so common of a reaction that it isn't even funny anymore.
     
    I have posted many times about how spell work ebbs and flows, how the
    target of the spell work has to come to some conclusions on their
    own, how sometimes the couple you are trying to break up seems to get
    closer - because that is what needs to happen for them to see just
    how bad they are for each other.
     
    When you choose the path of spell work, you are choosing to do
    something proactive in your case. Additionally, you now carry the
    burden of knowledge and patience. YOU know about they spell work,
    THEY don't (hopefully, right?). With this knowledge comes
    responsibility of allowing the process to happen in the way that is
    best for all involved. This is a SPIRITUAL path, most of the rules
    of the PHYSICAL world no longer apply. Yes, I said "most" - because
    obviously some still do apply - we still live in the physical world,
    after all.
     
    However, too many of you are just very willing to shoot yourself in
    the foot! If you are lucky enough to have any kind of cordial
    contact with your heart's desire, why would you want to cut that off?
    Because it is too "painful" for you? Well, obviously it was too
    painful to be without them, thus you have embarked on a spiritual
    path to your goal. This brings the responsibility of being the
    bigger person. Spell work is not without responsibility to the spell
    caster. This means that you have chosen to do both the spiritual
    work and the physical work to try to obtain your goal.
     
    Is there the possibility of failure? Yes, of course. But this is
    true with any worthwhile endeavor - there is always the possibility
    of failure. But failure after having tried your best is no shame;
    with anything, if you have to walk away from it and you tried all you
    knew to do, then you have not really failed at all. You made the
    supreme effort.
     
    Therefore, if you were willing to make the supreme effort, please be
    willing to see it through. There is so much hyseteria over little
    things lately that I wonder what some of you are thinking. I have
    posted over and over again that there are ups and downs, there are
    times when things seem to regress, this is a natural part of the
    progress. Of course, it is normal to be disheartened or to feel
    bad, but some of you seem to allow that to permeate your very soul.
    Negativity is a very strong energy and as human beings, for whatever
    reason, we seem to gravitate to it more readily than we do to
    positive energy.
     
    It's like I have told a couple of you during consultations, humans
    will embrace the least little negative thing: Let's say you have a
    new outfit and go to a party wearing it. 19 people tell you that you
    look great in it; the 20th person you talk to says you look terrible
    in the outfit. You will never wear it again. The 19 peoples' good
    opinions are out the window; the 20th person's bad opinion sticks in
    your head. So, negative energy is easy to embrace and we all do it;
    it is a fight to embrace and stay positive. But, it is something you
    should all strive to do. Quit being so ready to sabotage yourself at
    every turn. Please.
     
    Love,
    Mambo Sam


    END POST!

     

  • Healthy Relationships begin with Ourselves!

    Hello there!

    I was just reading this article, and the LAST line really grabbed me – it says

    “It’s crucial to have a great relationship with ourselves because it’s the only relationship that you are guaranteed to have every day of your life!”

    Seems so simple, right? Yet, it came as a bit of a "Duh!" moment for me. I am posting a link here to the rest of the article. I hope some other folks out there find it helpful as well.

    6 Ways You Can Have a Healthy Relationship with Yourself

    Love

    Sister Bridget

     

  • Relationship advice from the Harvard Business School!

    Well, sort of! I found  this short article published by the Harvard Business School which talks about how to avoid those pesky knee-jerk reactions we can have in tough situations or during tough conversations. And while we try really hard not to get into these tough conversations in the immediate post-casting period, sometimes, well, stuff happens! And sure, we are not in a "business" relationship with our HDs, we are still in a relationship and this advice seems very applicable. The actual HBR tips are at the bottom of this post. These 3 here have been modified for our particular situations:

    1 – Know yourself! Take some time and look back at how you have reacted in the past in difficult situations and how other people reacted. This can be the hardest thing of all to do! But we can not change what we are not aware of (Sorry for the Dr. Phil reference!) so even though it can be tough, spend some time in reflection on this topic.

    2- Have a plan! It is infinitely easier to come up with a plan when you are NOT in the heat of the moment. If things have been tense with your HD and there is a chance things might go sideways, thing ahead and have plan incase they do. If you are having trouble coming up with a plan, ask your caseworker.

    3- Its OK to say No! (Sometimes…) so this one I have  to put a caveat. Certainly, if you are feeling super emotional or sad or angry then for sure, it may not be the best time to see HD that day. Why set yourself (and your spellwork) up for failure? If you are just maybe in a snit because HD did not return your text fast enough, then sorry – Suck it up, Buttercup! Take the high road, be nice, polite and responsive 🙂 This one is a little tricky, and again, if you have any questions or need any guidance, by all means ask your caseworker. Oh – and avoid sarcasm. Trust me! When tensions are high, it is *always* misinterpreted!

    Strive for this –                   

    not this –

    Love

    Sister Bridget

     

    Override Your Default Reactions in a Tough Conversation (From Harvard Business Review 7/3/14)

     
    In a difficult conversation, our default reactions can lead to unproductive outcomes. You’ll perform better in those tough moments if you’re conscious of how you want to react. Here’s how:

    • Know your defaults. Make a list of daily interpersonal situations, like meetings, conversations, negotiations, and conflicts. Then identify your default behaviors — interrupting, becoming aggressive, micromanaging, or jumping to conclusions.
    • Plan your overrides. Before these challenging moments arise, envision how you’d ideally like to respond. For instance, if you want to overcome your tendency to interrupt, rehearse being a more active, engaged listener.
    • Design your days. Self-control varies across a day and a workweek. Why schedule high-conflict conversations before lunch or at the end of the day? If your morning becomes unexpectedly difficult, reshuffle your afternoon to avoid letting a snide comment or criticism slip.

  • Happy Summer Solstice 2014!

    Hey all!

    Wishing each of you a very happy Summer Solstice today! It is the longest day of the year (and the shortest night!)  I hope each of you get to enjoy it in your own, unique way. There are many different things you can do to honor the day. If you do not have alot of time today, your celebration does not have to be elaborate. Or you can work it in to your already busy schedule! You can sit in the grass and meditate for a few minutes, or read a book in the sun, or have a cook out, go for a swim, water your plants, wash your car. You get the idea!  Get outside and feel the warmth of the sun on your face and breathe in the fresh air! Whether it is for a few moments or a few hours, enjoy the warmth and energy of this special day!

    I will be posting some pictures of the Spellmaker Solstice fun later on! Stay tuned!

    Love

    Sister Bridget

    Lionsun

  • Strawberry Moon!

    Hello!

    A while back I started a series on the lore of the different names of  Full Moons. With all the talk about this upcoming Full Moon on Friday the 13th, it seems like a great time to address the June Moon. The moon will be full at precisely 12:11 a.m. Friday, so essentially on Thursday night, not Friday night. But it will still shine brightly on Friday

    The month of June's full Moon's name is the Full Strawberry Moon. June's Full Strawberry Moon got its name because the Algonquin tribes knew it as a signal to gather ripening fruit.The Algonquin tribes knew this Moon as a time to gather ripening strawberries. It is also known as the Rose Moon and the Honey Moon.

    In Europe, the June Full Moon is known as the Full Rose Moon, perhaps because they have more roses there than strawberries 🙂

    This month's moon is also known as a "Honey Moon" because it can have a slightly golden tint. That's because it appears low in the sky, meaning we are viewing it through the lens of more of the Earth's atmosphere.   The atmosphere reddens its color.

    The next time the moon will be full on a Friday the 13th will be in 2049. That is 35 years from now! However you choose to spend this very unique evening, I hope you make it memorable!

    Love

    Sister Bridget

    Strawberrymoon

     

     

  • Rutt Rowe and other things….

    Hello!

    For a while now, I have been following Mike Rowe on Facebook.  You may remember Mike from the TV show Dirty Jobs, or recognise his voice from the Deadliest Catch.  Mike is a smart guy, and has alot of interesting things to say.  He is not political. He is not irrational. He is well read, realistic and very well spoken.  He has a foundation in which he is working hard to create well trained workers to fill the many open job opportunities here in America. His posts can be very entertaining (see the ones about the contest to name his new puppy – Fred won, but I was so rooting for Rutt!). Today, tho, I read some words from Mike that fully stopped me in my tracks…..

    "What you do, who you’re with, and how you feel about the world around you, is completely up to you."

    Seems simple at first glance, right? Obvious, even. Then sit with it a while and see what questions come up for you.  Do you begin to notice some icky little demons pop out of the closet in your mind? Boundary issues?  Empowerment struggles? Self doubt? I know I did!

    It is worth a little time to sit with these words and examine what in you is holding you back from being happy. Happy in your relationships, Happy in your job, Happy in your head – The choice is ours. It always  has been.

    Love,

    Sister Bridget

    PS Thanks, Mike. And if you ever do decide to run for President, you have my vote!

    Mike rowe

     

     

     

  • Where ever you go….

    …there you are!

    So, in my head, I actually thought this quote was from a Ziggy cartoon when I was a child. I did a little searching and found the quite attributed to a few different people, but not Ziggy, so I must be mis-remembering. AnYwAy….. Most of you know I moved across country a few months ago.. BIG life change – HUGE! New place, new life, new weather, great people! Yet sometimes (today being one of those times) I find some old patterns arising again. I came across the article below, and it made me look at myself and my "inner surroundings" in a new light. I hope you enjoy!

    Love

    Sister Bridget

     

    Not As Happy As You Want To Be…..

    Once we treat our inner self with respect, patience and love, we transform not only ourselves but those around us.  We see the world as a place of beauty; a vast area to live and breathe openly and with great joy.

             Do you love your life?  Are you not as happy as you would like to be?  Sometimes it's what is happening on the inside that drives what is occurring on the outside.  How many times does it feel to you that your life is out of control?  Stuff is happening so fast and so often.  Your kids aren't listening, the dog isn't listening and your husband says you didn't tell him what you know you told him.  Is it them?  Or is it you?You aren't going to like this…it is you.  If you are unhappy with what is going on, the first place to look is to you.  Great news though, you have the power to change it all.  Yes, you do!  What is going on inside is causing the turmoil on the outside.  What are your thoughts about yourself?  Are they positive, encouraging and supporting?  Or are they more along the lines of "I can't believe I forgot that, you idiot!"  I won't go on – I'm aiming for an upbeat feel here. If your thoughts are negative and you are always putting yourself down, the chances are the negativity is all around your being.  Therefore, when people aren't listening to you, you get annoyed, aggravated and even angry at them.  I call that the outward manifestation of your inner being.  What it really is though, is that you are truly annoyed, aggravated and angry at yourself.  So, then how can you turn that around and get the results you are wanting? Here are five tips to turn it around:

    1. Remember that you have the power to change what you do not like by taking small simple steps.
    2. Stop being so hard on yourself.  When you hear your inner voice say something negative, stop it right there and remember a time where you felt confident.
    3. Be kind and encouraging to yourself.  Treat yourself as you would another person and you'll soon shift to a better inner feeling.
    4. Start talking to yourself in a more positive and supporting way.
    5. Begin to pay attention to how you are being with others.  Are you showing up in a negative, unloving way and if so, shift that to a positive and loving manner.

    Through your actions, what you will begin to see is a transformation in yourself.  You will see that you are communicating clearly and that others are really listening.  It's almost like magic and truly beautiful.  You will notice yourself responding differently to others, and others responding to you in a good, positive, very pleasing way.We see the outer part of ourselves so often we forget that we have an inner self as well.  Once we treat our inner self with respect, patience and love, we transform not only ourselves but those around us.  We see the world as a place of beauty; a vast area to live and breathe openly and with great joy.

     
    (Source ArticleFactory)