Tag: Sheer

  • What Does Spring Mean to You?

    Happy Monday, everyone!

    Another spring is upon us! What does that mean for you? 🙂 (And that is besides sneezing, runny nose, and itchy eyes! LOL.)


    I love spring and for me it always mean “renewal.” I try to think of new ways to look at things – where can I seek a fresh perspective on an old problem? Are there projects that I abandoned and might still be worthy of finishing? What about my attitude? Might I need an attitude adjustment coming out of the winter and into the spring sunshine?


    This is just such a wonderful time to think about renewal, rebirth, cleansing, getting a fresh start, etc. Sometimes this is a great time to get a “fresh start” even on something that you have been working on for a long time!!


    For instance, have you been doing spell work on a particular subject for what seems like a really long time? Sometimes we begin to lose perspective on that subject because we have been working at it for so long. We may have been doing so much work on it that we are now just going through the motions of the work! That is something to be on the look out for!!!


    If you have been doing your spell work for quite awhile now and you aren’t quite where you want to be, I suggest taking a little break from your work! Unless you are in the middle of one of the Creole Voodoo™ spell kits that you have to do nine days in a row with, it isn’t a bad idea sometimes to take a little break!


    For some people, just taking a few days off of working on that particular goal can bring about fresh perspective, renewed energy, etc. It can be helpful during that break to perhaps do a little bit of work on yourself – some cleansing with something such as the Milk of Damballah™ white bath, white male or female candles,, etc. can renew your spirit, resolve, and vigor greatly!!!


    It is just as important to keep yourself fresh and renewed in your spell work as it is to continue to work towards your goal. If you are worn out and feeling sort of “autumnal” – perhaps doing some spring cleaning on your spirit might be just the thing to shake your energy and your case up!


    Love, light, peace, and Happy Spring,

    Mambo Sam
    Greenborder

  • Feed Hungry Children – Great American Bake Sale

    Hello everyone!  In the spirit of St. Joseph's Day (see yesterday's post, please), I would like to bring to your attention, the Great American Bake Sale!  This is a really cool way to help feed hungry children.

    I found out about this on the Food Channel Network and checked into it.  The set up for this is really great in that you sign up to hold a bake sale in your area and the proceeds will benefit community programs that feed children.  But what is really great is that you can also sign up to hold a "virtual bake sale."  That is such a great idea, isn't it??  Most people may not have the time to actually put together a bake sale and host it in their community.  However, if you do the virtual bake sale, the Great American Bake Sale website helps you build your own little web page and offers a function where you can email your friends and family and ask them to contribute to your virtual bake sale. 

    If you think about it, even if someone can just contribute a dollar or two to your virtual bake sale, all those dollars add up!

    If you can host a bake sale in your community, or even host a virtual bake sale, you can offer that as a service to Les Lois.  Remember especially the lwa such as Erzulie Freda, Maman Brigitte, Baron Samedi, Papa Loko, Erzulie Dantor, Ayida Ouedo, Ayizan, and others are very concerned with the welfare and protection of children.  Doing any kind of participation in a program such as this can certainly also be a service to our beloved lwa while making a difference in American communities where hunger in children is a huge problem.  We have a tendency to think that hungry children just exist in third world countries where it "isn't our problem." 

    But if as Americans, we think that all American children are well fed and well taken care of, I am sorry to say that we are wrong.  Thousands of American children go to bed hungry and homeless every night.  I was appalled to hear that right here in Albuquerque, New Mexico (and we are not a huge city), they estimate 4,500 children to be homeless right now!!!  It is unfathomable to me that we have ONE homeless child in America, but the statistics are both staggering and alarming.  Participation in a program such as Great American Bake sale can help.  Don't be fooled into thinking that you are "just one person" and cannot help!  This particular organization has a set up to allow everyone to do something in an easy and pretty quick way!  🙂

    I am working on setting up our Sheer Goddess Great American Bake Sale page and I urge each of you to do the same.  It only takes a few minutes, it doesn't cost anything to participate (especially if you choose to do the virtual bake sale option  – then it will only cost you some of your time), and the rewards of your participation will feed a child.  Light up some candles, call upon your favorite lwa, and tell them what you are doing as a service to them and your fellow human beings.  :-)  

    If you cannot participate, I will be publicizing our Great American Bake Sale page and taking donations for a virtual bake sale over the next couple of days.  :-)  Like I said, even if you can only donate a dollar or two, it will add up!  As for my local gals and guys - Matt, Berkeley, Debie, Travis, Eshita, Eileen, Cindy, Darla, Jeanne, Ronda…and whomever I forgot,  you know who you are – haha – we WILL be doing a real bake sale coming up soon!  So start getting your recipes on! 

    Love, Mambo Sam

    Woman_breaking_eggs_over_bowl_md_clr

  • Workplace Etiquette Article

    Greetings everyone!
    Many of you petitioned for new jobs or getting a job during our Sobo Ritual yesterday. In the spirit of “it has already happened” I am going to assume that many of you who are not working will be working soon!

    In doing Get a Job spells for many people over the years, I have noticed that when they tell me the story of what happened on their last job(s), they often have little insight into why they were unable to keep a job. 🙂

    This article came across my desk and having had more than a few management jobs in my life, I felt like this was a good one! So many of us walk into the workplace with little or not cognizance of what we should or should not do! Even for a seasoned professional, a little reminder never hurt.

    Since I know many of you out-of-work folks will soon be getting a job here is an article by Rachel Zupek!

    Rachel Zupek, CareerBuilder.com writer

    Some people are men and women of few words — to work in an office with such people is a blessing. Most workers, however, are stuck in a workplace where they hear about everything from a co-worker’s baby-making plans to his estranged relationship with his father.


    Talking about such topics might be OK to share over cocktails with your best friend — they are not OK for the workplace. Because people spend more time at the office with co-workers than anywhere (or anyone) else, some workers have trouble drawing the line between business and friendship, says Susan Solovic, co-founder and CEO of SBTV.com, and author of three books, including “Reinvent Your Career: Attain the Success You Desire and Deserve.” “It’s a social environment as well as a work environment. However, you must remember: While you can be friendly and develop a good rapport, business is business and friendship is friendship.”


    These days, your job security is unstable enough as it is. The last thing you need is to make an off-the-cuff remark that gets you fired (or shunned from the likes of your co-workers). To help keep your career on track, here are 10 things you should never say or discuss in the workplace:


    1. “That’s not my job.” When you boil things down, everyone does things that “aren’t their job.” If everyone complained that a certain task wasn’t in the offer they signed, the labor force would be in more trouble than it already is. If someone asks for your help, take it as a compliment. He or she obviously values your input or thinks your skills would be good fit for the task. Not only will it help earn good office karma (you never know when you’ll need help from other colleagues), but it never looks good to only do the bare minimum. And no boss wants to hear those four words!


    2. “I don’t mind helping you with that.” (With a fake smile pasted on your face.) There’s nothing worse than someone who offers to help and then complains about it later. If you take on a task with a smile but don’t really want to do it, your help is as good as no help at all. When you work without enthusiasm, it’s never your best effort. Plus, don’t say you’ll do something if you have no intention of actually completing the task or you’ll earn a reputation as an unreliable person. Your colleagues are relying on you, so your decision not to follow through impacts their jobs, too.


    3. “Don’t tell anyone I said this, but … ” Anytime you start a sentence with that phrase, you’re asking for one thing: The recipient of your knowledge to, indeed, tell someone you said that. If it’s really a secret, keep it to yourself. Whether you know someone in the office got pregnant by the mail guy or you found out what the boss makes, you’re going to get credit for spreading the news. Plus, if a co-worker is gossiping with you, most likely he or she will gossip about you.


    4. “I haven’t gotten a raise, EVER.” Since most employers base salary increase on productivity (not longevity), asking for a raise based on how long you’ve been with the company or how long it’s been since your last one will tell your boss only that you want more money — not that you deserve it. Instead, prove the raise is merited.


    5. “I’m so … stressed out/busy/sick of working here.” Constant complaints about your workload, stress levels or the company will quickly make you the kind of person who never gets invited to lunch. If you don’t agree with company policies and procedures, address it through official channels or move on.


    6. “I have insert weird, gross or inappropriate medical condition here .” Nobody cares about your aches and pains, the weird fungus on your foot, your infertility woes or the bad gas you got from eating Chinese food last night. To your employer, your constant medical issues make you seem like an expensive, high-risk employee. And to your co-workers, you seem like an attention-seeking hypochondriac.


    7. “Whom did you vote for?” or “What religion are you?” The old adage that you shouldn’t discuss politics or religion is as true today as ever before. People have strong, passionate views on both topics and you may alienate a co-worker or be viewed negatively based on your views in a way that could impact your career.


    8. “I got so trashed last night …” It’s perfectly fine to have fun after work, but don’t brag about your drunken escapades to your boss. The fact that you showed up for work despite still recovering from a massive hangover might be impressive, but it means nothing if you spend the day recounting your activities versus working. Not to mention, sharing that information makes you look unprofessional and unreliable.


    9. “I don’t have time for that.” In case you didn’t realize, everybody’s busy. If your boss asks you to do something, chances are it’s not really an option. If your main concern is accomplishing the task on time, be honest and tell that to your boss. Mention how busy your schedule is but that you can accommodate the request if some other projects are rearranged. You’ll show that you take each assignment seriously and only want to turn in your best work.


    10. “I just bought a $1,000 watch for the boss.” While the spirit of keeping up with the Joneses is alive and well in the workplace, constantly sharing how much you spent on gifts, meals or outings will only have others annoyed. Not only will it seem like you’re bragging, but you don’t want others speculating on the lifestyle you’re living — or if you’re



    End of Article


    Love, light, and peace,

    Mambo Sam

  • Pay Someone an Amazing Compliment Day

    Happy Monday Everyone!
    Yes, I, Mambo Sam, just declared a national holiday! LOL. It is “Pay Someone an Amazing Compliment” Day.

    Nothing makes people feel better than to hear something wonderful about themselves. Choose a stranger, someone you know, someone you love, someone you wish you liked better… it doesn’t matter who it is!

    Tell a harried lady in the supermarket that her hair looks wonderful. Tell that coworker that you don’t particularly like how nice she looks today. Tell someone you love WHY you love them, even if you think they already know! There are endless, wonderful possibilities for paying others amazing compliments.

    If you go throughout your day looking for wonderful things about people, you might just discover something you might have otherwise missed!

    We spend so much time worrying about and playing into negativity! Why not spend a whole day just looking for opportunities to say nice things to people you encounter? Really go out of your way… seek the opportunities to say something nice to as many people as possible.

    Now, of course, I am not saying just make stuff up! Maybe you might have to stretch the truth a bit, but that’s okay. You just might make someone’s day! There is nothing wrong with that. 🙂

    I would love to hear about your experiences! Oh and Happy Pay Someone an Amazing Compliment Day – YOU look beautiful today. 🙂

    Love, light, and peace,
    Mambo Sam

    DSC00022

  • The Ides of March

    Happy Ides of March, everyone!

    A few people wrote to me concerned that there was a Friday the 13th followed by “The Ides of March” and wondered if this was bad because their spell work was starting during this period.


    My first answer about Friday the 13th is that it is just another day. 🙂 But my only child was born on a Friday the 13th and so for me I consider all those Friday the 13th’s as a special day in my life since it brought me son and thus my grandsons! 🙂


    Second, the Ides of March was always just a part of a calendar.. there are “ides” in other months, too. I found a great article explaining exactly about the ides of March and what it truly means. Shakespeare fans have forever put a grim foreboding to the 15th of March, but again, just another day, and like all days, it is what you make of it, right?

    So, no, Friday the 13th nor the Ides of March will have any grim bearing on your spellwork!


    Here is the article:

    The Ides of March

    Just one of a dozen Ides that occur every month of the year
    by Borgna Brunner


    As far as Caesar knew, the Ides were just another day.
    The soothsayer’s warning to Julius Caesar, “Beware the Ides of March,” has forever imbued that date with a sense of foreboding. But in Roman times the expression “Ides of March” did not necessarily evoke a dark mood—it was simply the standard way of saying “March 15.” Surely such a fanciful expression must signify something more than merely another day of the year? Not so. Even in Shakespeare’s time, sixteen centuries later, audiences attending his play Julius Caesar wouldn’t have blinked twice upon hearing the date called the Ides.


    The term Ides comes from the earliest Roman calendar, which is said to have been devised by Romulus, the mythical founder of Rome. Whether it was Romulus or not, the inventor of this calendar had a penchant for complexity. The Roman calendar organized its months around three days, each of which served as a reference point for counting the other days:


    Kalends (1st day of the month)
    Nones (the 7th day in March, May, July, and October; the 5th in the other months)
    Ides (the 15th day in March, May, July, and October; the 13th in the other months)
    The remaining, unnamed days of the month were identified by counting backwards from the Kalends, Nones, or the Ides. For example, March 3 would be V Nones—5 days before the Nones (the Roman method of counting days was inclusive; in other words, the Nones would be counted as one of the 5 days).


    Days in March


    March 1: Kalends; March 2: VI Nones; March 3: V Nones; March 4: IV Nones; March 5: III Nones; March 6: Pridie Nones (Latin for “on the day before”); March 7: Nones; March 15: Ides


    Used in the first Roman calendar as well as in the Julian calendar (established by Julius Caesar in 45 B.C.E.) the confusing system of Kalends, Nones, and Ides continued to be used to varying degrees throughout the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance.


    So, the Ides of March is just one of a dozen Ides that occur every month of the year. Kalends, the word from which calendar is derived, is another exotic-sounding term with a mundane meaning. Kalendrium means account book in Latin: Kalend, the first of the month, was in Roman times as it is now, the date on which bills are due.


    End of Article


    Love,light, and peace,

    Mambo Sam

  • More About “Deserving!”

    Happy Friday the 13th, everyone! 🙂

    I wanted to talk a little bit more about my question about our sense of “deserving” something. Even though you can see these comments in the comments section under each blog post, I wanted to reprint these comments from readers here in this post so that I could comment on them.


    One reader says:

    “I had to think about this post for about a day before answering. . . . first I think we can trace that “entitlement” thing back to being children and being told if we were “good” santa would bring goodies (and if not, a lump ‘o coal)! Who didn’t have an impression like that made on them when they were small? Some of us never got over it!!! i try to turn it around and say i have been given MORE than I deserve. Several years ago I had a serious illness and could have died; in fact since then have seen many people with the same illness die from it. Ever since that happened I look at anything good that happens as “bonus points”. I still get mad and sad and so on when I don’t get what I want/get my own way; but try to remind myself it could be a LOT worse. Even in this terrible economy, most of us have more than most of the world’s people will ever hope to have. This does not mean I do not throw my temper tantrums and sulk like anybody else but I also try to keep the big picture in mind. . . and intentionally make it bigger and bigger all the time. A hard question! Still not sure of the answer. . .”


    This reader brings up a very good point and it bodes another question: Are we programmed to think in terms of what we deserve? Certainly Santa would be a good example of that! Even just the idea of being children and being punished for bad behavior and rewarded for good behavior reinforces the idea of when we do something “good” in life we deserve some kind of reward for it. It is like somewhere along the line many of us did not get the lesson that sometimes the doing good is the reward in and of itself. We believe we are entitled to more. Like the reader says, it is a hard question and I don’t think there is an easy answer, either!


    Like I was mentioning in my original post my main concern here is what I perceive as a huge sense of entitlement in some of my clients and my worry is that this will somehow be detrimental to their spell work – that they will not put forth the necessary effort, time, or heart, because they have the idea that they just simply deserve a good result!


    Another reader says:

    “Hi Mambo, What a great question I think that this is. I would think that being a good mother should be a reward in itself. And being a good wife should be a reward unto itself. I think the problem comes in when people are picking the wrong people to concentrate their efforts on. If you are trying to be a good wife to your husband and he doesn’t give a hoot about you, then you should have realized that before you wanted to spend the rest of your lives together. Everyone deserves to be happy, but if you just sit around and wait for happiness to find you, I think you will be very disappointed. You have to go make your own happiness and then yes, you deserve it because you worked for it. The same thing goes with our spellwork. If you think you deserve your HD or whatever you are working towards, then you have to really work for it. That means no conflict and staying positive. Then yes you deserve the results you work so hard for. Ok, that is how I see it anyway!!”


    This reader makes a good point, also, in that no matter what you deserve, you still need to be proactive in your own happiness no matter how “good” you have been. Plus, she mentions that “everyone deserves to be happy.” Certainly I agree that we all start out that way! 😉 I think we have all known a few rat bastards that probably did not deserve to be happy, but we will leave them out of the equation for this discussion and assume we are just talking about the at least marginally decent human beings. LOL.


    I would love to hear from more of you on this subject. You know, your comments can be anonymous, you don’t have to say who you are, and a Mambo never tells! 🙂


    Love, light, and peace,

    Mambo Samantha Corfield


    Witchpot

  • Don’t Forget to Have Fun!!

    Happy Saturday one and all!

    Do you remember fun??? 😉 I had fun yesterday! I was cooking gumbo for some friends, talked to two dear friends online, and enjoyed the company of my husband in the evening. I worked, too, but it was one of those days when I remembered to have some fun within the work!! I don’t always remember, do you?


    I found this great list about having fun by author Keith Varnum. Enjoy. Well, have fun with it! LOL. (I love #6 especially – we could all learn something from that.)
    Love,

    Mambo Sam


    1. Practice random acts of connection.


    Really. It works. Wave to a firefighter. Smile at a cop. Salute a soldier. Hang with a kid. Have a friendly conversation with the cashier. Leave an outrageously generous tip. Drop in a shelter. Volunteer at a literacy program. Show up at a community fund-raising event.


    Serve others. When you give, you feel more connected to other people.


    And if you’re not naturally motivated to reach out to others, think selfishly: any altruistic gesture—from buying someone a coffee to letting another driver in front of you—puts you on the fast track to feeling good.


    2. Make at least one just-for-fun phone call a day.


    Water your field of dreams—your energy field! Call a friend who is consistently fun to talk to. Just for the heaven of it! … not for business or to have any other need met. Simply ring someone up for a sociable hello without any agenda or expectation.


    3. Look upon life as a Mystery School.


    Welcome serendipity. Invite surprise. Cultivate spontaneity. Notice synchronicity. Know that the whole of your life—events, situations and people—has been secretly structured by your soul in order to bring you the experiences you want to have this lifetime. Approach life as if the whole of creation is conspiring to bring you goodness …because it is! Realize that unpleasant people and situations are deliberately placed in your path as a challenge to help you grow big enough to embrace even them.


    4. Have an exciting destination.


    Seek wonder. Go toward joy, ease and adventure—not simply away from boredom, pain, struggle and fear. Don’t dwell on the old. Focus on your destination—move towards a fun future.


    5. Rejoice each step of the way.


    To keep from being overwhelmed—yet still make headway—break your larger goals down into more manageable steps. It’s easy to become discouraged if each step looms large and requires a major expenditure of time. Take at least one action a day—no matter how minor. Then you can make some progress only if you have a few minutes. It may be something as little as gathering or setting out the materials for the next stage.


    As you take small steps, check them off as achieved. Give yourself a pat on the back for your progress. Always focus on the advancement you’ve made as being just as important as the distance you have yet to go.


    6. Strive for success—not for perfection.


    Give up perfectionism! Perfectionism goes hand in hand with fear of success and failure. We feel in order to succeed we must be perfect. As perfectionists, we insure that we will never be satisfied with who we are. Giving up perfectionism means seeing the good in our lives rather than the faults, focusing on what is working rather than what is not working.


    Celebrate success in one aspect of your life each day. Look for the positive. Ask, ”What did I do that was on the mark? Which parts of my day went well? What am I happy about?” This approach and attitude helps take the sting out of the aspects of your life that seem lacking.


    7. Take a daily mini-vacation.


    Take 15 minutes each day to do . . . nothing! Nothing of any significance whatsoever. We need time each day to not race against the clock or be productive. As we slow down, our spirit is free to be restored and creative. Go on a walk. Listen to music. Sit on the couch. Dance, run, jog, skip or stretch. Write, paint or sketch. Pet an animal or plant. Listen to the wind. Take yourself on a date. Do something that is alive and energizing for you.


    The point is to relax. No multi-tasking. Don’t live in your daily planner.


    And take a break from technology for a while. Turn off your phone, fax and pager. Our modern conveniences have made us more accessible and vulnerable to other’s agendas and demands.


    8. Just say “No.”


    Consider everything you habitually say “Yes” to each day. Community involvement. Errands for family. Favors for friends. Daily calls. Regular visits. Take time to consult with your spirit. Ask, “Is this activity at this time, in this way, really serving me? Is this the wisest use of my time and energy for all concerned in the long run? Is this activity giving me more energy than it is ultimately taking?


    If the answer to these questions is “No,” then your answer to the activity should be “No.”


    In saying “No” to the people and events that aren’t intuitively right for you, you are actually saying “Yes” to yourself—and to the people and values that mean the most to you. If you allow yourself to be tied up with disharmonious, non-aligned situations, you can’t be available to share your true gifts with your family, friends and the world at large.


    9. Give yourself a place lift.


    Do you long for more expanse, efficiency, easy flow and elbow room in your life? By intuitively re-arranging the elements of your daily life, you can create the space to nurture the fun, freedom, opportunities and effectiveness you desire. By clearing out the old, dead elements of your life, you create a natural vacuum and an unblocked channel for fresh, new energy and ideas to come into your private and professional life.


    10. Share your life experience.


    Keep in mind that not everyone knows what you know. Your personal experiences can be valuable to others. You might be surprised by what some people don’t know about life! I always am.


    We thrive when we feel we are valued and have left the world a better place at the end of each day. Leave a grand legacy.


    Happiness comes from sharing happiness. There are few joys that are as complete as bringing joy to another human being.


    Joy defies the laws of economics in that it’s not something that we have less of when we give it away. Joy is something that grows greater for the giver as it is given. The more you give, the more you have.

  • Do you refuse to let us help you?

    Hello everyone!

    Happy Monday! For those of you having a long weekend, I hope you are doing something fun and relaxing.


    Today I am writing about a concern I have for so many of you. I am not sure how to really approach this subject because it is going to sound like I am fussing at some of you and that is not my intention. All I (and our staff) want to do is help you! But I am genuinely concerned at how many of you recently simply will not accept the help, will not take the suggestions and guidance offered to you, and completely refuse to do anything to help yourself.


    I don’t know if there is something in the water or what, but despite the best efforts of myself, caseworkers, chat operators, office staff, etc., there seems to be quite a group of you out there right now who insist on continuing to be in abject misery while your spell castings are going on or while you are in your waiting period.


    Interestingly, this is not those of you who have long term cases! These are some of you who are either in the middle of spell work or are just a couple of months into a waiting period. BUT you have been mostly that way since the beginning of your spell work, hardly ever having been willing to take a positive attitude, do anything to remove the negativity from yourself, and you spend hours obsessing and crying and generally freaking out over your case.


    No matter how much we tell you that you are pouring the wrong energy into your case, you refuse to listen. So let me say this: We are worried about you. You are turning your spell work in the opposite direction of where you want it to go. You are creating your own negative outcome. 🙁 It is painful to watch you. It is painful to see you spend time, money, and effort on something only to directly sabotage it.


    Frankly, I am reduced to begging you to please stop being so negative. Please do something to relieve some of your misergy! Pray the prayers of your religion, do some white candle magick on yourself, take a white bath, watch a funny movie, compartmentalize your grief (allow yourself an hour to be dramatically grieving and then go do something else), help someone else who is worse off than you (the best medicine ever for making yourself feel better), etc. Please, all I am asking you to do is TRY. No one is going to be positive 100% of the time. We are all going to have bad days and times when we just feel hopeless. But some of you are letting that hopelessness rule your life. It will ruin you. It will ruin your spell work.


    Your caseworker is happy to help you work through some strategies to make you feel better. However, many of them are reporting to me that certain people just refuse to be helped. 🙁 You may not believe this, but it hurts us to see you this way. We actually do care what happens to you. We do all of this because we care. However, you have to care about you, too. Like I said, I am reduced to begging you: Please let us help you to help yourself.


    Love and prayers for all of you,

    Mambo Samantha Corfield

  • Service to Erzulie Freda

    Erzuliekiss Hello everyone!
    Of course, we here at Spellmaker.com are gearing up for our annual Valentine's Day Service to the lovely Vodou love goddess,Erzulie Freda! Many of you have already sent in your petitions to be included in the free ritual. We are hoping that many more of you will!

    One thing I have noticed is that many of you are still worried that your service to Erzulie will not be "enough" for her. Certainly, it is understandable when working with the lwa who is known for loving opulence and luxury that one might have these concerns. Although I have tried to let people know that even the smallest service done with a good heart will be well received, there are still those who wish they could do more. 🙂

    I have some ideas for you! Remember that "luxury" can be a state of mind and an environment can be luxurious without being expensive. So first start thinking of the space that you will be doing your service in. If you purchased the one-day ritual kit or plan on doing the ritual as written on the website make whatever area you will be doing your service in as lovely as you can! Even if you temporarily use one of your own bed sheets as an altar cloth, that is okay because you can spray your perfume on it and make it something special.

    Set the mood for the ritual with any candles you have and put on romantic music or tune your radio to a soft rock or other type of station that plays the kind of music that would set the mood for romance.

    Do you have jewelry? You can put it on the altar and "give" it to Erzulie! That doesn't mean you can't wear it! Of course you can, but if you dedicate it to her, then you have given her something wonderful.

    Do you have old magazines laying around? Cut out pictures of beautiful things – jewelry, clothes, perfume, etc. Make a simple collage out of them and put them on your altar for her!

    How about the rest of you out there? What ideas do you have for serving Erzulie in a respectful, but economical, way? Just click on the little link below the post that says "comments" and leave us your suggestions!

    Love,
    Mambo Sam