Tag: spells of love

  • Are you Depressed?

    Happy Tuesday, everyone! Very often clients come to me and tell me that they are depressed. Of course we all go through days, maybe weeks, where we are depressed about something. Let me first say, if you feel you are clinically depressed or unable to cope, please, please seek professional help. Obviously, I am not that kind of doctor and if you feel hopeless and helpless, please seek help locally.

    Okay, so besides that I think sometimes we forget the simple ways to combat depression. Now, of course, you could do a Milk of Damballah™ White Bath or use other cleansing type products such as white candles, etc.. However, sometimes just the very simple act of lighting a white candle, doing some deep breathing, and allowing yourself to relax and spend some time just "being" can help greatly! Not all successful "helps" are complicated! 🙂 I very often recommend to clients keeping a few white image candle kits around in their own gender just to use on occasions when they feel sad, depressed, low in energy, etc. It is a fairly simple way to boost yourself!

    I also found an article that outlined 10 simple ways to fight depression. It's funny, most of it you will have already heard, I had! BUT, it was still just nice to see it in a simple list as a reminder that if we are depressed, sometimes just taking a few simple measures will get us "over the hump" of a bluesy day.

    —Article–

    "10 Tips For Fighting Depression "

    I’ve done a bit of research into fighting depression recently and I’ve put together ten brief tips for fighting depression, leaving medication out of the list (excepting vitamins), as it doesn’t work for everyone. Most of these tips are probably common sense but it’s sometimes hard to think rationally when you’re depressed, and thus easy to forget.

    Get sufficient sleep. I’ve always burned the candle at both ends. It’s a flaw of being a type-A, driven, workaholic personality. Lack of sleep multiplies the effects of depression. If you can’t get a full 6-8 hours each night, try 15-30 minute catnaps through out the day. I’ve tried implementing Steve Pavlina’s attempt at polyphasic rhythm-based sleep, but I can’t quite pull it off yet. I have however been very successful in using Pzizz’s two free 15-minute energizer audio MP3 recordings for power naps several times a day. It’s unbelievable how much these help. I’ve also successfully been using binaural beats to positively affect alpha, beta, theta, etc., brainwaves. (More on that in the future.)

    Reduce stress. Stress can be invisible and subconscious, and it can come from guilt about a variety of things, personal and professional. For example, as I write this article, I’m suffering from guilt for not working on client projects, which I’ve been unable to do for most of the day. That means I have to make up for this lack tomorrow, which in turn induces anxiety. It’s tough, stressful cycle. If you don’t keep stress under control, it can induce productivity-grinding panic and anxiety attacks. Naps, a walk around the neighbourhood, and exercise can help alleviate the effects immensely. Remember: you cannot learn effectively with stress weighing you down. Sometimes, practicing detachment from your worries will solve your stress.

    Get sufficient exercise. It’s not just a matter of getting blood flowing, though that’s part of it. But getting outside and getting sunlight and fresh air is important because it rejuvenates you. If you work at home like I do, this is especially important. I find that despite being a hermit thinker type, physical activity makes me feel great during times of depression. Blood flow and adrenaline seem to stave off the worst effects. Though it’s sometimes hard to remember that exercise or keeping busy helps.

    Meditate. Meditation can be an effective means to reducing stress and thus depression. It can also help you to become aware of what is causing your guilt, your stress, and often help you achieve some detachment from those “problems” you cannot do anything about. In short, it helps you achieve perspective, to see where to focus your attention. I’ve been meditating on and off for about 20 years. (I’ve done over 10,000 hours of meditation, part of the requirement of becoming a Buddhist monk, though not all under a “master”, which disqualifies me.)

    Add some colour to your wardrobe. Tough for me, an ex-goth who still wears mostly all-black, but all dark clothes all the time increases the effects of depression. Colour stimulates positive feelings. I find blood red or a hunter green shirt helps me. Some people prefer yellow, orange or peach, or prints or paisleys. You can also add colour to your life through art therapy.

    Eat properly. You know eating properly applies all the time but it’s even more crucial for those suffering from depression. I find grains, nuts, and fruit help me, and staying away from fried foods and refined carbs. I have a friend, a gifted classical guitarist, who ends up in the hospital every three or four years because of the massive amount of fast food he eats nearly every single day, and without vegetables at that. (He’s had around three meltdowns in the decade or so I’ve known him, and hasn’t worked in that time.) Even a fresh submarine/ hoagy/ rocket with lots of free toppings (i.e., veggies) is better than fries, gravy, burgers and pizzas several times a week like he has. (I’m not knocking them, as I eat them, but not every day.) Seek out healthy snacks or make your own, eat nutritious foods and add colourful vegetables and leafy items.

    Take your vitamins. Learn your E, B, Cs. And Zinc, Folic acid, iron supplements, etc. Poor diet robs us of many absolutely essential nutrients. If you are not going to change your diet, whatever your reason, at least replenish those nutrients.

    Drink water. The proper amount of fluids helps keep your skin from getting dry in the winter time – the “season” in seasonal depression. It also helps clear out some of the toxins in your body. And by the way, it’s NOT 8 glasses per day for everyone. The proper amount is based on your body weight, age, activity level, and other factors.

    Add extra lighting. Research shows that adding some warm, bright lights helps fight the effects of depression. You don’t have to spend $150+ on special lamps; just increase the wattage in some of your light bulbs. Also, fluorescent lights are less bright than they appear. Try to replace them if possible.

    Smile. It’s not a guaranteed nor permanent cure, but it does help sometimes, if you can maintain a smile for a few minutes. I watch The Comedy Network (Canada) sometimes, as laughing helps – at least temporarily, like chicken soup sort of helps a cold. Remembering to do so is key, so you may need to tape some visual reminders to your mirrors or computer, etc."

    ————End of Article———————–

    Here's wishing you all a happy day!!
    Love,
    Mambo Sam

  • Some Ideas About Combination Work!

    Happy Monday, everyone!
    Lately it seems that a number of you have had some questions about combination work. I suppose first off, we should talk a little bit about what combination work actually is.

    What we here at Spellmaker term combination work is when you are working with adjunct work, such as candle magick kits, voodoo doll work, Cosmic Voodoo™ Eggs, etc. These are products that are generally used to enhance, strengthen, or work on details during or after one has used the regular Cosmic Voodoo™ spell kits.

    So what I would like to do is go over a series of ways to use certain products over the next few days. Feel free to ask any questions you have simply by commenting in the comment section below. 🙂

    So today I would like to talk about the Red Mummy Candles. Most often we recommend that these candles be used to open up communication between yourself and someone else, or perhaps even two people that you would like to communicate better with each other. For instance, let's say that you have a man in your life who doesn't get along well with your children or your children don't accept him in your life. In that case, you could use the Red Mummy to petition for that man and your children to open up communication between themselves, separately from you, to build their own relationship.

    For the most part, however, we use the Red Mummy to help us with communication between ourselves and someone else. So that is great! However, you can also use that Red Mummy in combination with, for instance, a white gender candle(appropriate to the sex of the person that you want to work on) to petition away negative energy from a bad argument, or any other type of negative communication you had with a person. If you need a person to "forget" a bad incident between you, then you can use the white male or female candle along with a Red Mummy to facilitate that.

    The Red Mummy could also be used with your love doll to open up communication between you and the person you love – to make that communication loving and sweet and romantic.

    Since communication is KEY to any and all relationships, using the Red Mummy in combination with almost any of your other adjunct products can help bring about the type of communication you want and help insure that you get that perfect dialogue going with that someone special.

    In many instances, you could use, for instance, two white image candles – let's say you are a male/female couple – one white image candle to represent you, one to represent your intended, and also use the Red Mummy. In this way you can petition to open up that communication between the two of you, stating HOW you want it to happen, WHEN, and WHAT is the nature that you want the communication to take. You could also use it with a red set of image candles, pink set, etc., depending on what kind of communication you want: Positive where there has been something negative happening to your communication with this person (use white candles with the Red Mummy. Romantic where things have been cold (use the pink candles with the Red Mummy). Passionate and loving where loving communication has been at a stalemate (use the red candles).

    I am sure you can think of many ways yourself to use the Red Mummy; just think in terms of communicating with that person you want to be with! I would love to hear the creative ways some of you have come up with to use the Red Mummy in combination with other products. We talked a lot about this in class. Have any of you used those techniques? How did it work out for you?

    If you are confused on how to use this kind of combination work, please ask your caseworker! They are there to help you! 🙂 It can be a little tricky trying to use more than one product at a time in combination with each other, but it can be done. Just ask if you need help with it!

    Love, light, and peace,
    Mambo Sam

  • Erzulie’s Oil and Incense!

    Greetings everyone!  🙂  Hope you are having a beautiful Wednesday!



    Of course as most of you know, we did our wonderful Valentine’s Ritual to the beautiful Vodou love goddess, Erzulie Freda. We love doing this ritual every year for everyone!


    This year was a little bit different in that we offered a special one-day ritual pack that you could do at home when we did the ritual here at the office. That ritual pack is still available, by the way, because it is the kind of ritual you could do anytime!


    MANY of you asked about the oil and incense that was included in that ritual pack and asked if we would carry it separately. Although it was originally our intention just to have it for the ritual pack, since so many of you asked, we are now offering it separately.


    The Erzulie’s Love Apple™ Incense was a huge hit with all of you! 🙂 It is really wonderful and the smell is just divine. So we are now including it with our other incense offerings. Right now, it is available just on the Erzulie Freda Page, but we will be putting on the other pages soon.


    The Erzulie’s All that Glitters™ Love Oil was a great hit with you, too. Many of you have asked if you could use it with your Voodoo Sex Magick products that we are now offering. Yes, you can, and you can also use the Erzulie’s incense with your sex magick.


    If you are confused on how to use these products (or any other product, for that matter), please talk to your caseworker!


    Love, light, and peace,

    Mambo Sam

  • 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

  • Happy St. Joseph’s Day!

    Hello everyone!  Today is St. Joseph's Day!  For those of you who were in chat class with me, you might remember that we discussed St. Joseph's Day!  This day is celebrated widely in New Orleans and other cities, especially those with large Italian populations.  Beautiful St. Joseph's Day altars are built with begged or borrowed materials and the food that is placed on the altar is then given to charity.

    For those of you who have done the Lots-o-Luck Spell Kit, you might remember that there are beans in there called "habas."  Those are the fava beans which are mentioned below in this wonderful article about St. Joseph's Day and now you will know why those beans are in your kit!

    Also, for Vodouisants, St. Joseph is syncretized with Papa Loko (Loko Atisou), the male lwa who presides over Houngans and Mambos.  Papa Loko is considered the "first Houngan" and it is from Papa Loko that the initiates take their asson (sacred rattle).  So just as St. Joseph is considered as the father of Jesus Christ in Christian religions, Papa Loko is considered the father of initiates in the Vodou religion.

    This is a holiday rich in religious tradition for both Catholics and Vodouisants.  But religion is not the primary focus for this holiday – the idea of feeding the poor is!  So if you can, do something today to help feed someone needy.  If you can't do it today, that's okay, too, because St. Joseph Altars will be up through this weekend.  :-)  So get out there and feed someone!

    Please enjoy this article.  It is very well-researched and historically correct!

    Love, Mambo Sam

    St. Joseph's Day Altars
    by Anna Maria Chupa

    Background
    Stjoseph1  St. Joseph's Day altars began as a custom brought to New Orleans by Sicilian immigrants. The tradition of building the altar to St. Joseph began as far back as the Middle Ages in gratitude to St. Joseph for answering prayers for deliverance from famine. The families of farmers and fisherman built altars in their homes to share their good fortune with others in need. The tradition grew to a more public event on St. Joseph's Feast Day on March 19. Today the individuals who work on the altars are fulfilling their own promises to St. Joseph "to share their blessings with those in need."(2) Without exception, the altar workers explained that they contributed to the altars not for their own purposes but 'for St. Joseph' or for a family member or friend.(5)

    One tradition entails begging for the supplies to build the altar. The altar must not incur "any expense nor any personal financial gain."(2) As an act of devotion to St. Joseph, supplicants would promise to build an altar should their sons return home from war safely. Part of the personal sacrifice involved was the act of begging for food.(5)

    Although there are perishable foods on the altars, a large portion of the breads, cookies and cakes are wrapped so that they may be given to charities after the altar is broken. The altar is broken after a ceremony which reenacts the Holy Family seeking shelter. The ceremony is called Tupa Tupa "which in Italian means Knock Knock." Children dressed in costume "knock at three doors asking for food and shelter. At the first two they are refused. At the third door, the host of the Altar greets them and welcomes them to refresh themselves."(2)

    Butler's Lives of the Saints lists St. Joseph as the patron saint of Families, Working Men, Social Justice, and the Church. St. Joseph is also the Patron Saint of the dying.(3) Following the blessing of the altar on the afternoon of March 18, visitors are invited to leave written petitions to St. Joseph or donations for the poor. The Mary's Helper Newsletter invited people to mail their petitions for the altar in the event that they could not visit personally.

    Spiritualism and Vodun Connection
    Stjoseph3 My own journey to the St. Joseph's Day altars began while I was conducting research on Spiritualism and Vodun in New Orleans. In my search for more information on Damballah, an African spirit who came to be associated with St. Patrick and with Moses in the syncretized Vodun of new world contexts, I also saw frequent references to St. Joseph. Spiritualist churches who honored Black Hawk as a patron spirit of social justice simultaneously honored St. Joseph and Moses in prominent positions on their altars.

    The Mary's Helpers Newsletter makes an interesting connection in the interpretation of Joseph as a deliverer. "It was told to the Israelites in the Old Testament, 'Go to Joseph,' if they wanted any favor or benefit, referring to the Joseph of Egypt. 'Go to Joseph,' is the advice and counsel given to every Catholic who wants a favor and believes in the sanctity of the Holy Family."

    More on Sicilians in New Orleans
     ers of The Greater New Orleans Italian Cultural Society (GNOICS) built their first altar in 1967 "on the front steps of the St. Joseph church on Tulane Avenue."(4) In 1978, the altar location was moved to the Piazza D'Italia, primarily because inclement weather in previous years made the outdoor location on the steps of St. Joseph's problematic.(Chupa:98) Piazza d'Italia is located on "300 Poydras, to the rear of the American Italian Renaissance Foundation Museum and Library building."(4) In 1998, the Altar was prepared under the direction of Mr. and Mrs. Peter Bertucci who have been involved with the altar preparations since 1967. The GNOICS altar has since been reestablished at St. Joseph's Church.

    The concentration of Sicilian immigrants in New Orleans explains why this tradition is almost exclusive to this southeastern city. Whereas most immigrants from Naples "settled in New York and other cities along the eastern seaboard" the Sicilians "sailed from Palermo and landed in New Orleans. Between 1850 and 1870, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates that there were more Italians in New Orleans than in any other U.S. city. By 1910, the population of the city's French Quarter was 80 percent Italian. Today there are 200,000 Americans of Italian descent living in New Orleans and its suburbs, making Italian Americans the largest ethnic group in the city."(4)

    Symbols in the St. Joseph's Day altar
    St_joseph_alter Many of the altars we visited were constructed in the form of a Latin cross with two additional tables running parallel to the length of the cross. This tripartite arrangement refers to the Trinity. A statue of St. Joseph or a picture of the Holy family is usually at the top of the altar.(1)

    "All of the items on the altar — food, candles, medals, holy cards and fava beans — are blessed by a priest in a special ceremony the afternoon before an altar is 'broken.'" That evening people may visit to pray and leave petitions. Donations are collected for the poor."(1)

    Over the doorway a fresh green branch is placed to indicate that the public is invited to participate "in the ceremony and to share the food."(1) The specially prepared breads on the St. Joseph1s altar make take many forms. As this custom is observed during the Lenten season, and the tradition was begun in Sicily where fish and shellfish were more common than meat, decorative breads in the form of shellfish are common. Other symbolic imagery specific to Joseph might include tools used by a carpenter (ladder, saw, hammer, nails) as well as sandals, lilies and a staff. Some of the breads are prepared with a decorative interlace and filled with figs, alluding to the fig orchards of Sicily.(1)

    Breads and cakes may also take the form of more common Christian symbols, i.e., the Monstrance or Spada which holds the sacred Host; the Chalice, which refers to the consecration of the Bread and Wine at the Last Supper; the Cros
    s (crucifixion of Christ), Dove (Holy Spirit), Lamb, Fish (Jesus as the Lamb of God and the Fisher of Men); and Hearts (Sacred Heart of Jesus, Immaculate Heart of Mary. A heart pierced by a dagger also refers to the grieving mother or Mater Dolorosa and may bear the names of recently departed loved ones.) A Crown of Thorns and Palms refer to martyrdom and symbols of eternal love.(1)

     Wine bottles on the altar represent the miracle of Cana and the twelve whole fish represent the twelve apostles and the miracle of the loaves and the fishes. Other images specific to Sicily include grapes, olives and figs referring to the orchards and vineyards in Sicily. Two prepared foods that are commonly seen on the altar include the Pignolatti and the Pupaculova. The Pignolatti are fried pastry balls joined together in the shape of a pine cone representing "the pine cones Jesus played with as a child." The Pupaculova is a baked bread which encloses a dyed Easter egg representing the "coming of Easter."(1)

    Bread crumbs or "Mudica" are served as a seasoning over the Pasta Milanese on St. Joseph's Feast Day and symbolize sawdust.(1) The food served to the public on St. Joseph1s Day is a reenactment of a promise made to St. Joseph for delivery from famine. "Small bags are given as keepsakes to all who visit the altar. Each bag may contain a blessed medal, holy card, fava beans, cookies or bread."(1)

    The people we spoke to had several interpretations regarding the appearance of lemons on the St. Joseph's Day altars. Citrus fruits are common in the orchards of Sicily. One woman said that it was good luck to "steal" a lemon from the altar leaving hidden coins behind for the poor.(5) Several women told us that a lemon blessed on St. Joseph's altar will not turn black and is a symbol of good luck.(6) Another woman said that the lemons are for young married women who want to become pregnant. Still others mentioned that during certain periods, the lemon was a luxury so its appearance on the altar is a way of returning ones good fortune to others.(5)

    Artichokes figure prominently in the food served and when they are available in abundance, stuffed artichokes may also appear on the altars. In 1998, because artichokes were so scarce, they were not seen on the four altars we visited. In 1997, the artichokes were plentiful.

    Perhaps the most ubiquitous symbol to be found on the altar is the lucky Fava Bean. "The gift of a blessed bean is the most well known of the customs associated with the St. Joseph's Day altar. During one of Sicily's severe famines, the fava bean thrived while other crops failed. It was originally grown for animal fodder, but because of its amazing resilience, it became the sustaining food of the farmers and their families. The dried bean is commonly called the "lucky bean." Legend has it that the person who carries a 'lucky bean' will never be without coins. The fava bean is a token of the St. Joseph's Altar, and a reminder to pray to St. Joseph," particularly for the needs of others.

    –End of Article–

  • Happy St. Patrick’s Day and Sobo Ritual Day!

    Happy St. Patrick’s Day and Luck o’the Irish to ya!

    Teddybearinclover



    Of course we are doing the wonderful Sobo ritual today! 🙂 We will definitely post pictures! We cannot wait to get started and hope that all of your petitions are answered.


    We will be working with Sobo, Damballah, and, of course, dear St. Patrick today, working towards wealth and security and luck for everyone who has asked us to petition on their behalf.


    Even if you are not able to do the ritual today, take a little bit of time to say a prayer, or light a candle, or just wish good thoughts to those who are in need. Obviously, many of us are being affected by this economy. Some people are much worse off than others, though, and our hearts and prayers go out to them first.


    St. Patrick’s Day is a fun holiday and so it is a great time to put out positive energy and positive thoughts towards things! It is pretty easy to imagine that pot of gold at the end of EVERYONE’S rainbow!! So put that great spin on everything today – luck and wealth for all!


    Off we go to get the ritual started!


    Love, light, and peace,

    Mambo Samantha Corfield


    Potogoldwithclover

  • 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

  • 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

  • Top 10 Things You Don’t Know About My Wife!

    Of course you all know my wife, the delectable Mambo Sam. But I think there are few things you don't know about her:

    10. She types in her sleep, literally. I guess all those hours on the computer just go to bed with her.

    9.   She plays a mean "Guitar Hero."

    8.   She is not as tough-skinned as you think she is.

    7.   She can't cast her fishing line very far but always catches the biggest fish. (Wait a minute, I think she made me say that.  I am sure I caught the biggest fish last time. No, I am mistaken, SHE caught the biggest fish.)

    6.   She worries, thinks about, stews over clients just about every waking moment.

    5.   She cannot be beat at Scrabble.

    4.   She can cook eggs at least 20 different ways (all good).

    3.   She will do almost anything to avoid hurting someone's feelings.

    2.   She can shoot straight if she doesn't have to shoot too far.

    1.   ….it really IS from "The Chambers of the Enchantress."  (If you don't know what that means, I guess you will just have to stick around and be a Spellmaker client longer!)

    Have fun out there people!

    Parran Matt