"Give thanks for unknown blessings
already on their way."
already on their way."
Native American saying
Tag: mambo sam
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What is your favorite “Ogoun” song?
I recently was making a playlist in ITunes of my favorite songs I often play when working with Ogoun. It got me to wondering what other songs might be out there – what songs are YOU listening to? Post your favorite song here in the comments section, and you could (or you all could) win a prize at the end of the week 😉
AYIBOBO!
In Service,
Sister Bridget
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Spellmaker Family Free Online Prayer Group.
The next Spellmaker Family Free Online Prayer Group will be on April 20 at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time (that is 8:00 p.m. Central, 7:00 p.m.
Mountain, 6:00 p.m. Pacific). The prayer group is free, and open to the public. Come Pray with us – or send in a prayer request for yourself or someone in need. All Are Welcome!Details can be found here.
The group is run by a very dedicated group of Khouzhans. (Khouzhan=a person who has received at least one initiation of the 9 initiations
to become a Voodoo Priest or Priestess of the Spellmaker Family House.) These lovely ladies make the chat room environment warm and friendly, and also keep the requests moving along nicely. Stop by for a few minutes or stay and pray with us 😉 You will be very glad that you did!In Service,
Sister Bridget
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El Santuario de Chimayo.
Hi All!
I am just back from spending a wonderful week with MaParents (aka Mambo Sam and Parran Matt) 😉 During my visit, we took a trip to El Santuario de Chimayo. I know Mambo Sam has mentioned Chimayo during chat class, so perhaps a few of you reading have heard of this beautiful church before. During Easter Week, many people (thousands of people) make a pilgrimage to Chimayo and throughout the week I was visiting, people could be seen headed north on foot. The church itself is visually beautiful, and very comfortable and inviting. A small room called el pocito (the little well) contains a round pit, the source of "holy dirt" (tierra bendita) that is believed to have healing powers. (I have a nice baggie full of healing dirt on hand now~!) In a room adjacent to the little well, is a prayer room, where there are pictures of people with prayer requests. Also in this room is a large collection of crutches and canes discarded by folks who felt they no longer needed them after visiting!
The trip to Chimayo was just one of the great experiences I had on my trip to NM. I have lots of photos to post and stories to relay 😉 Keep an eye out in the coming weeks!
Hope you all had a wonderful Easter!
In Service,
Sister Bridget
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Do we have any Parrot Head Vodouisants out there?
I just got a hold of the new Jimmy Buffet CD that came out just before the holidays. The pictures were taken at a hotel in West Africa, near Timbuktu. The paintings on the walls behind Jimmy are really interesting! ( You can click on the pictures to make them larger )
Enjoy!
Light and Love
Sister Bridget
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Quote for today – 1/10/10
Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could;
some
blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as
you can.
Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with
too high a
spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.
–Ralph Waldo Emerson
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How to make a Vooodoo Dream Board!
Hello!
Some of you wrote me yesterday asking about how to make a dream board. I had read some general guidelines about these, but they were boooooring. So, I took some time, lit a candle, and came up with these ideas of how to make a Voodoo Dream Board! I am still working on mine, and I will post a picture of it in my photo album here as soon as it is done. I would love it if any of you who make a dream board would send me a picture of it! I would love to see what you come up with!
1. Get your board. This can be whatever works for you. Oak Tag, a cork board, a piece of plywood, or something fancier you might find at a craft store. It is your board 😉 Use what suits you.
2. Get some glue, tape, push pins, whatever you need to stick stuff to your board.
3. Get a stack of magazines. Spring is coming, and I bet you know some folks who are tossing out some old magazines. Let your friends and family know you are needing some. Get a decent sized stack on various different subjects.
4. Schedule some special time to go thru the magazines and cut out pictures of things that represent your goals and dreams! Get creative! Play some of your favorite music, make your favorite drink and have fun! You can even invite Papa Legba or any Lwa you feel close to to come by and help you! Light a candle, set out a drink or a cookie for them and ask for their guidance. Make it a team effort 😉
5. If you cant find a picture for a goal you have in mind, try hitting Google Images and see if you can find what you are looking for there. Print the picture and use that on your board.
6. If you are working with a special Lwa while making the board, you might consider using some background color that corresponds to that Lwa and is pleasing to you. Like, for my board, I was asking for Ogoun and Papa Legba to assist me, so I used some red oak tag/poster board to put my photos on. BUT if I didnt like red, I woul have tried another color 😉 White is always good, but use something that YOU like to look at, as it is YOUR board!
6.Fix your pictures to the board in a manner that is pleasing to you. You can do this in the same session or another session if you like. Set some special time aside and really enjoy yourself. Focus on the pictures one by one as you place them on the board. What does this goal mean to you? What does it feel like? How will it make you feel when you realise it?
7. For an added nice touch, you can draw a Veve of whichever Lwa you asked to be your "Board Buddy" and place it on the board in honor of them and their assistance.
8. Place the board in a location where you can look at it for 5- 10 minutes twice a day. Near your bedside is a great place, if you can pull that off, as you can look at the board as you go to bed and rise in the morning.
9. Revise the board as you feel guided too. If you find a new picture that appeals to you and represents a goal of yours, add it. Every few months spend some time really contemplating each picture – evaluate your status towards that goal? Have you made any progress? Is it still something you desire? Has some other desire eclipsed this goal and you now are working towards something else?
10. Most importantly, make it fun and positive ! Look forward to looking at and working on your dream board. You will be so glad you did 😉
Light and Love
Sister Bridget
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New Decade Resolutions!
Welcome to a new decade! 2010!
I was thinking back yesterday about the turn of the century – the whole year 2000, Y2K thing, and all of the talk that went along with that. It was easy for me to remember where I was, what I was doing, who I was working for, where I lived, all of that. What I couldnt remember was what goals I had for myself.What thought had I put into the coming decade? Where did I want to go? Where would I want to be living? What would I like my life to be like when the next new decade began?
So, this time around, I am going to do things differently. I am making New Decade Resolutions!
Thinking in a ten year time frame really makes you look at long term goals, and gives you time to assess the intermediate steps to reaching your goal. It takes the focus off the day to day comings and goings and occasional setbacks we might have. It certainly is easier to look at a bump in the road and feel less pressured about it when you are looking at a 10 year time frame than one of months!
Yes, times are tough right now, economically, politically, etc. BUT now is also the TIME TO DREAM! Take a pad and pen and write out or sketch what you want your life to be like in 2020! It is NOT THAT FAR OFF! Where do you want to be living in 2020? What would you like your home to be like? Your friends? Your family? What kind of job do you wish to have? What kind of people do you wish to work for? What kind of vacations will you be taking? What do you want your body to look like? Who do you want to be sharing your life with?
"To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe."
~~~Anatole France
Review your personal mission statement. See how it is reflected in your sketch above. Construct a Dream Board to reflect the goals that you have set for yourself. Be proactive, make it fun! Dare to Dream!
Light and Love
Sister Bridget
(I am dreaming about Spring already!)
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Happy New Decade! 2010!
Happy New Year!
Wishing each and every one of you the happiest of New Years! Below is a poem that MaMere sent me, and it is so splendid (of course!) that I really wanted to pass it along to you.
Light and Love
Sister Bridget
A
Wonderful Resolution for the New Year!
What amazing gifts the new year
brings! An entire
year's worth of wonderful
opportunities, given to us
one sunrise at a time. Many
of the moments ahead will
be marvelously disguised as
ordinary days, but each one
of us has the chance to make
something extraordinary out of them.
Each new day is a blank page
in the diary of your life.
The secret of success is in
turning that diary into the
best story you possibly can.
Have pages on understanding
and tales of overcoming hardships.
Fill your story with
enthusiasm, adventure, learning,
and laughter. And make
each chapter reflect time
doing these things:
Follow your dreams. Work hard.
Be kind. Do what you
can to make the door open on
a day that is filled with
inspiration in some special
way. Remember: Goodness
will be rewarded. Smiles will
pay you back.
Have fun. Find strength. Be
truthful. Have faith.
Don't focus on anything you
lack.
Realize that people are the
treasures in life, and
happiness is the real wealth.
Have a diary that describes
how you're doing your best,
and…
the rest will take care of itself.
– by Douglas Pagels –
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Change someone’s life today!
Too often we under estimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a
listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which
have the potential to turn a life around.-Leo Buscaglia