Tag: voodoo
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Crafting with Mambo! Apple Garland!
Welcome to
Crafting with Mambo!
An apple garland is really easy to make. You can make it any length you wish, and it makes your house smell good in the process – and magical apples are everywhere by the time Fet Ghede rolls around. You'll need several large apples of any color, lemon juice, dried bay leaves, scraps of fabric, some pine cones, cinnamon sticks, raffia, and florist's wire.
Start by peeling and coring the apples, and then slicing them horizontally into circles about 3/8" thick. Fill a bowl with the lemon juice, and place your apple slices in it. Allow them to soak for about ten minutes – this prevents them from turning brown and discolored. Remove the apple slices from the bowl and pat them dry with a paper towel. Bake your apples for about six hours at 200 degrees. If you like, before baking you can dust them with a mixture of cinnamon and nutmeg.
Once your apples are completely dried out, the fun really begins. Using the florist's wire, begin stringing the apples. The wire should go straight through the apples, but if you have trouble, make a hole with a toothpick. Between every few apple slices, string some bay, and add a pine cone here and there. You can also alternate the apples and bay leaves with bows made from your fabric scraps.
Make your garland as long or as short as you like – or until your kids get bored – and then knot each end around a cinnamon stick. Tie a piece of raffia around the ends as well, and then drape your garland on your wall, across your mantel, or over your front door.
Another variation on the apple garland is to make a smaller length and then bend it into a circle, forming an apple wreath. Tie a piece of fabric – or bend a leftover bit of florist's wire – to the top so you can hang it on a nail or hook.
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Fet Ghede and the Fiery Power of the Phoenix!
Fet Ghede and the Fiery Power of the Phoenix
By: Khouzhan Morgan“The fire is a symbol of transformation, burning away the old and making way for the new.” ~Unknown
Hi there readers and welcome to the Fet Ghede issue of the Universal Messenger!As we celebrate Halloween, Samhain and the Voodoo New Year, we can take the time to reflect on this last 365 day trip around the sun.
You may wish to look back on this past year; what goals have you achieved? What projects have you gotten underway or completed? If you did not meet some goals, how can you increase your chances of success?
These undertakings can be big or small; the most important thing is that we have an awareness that we can change, grow, and evolve. Take a few moments to reflect on this and realize what an amazing human you truly are! Adulting is hard, but ya know what? Magic can make it better!
If you burn a cauldron, bonfire, or heck even have a fireplace, it is a great time to write things down on a small paper or leaves and burn them, offering prayers of thanks for all the spiritual help you have received towards your undertakings. It is also a great time to decide on some goals for the next leg of the journey and request guidance and assistance in achieving them!
The element of fire both destroys and creates and is such profound symbolism as we light up the night and enter the dark half of the year.
Take out some pictures of friends and family members (of the human and animal variety) and spend some time chatting with those folks. This is a great time of year for divination, and an excellent time for receiving guidance from our deceased loved ones. Pay attention to little “flashes”- like the scent of perfume or a certain food, a familiar sound or song, or even a word or phrase that enters your mind, as that is often our beloved ancestors reaching out to us from beyond the veil. The ancestors are most often more than happy to help us as we continue to navigate our day to day workings. And now, when the veil between worlds is thinnest, it helps us hear those messages from beyond loud and clear.
It is also a great time to honor our passed loved ones with things they enjoyed in life, such as a certain beverage or snack, or whatever treats brought them joy here on earth.
This can be as elaborate as an entire table filled with goodies or just a simple cup of tea with a deceased loved one. Remember it is about connection not perfection!
Just be sure to include some cool fresh water for the spirits to travel through, light a candle in their honor and you are all set! (And yes it sure can be the light if your jack o lantern if you like!)
Remember, Mambo Sam and Sister Bridget are both available for readings to help clarify any questions you might have along your magical or mundane journey! I cannot count the number of times my ancestors chimed in during a reading with one of those amazing ladies!
As always, honoring our lineage is the most important thing we can do in the practice of voodoo. We honor who we are and who we will become by honoring where we have come from. We show gratitude for our roots and in turn, we branch out and grow so we can to reach to new heights! And les Lois, our wonderful and benevolent voodoo spirits, are here for it!!
Baron Samedi and his consort Maman Brigitte will be here to escort us when we make the final transition to the other side, and this season is their party! They love offerings of coffee, hot peppers and rum. And although Baron and Maman preside over the cemeteries and departed souls, and can sometimes be a bit rowdy, they are also wise beyond measure and can be counted on for assistance in all things- especially healing, legal and financial matters.
No need to be afraid! Baron and Maman cross easily between life and death. And through so many “deaths” that we experience- of jobs, relationships, and yes, sometimes, those we love-they can then guide us to resurrection.In truth, the most potent lesson I have received from Baron Samedi and Maman Brigitte is that although I would experience many deaths, I would also be given graciously many opportunities for rebirth. And like the Phoenix who rises from the ashes, so we too can continue to regenerate our lives and allow our own little lights to shine.
At this sacred and wonderful new beginning we wish you all a fantastic Fet Ghede, a Happy Halloween and Samhain blessings and look forward to helping your inner fire burn bright in the coming new year!Ayibobo!
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Happy Halloween!
Hope you all had a Wicked good Halloween!
Love,
Mambo Sam and Parran Matt
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Products for Back to School!
Products
for
Back to School!Wow! Back to school time already! If you or someone you know may need a little magickal boost in academics or sports, we have many products that can help! As a parent, you can use any of these products on behalf of your child!
Cosmic Voodoo Charms - Charms are very affordable and easy to use! They can be easily carried in school, either in a backpack or in your pocket and taken out in their carry bag and used unobtrusively! The great thing about charms is that they sort of keep on working on their own. Just carrying them and occasionally touching them throughout the day sends a nice bit of energy into your goal. It is something that you can just touch now and then throughout the day, a spiritual reminder of your goal. A charm is a very tangible reminder of what you are after, and the spiritual energy is pumped up by its usage. The Learning and Study Charm is made specifically for it's stated purpose. Master of all languages and of opening the gates of knowledge, The Papa Legba Charm is great as well!
Voodoo Dolls - Dolls are also a great product for helping us reach our personal goals! They can be used over and over again, and like the charms, get stronger the more they are used! The Voodoo Self Improvement Doll is a completely underused product! This little doll is so useful for helping improve study habits and comprehension, relaxing during test taking and more. . Also, the Voodoo Lucky Doll can be used before exams or try-outs to help sway things in your favor.
3 Day Bargain Spells – These are a great choice as they can be completed on short notice and are only $17.99! The Study Hall spell can help you study successfully, learn, retain, pass tests. The Priority Boost Spell helps you be put first above others. This is great when trying out for any kind of team – sports or academic! The Attention Please spell is perfect for when you need or want attention from a specific entity, whether it is a teacher, coach, club etc. Great for trying out for a school play or band! The Luck of the Irish spell enhances your luck in any situation. Can be used for any situation that you believe luck can help with, i.e., exams, try-outs, college applications, etc.
Cosmic Voodoo Oils - Easy to use and affordable, you can keep several in your bag with you! Abre Camino is great for removing blockages, making the way smoother! Whether for studying, exams, sporting events, this oil is essential! Gov'na Edwards Sure Success Oil – well, the name says it all! Wear into any situation where you desire to be successful! Pontchartrain Gardens of Luck oil helps things go in your favor! High John the Conqueror Oil is a very powerful oil for protection and luck in all things!
New Orleans Gris Gris Bags– Also, super easy to conceal in your pocket, and easily accessible to work with at a moment's notice! Just reach your hand into your pocket, recite the chant provided with the bag and you are sending power towards your goals! The New Orleans Voodoo Power Gris Gris Bag is wonderful for power and success in challenging situations. The New Orleans Lucky Gris Gris Bag can help sway things in your direction! These powerful tools are also quite affordable!
High John the Conqueror Root Bag– A true magickal charm! Older than the ages, also easy to carry, use, and conceal. It is carried to gain luck, control and favor in all matters! One root bag lasts a lifetime! It also gets stronger the more it is used! Can be kept in your pocket, book bag, locker. etc.
These are just a few of our products that can help you or a friend or loved one get the jump on a successful school year! If you have any questions about these products or how they can be used for your particular situation, just ask! We are here to help! Best of luck in the new school year!
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Harvest Witch Tote!
Harvest Witch ToteThis tote is perfect for fall harvest festivals, back to school or just a day of shopping for bits and bobs with friends! Available in 3 sizes and starts at only $13.60! Available only here!
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Venus and the Sun
So I wanted to talk a bit about a Venus and Sun conjunction we have recently experienced in the sign of Libra.
First, what does all that astro mumbo jumbo mean? Well…the sun is the sign of the self, your identity. When someone asks you what your "sign" is the answer most people give is the sign that the Sun was astrologically transiting in the heavens on the day they were born. For example, if your birthday is today, October 27, you were born when the sun was in the sign of Scorpio. But the sun, as a rule astrological, translates to the self.
Venus is the planet that rules love and romantic love especially. Also anything that gives us pleasure-lovely art, delicious food, music, beautiful poetry, falls under the gaze of Venus. And Libra, in the 12 houses of the zodiac, rules the 7th house, or the house of partnerships.
So this sun and Venus conjunction in Libra on a very universal level, is giving humankind an opportunity to take stock of our personal relationships. What relationships nourish or deplete you? If you are single, what traits do you want to attract ( or avoid) in a potential partner? How do you approach relationships? Is there room for improvement in your own behavior? Do you and your current partner need to make some changes to improve your relationship?
These are all things that have been coming to and will continue to be, in the forefront as this conjunction finishes out in the heavens. And don't be afraid to put your intentions out there for the things you want in relationships right now!
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Happy National Black Cat Day!
As a lifelong Halloween lover and cat lover, I am delighted to wish everyone a Happy Black Cat Day 🙂
I have always, until recently, had a black cat in my brood. Black cats also show up in my life to bring me messages from my ancestors. I don't take this as anything sinister. As a matter if fact, I feel like it is a message for me expressed in a way that I will pay attention, which is pretty darned clever, in my humble opinion!
Of course, all that black cat nonsense about their being signs of bad luck, etc…well that is just a bunch of nonsense! But legitimately, Black cats tend to be euthanized in animal shelters at a higher rate than felines of other colors. This fact has always been so heartbreaking ro me!
I have always found little black cats to be the most magically inclined and loyal! ( Though let's face it…kitties all seem to be rather otherworldly, don't they?)
Many shelters in the U.S. hold adoptions on black cats during the month of October as an effort to keep them from being harmed. I have noticed recently that most of my friends that have gotten cats or kittens in the past few years have adopted a black cat. Salem from Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Thackery Binx from Hocus Pocus were, I think, good P.R. for black cats everywhere 🙂 And though I have never had one who speaks "human"- I have noticed they tend to be the chatty sort, as far as cats are concerned 😉
So, in honor of this spooky season, I bid you all Happy Haunting, and may you all be lucky enough to be loved by a little black cat…or many!