Tag: spells

  • Into the Autumn

    Into the Autumn

    🍂 Good Magick for the Fall Season


    Fall has always felt like magick in motion, hasn’t it? The air gets crisp, the leaves start turning, and something in our spirit shifts right along with the season. This is the time of year when many different magickal cultures lean into the energy of harvest, gratitude, and the nearness of our beloved ancestors. Let’s take a look at some beautiful ways people honor this season — and some simple magick you can do right at home.



    🍎 Harvest Blessings

    In Pagan and Wiccan traditions, the autumn equinox — called Mabon — is a time of balance and thanksgiving. Feasts, baskets of apples and corn, and bread baked with love all become offerings to the earth.

    ✨ Your turn: Write down the blessings you’ve “harvested” this year — maybe a goal reached, a relationship strengthened, or even a hard lesson learned. Light an orange candle, read your list aloud in gratitude, and then let the flame consume the paper, sending your thanks out into the universe.



    đź•Ż Honoring Our Ancestors

    In Vodou, November brings Fèt Gede, a joyful honoring of the spirits of the dead with music, candles, and offerings. In Mexico, families celebrate Día de los Muertos with marigolds, altars, and the foods their loved ones enjoyed. Both remind us that our ancestors still walk with us.

    ✨ Your turn: Create a tiny ancestor altar. A candle, a flower, a photo, maybe even their favorite candy bar — it doesn’t have to be fancy. Whisper their names with love and thank them for being part of your life.



    🌿 Autumn Herbs and Kitchen Magick

    The fall harvest gives us herbs and foods that carry natural warmth and protection. Apples reveal a secret star when cut, cinnamon stirs up energy, and pumpkins guard the home from unwanted spirits.

    ✨ Your turn: Make yourself a little autumn potion — apple slices, cinnamon, and ginger in hot water. Sip slowly while imagining a protective golden glow wrapping around you and your home.



    đź”® Listening Through the Veil

    As the nights grow longer, the veil between our world and the spirit world feels thinner. This is why so many people turn to divination in the fall — tarot, pendulums, dreams, or scrying. It’s a season of guidance and wisdom.

    ✨ Your turn: Light a single black candle before bed and ask your guides to bring clarity in your dreams. Keep a notebook nearby — those midnight messages can slip away quickly.



    🔥 Firelight and Release

    The Celtic festival of Samhain is marked by fire — bonfires that offered protection and honored the turning of the year. Fire carries energy of transformation across cultures.

    ✨ Your turn: If you can do so safely, light a small outdoor fire or candle. Write down what you’re ready to let go of before winter — fears, frustrations, or habits that no longer serve you. Release them into the flames and feel yourself growing lighter.



    🍂 Wrapping It Up

    Fall is a season of gratitude, remembrance, and quiet preparation. Whether you’re honoring ancestors, stirring up some kitchen magick, or simply watching the leaves fall, you’re participating in the timeless rhythm of the season.

    So bundle up, light a candle, and let your autumn magick shine.

    ✨ With love and magick,
    Mambo Sam

  • Happy September!!!

    September2

  • Healing with the Lwa

     

     

  • Papa Legba Ritual!

    Papa Legba Online Ritual 

    Join us for our online ritual to Honor Papa Legba!    Prayers and petitions to Papa Legba and a special presentation by Mambo Sam.  

    Just click here to join at the designated time on 06/30/2019.  (2:00 PM Eastern, 1:00 PM Central, 12:00 noon Mountain, 11:00 AM Pacific)

    Please note the time differences so that you won't be disappointed!

    This ritual is free and completely anonymous.  

    Looking forward to seeing you all there!

    You can send in your petitions to be included to papalegba@spellmaker.com

    Ayibobo, Papa!

    Papaveve

  • The Amazing and Fabulous LaSirene and Agwe!

    Oh this is a good one!  Well, of course all of our free rituals are amazing… but this power couple of the sea is always a fan favorite! 🙂

    Our next free online ritual will be honoring Capitaine Agwe and LaSirene –  the king and queen of the ocean! Husband and wife, they rule the seas from their majestic underwater kingdom. With all the wealth of the ocean, they can help in financial matters. With a love as enduring and timeless as the seas, they can help in love situations. As a Voodoo couple, they can bring their power to a very wide variety of situations!

    Join us on Sunday, August 30 at 2:00 PM Eastern (1 PM Central, 12 PM Mountain, 11 AM Pacific) in honoring and petitioning LaSirene and Capitaine Agwe!

    Anyone and everyone can join or participate completely anonymously in our online rituals. The rituals are done in real time, live online. You remain nameless and faceless and just enjoy the ritual in the comfort of your own home! Spellmaker offers these rituals free online via a webcam – you will not be seen, but you can see the ritual as it is happening.

    Get more information on how to participate here:  http://www.spellmaker.com/prayer.htm

    La Sirene Voodoo Ritual

    Love, light, and peace,

    Mambo Samantha Corfield

    www.spellmaker.com

     

  • Once in a Blue Moon!

    Hello everyone,

    I am sure that most of you have seen that tonight we are having a blue moon! :-)  While there are some variations on the definition of a blue moon, this one is categorized as such due to the fact that it is the second full moon in the same month. 

    So what does this mean for us magickally?  According to moon magick beliefs, this is a great time to decide on setting new goals.  This is a time of creativity and starting new projects.  If you have going through something and want to have a fresh start, tonight is great time to put some energy towards that thought process.

    Light yourself a nice candle, put on some mood music, and write in your journal about any new projects that you would like to plan. Put some energy towards the idea that you are wanting a clean start on an old problem. Set goals for upcoming events and projects.  This is an awesome time to thing magickally, creatively, and with thoughts of letting go of past failures and looking forward to new successes.

    This is also a good time to charge up ritual objects that you might have – put them out in the moonlight! 

    If the weather holds out, charge yourself out in the moonlight, too!  Visualize the enriching rays filling you with promises of success, letting go of past failures, and sticking to new goals.

    Since we won't get another blue moon of this type until January 31, 2018, I think I will make some blue moon oil!  It's pretty easy! 

    What you need:  1 lodestone, 1 piece of iron pyrite, some blue violet leaves and whatever carrier oil you prefer.  Throw them into a mason jar, shake them up, and leave them out in the moonlight overnight. Voila! Blue moon oil charged up under the light of the blue moon.  This is an oil that can be used to consecrate objects, work with new projects, goal setting, creativity, etc.

    Have fun!

    Best regards,

    Mambo Samantha Corfield

    www.spellmaker.com

    Bluemoon

     

  • Free Classes Going Great!

    Hello everyone!

    It probably comes as no surprise to many of you that I love to teach!  At one point in time, I actually thought that my career would be that of a professor.  Life took me in a different direction, but I have had my chance at teaching many times in my life:  I have taught drama, karate, English, writing, acting, and, of course, Vodou/voodoo and other magickal subjects. 

    We have recently started up our public classes again here at www.spellmaker.com!  I am happy to be back in the teaching saddle again.  :-)  We have started out with a series of classes on getting to know and live with the Vodou spirits, the lwa, les lois, or the loa!  Class has been fun and rewarding.  It's always great to get to meet and teach both new and old friends!

    As we move along, we will be teaching many different metaphysical and occult subjects.  While Vodou/voodoo is our main focus most of the time, we will also teach witchcraft, hoodoo, root work, and other things as we continue on.

    These particular classes are completely free – all are welcome!  As we move along, many subjects will be covered.  We would love for you to join us.   Our format is different than it used to be. We used to be in a typing-only chat room.  We did have fun!  Now we have a fancy Adobe-based classroom where you can actually see me, but you remain anonymous (unless you choose otherwise).  Also, the classes are recorded in case you miss a class and don't want to be behind on the next class.  I am including a link here to the very first recorded class of this series so that you can get an idea of the class structure.

    If you desire to see the class, just click here to go to the recording.

    We do ask that you register for class if you desire to attend.  Registration is simple, free, and no one is going to use your information to try to sell you anything! 

    If you desire to register for class, just click here to register.

    I do hope that you will join us!  We have fun and you are welcome to participate as little or as much as you desire.

    Love to all,
    Mambo Samantha Corfield
    www.spellmaker.com

    Witchschool

     

     

  • My 21 Golden Rules of Unhappiness

    Greetings, friends!

    Most of the time my life revolves around helping those that are trying to find their happiness…or at least that is what I THINK I am doing!  Sometimes, though, I am pretty sure that what people are wanting to do is desperately hang on to their unhappiness; they want to wallow in it, taste it, smear it all over them.  So, I have to give those folks some time and some advice. I don't want to be unfair and only cater to the people who want to be happy!  So here it goes:

    My 21 Golden Rules of Making Sure You Remain Unhappy:

    1.  Assume the worst about everyone because, of course, you can't trust them.  They are all out to get you.  It's all about them being against you. Your perception of them can't possibly be wrong.  Stick to your conclusion that they are out to get you.

    2.  Don't talk to anyone whom you think has slighted you, insulted you, or otherwise hurt you.  Bottle that hurt up inside.  Act really strange around them and make them guess why.  For heaven's sake, don't let them know and don't ever give them a chance to explain.

    3.  Make sure everything is all about you.  Nothing anyone else is doing is important anyway, right?  Make sure all conversations revolve around you, especially when they bring up something about themselves.  "Yes, I know you are buying a new house. I wish I could buy a new house.  I would love a new house.  Oh look, I'm doing this cool thing over here. Let's talk about that."

    4.  Resent other peoples' happiness.  Hate all happy single people, couples, and families.  Resent everyone else's accomplishments.  Measure your own accomplishments up against theirs and make sure you realize that yours fall short of theirs; this offers an especially good reason to hate them and resent them.  Allow your jealousy to show in subtle ways – don't worry, they will catch on. Bonus:  If you happen to be single and looking – you can really hate on happy couples.

    5.  Don't participate in any fun activities with others.  Make sure that you sit back and don't join in any reindeer games.  Don't engage in any thing that the group is doing.  Play it cool, showing that you don't like these childish past times.  Don't offer any suggestions on what you would like to do.  Let them guess.  Spend time instead looking at your phone.  Staring off into space or being extremely interested in your fingernails works, too.  Bonus:  Sit with an uppity expression letting them know of  your disdain for their foolish attempts at having fun.  A scowl works for this purpose, too.  Eye rolls are great here, too.  Double bonus:  No smiling the entire time.

    6.  Don't join in the conversation.  Make sure that everyone around you is uncomfortable while you sit in silence.  Don't bother to learn how to have a conversation. (There are NO books that teach you how to do that, right?)  Don't ask anyone questions about themselves, their work, children, spouse, pets, background, hometown, good restaurants, movies they've seen, TV shows they watch, vacations they took, music they listen to, hobbies, or anything like that.  That's no way to start a conversation, right? Bonus: The one-word answer when they try to engage you in a conversation is awesome. Hey, they want to talk, let them do the talking, right?

    7.  Assume everyone is looking at you and judging you for your color, gender, weight, clothing, sexual orientation, make up, lack of make up, hairstyle… something.   Assuming this assures that you won't have to be friends with any those judgmental people (i.e., everyone breathing).

    8.  Ask advice from everyone, take advice from no one.  Engage them in senseless conversations about your life and your needs and your wants.  Pretend to be listening carefully to what they say.  Do the opposite of what they advise. What the hell do they know anyway?  Bonus:  The more of their time you waste asking their advice and not following it, the less time there will be to do anything meaningful with them. Double bonus:  If you accidentally take their advice and things don't work out to your satisfaction, blame them.  Triple bonus:  If they actually help you, resent that!  You didn't need their help! Why the hell are they doing nice things for  you?  Idiots.

    9.  Turn every event, family dinner, and party into a time for you to drink too much and bemoan your life to everyone.  Get a good crying jag going.  Make sure they are  good and uncomfortable before you pass out.  Bonus:  Puking anywhere where someone else has to clean it up. Double bonus:  Puking in the car of the poor sap that offered to get you home.

    10.  Tell everyone who is trying to help you:  "You don't understand.  You're life is perfect."  Make sure you do NOT listen to them when they tell you they have had hardships, sad times, struggles of their own.  They are full of crap.  You can SEE into their souls and past lives and know that their life has always been perfect and always will be.  This is also a good time to play the blame game – anyone and everyone is fair game here – blame at random for your unhappiness!  It's good for the soul to not take any responsibility for your own happiness!  Bonus:  As they struggle to understand you and think of ways to help you, debate every single suggestion they make, start out with, "You don't understand."  That is a good counter to all measures anyone might take to help you feel that they have compassion and empathy towards you. Double bonus:  Show them your utmost maturity by pointing out to them all the wonderful things in their life vs. the horrible misery that is your life.  Give examples.  Show your work.

    11.  Don't smile or talk with anyone at a gathering of any kind.  Make sure that no one knows you are there.  Enter without greeting anyone; leave without saying goodbye to anyone.  Don't engage with anyone.  This insures that everyone will NOT think of you when having their own gathering. It makes sure that no one will say, "Hey I met this great guy/gal and I think you would like them, too."  No social networking with people in order to meet more people.  My goodness, you might accidentally meet more people and they might try to get you to do fun things and meet more people and THOSE people might try to get you to do fun things and meet MORE people.  It's a vicious cycle of people wanting to engage with you and have fun.  Avoid it all costs.

    12.  Assume facts not in evidence.  Go with that little snippet of conversation you overheard. (Who needs to hear the whole story to make a judgment, right?).  Make sure you go with what you observed for 30 seconds, not what may have preceded it or happened afterwards.  30 seconds is enough for you, right?  Assume, assume, assume – it won't make an ass out of you and me – just them!  Above all, do not seek out the facts of the situation – just judge it from your limited observation of it.  That's all you need.

    13.  Don't try to understand the motivation of others.  If someone does something boneheaded, never give them another chance.  Don't ask.  Don't speak up. (Yes, we already said that before, but it so important that it needs to be reiterated.)  Stay in a huff.  Be angry.  (But, be sure to lie about being angry, hurt, etc.  The old classics work well here, "I'm fine.  Nothing's wrong.")  Don't allow anyone to soothe you or explain the reality of a situation to you.  Bonus:  Never accept their apology.  Double bonus:  Encourage them to apologize again. Ha!  Don't accept it…again.

    14.  Run away.  Don't stay and try to work it out.  Don't give anyone a chance to help you understand what is happening.  Don't speak up. (Yep, third time for that one.)  Just run away and start over and over and over and over and over.  That's fun, right? 

    15.  Judge, judge, and judge some more.  Of course, not that anyone should judge you, but it's absolutely fine for you to be Judgy McJudgerson.  It's all good. Cut those people right out of your life who do not pass muster.  Who needs them, right?

    16.  Don't. Try. Anything. Ever.

    17.  Minimize and be unhappy with your accomplishments.  Don't take any pride in what you have done.  Don't share it with anyone.  Always be dissatisfied with your lot in life and think ALL THE TIME  about what you haven't done.  Bonus:  Minimize the accomplishments of others; if you can't enjoy your own accomplishments, then certainly don't enjoy anyone else's.  Double bonus:  Getting people to listen to how awful it is that you didn't become a brain surgeon, concert pianist, trapeze artist.  They'll feel terrible for you.

    18.  Don't try to do anything to change your situation.  If you should accidentally change your situation, fall back on old habits; that will fix everything and make sure that your new situation turns into your old situation.  Ah, your comfort zone will be complete. Be very careful with this one.  Some people will actually try to help you change you situation to try to make  you feel better. Assholes.  Get away from them immediately.  Bonus: Drag them into your situation, then run away from them.  Bewildered, much? Yes, they will be.  Rub your hands together gleefully.

    19.  Drink the Hatorade.  Hate things just because your narrow little mind can only handle the most White Bread World possible.  Hate on movie stars.. because you know them so well.  Hate on the neighbors…what are they up to over there?  (But don't try to get to know them!)  Hate on the friends of your few remaining friends.  (They are terrible people.)  Hate on black, white, red, brown, yellow, and/or mixed people (your choice of hate) because they are "something."  (You know, lazy, dishonest, scary, ignorant, thugs, SOMETHING… um… different than you.)  Hate on gay people, straight people, bi people, transgender people (all weirdoes, right?).

    20.  Be afraid.

    21.  Don't understand that this list is really about how to be happy.

    So, there you have it, gentle readers! :-)  These are surefire ways to stay unhappy.  There are plenty more, but it seems that this should be enough to get you going on your road to eternal unhappiness.

    Now that you read this, now that you may have recognized yourself in a few of these (hopefully only a few!), do you really want to stay unhappy?  Really?

    Step out of your own shadow, my friends.  Happiness is something attainable.  It isn't a myth and it isn't for a privileged few.  It's for me.  It's for you.  Try it on for size!  You just might like it! Yes, you might have to work at it.  Yes,  you might have to do scary and unfamiliar things.  The benefits definitely outweigh the risks.  I promise!

    Love, light, and peace,

    Mambo Samantha Corfield

    www.spellmaker.com

     

  • Tips for beating anxiety.

    Hi!

    I came across this article this morning in my inbox.  Belleruth Naparstek has a wonderful collection of guided imagery recordings on her website Health Journeys. I have been listening to her for many years. She is a pioneer in this area, and also has quite a nice collection of articles and summaries of scientific studies done on the effect of guided imagery on various conditions.  I know many folks (my self included) suffer from anxiety, and I hope you find these suggestions below helpful.

    Love

    Sister Bridget

    Image result for destress cat

     

    BR’s Tips for Beating Anxiety

    Anxiety causes people to lash out, react impulsively and jump into places and relationships they shouldn't. Nine times out of ten, anger and nasty behavior is born of anxiety, looking for a place to get released.

    It's also a huge energy waster and time-sapper, preventing people from getting things done, simply because it sucks up so much time and focus. More often than not, efficient, productive people aren't any more talented or educated than others, but they're people who are unhampered by anxiety, so they get a straight shot at their goals.

    I recall seeing a surprising statistic that 50% of all office visits to the doctor are due to anxiety in one form or another (as opposed to illness).

    So here are a few tips and tricks for anyone who wants to better manage his or her anxiety and get back into the driver's seat, where surely their tush belongs. I doubt any of these will be news to you – but they might serve as a good reminder and punch list. Please add your own suggestions – this is by no means comprehensive. And, of course, if you've got persistent, unrelenting anxiety that is interfering with your life, get some professional help too.

    1. Get Mindful of Your Triggers
      Focus your attention on your innards enough to become mindful of how and when your anxiety gets activated. You're going to need to know this if you want to get ahead of it and short-circuit it, before it develops into full-blown flooding. So this is the key to everything else, unless of course, you want to become a full time meditator, 24/7 – a pretty ambitious alternative.
    2. Learn to Breathe
      Learn to breathe slowly, deeply at will. It's the quickest way to trick the body into thinking it's relaxed, and everything else will follow suit. When we're relaxed, we breathe like sleeping babies – slowly, with the belly rising with the in-breath and emptying with the out-breath. Practice at this and you're halfway there, even if you do nothing else on this list. (You may also want to read Priscilla Warner's book by this very name: Learning to Breathe: My Yearlong Quest to Bring Calm to My Life).
    3. Listen to Guided Imagery or Affirmations
      Take a few minutes each day to listen to some soothing guided imagery listen to affirmations in the car while driving. Again, all your'e doing is habituating your mind and body to the habit of relaxation. Then when something happens and you need it, it's right there for you, in your back pocket.
    4. Get Stuff Out of Your Head and onto a List
      Carry around a lightweight notebook, so you can relieve your mind of having to keep track of all the dumb detailed stuff you need to do. Simple, it's true, but you'd be surprised at how unburdening this can be on your mind. Plus, it's a good habit for actually remembering to do them!
    5. Use Physical Exercise to Channel Anxious Energy
      You don't have to run a marathon – just walk briskly or go crazy with the vacuum cleaner. Like learning to breathe, this is a physical way to approach calming your mind, as old as dirt, but very effective.
    6. De-Clutter Your Surroundings
      Studies show that messy, disorganized surroundings subtly but surely feed anxiety (depression, too). This doesn't mean you should become a compulsive neatnik and give yourself one more thing to worry about. But if you can reduce the clutter in the living spaces that you use (or even throw it all in one room you don't use, where you don't have to see it) you can reduce your baseline anxiety levels.
    7. Eat Smart
      You know the drill. Take it easy on the caffeine – coffees, colas, teas and, yes, even chocolate, all stimulate adrenaline, so use them wisely and judiciously. And do lean on the omega 3 fatty acids, vitamin B's, and whole grain carbs for regulating serotonin. And big doses of sugar is NOT your friend.
    8. Practice Silence
      Give yourself some quiet. Shut off the radio, take a news fast from the TV, let the phone go to voicemail, get away from chattering colleagues and friends (even the really nice ones) and help yourself to some silence. This includes text messages on your phone and emails on your computer. Mini-retreats taken during the day give your brain a chance to rest and your psyche to sort itself out.
    9. Try Aromatherapy
      You'd be surprised at the relaxing impact of aromatherapy and what certain fragrances can do to make a dent on your anxiety levels. Scents like lavender, sandalwood, pine, chamomile, lemongrass and bergamot can be mixed or matched uniquely to suit you – all it takes is a little experimenting to see what works best. And you can access them through lotions, candles, bath oils, inhalation beads and diffusers – even scented pillows.
    10. Laugh, Play, Smile
      Even if you don't feel like it at first, and even if your anxiety is telling you that you can't possibly afford to take the time for it, a little break with friends or an absorbing, light-hearted movie or just a laugh with a laugher can interrupt anxiety.

     

  • Ancestor Candle Making!

    Hello dear readers!

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

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

      Candleashes

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

    Candleashesinwax

     

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Love, light, and peace,

    Mambo Samantha Corfield

    www.spellmaker.com