The City of New Orleans! It is hard to imagine thinking about New Orleans without conjuring up thoughts about hoodoo, voodoo, witchcraft, and all things magickal. It is the
birthplace of many spells and spellcasters. Love spells, money spells, revenge spells, luck spells - all have found roots in New Orleans.
But what most people don't realize is that true Old New Orleans Traditional Witchcraft (ONOTW) is something completely different than other forms of witchcraft.
Okay, so what IS it, you ask? ONOTW is the kind of magick your great-great grandmother would have practiced - I know mine did!! I grew up in and lived most of my adult life in New Orleans.
ONOTW is the most typical kind of practice in New Orleans - your common, every-day type of person uses this type of witchcraft. Although, it is funny to note that if questioned, most people would say, no, they don't do any type of witchcraft. But when asked about a charm they are wearing or a strange little bag on their desk, THEN they will say something like "Oh, you mean that!" These things are so ingrained in a lot of people in New Orleans that they wouldn't even consider it practicing witchcraft.... it's just a little extra "help!"
This means you do NOT have to change your religion, adhere to a belief system, or follow any particular "path." In fact, most ONOTW practitioners can be found at Catholic Mass on Sunday morning (more than likely praying for the same thing they are currently casting a spell for -- ONOTW practitioners figure, "Hey, it can't hurt.") ONOTW isn't against ANYONE'S religion unless you want to believe it is! Every ONOTW practitioner I have ever known was a devout "something" - Catholic, Jew, you name it. ONOTW is practiced in every day life - a charm or conjure bag carried, a candle lit with a wish, or any number of things used to enhance ordinary life.
Now that we know what ONOTW is, let's touch on what it ISN'T. ONOTW is NOT Wicca! Wicca is a religion. Wicca has traditional religious holidays. It is practiced as a belief system. Magick and spell casting are not the primary purpose of the religion of Wicca, although they do play a part in the practice of Wicca. Wiccans believe in something call The Wiccan Rede or The Threefold Law. If you are interested in changing your religion and practicing Wicca there is much literature written about it - that is not my purpose here. My purpose here is to explain to you that ONOTW isn't Wicca.
ONOTW is NOT "The Craft" --- see "Wicca" above! However, having said that, "the craft" is fast becoming a more generic term meaning "witchcraft" of any kind. However, in its true form "the craft" is Wicca.
ONOTW is NOT true Voodoo or Hoodoo, BUT elements of these practices have found their way into ONOTW due to the strong prevalence of these practices in New Orleans.
So you are very likely to have a little Voodoo/Hoodoo thrown into your ONOTW spell work! But, you are not practicing the religion of Voodoo - that's entirely different. Many of our own products
that are used in ONOTW are products we use in our New Orleans Voodoo spells. What is the difference then? When you are using them in the ONOTW spells, you aren't asking for Voodoo Spirits (the lwa)
to help you, thus you don't owe them an offering. Even though the product might be one we use for a particular lwa, that doesn't mean you have to use it that way! When you get into using our
Creole Voodoo™ spell kits, then you are pulling in the help of the lwa.
ONOTW is NOT black magick, satanism, or anything involving the worship of dark dieties, or for that matter, ANY dieties.
So, now you know what ONOTW is and is not!
What is the spell for: This is a spell to bring forth inner peace and promote healing.
What you need for your spell:
Cleanse the space you will be using with plain water. If you have an altar you regularly use, that is perfect. If not, use any surface and just make sure it is clean. Set your candles up about 8 inches apart, left and right. Put your incense between them (please use
an incense burner or dish of sand, to be safe. No fires, please!)
Put your glass of drinking water (not the cleaning water) in front of you on the surface you are using.
Put your rock, stone, or shell on the surface in front of you, to your right.
Put a small amount of the Samantha's Spiritual Power Anointing Oil on one finger. Touch that finger to your forehead, base of throat, and heart area. Say, "Protection, healing, peace." Repeat this
process three times.
Light the candle to your left. Say, "Peace and harmony lights my way." Light the candle to your right. Say, "Peace and harmony lights the way for all."
Light your incense. Blow gently on it to make sure that it lights and makes a little smoke. Hold your rock, stone, or shell in the smoke. Say, "By this smoke, I cleanse thee." Hold it there for just
a few seconds.
Keep your rock, stone, or shell in whichever hand you prefer. Say, "I am protected. I am healed. I am at peace." You will repeat this three times, but take your time between the three times you say it.
Reflect on yourself surrounded by light, in a beautiful setting of your choice. Breathe in and feel that place you have created. Stay in that place as long as you like, then repeat the same phrase.
Again, stay in the place you have created. Feel the joy, the protection, the safety, the healing. Breathe all of those beautiful emotions in. Then say the phrase for the third time. Be mindful of
the feeling you have... you are nurtured by the Universe. You are tapping into the joy of upper vibrations. At this moment, in this place, all is well with you. Stay in this state as long as
you desire.
When you are feeling satisfied, put your rock, stone, or shell down in front of you. Drink the water. (You have created a high vibration glass of water. Drink it all!)
Extinguish your candles or let them burn down. Please be safe!
Now, what about that rock, stone, or shell you used? That is now a talisman for peace, healing, and protection. You have infused your energy and the energy you have absorbed from the Universe
into that item! If you are feeling like you need to revisit that place you created but don't have time to do the whole spell, hold that item and
recreate what you felt here. The more you do it, the more that item will be infused with that energy and will become a powerful talisman for healing,
protection, and peace.
Enjoy!
*You can use a different oil and incense. This is just what we recommend for maximum effectiveness!
Written by Rev. Samantha Corfield
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