COW TONGUE SPELL TO STOP GOSSIP

As this seems to be an ongoing issue I thought I would post one of the spells I just learned.

Take a cows tongue and nail it to a board, then twist it up and nail the other end. Stick it in your freezer!

Poppet magick, aka voodoo doll

Wax Poppets

This is an intriguing poppet. If you saw the movie "Witches of Eastwick", you saw Cher, Susan Sarandon, and Michelle whats-her-name make one of these.


Take 7 white candles (new candles, not used) and melt down in a double boiler on low heat. You don't want to melt them down to liquid, just soften them so they can be worked with. (If indeed you do liquidize them, just let them cool until they can be handled.) Remove wicks.

Rub lavender oil on your palms and fingers before working the wax. When the
wax can be easily shaped (don't burn your hands!), begin to shape your poppet. Oils, herbs, and personal effects (hair, nails) should be kneaded into the wax. Try to incorporate some of the features of the person. Are they thin? Stocky? Any distinguishing features will help.

When the figure is shaped, place a representation of the heart in the chest area. This can be a piece of copal resin, a small piece of tourmaline, or any other stone or item that represents the heart. Take a pin or other pointed object and draw your magickal representations on the figure.

A variation on this process would be to rub an oil that corresponds to your magickal intent on your hands as you shape the poppet. Rose if it's a love poppet. Patchouli for a prosperity poppet. Any oil that you would incorporate into the spell would be appropriate.


Cloth poppets

My favorite method. Cut two identical gingerbread shapes from fabric. (See
pattern). Felt, cotton, or muslin is suitable, but so is fabric from the subject's old shirt or any piece of clothing. Embroider, draw, or paint magickal symbols, words, anything meaningful to the spell on the right side of one piece of your pattern. Green eyes? Dark hair? This is where you add those details. Right sides together, sew the shapes together, leaving a good sized hole to stuff it with.

Prepare your herbal mixture. For those of you into numerology, one method is
to choose a number that corresponds with your magickal intent and add that number of herbs. I use multiples of three in my poppet blends. Using multiples of three, a prosperity blend might include patchouli, honeysuckle, and basil. If I'm adding honeysuckle flowers, I might add 6 or 9. I mix my personal effects with these herbs (hair, fingernails, a cut up picture, whatever I have.) For a money spell, I might shred a dollar or add three silver coins. For a healing spell, I might add a stone that represents the ailing body part and use herbs that would medicinally treat the sickness. This is where you can get entirely creative. I like to place representations of the heart inside cloth poppets. Again, a piece of copal resin or tourmaline would do nicely if stuffing inside. Some sew hearts on the outside in a color corresponding to the purpose of the spell.

You don't have to stuff the poppet entirely with herbs. You can include a small herbal mixture with other kinds of stuffing -- batting, shredded paper, whatever you have on hand. I just love the smell and feel of poppets stuffed entirely with herbs. Once you're satisfied with the stuffing, sew the poppet up and consecrate.


Paper Poppets

The easiest of all. Cut a gingerbread figure from a piece of clean paper. Write the name of the person for whom you're making your poppet on the paper. Draw your sigils and any other distinguishing signs. This is a very quick, yet surprisingly effective alternative to putting hours into poppet design. Anoint the paper with herbal oils corresponding to your spellwork. For the emergencies or impromptu spells.


Root or Wood Poppets

Several herbal roots and wood are very well suited for poppet magick. Of course, there is the mystical mandrake. This wo/man-shaped root has been used for centuries in sympathetic magick, especially love magick. To activate a dried mandrake, place it on the altar undisturbed for three days. Then place it in warm water overnight. The root will then be activated and ready for any magickal purpose. A human shaped mandrake root is going to be very expensive. Substitute ash roots, apples, root of the briony, or the American may apple if the cost is prohibitive. Ginseng root has a human shape, and is especially good for protection, love, and healing spells. Ginseng is expensive too, though!

Poppet shapes can be carved from wood. Apple wood is a great choice. This can be labor intensive unless you are a wood carver or just happen to find a nicely shaped branch or stick.


Clay Poppets

Buy clay or gather from the riverside. When your figure is formed, hollow out a hole in the heart area to place hair, nail clippings, herbs, or other magickal ingredients. Cover the hole with clay and proceed with spell. Clay poppets may crack if dried too quickly. If cracking occurs, wet fingers and smooth clay over cracks. Repeat daily, if needed, until poppet is dry.


Mr. Potato Head

Potatoes can be carved into poppets. Apples too. A carrot would make a good fertility poppet. Are you getting the idea that just about anything will work as a poppet? Focus and magickal intent are the keys.


CONSECRATING THE POPPET

As with all magick, it's best to perform it when the moon and other astrological signs are favorable. (For a list of moon phases, signs, etc and their magickal correspondences, go here.)

Gather your materials. Cast a circle. Construct a chant to use while making
your poppet. This can be as elaborate as a sigil or as simple as repeating
the name of the poppet's intended or a rhyme stating your magickal purpose.
Visualize your magickal intent as you work.

When the poppet is finished, lay it on the altar and repeat this or
something like it:


Though separate you were,
Now you are one.
The link of unison has begun.

Continue with your spell, visualizing what you intend to accomplish. Close the circle.


CARE OF YOUR POPPETS

After performing your magick, wrap the poppet in a white cloth and store in a safe place. You should keep the poppet safe until the magick has manifested. I've worked magick on the same poppet more than once. I'm one of those witches who sees no harm in repeating spells (as long as you don't obsess over your magick). Some witches are strongly opposed to this.


DISPOSING OF YOUR POPPETS

Take it apart and bury it after the magick has manifested. Be sure to sever the magickal connection between the poppet and the person it represented with this or a similar chant.


By the Moon and Stars
and Goddess above.
I now sever this link
with thanks and love.

SOME MOJO HAND COMBINATIONS YOU CAN MAKE

Here are a few representative mojo hand combinations, to which it would be customary to add a name-paper or wish-paper signifying the person for whom the work is being done:



To draw money:
A silver "Mercury" dime, a pinch of sugar, a lodestone, and a John the Conqueror root wrapped up in a $2.00 bill, fixed in a green flannel bag with a metal money bag charm and dressed with Van Van Oil.

To attract love:
A matched pair of lodestones covered with magnetic sand -- or the less traditional but equally effective pair of Magnetic Scotty Dogs -- fixed in a red flannel bag and dressed with red Fast Luck Oil or Love Me Oil. (For a variant of this conjure bag, created by a couple to preserve faithful love during absences, see the page of Love Spells.)

"Ole' Conjure Man's" Hand for luck and protection:
The advertisement shown above depicts a popular mojo bag consisting of two lodestones and two horseshoe nails in a red flannel bag that was sold nationally during the early 1930s by King Novelty Company (the occult supply branch of Famous Products, about which see below). The text reads in part: "An old Conjure Man or Trick Doctor of the South used this Curio Charm consisting of a Red Flannel Bag filled with Lodestone, Nails, and Hair. This has been claimed to ward off the Devil, to be a Good Luck Charm against HANDICAPPING and to PROTECT against other 'HANDS.' PROTECT aginst other 'HANDS' means, we believe, to ward off evil intended by someone else..." In place of the owner's hair, the use of this mojo for magical protection against witchcraft would also rendered quite powrful by the inclusion of a pinch of salt, which has a long history in this regard.

To remove a jinx, stop crossed conditions, or drive away evil:
A broken length of chain; a broken ring; a rat bone or toy plastic rat; a catseye shell; a miniature metal, bone, or plastic skull; a pinch of five finger grass; and a miniature dagger; fixed in a red flannel bag and dressed with Stop Evil Condition Oil, Jinx Removing Oil, or Uncrossing Oil.

For luck in gambling:
A Lucky Hand root, a pinch of five-finger grass, a miniature pair of dice, and a John the Conqueror root, fixed in a red flannel bag and anointed with red Fast Luck Oil or with the urine of your lover. An added dried bat heart and an alligator tooth or badger tooth is good here too, as are a rabbit foot or alligator foot.

For the return of an estranged lover:
A black cat bone wrapped in cotton wool, fixed in a red flannel bag and dressed with Follow Me Boy Oil or Reconciliation Oil.



For peace in the home:
An Angelica root, a hair-charm made of family members' hair, a metal dove-with-olive-branch charm, balm of Gilead buds, flax seeds, rosebuds, lavender flowers, and basil leaves, fixed in a pale blue flannel bag and dressed with Peaceful Home Oil.

For a wish to come true:
Seven wishing beans, a rabbit foot, and a piece of parchment upon which the wish has been written in Dragon's Blood ink (or other red ink), fixed in a red flannel bag and anointed with Van Van Oil. Some people write a different wish for each bean, seven wishes in total.



"Root Doctors' Hand" for good luck:
Another combination sold during the 1930s by King Novelty is shown in the above advertisement. It contained Sampson's snake roots, devil's shoestring roots, a piece of brimstone (sulphur), and a magnetic lodestone in a red flannel bag. As a bonus, the buyer received a good luck ring bearing the image of a horseshoe and a four-leaf clover, plus a copy of the then-popular "Witch's Dream Book," one of a number of similar dream books used by players to predict lucky numbers when betting on illegal lottery games such as policy. The text reads in part: "A HAND made by an old-time Conjure Man contained the following: One piece of Sampson Snake Root and a piece of 'Devil's Shoe Strings.' This was wrapped in a piece of Black Cloth folded always toward the maker and sewed with White Thread and then incased in a Red Flannel Bag. The Conjure Man said that the whole should be thoroughly wet with Whiskey or Camphor [camphorated oil] at regular intervals and should always be carried with you. It was said that such a Bag brings things to you and the twine-like roots of "Devil's Shoe Strings" ties them close and the folding of the cover towards you brings you GOOD LUCK in Gambling..."

For steady work:
A John the Conqueror root, a metal clock charm, devil's shoestring roots, gravel root, salt, and pyrite crystals, fixed in a green flannel bag and dressed with Steady Work Oil. A simpler version, employed by day laborours, consists of carrying salt and gravel root in one's pocket. A bit of the mixture is sprinkled inconspicuously where the hiring boss will step in it.

To keep a man at home:
A detailed desription of this form of woman's mojo hand appears in the page on nation sacks.



LUCKY MOJO

KEEPING THE MOJO HID

Mojos made for an individual are usually carried on the person, always out of sight. They are very rarely worn on a string around the neck, fairly commonly pinned inside a woman's brassiere, and much more commonly pinned to the clothes below the waist or caried in a pants pocket. Those who make conjure bags to carry as love spells sometimes specify that the mojo be worn next to the skin. Mojos intended to purify or protect a location are generally placed near the door, hidden in such a way that they cannot be seen by strangers.



Keeping the mojo from being seen is important because if another person touches it, the luck may be lost. This is sometimes called "killing the hand." The proscription against touching is far stronger in the case of the woman's nation sack than it is in any other kind of mojo.

A song lyric that describes the mojo touching taboo occurs in "Take Your Hands Off My Mojo," recorded in New York on February 17, 1932 by Leola B. Wilson and Wesley Wilson (a husband and wife duo also known as Coot Grant and Kid Wesley Wilson, Kid and Coot, and, singly, as Leola B. Pettigraw and Socks Wilson). This hokum blues number was a follow-up to the couple's double-entendre dance-hit "Get Off With Me," which explains the reference in the first line. It is sung in alternating line form, with a spoken introduction. (Thanks to Frank Sandoval for the recording date and to Bob Dunn for the picture.):

TAKE YOUR HANDS OFF MY MOJO
by Leola B. "Coot" Grant and "Kid" Welsey Wilson

Spoken:
(F) Ah, play that thing! Did you get off?
(M) Come here, honey; I got something to tell you.
(F) Whaddaya want? Don't do THAT! Don't DO that!
As long as you KNOW me, don't you put your hand on my mojo!
(M) Why, honey?

Sung:
(F) Now, the Depression has made me do a lot of things
That i never done befo'
That's why I went to a fortune teller
And got me this lucky mojo
(M) Honey, I done seen your mojo
That thing ain't nothin' but a joke
(F) But if you keep your hands off a' my mojo,
I'm one woman will never be broke

Just keep your hands off a' my mojo, you can't cut off my luck
Now, keep your hands off a' my mojo, if you ain't got a buck
Time's is hard as hard can be
I don't want no broken man messin' 'round with me
Keep your hands off a' my mojo, you ain't got no time for me

(M) Now, me put my hands on your mojo,
Honey, what harm would that do?
(F) Now, it ain't no tellin', red hot Papa,
Mama may start lovin' you
(M) Heh, if...if you EVER start to lovin' me
Baby, won't that be just fine?
(F) But who's got time to love a man
Ain't got one thin dime?
(M) Yeah, but looky here -- I can give you lots of lovin'
'Cause you know I'm a lovin' cat
(F) But times' so doggone hard now, Baby
A woman can't live off a' that

It's time to love, it's time to pray
It's time to moan and shout
It's a time a woman's got other things
That she wants to think about

Now, keep your hands off a' my mojo, 'cause it sure is lucky to me
Now, keep your hands off a' my mojo, I wish i had two or three
I wear my mojo above my knee
To keep you from tryin to hoodoo me
So keep your hands off a' my mojo, if you ain't got no stuff for me


The concealment of the mojo hand is what has led to confusion about the meaning of the word. Many acoustic rural blues songs of the 1920s-30s refer to mojos, among them a dozen that carry a floating verse about "keeping a mojo hid." Here is a sample of such a lyric, from "Scarey Day Blues" by the Georgia-born musician Blind Willie McTell. The reference in the third line to "Georgia Bill" is explained by the fact that Willie Samuel McTell recorded for several competing labels under an assortment of pseudomyms including Georgia Bill, Hot Shot Willie, Blind Sammie, and Barrelhouse Sammy. "Scarey Day Blues" was a "Georgia Bill" recording, cut in Atlanta in October, 1931 for the Okeh label.

SCAREY DAY BLUES
by Blind Willie McTell

My good gal got a mojo, she's tryin' to keep it hid
My gal got a mojo, she's tryin' to keep it hid
But Georgia Bill got something to find that mojo with
I said she got that mojo and she won't let me see
She got that mojo and she won't let me see
And every time i start to love her she's tried to put that jinx on me

Well, she shakes like the Central and she wobbles like the L & N
She shakes like the Central and she wobbles like the L & N
Well, she's a hot-shot mama and i'm scared to tell her where i been

Said my baby got something, she won't tell her daddy what it is
Said my baby got something, she won't tell her daddy what it is
But when i crawls into my bed, i just can't keep my black stuff still

Since the least conspicuous way for a woman to wear a hidden mojo is hanging from a string under her skirt -- or, as Coot Grant put it, above her knee -- a male blues singer is making a double entendre when he declares he's going to find that mojo. It's a sexual joke, but the mojo itself is not sexual.

FIXING AND FEEDING THE MOJO HAND

Fixing the mojo is not merely a matter of dumping a bunch of items into the bag. It involves a ritual -- which will vary from maker to maker -- of filling the bag and then awakening it to life. It may also be "smoked" in incense fumes or the smoke from a candle, or breathed upon to bring it to life. Prayers may be said, and other methods may be used to accomplish this essential step.

Once prepared or "fixed," the mojo is "dressed" or "fed" with a liquid of some kind. The most common liquids used to feed a hand are alcohol, such as whiskey; a perfume, such as Hoyt's Cologne or Florida Water; bodily fluids, such as spit or urine (or sexual fluids for a love-drawing hand); or with a specially-prepared condition oil. The bag is not generally soaked through, but simply dabbed with the liquid, although some old-time poker players i knew during in my youth, during the 1960s, used to say that to get a gambling hand to really work for you, you had to have your lover pee all over it out in the alley between rounds of play.

Why is the mojo fed to keep it working? Because it is alive with spirit.

One major difference between typical European-style magical talismans and a mojo is that it is almost universally claimed and believed by practitioners of conjure that the mojo is alive, is inhabited by a spirit, and/or contains a fragment of the spirit of the owner. Few, if any, European magicians say that sort of thing about their religious or astrological talismans. Yes, astrological talismans are embued with, or reflective of, the energy of a planet or a fixed star, or a moment of transient vibration between two or more such planets or stars -- but they are not alive, kept fed, and cossetted the way a mojo is -- and for good reason.

A secondary difference between mojos and European talismans is that mojo hands are customarily fed with scented liquids that are themselves derived from various magical herbal ingredients -- herbal conjure oils, magical herbal-floral colognes, and even liquors such as whiskey ("water of life") in which herbs have been soaked. This is nature magic, the use of this earth's spiritual interweb of magically active beings, in which persons, animals, plants, and minerals are bound together in social patterns on an invisible plane.

HOW A MOJO BAG IS MADE

Although most "Southern Style" conjure bags are made of red flannel, some root doctors favour the colour-symbolism employed in hoodoo style candle-burning magic and thus use green flannel for a money mojo, white flannel for a baby-blessing mojo, red flannel for a love mojo, pale blue flannel for a peaceful home mojo, and so forth. Leather bags are also seen, but far less frequently than flannel; they are associated with West Indian obeah, another form of folk magic closely related to African-American hoodoo.

And what is contained in the mojo hand? Well, that varies a lot, based on what the wearer hopes to accomplish by carrying the amulet and what the maker finds effective or customary to use in preparing it.

A mojo carried for love-drawing will contain different ingredients than one for gambling luck or magical protection.

The objects most commonly found in mojo bags are roots and herbs, minerals, petition papers, name papers, plus a variety of animal parts such as hair, fingernails, bones, or dyed feathers -- green for money, red for love, orange for change or warning, blue for spiritual peace -- rattlesnake rattles, dried frogs, swallow hearts, and bat wings. (Modern urban practitioners may substitute a toy plastic bat for the latter). Coins, metal lucky charms, crystals, good luck tokens, and carved stone amulets may also be added for extra power or for their symbolic value.

Generally there are at least three items in a mojo hand. Many root doctors try to ensure that the total number of ingredients comes to an odd number -- usually 3, 7, or 9, but sometimes 5, 11, or 13. On the other hand, just as many root doctors don't bother counting the items at all; they just compile the traditional items they like to work with, according to the situations, conditions, and needs of their clients.

Some conjure workers who do like to count out 3 ingredients will make sure each item is singular and distinct -- say, one root, one personal item, and one mineral. To other, equally proficient workers, the count of 3 may include one personal item, one petition paper, and two paired minerals counted as one; or one animal curio, one petition paper, and half a handful of mixed herbs and seeds, in which case, no matter how many varieties there are in the mixture, the mix itself is counted as one item.

Some root doctors are known for their use of favourite or "trade mark" ingredients -- one man i knew, for instance, put tobacco snuff in every bag he made; another was famed for his "Good Luck Herb Mixture" and used it in almost every bag i bought from him, as well as selling it in the form of incense and baths; a third man was known to me for his consistent and otherwise unexplained inclusion of a coin -- usually a modern penny -- in every bag he made. But the use of such "trademarks" is not too common, in my experience; most makers vary the contents of their bags quite a bit, depending on the case at hand.

Some root workers top off their mojo bags with parchments upon which are printed medieval European seals and sigils of talismanic import, particularly the seals from the Greater Key of Solomon and The 6th and 7th Books of Moses, both of which are sold as sets of seals printed on parchment paper, and are used without reference to the rituals given in the texts of the books.

These last items surprise many Caucasians, who are unaware that a strong vein of Germanic folklore runs through traditional African-American hoodoo. Still, however strange it may seem to cultural anthropologists in search of "African survivals" in hoodoo practice, it is a fact that John George Hohman's "Pow-Wows or the Long Lost Friend" -- first published in America in 1820 and translated into English in 1856 -- has long been a staple source of inspiration for conjure-workers in both the African-American and European-American Appalachian traditions, and many a black hoodoo practitioner can cite chapter and verse of "Albertus Magnus," "The Black Pullet," "Secrets of the Psalms," "The 6th and 7th Books of Moses," "8th, 9th, and 10th Books of Moses," and other occult books of European origin.

Mojo bag? Gris gris

GRIS-GRIS, JOMO, TOBY, NATION SACK, TRICK BAG
Alternaive American names for the mojo bag include hand, mojo hand, conjure hand, lucky hand, conjure bag, trick bag, root bag, toby, jomo, and gris-gris bag. In the Memphis region, a special kind of mojo, worn only by women, is called a nation sack. A mojo used for divination, somehwat like a pendulum, is called a Jack, Jack bag, or Jack ball.

The word "gris-gris" looks French (and in French it would mean "grey-grey"), but it is simply a Frenchified spelling of the Central African word gree-gree (also sometimes seplled gri-gri). Gree-gree means "fetish" or "charm," thus a gris-gris or gree-gree bag is a charm bag. In the Caribbean, an almost-identical African-derived bag is called a wanga or oanga bag, from the African word wanga, which also means "charm" or "spell" -- but that word is uncommon in the USA.

The word "conjure" -- as in "conjure work" (casting spells) and "conjure woman" (a female herbalist-magician) -- is an old alternative to "hoodoo," thus a conjure hand is a hoodoo bag, one made by a conjure doctor or two-headed doctor. Likewise, the word trick derives from an African-American term for spell-casting -- "laying tricks" -- so a trick bag is a a bag that contains a spell. Similarly, "wanga" is a West African word meaning a spell, hence a wanga bag is a bag containing a spell.

The word "hand" in this context means a combination of ingredients. The term may derive from the use of finger and hand bones of the dead in mojo bags made for various purposes, from the use of a rare orchid root called Lucky Hand root as an ingredient in mojo bags for gamblers, or by an analogy between the mixed ingredients in the bag and the several cards that make up a "hand" in card games.

Luckymojo.com

MOJO HAND and ROOT BAG

Everybody in America seems to have heard the word "mojo," but darned few white folks know what it means. Cecil Adams, author of "The Straight Dope" series that purports to give truthful answers to often-asked trivial questions, mumbled his way through theories that "mojo" means the sex act or a male sexual organ, even giving space to the drug-addled white singer Jim Morrison's self-applied sobriquet of "Mr. Mojo Risin'" as an indication that a mojo may be a penis. By the end of the 20th century, the second Austin Powers movie, steeped in white retro-culture, reinforced the idea of the mojo as a sex organ, but other white people took the idea in different directions, giving rise to a brand of mountain bike called a Mojo, a brand of cookies called Mojos, and numerous pets (especially cats) named "Mojo" by their loving owners.



For the record, "Mr. Mojo Risin'" is nothing more than an anagram for "Jim Morrison" and it came about because during the 1960s, Morrison apparently heard the word "mojo" on a recording by the Mississippi-born Chicag-style blues singer Muddy Waters [McKinley Morganfield], shown at right, one of whose most popular songs was "I Got My Mojo Working." Here are the lyrics which so impressed Mr. Morrison:

I GOT MY MOJO WORKING
by Preston Foster
Recorded by Ann Cole, Muddy Waters, et al

I got my mojo workin' but it just don't work on you
I got my mojo workin' but it just don't work on you
I wanna love you so bad, child, but i don't know what to do

I'm going down to Louisiana, gonna get me a mojo hand
Going down to Louisiana, gonna get me a mojo hand.
Gonna have all you women under my command.

Got my mojo workin'!
(Got my mojo workin'!)
Got my mojo workin'!
(Got my mojo workin'!)
Got my mojo workin'!
(Got my mojo workin'!)
Got my mojo workin'!
(Got my mojo workin'!)
Got my mojo workin', but it just don't work on you!

I got a Gypsy woman giving me advice.
I got a Gypsy woman giving me advice.
I got a whole lot of tricks keeping our love on ice

Got my mojo workin'!
(Got my mojo workin'!)
Got my mojo workin'!
(Got my mojo workin'!)
Got my mojo workin'!
(Got my mojo workin'!)
Got my mojo workin'!
(Got my mojo workin'!)
Got my mojo workin', but it just don't work on you!
How the failure of Morganfield's mojo was cast into the phantasy of a male sex organ is a tale only white musicians and newspaper columnists can unravel; after all, the first recording of "Got My Mojo Working" was made by Ann Cole, a woman, and the famous blues singer Robert Johnson had written about a woman's mojo in "Little Queen of Spades," way back in the 1930s. The truth is, the word has nothing to do with the sex organs of either gender and never has.

So what is a mojo? It is, in short, the staple amulet of African-American hoodoo practice, a flannel bag containing one or more magical items. The word is thought by some to be a corruption of the English word "magic" but it more likely is related to the West African word "mojuba," meaning a prayer of praise and homage. It is a "prayer in a bag" -- a spell you can carry.

Black salt

Domestic witch and I were mulling over some idead on how to make black salt we came up with these few.....Scrapings from a cast iron skillet, Food coloring, or coal that we gather when we are in Kentucky ( I just read coal is good for prosperity so that is an added bonus.) Earlier today i thought of a few more options. Lamp Black ( it is the black powdery stuff that satains your glass candle containers when burning candles). I figure that mixed with salt, or buying black chalk whih is also used for protection spells and mixing it with the salt. All I have to say is this... I am going to be making some hoodoo and hard to find spell componants and I am gonna have a giveaway soon!! So keep your eye out for my blog.

HOW TO RITUALLY DISPOSE OF USED CANDLE WAX

HOW TO RITUALLY DISPOSE OF USED CANDLE WAX


In European-American traditions, many people bury candle wax and other ritual remains after a spell is cast. Burial toward the appropriate quarter of the compass is considered a thoughtful way to go about this. Some neo-pagans dispose of ritual or spell remains in a bonfire or fireplace.

In African-American hoodoo candle magic spells the disposal of left-over materials follows other patterns, usually dependent upon the type of spell.

If the intention of the spell is good and it involves matters around one's own home, like blessing, love-drawing, money-drawing, or home protection, one can wrap the materials in a cloth or paper packet and bury them in the yard. It is important to never bury remains from negative spells in one's own yard.

If the intention of the spell is not centered on matters close to home, or if one does not have a suitable yard, one can wrap the materials in a cloth or paper packet and throw them in running water over the left shoulder and walk away. Alternatively, one can take the materials to a crossroads -- any place where two roads cross -- and throw the packet into the center of the crossroads over the left shoulder and walk away. The crossroads is also the preferred place to throw bath-water before beginning a spell; it is often used for throwing out the remains of candle wax if the spell does not personally involve the practitioner or if the spell is negative or influence-removing.

If the intention of the spell is specifically to get someone to leave town or leave one alone, one can divide the materials (e.g. 9 needles used in a spell and 9 pieces of wax from a candle) into 9 packets and add Hot Foot Powder (or Drive Away Powder) to each packet. One starts at a crossroads near to where the person lives and throws out the first packet. Then one travels in a direction away from the enemy's home, toward where one wants them to go, and drops a packet at each crossroads one passes until all the packets are gone. In the country this might carry one several miles. In the city it would only be 9 blocks, so city folks only count major intersections (with a light) when they do this, or they may count freeway interchanges to get some distance worked up between the packets.

If the intention of the spell is seriously, irreparably harmful (like causing another person grave illness), especially if it contains graveyard dirt or goofer dust, one can dispose of the material in a graveyard. The wax and other remnants are placed in a miniature coffin, buried, and marked by a miniature headstone with the enemy's name on it. When setting such a spell to rest, many workers also sprinkle a mixture of sulphur powder and salt around the grave, then walk home and don't look back.

HOW TO BURN CANDLES IN SECRET

HOW TO BURN CANDLES
IN SECRET
Lots of folks don't have full privacy to do spell-casting in their homes. They may live with their parents, or they may live in shared housing such as a dormitory, or -- tough as it is -- they may be performing a spell that is intended to directly affect a family member in the home, such as a spouse, child, or in-law. Pretty much every system of magical working can be adapted to function under conditions of secrecy, but candle-burning is the most difficult form of rootwork or conjure to hide, for obvious reasons.

One method used by many practitioners to conceal candle work is to burn the candles a bit at a time and hide them between burnings.



When candles are burned a bit at a time -- which we call "burning in sections" -- they may be left up on the altar or hidden away between lightings. It is customary to burn them for at least 15 minutes at each session -- just long enough to get them going well and to spend some time over them in prayer or petition before putting them out. In order to keep one's link to the candles continuously strong during the switches from "on" time to "off" time, practitioners long ago developed two further traditions, "pinching them out" (for all candles) and "wrapping them up" (for candles that are hidden away).

In hoodoo, one oft-heard piece of advice is, "You should never blow a candle out if you want to return to it, because that ends the spell, but if you pinch it out, you can come back to it any time." This is a customary, but not compulsory, way to deal with candles that are to be burned in sections. When i say "customary but not compulsory," i mean that you may work differently, but you will be in the minority, since most hoodoo practitioners prefer to pinch out candles when a spell is ongoing and the candle must be stopped for a time.

To pinch out a candle, just lick your thumb and first finger and -- sffft! -- put out the wick. Or, you can keep a pretty metal candle snuffer at the altar (and it can do double-duty as a shaper for incense cones).

Pinching or snuffing out the light is done for all candles burned in sections -- that is, both for candles that will be left on the altar and for those that will be hidden away.

When hiding away candles or any other altar objects, it is the custom in hoodoo to wrap and tie them. This secures their spiritual energy, and marks them as still being in use. The most common way to wrap candles that are being burned in sections is to place them in a brown paper grocery bag and twist the top shut. They may also be rolled up in a flat piece of brown grocery bag paper and tied with cotton packaging twine.

As you can see, burning candles in sections does not "ruin the work." On the contrary, it is a common, practical, and useful way to work, and it is so often done that an entire set of terms and traditions has grown up around the custom of burning in sections.

Another way to burn candles in secret is to have spiritual practioners, such as those at Missionary Independent Spiritual Church, set lights for you, but hoodoo will enjoy hoodoo more and learn to become a sharper practitioner if you try working candle spells on your own.

Remember, too, if you are new to candle magic, to be careful and safe with fire -- don't set lights near wind-blown curtains, nor where pets can knock them over.
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DRESSING, MARKING, MEASURING, LIGHTING, Ans Extinguishing

DRESSING, MARKING, MEASURING,
LIGHTING, AND EXTINGUISHING CANDLES


Offertory and figural candles are dressed by rubbing them (for instance, upward to "draw" and downward to repel) with appropriate anointing oils, such as Fast Luck, Compelling, or John the Conqueror. Some practitioners then sprinkle them with sachet powders or roll them in finely cut magic herbs selected for their specific spiritual powers.

Glass-encased vigil and novena caldes are dressed by using a sharp tool (such as a nail, awl, or screw driver) to poke holes or engrave a name or symbol in the wax at the top and then drizzling in a small amount of oil. They may then be topped with finely crushed herbs and symbolically coloured glitter. They are then prayed over and dedicated for use.

Care must be used when adding oil and herbs to a vigil light -- too much oil will result in the candle wick becoming drowned, and too many herbs, especially those that are highly flammable, may lead to the candle catching on fire all along the top surface, which can be a fire hazard and may also result in a black, sooty burn, which is an unfortunate outcome when seeking to perform a candle divination.

The time of day the lights are set is important: To draw influences, some folks prefer towwork in the morning, and the sun rises and hoodoo practitioners say that the candle should be lit when both clock hands are rising, in the second half of the hours between six and twelve. To repel or cast off influences, some folks like to work as the sun is setting and some say that the candle should be lit when both hands on the clock are falling, in the first half of the hours from twelve to six. Other folks prefer light to all of their candles at midnight, the traditional "witching hour."

Candles are usually inscribed or marked in some way to indicate on whose behalf they are being burned. In its simplest form, this consists carving a name in the wax, but it also a very common, almost a universal, practice to write out a petition and/or a name on paper (often writing the name multiple times) and to place the paper beneath the candle, sometimes under an overturned saucer to protect it from burning. In addition to the petition paper, words, symbols, or sigils may be inscribed or carved into the candle wax with a needle, pin, rusty nail, or knife, depending on the intention behind the spell, and the candle may be "loaded" by inserting personal concerns into a hole in the wax and coverin it over with wax before the candle is lit.

When a name-paper or a petition paper with a name on it is placed under the candle, this is called "burning a candle on [him or her]." Many people also burn a candle on someone's picture, that is, place a drawing or photo under the saucer. It is customary to write the name on the back of the picture when doing this. Burning a candle on someone's name or picture can be done for love, revenge, harm, or any desired result, depending on the candle colour and the dressing oil used.

The earliest printed version of this spell i have yet found comes from New Orleans and dates back to 1924. It is found not in a book of folklore or magic, but rather in the song "Hoodoo Blues" written by Spencer Williams and recorded by Bessie Brown. Due to the constraints of the blues lyrics format, the spell is given in sketchy format, but it is recognizable. In this 1924 song, a black cat bone is used for the return of the narrator's lover (he seems to have moved into another woman's home) and burning a candle on her picture (a black candle, i'd wager) is to get her to let loose of the man so he can return to the singer. The enemy's picture goes under the candle, and although it is not specifically stated in the song lyric, i presume that in keeping with modern usage, the enemy's name is written on the back of the picture and the picture-with-name goes under a saucer which is under the candle.

Here is the relevant verse:

Goin' 'neath her window, gonna lay a black cat bone
Goin' 'neath her window, gonna lay a black cat bone
Burn a candle on her picture, she won't let my good man alone.


Free-standing candles are typically burned in candle holders or candle stands. These may be elaborate or plain. When a large number of small altar candles or offertory will be lit at one time -- as, for instance, in the Fiery Wall of Protection Spell, it is most economical and efficient to utilize small, simple, stamped metal candle stands called "star holders."

In some spells, the candle is burned a half-inch at a time for several days. In others, it is burned in intervals at specified times of the day, or marked into sections with pins or needles and burned a section at a time "until the pin drops." In addition to burning the candle while it stands on a piece of paper, some spells specify that the candles should be moved toward or away from each other over the course of the working, or that the candle flame be used to ignite the name- or petition-paper, the ashes of which are then used in the work. During the course of certain conjurations, altar candles may be butted and burned upside down or even burned sideways at both ends, as with double action candles. They may also be ceremonially extinguished in water or turned upside down into a saucer of graveyard dirt to put them out.



Any kind of matches can be used to light candles, of course, but some people enjoy having specialty matches available, both for aesthetic and for practical reasons. Wooden matches are easier to light than paper ones and burn longer, so they can be used to set several candles alight at once. When it comes to glass encased candles, most folks burn those straight through -- but if you chose to burn them for short periods, put them out, and then relight them, you will probably need to use extra-long fireplace matches to get them going again.



When a candle is burned in sections, either measured by time or by pins, it is invariably pinched or snuffed out, not blown out at the end of each session, to signify that the spell is not yet complete. A more graceful way to put out candles than by spitting on your fingers and pinching, is to snuff the candles out with an old-fashioned candle snuffer. This also reduces objectional smoke from the snuffed candle. Decorative candle snuffers are often made of brass or brass and wood and they make elegant altar tools for spiritual workers whose practice involves regular candle burning.

If pins or needles are used for measuring sections on a candle, they usually will not be discarded after they drop, but will be saved for further use. Depending on the type of job being done, they may be utilized for making crosses and double crosses in the paper on which the names or desires have been written, they may be wrapped in a cloth or paper and buried or carried in a mojo hand, or they may be disposed of in a ritual manner.

Experienced workers often accompany the setting of lights with the burning of an appropriate incense. Some folks prefer to light the incense first to set the mood as they mark, inscribe, dress and light their candles. Others believe that the lighting of the candles must come first, with the incense following.

There is also a strong contingent of spiritually-inclined folks who will not use common matches at their altars because they feel that the disposal of matches breaks the ritual flow of their movements. They prefer to light a taper or an extra-long fireplace matches in another room and bring it to the altar, and blow it out or snuff it once the actual lights are set. As with all such matters, tradition and personal preferences leave room for variation.

VOTIVE CANDLES, LUX PERPETUA CANDLES,
and TEA LIGHTS
A votive candle is one that is burned as the result of a vow. Many people think of votive candles as small, glass-encased candles, about 2 or 3 inches in height, but this is only one type of votive candle. In fact, such candles are defined by their function, not their form. However, for the purposes of clarity, in this article, i will refer to paper or glass encased candles under 2 inches in height as tea lights, those under 5 inches in height as votive candles and those that come in tall glass cylinders as novena and vigil candles.

Perhaps the first glass encased votive candles specifically marketed to hoodoo buyers (as opposed to religious buyers) were Jan-O-Sun brand jelly-jar style three-colour votive candles, sold by the Standard O and B Supply Company of Chicago in the 1940s. They look essentially like modern glass votive lights of today and seem to have come onto the market suddenly, to have achieved immediate popularity, and to have been in production from various makers since their introduction.

Typically, votive candles are burned as the prelude to or result of a conditional vow: The petitioner asks a favour of a deity, saint, or spirit and offers recompense (an ex voto) if the wish is granted. Under these circumstances, votive candles may be used either as inducements, as offerings, or as both.

When employed as inducements, votive candles are burned during the course of making the petition. For instance, a petitioner may be awaiting a court case hearing in nine days, and will burn votive candles for the entire length of time as an inducement for a patron saint to hear his plea for help, all the while promising an additional offering, such as flowers, more candles, publication of the saint's name in the newspaper, or a donation to a charitable organization, if the court case has a successful outcome.

When votive candles are employed as offerings, the petition is made silently and the burning of a certain number of candles with the patron saint's picture on them in a church where all may see and recognize the patron saint's efficacy is a typical offering that is promised or vowed should the petition be granted.



VOTIVE CANDLES:


Properly speaking, any candle used in conjunction with a vow is a votive candle, but in the United States, the term votive candles generally refers to candles moulded to fit into a glass or ceramic votive holder. They can be burned as free-standing lights (sometimes called "stubbies") rather than placed in holders if you wish to "read" the way their wax melts for the purposes of divination.

A typical votive light is 2 inches tall and 1 1/2 inches in diameter. When in a holder, such a candle may burn for 10 - 15 hours. These candles come in an assortment of symbolic colours and they will fit in most sizes of glass or ceramic votive candle holders or can be used as free-standing "stubbies", which will make for a shorter burn time.



LUX PERPETUA CANDLES:

Lux Perpetua means "eternal light" and that is the name given to paper-encased votive candles in Latin America. In Mexico, small paper encased religious votive candles called "Lux Perpetua" were developed during the 19th century. These delightfully old-fashioned, hand-made devotionary religious candles predate paraffin was candles. They are filled with a very soft grade of wax that may also contain animal fat, poured into a stiff paper cup or cylinder. The paper is printed with a Catholic devotionary image.

Imported into the United States, especially along the border with Mexico, they are now quite popular among African-American Catholics as well as with immigrants from Latin America. Lux Perpetua lights are much sought by those working in traditional forms of Mexican and Latin American espiritismo (spiritualism) and curandismo (herbal spiritual healing).



TEA LIGHTS:
Tea Lights are very small votive candles poured into aluminum cups; originally designed to be used at the table to keep foods and drinks warm (hence the name "tea light"), they make great refills for glass votive candle holders, are extremely economical, and are relatively safe to burn. Their small size is also an advantage for busy people who wish to do continuing candle magic on successive days without leaving large candles unattended.

SEVEN-DAY and SEVEN=-KNOB CANDLES

SEVEN-DAY and
SEVEN-KNOB CANDLES
Whereas Catholic religious practice presents us with the novena (nine-day) candle, in hoodoo, we see instead the seven-day candle, sometimes referred to by older practitioners as the "7-day vigil candle," due to its being burned for difficult cases or ongoing situations over the course of seven days, while one watches and waits for divinatory signs.

There are four types of 7-day candles used in hoodoo:

The candle divided by seven needles or pins:

I believe that this is the oldest form of the 7-day candle. To make one, take a regular offertory or jumbo-size candle and seven needles or pins. Poke the needles into the candle, dividing it into seven equal parts (the seventh needle or pin can go at the top or at the bottom, but no one i know ever uses SIX needles or pins to divide the candle into seven parts). Write your wish (or seven wishes) on a piece of paper. Turn the paper 90 degrees sideways and write your full name over the wish or wishes seven times, crossing and covering the previous writing with your name. Place the paper under the candle. Dress the candle with an appropriate oil. Burn it for seven nights, pinching it out (NOT blowing it out) each time a needle falls. Save the needles when they fall. When the last needle falls, stick the needles into the paper in the form of two X patterns surrounding one double-cross pattern (that has two lines crossing one upright line). Dispose of the ritual remains in an appropriate way : Bury the paper and any leftover wax under your doorstep if your intention is to draw something or someone to you. Throw the paper and wax away at a crossroads, in running water, or in a graveyard if the intention is to get rid of something or someone.



THE SEVEN KNOB CANDLE:

I have seen ads for these under the name "The Famous 7-Knob Wishing Candle" dating back at least to the 1930s; they might be older, but i do not know. They are mentioned favourably in Henri Gamache's "Master Book of Candle Burning" (written in 1942) and they are very popular in the African-American community, which seems to indicate that they are efficacious. Seven-knob candles generally come in four colours, with the usual symbolism implied (white for blessing or wishing, red for love or sex, green for money or gambling luck, black for destruction or revenge). Carve a brief wish on each knob -- either the same wish seven times or seven different wishes, one per knob. Dress the candle with an appropriate oil. Burn it for seven nights, pinching it out (NOT blowing it out) each time a knob is gone.

THE SEVEN CHARM SORTILAGE CANDLE:

This is a hand-made candle that contains seven tiny metal charms (milagros or ex-votos) inside, which are revealed one per day as you burn the candle down over the course of seven days. It is more common in Latin America than in the USA. Often the charms are religious as well as lucky, and they may include a cross, an angel, the powerful hand of God, a man's head, a woman's head, and so forth.

THE SEVEN-WISHES GLASS ENCASED CANDLE:

This style of 7-day candle only became popular from the 1970s onward. It is made with seven layers of wax in different colours, poured into a tall, narrow glass container. Burn one layer each day with appropriate prayers or wishes. It's interesting to note that this is the same size and shape of candle which the Catholics call a novena candle, although they expect it to burn for nine days. For many more examples of glass encased candles in both the Catholic and hoodoo traditions, see the sections below on glass encased religious candles and glass encased vigil candles.
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DOUBLE ACTION and REVERSING CANDLES

DOUBLE ACTION and
REVERSING CANDLES


Double action candles are 9" long jumbo candles that have been poured in two stages, so that they are half black and half another colour, according the usual colour symbolism of candles -- red for love, green for money, white for peace and spiritual blessings. They are used to reverse troubles back to the person who sent them and are called "double action" because they both repel jinxes and crossed conditions and attract what is desired in the way of happiness and luck.

Double action candles are not burned in the usual way -- they are generally "butted" before they are lit. The original tip is cut off and a new tip is cut on the black half, so the "bad" black half will burn off first, leaving the "good" half at the end of the rite. The name of one's enemy is carved backwards in the black half and one's own name is carved normally in the coloured portion. One or more candle dressing hoodoo oils to reverse bad luck back to the enemy is applied to the black end, stroking away from oneself, and a dressing oil to draw what one wants is applied to the coloured half, stroking toward oneself.

Butted double action candles are sometimes burned on a flat mirror, to further aid the reversing spell. They may be dusted with Reversing sachet powder or circled with a ring of Crab shell powder (because "Crabs walk backward" and uncross jinxes.

Another way to burn double action candles is to carve a second tip on the black end, dress them as described above, and stick them into a nail that has been driven through a board. The nail holds the candle horizontal, like a compass needle, and the black half is pointed toward one's enemy's home, while the coloured half points towards oneself. Both ends are lit at the same time. This is a messy way to burn candles, so use aluminum foil or a metal baking dish to confine the dripping wax to one area.

Reversing -- also called reversible -- candles are 9" long jumbo candles that are similar in their uses to double action candles, but instead of being poured in two layers, they consist of a red core and a black outer layer. The red shows through only at the tip. These candles are only found in red and black, and they are a very old style, still quite popular for reversing enemy work, breaking tricks, and uncrossing crossed conditions. They are often butted and burned upside down, and are often burned on a mirror, as described above. All the names and words carved or inscribed into reversing candles is generally done backwards, in mirror writing.

THE SYMBOLISM OF
FIGURAL CANDLES
In addition to plain offertory candles, spiritual suppliers, as early as the 1930s, provided figural or "image" candles for special uses. More expensive than plain offertory candles, figural candles are preferred by many practitioners when working unusual or extremely strong spells, because their visual symbolism is easy to see and by carving names or other features in them, they can be personalized to represent individuals, in what amounts to a cross between working with candles and working with doll-babies or poppets. Most of the old figural candle styles are still manufactured. Among the most popular are the following:

•"Black Cat" -- black for gambler's luck.
•"Bride and Groom" (man and woman side by side with two wicks) -- red for passion, pink for reconciliation, white to attract new love or sanctify married fidelity, black to cause harm or damage to a couple, blue for peace in the home.
•"Lovers" (nude embracing couple) -- red for sexual passion, white for new love.
•"Divorce candle" (man and woman back to back with one candle wick between) -- black, to cause a couple to separate.
•"Lady" (a clothed female figure) and "Gentleman" (a clothed male figure) often used when performing spells related to job, school, or career -- white to meet someone new; pink for reconciliation or friendship; red to foster love; blue for peacefulness, health, or peace on the job; black for harm or revenge.
•"Adam" (a nude male figure) and "Eve" (a nude female figure) -- white to meet someone new, pink and red for love spells, blue for peacefulness at home or to bring about faithfulness, black for harm or revenge.
•"Male Member" (Penis) and "Female Member" (Vulva) -- relating to the sexual behaviour; white to attract a new sex partner and to purify the genital organs, pink for romantic sex or to turn a friend into a lover, red to induce lust and passion, blue to bring fidelity or limit their sexual interest to the practitioner only or to bring healing to the genital organs, black to control a person's ability to perform.
•"Cross" or "Crucifix" candles: keys and a book on a flaming cross ("Master Key Crucifix Candle") or four-leaf clover on a cross ("Lucky Clover Crucifix Candle") -- white for spiritual purity and insight, black for personal power and conjure work, brown for court cases and legal matters, green for money spells, red for love spells, orange for change, yellow for devotion, pink for romance.
•"Devil" -- red for commanding lust and sex, green for collecting money owed or for gambler's luck, black for doing harm to an enemy.
•"Baphomet" or "Sabbatic Goat Candle" -- red for lust spells, black for worship of bestial or Satanic forces.
•"Skull Candle" -- black for meditation on death or for gambler's luck.
•"Seven Knob Wishing Candle" (flattened spheres stacked seven-high) -- burned on seven days, for seven different wishes or for seven-fold strength on the same wish -- white for healing, black to do evil, green for money spells, red for love spells.

COLOUR SYMBOLISM

COLOUR SYMBOLISM
IN CANDLE MAGIC
Following Henri Gamache's instructions, it became popular among conjure-workers of the 1940s to burn small free-standing candles or "lights" of various colours to draw luck, love, and money; for protection from evil; and to wreak vengeance or exert control over others. Because many, if not most, of the spiritual suppliers then catering to the African-American market were Jews, they usually offered 7-branched menorah candle-holders to their customers, which gave hoodoo candle burning ceremonies of the period a slightly Kabbalistic cast. The colour symbolism ascribed to altar candle colours is influenced by European magical traditions, admixed with remnants of African religious symbolism:


>

•white -- spiritual blessings, purity, healing, rest
•blue -- peace, harmony, joy, kindly intentions, healing
•green -- money spells, gambling luck, business, a good job, good crops
•yellow -- devotion, prayer, money (gold), cheerfulness, attraction
•red -- love spells, affection, passion, bodily vigour
•pink -- attraction, romance, clean living
•purple -- mastery, power, ambition, control, command
•orange -- change of plans, opening the way, prophetic dreams
•brown -- court case spells, neutrality
•black -- repulsion, dark thoughts, sorrow, freedom from evil
•red and black (Double Action) -- remove a love-jinxing spell
•white and black (Double Action) -- to return evil to the sender
•green and black (Double Action) -- remove money-jinxing
Typical sizes for colour-coded free-standing candles are 4" Altar candles, 6" Offertory candles, and 9" Jumbo candles. (

THE HISTORY OF CANDLE BURNING

THE HISTORY OF CANDLE BURNING
IN THE HOODOO ROOTWORK TRADITION


Candle burning has roots stretching back to ancient times as a part of both religious ceremonies and magical rites. Most hoodoo practitioners and rootworkers, like other folk magicians, burn candles for magical effect, spell-casting, and as an adjunct to prayer, but unlike the traditional and conservative craft of making mojo bags, candle burning in the African-American hoodoo tradition has undergone considerable evolution during the 20th century.

During the 19th century candles became readily available as a commercial product, sold in general stores, rather than having to be made at home or on the farm or purchased at a special candle-maker's shop. By the early 20th century, paraffin candle, with a relatively high melting point compared to tallow candles, were transported by rail nationwide and -- and with the invention of aniline dues, they were soon made available in a number of colours.

The epicenter of new developments in ritual candle-magic in the hoodoo tradition was New Orleans, where a long tradition of Roman Catholic candle-burning combined with African-American folk magic to produce an emergent style of working with candles, both for prayer and in laying tricks. This new way of working with candles soon spread to Memphis, Tennessee, and Mobile, Alabama, and, by the late 1940s, was fairly uniform throughout the South among all professional rootworkers.

Probably the single most important influence on the development of African-American candle magic from the 1940s to the present has been the ubiquitous "Master Book of Candle-Burning," a paper-bound pamphlet written by Henri Gamache in 1942. Advertised in black-owned newspapers like the Chicago Defender in the 1940s and still carried today by all the major mail-order spiritual supply catalogues, this work delivers exactly what it promises -- detailed instructions that instruct the spiritual doctor or rootworker on "How to Burn Candles for Every Purpose." The chapters include information on how to select candles, anoint them, arrange them on an altar, and engage in what the author quaintly refers to as "fire worship." Along the way Gamache presents a garland of anthropological tidbits about folk-magical practices from Canada, Europe, Africa, and the Malayan Peninsula, making this book a fascinating document indeed.

For those who are not familiar with the work of Henri Gamache, i'd like to note that he was a prominent mid-20th century occult author and folkloric researcher who developed a unique Creole combination of hoodoo, Christian, Kabbalist, and Spiritualist magic. Not much is known about Henri Gamache's personal life, but if he is not simply another pseudonym for the mysterious Mr. Young who ghost-wrote occult books from 1925 - 1948, he seems to have been a man of mixed race, possibly born in the Caribbean, who lived and worked in New York City. Most of his books remained in print for decades, and all are quite interesting. In particular, his "8th, 9th, and 10th Books of Moses" is a fascinating document, detailing his theory that Moses, the leader of the Jews, was a black African, "the Great Voodoo Man of the Bible."

Henri Gamache used the term "Philosophy of Fire" to describe the candle burning rituals he set forth in "The Master Book of Candle Burning." That term, and his frequent references to "Zoroastrianism" allow us to identify one of his major influences, for the "Philosophy of Fire" is a system of magical working described in the writings of an earlier author named R. Swinburne Clymer. A Rosicrucian and sex magician prominent in the early 20th century, Clymer in fact wrote an entire book called "The Philosophy of Fire" in which he espoused a mixture of magical theories that embraced Spiritualism, Zoroastrianism, and sex magic.

Clymer had in turn learned most of his occult theories and sex-magical techniques from the writings of Paschal Beverly Randolph, an African-American sex magician and Spiritualist of the mid 19th century. In 1860 or so, Randolph originated a magical order called the Brotherhood of Eulis to carry forth his beliefs; it was reformed in 1874 under the name The Triplicate Order. After Randolph's death in 1875, Clymer corresponded with his widow, Kate Corson Randolph, and received instructions from her as to how to operate his own order of sex magicians. Clymer also reprinted "Eulis!" -- one of Randolph's books on sex magic -- in 1930.

The link from Randolph to Gamache, through Clymer, is probably one of book-learning rather than direct initiation, but it is interesting nonetheless, especially in light of the fact that most modern occultists tend to identify African-American practitioners exclusively with folk-magic and to discount the contributions black people have made to the development of formal occultism and ceremonial sex-magic.

What is your desire? Ancient spells for luck, love, or fortune? Placing a curse on your enemy? Bringing back a lost love? Hexing your foe? Oh, the possibilities!

The most popular sterotype of using a Voodoo doll involves sticking pins into it. But did you know that there are different emotions and feelings attatched to the color of pins that can be used? Here's how to use the seven pins with a Voodoo doll. This tutorial is consistent with New Orleans Voodoo.
1Take each pin and concentrate on the color symbolism. Each color has a different meaning:

Red | Power
Yellow | Money
Green | Tranquility
Blue | Love
Purple | Spirituality
Black | Pain/Relief/Healing/ Repelling negativity
White | Positive Energy/ Good Karma
Pink = Death

Meditate upon how you want these things to manifest in your life. For example, with your yellow pin, focus on what success you desire.

After you are very clear about this, stick the pin into your doll in the heart or stomach region. This area will support your heart's desire and your gut feelings or intuition. You can also stick your pins into the head for knowledge

Repeat this process for each pin.

Wait and trust in your personal power that the Universe will help you make your intentions manifest. Demand that it happen by a certain date.

Bokor

Bokor
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For the hill station in Cambodia, see Dâmrei Mountains.
Bokors in the religion of vodou are sorcerers or houngan (priests) for hire who are said to 'serve the loa with both hands', meaning that they can practice both dark magic and benevolent magic. Their black magic includes the creation of zombies[1] and the creation of 'ouangas', talismans that house spirits.[2]

The name Bokor can also refer to the leader of the Makaya division of Vodou (which originated in the Congo region) and Bokor also refers to the highest initiation rank in Dominican Vodou.[citation needed]

[edit] Description
Bokors are featured in many Haitian tales and are often associated with the creation of 'zombis' by the use of a deadening brew or potion usually containing poison extracted from puffer fish. This potion makes the drinker appear to be dead and thus he is often buried; later, the bokor will return for the "corpse" and force it to do his bidding, such as manual labor. The "corpse" is often given deliriant drugs, mainly datura,[citation needed] which puts them in a detached, somewhat dreamlike state. Its state is likened to being mind controlled. The person is fully alive but in a state where they cannot control what they say or do; at this point, when the person has been "reanimated" from the grave, or at least is moving about working for the bokor, they can be termed "zombies." However, some zombi legends dispense with this more rational explanation, and have the bokor raise zombies from dead bodies whose souls have departed.[2]

Also, bokors are said to work with zombi/zombie astrals - souls or spirits which are captured in a fetish and made to enhance the Bokor's power.[2] Bokors normally work with Loas Baron Samedi, Kalfou, Legba and Simbi (snake loa) plus in some cases they are said to work with Grand Bois, the loa of the forest.

Bokors are similar to the "root workers" of voodoo and New Orleans voodoo. Some may be priests of a vodou house. Bokor are usually chosen from birth, those whom are believed to bear a great ashe (power). A Bokor can be, by Judeo-Christian terms, good or evil, though some sources consider him an evil version of a houngan.[1]