Samedi: Curios

The beautiful, sea-blue stone known as aquamarine is an ancient talisman of those devoted to the sea. As I am thoroughly missing the blue water right now, I find it is high time to discuss the crystal most precious to my lwa, La Siren.

Aquamarine, a variety of beryl, has been used as a talisman and made into beads and pendants since the dawn of civilization. Beads of aquamarine have been found in Sumerian and Egyptian burials from as early at 4,000 BCE, when bead making was just taking off as an art form. The stone was thought to ease the soul's transition from life into afterlife, probably a stunning psychological trauma that needed - and needs - all the easing it can get.

The stone has long been believed to enhance psychic power, and is a favorite of those who work in the business of divination. Scott Cunningham, in his Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem & Metal Magic, gives a simple yet powerful ritual for enhancing one's psychism and empathy. Place an aquamarine of any size, even the smallest bead will do, in a glass of fresh water and let this sit in the light of a full moon for three hours. Retrieve the stone, which you might want to tuck away wherever you store your divining tools, and drink the water to achieve increased psychic awareness. This ritual can be repeated as often as necessary.

Probably because of its color, aquamarine is associated with seafaring and safety on the water. The Phoenicians, whom the Ancient Egyptians simply referred to as "The Sea People," sent their men out into blue water with amulets of aquamarine to protect them from storms and drowning. Fishermen along the coasts of Europe and North Africa still wear aquamarine for this purpose. Tuck an aquamarine in your luggage, or wear one on your person, when you travel by or over water to safely arrive at your destination.

Aquamarine can also be used in the same ways one would use amethyst. Wear it to inspire courage, calm, joy, happiness and strong relationships as well as keep the mind alert. Bonne chance ~

Header: Orpheus and Eurydice by Michael Putz-Richard via Old Paint

Jeudi: The Art of Beauty

Once again, a picture says more than any writer ever could. The glorious Joyce Bryant photographed in New York circa 1953 by the incredible artist Philippe Halsman. Find out more about this amazing woman, and hear her distinctive, four-octave voice, here. Fashion forward then; fashion forward now. Many thanks to We Had Faces Then on tumblr for the original post.

Jeudi: Weather-Wise

For centuries, the moon has been believed to prognosticate the weather. As it turns out, this is not an unreasonable supposition; sailors have looked to the moon for weather news with great success. Here then are a few weathery hints from the moon by land or by sea:

A yellow, dirty moon ~ heat
Big, white moon ~ cold
Silvery moon ~ fair
Red moon ~ wind
Pale, "watery" moon ~ rain
Rings around the moon, which appear like halos, are said to foretell storms. If the weather is warm, look for rain but if it is cold, snow is on the way. Old sailors say that the number of stars seen withing the halo tells the number of days before the storm hits.

Header: Cloud Study, Moonlight by Albert Bierstadt c 1860 via Old Paint

Jeudi: Curios

Amber, as Scott Cunningham notes in his Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem & Metal Magic, is quite possibly the oldest form of adornment in the world. The solidified sap of now extinct coniferous trees, amber ranges in color from a deep reddish-orange to sunny yellow. And, of course, there are sometimes little bugs and leaves permanently captured in the stones.

Amber has a myriad of magickal uses and is certainly the jewel of choice for Wiccans and particularly High Priests and Priestesses. Considered a source of energy, amber is believed to represent the so called fifth element or Akasha that binds the four visible elements - fire, air, earth and water - together. Thus wearing of amber, usually in silver settings, is thought to increase the power of the worker and the efficacy of his or her spellcraft.

Viking children were often given simple amber necklaces to protect their health. This habit is still common today in colder areas of the world where amber is most plentiful. In Siberia, Canada and here in Alaska, natives wear amber and ivory together to bring prosperity and turn away the evil eye.

Wearing amber has for centuries been thought to improve the wearer's looks. Cunningham notes the irony of this: during the Renaissance, women wore amber in order to gain weight while in our times it is worn to assist in healthy weight loss. The efficacy of both these approaches may be a little spurious, but I have found that wearing amber regularly does lift one's mood which in turn makes one more attractive.

If you feel you are under psychic attack, or perhaps just having a run of "bad luck," add a few amber beads to a warm bath, settle in and soak. Then wear or carry the beads with you until your next bath. Taking loose amber or wearing a piece of amber jewelry to a job or other interview will also increase you confidence and by turns your chances of landing that job.

A bit of powdered amber added to any incense is said to increase the intended purpose of same. In Ancient Sumer, Babylon and Phoenicia, amber dust was burned during labor to ensure a safe birthing for both mother and child.

When buying amber, be sure to do your research. Items labeled amber are sometimes nothing more than glass or resin. Know your dealer and choose wisely. Amber is not cheap by any means so you will want to purchase the best quality you can afford. I have found that the right piece of amber will often find you rather than you finding it. You may receive it as a gift, stumble upon it at a flea market or run across an ad in the paper or online. For instance, I found the amber ring I now wear regularly at a local art store that was reducing their inventory. I knew the store owner well and therefore had no concerns about quality. The real kicker was when the ring fit - which I did not at all expect given my unfortunate "man hands," to use a "Seinfeld" reference. Reduced price, trusted source and it slipped on perfectly; ring me up, if you'll pardon the pun. Bonne chance ~

Header: Amber pendants via Wikipedia

Jeudi: Root Work

We've talked about gypsy spellcraft before here at HQ. Many gypsy magicks very much resemble those of hoodoo root workers. One of the common themes in both is the use of Christian and particularly Catholic iconography and verbiage. Both the gypsy culture and the cultures that created hoodoo held the Christian religion in awe at one time. It was the religion of those who lived at ease in fine houses and fancy clothes and everyone knows that the gods who grant such things must be powerful indeed.

Today's working, a gypsy talisman to prevent toothache, makes full use of Christian imagery to get its job done. My grandmother explained a variation of this spell, giving me only the "prayer" to say nightly. In his wonderful Book of Spells from 1971, Marc de Pascale gives the entire working as well as a story behind its origin which goes like this:

St. Peter was said to be sitting on a stone when Christ walked by. Christ asked Peter why her looked so unhappy and Peter answered, 'Lord, my teeth pain me'. Christ then ordered that the 'worm' in Peter's tooth should come forth and never return. The pain immediately ceased and Peter said, 'I pray you, O Lord, that when these words be written out and a man carries them he shall have no toothache'. The Lord answered, 'Tis well, Peter; so may it be.'

And here is the working per Mr. de Pascale:

You will need a piece of cloth - and kind and color but cotton works best - about 10" by 3" and a pen

Now write the following prayer on the material:

Peter is sitting on a marble stone,
And Jesus passed by.
Peter said "My Lord, my God,
How my tooth doth ache!"
Jesus said, "Peter art thou whole!
And whosoever keeps these words for my sake
Shall never have the toothache."

The cloth should then be carried on your person - as Mr. de Pascale says, until "you are fitted with full dentures". Bonne chance ~

Header: The Liberation of Saint Peter by Gerard van Honthorst c 1617 via Wikipedia

Jeudi: Great Spirits

In his epic the Aeneid, Roman poet Virgil tells us that the Queen of Carthage, Dido, committed suicide when her lover/husband Aeneas the Trojan adventurer, sails off to Italy and rejects their wedding vows. She is a victim of love and the gods and, despite her great authority and power as the queen of the largest nation in North Africa, she succumbs to both.

The story is a classic Greco-Roman reimagining of how women - and particularly women in power - needed to behave. The distaff side should not be ruling anything aside from their homes; Dido, Queen of Carthage, got what she deserved and at her own hand.

But what is the true origin of the story of Dido? Is she only a figment of Virgil's imagination or is there more to her than that? As Patricia Monaghan points out in Goddesses & Heroines, there must certainly be more to this Queen of Carthage than Virgil's epic. If not, Dido managed not only to live for hundreds of years but to commit suicide not once, but twice.

The Carthaginian legend of Queen Dido is very different - and quite a bit more heroic - than Virgil's version. It also points to a possible answer to the long life and miraculous self-imposed deaths of the queen. Dido it seems, like Candace and Helen, was originally a title and not a name.

According to Monaghan the word dido may come from the root dida meaning to wander. The original Dido Elissa or - even more ancient - Alitta which means "the goddess," seems to have come from the Phoenician settlement of Tyre. Bringing a band of colonists with her, Dido Alitta established a settlement that would eventually grow into the powerful empire known as Carthage. The story holds that the journey was spurred by the murder of Alitta's husband by her brother and that she brought only women with her to seek out a new home. Since the latter seems highly suspect, both "facts" can probably be left as legend.

Alitta, who was clearly a savvy business woman along with a proud leader, purchased a "hide's worth" of land on the shore of the Mediterranean from a local tribe. She then proceeded to cut the hide into thin strips and lay these out end to end around a vast holding that swept over much of a peninsula that now resides in the country of Tunis. Her first order of business thereafter was to begin building a great temple to her goddess Tanit (sometimes written as Tanith) the mother of the sky from which the people of Carthage believed they came. When the Romans invaded Carthage and beheld the beautiful statue of Tanit bedazzled with stars and holding the moon and the sun, they called her Dea Caelestis: "heavenly goddess."

The city flourished and was named after its first Dido: Cartha-Alitta or "city of the goddess." Of course envy from local rulers was inevitable and one particularly nasty cheiftain threatened war against Carthage if Alitta would not satisfy his lust. Alitta's response was swift and pragmatic; she killed herself and had her lecherous neighbor invited to the funeral.

In honor of their first Dido's brilliance and courage, the Carthaginians built a sacred grove in the middle of their city. This grove of Elissa would stand, and refresh the people of Dido's city-state, until the Romans destroyed Carthage during the Third Punic War in 146 BCE.

Header: Morte di Didone by Guercino c 1635 via Wikipedia

Jeudi: Weather Wise

The Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, is a well known phenomena hear at the top of the world. The beautiful streaks of blue, green and purple that dance across the cold night sky are accompanied by an eerie pop and crackle which is similar to the sound of a wood fire. While gorgeous, explaining the lights and sounds prior to the dawn of the scientific age was a difficult endeavor. Our various ancestors spoke of various possible explanations, many of which are remarkably similar.

In North America, and in what is now Canada, Alaska and the northern U.S. in particular, the lights were often linked to the spirits of the dead, be they human or animal. In what is now the province of Labrador, Canada, the native people believed that the crackling sounds made by the lights were the voices of those who had died a violent or sudden death. People were told to reply only in a whisper, for fear of disturbing these ancestors who were finally at peace.

The Tlingit of southeastern Alaska saw the lights as the spirits of the dead, while in the Yukon, native people said the lights were spirits, but those of salmon, seals and deer. Sometimes the spirits were said to be dancing. In other stories, they were playing ball, often with the skull of an animal. If it was the spirits of animals playing, however, they were said to use a human skull.

The Mandan said the lights were fires built by shaman and warriors who had passed into death. They were lit to boil the bodies of dead enemies in giant pots. It was only in the Point Barrow region of modern Alaska that the lights were thought to bode ill. Seeing them could bring on bad luck, but carrying a knife, particularly one made of metal, would repel the evil energy.

Meanwhile, in northern Europe, people tended to agree with the Point Barrow natives. While the Vikings imagined the lights as nothing more than the gods at play, most of the Celtic nations in Great Britain believed the Aurora ushered in a time of great turmoil, aggression, illness and want.

These beliefs trickled down into the 17th, 18th and 19th century. In Arctic Zoology written in 1784, the author tells us that, at the sight of the lights, "the rustic sages become prophetic, and terrify the gazing spectators with the dread of war, pestilence and famine." Though Pennant calls these beliefs superstitions, it is clear that they are held by many people. In Scotland, the lights were seen as a portend of the death of the famous. Aytoun writes in 1849 of "Fearful lights, that never beckon Save when kings or heroes die." As late as the 1870s, writers mentioned that the lights portended disaster, especially toward their own nation.

Despite all this, and perhaps because we now know their origin, the lights continue to fascinate. Even for the most cynical among us, a little chill must run up the spine at the sight of those dancing ribbons and the sound of spirit fires.

Header: Aurora Borealis over Anchorage, Alaska via Wikipedia

Jeudi: Curios

Technically, it is a stretch to call the eau de toilettes popular in hoodoo "curios", but they don't really fit into any other category I don't believe so here we are.

The three perfumes in question are Hoyt's cologne, which is commercially made, and Kananga and Florida Waters, both of which are sold commercially but also often made by the root worker. All three are delightfully floral, with Hoyt's cologne probably being the most "masculine" of the scents. Likewise, all three are used in workings, particularly for love and luck, baths and as offerings to the lwa and the ancestors.

Far and away the most popular is Florida Water, which is added to floor washes, laundry and hand and body washes to chase away jinxes and crossed conditions as well as usher in times of good fortune. Florida water is a key ingredient in the Lady Bath. A cleansing dedicated to Erzulie Freda, this bath is undertaken to renew the spirit and bring the good fortune that accompanies the smile of the lady Erzulie.

Though Florida Water is the most popular of the eau de toilettes mentioned, it is not the easiest to make at home. Kananga Water, which can be used similarly to Florida Water, is however. Here is one recipe from Fortunes in Formulas for the Home, Farm and Workshop published in 1937:

10 drop ylang ylang oil
5 drops neroli oil
5 drops rose oil
3 drops bergamot or lavender oil
10 ounces of alcohol

Mix gently and steep these ingredients together in a glass jar with a tight lid for about 24 hours. Add about 10 ounces of distilled water to make an eau de toilette. Make sure to store your end product in glass as well and keep it out of direct sunlight. Use in washes, baths or as a cologne to lift your spirit. Bonne chance ~

Header: Notre Dame de Grasse, France c 15th century via Deities and Demons (see sidebar)

Jeudi: Root Work

I have been asked on occasion whether or not the workings of root workers down through the ages are based on anything besides "mumbo-jumbo" and "oogie-googie myths." It's a fair question, really, and not a surprising one in our current anti-religious political climate. Does bayberry really draw wealth? Will rosemary water in your floor wash truly bring peace to your home? Can a white candle help one achieve healing? The questions go on and on.

There is a deeper issue at stake, of course, and that is the issue of belief. If you believe - truly believe - in the efficacy of anything, you will perceive that it has helped you. Changing your mindset is the most important part of any magickal system. On the other hand, much of root work is based on very old and, unfortunately, frequently forgotten knowledge of healing herbs, minerals and other natural formulas. Rosemary water brings peace and piece of mind to a household because its scent soothes the anxiety receptors in the brain. This has been proven by clinical research and so have a hundred other little notes in the ongoing hymn that is magick.

Another point in this discussion is the long standing use of so called "personal concerns" in root work and hoodoo. The use of bodily effluvia and things that have come in contact with same is an established tradition in these magickal disciplines. Everything from simple strands of hair to very private secretions such as menstrual blood are used. It makes sense to think that the getting of someone else's very personal items - underwear, hair, foot tracks, photographs - would allow one to have control over that person and these types of workings are certainly older than hoodoo.

One of the most effective of the "personal concerns" tricks - and one that is a clear illustration of root work being very plausible - involves keeping your dog from straying away.

Everyone knows I'm a sucker for rescuing dogs. But sometimes the dog you bring home is still pining for his or her old environment - no matter how abusive it may have been. This was certainly the case with our Saint Thor who, for a few weeks after we took him in, would find any excuse to run away looking, one has to imagine, for where he used to live. It was quite distressing, but root work gave me two options for a simple solution.

The first - and depending on your sensibilities least troublesome - is to make sure that something you have worn is spread out in the dog's chosen sleeping area(s). An old, unwashed t-shirt is the very best option. Many dogs will become very fond of sleeping on your clothes but be warned: one of the Shar-Peis we had in California took to clothing so well that he would pilfer items out of the hamper. I'm sure you can imagine the ones old Magic liked the best...

The second is an even older trick that goes back to the days when people would occasionally "borrow" good hunting and/or guard dogs from one another. For this working you'll need to go without showering and deodorant for a day. Once your body's scent has returned after its almost permanent cultural sterilization, rub a few pieces of bread under your armpits and mix them with your dog's food. This need not be repeated unless you have a particularly stubborn free spirit, then you can work the trick as often as you like. A little sweat on his bread isn't going to trouble your dog.

Both of these workings have a sound explanation for their efficacy. Dogs, like their wolf ancestors, live by their noses. Scent creates pack bonds and humans have become a dog's pack. As your new best friend becomes familiar with your scent he also becomes comfortable with being part of your pack. It's the simple use of the animal's nature to make you both happy together.

And that is the best outcome of all, no matter how you slice it.

Header: Man's Best Friend by Repin via Wikimedia

Jeudi: Great Spirits

In Voudon, the lwa who rule the ocean are the one known as the Admiral, Agwe, and his powerful consort, La Siren (or Lasiren). Both lwa belong to the Congo nachon (although La Siren does have a Petwo aspect known as La Balen - the whale) and are therefor generally consider approachable, especially for those new to honoring the spirits of Voudon.

Agwe is envisioned as a broad shouldered naval commander. He is usually given the racial designation of mulatto and his eyes are invariably spoken of as green. His area of rule is the oceans and seas of the world and he is charged with looking after people at sea, ships and all those who make a living from the ocean. Agwe is syncratized with the Catholic St. Ulrich, who is often depicted holding a fish, and his altars are decorated not only with statues or pictures of the saint but also with boats, paddles or rudders and images of fish. Agwe, though slow to anger, can be responsible for terrible storms that sweep in from the ocean if he is not acknowledged with offerings now and again.

La Siren is always depicted as a mermaid. She is envisioned as very light skinned with blond hair and a beautiful, sparkling fish's tail. Her realm is the ocean depths where she has a magnificent home. Her favorite pastime is playing music or beautifying herself with the fruits of the sea. She is thought to be rich, her home and person decorated with silver, jewels and especially pearls. In her generous aspect, she is the teacher of priestesses. Some mambos claim to have met La Siren in dreams. While they sleep, they descend to the mermaid's magnificent palace below wave and she generously teaches them all the wisdom of ritual, healing and magick.

In her alternative aspect, as the giant black whale La Balen, La Siren is not so benign. Like her consort Agwe she can stir up storms. She can also punish individuals who have displeased her by luring them into the ocean with her haunting song. The unfortunate miscreant only comes out of his or her trance once they are too far out to sea to be saved. There, they drown in the salty water. This aspect of La Siren is also the one she uses to show her displeasure toward Agwe who is continuously unfaithful to her with her sister, the irresistible lwa of love and pleasure, Erzulie Freda.

La Siren is represented by Stella Maris, Our Lady of the Ocean, and in some cases St. Martha. Her altars are strewn with the offerings she loves: pearls, perfume, mirrors, combs, sea shells, champagne and sweet cookies with blue or white frosting.

The largest ritual performed in coastal communities in Haiti to honor the lwa of the sea is often referred to as the Barque of Agwe. A raft is especially made for the occasion and covered in blue and white cloth. Then it is laden with the foods and beverages that the lwa favor and towed out to sea with all ceremony, drums beating and songs to the lwa being sung. The barque, full of very precious items in a country as under served as Haiti, is then left to float as far out to sea as it may in hopes that the Admiral and his beautiful mermaid will bring good fishing, fair weather and - in this day and age - big cruise ships full of wealthy tourists.

These two are my personal lwa, and I invariably dress in blue or blue-green on their special day: Thursday. It surprises no one who knows me that the lwa of the ocean have claimed me. Destiny, after all, will out...

Header: The Mermaid by Howard Pyle via Wikimedia

Jeudi: Curios

Garnets are one of my favorite semi-precious stones, and not just because I was born in January. For centuries, garnets have had a connection to friendship and keeping friends close even when they are physically separated. While we don't think much about something like that in our "I'll text you when I get to the far side of the globe" world, only a few short decades ago such things were a lot more dear. Then too, there's the fact that the deep, rich red of a garnet always puts me in mind of the Holidays.

Garnets are ruled by the planet Mars and are therefore considered masculine and projective. For all these reasons, garnets have been and still are used for protective purposes. In times gone by, garnets were thought to repel stinging and biting creatures and anklets were made of garnets for those who had to tread on dangerous ground, particularly where scorpions or snakes might lie in wait. The stones were also thought to drive off supernatural creatures, especially those like vampires that struck at night. Wearing a garnet necklace to bed was always advisable and Jewish mothers might include a garnet or two in the charm above their baby's bed to ward against the viscous appetites of Lamia.

According to Scott Cunningham, garnets can serve a similar purpose in our modern age. Charged and worn, garnets can strengthen the personal aura and repel negative energies and intents. Because garnets have always thought to guard against theft, wearing them may help keep would-be muggers out of your personal space.

In Medieval medicine garnets, worn or crushed and drunk in wine, were thought to regulate the blood. They have been used in "New Age" medicine to help relieve swelling and rashes.

My favorite application for garnets, however, returns to the issue of keeping friendships. If you must part with a close friend, make them a gift of something with a garnet in or on it before you go. The stone, again treated with intention, will continue your mutual affection and ensure that somehow, someway, you will be together again. This is a sentiment that the Victorians seem to have understood judging from this enchanting gold locket set with pearls and garnets. A votre sante ~

Header: Chimeres by Pascal A.J.D. Bouvert via Old Paint

Jeudi: Root Work

Let's talk about something most people - especially around this time of year - would prefer not so speak of: negativity. We're all positive as the end of the year festivities bear down on us like, well, a charging grizzly sow, aren't we? You know the answer to that so let's move on to negativity, how to handle it and most of all, how to banish it.

The best way to remove negativity from your life is to keep yourself and your environments clean and organized. Really and truly, that is no joke. Dust, clutter, ring-around-the-toilet-bowl and what have you all attract and hold negative energy. This then breeds and festers in those neglected corners like some alchemical homunculus until it takes over your life and stifles your abilities to succeed and enjoy. Its an issue not so much of doing it right as doing it often, and thoroughly. And by "It" I mean cleaning. I know you didn't want to hear that - I didn't either, frankly - but it's true.

So how about some easy but effective cleaning tips that will help you both magickally and practicly to stay on top of negativity? I've got that. Here is a by no means complete list of things that will make your spirits bright this Holiday season and all through the New Year:

* Vanilla: the scent of vanilla is like bug spray to negativity. The little nasties that cause negative energy cannot stand it and will run as fast as they can to their usual hiding places (more on that in a minute) once they catch a whiff of it. So burn vanilla scented candles, use air fresheners or oil warmers with vanilla in them or just plain bake a whole lot. Whatever your scent disperser of choice, vanilla will not only help eliminate negativity but improve your mood as well. (Ladies and gentlemen with husbands/partners/callers: you should be aware that the scent of vanilla increases male libido; you've been warned.)

* Dust: get rid of it; dust thoroughly and often. I know you didn't want to hear that but if you make a daily routine of running one of those nifty dusters over every surface in one room a day you really can stay ahead of it. Sing a happy song or chant a banishing as you do if the mood strikes; it couldn't hurt.

* Clutter: get rid of that too. With all the "things" we acquire over the Holidays, this is a perfect time to box up that unwanted, unused, unworn and un-played with stuff and haul it off to a local charity. If you don't quite have time for that just now, box it or bag it and set it aside. Then it's all in one place for handling when the demands on your time slow down. And giving is a great mood elevator when those "January blues" hit.

* Drains: indoor plumbing is a great convenience but it is also a literal drain on positive energy. Seal your drains and toilets against their power to suck your personal energy by putting lemon juice down all open drains and toilets every six months. The juice of one half of a fresh lemon per drain is best but, in a pinch, plain old white vinegar is an excellent substitute. I knew a witch out on a local homestead who used hydrogen peroxide for this ritual to excellent result.

* Floors: sweep, vacuum and mop often. A good floor wash, with lemon juice or tea made from a protective herb added, is wonderful for mopping hard floors. You can add a bit of lemon juice to Murphy's Oil Soap if you have wood floors. Sprinkle a 50/50 blend of baking soda and salt on carpets before vacuuming to help pull up those little negative trolls. The bonus there is pest control: this treatment, if left on overnight, kills fleas. Repeat about a week later to catch the occasional egg that may have managed to hatch.

* Fresh Air: open your windows - just a crack will do if you're like me and it is 1 degree Fahrenheit outside - while you clean. Now all those little negative bugs you are chasing away will run outside rather than into any remaining clutter or cobwebs.

* Add Salt: When you're done, seal your hard work with a little sea or kosher salt. Throw a pinch in each corner of every room and drop a few grains on window sills and along the bottoms of all doors leading to the outside. A nice trick is to put some under doormats on the outside of the house; again, adding a protective herb to the salt just increases its efficacy. Wipe your feet all you want, negativity; you won't get back in here!

What ever ritual you follow, clean with intention and know that every bit of your hard work will encourage a positive environment. And don't forget your cubicle at work; that's kind of a living space too.

In the end, I hope you are as carefree and happy as the lady pictured above. And now: its time for me to go follow my own sage advice... A votre sante ~

Header: Christmas Shopper from a 1950s ad via Mid-Century

Jeudi: Great Spirits

Known to his worshipers as both "he who makes green" and "raging one", the Ancient Egyptian crocodile god Sobek remains somewhat of a mystery.

His name, in direct translation, means simply crocodile and he was never represented in art without at least the head of that fearsome beast. He was a god of water and in particular the life-giving River Nile. The thing he "made green" was the land through the growth of plants and Sobek doubtless had some role in the annual flooding of the river. In fact, according to Richard H. Wilkinson in his book The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt, the river was said to be made of Sobek's sweat.

It probably goes without saying that his sacred places were sandbars, marshes and any other locations where crocodiles might reside. Wilkinson tells us the Sobek was also known as the "Lord of Bakhu". Bakhu was a kind of Shanghai-La at the far edge of the world. It was conceived as an insurmountable mountain and it was near its crest that Sobek was thought to have a vast palace made entirely of carnelian. It may be for this reason that carnelian amulets in the shape of crocodiles were carried - by those who could afford them - to gain Sobek's favor and protection. Less expensive crocodiles made of pottery have also been found and jewelry, particularly necklaces, featuring crocodiles seem to have been worn by many Ancient Egyptians.

In the New Kingdom era, Sobek was thought to be a protector of the Pharaoh and his family. In this permutation he was often attached to other "royal" gods such as Amen, Osiris and the sun god Re in particular. This led to the personification Sobek-Re and probably also led to the Greeks syncratizing Sobek with their minor sun god, Helios.

Sobek was thought to be the son of the most warlike of Ancient Egyptian goddesses, Neith and his personal ferocity did not end with the association with crocodiles. He was said to "take women from their husbands whenever he wishes according to his desire." Some historians see this as a sign of Sobek ruling over virility and male fertility. It may be, however, that he is also - or alternatively - a god of the rapine and pillage that accompanies war.

Temples of Sobek were built throughout Egypt and, of course, most often located on the river. At Kom Ombo, where his consort was designated as the cow-shaped love goddess Hathor, sacred pools held crocodiles who were treated like kings in life and mummified with all ceremony after their deaths. By the New Kingdom, almost all of Sobek's temples had sacred crocodiles.

The worship of Sobek seems to have continued into the Greek era and the Ptolemy dynasty. After Egypt became a Roman possession, however, Sobek - like so many of his brother and sister deities - fell from favor. How fortunate we are that, through the work of archaeologists and historians, we can know Sobek and all those other gods once again.

Header: Sobek Protecting Amenhotep III from the Luxor Museum via Wikipedia

Jeudi: Root Work

Knot spells are probably as old as human beings. The magick of the knot is easy to perform as all you need is your intention, your words and something to tie consecutive knots in. A strand of hair, a blade of grass, a flower stalk, the list continues ad nauseum and makes the relative ease of knot work so very obvious.

I think it is this easy, with its lack of fancy ingredients that sound like something out of Faust, that makes knot work a relatively untouched subject among modern spell book writers. Believe me, I own a book or two on the subject across a range of magickal disciplines and there are only a few that include knot magick. Silver RavenWolf stands out as a modern Wiccan who discusses the practice in detail in more than one of her books - To Ride A Silver Broomstick, for instance.

The formula for a knot spell is to tie a series of knots - generally but not always in multiples of three - in a length of thread, string or ribbon. The knots should be relatively equadistant from one another so the length of the thread is important; you don't want to run out of material before your work is done. Another broad generalization is that knot work is done to bind something or someone: keep illness at bay, drive off unwanted attentions or make a partner faithful in love, for instance. This follows the like-makes-like philosophy of magick and, though it makes sense, you should not limit yourself if knot work particularly appeals to you. Once you get good at it, you can use these spells for virtually anything and with surprising success.

Once the working is done, the knotted item should always be stored somewhere safe. No one else should see or most importantly touch the knots or the working will lose power. If you should decide that you no longer wish to apply the power of your knot work, simply reverse the process: with intention and while speaking the knots out loud, take the knots out of the item and dispose of it. Burning, burying or release in running water is best to ensure that all of your spell has been undone.

Speaking the knots is one of the largest parts of this type of spell. It allows the worker to focus on their goal and say out loud the intention of the working. This is particularly important for those who are knew to root work. Focus can be the most difficult part of successfully working magick, and all of us - regardless of our intentions - should take a little bit of time away from the constant distractions of our day to meditate, pray or focus somewhere quiet.

All knot spells follow the numbering formula and the best way for me to express that is to give an example. Here are the spoken words for each knot in a spell to keep an unwanted suitor at bay:

By knot of one it is begun;
By knot of two I'm done with you;
By knot of three you forget me;
By knot of four I close the door;
By knot of five ardor cannot survive;
By knot of six you find a new fix;
By knot of seven away from me you're driven;
By knot of eight no love, no hate;
By knot of nine freedom from you is mine.

You would tie each knot as you speak it's number. The rhyming is not a necessity but it is certainly an aid to focus as well as part of the knot work tradition. You may want to write down your speaking before you do your working. Most of us aren't good at coming up with this kind of thing off the top of our heads, particularly when we are dealing with something in which we are emotionally invested.

This brings me to two final points. If you can get something the person you are doing the knot work about and/or for to put knots in, or even have he or she touch the thread or sting that you will use, so much the better. Neither of these points are ablsolute necessities but they do help. Also, speaking of writing things down, it always helps to keep a working journal of your magick - call it a Book of Shadows or Grimoire if you have to but keep some kind of record of your spells and how they manifested. It will help you learn not only from your mistakes, but from your successes as well... Bonne chance ~

Header: Painting by William Stott via Old Paint

Jeudi: Curios

On Tuesday we talked about the uses of tobacco in various magickal systems. One of the herb's uses in hoodoo is as a substitute for the unpredictable curio now known as sulphur but frequently referred to in older texts as brimstone. Sulphur has been, and to some degree probably still is, used for jinxing and uncrossing alike. It is also an original component in the crossing formula known as Goofer Dust.

Sulphur is both toxic and combustible, so using it the way it was originally intended, magickally speaking, is not something I recommend. I'm not big on jinxing either so sulphur isn't in my hoodoo cabinet. Information, however, and historical usage is a different story. Use sulphur at your own risk.

When the intention was to lay a jinx on someone, a simple trick of making an X over their footprint with sulphur was frequently employed. Done with intention, this was believed to bring ill-fortune to the enemy. Some root workers claimed they could even kill a person this way. For the most part, this type of magick is more an issue of belief than supernatural power. The footprint chosen was invariably somewhere that the enemy would see it and, believing in the magick, the person would fall ill, bring trouble on themselves or  sometimes even pick up stakes and move.

The opposite could also be accomplished with a mixture of sulphur and salt. In this case, should a person find evidence of a jinx being put on them, they were to cover the trick with sulphur and salt to nullify the problem.

My favorite use of sulphur in hoodoo is a trick designed to make a friend out of an enemy. The hard part of this working is to obtain something sharp and nonflammable from your enemy. You do not necessarily have to harvest this item - which can be as simple as a tack and as fancy as a pair of scissors; you can ask an acquaintance to obtain it for you. Next, while concentrating on your future friendship with your former enemy, pass the point of the object through the flame of a white candle. Now dip the point in sulphur and then pass it through the flame again to ignite the sulphur. *Do this out of doors if you are indeed using sulphur. As noted, the fumes are toxic; you don't want them in your home.* Wipe the point clean and dress the object with holy water or whiskey. Return the object to the place from which it came exactly as it came to you (either with your own hand or through another). Your enemy will warm to you within the week.

There is a very old voodoo trick involving sulphur, black ink, and some other items that is said to achieve the death of an enemy. I've never tried that, and I'm surely not about to... Bonne chance ~

Header: The Harvest is Past, The Summer is Ended by J.F. Wetherbee via American Gallery

Jeudi: Great Spirits

The Aztecs of what is now known as central Mexico, and the Toltecs they claimed as ancestors, believed that the earth had not four but five directions. The fifth was a straight line bisecting the island Earth and was known as one of their greatest goddesses: Coatlicue "Serpent-Skirted Goddess". The other directions, north south, east and west, were her sisters and they met nightly on Coatepec - "Snake Hill" - to relax, meditate and adorn themselves for the next day with necklaces of white feathers.

But this seemingly playful, introspective maiden was only one form of the great divinity the Aztecs called their mother. As Patricia Monaghan points out in her book Goddesses and Heroines, Coatlicue had something of the maiden/mother/crone aspect known in other mythologies. She was life giver and destroyer, kind and cruel all at once.

Coatlicue was said to have been the first sentient being. She floated for untold years in the shiny abyss of space, creating the stars and presumably the sun to light the void. The sun noticed the beautiful goddess only after many millenia, and then he took her as his bride, making her the Queen of the Moon. This is just one mythos that makes Coatlicue a mother goddess. In another, perhaps less ancient tale, Coatlicue is impregnated while still a virgin by a sprinkling of jade. She then gives birth to a son: the savior god and feathered serpent Quetzalcoatl.

In yet another myth, Coatlicue is not the moon, but the mother of the moon. One of her star children, her daughter Coyolxauhqui whose name means "golden bells", got wind of a rebellion among her sisters and brothers. The stars plotted to kill their mother and Coyolxauhqui defected, informing on her siblings and giving Coatlicue time to plan a counter attack. When the Serpent-Skirted Goddess had wiped out half her progeny, the remaining stars turned on Coyolxauhqui. They dismembered and left it for their mother to find. In another version of the story, it was the sun god who murdered Coyolxauhqui. In her grief over the death of her faithful daughter, Coatlicue took Coyolxauhqui's head and hung it in the sky, where it became the moon.

The darkest aspect of Coatlicue, the bringer of death in all its forms, has been depicted in statuary. Here she is an old woman wearing a necklace of hands and hearts with skulls at her waist, a skirt of snakes and a flayed human skin draped over her body. In the most famous statue now on display in Mexico City, she also wears an enormous headdress in the form of a snake.

With the invasion of Europeans and the holocaust of disease and enslavement that followed, Coatlicue became two separate spirits to the descendants of the mighty Aztecs. She was Tlaltecuhtli, a hideous toad whose appearance foreshadowed trouble and death. But she was also Tonan the gentle mother and healer who would eventually be syncratized with Our Lady of Guadalupe.

As Ms. Monaghan so wisely notes, when it comes to goddesses, a people will rarely give up its own entirely. So it is with Coatlicue, the Serpent-Skirted Goddess, is to this day recognized even if by other names...

Header: The Coyolxauhqui Stone showing her dismembered body via Wikipedia. The Stone was discovered in Mexico City in 1974 and the archaeologists who found it were so overwhelmed that they sang a hymn to the goddess on the spot.

Jeudi: Weather-Wise

The idea that changes in weather, and particularly storms, are a harbinger of death is not new. It seems to have been a Victorian preoccupation, however, that storms and the deaths of criminals were inextricably linked. Particularly in Britain, folklorists have been able to gather a number of examples of this perhaps not so odd belief. Here are just a few from A Dictionary of Superstitions published in 1989 and edited by Iona Opie and Moira Tatem:

When judges are in circuit, and when there are any criminals to be hanged, there are always winds and roaring tempests (verbal comment from a laborer c 1854)

The whole country side is excited by these storms, and the people connect them with the death of a Mr. ___, a notorious wrecker. On Sunday evening this day week, he was seen watching the sea, it is supposed for a wreck. He returned quite well... At Six O'Clock next morning the servants knocked - no answer. They went in, and there he lay quite dead. Ever since the storms have been continual. While I now write my Table trembles with the wind. (letter from H.S. Hawker of Cornwall, 12/26/1859 - note that a wrecker was someone who watched the coast for shipwrecks and then went to them, often with the spoken intent of finding survivors but with the real mission of finding booty to sell illegally.)

Remarking recently to an old man that, though it rained, it did not appear warmer, he replied: "We shan't have fine weather till after tomorrow... tomorrow is 'hanging day'." Three men were to be hanged the next day at Worcester. (from the N & Q of 1890)

This superstition, if one must put a label on it, continued in rural areas well into the 20th century as is witnessed by this entry from the Fenland Chronicle of 1967:

One of his beliefs were that it always blowed a gale on a day anybody were hanged fro a crime, to show God Almighty's displeasure at the taking of a human life by other human beings.

That last may settle the reason for the belief although, given man's inhumanity to man who was made in God's image according to organized religions, it seems a flimsy excuse by both man and God.

Header: The Tree of Crows by Caspar David Friedrich c 1822 via Old Paint

Jeudi: Root Work

I know it's only October but the holidays will be here sooner than we think and that usually means just one thing for root workers and wise women: requests for love potions. No one wants to feel like Evangeline up there during the darkest months of the year. Although I tend to counsel people against too much manipulation, the reality is that a little insurance for a good relationship (not one that's on the fence and especially not one that's abusive) never hurts.

The term "love potion number nine" is thrown around a lot in our culture. There's even a song about it, I think. This fabled drink may actually have originated in hoodoo. Different root workers have different recipes for the love potion, which actually amounts to a simple tea made from nine different ingredients. The caveat with most of these mixtures is that rose petals, catnip and cinnamon must be used in the mixture.

Fresh or dried herbs work equally well so it is entirely up to the person making the tea which way they want to go. The idea of the tea is to draw love or, if it is shared with the loved one, strengthen the bond. Whether the loved one knows what the maker of the tea is up to is entirely open for discussion.

Here's my recipe for the fabled love potion:

A small piece of apple
A small piece of ginger
One rose petal and a pinch each of:
Catnip
Cinnamon
Dill
Rue
Sugar

Wrap all of these ingredients in a square of muslin and tie it up with a long piece of twine to form a teabag. Place your teabag in a cup and pour hot water over it. Add a drop of vanilla or whiskey (your choice, but not both). While you pray/infuse the tea with your intention, allow the mixture to steep for nine minutes.

Remove the teabag and drink the cup down, preferable in nine sips. You should continue to focus on your wish for love while you drink. Dispose of your teabag as you will need to make a new one the next day.

Repeat this ritual nine days/nights in a row, if possible at around the same time each day. Toujours l'amour ~

Header: Evangeline by Christian Schussele via American Gallery

Jeudi: Curios

The alligator is an amphibian both maligned and adored along the Gulf coast of the United States. Feared for their quiet ferocity, they are also appreciated as sources of magickal instruments. They just happen to taste great, too.

In old time hoodoo, animal curios were used quite literally all the time. Though the practice is discouraged more or less in our modern age, alligator curios continue to be popular. Bats, cats, frogs and toads have been set aside to a large degree but alligator parts can often be found, usually because they are raised commercially. The majority of the animal is sold for meat or hide - much like cattle - while feet and teeth are doled out to root workers. For a fee, of course.

Alligator teeth are popular amulets worn for protection in the South, particularly around the neck. This is no different than the practice in my current home state of Alaska, where bear and wolf teeth are worn to protect and impart the strength of the animal. The nice thing about gators is that they shed their teeth throughout their life. The truly lucky person will find a gator tooth along the bayou and then use it for the most common intention of this curio: good fortune in gambling.

Both the feet and teeth of alligators are considered extremely lucky as pocket pieces for those who frequent the gambling table. The tooth probably obtained this reputation for the reason just mentioned. Carrying the foot - usually of a small alligator - can reasonably be considered a form of like-makes-like magick. These amputated parts somewhat resemble an outstretched human hand, just waiting for money to be deposited in it.

Here are two old time recipes for gambling luck pocket pieces. One enlisting a gator's tooth, the other its foot.

Take an alligators tooth and, while visualizing yourself winning consistently at your chosen game of chance, dress it with whiskey, Van Van oil or Easy Life oil. Carry this in your pocket when you go out to gamble, and re-anoint it frequently.

On a piece of brown paper (a piece of paper bag works well), write down your wish for money in red ink. This may be specific to gambling or any other way of getting an income. Dress a gator foot with Van Van oil or whiskey and wrap the brown paper tightly around it. Wrap red thread or twine around this packet three times and tie this off with three knots. Carry this with you, in your pocket or purse, as you pursue your chosen source of money. As with the tooth, dress this mojo frequently with your chosen libation.

Some folks also attach an alligator foot to a key chain and use this daily to bring general luck and, as always, money. If you are really old school, attaching the foot to your watch fob harkens back to the very old days of New Orleans voodoo/hoodoo. Legend has it that Jean Laffite had a bejeweled gator foot that dangled from his watch fob. This was lost, depending on the story you hear, either at the Battle of New Orleans or in the great Galveston hurricane of 1818. Either way, his luck seemed to go with it.

And there's the lesson; hold on to your alligator foot, or tooth, for dear luck. Bonne chance ~

Header: Alligators by Tom Root via American Gallery

Jeudi: Great Spirits

The water spirit who has taken on the collective, and perhaps unfortunately generic, moniker of Mami Wata is far more than the sum of her parts. A spirit venerated as far afield as the entire Atlantic coast of Africa, most of South America, Central America, the Caribbean and in the Cuban and Haitian diasporas, one is hard pressed to find a more frequently worshiped form of water deity than she.

In my personal frame of reference, Mami Wata most resembles the Voudon lwa known as La Siren/La Balen. La Siren is the light-skinned, either blond or brown-haired mermaid who imparts wealth and beauty upon those who are devoted to her. La Balen, her Petwo personification, is the whale who may appear at first as a beautiful woman, but has come only to lure those who have offended her to a cold, dark death in deep water.

Mami Wata in all her transmogrifications has a similar light and dark aspect. Stories are told of her appearing near the ocean, usually in the guise of a beautiful woman and usually - but not always - to a handsome young man. She is combing her hair with a silver comb, or admiring herself in an expensive mirror, or adorning herself with pearls when the human comes upon her. Startled, she slips into the water and disappears leaving her treasures behind. The young man may gather up these costly treasures but he is warned to return them immediately when he again, invariably, encounters the beautiful mermaid. Failure to do so will bring untold misfortunes and sometimes even a withering, miserable death.

In other stories, which show a similarity to the Voudon lwa Erzulie Freda Dahomey, Mami Wata demands sexual fidelity from the young men she encounters. They must join with her and shun human women. Failure to do so will mean the worst possible luck for not only the young man, but his family as well. Agreeing to the mermaid's terms, however, ensures health, wealth and happiness. One also assumes a continuing conjugal relationship with Mami Wata as well.

Like a third Voudon lwa, Grande Erzulie, Mami Wata is designated as the protectress of prostitutes in some of the cultures that worship her. In this aspect, and in her aspect as a bringer of fertility to both the land and its people, her symbol is a snake. This aspect also bares a striking resemblance to Ix Chel, the Mayan protectress of women and she who bestows them with fertility.

The names given to Mami Wata are as numerous as the forms she takes. Her African names, such as Watramama, have a similar ring to Mami Wata; that name is also sometimes found in Africa. In Brazil she is syncratized with the Orisha of the oceans, Yemaya; this is also the case in Cuba and the Cuban diaspora. On previously French-speaking Caribbean islands such as Guadalupe, Martinique and Trinidad and Tobago, she is Maman de l'Eau or simply Maman Dlo. In Haiti, of course, as in New Orleans, she is La Siren.

Her various aspects are so numerous, and her worship so far-flung, that she is a testimate to the enduring power of the water goddess all over the world. Even the Catholic Church gave in when it came to Mami Wata and assigned a particular aspect of the Virgin Mary to look after the oceans. Known as Stella Maris - Star of the Sea - her picture is often used to represent any of Mami Wata's many faces.

That's a back-handed complement from a patriarchal religion many a modern theorist would opine. Be that as it may, those of us who straddle that fence, as our ancestors have done for centuries, will take it where we can get it.

Header: Mami Wata of Trinidad and Tobago by Zofia Bogusz via American Gallery