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

Mardi: Herbal-Wise

Cherries are a favorite in spring and summer all over the world.  They are a symbol of renewal in such diverse cultures as those of Japan and Washington, D.C.  And yeah; I’m gonna say Washington, D.C. has its own culture that is nothing at all like anything found in the real United States. 

Given their wide popularity, it is not surprising that cherries as fruits, as blossoms and as trees are used in magickal disciplines around the world.  The one focus of these magicks, almost without exception, is the finding and keeping of affection and love.

The working can be as simple as cherry cobbler or cherry pie, both of which are used by girls in the Pennsylvania Pow-Wow tradition to "sweeten" the temperament of a young man.

In Japan, old wives would advise their daughter to tie a lock of her hair to a budding cherry tree’s branch.  This would draw love to the girl, particularly if birds used the hair for their nests.  As a curious aside, gypsy lore warns people not to leave their hair out where birds can get to it as it is thought that, should the birds use your hair for nesting, you will be subject to migraines. 

Scott Cunningham tells us that cherry juice is an acceptable substitute for blood when the latter is called for in spell work.  He also advices that one can predict how long they will live by finding a tree full of ripe cherries and running around it at full tilt.  Then shake the tree very hard; the number of cherries that falls tells the years you’ve left to live.  This one sounds particularly specious, but it would be a fun way to harvest cherries for those yummy deserts.

In hoodoo, cherry bark is used for controlling work, particularly to keep a man from straying.  Love mojos are made with cherry bark, lavender and damiana.  If you are looking to attract a man, add catnip.  If your goal is a woman, add High John the Conqueror root.  Put these herbs in a red flannel bag and dress it frequently with Come to Me Oil or rose oil.  Carry it with you, close to your skin.  Bonne chance ~

Header: Veranda by Stephen Pan via American Gallery

Jeudi: Curios

Roosters and hens with black feathers probably have a place in every magickal discipline around the globe.  They are especially prized, to my knowledge, in gypsy folklore and by hoodoo root workers, particularly in and around New Orleans. 

The African-based spirituality of the Caribbean, Southern U.S. and South America has a long history of using chickens for sacrifice but, to a large degree, the use of these specific creatures – that is chickens with black feathers – does not involve butchering and eating them.  The focus is the power of the animal itself and that of its feathers.

An old and somewhat shadowy gypsy working known as taking up the black fast is used to retrieve stolen goods and/or take revenge on the thief.  Of course, travelers had and still have very little in the way of possessions so theft was a particularly vicious crime that required equally vicious retribution.  In this ritual, the victim of theft would obtain a black hen.  Both man and bird would abstain from food and water from sunup to sunset every Friday for nine consecutive weeks.  This was thought to force the culprit to return the stolen goods.  Alternatively, it was imagined that he or she would meet a gruesome end.

In hoodoo, black hens and roosters are kept by root workers so that their feathers might be utilized in uncrossing magick.  Feathers were burned to a fine ash and this would be used on the body of those suffering from a jinx, either rubbed or blown on by the root worker, to take off the evil trick.  Workers used black chicken feather whisks for similar purposes.  These were made either from a bundle of feathers tied together or from a whole wing which had been dried with the feathers still attached.  The victim would then be brushed with the whisk, usually working down from the head to the feet, as part of an uncrossing ritual.

Most prized in and around New Orleans were the speckled chickens known as Fizzled Fowl.  Because root workers removed jinxes and sent them back to their original creator, these men and women were thought to be targeted by witches and others who meddled with evil.  Most of them would tell you that it was not uncommon to find some form of jinxing mojo or throw somewhere in their yards now and again, left there by someone with the intent to harm.  To this end, many kept Fizzled Fowl to scratch up, peck at, eat and destroy these agents of evil before they had time to work their magick. 

Some root workers even rented their chickens out to clients who were having similar trouble, letting the animals “work” the afflicted person’s yard for a few weeks to clear up the problem.  One New Orleans root doctor, working in the city around the turn of the 20^th century, became so famous for his uncrossing work that he was known as the Fizzly Rooster.  Bonne chance ~

Header: Two Fizzled Fowl c 1874 via Albion Prints

Jeudi: Root Work

Our world is full of stress.  Diagnosis of anxiety disorders is at an all time high, or so it would seem, and there’s a pill for everything.  Please don’t imagine that I’m being sarcastic when I say this.  I have a sometimes crippling social anxiety disorder that requires the occasional Xanax just to get my butt out the door and into an unfamiliar environment.

But you can’t take a pill every day – or I can’t anyway.  What about those times when you’re just nervous for no good reason, or anxious about something that really shouldn’t be so worrisome?  What about those times when your personal evolution isn’t in sync with that of the high tech, fast paced, noisy dang world around you?  Hey, wait; that’s just about every day for me…

Thankfully, old wives, Pow-Wows, gypsies and root doctors had little remedies to chase away the little worries long before moderns tagged them as “disorders.”  Here’s one I like very much; a tisane that is easy to collect ingredients for (no occult shop necessary), quick to make, functional to keep and it works. 

Simply take equal parts of dried marjoram, rosemary, sage and thyme.  Mix these well and store in an air-tight container away from light as you would with any herb.  When you feel the need for a moment to yourself to calm down and refocus, put the kettle on the boil or the cup in the microwave. 

Then put about a generous teaspoon per cup of your calming herb mixture in whatever you use for lose tea.  Personally, I’m just as happy to wrap the herbs in a piece of muslin tied with a string as I am to use a fancy tea ball.  Pour boiling water over the herbs and allow them to steep to desired strength.  I find that adding a little sprig of mint to the herb mixture makes it taste even better.

Now, here’s the part that is hard for a lot of us given busy lifestyles and schedules.  Find a quiet place where you can sit in relative silence – no television, computer, phone, radio, etc. – while you enjoy your calm in a cup at a leisurely pace.  Gulping this down over the sink won’t have the same relaxing effect that enjoying it while sitting down to pet your dog will.  It will help, but it won’t work.

But Pauline, you say, I’m in my office ten hours a day.  Where ever can I find a moment to relax away from distractions?  Two words: bathroom stall.  It sounds crazy but seriously.  When I was in upper management and had a corner office with a door I still went to the ladies’ room for this ritual.  Mostly because I knew it was the only place people would respect my privacy.  Even outside on the park bench they would find me, but in the bathroom they’d give me five glorious minutes of sweet, sweet peace.  To each their own, of course, but I’ve been around the block a time or two and sharing experience never hurts, or so it seems.

If you are having trouble sleeping for any reason, but especially due to anxiety, substitute chamomile (sorry, trip to the health food store probably required here) for the marjoram.  If your anxiety is getting in the way of daily life, it’s time to consult your doctor and collaborate on a plan.  You might ask him or her about St. John’s wort, which can be substituted in this recipe for the sage to increase its strength.

As with anything you eat, drink or apply, stop using this tisane if you have deleterious effects and consult your physician if you have conditions such as pregnancy, nursing, heart trouble etc. that might warrant special caution.  A votre santé ~

Header: Morning by Catherine Wiley via American Gallery

Jeudi: Root Work

Entertaining was one of the many things that my Grandmother excelled at.  She was notorious in small towns along the Washington coast such as Aberdeen and Hoquiam for her during-Prohibition-and-beyond cocktail parties.  So much so that the memory of them lingered long after Gran had joined the Ghede. 

I remember being approached by a quite elderly man in Ocean Shores when I was in my early twenties.  He asked me if I was “Helen’s granddaughter” and when I said yes he began to gush about Gran, perfectly dry martinis and a certain silk dress that evidently showed off rouged knees.  Right about then my Grandfather came around the corner.  The gushing ended abruptly; even in his 80s Grandpa could be threatening.

Since my own mother tends to loath entertaining – I suspect she loathes people in general so entertaining would naturally follow – I was always keen to hear what Gran had to say about the makings of a perfect get-together.  One of her favorite bits of advice involved the use of what we would now term “aromatherapy”.  She called in “incense magick” and gave the credit for her knowledge of the responses of the human olfactory system to her old friends, the Gypsies.

Accordingly, she wrote down a list that I’ve kept tucked in her old cookbook.  Some of these incenses are harder to find today than they were in the ‘30s when Gran was in her glory, but most can still be acquired if you’re willing to look.  Remember to always purchase the highest quality incense your budget will allow, regardless of your preference for stick, cone or loose varieties.  High quality ingredients, it goes without saying, result in high quality incense.  Here’s Gran’s list with a few of my own tweaks:

Amber ~ a fine choice for small gatherings, particularly those with romantic overtones

Cassia ~ sets a comfortable, homey mood

Cedar ~ calms men (Gran recommended this one if two rivals were bound to show up at your soirée)

Cinnamon ~ a purifier that is best to burn the day before you entertain to “clear the air”

Clove ~ stimulates the brain; great for meetings, book clubs, writing circles etc.

Frankincense or Myrrh ~ attunes the conscious mind to higher powers; the right choice for any spiritual gathering

Ginger ~ creates a warm, welcoming environment; perfect on cold winter nights

Lavender ~ a tension reliever that dissipates nervous energy; this is a good one for the hostess to enjoy in her private rooms while she prepares for her guests

Neroli ~ brings joy; a great choice for celebrations of weddings, baptisms, birthdays and a loved one who has passed on

Pine ~ this perfect holiday scent is like a combination – figuratively speaking – of Ginger and Neroli

Rosemary ~ much like a combination of Cinnamon and Clove – again in the figurative sense – Rosemary helps clear both the atmosphere and the brain; it is also a good choice for groups made up exclusively of women

Sandalwood ~ tends to make people drop their barriers and interact freely

Ylang-Ylang ~ “inspires beauty” and is perfect for gallery openings or gatherings of artists young or old; I find this scent is particularly good for children’s parties

Incense is a simple and inexpensive way to bring harmony, well-being and creativity into your home, and not just when you entertain.  Not all magick has to be concentration and sparks, after all.  If you’re like me and are not blessed with a local purveyor of good incense, I recommend Azure Green as a place to shop online.  They are reputable, have a large stock and ship to both the U.S. and Canada.  Bonne chance ~

Header: The Village Fête by Victor Nehlig via American Gallery

Jeudi: Root Work

Well, here it comes like a freight train, looming just around the bend we call Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanza/etc.  That’s right; it’s New Years Eve and for single people in our culture it is often one of the most dreaded 12 hours of any given year.  Will I have a date?  Someone to kiss when the ball drops?  Will they ever stop playing that “What Are You Doing New Years Eve” song!?  We’ve all been there.

Sometimes it’s even worse when you’re in a sorta/kinda relationship and your just-about-significant other is hemming and hawing about committing to your plans.  Or theirs, for that matter.  This is when everything seems set but Mom suddenly gets sick or there’s a snow storm in Phoenix (who knew, right) and they can’t get home or they have to work…  The list goes on and on and so does the frustration.

First, some motherly advice, particularly for the girls out there.  If you’re really single, round up some single friends and have a sleep over.  No one is in danger of a DUI and its lots of fun to wear footy pajamas, watch old movies and drink sparkling wine.  If you’re in some on again off again thing, that’s not really a “relationship” and you probably need to evaluate whether or not it ever will be.  You might want to just dump him and revert to that first bit of advice.

If you absolutely, positively must get him (or her) to commit, now is the time to take action and this bit of gypsy spell work will do the trick.  This working is very ancient and was originally done, according to my Gran, without the freezing of the name papers and honey.  They were simply sealed in a box or jar with wax and put away where they would not be disturbed.  The addition of freezing only serves to seal the deal, so to say, that much more efficiently.  Here’s what you’ll need:

Two brown paper between two and three inches square

A red pen

Honey

A container that will hold the name papers and enough honey to cover them

A freezer

While focusing on your relationship, write your name on one of the papers and your guy or gal’s name on the other with red ink.  First names will work; full names will work better.  Place the paper with your name on it face up in the container, then place the other paper face down directly on top of it.  Make sure all the sides and corners are completely even. 

Now pour the honey over the name papers until they are covered, continuing to focus.  Place the container, honey and name papers in your freezer and leave them there for as long as you wish the relationship to continue.

This little working should give you the “upper hand” in the relationship and bring your partner to heel, for New Years Eve and beyond.  Remember not to abuse your magickal privilege in this as that karma will come back to you.

Should you decide you no longer want to engage in the relationship, thaw and discard the entire working.  And, of course, gently let the other person know; no tweeting or texting a break up, now.  Yule heureux et bonne chance ~

Header: The Proscribed Royalist by John Everett Mallais

Vendredi: In the Cup

When I was young I remember visiting my Mom’s parents on a fairly regular basis.  We lived near them for about six years while I was in elementary school and I loved to go there for Sunday dinners and holidays.  All of the furniture was old, doilies decorated surfaces and the house always smelled of good cooking.  Best of all was the spare bedroom, where Gran kept her books.  She had one I was particularly fond of.  It was old by my standards –written in the 1920s – and had a pen-and-ink drawing of a very flapperesque gypsy holding a tea cup on the cover.  The title was “The Gypsy Guide to Reading Tea Leaves”. 

Whatever happened to that thin little tome is unknown to me.  Sadly I did not inherit it, nor did I absorb the arcane information it contained, but to this day I have a fascination with the occult art of reading tea leaves.  That said, and having acquired some good references on this form of divination, I thought that we might learn a little bit about it together.  Since most books on tea leaf reading are nothing more complicated than lists of what the shapes formed by the spent leaves may be hinting at, it is a subject almost tailor-made for a blog.

According to Albert S. Lyons in his book Predicting the Future, tasseography is a fairly recent form of divination.  There is little if any evidence that it was practiced in the Far East and it is not mentioned in the European record until well after tea began to be widely available in the 17^th century.  For the most part, the reading of tea leaves was thought to be a “gypsy secret” and, in the latter part of the 19^th century, this was capitalized on by sellers of tea.  Tea houses would often employ a “Gypsy tea leaf reader” to draw in the trade; more often then not, the “gypsy” in question had not a drop of Roma blood in her veins.

More recently, tea leaf reading is treated more as a psychological exercise than as a way to foretell the future.  The reader strives to give the person they are reading for some insight into themselves.  Often the goal is to help the person understand their own influence in their life; to answer the age old question “why do these things keep happening to me?”

Next week we’ll evaluate the tools of the trade, so to say, and then we can start looking at the meanings of those mysterious shapes at the bottom of your tea cup.  Have your tea to hand and bring an open mind.  Until then, Vendredi heureux ~

Header: Russian Tea by Irving R. Wiles c 1909

Jeudi: Root Work

I'm not quite sure why but, as Tuesday’s post seems to hint, I’ve become fascinated by lore surrounding brooms lately.  It may have to do with the fact that I am currently rereading Anne Llewellyn Barstow’s chillingly well written Witchcraze: A New History of the European Witch Hunts, which I cannot recommend enough.  On the other hand, it may just be the time of year.  Along with all that, I’m gearing up for the time of entertaining and parties, which will descend upon us in October and not let up until January.  This thought also brought brooms to mind, which may not be as surprising as it sounds.

I’ve mentioned before that my maternal grandmother had friends in the Roma community.  Roma are sometimes referred to as Gypsies and they have a long tradition of being excellent at spell craft.  Just like hoodoo root workers, Gypsies take a serious “keep it simple” approach to influencing their surroundings.  Both communities tended to be marginalized if not down right impoverished so they had to work with what they had on hand.  This held true for a situation familiar to anyone who has ever invited people into their home: unwanted guests.

According to Gran, the Roma she knew had an easy and effective way to get rid of guests who overstayed their welcome.  The hostess would simply excuse herself for a moment, take her household broom and sweep the front step while saying three times: From my home I bid (name of guest) will go, stay no more and may his/her/their return be slow.  The broom was then to be stood on its handle next to the front door.  The smart worker would not exit their home with their guest(s) or they might also be compelled to leave and not return for a while.  The broom could be taken in as soon as the guest was gone, or left at the door overnight to ensure a long while between return visits.

Hoodoo has similar but stronger remedies for unwanted visitors.  If you wish to keep a guest from ever returning to your home, throw a mixture of salt, black pepper and red pepper or black salt made by mixing salt and soot from your fireplace after them when the leave.  Sweep this throw all the way to the curb in the direction of your guest’s retreat and say as you do: (Name of guest), go away and never return to my home.   

A hoodoo trick to keep people out of your house, whether you know them or not, is to simply lay brooms across the doors leading into your home.  The belief is that anyone who steps over the broom without your invitation will be immediately stricken with such bad luck that they will injure themselves or wander in a daze right back out of the house.

Regardless of where or how we live, it is a virtual instinct in humans to want to protect our home and the people we love.  To that important end, it’s nice to have a few tricks up your sleeve; or in this case, in your pantry.  Bonne chance ~

Header:  Family Sitting on the Back Porch by Rico Tomaso via American Gallery

Jeudi: Root Work

The potential for little bundles of joy has been hovering over my life for the last couple of months.  I just got past a scare in the pregnancy department and I call it that because, for a woman my age, being pregnant would quite literally be the stuff of horror movies.  Recently, though, a dear friend announced she was expecting which definitely is good news.

All this baby talk had me running back to my notebooks for a working that my grandmother taught me.  This one is to settle a sleepless child in for the night and it comes from Gran’s Roma friends.  The gypsies, like so many others who have a distinct magickal discipline, put a lot of store by the use of hair in spell craft.   Since hair was once part of a person or animal, it is thought to carry that creature’s essence with it. 

This working is one of those that requires the subject to be aware of what the worker is doing.  I have yet to see it work on sleepless infants; and believe me, I have tried.  For children two or older, however, who have a conversational vocabulary it can be a tremendous help to both mother and child.

Three strands of Mom’s hair

A little cotton or muslin bag, or a small square of either

Needle and white thread

A glass of your child’s favorite drink

Place one strand of hair into the muslin bag/square and sew it closed with the needle and thread.  Give this to your child to place under their pillow.  Now, sew the next strand into your child’s nightclothes so that it will rest close to their heart as they sleep.  Take the finally strand and break it down in a mortar and pestle or with the back of a spoon.  Add this to you child’s favorite drink and have them finish it before getting ready for bed.

Involve your child in the first two steps of this working, telling them that what you are doing will soothe them and help them sleep without trouble.  My Gran would remind me that she was always with me, even in dreams, as long as the “magick bag” was under my pillow. 

In my experience, it’s best to prepare the hair and put it in the drink before you start the other steps of the working.  That way it will be ready when you’re done and there won’t be any fussing about drinking something infused with hair.  The original recipe called for elderberries to be crushed and the juice given to the child.  Since elderberries quite notoriously ferment on the vine, I wonder if the Roma didn’t use the possibility of slight intoxication as their ace in the hole to insure this spell’s success.  Just speculation on my part, but… Bonne chance ~

Header: To This Each Night by Dorothy Bartholemy via American Gallery

Vendredi: Divinatory Spread

Now that we have wrapped up the Suit of Spades it is once again time to look at a divinatory spread.  Practicing divination on yourself will give you a chance to learn the meanings of the cards in a leisurely and rewarding way.  This spread, sometimes called the Gypsy Method, can be done very simply at first.  As the student becomes more proficient, cards can be added to achieve in depth readings making it ideal for everyone from beginner to adept.

Never skip the usual preliminaries of chatting with the querent and asking them to cut the cards.  That done, lay out seven cards in a fan shape starting on your right and moving left.  Each card represents an influence in the querent’s life with regard to the question they bring to the table.  Reading from right to left, the influences are as follows:

The present psychic state of the querent.

Their present home life.

The question at hand.

The querent’s expectations.

The issues they do not expect or have not thought of.

The immediate future.

The long term results.

This spread is one of my favorites because it allows for a free flow exchange of information between the reader and the querent.  You, as the reader, can look at the big picture first and then begin to pick the issue apart with input from the querent.  The only time I would not use this spread is when I am dealing with an agitated or hostile individual.  In such cases discussion and interaction are not called for by any means; quick answers with a quick reading are your best option.

To go more in depth with this reading, add two or even three cards to each of the seven points on the fan.  This gives you and the querent not only more to discuss but it allows you as the reader to be more specific at each point in the reading as well as with the over all outcome.  Have fun with it; you may be surprised at the insights you uncover.  Vendredi heureux ~

Header: La Reussite (The Issue) by Joseph Caraud c 1894

Jeudi: Root Work

A while ago I offered one of the spells my Gran learned from her Roma friends.  Of course, the Gypsies have a reputation for powerful magick and to some degree that is well deserved.  One thing I learned from listening to Grandma, though, was that powerful doesn’t mean complicated, regardless of discipline.

As an example, today’s offering from Gran’s bag of tricks.  This is a working specifically designed to be effective against someone who has stolen your beau (or belle) through manipulation or trickery.  You know the kind of person I’m talking about so I won’t go into bloody details.  Suffice it to say that this trick is fast, easy and – if you apply the appropriate focus – very effective.

Obtain a piece of brown paper that is one by three inches and a red ball-point pen.  Now write the name of the creature that snagged your sweetheart on the paper with the pen and fold the paper over once, all the while keeping focused on your objective of bringing misery in love to this person.  Tuck the name paper into the bottom drawer of any piece of furniture (with multiple drawers), built in or free standing, and forget about it.  Your former rival will lose lover after lover to manipulative jerks until you remove the name paper and dispose of it.

Easy, non?  And surprisingly effective.  But now a warning: be very certain that the object of your ire is deserving of retribution.  If your sweetheart picked them out and dumped you without their encouragement, the spell will rebound with a vengeance.  At that point, even burning the name paper won’t help.  When in doubt, let the Universe take care of those who need taking care of.  Bonne chance ~

Header: Unconscious Rivals by Lawrence Alma-Tadema c 1893

Jeudi: Root Work

One of the many things that my grandmother passed on to me were some interesting workings she had learned from friends. She had the good fortune to have a little travel under her belt and when she was “back East” (she never specified exactly where) she made the acquaintance of a small group of what most people would call Gypsies. These people, who call themselves Roma and are frequently referred to as Romany, were originally from India and have migrated pretty much all over the world since somewhere around the 11th century. There are pockets of Roma population all across the U.S. so there’s no reason to discount Grandma’s story. And why bother when the dear lady has gone on, rest her.

This was one of Grandma’s favorite “Gypsy spells” and, considering that no matter where she lived Grandma always had beautiful, expensive furniture I’d have to say there’s something to it. The spell invokes two Catholic Saints, Patrick and Peter, but the names used for both will be unfamiliar to most. Saint Patrick is referred to as Darny and Saint Peter as Liber. I cannot tell you why this may be but I’ve a hunch it follows a similar path as Voudon with a culture’s pagan gods taking on the guises of Saints to avoid detection by the Church. At any rate, both Darny and Liber are called upon for assistance here.

So, if you have a need for a piece of furniture, from end table to baby grand piano, but haven’t the means to buy what ever it may be, try this working for remarkably quick results.

Take a green taper candle and, using a knife from your kitchen, cut seven equidistant notches into one side. They should be approximated 1 inch apart. Place the candle in a sturdy holder and put it somewhere near the place that you plan for your new furniture. Light the candle and say three times: “Darny help me, Liber help me”. Concentrate on the item you desire, visualizing it in your home being used and enjoyed.

Allow the candle to burn down to the first notch and then put out the flame. You will need to return to the candle, light it, say your prayer and visualize at approximately the same time each day, allowing the candle to burn down to only one notch per day. Remember not to think about where you will find your furniture or how you will pay for it, just do the work and move on to other thoughts.

If you can, clear a space for your new item and treat that space almost like the furniture is already there. Feel free to tell anyone who might ask what you plan to put in that space but discuss nothing further. The rest is your business alone. When the candle has burned out on the eighth day, dig any remaining wax from the holder and bury it, either in your yard or a house plant. Now let it go and don’t be surprise when that piece you most desire turns up cheap at a thrift store, sitting around in a friend’s garage or free on Craig’s List. Stranger things have happened. Bon chance ~

Header: Lady at the Piano by Pierre-Auguste Renoir