Jeudi: Curios

I've talked about semi-precious stones and crystal before.  As noted, these were not common items in historical hoodoo.  This is most probably because their cost was prohibitive to the majority of root workers.  Times change and hoodoo, like all magickal practices, is a fluid discipline.  More and more root workers are availing themselves of the power of rocks and stones, myself included.

All that out of the way, one of my favorite stones to work with is jasper.  It is a relatively common stone and therefore quite affordable.  Jasper is a form of chalcedony, which is itself a form of quartz.  There are four different variations of this opaque stone, each of which has its own magickal uses.  This puts jasper high on the short list of the most versatile stones.

In general, jasper is said to protect its possessor.  It will keep a person from engaging in dangerous behaviors and is therefore thought to assist in recovery from addiction.  Women held a piece of jasper in one hand during childbirth to protect them and their child from pain, injury and/or death.  Any of the variations of jasper could be used for these purposes.

Brown jasper is often the color of sienna ink rather than truly brown like soil.  This is an excellent stone for grounding.  Hold a piece of brown jasper to return to a normal psychic state after spell work or divination.  Scott Cunningham also recommends wearing or carrying brown jasper for people who tend to day dream rather than take action.  Along those same lines, I find that it keeps me from falling into one of my worst habits: procrastination.

Green jasper can vary in color from a light gray-green to moss.  It is used in spells for healing and to bring calm to the psyche.  Wear green jasper to bed to promote restful sleep and chase away night terrors.  People who are empathic favor green jasper as an aid to opening themselves up to psychic vibrations while staying safe and grounded at the same time.  For this purpose, the stone should be held in the receptive hand (left if you are right handed and vice versa).

Mottled jasper often looks like those marbles we used to call “swirlies”, with two, three or even four colors intermingled in one stone.  This was a favorite stone among seafarers, who wore it for protection from drowning.  Depending on the most prominent color in the stone, it may be used as a substitute for red, green or brown jasper.

Red jasper ranges in color from orange to scarlet to a deep purplish-red.  This is a powerful healing and defensive stone that I highly recommend to anyone who regularly works on breaking jinxes.  It will ward off negativity and send such vibrations back to their originator.  In medieval times, red jasper was worn to guard against poisoning and fevers.  Women wear it to promote a youthful appearance.

Finally, jasper is an excellent substitute for more expensive stones.  Use green jasper in place of jade and red jasper in place of carnelian or coral without losing anything in the translation.  As with all tools of magick, stones should be cleansed either with holy water, salt or sunshine before use. 

Because it is a common stone, perfectly good quality jasper can be found quite affordably at craft stores where jewelry findings are sold.  I recently bought a string which included all four varieties of jasper at Michel’s for $1.25.  You can’t beat that.  Bonne chance ~

Header: The Sailor’s Return by Toby Edward Rosenthal c 1880

Mardi: Herbal-Wise

Patchouli actually has a long history in spellcraft and root work as well as the perfume industries.  Of course, patchouli oil is famously the scent of choice for hippies but generally when used in magick the plant and not the oil is preferred.

In hoodoo, patchouli is utilized for attracting love and money and breaking jinxes, particularly those associated with affection or wealth.  Patchouli is also used in hoodoo oils, such as Stay With Me Oil, and in love incenses.  Adding dried patchouli leaves to any of the latter such as rose, geranium or lavender is thought to turn the focus of the incense from love to passionate sex.

Women in particular are thought to use patchouli to great success.  Many workings and mojos to keep a husband happy at home include dried patchouli leaves.  If a woman is looking to attract a man, she might brew a tea of patchouli leaves, rose petals and shavings of Queen Elizabeth root.  This mixture would be added to a bath to be taken before going out on the town or in particular on a date.  As with most hoodoo baths, the person should air dry rather than towel off.  Before leaving the house, a pan of the bath water should be tossed out the front door to bring love home.

To break a jinx, patchouli root is mixed with graveyard dirt and carried in a yellow mojo bag.

Wiccans used dried patchouli in wallets and money drawing sachets.  It is also considered a good ingredient in fertility spells due to its earthy smell.  Scott Cunningham notes that American root workers also use the herb for “separations”, a working he does not clarify, but I can find no other reference to such uses in hoodoo.  Bonne chance ~

Header: Flowers of the Fields by Louis Janmot c 1845

Lundi: Recipes

Time once again for a Monday recipe, something I missed last week due to a day long fishing trip.  We brought home two salmon so I thought I’d throw my recipe for fish “in a paper bag” out today.  It’s an easy, quick way to cook just about any fish – whole or in fillets – and retain the moisture and vitamins that make it so good as well.  You can really add any veggies that you like to the bag; I’m just giving the ones I like with salmon.  The portions below are for an individual fillet.

3 or 4 sliced white onion rings

1 or 2 slices of lemon

A few sprigs of fresh dill

Salt and pepper to taste

Olive oil

Preheat oven to 400.

Rub the fillets with a little olive oil and then place them on a square of aluminum foil or, if you want to be traditional, parchment paper.  The aluminum foil is really the easiest medium but, if you don’t like your fish touching the foil, use both with a square of parchment inside of the foil.

Salt and pepper your fish to taste then lay the onion, lemon and dill on top.  Fold up your packet so that there is a little air between the parchment/foil and the vegetables.  Place the packets on a cookie sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until fish is just done.

The fish basically steams in the packet, which is called a papillote in France.  This is a great way to cook boneless, skinless chicken fillets as well and a super cooking medium when cooking just for you or for you and another person.  Bon appetite ~

Header: Café de Nuit by Vincent van Gogh c 1888

Dimanche: Swimming

A dock in Barataria Bay, Louisiana; inviting you to swim (mind the crane)

Samedi: The Ghede at the Palace

Though the vast majority of Americans – or at least the ones I’ve chatted with on the subject – believe that all Haitians are steeped to their necks in Voudon, a few souls in that country might disagree.  The story goes that the Duvalier dictators used their people’s devotion to the lwa against their enemies, making their guards and police a virtual secret society.  This is true to some degree.  This behavior on the part of their leaders did not stop upper class Haitians from looking down on Voudon as something akin to ignorant superstition.  In fact before the Duvalier regime, most Haitian leaders very much distanced themselves from the spiritual beliefs of the populace.

The curious thing is that these people, who look down their noses as Voudon, are usually practicing it themselves.  They will have discreet niches in their homes, ostensibly in devotion to Catholic saints, which are actually altars to the lwa.  How similar this behavior is to that of slaves before the revolution probably doesn’t even bare mentioning.  The hypocrisy of it, however, is lost on no one and has led to an oft told tale of a virtual uprising of the Ghede.

It is said that a certain President of Haiti was particularly vocal about his rejection of Voudon and he encouraged his people to follow his lead.  Along with this, his regime was corrupt in the extreme and people only blocks from his palatial palace were literally starving.  One evening, under a blood red sky, a mass possession fell upon the populace of Port-au-Prince with hundreds of people mounted by Ghede lwa.  The Ghede marched through the streets to the Presidential palace with Baron Samedi, Baron Cemetere and Maman Brigitte in the lead.  Those not possessed stood in awe, and followed the procession to see what would happen.

The Ghede mounted the steps of the palace, waving the President’s guards aside as if they had no fear of their weapons.  And of course, they did not; weren’t they dead already?  The mob pounded on the palace door and demanded that the President come out and meet them. 

In abject terror, the President appeared on the balcony above.  “Who are you?” he cried.  “What do you want?”

“We are the Ghede,” Baron Samedi replied.  “We want the people fed and we want your devotion.  Give us money and call me your Lord.”

The President protested against these demands but the Baron promised that his Ghede would break down the doors and wreak havoc in the palace.  At last the President, terrified beyond reason, rained money down upon the people and vowed to honor Voudon and most of all the Ghede from that day forward.

The Ghede, pleased and pacified, left the palace and their horses to return to their home in the cemeteries.

It is probably safe to say that the story is apocryphal but it is instructive nonetheless.  When Voudon is threatened, it is the lwa of the Dead who champion it and they can champion the sincerely devoted individual, too.

Header: Ghede lwa from Mambo Sallie Ann Glassman’s “Wall of Voodoo” in New Orleans

Vendredi: Ace of Diamonds

Now we come to the last group in our exploration of the divinatory meanings of playing cards.  The Suit of Diamonds is generally regarded as dealing with monetary wealth issues and corresponds to the Suit of Pentacles in the Tarot.   Since civilization began, people have always been concerned with money whether they have it or not, and the devotion of an entire suit of cards to the subject is only another example of that fact.

The Ace of Diamonds is generally thought of as a very lucky card.  Some root workers even recommend framing it and hanging it in your place of business to draw a steady income.  Depending on the person, they will recommend anointing the frame regularly with Easy Life, Money Drawing or Van Van Oil to keep the success coming.

In a divinatory spread, the Ace of Diamonds is no less lucky.  Certain cartomancers consider it a sure sign of gambling luck and will advise their querents to get out to the card table or the race track ASAP.  I am not quite so sanguine but this card can indicate a streak of general good luck on the horizon.

The Ace of Diamonds is a very good indication if the querent is considering a new endeavor that will provide an income.  While the card does not guarantee success (what does?), it certainly answers yes to the question should I pursue this undertaking.  It can also indicate an unexpected but hoped for surprise: found money, an upturn in the querent’s stock portfolio, a proposal of marriage or in unusual cases a pregnancy.  Consider the cards in proximity to the Ace and your discussion with the querent, as always, to determine what is in store.

Unfortunately, this card does not differentiate between small and large victories.  That found money may be an unexpected mention in rich Aunt Beulah's will, but it could just as easily be a quarter on the street.  In other words, it's better for you as the reader to downplay the potential for wealth.  Greed, as sad as it is to say, can make people do stupid things and you don't want them doing stupid thing to you out of a warped sense of betrayal.  Better safe than sorry.  Vendredi heureux ~

Header: The Cheat with the Ace of Diamonds by Georges de la Tour c 1635

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