Conjure Item O' The Week: Salt

First in a weekly series.  Every Monday, we will start off the week talking about an herb, mineral or other item that can be used in conjure.  Yes, I know that Salt isn't an herb.  But boy howdy, is it useful. 

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Sodium chloride

WHERE CAN YOU GET IT: Probably your kitchen table.  Lots of workers use Kosher salt, due to the holy connotation of being produced under rabbinical supervision.  Other variations of salt used in conjure are pickling salt, ice cream salt, and Epsom salt.

WHAT'S IT GOOD FOR?: What *isn't* it good for?  According to Conjure lore, salt "does what you tell it to do".  Here's just a few uses:

• Spiritual cleansing: You can dissolve three kinds of Salt in some hot water (such as plain table salt, Kosher salt, and Epsom salt), add this dissolved liquid to a tub of warm water, get in and pour the water over yourself from head to toe, praying that all evil conditions be removed from you.  Voila!  Instant spiritual cleaning!  You can then take a bit of your used bath water and add it to a bucket of warm water and use that to mop your floors for spiritual cleansing.
• Protection: Take some Kosher salt and hold it in the palm of your left hand.  With your right hand, make the sign of the Cross over the salt and say "Salt, I command you to protect my house from all evil and bad people, Amen."  Then sprinkle this salt in an unbroken line across your front door threshold.  Put a pinch of salt in the corners of your bedroom if you've been having nightmares; the bogeyman will go somewhere else!
• Cursing, hexing and banishing.  You can sweep a bit of salt after a person has left your home, and tell them never to come back (do it quietly, I mean.  I am not responsible for you getting arrested because you threw the Morton salt box at your loudmouth brother-in-law.)

CHEAP JOKE OF THE WEEK:  Would the above be considered....a-salt?


Um, sorry.

Seriously, you can also mix some salt with red pepper and black pepper and pray over the mixture to get rid of an enemy, and sprinkle it in the enemy's path where they will step on it or put it in their shoes. 

Salt is a great cleanser of tools you can't wash in water.  If you want to cleanse a crystal or stone, you can bury it in a bowl of salt for a few days until it feels "clean" to you.  If the object is something delicate, put a ring of salt around it and ask the salt to cleanse it from all evil. 

If you want to keep food in your house always and ensure you never run out of what you need, get a box of salt and keep it in a cupboard somewhere; don't use it.  Folklore says that you will always be lucky if you never run out of salt (and if that box of salt is never used, then you technically never run out of salt).

That's all I have for today.  If you have more ideas about tricks, spells and more that can be done with salt, put them in the comments!

Doorway Magic and House Protection

Hello, lovely ones! 

In my line of work, I see the inside of a lot of people's houses (I work in health care).  When I enter the front door, I love to take a quick glance at the inside of the front door and around the doorstep.  Why?  No, I'm not nosy.  I love seeing the different good luck and protection charms that hang over the doorway, that are outside the front door, or around the doormat.

I might go into a home where the residents are Latino, Mexican, or from Central America, and I see a knife hanging over the door on the inside, along with a bulb of garlic.  Or Saint Michael the Archangel's picture is hanging over the doorway.  I've walked into houses with HUGE statues of Saint Michael with one, three, seven or nine clear glasses of water around him.  Now, those are Espiritismo techniques for serving St. Michael, but I've been in plenty of Italian Catholic so-many-pictures-of-Pope-John-the-Second-on-the-wall
houses with St. Michael's picture hanging near the front door.  Nothing bad will get in that front door with St. Michael on the job!

I walked into an Indian restaurant where a lemon hung on a red string was hanging above the inside front door.  I'm going to assume that the lemon will keep away bad luck?  If anyone of Indian descent can clue me in, please do! 

Horseshoes: I've seen them hung above the front door with points up (to collect the luck and hold it) and points down (to let the good luck "shower" down on people).

What about plants?  Sure, lots of people have shrubbery around the door, but people seem to put green plants that "twine" (like ivy) near the front door either inside or out.  Some plants can protect against evil, or draw money. 

I have seen a few Elleguas behind front doors and carefully stepped around him to keep from tripping :)  Ellegua is the Orisha that guards the door and opens that door so the other Orisha can come down.  If you've ever seen a triangle-looking cement head sitting in a dish, that's Ellegua.  People feed him candy, rum and cigars.

I see elephant statues in a LOT of houses, either with Black or Caucasian inhabitants.  The elephants have their trunks up.  It's an old good luck charm. 

I'm sure there are lots of charms, powders and other things hidden under doormats that I can't see.  I've seen lots of Hamsa hands to deflect the evil eye.

What kinds of tricks do you know to put around the entrance to your home or business?  Let me know in the comments.  And may good luck and happiness come through your doors, always!

Nail Down a Criminal with the help of La Madama

One of the spirits I've been working with recently is La Madama.  She is really a group of spirits from Africa, and so different people can have "different" La Madamas that work with them.  She is the spirit of a slave conjure woman, powerful at reading cards and bones, and is very chatty; she loves to talk!

A friend of mine was assaulted last month and the assailant escaped before the police could arrest him.  No one even knew the guy's name.  I have zero tolerance for jerks who assault women, so I asked La Madama to give me some advice.

First, I wrote out on a slip of paper "All the enemies of X (my friend's name) known and unknown".  I learned from Momma Starr at Old Style Conjure that you can lock down an enemy by drawing a circle around the name and then crossing it out with 3 x's.  I put this name paper in a red cloth and rolled it up, away from me, while praying that whoever hurt my friend and anyone who may be aiding him/her be tied up and found by the law.

I tied this packet in a knot and left it on my altar.

When no news had come in after a week or so, I got impatient.  I took that knotted packet and tied it in four MORE knots to make 5 knots total, all the while praying that this criminal be found by the cops and made to pay for what he did.  I added salt, pepper and red pepper (so he gets burned by his crimes).  Then, I wrapped this packet in tin foil with the shiny side facing inwards, so all his evil was reflected back to him.  I took 9 nails and, using a hammer, nailed them into the foil in a row.

I put this packet in a Tupperware box (OK, I know it's not very traditional but it's what I had!) and set a hammer on top of it.  I put all of this in front of my La Madama space, as seen below:

I set that work in front of La Madama and asked her to bring this guy to justice.

That was about 2 weeks ago; tonight I found out that the assailant was caught by the police, taken in handcuffs to the local jail, and my friend went down to identify him.

Praise to you, La Madama!  I gave her a red vigil and some whiskey to thank her; I also owe her some molasses (one of her offerings).  I am indeed grateful to Momma Starr for her books and lessons on working with this spirit!

New: Available Conjure Oils for You!!

I love oils and creating "potions"; when I was a little kid I loved to pretend I was a magician and mix weeds and dirt and water together.  I had a whole laboratory under the raised porch of our home which I furnished with old bottles, wood scavanged from the neighborhood, and a bucket to collect rain water.

Now that I'm an adult, I can make potions that help people!

I have the following all ready to go:

Flower of Love - A sweet flowery blend used for love-drawing, sweetening up an existing relationship, or just to put some extra love in your life. 

Protection - Dress the front door of your house and the windows to prevent evil from entering the home.  Wear as a personal scent when around nasty or draining people.

Holy Blessing - Frankincense and sandalwood make an oil suitable for prayer and meditation.

Hot Foot - My version of a hoodoo formula.  Hey, sometimes the best defense is a good offense!

$3.00 U.S. each plus shipping.  All oils contain real botanical roots, herbs and essentials.  Sold as curios only.  Contact me if you would like to purchase.

Spells and Conjure for a Peaceful Home during The Holidays

"It's the most wonderful time of the year..."

...except if it's your turn to host Christmas/Hannukah/Solstice/Festivus dinner and three members of your family aren't speaking to each other, half the folks are on diets and the other half insist on leaving "FOX News" on during the meal.

Oh, and the cat just barfed on the floor.

There are conjure tricks and spells you can do to create a peaceful home during the holidays, or any time of year. 

Basil is a wonderful herb for house blessing, peace and holiness.  Get some fresh leaves of basil and let them sit in a cup of spring water for three days.  On the fourth day, sprinkle that water around your home using the basil sprigs as a sprinkler.  There's an old saying: "Evil can't be seen where basil has been." 

You can put a teaspoon of dried basil leaves in a few cups of water and set it to a low simmer on the back of the stove (hey, you're using the stove anyway, right?)  The odor of simmering basil will create a peaceful atmosphere and stop arguments, especially over who gets to clean up the cat barf.

Oh, go clean that cat barf up.  I'll wait.


Back again?  Groovy.  Another thing you can do after a big party or gathering is to cut up some lemons and put a half in each corner of the room where you had the shindig.  Leave the lemons overnight (to absorb minor bad energy), for three days (to absorb a *lot* of bad energy) or for seven days (if your teenager had a kegger and hired a death metal band for entertainment).  You can also substitute eggs; put one in each corner.  Are you afraid the cats are going to eat these things and barf *them* back up?  Put each egg or lemon in a little cup.  After however many days you're doing to leave those things out, put them in a brown paper bag and dispose of the used lemons or eggs at a crossroads.

Are you having over your in-laws and they still haven't forgiven you for marrying into the family?  A few days before they arrive, get out your sugar bowl or canister.  Write each in-law's name on a slip of paper and bury them at the bottom of the bowl.  That will "sweeten them up" to you.  Here's the key: cook with that sugar.  Bake things with it and serve it to the in-laws; they will get sweeter to you as they eat the items.  Top off the canister when the sugar gets low, but leave those names in there.

If you're having friends or family stay at your place, take some of your towels and washclothes that you're going to give them to use.  Steep some basil and rosemary (another great peaceful home herb) in boiling water for 9 minutes.  Pray the 23rd Psalm over it and state that the people staying in your home will be agreeable and peaceful.  Wash the towels in regular soap and add the basil/rosemary water to the *rinse* cycle.  Dry as usual.  Voila!  You have magically dressed towels.  You can also add some of this basil/rosemary water to your mop water to mop your floors; pray as you mop that everyone who walks in your home will be peaceful and there will be no arguments.

And PS: since basil and rosemary are two herbs that are edible, pray over some of them before you add them to your holiday meals.  That way, there will be fewer arguments over the 2012 election at the dinner table, and more time to enjoy your family and friends in peace. 

Quick Ways to Draw Money to Your Home

It's Monday, the start of another work week.  "Bleh!", you think, as you drag yourself out of bed.  "I wish money would just come to me instead of me having to go out and work for it!"

Well, life isn't exactly like that, but there's plenty of simple things you can do to draw money to your home. 

1. While you're waiting for your coffee to finish brewing, take a cup of water and add just a dash of household ammonia OR lemon juice OR vinegar.  Mix that up, grab an old dishcloth and wipe down your front door inside and out.  Wipe from the top of the door to the bottom.  This cleans away any bad luck from your front door, which is where you (and your paycheck!) walks in. 

2.  When the door is dry, grab yourself a Money-Drawing oil.  Lucky Mojo and Dr. E Products make great money drawing oils.  If you don't have one, no worries; get a little bit of plain olive oil and pray the 23rd Psalm over it.  This is the most powerful Psalm in the Bible and it really brings luck and money to you.  Once you've prayed over the oil (or have your Money Drawing oil handy), dab a drop of the oil at the four corners of the door and then in the middle.  That's 5 little dabs; think a 5 on a side of a dice.  Pray that money will be drawn to your home.  Do this on the inside and the outside of the door.

3.  Mix together some white sugar and ground cinnamon.  Sprinkle it across your doorstep and down your front walk, praying out loud (or under your breath) that money will be SWEET and DRAWN to you.

There you go!  Now that you've dressed your door for success and money drawing, time for coffee and to get ready for a prosperous day!