Crafting Up A Storm

Here recently I have been crafting up a storm and  made quite a few handmade items I thought I would share. I am not a strict, make everything by hand kind of worker by any means. I do however feel that making certain things by hand, especially tools, or items that are meant to connect with a spirit puts the worker closer to the energies that they wish to work with during the process. So if you have the chance D.I.Y a few things, you and your work will be better for it.

Cleansing Broom: I was inspired to make a broom after reading a soon to be released work on Witchcraft that a friend of mine is wrote                                                  . The broom may not be a traditional hoodoo tool exactly but some practitioners utilize it. Also the symbolism of the broom straw has made it into spells and staple items such as Chinese Wash.  The broom part itself came from a dollar store, which is one of my favorite places to get craft supplies. The handle came from a branch that I found in the woods during one of the trials that I undertook for Cabal Fang Martial Arts. For some reason it just stood out to me so I picked it up at the beginning of the trial and carried it throughout.  Originally I was going to make a staff out of it so I stripped it of bark, sanded it a bit and oiled it. I had to cut it down some more to make a broom handle. I attached the handle by binding he straw around it with hemp rope and metal wire.

Closeup of Broom

Saint Cyprian of Antioch bracelet:  Made with wooden and metal beads. It is hard to tell from the pic but the round beads are purple which is the color associated with this saint. I also incorporated black beads in there as his day is Saturday. Cyprian of Antioch is known as the Patron Saint of Magicians, Rootworkers, Curanderos, and the like. He is also closely associated with the grimoire tradition so to honor that the purple and black beads total 11 on each side. In addition to the Cyprian charm I included a little bible charm to symbolize the link to Hoodoo.

 Closeup of Cyprian Bracelet

Ancestral Prayer Beads: I used to wear a Tibetan skull prayer bracelet that I got from a Tibetan store in the East Village. That served as my ancestral prayer beads until it broke one day. So recently I broke out the crafts box and made it into a new string of prayer beads that is more personal. Not really rooted in any one tradition. I am calling them the "Blood and Bones" prayer beads.

Ancestor Prayer Beads on the Altar.