Napoleon Hill "Laws of Success

I'm currently reading Napoleon Hill's " Outwitting the Devil". I 'm going to post a review of that soon, bit in the meantime here is a great video of him explaining his philosophy. It's long, so let it play in the background while you are doing something else. Enjoy!

La Santa Muerte in Tepito

Check out this great little article on Her Most Holy Death, and Tepito Mexico. The pictures really show the diversity of her followers, and the creativity that they put into creating personal statues to her. It has inspired me to create my own.
http://www.vice.com/es_mx/read/en-tepito-hasta-los-santos-son-rudos

100!

I made it to my 100th post and it only took me.....Well never mind how long it took me to get there. I am the "Silent Bob" of occult blogging. I only speak when I feel that I have something worth saying. I truly appreciate everyone that has tuned into read, comment, share, and support this blog over the past couple of years. I don't post a lot of content (clearly), so I appreciate everyone that has stayed engaged.

I would like to take this time to re-introduce myself. My name is Charles T. Ellis Jr, aka "Brother Ash". This blog is my attempt to explore what sorcery means to me, and what it takes to get the results that we desire. My views on this topic have changed since I started the blog, and continue to evolve. I once fancied myself a worker, but now just don't have the desire, or time to devote to client work. I am always willing to answer questions, and help out someone looking to do their own work, so feel free to email me with any questions that you might have.

If anyone is curious what I have been up to, I have been at work researching my upcoming booklet "Conjuring the Devil" which I have now moved the release date to next spring. I decided that this project needed a little more a scholarly touch than the "High John" booklet called for and has left me contemplating some interesting questions that I hope answer for myself and the reader. I will be launching a website specifically for that book as well, so be on the lookout for that. I have already previewed some of the material from the booklet through my newsletter (Subscribe to your left ------->), and will probably include some directors cut material through there as well, that doesn't make it into the book.

I have also apparently been becoming a stand-up comedian in the past year as well. Since the first time that I took the stage  , I have since one that same competition twice, and placed in the top three quite a few times. In this month's competition I was voted crowd favorite, which landed me a guest spot last night with the hilarious Brad Williams. It's been a interesting year for sure. I have been putting a lot of time into getting better with my comedy, and looking to branch out start getting more gigs soon, and come to a town near you. Tonight I am performing as Jules in a stage reading of "William Shakespeare presents: Pulp Fiction". That should be fun.

Thanks again for reading, you all rock!

What the F*#@ Did You Just Say?

I had someone email me recently asking for advice on a spell because they were new to casting. They explained the steps that they had taken, and two things stuck out to me. The first was that the spell called for 3 drops of blood, but no mention on who it was meant to pay, feed, or be an offering to. Secondly it had an incantation, "Helistami Balu Stika". It didn't take me long to find the site that the person had found this spell on, What I did not find however, was any explanation of who or what it called upon. I also could find no real translation, other than Helistami may mean "to call" in Estonian. I am going to do a more detailed post on blood soon, so we will tackle that later. But I can't stress enough the importance of never saying anything out loud during a working, that you aren't aware of the full meaning or implications of. In a working, words are important, be they written or vocalized. Take care of everything that you say. You wouldn't want to have a Professor Raymond Knowby type incident would you?

 "Kanda… Es-trada.. Montos… Ea-grets… Gat… Nos-feratos… Kanda… Amantos… Kanda." - Professor Raymond Knowby, The Evil Dead 

"Eshu and the black/red hat"

This is a great tale of the trickster spirit Eshu from the blog of Dr. Catherine Svehla that I found via Disinformation. Since my next booklet is about "The Devil" in conjure, Eshu will of course have to make an appearance. This gives some insight into an aspect of this mysterious spirit. Enjoy..

Eshu and the black/red hat

Photo James C. Lewis of http://noire3000studios.com

This is one of the most famous stories about Eshu. I'll be surprised if, after you've read it, you can't think of at least one instance in which you've met this Trickster...

Once there were two men, fine friends who lived in the same village. They had known each other since boyhood and loved each other like brothers. They lived next door to each other. They eat their meals together. They even kept fields in close proximity to each other; one farmed the land on the south side of the road that led out of the village and the other farmed the north side. These two were inseparable. Every morning, the two men met outside with their lunch and tools in hand and walked up the road together. All morning long one would hoe and chop in one field and the other would hoe and chop in the field just across the road and at lunchtime they would stop and come together under a big tree and eat lunch together. After lunch, and maybe a nap, they would go back to work until the end of the day and walk back home together. The people in the village were so used to seeing them like this that they could barely think of one man without thinking of the other.

One day, Eshu came to the village. And he saw the two men greet each other in the morning and he saw how close they were and he decided to have a little bit of fun with them. That day the two friends, who loved each other like brothers, walked up the road as always and one man went into the field on the south side of the road and the other went into the field on the north side of the road. They chopped and they hoed and they chopped and they hoed and it was a really hot day, so at one point they both paused to wipe the sweat from their brow.

A stranger was coming down the road. It was a really nice looking man on a horse. The man was wearing a cap. Now there was not a lot of traffic on this road, the village was small and not many people had their fields out that direction. So the passing of this stranger was kind of an event. Both of the men stopped and noticed the man and he waved at them and they waved back. 

When it was time to stop for lunch the two friends, who loved each other like brothers, met under the tree and opened up their lunch and started talking about their morning. The man with the field on the south side of the road said, “My dear friend, did you see that fine looking man come by on the horse?” and the man with the field on the north side of the road said, “I certainly did. He was a fine looking man on a fine horse, and I really liked his black cap.” His friend looked at him and said, “I liked the cap too brother, but it wasn’t black, it was red.” And his friend who loved him like a brother  said, “No, the cap was black.” And the other man, who had never disagreed with his friend before insisted, “I tell you, the cap was red.” “Black.” “Red.” “Black.” “Red.” “It was a black cap and you know it, why are you being obstinate?” “It was a red cap and why are you being stubborn?” “Black, and you must be a fool.” “Red, and you must be blind.” The two men got quite angry and before you know it they were cuffing each other and rolling around in the dirt yelling and insulting each other at the top of their lungs. 

People way down in the village heard them and came running up the road to see what was going on. They were shocked to find these two friends, who loved each other like brothers, fighting in this way. They jumped into the fray and pulled the men apart to find out what was the trouble. The man with the field on the south side of the road said, “A man on a horse came by in a fine red cap and this fool insist that the cap was black.” The man with the field on the north side of the road said, “Well, this idiot needs to do something about his eyes because the cap was black.” 

The people stood around scratching their heads and they weren’t sure which was more confusing, the bit about the cap or the sight of these two dear friends fighting. In the midst of the confusion, up rides Eshu, wearing his cap. The two men saw him and said, “There he is, there is the man.” Eshu waved at them and they waved back. Then Eshu slowly turned his head to the right and he slowly turned his head to the left. The two men were dumbfounded. The cap was red on one side and black on the other. They got down on their knees in front of Eshu and asked, “Eshu, why did you mess with us like that?” 

Eshu replied, “Causing discord is my greatest joy.” He rode away.

A Coke and a Smile

I just came across the last blog post by Brother Moloch titled "The Wise & the Ignorant". In it he makes some good points about the importance of communication skills to sorcery. Which is certainly something that I plan on talking about more in the future. Further in the post the following statement is what really caught my attention:

"Hoodoo is typically the Occult practice of the ignorant and superstitious. Most of the folks who practiced it back in the day were illiterate and highly superstitious. "You need to tear paper and not cut it so you can use it in Hoodoo"... really? Who is the moron that believes that shit. What, scissors too high tech for you? Or my personal favorite, "You need to use a paper or wooden match to light things with in Hoodoo"... pure horse shit. A lighter works just fine. Why? Spirits don't give a damn about matches or whether you cut/tear your paper. Hello???"

First off, it can be said that all forms of folk magic were the Occult practices of the ignorant and superstitious. Hoodoo is not alone in this fact. Also there is particular reason that scissors aren't used in making name papers, and it has nothing do with them being too high tech. I already covered that reason here. All forms of folk practice have methods that seem ridiculous to the outsider, but have a specific reason and purpose. In my opinion, most of spell casting is just superstition, rather we want to admit it or not.

 Superstition 

1 a :  a belief or practice resulting from ignorance, fear of the unknown, trust in magic              or chance, or a false conception of causation.
    b : an irrational abject attitude of mind toward the supernatural, nature, or God                    resulting from superstition.
2 :   a notion maintained despite evidence to the contrary

When it comes to conjure, and sorcery in general, I am no purist in any sense of the word. Everyone is free to take what fits their practice and omit things that don't. But don't feel that what you have decided to keep is somehow more true or the core of what's needed to work. I take a "to each their own" mindset to sorcery, and encourage others to do the same. The fact is that little or none of what I do in my spells or rituals can be proved to be the cause of the results that I obtain. There have been some studies that show "why rituals work".  There was even a study showing  that people are more likely to trust a ritual or spell that seems more complicated, or has more steps. So it doesn't matter if if one insists on wooden matches, or not not using scissors. It's all just personal belief. My belief is that we all have the ability to influence the world around us and effect outcomes. But I can't prove that my rituals, or any one step in them are the cause, nor do I care to. Any quest to do so would more than likely be plagued by confirmation bias. While typing this I thought of the bit in Eddie Murphy's "Raw" where he recalls the story of being called up by Bill Cosby, who tells him that his act is too dirty. After talking to Cosby Murphy called Richard Pryor, and part of the conversation went like this:

"Do the people laugh when you say what you say?" I said, "Yes." He said, "Do you get paid?" I said, "Yes." He said, "Well, tell Bill I said have a Coke and a smile and shut the fuck up."

The point being, that the end results are what matter,  You go about achieving those results using whatever techniques you see fit, if they work for you. If anyone wants to talk trash about it you tell them that Ash said to have a Coke and a smile, and to...You know the rest.

Midday Veil - REMEMBER CHILD (Official Video)

Starting off my day with this little trippy video.

"Remember child: you are a universe within yourself

All the sun and moon and stars above all have their parallels

Inside each microcosmic vessel of your human cells

You are the alpha, the omega, heaven and hell"

Introducing the Crossroads of Sorcery E-List!

Ladies and gentlemen step right up! Please direct your attention to the right sidebar where you will notice a sign up box for the brand new Crossroads of Sorcery E-lists. Why would you want to sign up for this E-list, you ask? Well because you will receive exclusive content not available on the blog starters. Starting next Friday I will be previewing content of my upcoming pamphlet, "Conjuring the Devil" every week. You won't want to miss that. I will also have exclusive deals and contests only available through the e-list. So check it out!

Coming Forth By Day

I mentioned in the early days of my blog that I was at one time involved with a “Vampyre” organization known as the Strigoi Vii. I am not active in the community anymore, but I did meet some exceptional and dynamic individuals there. While I don’t include any of their esoteric concepts in my work anymore, one thing that did stick with me was the notion of the “Dayside”. This is something that was inspired by and borrowed from the “Temple of the Vampire”. They describe it as follows:

The Vampire by Day

The Dayside is a fundamental part of our religion.The practical side of the Temple is our Dayside. This is the common sense view of reality shared by most people. This perspective includes our emphasis upon achieving and maintaining success with regard tosix critical issues in life. These include:

• ·        Emergency survival planning and skills acquisition.
• ·        Increased self-understanding and self-acceptance.
• ·        More effective communication skills and strategies.
• ·        Gaining control over personal finance and achieving wealth.
• ·        Improving and protecting your physical health.
• ·        Scientific life extension leading to physical immortality.

Replace the word vampire with sorcerer, and you have a decent list of areas to focus on outside of, or to be backed up by your magical work.  I don’t put much focus on scientific life extension, or survival planning myself. I have actually been on a magical hiatus for the summer and been focusing on dayside concerns which I have let slack for the last couple of years.  Within both the ToV and Strigoi Vii system, Dayside mastery is meant to come before any Nightside practice. The reason begin that when a person has their day to day affairs in order, especially financially, it makes for sounder base to begin magical practice. Far too often, I talk to people that are sure spell casting is their path to riches and success. That someone where out there is a spirit, or spell that will solve all of their problems.  I could be wrong, but in my experience there isn’t one.  To make matters worse, usually the same people that are looking to strike it rich through sorcery often end up spending vast amounts of money on unnecessary tools, books, and charms, in their pursuit. This money could have been invested in more worthwhile ventures, and then backed up with a little magic as well. To me, a good working can come from strong desire, but not from desperation. A sorcerer is a master commanding their universe, not a slave begging from it. 

To some readers of this blog it may seem that I have been losing my “faith” in sorcery. Honestly for a while there I did. I needed to take a step back from it for a while and reevaluate my reasons for practicing. I see it as a weapon in my arsenal of personal advancement, and success. It’s not always the best tool for the job, or needed in every case. I also feel that the same sense of power that one might feel during ritual should carry over into every aspect of their life. If not, what’s the point in doing this in the first place? I don’t consider myself a powerful sorcerer. I consider myself a powerful person that utilizes sorcery as one way of directing that power.

That got a bit rant like at the end. So yeah, consider your Dayside.

Brother Ash

As always.....

“Don’t quote me boy, cuz' I ain’t said shit.” Eazy-E

Doing Magick and Getting Results by Grant Morrison

This is an "oldie but goodie" that has been around for a while. It's an excerpt from Grant Morrison's talk at the first Disinfo.Con back in 2000. Every once in a while I come across it again and get inspired to do some magic. This short section focuses on the basics of sigil magic. If you have some time, watch the full 45 mins talk as well.

All in a day's work

I found this online the other day. It is supposedly the daily schedule of Benjamin Franklin, who in my opinion was a certified bad ass. It points to one of most underrated (at least in the "magical" community) aspects of getting things accomplished; Time Management. This is a particular skill that I have lacked for some time. One of my good friends is excellent at it, and he accomplishes a lot in one day's time. It almost seems magical how much some people can get done, you would swear that they had a doppelganger. I personally don't do well with structure. But it works, and it's necessary.  I am not the one to start giving advise on how work this out (yet), but I highly recommend that you take stock of your own habits and make adjustments where you can. 

I don't foresee myself every having that structured of a day. I am working on adding a bit time management, and for me the best time for me to do it is in the morning. I dig entrepreneur Noah Kagan and some of the products put out on his website AppSumo. I came across an interview with him and Tim Ferris, where Noah mentioned what he calls G.E.B.Y (Gratitude, Exercise, Breakfast, You). The concept is that you start your day first by acknowledging 3 things that you are grateful for, engage in some form of exercise, eat breakfast, and then do one thing that is just for yourself. The "you" part of this equation seems a bit vague, but I am going to experiment with it, and see what kind of results that I get. Oddly enough, it seems to go right along with numbers 5-7 of Franklin's list. Of course, Franklin's is a lot more spartan. 

Something interesting on Franklin's morning regimen is to "address Powerful Goodness".  As a sorcerer, you probably already have something spiritual, in your daily routine (don't you?), if not it is also something to consider.I found this prayer that I feel he probably recited everyday. I am just going to leave you with it, because it could be a whole blog post by itself. 

“O powerful goodness! Bountiful Father! Merciful Guide! Increase in me that wisdom which discovers my truest interest. Strengthen my resolution to perform what that wisdom dictates. Accept my kind offices to thy other children as the only return in my power for thy continual favours to me. ” 

La Santisima Muerte

Her Most Holy Death at the
Voodoo Spiritual Temple in New Orleans. 

November 15^th is recognized by some followers of La Santisima Muerte as one of her feast days. In the Catholic tradition this day is the “Assumption of Mary”. I have been on a magical hiatus of sorts, so had not been doing altar work. Her most Holy Death made sure to remind me that she had a feast day coming up, and gave me the opportunity to re-establish our connection. The more that you work with spirits, you will find that they can be very patient, sometimes in spite of their notorious reputations, and don’t always require cult like devotion. You do have to be open to “hearing” their request when they reach out to you, and honor their wishes. Of course if you are petitioning spirits to aid your work, you get what you put in. Just like any relationship. So slack on your end, and expect them to do the same.

 If you have ever felt drawn to this saint, I would say that she is worth exploring. I highly recommend "Santisima Muerte: How to Call and Work with Holy Death" by Conjure Man Ali from Hadean Press. It’s a short pamphlet packed with basic information on hers history, how to establish an relationship with, perform a novena to, and work spells with her. It makes a great companion to "Saint Cyprian: Saint of Necromancers" from the same author. If you are a follower of hers,  I would love to hear from about your experiences with this powerful spirit. 

Statue in a local Richmond, Va botanica. 

Joseph Campbell on Right Hand Path and Left Hand Path

A quick video clip explaining the Left Hand Path that I found by way of the Temple of Set on Facebook. Perfect inspiration for me to continue my writing on the "Devil" in Conjure.

13 Reasons

I came across this pic on imugr the other day while I was being guilty of reason#10. I wanted to share this with my readers because I feel that being aware of things such as this are just as important as honing your spell craft.


#1 Reason You’re Not As Successful As You Should Be – Laziness

I don’t think there’s an easy way to put this. I have to assume that you’re lazy. Every single successful person works their butts off to get where they are. It’s ok to be lazy. Just admit it. But don’t whine about not being rich and successful, ok?#2 Reason You’re Not As Successful As You Should Be – EntitlementOnly a few people in the world are part of the lucky sperm club. You and me? We gotta work to get what we want. Quit thinking you are owed something. You’re not. Get to work. #3 Reason You’re Not As Successful As You Should Be – Fear

You are afraid, plain and simple. Afraid of looking silly. Afraid of what your friends and family will say. Afraid of everything. Look, you’re either going to stop being afraid, or you’re not. Nobody can convince you to stop. Imagine though... what awaits you when you stop with the fear excuses? #4 Reason You’re Not As Successful As You Should Be – Negativity

You may not realize it, but the people you associate with might be negative [orifices]. They could be soul-sucking beings who don’t want anyone to be successful. Get rid of them, now! Surround yourself with successful people. People you want to be like. 

#5 Reason You’re Not As Successful As You Should Be – Stop Thinking

How much do you want to bet you have paralysis by analysis? You think way too much about what you could or should do. Doers get what they want, and everyone else gets what they get. Stop analyzing and start doing. #6 Reason You’re Not As Successful As You Should Be – No Goals

You plan nothing. You believe that someway, somehow, everything you always wanted will just magically happen. So you “play it by ear” and wait. You need goals to shoot for. Otherwise, you’re just treading water. #7 Reason You’re Not As Successful As You Should Be – “They”

There’s no “they”. There’s no secret group of people that controls your success or failure. You’ve made that up to make you feel better about yourself. The truth is you, and you alone, control your success in life/business/everything. It’s easy to blame “them” though, isn’t it? Weak. #8 Reason You’re Not As Successful As You Should Be – No “X” Factor

You can’t do it because you’re not pretty enough. Or don’t have a strong personality? You don’t have the “X” factor? Wow, what an unbelievably lame excuse. The truth is even jerks, idiots and boring people can be just as successful as anyone else. Your problem is you don’t believe it yet. #9 Reason You’re Not As Successful As You Should Be – Time Waste

You’re a classic time-waster. You spend hours and hours every day working on not-working. You do things that aren’t productive. How are you ever going to get anything done, or reach any goal if you keep wasting time? You’re not. So you might as well give up now if you’re going to keep this path. #10 Reason You’re Not As Successful As You Should Be – Social B.S.

You spend way too much time in social media land.  You waste probably about 50% of your productive hours of the day doing this. The sad part is, you know it, but you can’t stop. So you can’t get anything done that matters. #11 Reason You’re Not As Successful As You Should Be – Think Small

You think way too small. You are constantly looking only a day or a week ahead instead of years ahead. Because of this, you never get anywhere, and you never lead; you always follow. #12 Reason You’re Not As Successful As You Should Be – Don’t Want It

You don’t really want to be successful. Sure, you like to dream about it like everyone else. But in your heart you are afraid of what might happen if you really get it. That’s B.S. fear your brain is feeding you. Success is change, and it feels really, really good. Tell your brain to shut the [foolishness] up.

#13 Reason You’re Not As Successful As You Should Be – Don’t Believe

You never believed that it’s possible. Society taught you that only a few “exceptional” people get what they want. Everyone else should just settle. If you really want to believe that, go ahead. The rest of us will be at the front of the line because we believe.

http://www.nfib.com/business-resources/business-resources-item?cmsid=61035

Thank You High John the Conqueror!

I wanted to make a post to thank High John the Conqueror for all of the work that he has done for me. He has brought much success into my life, and I am grateful. I also want to open this post up for other people to thank High John as well as some have been doing on my Saint Expedite post . So if you have worked with High John using the methods in my booklet, or your own personal methods, please feel free to thank him here for his work. 

"Your body language shapes who you are"

I dig Ted Talks, and stumbled across this one by the other day on Netflix. If you have a Netflix account and have watched all the "Dr. Who" episodes, take some time to enjoy a few of these great talks. This talk covers the way that your body language can not only have a subtle internal effect on you, but also the way that those changes can effect the way that other people perceive as well. This is the kind of technique that could be backed up with some commanding, power, or "bend over" conjure workings. Check out the video. I am a fan of the phrase" fake it until you become it". That's a good mantra.

The Compleat Sorcerer

The Eye of Agamotto

I have been going through another one of my quiet phases where I don't have much to say. Recently I have thought of something that I want to so say, but not sure if I had the right words to say it. So instead of waiting for the right words, I am just going to rant this one out the best that I can. First I will start with an apology of sorts. When I started this blog my goal was simple:

"...to do my best to present my views on the art of sorcery and give clear instruction on my methods that can be reproduced by those that are willing to roll up their sleeves and do work."

I do not feel that I have been successful in that aspect, and for that I apologize. The main reason I have not been successful is because most of my posts were focused simply on how to cast spells. While I believe that spell work is a very powerful tool for a modern sorcerer/ess to achieve their goals, it is not by far the only tool that they should possess. Far too many people turn to magic in hopes of finding an easier way to realize their dreams. Easier, as in less real world effort. It is of my opinion that there is no "magic" bullet.  I get so many requests from people asking for spells to make them rich. The only way to get rich with spells is by telling other people that you can make them rich with a spell, and then charging them a lot of money that they probably do not have to do so. Or I will get request for love spells from men that are afraid to actually approach and speak to their love interest. You get the idea

But this post isn't about people that want to have someone do work for them. This post is directed at individuals that wish to direct their power and control their fate. The key word here is POWER, which seems to be the missing ingredient from a lot of people's lives. I have met quite a few people that can proficiently talk about spell casting for hours, and will even try to convince you of how "powerful" and successful their workings have been. However none of that power seems to carry over into their presence outside of their working space or altar room, in my opinion, that is not sorcery. For me sorcery is every action that you take to manipulate situations, people, and circumstances to conform to your desire. Spell casting is only small tool in the arsenal of a competent sorcerer. There's other things like understanding body language/no verbal communication, being able to establish rapport, goal setting, and time management, just to name a few. I just don't believe that anyone is knocking it out of the park 100 or even 80% of the time with spell casting alone. In fact I will say that in my opinion and experience, sorcery is actually about 30% spell casting, and the rest is other forms of empowerment and manipulation. There are clues hidden in the lore of legendary conjure and cunning folk that this has been a secret part of the formula for some time. 

The focus of my post for the near future will focus on what I call becoming a Compleat Sorcerer™. Trust me you will be hearing more of this phrase in the near future. I am by no means saying that I have mastered these other tools. I have been experimenting, and will continue to researching, and share what I learn with you all. 

“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.”
- Ernest Hemingway

Justified Killer Assasins

If you are looking for some new music, I found something that I really dig and thought I would share. The project is called "Justified Killer Assassins" and is an electronic/house/punk kind of eclectic project headed up by Lord Stax aka the legendary Doktor Snake. Check out their website.
  

Texas Slave Narrative: William Adams

While researching my next booklet, I came across an interesting quote:

"There is some born to sing, some born to preach, and some born to know de signs. There is some born under de power of de devil and have de power to put injury and misery on people, and some born under de power of de Lawd for to do good and overcome de evil power. Now, dat produces two forces, like fire and water. De evil forces starts de fire and I has de water force to put de fire out. "

 This stood out to me for two reason. The first was that it was a rare acknowledgement that some workers were thought to be aligned with and having powers originating from the devil. This is not something you would hear these day as many new age hoodoo workers go out of their way to white wash the devil from conjure. Also I like to see the reference to hot and cool forces. While it is clear that William Adams was a Christian like most old time conjure folk, a similarity can be found to the idea of Rada and Petro forces in Vodou. 

Another thing that he says that caught my interest was:

"How I larnt sich? Well, I's done larn it. It come to me. When de Lawd gives sich power to a person, it jus' comes to 'em."

While I have no problem with training courses, and researching sorcery, I can't stress enough that following your gut and letting the work come to you is an art in itself. This is something that is lost lately as everyone becomes more convinced that they have to have graduated from such a such coarse, or own the latest book to perform sorcery. Its good to have a base of knowledge, but honestly it will come to you. Keep your ears open.

You can read more of William Adam's narrative here. He has some great things to say about conjure naysayers, and some of the cases that he worked or witnessed. Check it out.

 

Ask Brother Ash #4

Question: "Brother Ash — There are so many Conjure methods of attracting money. What is your favorite? Or which is the most effective? Thanks!"

Personally I favor mojo hands and money charms that can be carried with me. I don't think that any one method is more effective than another, it's all a matter of preference and taste in my opinion. I have also had good results with "Trained Hunting Money", you can find that method here . Maintaining a money altar can be beneficial if you have the space and time for it weekly. I have one, but must confess that I am not as diligent with working it as I could be. I also highly recommend Jason Miller's book "Financial Sorcery". It is the most in depth book on the subject and covers much more than just spells and conjure. When it comes to making money, knowledge is power. To me money magic is equal parts knowledge or financial literacy, spell work, and good ol' fashioned hustle. The conjure methods that you chose should be in line with how you plan on acquiring the money, it could through a raise at work, gambling, expanding business, getting a loan, etc. Be flexible in the conjure methods that you employ.

Outside of spell knowledge I would suggest Tim Ferris's "Four Hour Work Week", Gary Vaynerchuk's "Crush it!", and I dig a little bit of Ramit Sethi as well.

I hope that helps answer your question a bit. 

Ask Brother Ash #3

Question: "How about maintaining protections. Refreshing and keeping alive front door, window, etc charms and helpful spirits".

I am going to be completely honest and say that I may not be the best person to tackle this subject. My own personal practice does not put to much emphasis on maintaining a lot of protection. I keep one broom/evil eye charm by the front door of my home that I do no upkeep on. I have protection included in my mojo hand, that I of course feed on a regular basis. I actually keep no charms specifically for protection in my altar room, but instead charge the spirits that I work with to that task.

Basically any protection that I make is geared toward to repelling any spirit that mas malicious intent, that includes those still housed in a corporeal being (i.e. a person).  I really don't put much focus on protection, because I really don't worry too much about being susceptible to attacks, especially magical attacks. My advice is to have one good charm or form of protection for your whole house, I don't think it is out of the realm of a spells reach to protect front, back, and all areas of the house simultaneously. Keep some form of protection that you can carry with you as you see fit. Of course prayers as Psalms can work for both home and personal spiritual protection. Finally ask the spirits that you maintain relationships with to keep an eye out for you. Putting your spirits to work for you is the best protection that you can have. Whatever you do, it is best to be consistent with it, but don't obsess over it or feel that moment that you don't maintain your defense that the forces of darkness are going to swoop in and carry you to the 9th circle of hell or something.

I don't worry too much, because I know that at the very least my ancestors have my back in the small likelihood that I am attacked. I also train for self defense for the occasion where that might fail. To me, going overboard with protection is like wearing full body armor everyday because you may get shot. Doesn't seem to be worth the hassle. I know there are some that put much more emphasis on this in their own practice, and I don't knock it. There are some that are involved in communities, and circles where magical attack is very common, and something that needs to be prepared for. If that is the case with anyone reading, I say by all means be prepared, or hey remove yourself from circles full of such petty people. I tend to keep to myself and have yet to find the need to engage in magical battle. I hope to keep it that way. There is my two cents.

"The Secret of Luck"

I found a fascinating video recently that I wanted to share and discuss with you all. It's an episode of Derren Brown's "The Experiments" titled "The Secret of Luck". The goal of the experiment was to spread a rumor in a small town that a dog statue had to power to grant a person good luck if they rubbed it's head. They wanted to see if the belief would take hold, and if rubbing the statue would have an effect on the lives of those that believed. The rumor certainly took hold, and some people did report having their luck change for the better. Of course it is metaphysically possible to endow an object with that kind of power through collective thought and belief. That's not what I found to be the most interesting part of the experiment.

To me this experiment was as much an act of sorcery as an ritual or spell. It is the reminder that deceit and manipulation are a useful skill to have at your disposal. When used the right way it can be used to gain influence over one person, or a group. In my opinion, the difference between a rumor and reputation is how much of the information that you get to control. There are some that would say that this kind of thinking has no place in African American Conjure. To them I would suggest digging a little deeper into their history.

Another interesting thing that this experiment touched upon was the nature of "luck", and those that feel that they have bad luck. The local butcher was sure that he had bad luck. "If it wasn't for bad luck, I would have no luck at all" was the cliche that he gave. What Brown's team found was that due to his personal views, the butcher often overlooked clear opportunities for good things to happen to him. They tested this on different occasions, first by mailing a fake scratch off to him that had he actually scratched it, he would have won a free television. Next the set up a street survey/contest that would have given him $50 had he only stopped and completed the simple task of naming 5 different cuts of meat. Lastly the just put money directly on the ground in his path, and he didn't even see it! This is an important lesson to consider when using a good luck charm. It is important that you are also on the lookout for opportunities. Even with sorcery you can't just wait for things to fall into your lap.

Here is the full episode for you to check out:

Black History Month Special

I am working on a post in regards to Black history month, I just need to find the right words. In the mean time, I running a special all month on my "High John the Conqueror" ebook. You can download it now for only $1.99! If you have not had a chance to check out this book, then now is the time to do it.

Wisdom of the Raven: The Mystic Way of Cabal Fang

"A blend of fact and fable, the practical and the esoteric, 'Wisdom of the Raven' instructs the reader in the spiritual underpinnings of Cabal Fang Martial Arts. Learn the basics of the Three Sisters -- contemplation, meditation, and prayer -- and how they come together to inform the mystic experience."

I may have mentioned once or twice that I practice a martial art called Cabal Fang . My good friend and founder of the martial art Robert Mitchell  has made the "Cabal Fang Martial Arts Manual" available for free on Smashwords, as well as a new companion booklet called "Wisdom of the Raven: The Mystic Way of Cabal Fang" Even if you are not into martial arts I highly recommend downloading the Wisdom of the Raven. It;s an excellent primer for anyone interesting in incorporating contemplation, and meditation into their spiritual practices. No complex breathing methods or anything like that, just easy to follow instructions to get you started. Did I mention that it is FREE?! Go download it now!

Brother Ash on Candelo's Corner

Last week I was a guest on the radio show "Candelo's Corner". If you missed, check it out at the link below. I had a great time and can't wait to go back on.

http://www.kimbisa.org/podcast/candelos-corner-with-brother-ash/

Ask Brother Ash #2

Recently someone on Facebook asked me an interesting question, and it is something that came up again while I was on “Candelo’s Corner”. The gentleman wanted to know if he could work Hoodoo even though he is European. To be blunt, anyone that tells someone that they can’t practice Hoodoo because of their skin color is being an asshole. There are enough examples of well known Hoodoo workers from Dr. Buzzard, to the present day Brother Moloch that aren't African American. People like to portray Hoodoo as being for more Afro-centric than it really is in my opinion.  Hoodoo is not an African Traditional Religion (ATR) so it’s not tied into ancestral lineage in anyway. It’s just folk magic practiced by the African Diaspora here in America. Also to focus solely on the African roots of the work and ignoring all of the other influences leads to a lesser understanding of Hoodoo. I often joke that I am about as Afro-centric as NASCAR. That doesn't matter though, because sorcery is about the individual, your mindset, style, philosophy, and personal power. So do your thing, and let the haters do what they do. 

Crossroads "Confessional".

As I mentioned in my last post the subject of my next booklet is on the subject of the Devil in the context of conjure. Of course one can't escape that topic without talking about the infamous crossroads rite. What I am finding is that there are a lot of different ideas about the nature and identity of the "Black Man" of the crossroads. I would like to get stories of people that have actually done the work and what their experience was at the crossroads. I may include some of them in my next book with permission of course. So to take submissions I am going to offer two options. You can either contact me and email your submission, or if you prefer to remain anonymous then feel free to add your story as a comment here anonymously. I am looking to hear about how you conducted your rite (days of the week, time of day, location, etc..) and what you experienced as a result. If you care to share what you sought mastery over that would be great as well. I want people to know that this work is still alive and thriving today.I also understand that the crossroads is not the only place that this deal can be made. So if you met H.I.M. in the cemetery, the woods, or at the water's edge, I still want to hear from you.

2013 Lets Rock & Roll!

I am excited about what this year has in store. It is going to be a very busy one. Can't wait to see the submissions start to roll in for Osculum Infame: Transgressive Rites and Rituals, and have started working on my own pieces for that compilation. I have also started working on my next booklet which I plan on releasing in May. The subject will be working with "The Devil" in conjure. It's a viewpoint that I look forward to sharing with everyone, and discussing with the magical community. I have once again made changes to my site here too, which is something that I seem to do ever 6 months or so. The site now only has a page for "Books and Charms" where I will offer a few services such as readings, and crafting mojo hands and Jack Balls, in addition to selling booklets. I love the process of crafting these powerful charms and getting them into the hands of clients, so I will continue to do that work. I may accept clients on a limited case by case basis. Honestly between writing projects and working on starting a comedy career, I don't have  the time to devote to adequate client work, which is not fair to clients. To get workings done, I recommend Chris@ Sorcerous Endeavors, he is a good guy that knows his stuff. This change is in attempt to get back to the original mission of this blog which is:

"My aim is to do my best to present my views on the art of sorcery and give clear instruction on my methods that can be reproduced by those that are willing to roll up their sleeves and do work. If there is one thing that I can't stress enough it is the fact that I AM NOT SPECIAL. I am not the hierophant of a new aeon, a guru, or in touch with ascended masters. I put my pants on one hoof at a time like everyone else. If I can do this, with a little effort so can you. As long as I inspire one person do some work and change their lives then this project is a success."

 I would like to make a bold declaration that this year I will blog more and do something weekly. I honestly can't promise that. My blog is pretty much a reflection of how I am offline. I am pretty quite (unless you put a mic in my hand) until I have something important to say, and then I speak. That is how this blog has always worked, and I am comfortable with that, and not trying to force it to be anything else. I know that the next few blog posts will be more on my philosophy behind sorcery. Just a few things that I want to rant about and get out there. After that I will get back to some tutorials if I see fit. There are so many spell blogs online, not hard to find spells if you want them though. I also love to hear from readers and to answer questions, and look forward to tackling some here on the blog as well. So, here's to a productive 2013. I look forward to sharing it with you all.

With Regards,

Brother Ash


"You must have the Devil in you to succeed in the arts." Voltaire
"Don't quote me boy cuz I ain't said shit." Eazy-E

Call for Submissions — “Osculum Infame: Transgressive Rites and Rituals”

Osculum Infame: Transgressive Rites and Rituals will be an eBook exploring rite and ritual as transgressive art.  It will be published on Smashwords in the Summer of 2013.

We are looking primarily for practical articles describing new and original rites and rituals that cross barriers and challenge social norms.  Although the bulk of the book will be made up of practical working material, we will consider articles relating to historically significant rites, philosophical discussions on the nature or significance of transgression, and first person accounts of actual rites and rituals. Original artwork will also be accepted for consideration.

Shock value alone will not win us over.  The shock must be the lightning strike that ignites the forest, the bell that calls transformation, the knock that opens the door, the howl that signals change.

Submission Deadline: May 1st, 2013

Length: 2,000 to 5,000 words.  Please append a brief biography of no more than 125 words, including the highlights of your publishing history if any, a link to your blog or website, etc.

Format: Articles must be in doc, docx, or txt format.  Art and photographs must be in jpg, tiff, or gif.

Compensation:  None.  Attribution only.  If your article or artwork is accepted you will receive a coupon for 1 free download, as well as discount coupon for friends, family, readers of your blog, etc.

Do not submit previously printed and/or web-published materials.  Submit only one article please, and do not submit articles that are currently under consideration by other publishers.

Email submissions will not be accepted.  You must use the online form — submit your articles and artwork here.