Voodoo Chile

Marie Laveau

Back in November I mentioned that I got a reading from Mama Lola in New Orleans. I have been hesitant to discuss the subject of that reading, as usually that sort of thing should be kept private. Since it concerns my spirituality which I explore in this blog, and will alter the way I practice my sorcery I will disclose a bit. When I touched down on NOLA my first order of business after checking into my hotel was to visit the tomb of Marie Laveau to ask a favor of her. I had been exploring my draw to Vodou and the Loa privately for a while, which included a successful petition of Baron Samedi . I asked the Voodoo Queen to guide me a teacher or some way to know if I am really meant to serve the loa. Later that day I found myself at Voodoo Authentica in the French Quarter. This was actually not my original destination, but my got told me to turn right on Dumaine instead of left and there was the shop so I ventured inside.

I walked around for a bit, and while the shop has some great items, nothing really spoke to me. Then I noticed someone giving readings in a side room. Since there Voodoo Fest had already past Halloween weekend, at first I thought "It can't be". But sure enough after talking with the clerk I confirmed that it was indeed Mama Lola doing readings. Having read her book "Mama Lola: A Vodou Priestess in Brooklyn", I couldn't pass uo the opportunity to meet her. So I made an appointment, went to my original destination which was the Voodoo Museum, and then returned to the shop not knowing what to expect. I expected her to ask me what my question was or something to that effect. This wasn't the case at all. After shuffling the cards, and having me cut them, she laid them out, took one look at me and with a smile on her face said "You are a Vodou Priest". We then had a long conversation about initiation, and serving the spirits. It was also great to hear many of the stories from her book in person.

Papa Legba Veve

Now, Mama Lola being Haitian, her assertion is that at some point I would have to take the Asson (become and initiated priest), that is what's customary for someone with the spirits that walk with the way I have them. Believe me this is something that I am certainly considering, and have told Papa Legba that is this is what the loa want, then make the way open for that to happen. That being said, I have always been drawn to Voodoo as it is practiced in New Orleans, which to my knowledge does not have an initiatory structure and is not very big on orthodoxy. Also I have ancestors that have loved in both Louisiana and Mississippi, but as far as I know there is no connection to Haiti in my line. So for the time being I am doing my best to serve the spirits in my own personal and respectful way. I wouldn't call myself a Voodoo worker just yet, let alone a "Priest". To me that title carries quite a bit of significance and responsibility which will take me some time to understand rather I take the Asson, or learn to serve the spirits the way they do in NOLA.

As I said, with time this will impact and change the way I practice sorcery. However I am not looking to Voodoo as just another form of magic, or the Loa as just another set of spirits to call upon to do work. I am talking about  embracing a religion that happens to have a magico-religious aspect. First and foremost it is a religion with healing as it's primary function. I actually have not called upon the Loa for my own gain at all since I started exploring this relationship. The only ritual I have done was for a loved one to aid in healing. Seemed fitting to me. I have been getting frustrated lately when I see people online talking about getting initiated as if it is a way to just ramp their magic and that is all. One gentlemen that I spoke with online called it "the big leagues" in regards to sorcery. When I asked him if he also planned on embracing this  as his religion after being initiated his response was, "I suppose so". You suppose so? You never hear of someone becoming Catholic clergy simply so their prayers will have more power, but they have no plans on serving the church in any way. I could rant about this all day, and originally planned on making this blog a rant about just that. But honestly to each their own. The Loa will sort those kind of people out in the end. I will continue to explore this path, and see where it takes me.

Yuza-Yuza/Necromancy Oil Pt. 1

I have been feeling the draw to work with the dead, and after establishing a relationship with my ancestors for some time, and getting experience with cemetery work, I am confident that I am ready. Recently I decided to experiment with “Voodoo Sorcery Grimoire” (VSG) by Brujo Negro and his method for utilizing the spirits of the dead in spell work.  The text mentioned a blend known as Yuza-Yuza Oil, which is a powerful oil used for calling the “evil spirits of the dead” for hexing purposes. He puts Yuza-Yuza in the same category as Yula perfume, Black Arts, and Crossing oils as far as hexing potency is concerned albeit with a more necrotic energy. I decided to look up more information on this oil and make some for myself.  First thing I had to do was track down a recipe.

I didn’t have to look far, as it turns out Yuza-Yuza is listed Herman Slater’s formulary.  The oil is listed as thus:

Black

Myrrh

Cypress

A dreaded mystical oil blend used for calling the spirits of the dead.

Very Dangerous. Never use in jest. Also for casting hexes.

On the surface this seems like a pretty simple oil with only two ingredients and the instruction that it be colored black.  In context both Myrrh and Cypress make perfect sense to be included in a necromantic oil. Both are associated with the planet Saturn which is the planet associated with such works, and in regards to voodoo is connected to the Lwa Baron Samedi (Saturday). Myrrh has a long history of being connected to funerary rites, and was even used by ancient Egyptians in the process of embalming mummies. Cypress wood earned the folk name “Tree of Death” for it’s long association with dead, and because it’s wood was used in Egypt to build coffins. So here we clearly have the necromantic element present in both ingredients, and while I wouldn’t necessarily classify them as being known their  powers in hexing, their Saturnian energies can be used as such. So while the VSG mentions it solely as a hexing oil, it seems that it is more so used to call forward the spirits of the dead, but can also be used for hexing as well. Brujo Negro says that he learned of the formula from his course work with now defunct International Guild of Occult Sciences (IGOS). I however was not able to find any alternate recipe for the oil, and asking around a few message boards didn’t turn up much in the way of information. With that being the only recipe I could find, the next step was to gather the materials.

Myrrh is pretty easy to get, cypress however was going to be the adventure. I did a search for cypress trees in Richmond and found one planted in the historic Hollywood Cemetery. I have hung out here before (what goth kid in this city hasn’t at some point?) but have not done work in there before. So, with a flask of whiskey and bag of shiny pennies I set off to the cemetery. I first made my customary offering at the gate and asked for permission to enter. Using the iron key on my necklace as a pendulum, I got my confirmation I went to work. Since Hollywood Cemetery is a tourist they have maps available for self guided tours of both graves of note, and the plant life there. Also, much kudos to the woman in the office for not giving the guy in a black trench coat and fedora even the slightest odd look for buying tour maps of a cemetery in the rain. With this being my first time working I had to make my way to the first burial in the cemetery to honor the Baron before gathering my cypress. I made my way to the tree and gave offerings and asked for permission to gather what I needed. I have to admit that even though I have been at this at a while, it is hard not to feel like a crazy hippy while having a conversation with a tree. With cypress leaves, bark, and a few twigs in hand I made my way out of the cemetery ready to make some oil. Or so I thought….Duh Duh Duh!

As I mentioned earlier I asked around a few message boards and groups about Yuza-Yuza oil. I only got replies on one group and that was Brother Moloch’s Guild of Sorcery on Facebook. One set of replies was from someone that just wanted to say that all of the Herman Slater recipes were “pulled out of his ass”. He knows this you see, because the oils and powders that he bought from Magickal Childe way back in the yesteryear of 1985 didn’t work for him. Fortunately Moloch had something actually helpful to add to the conversation as he always does. He even gave a recipe and instructions on how to make a necromancy oil. This reminded me that I don’t necessarily need to  follow a recipe to the letter and should go with what the spirits have to say on the subject. After a conversation with my ancestors and a bit of research I came up with my own blend which was one part Yuza-Yuza, a bit of Moloch’s and a dash of Ash. Trust me a dash of Ash is all you really need. My recipe is as follows:

Myrrh

Cypress

Tobacco

Patchouli

Yew Needles

Hellebore Root

I set out to make this oil in the hour of Saturn, so 3:30 am Dec, 25th (Yes Christmas morning. Happy belated birthday Yeshua Ben Yosef) I sat down to begin my work.  If you are familiar with planetary days and hours you know that the next planetary day does not begin until sun up. I chose this time because it happened to be both the hour of Saturn and the true witching hour. I sat down at my altar, lit a black candle in honor of the planet, burned some myrrh, and began to combine the ingredients into a glass jar.

I used a pestle to combine everything a bit and then poured some sweet almond oil over it all. After saying a few words in set the jar in a box that I put all of my oils and other objects in to charge and will let it sit there for at least a week to let oil get the essences and scents of all of the ingredients. 

If you noticed this was titled as part 1. That is because I have some other rituals planned to empower this oil, so stay tuned true believers because there is more to come....

More Ancestor Talk!

check out the Wood Witch Blog for  a quick tutorial on  making your own small ancestor shrine and then head over to Kenaz Filan's blog for info on the role of ancestors in the hatian voudon tradtion and more tips for setting up your own altar.