Review: In the Drip of an Eave

(Photo Courtesy of " The Wood Witch")

"In the Drip if an Eave" is the latest project from my friend and colleague Modred of The Wood Witch Blog. I was privileged enough to preview and test this prior to release and I honestly can't say enough good things about it. What Modred manages to do here is not just present you with a book on traditional craft, but immerse you in an adventure that leads to a better understanding of the subject by way of a character named Hope. Through the exploring the different written pieces and puzzles the reader is prepared for the revelations of the "Black Book of Hope". I have never experienced or seen anything like this as far as esoteric works go and highly recommend it for both scholars interested in traditional witchcraft as well as occult practitioners of other paths looking for a unique experience. This is being produced in a limited edition of 20 handmade  sets to begin with so get yours now while they last!
http://phantomcircle.blogspot.com/2012/01/in-drip-of-eave.html

Necromancy Oil Pt. 2 :"A funeral for a friend"

New year, lets get right into it! I would wish you a happy new year, but ultimately that's up you isn't it?


After sitting for a week, with me shaking it on a daily basis the oil smells amazing. The tobacco really made a difference in the aroma. I strained it through some cheesecloth into another bottle, added some yew and cypress wood to finish it off, corked and sealed it with black wax.

I would prefer to bury this in a cemetery, but that was not at all practical at this time. So once again I took part of Moloch's suggestion and buried the oil on my property and created a "grave" for it. I placed the oil bottle in a coffin box that I had, and surrounded it with purple fabric for cushioning. Purple is also a color significant the work as well. Doesn't look purple in the pic, but trust me it is. I also nailed the coffin shut with 9 nails. These will come in handy later as "coffin nails" for spell workings.

I also acquired this ceramic skull that I plan on utilizing with my necromantic altar, and will be burying this in the grave as well.

On Sunday morning before sunrise I set out to start this work. I first lit lights on my ancestral altar and asked for their protection, and did the same thing with Santisima Muerte. Then set off to work armed with a bottle of whiskey, a cigar, a rose, some Florida water, a cross made of cypress twigs, a book of catholic prayers (seen on the altar in the first pic) and a tea light. The grave was already dug, so  first I cleansed it with the Florida water. I laid the skull in the ground first and bathed it with three good sprays of whiskey from my mouth, and three puffs of smoke from the cigar. Next I repeated the process with the coffin. Let me just say, if you start your New Years day off smelling of whiskey and cigars and it has nothing to do with a party the night before, you just might be a conjurer. I put the still lit cigar in the grave as an offering to the spirits of the dead. I then laid the rose in the ground as well and said a few words in honor of the spirits that I was calling upon. I ended by burying the contents, adding the cross, doing the three more sprays of whiskey, and lighting the candle. While the candle burned I recited the following prayer:

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May they rest in peace.

Amen. 

I originally started this working on a new moon, and plan to work it until the next full moon. So the items will remain interred until then, and I will be making offerings of whiskey, tobacco, and flowers at the grave each Friday until then. Once the skull and oil are exhumed I have one last ritual planned to finish the process. Stay tuned until then. 

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....

To Be Silent....

I am sure that many in the conjure community are by now familiar with the controversy surrounding noted Root doctor Dr. Kioni in regards to a ritual sacrifice utilized in a clients work that some have found questionable. Dr. K posted a picture of the working in question on his Facebook page which resulted in some offended parties starting an online petition , and the family of the deceased that grave belonged to being informed of the working. I personally have no feelings regarding the nature of the sacrifice. How he does is work is his business. It also seems that the way this is being pushed by certain parties has more to do with bad blood going on behind the scenes than concern for animal rights. It is sad that it couldn't quietly between them instead of spilling into something very public that would allow for such a negative light on conjure. I am not sure how often Hoodoo gets national press, so on the rare instance that is does, I find it regretful that the headline would have to read "Hoodoo ritual sacrifice shocks family" in USA Today. 

What I feel Dr. Kioni did do wrong, was share the picture and any details of the working in the first place. It was clearly an attempt at self promotion that back fired and gave fuel to potential enemies. He has since acknowledged and apologized for the mistake. I urge all those new to this work to learn from this lesson. Secrecy is one of the most important and often times overlooked aspects of this art. Growing up you would have never known that conjure was done in our house, there was no permanent altar, and no curios or roots to be seen. I was taught that that even though you friends and family may have the best of intentions and on the surface seem to hope the best for you and all the success in the world, subconsciously jealousy is what a lot of  them will have. That deeper jealousy turns into negative energy projected at you and any thing you have in the works that they are aware of. Play all of your workings close the vest at least until they come to pass to prevent the possibility of this energy becoming an obstacle. By the time the working has come to fruition what is the point in talking then unless it is simply to brag? Bragging is not very becoming and also can cause more problems then its worth. 

If secrecy is important to guard against friends you have to know it goes double for enemies. Never give your enemies anything except for that proverbial "enough rope to hang themselves". Conjure is not a religion, it is a magical or occult practice. There is no need to advertise and and seek some sort of social acceptance of it's practice.  It is not meant to be shared with or even necessarily understood by those not in the know. If you reveal too much of what you do, those that would wish to harm your image in the public eye can easily do so by appealing to the most base ignorance and fears of those around you. Don't give them that fuel when there is no need to. You study conjure enough and you will see the stealthy and hidden nature in which is has developed, and is continued to be deployed to this day. That has been cultivated over time for a reason, respect that, and it will serve you well. 

Back From New Orleans!

I spent a fabulous 5 days in New Orleans where I attended the 2nd annual Folk Magic Festival . I only took a few of the workshops available, but certainly gained some knowledge from them. I particularly enjoyed the graveyard magic workshop with Orion Foxwood. I also learned a lot by just communicating with the spirits of the city. Collected a some of moss from Bayou St. John, so look for some crafts utilizing that soon. Also got some clay from the bank of the Mississippi that I plan on using in a Jack Ball that I will be certainly be blogging about. I have been inspired by this trip and have so much to share with you all. So stay tuned for a lot of blogs coming your way. Going to to my best to go weekly from now until the end of the year.

I have some spirits that I need to thank here as well.

Thank you Santisima Muerte for your assistance in providing the means for me to take this trip. There is no questioning your power.

Thank You St. Christopher for protecting me in my travels.

Last but not least, thank you Marie Laveau for your answering my call. The first day there, I went to her tomb to leave offerings and ask her to lead me to a teacher or someone that could answer a very important question. A few hours later I was walking toward Dumaine with plans of going to Voodoo museum. I suddenly got the feeling that I should go right instead of left and ended up at Voodoo Authentica which I had not planned on visiting this time out in the city. I found Mama Lola in their doing readings. She took one look at me, laid down the cards, and answered my question without me saying a word. It is going to lead to a major change in my spiritual path.

I can't wait to go back next year!

Thank You Saint Expedite!

Thank you Saint Expedite for once again honoring me with your fast assistance.

I don't work with saints all that often but Expedite has been a great ally for me and my clients for sure. He is known as the unofficial patron saint of emergencies, dealers,examinees,schoolboys,sailors, navigators, shopkeepers, and anyone who needs a quick solution for their problem. This great saint has amassed a following from both Catholics and non-Catholics alike for one simple reason, he gets results. Petitioning Saint Expedite is quite simple, you will need:

• A Saint Expedite prayer card or printed out image of the saint.
• A Expedite class encased novena candle or a red candle
• A glass of water
• Fast Luck Oil or Powder (Optional) 

 Petitioning Saint Expedite doesn't require anything elaborate. Simply set up a space for his image, the candle and a glass of water. If you are so inclined you can write out your petition on a name paper, and dress it and the candle with fast luck oil, or powder. I prefer a seven day candle for my petitions and I repeat my prayer each day as the candle burns. I have started using a plate and tracing forming a circle with a cross in the center using fast luck powder. I then set the name paper and fixed candle on the plate. As long as you have his image on hand, and offer a sincere prayer you have his attention and if your need be genuine he will offer assistance. There are many prayers offered to him, you can find plenty on Saintexpedite.org or just speak from the heart. Here is the prayer that I use the most:

For quick help...

Pray to Saint Expedite

Saint Expedite, you lay in rest.
I come to you and ask that this wish be granted.

____________ (Clearly express what you want, and ask him to
find a way to get it to you.)

Expedite now what I ask of you.
Expedite now what I want of you, this very second.
Don't waste another day.
Grant me what I ask for.
I know your power, I know you because of your work.
I know you can help me.
Do this for me and I will spread your name with love and honor
so that it will be invoked again and again.
Expedite this wish with speed, love, honor, and goodness.
Glory to you, Saint Expedite!

 You recite your prayer until your request is granted. Once Saint Expedites work is done he expects to be "paid" just as fast. One of the main ways that he is thanked for his work is by making public announcements in his honor and letting others know of his great deeds. Hence why this particular post started out the way that it did. He is also offered a slice of pound cake (some say it has to be sara lee cake, but I don't think so), fresh flowers, and a glass of water. I always give him a slice of pound cake, a glass of fresh water, and a red rose as thanks. I use the glass from the candle as the vase for the rose and let the offerings sit on the altar for a week,  That's pretty much it in a nutshell. May Saint Expedite be as good to you as he has to me.

Review: Kenaz Filan's "The New Orleans Voodoo Handbook".

With the “New Orleans Voodoo Handbook” Kenaz Filan gives readers a guide not only to Voodoo as it is practiced in the city, but also the culture and history that has shaped it. Someone looking for a simple cookbook of spells and formulas will be sorely disappointed. The author being an initiate of Haitian Voudon knows that the way the religion is truly taught is through its stories, and this book has plenty of them. Part 1 of the book uses the first six chapters to cover the colorful history of Louisiana, and New Orleans. Beginning with La Salles Expedition, and covering topics such as the beginning of the industrial revolution, Jim Crow laws, and Hurricane Katrina along the way. This section also details the works of writers that have contributed to the study and preservation of local Voodoo lore, like Zora Neal Hurston with her seminal work “ Of Mules and Men”, and Robert Tallant author of “Voodoo in New Orleans”, and the novelization of Marie Laveau’s life, “Voodoo Queen”. The author manages to pack a lot of information into the first 56 pages of this book, and gives the reader a real feel for the roots of Voodoo in the Crescent City.

Part 2 of the handbook covers the various colorful traditions of New Orleans. There is a great primer on Mardi Gras, the party that the city has become famous (or infamous) for. You’ll learn not only the Roman and pagan history of the festival, but also how the celebration as we know it today has come to be. From there, Filan moves on to music with great stories about Dixie Land Jazz, Delta Blues, and Zydeco. Of course no book about New Orleans, Voodoo or otherwise would complete without discussing the cuisine that is made there. Covering local fare such as Pralines, Crawfish, Coffee with Chicory, and my personal favorite Gumbo, you really get a taste (bad pun intended) for the local flavor. The food many not seem to have much to do with Voodoo on the surface, but dig a little deeper and there is a correlation. Much like the rootwork that took shape in the city, the food of Louisiana took whatever they had available and made magic not only for the individual, but for the community as well. To this day, even though I learned some of my conjure formulas from my mother she is still more proud of, and secretive about her Gumbo recipe. That should tell you something right there. This part of the book also acts a guide to many of the local businesses and institutions that help preserve the local Voodoo customs and add character to the city. Included are places such as The Voodoo Spiritual Temple, Island of Salvation Botanica,and Boutique du Vampyre (if you look in the background of a documentary on “Real-life Vampires shot by ABC in 2009 you will see a certain conjurer standing in the background out front of the boutique). Part 2 ends with a section about “Priests, Priestesses, Houngans, Mambos, and Chicken Men” that have graced the city over the years. This includes the Legendary Dr. John, the Seven Sisters, and Fred “Chicken Man” Staten. I found the part about the Seven Sisters to be one of the best parts in this section as there is very little information on these legendary sisters that is readily available.

Parts 3 and 4 of this book cover the Spirits and practices of New Orleans respectively. While I was surprised at the omission of certain Lwa and spirits such as Ghede, I understand that this a book on Voodoo and it’s spirits that are unique to that region and not those that are also traditionally given service in Haiti. The Spirits sections give lore and details for petitioning and developing relationships with figures such as the Virgin Mary, Li Grand Zombi, Papa Labas, Black Hawk, and folk Saints like St. Expedite, and St. Marron. There is plenty of prayers, and information on offerings to get you started working with these powerful spirits. I already plan on making petitions to some of these spirits real soon myself. Even though the Ghede may have not been talked about, Importance of the dead, and the city’s cemeteries is covered. The practices section also briefly covers the use of oils, candles, creation of mojo/gris gris, and spirit dolls. The novice will find some useful recipes for oils and basic info on using candles but there isn’t much here for the experienced practitioner. Even still the information on the roots of these practices is as important to know as the how so I appreciated that aspect of this chapter. There is also a brief look at divination but with very little instruction. The book ends with a guide for those visiting the city, and stories of citizens of note that have called the city home. There are great tips for dining for those of expensive taste and others on a budget. Of course Music venues and the legendary cemeteries are covered for tourist as well.

Make no mistake about Kenaz Filan’s , ”The New Orleans Handbook” is the book that many have been waiting on in regards to the subject. It is a must have for anyone interested in New Orleans Voodoo either as a solitary practitioner or folklorist. I personally don’t think it quite hits the mark as a “handbook” but it is a great primer that his given a lot to go on, and more places to visit when I make my way to “N’awlins” this November for the Folk Magic Festival.