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. 

Necromancy Oil Part 3: The Altar

This update is a bit delayed since I have been busy with client work and other projects. I exhumed the oil and the skull from the mock grave that I made for after making weekly prayers and offerings of whiskey and tobacco. Once I cleaned everything off I went about setting up a working altar. I decided to place the altar between my ancestral and Santisima Muerte altars. 

I am usually very minimalist when it comes to altars and this one was no exception. Besides the skull and oil, I have two white candles (dressed with van van oil), a water cup, incense burner, flower vase, cauldron, two crow wings,small white cross, and a sickle tool that I made from an antique blade and two found bones I received from a friend. 

After making my weekly offerings and prayers to my ancestors and Her most Holy Death, I conducted a simple rite to call upon the spirits of the unnamed dead. I feel very confident about this work and am happy with the way it turned out. I will be doing some experimenting with the workings for myself before involving the dead with my clients. I look forward to learning more about this form of working, but from research and the spirits. 

                                               

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. 

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.

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.

My Ancestral Altar

I can't believe that I have blogged this long without talking about the importance of having an altar to your ancestors. Shame on me!

The practice of honoring one's ancestors goes back as far as man can remember and spans all cultures. The spirits of our ancestors are always near us and continue to watch out for, guide, teach, and care for us. The shared knowledge and energy of those that have come before us is always available to those that seek it. This is why it is important for practicing sorcerers to have an altar dedicated to, give regular offerings, and converse with their ancestors. Chances are if you have been drawn to the magical arts that someone in your family along the line also practiced even if you aren't aware of it. Having the spirit of practitioners that have passed on is of obvious benefit to someone performing magic on a regular basis. As one of my ancestors said to me, "What we know, you know. What we can do, you can do". That pretty much should tell you all that you need to know about the importance of maintaining this relationship. Our ancestors have love for us, and do what they can from the other side to ease hardships in our lives. Once you have a relationship with them you will be able to tell when they have had a hand in nudging things in your favor. They lend their hands in all aspects of life such as money, success, love, peace, and protection. They do this even if you aren't aware of them. However honoring and giving thanks to them for what they do certainly makes them more inclined to work on your behalf. I know that some workers send their ancestral spirits on certain tasks and then hold off on feedings and offerings until the task is complete. I don't prefer to work this way myself. I draw upon their energies and knowledge to utilize in my own workings.

Ancestor Altar Covered

Setting up your altar is very simple and personal process.  The altar cloth should be white as should the candles. I keep on white candle, and one reed to symbolize the bond and importance of blood. There should be at least one glass of fresh water that you change every week. Some keep one large glass of water surrounded by 9 small glasses. I don't have room on my altar for that, so I don't.The altar can also be decorated with pictures of your family that have passed on, and items that that they preferred in life (personal items, bibles, etc). One can also include items that represent the cultures and ethnicity of your their ancestors.   You can set it up on a table, dresser, or anywhere that you see fit. Some keep their altars in the living room so include their ancestors in their daily life. I keep mine in the altar room. Do what you think is best.

Close Up Detail of Altar

I personally don't have a lot of close ties with my living family so I don't have access to pictures and the like and I prefer to keep my altar simple. So I have one red, and one white candle, my Ancestral Skull Fetish (see earlier post), a coffin shaped incense burned that I made, and two offering glasses. I also keep my altar covered with a patterned fabric with a skull floral pattern that I use as a head wrap during workings. That is pretty much it. I will be adding a cross soon as they asked for that.  I always keep one glass of fresh water and use the other for offerings of rum or whiskey. They really like whiskey, but I ran out and substituted rum today which I always have on hand. For incense I burn Mayan copal resin on charcoal and also burn a cigar in their honor. I blow some of the smoke onto the skull from the cigar. You can also offer favorite foods, drinks, and even music to your ancestors. Once the offerings are given I proceed with a simple invocation and follow that up with communication via pendulum, or some form of divination. This is the invocation that I use:



We hear your whispered voices speaking words of wisdom into our unconscious minds. Your whispers awaken our dreams, our hearts, our desires. You who are our ancestors who once walked upon the earth and were part of our shared life eternal, we praise you with all that is sacred in our lives.
You who planted the seed of knowledge, you who sought inner peace, you who claimed your love for the Gods and Goddesses of old, we give you honor and praise your name.

Grandmother, without you I would not be here. Grandfather, without you I would not be here. People that have come before and gone ahead, without you I would not be here.

I give you honor and praise your name. We ask you for guidance, for you have the power of knowledge. You have been born in us, part of our being. We draw upon your strength so that we may move ever forward. Your footsteps, we follow as all children will. You are our family and with all the love in my being, I give you honor and call your names.

Ancestors, I praise you with the earth in my palm. I praise you with the fire in my heart. I praise you with my breath as I give offerings to your greatness. I praise you with the blood and water of life within my body. I call forth for you with honor for all eternity.

I believe that originally found that through the Moloch Sorcery site, but have no idea where it originates from. I like it, but free to write your own or just speak from the heart. When working with your ancestors heartfelt offerings, and sincerity are what is really important. It's not about protocol, but honor and reverence. Talk to them, have honest conversation with them and be prepared to really listen to what they have to say. You will be glad that you did.


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

Ancestral Skull Fetish

Recently I crafted an Item for my ancestral altar that I wanted to share here. I had a paper mache skull that I bought around Samhain that ended up just sitting around in my crafts supplies. So my ancestors wanted me to make something for their altar so using their guidance I crafted the skull into a centerpiece.

First I painted it white using acrylic paint. Then to darken the eyes, nose, and jaw area, I crushed up charcoal that had been used to burn offerings on the altar. Adding some water to the dust I made a pigment and applied it by hand. Then I decided one other pigment was needed for this piece, blood. Whenever I make blood offerings to spirits (a topic for another blog) I use a lancet device. I guess I am a bleeder because I can get a surprising amount of blood from one finger prick. Five pricks later and I had added some additional designs including one that is mean to call forth the spirits of the dead. I then placed offerings of Yew needles (For calling ancestors), Hellebore root (for necromantic energies), and tobacco. After a quick consecration is was ready for service on my altar.

I often enjoy the creative process of making fetishes and amulets. I seem to learn so much more about the energies that I am working with and the forces that I want to harness by approaching them artistically and letting inspiration take hold. I am glad that I listened to the spirits and created this piece.