Making Your Ancestor Altar

Showing posts with label candle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label candle. Show all posts

Full Moon Money Drawing Container Ritual

I am not much of one for prosperity spells, and I am bad (really, really bad) at following moon phases. However, I recently had a request for a full moon prosperity ritual and decided to put some of my tricks and works into writing.

For prosperity is work with herbs. The other day, I was feeling un-prosperous. I had a money worry because I hadn't been able to work toward a particular financial goal in some time. Nothing was wrong. My bills were being met. However, slow-paying clients and other conditions meant I had not worked toward retiring some debt that concerns me. As I got dressed (in the clothing sense and in the sense of appying oil for the day), I dabbed a little peppermint oil into my hands. I let a couple of drops gather in the lowest dip of each slightly cupped hand, enjoying the warmth and smell and thinking of the sensation of money coming into my hands.

afterglow, art, backlit

Sometimes, things are a little more pressing and formal work is in order. The full moon is a good time to work on things we want to draw toward us and increase, so money is a good area of work.

I like to work with containers. One of my favorites is to put a bill or financial goal (a utility bill or a written out statement such as, "Receiving $5,000") and seed it with money.

To do such a seeding spell:

1) Green candles

2) Money (paper and coins)

3) Peppermint (basil also works) 

4) A can or jar (simple, reused can or elaborate sentimental box--heck, make a macaroni art project for added mojo)

5) A hot pepper or some yew to accelerate the spell

6) The bill you are worried about or a positive intention for your prosperity written out--green paper or ink or colors that represent prosperity to you are great

First, I clean my work area or even finish up some lingering tasks. My blocks of in-flow are almost always associated with blocking out-flow on my end. I may be fretting about getting paid, but my work area may be in disarray, a project left mostly done (I simply haven't hit "send" to finish it), or I may not even have sent out my invoices and asked for money! Clearing up these items is a big help. 

Getting comfy, inside or outside, I meditate. I work near the area where I remember my ancestors. I am not one for calling in the corners, but I like to spray a little sage-scented oil around my area and connect with spirits/ancestors.

Light five green candles, one in each directions and one in the middle. Connecting with spirit, be thankful for what you have. In bad times, this might be as simple as recognizing your pinky toe does a great job of helping you balance. Do your best to recognize what you have because you are asking the spirits to add to this.

Take a few minutes to hold your bill and money near your heart or to write out your intention. Place your bill or written-out intention in your container. With your bill, do any folding away from you. If you have written out a positive intention ("I have $5000 extra"), roll or fold that toward you if needed for it to fit. Do not place a bill near/over the flames unless you have decided you just want to symbolically burn it up! For a positive written intention, hold it just over the flame to warm it and activate it as you feel the power rising in it. Place your bill/intention in the container. Place your money in the container. First roll or fold any bill toward you (as needed to fit). Include a few coins. 

Hold your basil or peppermint. Feel the power rising up in it, and acknowledge the prosperity it represents. Place most of it in your container, holding a bit out to carry with you. Add any accelerating herbs (hot pepper or yew), knowing you are drawing in magick that works quickly and efficiently. Pick your container up. Shake it or strike it a few times, thanking spirit and your ancestors for paying the bill, drawing the money in, etc. Let your candles burn down or respectfully extinguish them after letting them burn as long as you safely can.

Throughout the week (or as long as it takes), work your container by shaking it, thanking spirit/ancestors, etc. Carry some herbs with you as you go about your day. Annoint yourself with peppermint oil each day. Bury your spent herbs and workings near your door. Consider throwing a little bit of your herbs and some change into the crossroads for added power. If feasible, consider cleansing your container to make it suitable for future work. Consider planting a plant like basil or peppermint during this time if possible. Enjoy and share the results!

Here's a chant/prayer if you like that sort of thing:

"I am part of and made from a universe of infinite stardust
"This universe is abundant
"Therefore, I am abundant
"I am thankful that I am abundant and money flows toward me
"I release this prayer, knowing _________________ ($5000 is mine, the bill is paid, etc.)"

Making Your Ancestor Altar

Maybe you spent a quiet day of reflection, or maybe you choked down greasy food while your uncle ranted in his MAGA hat. Even when our living and known ancestors aren't people we easily love, ancestors are the best source of spiritual connection.

An ancestor altar can be large or small, in an out-of-the-way corner or in a prominent spot. Someone with roommates or privacy concerns could have something as simple as a picture of a departed loved one with a candle.

There are no rules, except not to mingle things of the living on the ancestor altar, less the ones who have passed on call to the living and bring them over too soon.

My altar recently grew, partly with the addition of some great art. Spending money and having artwork isn't needed--an altar can be simpler or even feature your own artwork. Besides the work I bought from an artist--and supporting artists and rootworkers is important to me--most items on the altar are things I already had.


This lovely shoe artwork is the center of my altar. It represents justice and diversity, and was made by the wonderful Auntie Sindy at Todomojo, who offers lots of reliquaries, artwork, and readings. The mirror with shells around it  was made by my Grandpa and is positioned to help show off the back of the shoe. All animal products were humanely gathered from naturally-deceased animals. 


The back of the shoe has vertebrae (again, humanely collected). It reminds me of my need to work on my root chakra and remain mindful of the needs of my spine, a particular challenge through my life. The scarf belonged to my grandma. 


Both sides of the shoe are gorgeous. My deceased protector/familiar dog watches over from behind.


The front of the shoe pushes forward, the dollies representing diversity. My husband's family is more highlighted on one side of the altar (mine on the other--but they are not strictly segregated), and we use battery-operated candles for a 24-hour burning without fire worries when we are gone or asleep. 



Our altar is the top of an entertainment center. The dolly to the right is made of my Grandma's old scarves. The tin cup belonged to my grandparents and sat by their sink; I use it for liquid offerings. We honor human family, but also our deceased animal companions and musicians (such as the print of John Lennon's Little Flower Princess lyrics). 

From Missing Member to Missing: Penis Spell

I recently posted a spell I used to remove someone's penis after he used sexual threat and innuendo on a repeated basis to intimidate my client.

Of all the spells and work that I do, this one tends to get the most attention. It is serious--one wouldn't use this spell because someone stole a parking space or was late for dinner. In fact, in the case where I used it, the spell was not my technique of first resort. I tried negotiating, reasoning, using the legal process, and simpler, positive-outcome and truth-focused spells first.

The spell was effective, and my client made great gains. The sexual harasser's behavior came to light, even in open court. We won the case!

However, more interesting, the harasser has closed up shop. This attorney, who was going to let me keep my license and not get sanctions only if I was a good girl and dropped the case, is going to be no more.

The power of the spells should not be underestimated. As here, words and works can be used to the greater good!


From the sublime to the delicious, there are many ways to incorporate penis magik into your life!


Dark Moon Magick

The dark moon is that time as the old moon has largely waned and the new moon is hardly a sliver.
Since a new moon is beginning, it can be a time to do work for new beginnings--new jobs, new homes, new relationships. However, because of the ending old moon and the relative darkness of the night sky, I like to use the time for clearing out.
This week, I did a simple banishing and hexing spell. I had several lingering enemies, one of which recently--entirely unjustifiably--necessitated my return from a vacation for a hearing that, in the judge's words, wasn't "motion stuff" just "life stuff" that should have been worked out by agreement.
Being a bitch as well as a witch, I already put the wheels in motion for the offending lawyer's young associate, upon whom he depends, to get hired away. By the time the dark moon rolled around, I was ready to seal the deal.
I was ready to seal the deal, but I also was exhausted. This dark moon called for simplicity.
I burned a black Santa Muerte candle, asked for the binding of my enemies, and wrote their names on corresponding paper in colored gel ink (for me, a salmon color that does not appeal to me with nearly-matching ink to represent the way these irritants should fade).
Ingredients:
Black candle (I prefer Santa Muerte)


Colored paper (I keep a pad of various colors on hand)
Pen (I like to coordinate the ink and paper color--closely matching to help the target fade away and lose power)

Write the names of the target and what you want to happen on the paper. This can also be an incantation. Mine was as follows: "X fades away like the ink on this paper and his/her actions are for naught. X and his/her intentions are returned to the void from which they came and have no influence on this plane."

Penis Pendants

BOGO! Buying amulets and other props isn't required, but it can help cement intentions. This penis amulet would be great for sex magic or for the penis removal spell--charge with your intention!


Following links on this page may cause filthy lucre to appear in my pockets.

Spelled Success!

Spells are tricky! It can be hard to see the work being done, the desired outcome, and timing as outcomes of magik. Often, the spell is cast and an outcome may take weeks or months to manifest--sometimes by design, sometimes because our timing is not the same as the universe's timing.

This past week though, I got to see a spell come through perfectly . . . on time, unexpected, and as requested. If drive-through windows at fast-food restaurants were as efficient as the universe was this past week, they wouldn't need those spaces for people to pull off and wait for orders! In my case, my fries were hot, fresh, and perfectly golden.

The spell was cast on August 21, the solar eclipse, with the intention of bringing truth to light. The supplies and incantations are set forth here.

In less than two weeks, a person who slandered me, the target of the spell, retired. The joy was complete and immediate, with friends making such dramatic declarationa] as that the person "can't hurt you anymore."

In gratitude, I provided Hekate and the other gods on my altar) with some apple and a lit white candle.

This is, or is very close to, the statue of the goddess on my altar:




I cannot find an image of the apple I use, but an apple cut in half horizontally will reveal a pentagram inside.
I keep a small, hollow wooden apple--something like this one:



Hekate (and other gods and goddesses) are always at work! Magik is one way of communicating with them . . . and they do answer!


Someone was Very, Very Bad

There's no need to mess around when enemies mess around with you. They asked for it, you gave it.

Today, an enemy became great trouble. I had given him an "out," but he refused to leave. Ungrateful little ball of nothing.

I performed the following to bind him and two colleagues, but also to irreversibly curse them. As I squeezed the packets, one bled soft black wax through a small hole, and I felt the life force draining out.

Tools

Black candle



Paper with likeness of the target (picture, signature, etc.)

Blood (given freely--there is no such thing as an unwilling sacrifice, and I used my own)

Pins



String

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Foot charms

(substitute for chicken feet)



Pepper (dried--hottest you have on hand)



For privacy of the innocent persons involved in the underlying legal matter, the unfinished packets below are made up as examples. The finished packets are the real thing, and the agony oozing from them is real.

Of course, as an initial step, call a circle and charge tools as you choose. I moved this working away from my normal altar and closer to where the underlying business took place.

First, I lit the black candle and set my intention--to utterly bind and destroy the targets.

Lit black candle. The purple appearance is from . . . me. The candle was black. 

Next, I used a piece of paper with the likeness of each target. I did each step three times, finishing one packet before starting the next.

Sample of paper representing person--a signature or picture is preferred to just writing their name.

I dripped black wax from the candle over each likeness (visage, signature, etc.) to obliterate it. One could also use ink, and I felt a momentary pull toward a fat Sharpie before settling on the wax. I preferred the wax because my intent was literally to send these three demons back to hell.

Obliterating, burning, and sealing with wax.

I placed the "feet," binding them over the likeness and setting them with more wax.

I folded the packet away from me three times, rotated it widdershins, and then folded three more times away from me.

I placed pins through the packet, aimed at the visage.

Signed, sealed, delivered . . . sucks to be you. 

I drew a small hexagram with my blood on the outside of the packet. I sealed the outside with more wax.

Packet sealing with wax over pins.

Finally, I wrapped the packet with string, binding the target. Although normally not someone who utters a verbal curse, I did so as I tied 13 knots. A sample Spell of the Cord may be found here; my words were highly specific to the working and not designed to make anyone feel good.

Completed packets.

On the way to dispose of the packets, I sprinkled them with hot pepper flakes to lend speed to the working.

I disposed of these packets in a swamp; this is an irreversible spell. I cast these demons irrevocably into hells of their own making.




Completion of Solar Eclipse - Let There Be Light Spell

I completed the solar eclipse spell, Let There Be Light.

Here are some pictures.

First, the completed dolly: I soaked bottom of the corncob overnight in a ghost pepper tincture. That also helped with the rancidity mentioned in my last post. Despite being appropriate to this dolly and the person it represents, the mold and yuck made it hard to handle (like the real person's actions!), and the ghost pepper really helped with the smell. I coated it with herbs representing discomfort, banishing, and a need for change at the bottom. The top was coated (after some intention work) with salt, lavender, coriander, sugar, and the like to represent sweetness coming to the person if the truth is told.

Intentions were stuffed inside and the persons name was stuffed inside and carved on the dolly. Intentions are also written on the paper shown wrapped.

I used a white Santa Muerte candle and adorned the altar with a quick pentacle from a halved apple.

Let there be light spell underway.

I then took a break in working while waiting for the darkest part of the eclipse and drank sweet tea and ate baklava with intention. The sweet items represent the sweetness that is available and plentiful when justice is done--this is not a revenge spell, and its release is built into it. Once truth is told, sweetness and ease can return to the target.

Tea with Hecate and Santa Muerte -- focusing intention on a sweet outcome!

Finally, I took the items outside at the height of darkness. I sat near the grave of a very protective spirit and spoke the intention. The items would not burn--the air was heavy and humid. Even wrapping them in dried leaves (from around the powerful grave), the dolly, itself very damp, would not light. I will instead dispose of this working by putting all of these biodegradable items in a swamp area.




Solar Eclipse Magik - See the Light Spell

Old French solar & lunar eclipse print from an astronomy book. Hi-def scan, free printable.
Old diagram of a solar and lunar eclipse from a French text.
Even the most mundane people have become fascinated with the August 2017 solar eclipse--it is a spectacle in terms of infrequency alone.

In my own magickal system, I have decided that the rarity of the solar eclipse corresponds with the rarity of justice. Bad law can take a long time to undo. In 1857, the Supreme Court approved segregation in Plessy v. Ferguson. The case was overturned in, arguably, 1954, with Brown v. Board. Anyone familiar with the planet from which we will be viewing the eclipse knows that the civil rights cases are largely a dead letter in 2017, but Brown still has symbolic value in overturning Plessy and perhaps providing a goalpost of decisional thought to which the courts will one day choose to return.

It took nearly 100 years for the second of these two seminal cases to overturn the first, and the current solar eclipse is the first of its kind for nearly 100 years. NASA has a good (if ethnocentric) overview of historical events around past eclipses along the "track" of the coming eclipse: NASA Eclipse History, The changes between the last eclipse and this have been . . . astronomical. 

I have decided to incorporate this rarity and the view of an eclipse as a full year in a short time to complete a work calling for an unusual circumstance: for a public figure to take back a public attack on me. However, you could do work for a positive outcome in a difficult pending case, for an enemy to relent, or for a complete reversal of power and fortunes.

Here are materials for a similar working, if you want to bring about a similar transformation.

Ingredients:

Dolly - I am using a corncob one similar to that pictured in the successful Shut Up and Scratch Spell here. By luck, I stored my corncob a bit too well and it is turning rancid from having moisture locked in--which coincides with the rancidity I feel currently affects my target and needs to be removed. You can make your own, purchase one for magik,

or even buy an inexpensive fashion doll as advocated by Dorothy Morrison in her wonderful (soon-to-be-reviewed here) book

Herbs - I have decided to make my own special blend that has worked in the past--very hot pepper (ghost pepper from my garden), black pepper, cumin (these will be applied around the tummy to inspire a feeling of discomfort and feet to inspire a feeling of needed action). I will first soak the belly down to the feet in commercial hot sauce. Then, I will use witch's salt (likely, my own blend of lavender and salt) around the mouth and head to inspire truth-telling

Candles - candles used in this spell will be all white, bringing truth and light where there has been slander 



Intention - my intention will be for the party to feel upset and discomfort, knowing the true horror of what he has done, until he is compelled to retract the statement. So mote it be

I am not a chanter, but some might find words they want to use. Utterly Wicked, above, has many good suggestions.

"I Saw the Light" is an old hymn written by Hank Williams, Sr.--no proponent or example of the changes we need in our world. However, my grandfather, a true fighter for justice and truth, often played and sang the song. May this eclipse cause the many bleak, vile forces prevailing today to see the light and change or be brought to light and repudiated, sent back to haunt the sad eras of history to which they belong.