Making Your Ancestor Altar

Hexing Hitler or Tricking Trump?

Mannequin dressed in Hitler uniform at a Hexing Hitler party. (How cool does that sentence look in bright pink?!)

Now and again, there are reports of modern witches getting together to curse Donald Trump. Then, there is a lot of finger-pointing and Wiccan Rede stuff, which is all fine and good when you are conjuring a knitting circle. (No hate on the Wiccans--it is a wonderful path, and I certainly don't think "Voodoo unto other's before they Voodoo unto you" works as every witch's motto.) But the finger-pointing gets a little gaggy--you might as well just crawl up on your cross and join the dominant religion if you are going to be all judgy and a downer all the time.

While cursing Trump may seem a little redundant (another witch has already been there if you go by the skin and the hair), it is not new. During World War II, people had Hexing Hitler parties. One famous one was reported on by time, partly because of the belief the target had to know about the Voodoo for it to work. Time was a print magazine; today we could just Instagram it!

The Time article is here: http://time.com/3879261/putting-a-hex-on-hitler-black-magic-party-1941/

The leader of the hexing party covered by Time was a man name Seabrook, who became famous for eating human flesh. (Humanely-harvested, naturally-dead, hospital variety.) The incident took place long before Bob's Burgers was a thing, but I'm sure it caused IRL (not just animated) outrage.

Image result for bob's burgers human flesh
Enraged Wonder Wharf citizens storm Bob's Burgers after the burgers are found to possibly contain human flesh.

But, ultimately, the question of putting a trick on Trump gets to why this blog is here: there are some varieties of evil that do not yield to good intentions, live-and-let-live ethics, and the occasional sprinkling of protective salt. For many, that kind of evil is embodied in Trump, bringing witchcraft into play.

Observing the legal system, I see this kind of evil every day. For many reasons, we have a system that does not yield to justice. People are locked out by the high cost of hiring lawyers or even filing pleadings. Everyday wrongs often do not meet the requirements for various torts, and there is, as of this writing, no tort of general piss-offery. Judges routinely scorn damages claimed by wrongly evicted people, unwilling to allow any damages for the loss of appliances (which may have been used or alley finds) without a receipt (which landlords routinely take in the course of throwing out all of someone's stuff). Lawyers can work to actively obstruct justice, leaving litigants with almost no recourse when straightforward cases are subject to lengthy, and expensive, discovery and motion practice.

For those times, magik is an appealing alternative. It is time-tested, designed to bring about change, and is accessible to even the very poor. One need not even have a home to send some directed intentions. And, Hitler did come to a notoriously bad end.

Whether one chooses to hex Hitler or trick Trump, magik remains democratic--accessible to all.






If the Creek Don't Rise (Book Review)

CONTAINS SPOILERS



If the Creek Don't Rise isn't a "witchy" book, unless you consider the high level of faith it takes to keep going with absolutely nothing. The title sentiment was also expressed by my Grandma as, "If I live . . . ". (Perhaps hearing, "If I live, we'll . . . " as the condition under which we would do things as mundane as making cornmeal mush made me prone to reach for a protection amulet and some lavender salt!)

However, magik is more expressly present in the book in the voice of Birdie Rocas, the neighbor (and protector) of the protagonist, Sadie Blue. Sadie Blue is in an abusive marriage, and, as such, needs a bit of help with details like delivering the baby her husband killed in utero or whipping up some hemlock root poison for . . . those who need it. Birdie Rocas tells us that her last name means crow, and that some folks call her a witch--a good thing for hunting ginseng (apparently because her appearance scares those who would steal her valuable harvest). When Birdie scrys for a dead body and the killer turns up dead himself, one begins to suspect she uses her magik for more than hunting ginseng.

Magik is sprinkled throughout the book as charms, amulets, potions, and folk wisdom. However, Birdie does share her scrying method:

--Fetch shallow bowl the color of blood

--Put on tree stump

--Pour spring water one finger width deep

--Kiss and put on personal amulet (Birdie's is a horn-shaped amulet)

--Make repeated "X" with thumb on forehead until coated with oil from skin

--Rub oil on item belonging to person you seek (handy to have crows to retrieve these for you!)

--Drop item into water

--Watch for answer to form

Although Birdie seems to get her answers, she leaves us with some lingering questions and an observation:

"Why are young girls dumb and men surprised?

"What does evil look like to crows from up in the sky?

"They're brave to play hide-and-seek with the dead."

While by no means a craft "how-to" book, this novel includes a few pages worthy of any book of shadows. It is a respectful window into the misunderstood and sometimes-popular world of granny magik or hoodoo, and deserves to be read.

The dialect in the book is southern Appalachian. It will sound "off" to readers from Kentucky or West Virginia. It does not seem to be intended disrespectfully.

Those of us not apt to find a hag stone shaped like a horn might appreciate a commercially-produced amulet like Birdie's:




(Note: links are designed to make me richer than a moonshiner with a revenuer cousin!)





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.




Utterly Wicked: Curses, Hexes & Other Unsavory Notions by Dorothy Morrison--Book Review

From Dorothy Morrison's website . . . see link below to order the book. 

"It is good for us crones," said the fellow witch. She was recommending I read "Utterly Wicked" by Dorothy Morrison. "As they say, 'Cause no harm, but take no shit," she added.

I leaned in on my cane, clutching the Not My Fucking Problem spray I had just purchased and taking in the title: Crone. Although I am clearly a Queen, a title too often forgotten when it comes to describing women who are not maidens and not mothers, I let it sink in. I decided "Crone" was a compliment, and kept the lightening bolts inside my fingers.

I made my way to a bench and used my phone to order "Utterly Wicked: Curses, hexes & other unsavory notions":




With Amazon Prime (Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial), the order arrived quickly, though I suppose the smart crone, needing to hex in a hurry, would read online (which also reduces the price of the book) using a service like Kindle: Join Amazon Kindle Unlimited 30-Day Free Trial.

Dorothy Morrison describes her audience in the introduction, and, like this blog, it is ". . . for those folks who are sick and tired of swallowing the bullshit served up by other people. It is for those folks who are fighting mad and livid pissed. Yes, it is for those folks who are tired of taking a screwing at every turn, who are ready to wage war, and who have finally mastered the gumption to do something about it."

My only criticism is that some of the spells call for animal parts, and I prefer vegan work. However, one can always look for vegan substitutes, as I did when substituting human feet charms for chicken feet.

Morrison includes spells directed to legal disputes, including an "Opposing Attorney Hex." The hex is not too different from some of my work, but Morrison includes incantations--something I normally do not include as part of my work.

This is an excellent resource for composing work in an area shunned by many witches, cursing and hexing. It is for those of us who have what it takes "to become the things that go bump in the night."

Happy bitchcrafting! May all your unsavory notions come true!

(I may become very rich if you click on the affiliate links in this article.)


Vegan Chicken Foot Correspondence

What's a vegan witch to do when the spell calls for chicken's foot?

Well, I'm cursing a human, not a chicken. So, I went for human feet! The real thing isn't super legal and can really inconvenience the donor, so I went with this:



Watch this space for the actual curse! It's a doozy!

(If you click on the link above, I get a bunch of money.)

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. 

Disposal of Enemies Candles

This blog isn't just a place to sell things (though affiliate links can help keep us up and running), but some things have to be shared before they are lost in on-going web-surfing.

This is one of those things:

http://amzn.to/2wd6xQ1

Return to product information

A candle? To dispose of enemies? If only I had known it was that easy. Perhaps I will update after test-driving it.


Completion of Clarity Spell


A few weeks ago, I posted a clarity spell.

Original Clarity Spell Here

The purpose of the spell was to get clear on intentions and desired outcomes for hexing, cursing, binding, unleashing flying monkeys, or even blessing. I experienced a career setback--a needlessly abrasive, embarrassing, and public court order--and needed to decide my response.

A few weeks later (with the spell, originally intended to be completed in about seven days, delayed by illness and travel), I feel more clear. When the order came out, I calmly felt a door shutting and knew my career path would change. Rather than my typical raging anger, I felt more like someone who had taken abusive behavior for the last time--like my safety plan was in place and my bag packed, and I just needed to go.

As I burned the candles, supplemented with lavender blooms and incense, I felt stronger and firmer in my resolve.

Clarity spell. 

Now, it is time for me to wrap up the spell, release it, and feel gratitude for the change it brought. The burned candles made lovely pools of lavender wax, and many color variations co-mingled. Throughout the spell, I decided I wanted four candles burning at all times--four for the four corners and at least four directions I could go. My original votives were replaced several times with votives I already had and with chime candles. The High John the Conqueror candle (with its label with space for my intentions folded and now ensconced in the wax) and the Flying Monkey candle (whose whimsical label I will probably keep) burned longer and slower, effectively making 7-day candles.

Partial list of materials:

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I will cleanse my space and open a circle, then fold my materials together, probably replacing the foil with something more biodegradable. I will then plant this spell, since it is positive and for me, near my front stoop.

Completed clarity spell materials.

(Please note that some of the products above may contain links that pay me a percentage for actual purchases.)