Berkeley's Blog

What Do you Mean He isnt Psychic???

  I have noticed something recently among different women lately.  And it is women in different spheres of my life, so I thought good time to write about it.  (This is primarily for all my girls in relationships.  If you are doing the spells, then you need to be really careful about this because the “no conflict” rule still applies to you!)

I am so sorry to be the one to tell you this, but the guy in your life is not psychic.  He doesn’t effortlessly know what you want at all moments.  He might seem in tune with you sometimes, but he doesn’t know all your emotional needs and desires. And he might not know how to fulfill them. 

You have to tell him. And you have to tell him without being mad that you have to tell him.  You can’t get mad at him because he doesn’t magically know where you want to go to dinner, or that you wanted to go out on a date on Saturday afternoon, or that you wanted the silver necklace, not the gold one.  He is not psychic!

And for that matter, most people you have relationships with are not either. 

You have to tell people how to treat you.  Your best friend, your sister, your employer, your dog, everyone you are in a relationship with.  You especially have to let a potential mate or partner know how to treat you.  You have to communicate in a healthy and productive way.

A lot of people disguise themselves during the courting process.  You like this guy, a lot! You want him to see the great parts of you.  You want him to know that you can pay your own bills, that you are sophisticated, that you can tie a cherry in a knot with your tongue.  We all want to put forth the best of us because we really really like that person.  But then as time goes on in a relationship, you start getting to know the real person. And you let that person know you. The you who wakes up with morning breath, the you who secretly loves American Gladiator, or the you who actually only owns 3 pairs of sexy Victoria’s secret panties (the rest are cotton ones from Walmart!)  And in this true getting-to-know-each-other time you both do some settling in.  You get comfortable with one another, but that doesn’t mean you don’t want the romance, and the fun you had during the beginning. 

But the only way to keep liking each other while you get to know one another, and after that is to communicate. 

You need to communicate your short term and long term needs.  Relationships are work.  Part of that work is healthy communication.  You need to first assess what your needs and desires are in the relationship, and then you need to talk about it.

If you want to go out to a movie with him on Saturday afternoon then you need to tell him.  It is not hard or scary.  Just say “Hey, I really want to go on a date this weekend.  Can we go see a movie?”  IF he says no, then ask him when you can go on a date.  Let him know you are feeling a little neglected and you are craving his attention - but do so without being a whiny brat.  If you wait for him to ask you on a date, and he doesn’t, and you storm out in a huff, then how the hell is he supposed to feel??  What if he did that to you?  You would probably seriously consider changing the locks while he was out and Black Mummy-ing his ass!

And it is ok to communicate about bigger things too.  IF you want more from this person you need to give them a chance to fulfill your needs. IF you are waiting for them to guess your needs then you are both going to be seriously unhappy. 

Thanks for reading

Berkeley

Sobo's Back! Dont forget - this Tuesday!

The Spellmaker Family is again planning a free group ritual for the great Lwa of wealth and security, Sobo!
 We had really great feedback about the first ritual, so Mambo decided to repeat it on St. Patrick's Day! As before, absolutely no purchase is necessary to participate or to be included in our Family ritual.
A ritual kit is available for those who are interested, but the full ritual has been posted online by Mambo Sam as well. Be sure to send in your ritual request to us as soon as possible.
All you need to do is send us an email to sobomylwa@spellmaker.com. This will insure that you are included in our family ritual on March 17, 2009.
In your email to us you need to explain what your financial needs are and what you hope for us to accomplish by including you in the ritual. We suggest that you make your requests something that actually stands a good chance of happening: A promotion at work, finding a job, having old debts paid, finding new ways to make money, keeping your job(!), etc.,etc.
We do NOT recommend that you ask for something such as winning the lottery. Everyone wants to win the lottery!! But this is not something easily controlled by spiritual methods! It is too impersonal and involves things that spirits would not know how to control. Plus if one million people are petitioning to win the lottery, what happens if they all win? Why would only YOU win??
Therefore, it is important to try to make your petitions make sense for your life - what could happen in your personal life to insure your wealth and security? If you are unsure, then simply ask that the spirits find the best way to help you! That is a good petition!!
Get those emails in by Tuesday morning!!
Berkeley

Cheapie Beauty Tips and Tricks 2

Beauty tips and tricks Part 2

Another thing I like to do to spread my makeup out, and recycle is to have creative uses of lipstick.  I love color stay styles of lipstick that stay on all day.  I just love them.  But they are a little pricey.  Most of them even at the convenience stores start at $10 and if it is a color that I will only wear out on the town, I cant justify the expense.

So I have a trick I like to do to make my lipstick last longer.  This is only good for mattes not glossy shines!!   I apply the lipstick, blot, then put some powder on top of it and reapply more lipstick.  This can be any kind of powder, but I typically use an older  pressed powder (the kind that  goes on top of foundation).    I have found this gets me through about 6 hours or more depending on what I am eating or drinking.

I also love to make my own lip gloss. 

 I have included two of my favorite recipes below from  http://www.idea-queen.com/.   You can add color to them by adding any old lipstick.   It is best if it is from a tube of some form, as opposed to the liquid kind you paint onto your lips.   You can add your last ¼ of a favorite tube, or if a color was too harsh or garish then try making it into gloss before trashing it.    Just add the lipstick to the recipe before heating.

Basic Beeswax Lip Gloss
1/2 ounce beeswax beads, refined
4 ounces sweet almond oil
2 teaspoons essential oil or food flavoring oil Put the 4 ounces of sweet almond oil in measuring cup, add beeswax beads and melt in microwave.
Stir with spoon, and when cooled a bit, add essential or flavoring oil. Pour into jars or containers

Chocolate Lip Gloss
1 1/2 tsp grated cocoa butter
1/2 tsp coconut oil
1/8 tsp vitamin E oil
1/4 tsp grated chocolate or 3 small chocolate chips
In a double boiler or microwave heat the cocoa butter, coconut oil, and vitamin E oiluntil melted. Stir in the chocolate chips and keep stirring until melted and well blended Pour into small container and allow to cool before using

 

Good luck and thanks for reading!

Berkeley

You Fix a Dog, not a person

I love VH1 Shows.  I cant help it.  I just like them a lot. 

My new favorite is the Tool Academy.  Though I am annoyed that they got rid of Mega, but he really wasn’t very tool-like. 

But anyway, Tool Academy says they will take your asshole boyfriend and ‘fix him’.  I know that this is a tagline, and it is designed to catch attention, but it mildly distresses me and I thought this is the perfect place to vent and opine!  :)

You cannot fix a person.  You can only fix a male pet.

If you want to fix a person, I would suggest you seriously consider why.  What is so untenable about them that they need fixing? 

Spellwork will not ‘fix’ a person.  Not ever.  It can help a person to become more introspective.  It can help a person learn some important lessons in life, and hopefully become the person they need to be.  But it will not ever change their character and it will not ever make them change from heterosexual into homosexual if they are not already.

If you are engaging in spellwork you need to know that it will not remove their small annoying habits.  It will not make them hotter, better in bed, or less of a tool if that is their set of values.   You need to really assess why they are the way they are, and why you want them to change.  Think about it and what you bring to the relationship.

Good luck and thanks for reading

Berkeley

Cheapie Beauty Tips and Tricks 1

If you have read this blog you know that I have a love-hate relationship with Glamour magazine.  I hate them because they call me fat in one way or another every time I open the magazine.  I love them because they do have some really great ideas.

This month they have beauty tricks to try on a budget.  I like the idea and thought that I would offer some of my own. 

The first tips are about skin, and I will post more later! J

The first is making your own exfoliating scrub.  I have a problem with normal exfoliators, because of the sand and grit in them.  I LOVE exfoliators that contain dissolving materials.  However, my favorite is $18 for a very TINY container.  I mean like 2 oz.  That plus shipping is not worth the expense to me now days.  That is a gas fill up.  Or 3 lattes.  I just cant afford it.  SOooo  I make my own!

I start with the Sheer Goddess Dew Fresh™ Facial Cleanser.  My favorite thing to add as an exfoliate is brown sugar.  You cannot do this before hand.  If you dump sugar into the bottle of cleanser it will dissolve.  Um…yes I did actually have to do this before I realized… J

So anyway, if you are using a teaspoon of cleanser add about  one half of a teaspoon of sugar.

You can use brown sugar, regular sugar or salt.  But I find salt to be VERY drying, so I don’t recommend it unless you are having a terrible breakout.

Also, for skin I like using Florida Water as a toner.   But I warn you, it is VERY HARSH as it has a high alcohol content.  Beyond that it is safe to use.  Put some on a cotton ball and you just wipe it over your face, like any toner.  It is also very drying, but I have had it clear up breakouts literally overnight.

So Good luck and thanks for reading

Berkeley

Sister Candelaria's Oceanside rituals and readings

 Sister Candelaria is now offering very bitchin Oceanside Rituals and readings!!

 These rituals begin at Sister Candelaria's altar and end with her actually going to the ocean on your behalf where she will make your offerings and petitions to LaSirene and Agwe!  She will then send you pictures, a ritual item, and a full report on your ritual.   This is not the type of ritual that you can get just anywhere and especially not in the detail that she will provide to you with the pictures, full report on the ritual, and guidance. 

Each ritual is customized to your requests to meet your goals.  While these rituals do not replace regular spell work, they certainly are an extraordinary form of adjunct work!  For love work, she will be calling upon the power of the love between Agwe and LaSiren to help your case.  For money work, she will be calling on them to share their riches  (and who couldnt use some money right now??).  For the Spiritual Power ritual, she will be calling on them to help you open up your spiritual centers, intuition, psychic centers and pathways, etc. 

You will discuss your needs with Sister Candelaria prior to the ritual.  When your ritual is performed, she will send you a digital picture of your ritual set up, a report, and she will be mailing you some of the materials used in the ritual with instructions for what you are to do with them.
The rituals are very cool!
Good luck and thanks for reading
Berkeley

Hatin on Taylor

I like Taylor Swift’s music in general. It is a little bee-boppy and fun. Nice to do some car-dancing to.

But I have a beef with her recent song, Love Story. It is a nice song, but in it lyric wise Taylor repeatedly compares her guy to Romeo, and begs to be saved. That kills me – and not in a good way. I totally get being lonely and not wanting to be, but this song just reinforces bad ideas to me.

 I was raised on Disney. I thought for a long time that a guy was going to take me away from my troubles. That if I was merely in a relationship with the “right” guy that my self esteem issues would melt away, that my self worth would somehow be bolstered, and that I would be able to achieve my other goals and dreams. Uh….Thanks Disney.

 Now several bad relationships, a divorce, and lots of growing up later, I realize that I have to save myself. My issues are my issues. I need to love myself first. And I do now. As a result I am able to engage in healthier relationships. In fact, one of the things I love about my fiancé (yes I said fiancé!!!!) will not rescue me. He is reliable, and wonderful, and really good to me. And when things come up I know he is there for me. But he doesn’t ever try to save me. If I have something that I have to go through, he doesn’t try to step in and prevent it. He lets me know he is there for me and stands back. I love that. He respects my strength.

So by all means enjoy the music, but don’t take that crap to heart. You are as strong as you want to be.
Thanks for reading
Berkeley

Free Love Ritual to Erzulie Freda!!

Greetings everyone! We are once again offering our free love spell ritual to the Vodou love goddess, Grand Mistress Erzulie Freda. As some of you may already know, we offered this love spell ritual on Valentine's Day 2006, 2007, and 2008! It was a great success with everyone's petitions being sent in for the ritual that was done here at our office on Valentine's Day.

 As always, we will ask that you send us an email with your requests for the ritual.  There is no charge to be involved in the ritual.  We do have products dedicated to Erzulie available again and this year we have added a special one-day ritual kit that we are offering. 

So many people enjoyed the Sobo Ritual Pack that we decided to create one for Erzulie Freda!  However, there is no need to purchase anything to be included in the ritual - the Erzulie Ritual Pack is a convenience for those who wish to use it.

Check it all out at www.spellmaker.com/erzulie.htm

Love, Mambo Sam

 As always, we will ask that you send us an email with your requests for the ritual.  There is no charge to be involved in the ritual.  We do have products dedicated to Erzulie available again and this year we have added a special one-day ritual kit that we are offering. 

So many people enjoyed the Sobo Ritual Pack that we decided to create one for Erzulie Freda!  However, there is no need to purchase anything to be included in the ritual - the Erzulie Ritual Pack is a convenience for those who wish to use it.

Check it all out at www.spellmaker.com/erzulie.htm

Love, Mambo Sam

Introspection and a positive outlook

Some things are easy to change through behavior.  Sometimes it is about having a more positive outlook on life, and going forward.  Sometimes it takes a little more.

This Christmas and New Years I was able to kind of take a minute and reflect on the past year.  This can be hard to do while you are living it, and you have a lot of stress from different things.  Nothing like taking stock during vacation!

  A lot of really great things have happened this year that I am so thankful about.  I know I harp about the economy a lot (because it’s so freakin bad and scary!!!)  but in such a bad time, I have a lot of good.  I really want to embrace that good and try to keep it going for another year.   Sometimes spellwork can be done just to keep the positive flow going – physically and emotionally.

My sister has gone through some major changes in her life.  She attributes them partially to reading “The Secret”.  She is not a very “new age” type of person.   She is very practical, and incredibly smart.  She does not throw herself into self help books looking for the answers to life, but does acknowledge the positive things they can provide.

So anyway, she said she gets it.  And to paraphrase her, she said that her understanding of it is that if you are negative and down all the time then you are going to receive negative in return.   You put the bad out there and the bad is all you are going to get.

Now it is much easier said than done to change your outlook on life.  When things are going badly whether it is love related, money related, or something else, it is hard not to feel isolated in your pain.   It hurts! And it is a fresh, in your face, down and dirty kinda hurt!  It is.  I understand. I have been there. I have been through hard times in love, I have been broker than broke, and I have experienced losses. 

But wallowing in the bad will not help you.  You have to find a way to turn it around and love your life.  Love the positive you have been given.  Of course, make goals and strive for more, but start with yourself.  Start within.

Ask yourself some hard questions.   Figure out what you are putting out there.  If you want love but you aren’t willing to give love, then why do you deserve it?   Why do you deserve to get this job more than another person does?  Why do you deserve to get money in your life?  If you have been cursed then did you do anything to bring that curse upon you?  Do not be a victim.  Take responsibility and make a change.  Think hard about these things and try to make yourself the person who does deserve the good.   And if you are a good person that doesn’t mean you get to stop!  Keep striving! Keep being a good person!

Thanks for reading

Berkeley

Revisting Making Me The Star of My Life

So I havent posted on this topic in a while, but someone I talked to recently asked how things were going regarding my post  from November about making myself the star of my life.

Things are going great! 

In November I posted that my goal was to lose 20 pounds.  I didn’t yet, but I did make some headway, and some realistic steps towards that goal.  I have been exercising on a regular basis again and am working really hard on getting fit. 

Like many other women (including Oprah!)  I have had an ongoing battle with my weight.  I have ranged from 130lbs up to 215lbs and everywhere in between.    I am nowhere near my heaviest weight, but I am overweight and I would like to get in better shape.  I know how to crash diet and lose weight fast, but it is really important to me to get fit instead of just thin. 

What I am doing to get fit is a lot of walking.  I walk 5 times a week, and since school is starting soon I am going to be able to take some physical type classes.  They were out of session for the winter break, but they start up this week.  I am looking at taking Pilates and Kickboxing. 

Also, I got a wonderful reading with Sister Bridget about the upcoming year as a guide.  The things that I didn’t see happening that I want to happen are my further goals.  Then there are things that might be happening which I wanted to strengthen or remove.  I am doing this through behavior, goal setting and spellwork.

I started this year with The Baron’s Purple Bath to bury the negative from the past year that I might be holding onto, consciously or subconsciously and start the year with a renewed me.   Then I did the Marie Laveau Clean Sweep House Blessing Kit to refresh and renew my home.    These things helped me to sort of take an assessment of where I am in life, and release old ideas and form new goals.   More to come :)

Thanks for reading

Berkeley