Mambo Samantha Corfield

Are you Depressed?

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Very often clients come to me and tell me that they are depressed. Of course we all go through days, maybe weeks, where we are depressed about something. Let me first say, if you feel you are clinically depressed or unable to cope, please, please seek professional help. Obviously, I am not that kind of doctor and if you feel hopeless and helpless, please seek help locally.

Okay, so besides that I think sometimes we forget the simple ways to combat depression. Now, of course, you could do a Milk of Damballah™ White Bath or use other cleansing type products such as white candles, etc.. However, sometimes just the very simple act of lighting a white candle, doing some deep breathing, and allowing yourself to relax and spend some time just "being" can help greatly! Not all successful "helps" are complicated! :-) I very often recommend to clients keeping a few white image candle kits around in their own gender just to use on occasions when they feel sad, depressed, low in energy, etc. It is a fairly simple way to boost yourself!

I also found an article that outlined 10 simple ways to fight depression. It's funny, most of it you will have already heard, I had! BUT, it was still just nice to see it in a simple list as a reminder that if we are depressed, sometimes just taking a few simple measures will get us "over the hump" of a bluesy day.

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"10 Tips For Fighting Depression "

I’ve done a bit of research into fighting depression recently and I’ve put together ten brief tips for fighting depression, leaving medication out of the list (excepting vitamins), as it doesn’t work for everyone. Most of these tips are probably common sense but it’s sometimes hard to think rationally when you’re depressed, and thus easy to forget.

Get sufficient sleep. I’ve always burned the candle at both ends. It’s a flaw of being a type-A, driven, workaholic personality. Lack of sleep multiplies the effects of depression. If you can’t get a full 6-8 hours each night, try 15-30 minute catnaps through out the day. I’ve tried implementing Steve Pavlina’s attempt at polyphasic rhythm-based sleep, but I can’t quite pull it off yet. I have however been very successful in using Pzizz’s two free 15-minute energizer audio MP3 recordings for power naps several times a day. It’s unbelievable how much these help. I’ve also successfully been using binaural beats to positively affect alpha, beta, theta, etc., brainwaves. (More on that in the future.)

Reduce stress. Stress can be invisible and subconscious, and it can come from guilt about a variety of things, personal and professional. For example, as I write this article, I’m suffering from guilt for not working on client projects, which I’ve been unable to do for most of the day. That means I have to make up for this lack tomorrow, which in turn induces anxiety. It’s tough, stressful cycle. If you don’t keep stress under control, it can induce productivity-grinding panic and anxiety attacks. Naps, a walk around the neighbourhood, and exercise can help alleviate the effects immensely. Remember: you cannot learn effectively with stress weighing you down. Sometimes, practicing detachment from your worries will solve your stress.

Get sufficient exercise. It’s not just a matter of getting blood flowing, though that’s part of it. But getting outside and getting sunlight and fresh air is important because it rejuvenates you. If you work at home like I do, this is especially important. I find that despite being a hermit thinker type, physical activity makes me feel great during times of depression. Blood flow and adrenaline seem to stave off the worst effects. Though it’s sometimes hard to remember that exercise or keeping busy helps.

Meditate. Meditation can be an effective means to reducing stress and thus depression. It can also help you to become aware of what is causing your guilt, your stress, and often help you achieve some detachment from those “problems” you cannot do anything about. In short, it helps you achieve perspective, to see where to focus your attention. I’ve been meditating on and off for about 20 years. (I’ve done over 10,000 hours of meditation, part of the requirement of becoming a Buddhist monk, though not all under a “master”, which disqualifies me.)

Add some colour to your wardrobe. Tough for me, an ex-goth who still wears mostly all-black, but all dark clothes all the time increases the effects of depression. Colour stimulates positive feelings. I find blood red or a hunter green shirt helps me. Some people prefer yellow, orange or peach, or prints or paisleys. You can also add colour to your life through art therapy.

Eat properly. You know eating properly applies all the time but it’s even more crucial for those suffering from depression. I find grains, nuts, and fruit help me, and staying away from fried foods and refined carbs. I have a friend, a gifted classical guitarist, who ends up in the hospital every three or four years because of the massive amount of fast food he eats nearly every single day, and without vegetables at that. (He’s had around three meltdowns in the decade or so I’ve known him, and hasn’t worked in that time.) Even a fresh submarine/ hoagy/ rocket with lots of free toppings (i.e., veggies) is better than fries, gravy, burgers and pizzas several times a week like he has. (I’m not knocking them, as I eat them, but not every day.) Seek out healthy snacks or make your own, eat nutritious foods and add colourful vegetables and leafy items.

Take your vitamins. Learn your E, B, Cs. And Zinc, Folic acid, iron supplements, etc. Poor diet robs us of many absolutely essential nutrients. If you are not going to change your diet, whatever your reason, at least replenish those nutrients.

Drink water. The proper amount of fluids helps keep your skin from getting dry in the winter time - the “season” in seasonal depression. It also helps clear out some of the toxins in your body. And by the way, it’s NOT 8 glasses per day for everyone. The proper amount is based on your body weight, age, activity level, and other factors.

Add extra lighting. Research shows that adding some warm, bright lights helps fight the effects of depression. You don’t have to spend $150+ on special lamps; just increase the wattage in some of your light bulbs. Also, fluorescent lights are less bright than they appear. Try to replace them if possible.

Smile. It’s not a guaranteed nor permanent cure, but it does help sometimes, if you can maintain a smile for a few minutes. I watch The Comedy Network (Canada) sometimes, as laughing helps - at least temporarily, like chicken soup sort of helps a cold. Remembering to do so is key, so you may need to tape some visual reminders to your mirrors or computer, etc."

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Here's wishing you all a happy day!!
Love,
Mambo Sam

Some Ideas About Combination Work!

Happy Monday, everyone!
Lately it seems that a number of you have had some questions about combination work. I suppose first off, we should talk a little bit about what combination work actually is.

What we here at Spellmaker term combination work is when you are working with adjunct work, such as candle magick kits, voodoo doll work, Cosmic Voodoo™ Eggs, etc. These are products that are generally used to enhance, strengthen, or work on details during or after one has used the regular Cosmic Voodoo™ spell kits.

So what I would like to do is go over a series of ways to use certain products over the next few days. Feel free to ask any questions you have simply by commenting in the comment section below. :-)

So today I would like to talk about the Red Mummy Candles. Most often we recommend that these candles be used to open up communication between yourself and someone else, or perhaps even two people that you would like to communicate better with each other. For instance, let's say that you have a man in your life who doesn't get along well with your children or your children don't accept him in your life. In that case, you could use the Red Mummy to petition for that man and your children to open up communication between themselves, separately from you, to build their own relationship.

For the most part, however, we use the Red Mummy to help us with communication between ourselves and someone else. So that is great! However, you can also use that Red Mummy in combination with, for instance, a white gender candle(appropriate to the sex of the person that you want to work on) to petition away negative energy from a bad argument, or any other type of negative communication you had with a person. If you need a person to "forget" a bad incident between you, then you can use the white male or female candle along with a Red Mummy to facilitate that.

The Red Mummy could also be used with your love doll to open up communication between you and the person you love - to make that communication loving and sweet and romantic.

Since communication is KEY to any and all relationships, using the Red Mummy in combination with almost any of your other adjunct products can help bring about the type of communication you want and help insure that you get that perfect dialogue going with that someone special.

In many instances, you could use, for instance, two white image candles - let's say you are a male/female couple - one white image candle to represent you, one to represent your intended, and also use the Red Mummy. In this way you can petition to open up that communication between the two of you, stating HOW you want it to happen, WHEN, and WHAT is the nature that you want the communication to take. You could also use it with a red set of image candles, pink set, etc., depending on what kind of communication you want: Positive where there has been something negative happening to your communication with this person (use white candles with the Red Mummy. Romantic where things have been cold (use the pink candles with the Red Mummy). Passionate and loving where loving communication has been at a stalemate (use the red candles).

I am sure you can think of many ways yourself to use the Red Mummy; just think in terms of communicating with that person you want to be with! I would love to hear the creative ways some of you have come up with to use the Red Mummy in combination with other products. We talked a lot about this in class. Have any of you used those techniques? How did it work out for you?

If you are confused on how to use this kind of combination work, please ask your caseworker! They are there to help you! :-) It can be a little tricky trying to use more than one product at a time in combination with each other, but it can be done. Just ask if you need help with it!

Love, light, and peace,
Mambo Sam

Erzulie's Oil and Incense!

Greetings everyone!  :-)  Hope you are having a beautiful Wednesday!

Of course as most of you know, we did our wonderful Valentine's Ritual to the beautiful Vodou love goddess, Erzulie Freda. We love doing this ritual every year for everyone!

This year was a little bit different in that we offered a special one-day ritual pack that you could do at home when we did the ritual here at the office. That ritual pack is still available, by the way, because it is the kind of ritual you could do anytime!

MANY of you asked about the oil and incense that was included in that ritual pack and asked if we would carry it separately. Although it was originally our intention just to have it for the ritual pack, since so many of you asked, we are now offering it separately.

The Erzulie's Love Apple™ Incense was a huge hit with all of you! :-) It is really wonderful and the smell is just divine. So we are now including it with our other incense offerings. Right now, it is available just on the Erzulie Freda Page, but we will be putting on the other pages soon.

The Erzulie's All that Glitters™ Love Oil was a great hit with you, too. Many of you have asked if you could use it with your Voodoo Sex Magick products that we are now offering. Yes, you can, and you can also use the Erzulie's incense with your sex magick.

If you are confused on how to use these products (or any other product, for that matter), please talk to your caseworker!

Love, light, and peace,
Mambo Sam

What Does Spring Mean to You?

Happy Monday, everyone!
Another spring is upon us! What does that mean for you? :-) (And that is besides sneezing, runny nose, and itchy eyes! LOL.)

I love spring and for me it always mean "renewal." I try to think of new ways to look at things - where can I seek a fresh perspective on an old problem? Are there projects that I abandoned and might still be worthy of finishing? What about my attitude? Might I need an attitude adjustment coming out of the winter and into the spring sunshine?

This is just such a wonderful time to think about renewal, rebirth, cleansing, getting a fresh start, etc. Sometimes this is a great time to get a "fresh start" even on something that you have been working on for a long time!!

For instance, have you been doing spell work on a particular subject for what seems like a really long time? Sometimes we begin to lose perspective on that subject because we have been working at it for so long. We may have been doing so much work on it that we are now just going through the motions of the work! That is something to be on the look out for!!!

If you have been doing your spell work for quite awhile now and you aren't quite where you want to be, I suggest taking a little break from your work! Unless you are in the middle of one of the Creole Voodoo™ spell kits that you have to do nine days in a row with, it isn't a bad idea sometimes to take a little break!

For some people, just taking a few days off of working on that particular goal can bring about fresh perspective, renewed energy, etc. It can be helpful during that break to perhaps do a little bit of work on yourself - some cleansing with something such as the Milk of Damballah™ white bath, white male or female candles,, etc. can renew your spirit, resolve, and vigor greatly!!!

It is just as important to keep yourself fresh and renewed in your spell work as it is to continue to work towards your goal. If you are worn out and feeling sort of "autumnal" - perhaps doing some spring cleaning on your spirit might be just the thing to shake your energy and your case up!

Love, light, peace, and Happy Spring,
Mambo Sam

Feed Hungry Children - Great American Bake Sale

Hello everyone!  In the spirit of St. Joseph's Day (see yesterday's post, please), I would like to bring to your attention, the Great American Bake Sale!  This is a really cool way to help feed hungry children.

I found out about this on the Food Channel Network and checked into it.  The set up for this is really great in that you sign up to hold a bake sale in your area and the proceeds will benefit community programs that feed children.  But what is really great is that you can also sign up to hold a "virtual bake sale."  That is such a great idea, isn't it??  Most people may not have the time to actually put together a bake sale and host it in their community.  However, if you do the virtual bake sale, the Great American Bake Sale website helps you build your own little web page and offers a function where you can email your friends and family and ask them to contribute to your virtual bake sale. 

If you think about it, even if someone can just contribute a dollar or two to your virtual bake sale, all those dollars add up!

If you can host a bake sale in your community, or even host a virtual bake sale, you can offer that as a service to Les Lois.  Remember especially the lwa such as Erzulie Freda, Maman Brigitte, Baron Samedi, Papa Loko, Erzulie Dantor, Ayida Ouedo, Ayizan, and others are very concerned with the welfare and protection of children.  Doing any kind of participation in a program such as this can certainly also be a service to our beloved lwa while making a difference in American communities where hunger in children is a huge problem.  We have a tendency to think that hungry children just exist in third world countries where it "isn't our problem." 

But if as Americans, we think that all American children are well fed and well taken care of, I am sorry to say that we are wrong.  Thousands of American children go to bed hungry and homeless every night.  I was appalled to hear that right here in Albuquerque, New Mexico (and we are not a huge city), they estimate 4,500 children to be homeless right now!!!  It is unfathomable to me that we have ONE homeless child in America, but the statistics are both staggering and alarming.  Participation in a program such as Great American Bake sale can help.  Don't be fooled into thinking that you are "just one person" and cannot help!  This particular organization has a set up to allow everyone to do something in an easy and pretty quick way!  :-)

I am working on setting up our Sheer Goddess Great American Bake Sale page and I urge each of you to do the same.  It only takes a few minutes, it doesn't cost anything to participate (especially if you choose to do the virtual bake sale option  - then it will only cost you some of your time), and the rewards of your participation will feed a child.  Light up some candles, call upon your favorite lwa, and tell them what you are doing as a service to them and your fellow human beings.  :-)  

If you cannot participate, I will be publicizing our Great American Bake Sale page and taking donations for a virtual bake sale over the next couple of days.  :-)  Like I said, even if you can only donate a dollar or two, it will add up!  As for my local gals and guys - Matt, Berkeley, Debie, Travis, Eshita, Eileen, Cindy, Darla, Jeanne, Ronda...and whomever I forgot,  you know who you are - haha - we WILL be doing a real bake sale coming up soon!  So start getting your recipes on! 

Love, Mambo Sam

Happy St. Joseph's Day!

Hello everyone!  Today is St. Joseph's Day!  For those of you who were in chat class with me, you might remember that we discussed St. Joseph's Day!  This day is celebrated widely in New Orleans and other cities, especially those with large Italian populations.  Beautiful St. Joseph's Day altars are built with begged or borrowed materials and the food that is placed on the altar is then given to charity.

For those of you who have done the Lots-o-Luck Spell Kit, you might remember that there are beans in there called "habas."  Those are the fava beans which are mentioned below in this wonderful article about St. Joseph's Day and now you will know why those beans are in your kit!

Also, for Vodouisants, St. Joseph is syncretized with Papa Loko (Loko Atisou), the male lwa who presides over Houngans and Mambos.  Papa Loko is considered the "first Houngan" and it is from Papa Loko that the initiates take their asson (sacred rattle).  So just as St. Joseph is considered as the father of Jesus Christ in Christian religions, Papa Loko is considered the father of initiates in the Vodou religion.

This is a holiday rich in religious tradition for both Catholics and Vodouisants.  But religion is not the primary focus for this holiday - the idea of feeding the poor is!  So if you can, do something today to help feed someone needy.  If you can't do it today, that's okay, too, because St. Joseph Altars will be up through this weekend.  :-)  So get out there and feed someone!

Please enjoy this article.  It is very well-researched and historically correct!

Love, Mambo Sam

St. Joseph's Day Altars
by Anna Maria Chupa

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Background
 St. Joseph's Day altars began as a custom brought to New Orleans by Sicilian immigrants. The tradition of building the altar to St. Joseph began as far back as the Middle Ages in gratitude to St. Joseph for answering prayers for deliverance from famine. The families of farmers and fisherman built altars in their homes to share their good fortune with others in need. The tradition grew to a more public event on St. Joseph's Feast Day on March 19. Today the individuals who work on the altars are fulfilling their own promises to St. Joseph "to share their blessings with those in need."(2) Without exception, the altar workers explained that they contributed to the altars not for their own purposes but 'for St. Joseph' or for a family member or friend.(5)

One tradition entails begging for the supplies to build the altar. The altar must not incur "any expense nor any personal financial gain."(2) As an act of devotion to St. Joseph, supplicants would promise to build an altar should their sons return home from war safely. Part of the personal sacrifice involved was the act of begging for food.(5)

Although there are perishable foods on the altars, a large portion of the breads, cookies and cakes are wrapped so that they may be given to charities after the altar is broken. The altar is broken after a ceremony which reenacts the Holy Family seeking shelter. The ceremony is called Tupa Tupa "which in Italian means Knock Knock." Children dressed in costume "knock at three doors asking for food and shelter. At the first two they are refused. At the third door, the host of the Altar greets them and welcomes them to refresh themselves."(2)

Butler's Lives of the Saints lists St. Joseph as the patron saint of Families, Working Men, Social Justice, and the Church. St. Joseph is also the Patron Saint of the dying.(3) Following the blessing of the altar on the afternoon of March 18, visitors are invited to leave written petitions to St. Joseph or donations for the poor. The Mary's Helper Newsletter invited people to mail their petitions for the altar in the event that they could not visit personally.

Spiritualism and Vodun Connection
My own journey to the St. Joseph's Day altars began while I was conducting research on Spiritualism and Vodun in New Orleans. In my search for more information on Damballah, an African spirit who came to be associated with St. Patrick and with Moses in the syncretized Vodun of new world contexts, I also saw frequent references to St. Joseph. Spiritualist churches who honored Black Hawk as a patron spirit of social justice simultaneously honored St. Joseph and Moses in prominent positions on their altars.

The Mary's Helpers Newsletter makes an interesting connection in the interpretation of Joseph as a deliverer. "It was told to the Israelites in the Old Testament, 'Go to Joseph,' if they wanted any favor or benefit, referring to the Joseph of Egypt. 'Go to Joseph,' is the advice and counsel given to every Catholic who wants a favor and believes in the sanctity of the Holy Family."

More on Sicilians in New Orleans
 ers of The Greater New Orleans Italian Cultural Society (GNOICS) built their first altar in 1967 "on the front steps of the St. Joseph church on Tulane Avenue."(4) In 1978, the altar location was moved to the Piazza D'Italia, primarily because inclement weather in previous years made the outdoor location on the steps of St. Joseph's problematic.(Chupa:98) Piazza d'Italia is located on "300 Poydras, to the rear of the American Italian Renaissance Foundation Museum and Library building."(4) In 1998, the Altar was prepared under the direction of Mr. and Mrs. Peter Bertucci who have been involved with the altar preparations since 1967. The GNOICS altar has since been reestablished at St. Joseph's Church.

The concentration of Sicilian immigrants in New Orleans explains why this tradition is almost exclusive to this southeastern city. Whereas most immigrants from Naples "settled in New York and other cities along the eastern seaboard" the Sicilians "sailed from Palermo and landed in New Orleans. Between 1850 and 1870, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates that there were more Italians in New Orleans than in any other U.S. city. By 1910, the population of the city's French Quarter was 80 percent Italian. Today there are 200,000 Americans of Italian descent living in New Orleans and its suburbs, making Italian Americans the largest ethnic group in the city."(4)

Symbols in the St. Joseph's Day altar
Many of the altars we visited were constructed in the form of a Latin cross with two additional tables running parallel to the length of the cross. This tripartite arrangement refers to the Trinity. A statue of St. Joseph or a picture of the Holy family is usually at the top of the altar.(1)

"All of the items on the altar -- food, candles, medals, holy cards and fava beans -- are blessed by a priest in a special ceremony the afternoon before an altar is 'broken.'" That evening people may visit to pray and leave petitions. Donations are collected for the poor."(1)

Over the doorway a fresh green branch is placed to indicate that the public is invited to participate "in the ceremony and to share the food."(1) The specially prepared breads on the St. Joseph1s altar make take many forms. As this custom is observed during the Lenten season, and the tradition was begun in Sicily where fish and shellfish were more common than meat, decorative breads in the form of shellfish are common. Other symbolic imagery specific to Joseph might include tools used by a carpenter (ladder, saw, hammer, nails) as well as sandals, lilies and a staff. Some of the breads are prepared with a decorative interlace and filled with figs, alluding to the fig orchards of Sicily.(1)

Breads and cakes may also take the form of more common Christian symbols, i.e., the Monstrance or Spada which holds the sacred Host; the Chalice, which refers to the consecration of the Bread and Wine at the Last Supper; the Cross (crucifixion of Christ), Dove (Holy Spirit), Lamb, Fish (Jesus as the Lamb of God and the Fisher of Men); and Hearts (Sacred Heart of Jesus, Immaculate Heart of Mary. A heart pierced by a dagger also refers to the grieving mother or Mater Dolorosa and may bear the names of recently departed loved ones.) A Crown of Thorns and Palms refer to martyrdom and symbols of eternal love.(1)

 Wine bottles on the altar represent the miracle of Cana and the twelve whole fish represent the twelve apostles and the miracle of the loaves and the fishes. Other images specific to Sicily include grapes, olives and figs referring to the orchards and vineyards in Sicily. Two prepared foods that are commonly seen on the altar include the Pignolatti and the Pupaculova. The Pignolatti are fried pastry balls joined together in the shape of a pine cone representing "the pine cones Jesus played with as a child." The Pupaculova is a baked bread which encloses a dyed Easter egg representing the "coming of Easter."(1)

Bread crumbs or "Mudica" are served as a seasoning over the Pasta Milanese on St. Joseph's Feast Day and symbolize sawdust.(1) The food served to the public on St. Joseph1s Day is a reenactment of a promise made to St. Joseph for delivery from famine. "Small bags are given as keepsakes to all who visit the altar. Each bag may contain a blessed medal, holy card, fava beans, cookies or bread."(1)

The people we spoke to had several interpretations regarding the appearance of lemons on the St. Joseph's Day altars. Citrus fruits are common in the orchards of Sicily. One woman said that it was good luck to "steal" a lemon from the altar leaving hidden coins behind for the poor.(5) Several women told us that a lemon blessed on St. Joseph's altar will not turn black and is a symbol of good luck.(6) Another woman said that the lemons are for young married women who want to become pregnant. Still others mentioned that during certain periods, the lemon was a luxury so its appearance on the altar is a way of returning ones good fortune to others.(5)

Artichokes figure prominently in the food served and when they are available in abundance, stuffed artichokes may also appear on the altars. In 1998, because artichokes were so scarce, they were not seen on the four altars we visited. In 1997, the artichokes were plentiful.

Perhaps the most ubiquitous symbol to be found on the altar is the lucky Fava Bean. "The gift of a blessed bean is the most well known of the customs associated with the St. Joseph's Day altar. During one of Sicily's severe famines, the fava bean thrived while other crops failed. It was originally grown for animal fodder, but because of its amazing resilience, it became the sustaining food of the farmers and their families. The dried bean is commonly called the "lucky bean." Legend has it that the person who carries a 'lucky bean' will never be without coins. The fava bean is a token of the St. Joseph's Altar, and a reminder to pray to St. Joseph," particularly for the needs of others.

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Workplace Etiquette Article

Greetings everyone!
Many of you petitioned for new jobs or getting a job during our Sobo Ritual yesterday. In the spirit of "it has already happened" I am going to assume that many of you who are not working will be working soon!

In doing Get a Job spells for many people over the years, I have noticed that when they tell me the story of what happened on their last job(s), they often have little insight into why they were unable to keep a job. :-)

This article came across my desk and having had more than a few management jobs in my life, I felt like this was a good one! So many of us walk into the workplace with little or not cognizance of what we should or should not do! Even for a seasoned professional, a little reminder never hurt.

Since I know many of you out-of-work folks will soon be getting a job here is an article by Rachel Zupek!

Rachel Zupek, CareerBuilder.com writer

Some people are men and women of few words -- to work in an office with such people is a blessing. Most workers, however, are stuck in a workplace where they hear about everything from a co-worker's baby-making plans to his estranged relationship with his father.

Talking about such topics might be OK to share over cocktails with your best friend -- they are not OK for the workplace. Because people spend more time at the office with co-workers than anywhere (or anyone) else, some workers have trouble drawing the line between business and friendship, says Susan Solovic, co-founder and CEO of SBTV.com, and author of three books, including "Reinvent Your Career: Attain the Success You Desire and Deserve." "It's a social environment as well as a work environment. However, you must remember: While you can be friendly and develop a good rapport, business is business and friendship is friendship."

These days, your job security is unstable enough as it is. The last thing you need is to make an off-the-cuff remark that gets you fired (or shunned from the likes of your co-workers). To help keep your career on track, here are 10 things you should never say or discuss in the workplace:

1. "That's not my job." When you boil things down, everyone does things that "aren't their job." If everyone complained that a certain task wasn't in the offer they signed, the labor force would be in more trouble than it already is. If someone asks for your help, take it as a compliment. He or she obviously values your input or thinks your skills would be good fit for the task. Not only will it help earn good office karma (you never know when you'll need help from other colleagues), but it never looks good to only do the bare minimum. And no boss wants to hear those four words!

2. "I don't mind helping you with that." (With a fake smile pasted on your face.) There's nothing worse than someone who offers to help and then complains about it later. If you take on a task with a smile but don't really want to do it, your help is as good as no help at all. When you work without enthusiasm, it's never your best effort. Plus, don't say you'll do something if you have no intention of actually completing the task or you'll earn a reputation as an unreliable person. Your colleagues are relying on you, so your decision not to follow through impacts their jobs, too.

3. "Don't tell anyone I said this, but ... " Anytime you start a sentence with that phrase, you're asking for one thing: The recipient of your knowledge to, indeed, tell someone you said that. If it's really a secret, keep it to yourself. Whether you know someone in the office got pregnant by the mail guy or you found out what the boss makes, you're going to get credit for spreading the news. Plus, if a co-worker is gossiping with you, most likely he or she will gossip about you.

4. "I haven't gotten a raise, EVER." Since most employers base salary increase on productivity (not longevity), asking for a raise based on how long you've been with the company or how long it's been since your last one will tell your boss only that you want more money -- not that you deserve it. Instead, prove the raise is merited.

5. "I'm so ... stressed out/busy/sick of working here." Constant complaints about your workload, stress levels or the company will quickly make you the kind of person who never gets invited to lunch. If you don't agree with company policies and procedures, address it through official channels or move on.

6. "I have insert weird, gross or inappropriate medical condition here ." Nobody cares about your aches and pains, the weird fungus on your foot, your infertility woes or the bad gas you got from eating Chinese food last night. To your employer, your constant medical issues make you seem like an expensive, high-risk employee. And to your co-workers, you seem like an attention-seeking hypochondriac.

7. "Whom did you vote for?" or "What religion are you?" The old adage that you shouldn't discuss politics or religion is as true today as ever before. People have strong, passionate views on both topics and you may alienate a co-worker or be viewed negatively based on your views in a way that could impact your career.

8. "I got so trashed last night ..." It's perfectly fine to have fun after work, but don't brag about your drunken escapades to your boss. The fact that you showed up for work despite still recovering from a massive hangover might be impressive, but it means nothing if you spend the day recounting your activities versus working. Not to mention, sharing that information makes you look unprofessional and unreliable.

9. "I don't have time for that." In case you didn't realize, everybody's busy. If your boss asks you to do something, chances are it's not really an option. If your main concern is accomplishing the task on time, be honest and tell that to your boss. Mention how busy your schedule is but that you can accommodate the request if some other projects are rearranged. You'll show that you take each assignment seriously and only want to turn in your best work.

10. "I just bought a $1,000 watch for the boss." While the spirit of keeping up with the Joneses is alive and well in the workplace, constantly sharing how much you spent on gifts, meals or outings will only have others annoyed. Not only will it seem like you're bragging, but you don't want others speculating on the lifestyle you're living -- or if you're

End of Article

Love, light, and peace,
Mambo Sam

Happy St. Patrick's Day and Sobo Ritual Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day and Luck o'the Irish to ya!

Of course we are doing the wonderful Sobo ritual today! :-) We will definitely post pictures! We cannot wait to get started and hope that all of your petitions are answered.

We will be working with Sobo, Damballah, and, of course, dear St. Patrick today, working towards wealth and security and luck for everyone who has asked us to petition on their behalf.

Even if you are not able to do the ritual today, take a little bit of time to say a prayer, or light a candle, or just wish good thoughts to those who are in need. Obviously, many of us are being affected by this economy. Some people are much worse off than others, though, and our hearts and prayers go out to them first.

St. Patrick's Day is a fun holiday and so it is a great time to put out positive energy and positive thoughts towards things! It is pretty easy to imagine that pot of gold at the end of EVERYONE'S rainbow!! So put that great spin on everything today - luck and wealth for all!

Off we go to get the ritual started!

Love, light, and peace,
Mambo Samantha Corfield

Pay Someone an Amazing Compliment Day

Happy Monday Everyone!
Yes, I, Mambo Sam, just declared a national holiday! LOL. It is "Pay Someone an Amazing Compliment" Day.

Nothing makes people feel better than to hear something wonderful about themselves. Choose a stranger, someone you know, someone you love, someone you wish you liked better... it doesn't matter who it is!

Tell a harried lady in the supermarket that her hair looks wonderful. Tell that coworker that you don't particularly like how nice she looks today. Tell someone you love WHY you love them, even if you think they already know! There are endless, wonderful possibilities for paying others amazing compliments.

If you go throughout your day looking for wonderful things about people, you might just discover something you might have otherwise missed!

We spend so much time worrying about and playing into negativity! Why not spend a whole day just looking for opportunities to say nice things to people you encounter? Really go out of your way... seek the opportunities to say something nice to as many people as possible.

Now, of course, I am not saying just make stuff up! Maybe you might have to stretch the truth a bit, but that's okay. You just might make someone's day! There is nothing wrong with that. :-)

I would love to hear about your experiences! Oh and Happy Pay Someone an Amazing Compliment Day - YOU look beautiful today. :-)

Love, light, and peace,
Mambo Sam

The Ides of March

Happy Ides of March, everyone!
A few people wrote to me concerned that there was a Friday the 13th followed by "The Ides of March" and wondered if this was bad because their spell work was starting during this period.

My first answer about Friday the 13th is that it is just another day. :-) But my only child was born on a Friday the 13th and so for me I consider all those Friday the 13th's as a special day in my life since it brought me son and thus my grandsons! :-)

Second, the Ides of March was always just a part of a calendar.. there are "ides" in other months, too. I found a great article explaining exactly about the ides of March and what it truly means. Shakespeare fans have forever put a grim foreboding to the 15th of March, but again, just another day, and like all days, it is what you make of it, right?

So, no, Friday the 13th nor the Ides of March will have any grim bearing on your spellwork!

Here is the article:
The Ides of March
Just one of a dozen Ides that occur every month of the year by Borgna Brunner

As far as Caesar knew, the Ides were just another day. The soothsayer's warning to Julius Caesar, "Beware the Ides of March," has forever imbued that date with a sense of foreboding. But in Roman times the expression "Ides of March" did not necessarily evoke a dark mood—it was simply the standard way of saying "March 15." Surely such a fanciful expression must signify something more than merely another day of the year? Not so. Even in Shakespeare's time, sixteen centuries later, audiences attending his play Julius Caesar wouldn't have blinked twice upon hearing the date called the Ides.

The term Ides comes from the earliest Roman calendar, which is said to have been devised by Romulus, the mythical founder of Rome. Whether it was Romulus or not, the inventor of this calendar had a penchant for complexity. The Roman calendar organized its months around three days, each of which served as a reference point for counting the other days:

Kalends (1st day of the month) Nones (the 7th day in March, May, July, and October; the 5th in the other months) Ides (the 15th day in March, May, July, and October; the 13th in the other months) The remaining, unnamed days of the month were identified by counting backwards from the Kalends, Nones, or the Ides. For example, March 3 would be V Nones—5 days before the Nones (the Roman method of counting days was inclusive; in other words, the Nones would be counted as one of the 5 days).

Days in March

March 1: Kalends; March 2: VI Nones; March 3: V Nones; March 4: IV Nones; March 5: III Nones; March 6: Pridie Nones (Latin for "on the day before"); March 7: Nones; March 15: Ides

Used in the first Roman calendar as well as in the Julian calendar (established by Julius Caesar in 45 B.C.E.) the confusing system of Kalends, Nones, and Ides continued to be used to varying degrees throughout the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance.

So, the Ides of March is just one of a dozen Ides that occur every month of the year. Kalends, the word from which calendar is derived, is another exotic-sounding term with a mundane meaning. Kalendrium means account book in Latin: Kalend, the first of the month, was in Roman times as it is now, the date on which bills are due.

End of Article

Love,light, and peace,
Mambo Sam

Sex Magick! It's a great enhancement to spell work!

Happy Saturday,people!
As most of you know, we are now finally offering sex magick. Participants in our 2008 Albuquerque Voodoo Convention were able to preview and buy these sex magick products at the convention and quite a few of them have written us to let us know how well they have worked for them! ;-)

Sex magick is something that is quite ancient in occult practices. There are all kinds of sex magick concentrating on different areas of sexual energy: Creation, love, passion,etc. Our sex magick is mainly being used to enhance or encourage a sexual relationship. This is a very powerful type of adjunct work for those who have already done (or are doing) love spell magick.

The intimate relationship between a couple is, needless to say, an extremely important part of their love relationship. In many of our clients' cases, the intimate relationship has been damaged in some way or perhaps no longer even exists. Sex magick is very helpful in concentrating energy into the parts of the Higher Self that rule passion, creation, and sexual desire.

Of course, there is also the sex magick that is designed to break up the sexual relationship of a couple. This is where one needs to exercise a bit of caution! It is also important to remember that just because you break up the sexual relationship of a couple does not necessarily mean that your desired half of that couple immediately comes running to you! So, just like most good magick, sex magick is done in stages.

Most importantly, sex magick is meant to represent the most intimate energies of a loving couple. Sex magick is not meant for coercing or forcing sex from a person. But if you use it, just as you would use love spell magick, to send that message of love and intimacy to your desired partner, then you are on the right track.

Of course then, you have to ask, "What if I don't have a "desired partner?" What if I just want to feel more sexually attractive or I am out there "just looking" and want to attract sexual partners? Can I use sex magick?"

Absolutely! The sex magick we crafted can definitely be used for that purpose! If you are out there and looking to see what you can find and perhaps you don't feel sexually attractive, or someone has damaged your self esteem so that you don't feel like you could enjoy or perform sexually any more, then you can definitely benefit from the sex magick as well!

So have a look! Oh, and did I mention, sex magick is fun! :-) It's empowering and makes you feel sexy just doing it!

The new sex magick page is located at www.spellmaker.com/sexmagick.htm. (Everything is 25% off right now with Free Shipping!!!!)

More About "Deserving!"

Happy Friday the 13th, everyone! :-)
I wanted to talk a little bit more about my question about our sense of "deserving" something. Even though you can see these comments in the comments section under each blog post, I wanted to reprint these comments from readers here in this post so that I could comment on them.

One reader says:
"I had to think about this post for about a day before answering. . . . first I think we can trace that "entitlement" thing back to being children and being told if we were "good" santa would bring goodies (and if not, a lump 'o coal)! Who didn't have an impression like that made on them when they were small? Some of us never got over it!!! i try to turn it around and say i have been given MORE than I deserve. Several years ago I had a serious illness and could have died; in fact since then have seen many people with the same illness die from it. Ever since that happened I look at anything good that happens as "bonus points". I still get mad and sad and so on when I don't get what I want/get my own way; but try to remind myself it could be a LOT worse. Even in this terrible economy, most of us have more than most of the world's people will ever hope to have. This does not mean I do not throw my temper tantrums and sulk like anybody else but I also try to keep the big picture in mind. . . and intentionally make it bigger and bigger all the time. A hard question! Still not sure of the answer. . ."

This reader brings up a very good point and it bodes another question: Are we programmed to think in terms of what we deserve? Certainly Santa would be a good example of that! Even just the idea of being children and being punished for bad behavior and rewarded for good behavior reinforces the idea of when we do something "good" in life we deserve some kind of reward for it. It is like somewhere along the line many of us did not get the lesson that sometimes the doing good is the reward in and of itself. We believe we are entitled to more. Like the reader says, it is a hard question and I don't think there is an easy answer, either!

Like I was mentioning in my original post my main concern here is what I perceive as a huge sense of entitlement in some of my clients and my worry is that this will somehow be detrimental to their spell work - that they will not put forth the necessary effort, time, or heart, because they have the idea that they just simply deserve a good result!

Another reader says:
"Hi Mambo, What a great question I think that this is. I would think that being a good mother should be a reward in itself. And being a good wife should be a reward unto itself. I think the problem comes in when people are picking the wrong people to concentrate their efforts on. If you are trying to be a good wife to your husband and he doesn't give a hoot about you, then you should have realized that before you wanted to spend the rest of your lives together. Everyone deserves to be happy, but if you just sit around and wait for happiness to find you, I think you will be very disappointed. You have to go make your own happiness and then yes, you deserve it because you worked for it. The same thing goes with our spellwork. If you think you deserve your HD or whatever you are working towards, then you have to really work for it. That means no conflict and staying positive. Then yes you deserve the results you work so hard for. Ok, that is how I see it anyway!!"

This reader makes a good point, also, in that no matter what you deserve, you still need to be proactive in your own happiness no matter how "good" you have been. Plus, she mentions that "everyone deserves to be happy." Certainly I agree that we all start out that way! ;-) I think we have all known a few rat bastards that probably did not deserve to be happy, but we will leave them out of the equation for this discussion and assume we are just talking about the at least marginally decent human beings. LOL.

I would love to hear from more of you on this subject. You know, your comments can be anonymous, you don't have to say who you are, and a Mambo never tells! :-)

Love, light, and peace,
Mambo Samantha Corfield

What Do We Deserve?

Hello everyone!
What do we "deserve?" The dictionary definition of "deserve" goes like this:
To earn by service; to be worthy of (something due, either good or evil); to merit; to be entitled to; as, the laborer deserves his wages; a work of value deserves praise. To serve; to treat; to benefit. To be worthy of recompense; -- usually with ill or with well.

Many times clients tell me that they "deserve" something; to be treated better by their partner, to have a better life, to have more money, etc. I recently asked a client why they felt that they deserved what they were asking me to help them obtain. I only asked the question because I am hearing a LOT lately about what people think they deserve!

I have clients tell me, "I was a good mother to my children, now I deserve some happiness in my life." Now this one always give me cause to pause. If you decided to have children, shouldn't you be a good mother?? Does being a good mother cause you to "deserve" some sort of reward for that? Or is being a good mother part of the idea of having children? Are the children the reward? Do you deserve "more" because you were a good mother? Now don't get me wrong, I am not saying one does or does not deserve something because of being a good mother. I am actually asking you, my readers, to weigh in on this!

Another thing I hear is, "I was a good wife to my husband. He left me anyway and now I deserve something better." So again, I feel like, well, if you are going to be a wife, should you not be a good one? Does your being a good wife mean you now deserve something better?

Then there is the, "I am a good person, I deserve good things in my life." Okay... so you are a decent human being. Shouldn't you be? Really, isn't it up to all of us to be, at the very least, a decent human being? Should there be a decent human being award? Now if by being a good person you mean you do works of charity, help the homeless and poor, and give freely of your time to the assistance of others, then, yes, maybe there is a merit badge for that! Maybe you are more "deserving" than someone who doesn't do those things. But if you are just sitting around, living your life, minding your own business, and not harming anyone else, I am not sure that means you "deserve" more than another "good person" who happens to be starving to death in Africa.

By the beginning of the definition of "deserve" above, to "earn by service" who amongst us is "deserving?" Should we be "earning" what we "deserve?" How do we earn it? I didn't say I had answers to these questions, maybe I just have questions! ;-)

I do know that it is really starting to make me uneasy how many people lately are telling me what they deserve. When I ask them why, they generally get pissed off at me, so I am thinking that is probably not the best approach. :-) But I am truly curious about the sense of entitlement some people seem to have; like the world owes them something: The mother who was good to her children (so was raising the children so horrible that she now deserves a reward for it?); the spouse who was good, etc. Because we went through tough times, does that mean we are now somehow entitled to a reward? Was our "tough time" worse than someone else's? IS there a reward for tough times?

I DO get that we are all filled with books and talk shows and self-help gurus telling us how to feel good about our own self-worth, how to manifest our destiny, how to think positively about ourselves and our goals. But does that mean we necessarily "deserve" them OR are we in some way supposed to earn that which we think we deserve?

Now, most of you are working on spell work from us, and we here at Spellmaker always want you to reach your goal! Most of my thought process above does not come from me thinking that you don't "deserve" to reach your goal! :-) Not at all! But I am concerned that just thinking that you "deserve" something is not enough to bring it to you! I am worried that too much thought of "well, I deserve this" is somewhat counterproductive and makes us all work a little less harder to achieve what we want!

To say the least, I have really mixed emotions about this! I would love to hear your opinion!

Love, light, and peace,
Mambo Samantha Corfield

Damballah and St. Patrick's Day Ritual

Happy Friday everyone!
The ever-delightful Simone Green writes:
"Hi Mambo, Can we include Damballah in the ritual? Since St. Patrick is his saint, and to add extra luck?"

Yes, of course, feel free to add service to Damballah into your Sobo ritual on St. Patrick's Day! :-) Never hurts to have a little Damballah on your side. Damballah is often represented in Vodou rituals by St. Patrick (though I remain a bit perplexed at that since St. Patrick is credited for running the snakes OUT of Ireland..and no one is running Damballah out of anywhere if he doesn't want to go!  LOL). Of course, the reason is because St. Patrick is portrayed many times with snakes in the picture. The more years that pass, though, the more I am a Moses/Damballah syncretizer, but traditionally it is St. Patrick.

At any rate, I don't think it is a far stretch at all to do some service to Damballah with your Sobo ritual. For us, "coincidentally" Sobo, Damballah, and Ayida Ouedo used to share space in our previous altar room. ;-) When you think about it, it makes perfect sense! Damballah is full of wisdom and power, both necessary to obtain and KEEP one's money. His wife, Ayida Ouedo, is represented by the rainbow! Where is that pot of gold?? At the end of the rainbow, of course!

So, yes, Simone, I think including Damballah (and of course Ayida Ouedo) into your Sobo ritual is a pretty good bet.

Including Damballah into your ritual can be quite easy. A very simple offering of a white egg, either boiled or left raw, sitting in a dish of white flour is a very common and well-received offering to Damballah. Finding a picture of a rainbow with a pot of gold at the end of it and putting it on your altar will serve and acknowledge Ayida Ouedo and tie in nicely with your petitions to Sobo for wealth and security.

Great idea, Simone! Thank you!

Love,light, and peace,
Mambo Samantha Corfield
P.S. If you have not gotten in your petitions for the Sobo ritual, please do! Check out all the information about the Wealth and Security Ritual at www.spellmaker.com/sobo.htm! Remember, we do this ritual all month long starting March 17.

Spellmaker Community Pages!

Hi there, everyone!<BR>

Good morning! :-) I am working on a project to have a whole section of the Spellmaker website dedicated to building a community for those who wish to feel more a part of what we do.

I would really love it if you could send me pictures of your altars or any rituals you have done and took pictures of, or any pictures you take in the future. Obviously, make sure that if you don't want your surroundings to be recognizable, that you take your pictures in such a way that nothing personal is showing. For those of you who are out of the voodoo closet and don't mind having your picture shown, we would love that, too! :-) Regardless, your name and place of residence would always be kept confidential, even if we have permission to show your picture.

This will also include resurrection of the Spellmaker Forum, though it will have sort of a different nature to it. There are plenty of places to see and say negative things, the Forum will not be one of them. Sister Bridget is working diligently on the forum to renovate it into a happy, productive, and supportive place!

We have a few other little goodies up our sleeves for you and can't wait to show you around once it is done!

Meanwhile, if you have pictures, please just send them to me at [email protected]. Almost any format will work for me. Don't worry if you think your pictures aren't that great! You don't have to be a professional photographer to share.  Personally, I love altar and ritual pictures... I enjoy seeing others', especially because I feel a little part of that ritual. 

 Every altar and ritual picture can be a source of inspiration for someone, so you never know who you will be helping along their path!

Love,light, and peace,
Mambo Samantha Corfield

Parran Matt and Mambo's Fet Ghede Altar at home, 2007.

More about St. Patrick's Day Ritual!

Hello everyone!
We are really excited to be doing the Sobo ritual again here for St. Patrick's Day. So many of you reported really excellent results with the one we did in December. (Time really flies; it seems like we just did it and here it is March!!)

It is important to remember, though, that sometimes there are smaller results, or more long term results, that we forget to recognize. I had one client tell me that she did the Sobo ritual, but nothing happened. Then in the next moment she told me that over the last month or so she has had more clients in her business than she ever had before. :-) I did gently point this out to her and she said, "Oh, I didn't look at it that way." Of course, then she did see what I was talking about!

Results from all rituals can often take some time. Sometimes circumstances have to be rearranged in the background where we never see that happening, so we think "nothing" is happening. Then, when something does happen, sometimes a couple of months down the line, we don't remember to give credit to that which we set in motion!

In these economic times, that might be especially true of the Sobo ritual. Sure, of course, Sobo wants to help us all. But there need to be the circumstances in which to help us, or perhaps to sometimes help ourselves. Just like the dear client above, sometimes the results might come in ways that help us to help ourselves make more money. Perhaps an opportunity arises to improve your career or work extra or whatever might be possible in your particular circumstances.

So, okay, all of us are not particularly likely to find a pot o'gold on St. Paddy's Day because we did the Sobo ritual. However, I bet if you are willing to see it, you will see some kind of result from it!

Of course, to get a result, you have to do it! LOL. Or at least let us do it for you! It's fun. It's still free (unless you want to buy the kit).

Go visit Sobo at www.spellmaker.com/sobo.htm and send us your ritual request! If you happen to be doing great financially and don't need to have us include you in the ritual, then think about sending in a request on behalf of someone else or just everyone else in general! Hey, there's good karma in that kind of thing, ya know!

Love, light, and peace,
Mambo Samantha Corfield