Mambo Samantha Corfield

St. Joseph and Papa Loko!

St. Joseph and Papa Loko

  Greetings, everyone!  Right on the heels of St. Patrick's Day is a day that doesn't receive quite as much recognition in most circles!  It is St. Joseph's Day and it is always celebrated on March 19. 

In Vodou/Voodoo, St. Joseph is syncretized with the powerful and wise lwa Papa Loko.  Papa Loko is the giver of the asson (sacred rattle used by Mambos and Houngans) in the ritual of initiation.   Papa Loko is considered the father of all Vodou houses and is known to be the first Houngan.

Papa Loko is also a healer and often gives herbal cures and medicinal root work knowledge to Houngans and Mambos.  This knowledge, especially in Haiti is used to help the Mambo or Houngan to offer medical help to members of the house.  Of course this practice isn't as widespread in the United States, but in Haiti, the head of a Vodou house often turns to Papa Loko to cure both serious and simple illnesses.

Of all the Saint syncretizations, I think that the altars built to St. Joseph most closely resemble Vodou!  As you can see from this picture, the altars are extremely elaborate!  And as Vodouisants, I am sure you are going, "wow, that is some Voodoo altar!!"

Building these altars has a rich tradition, especially in New Orleans history.  St. Joseph altars begin to be built several days ahead of time and are just beautiful.  Almost all of the food is given to the poor after the altar is torn down.

The tradition of these altars originated in Sicily where St. Joseph was petitioned during a drought and famine.  The drought and famine broke and the people rejoiced and promised to always help feed the less fortunate.   As Vodouisants, we also take the opportunity of this day to do something for those less fortunate and dedicate it to both St. Joseph and Papa Loko!!

Here is a link to a great article to read more about St. Joseph Day and how it is traditionally celebrated.  If you are not familiar with it, it is a fascinating read! (The author even mentions the Vodou connection!)

Louisiana Project - St. Joseph's Day Altars

This is a really cool link!  It is a virtual St. Joseph's Altar.  They even have a place for you to make a virtual offering to the altar!! (The altar might be closed today because the Vatican actually moved the feast day this year because of the way Holy Week fell on the Christian calendear, but normally this would be the feast day and, in my opinion, still is!)    ;-)

Virtual St. Joseph Altar

Honoring Papa Loko:  Obviously, for Vodouisants, St. Joseph Day is also an honor to Papa Loko.  Papa Loko is most often honored by Houngans and Mambos and there are even some schools of thought that if you are not a priest or priestess, you might not want to serve him as he reserves most of his guidance for them.  However, I do not feel there is any reason for non-initiates NOT to honor Papa Loko!  He may guide you towards initiation or have other important guidance for you. 

His colors are yellow, white, and green.  You may serve him with almost any herb or leafy plant (think about serving him a green salad) and fresh water.  I have also found him to be fond of those green herbal drinks and green tea!

It is a tradition in New Orleans Voodoo that if you want to know someone's secrets you take a small cloth bag, put some leaves in it that you are offering to Papa Loko (especially if you have built him a small altar and are doing service to him - take some of the leaves that you offered on the altar and put them in the small cloth bag).  Now write the person's name on a piece of paper nine times.  Fold it up and put it in the bag.   Take the bag and hang it in a tree where it is least likely to be disturbed for 99 days.  During those 99 days, that person's secrets are said to be all revealed to you.  The bag should continue to hang in the tree until it is destroyed by nature or disintegrates from age. :-)

Love, Mambo Sam

  Greetings, everyone!  Right on the heels of St. Patrick's Day is a day that doesn't receive quite as much recognition in most circles!  It is St. Joseph's Day and it is always celebrated on March 19. 

In Vodou/Voodoo, St. Joseph is syncretized with the powerful and wise lwa Papa Loko.  Papa Loko is the giver of the asson (sacred rattle used by Mambos and Houngans) in the ritual of initiation.   Papa Loko is considered the father of all Vodou houses and is known to be the first Houngan.

Papa Loko is also a healer and often gives herbal cures and medicinal root work knowledge to Houngans and Mambos.  This knowledge, especially in Haiti is used to help the Mambo or Houngan to offer medical help to members of the house.  Of course this practice isn't as widespread in the United States, but in Haiti, the head of a Vodou house often turns to Papa Loko to cure both serious and simple illnesses.

Of all the Saint syncretizations, I think that the altars built to St. Joseph most closely resemble Vodou!  As you can see from this picture, the altars are extremely elaborate!  And as Vodouisants, I am sure you are going, "wow, that is some Voodoo altar!!"

Building these altars has a rich tradition, especially in New Orleans history.  St. Joseph altars begin to be built several days ahead of time and are just beautiful.  Almost all of the food is given to the poor after the altar is torn down.

The tradition of these altars originated in Sicily where St. Joseph was petitioned during a drought and famine.  The drought and famine broke and the people rejoiced and promised to always help feed the less fortunate.   As Vodouisants, we also take the opportunity of this day to do something for those less fortunate and dedicate it to both St. Joseph and Papa Loko!!

Here is a link to a great article to read more about St. Joseph Day and how it is traditionally celebrated.  If you are not familiar with it, it is a fascinating read! (The author even mentions the Vodou connection!)

Louisiana Project - St. Joseph's Day Altars

This is a really cool link!  It is a virtual St. Joseph's Altar.  They even have a place for you to make a virtual offering to the altar!! (The altar might be closed today because the Vatican actually moved the feast day this year because of the way Holy Week fell on the Christian calendear, but normally this would be the feast day and, in my opinion, still is!)    ;-)

Virtual St. Joseph Altar

Honoring Papa Loko:  Obviously, for Vodouisants, St. Joseph Day is also an honor to Papa Loko.  Papa Loko is most often honored by Houngans and Mambos and there are even some schools of thought that if you are not a priest or priestess, you might not want to serve him as he reserves most of his guidance for them.  However, I do not feel there is any reason for non-initiates NOT to honor Papa Loko!  He may guide you towards initiation or have other important guidance for you. 

His colors are yellow, white, and green.  You may serve him with almost any herb or leafy plant (think about serving him a green salad) and fresh water.  I have also found him to be fond of those green herbal drinks and green tea!

It is a tradition in New Orleans Voodoo that if you want to know someone's secrets you take a small cloth bag, put some leaves in it that you are offering to Papa Loko (especially if you have built him a small altar and are doing service to him - take some of the leaves that you offered on the altar and put them in the small cloth bag).  Now write the person's name on a piece of paper nine times.  Fold it up and put it in the bag.   Take the bag and hang it in a tree where it is least likely to be disturbed for 99 days.  During those 99 days, that person's secrets are said to be all revealed to you.  The bag should continue to hang in the tree until it is destroyed by nature or disintegrates from age. :-)

Love, Mambo Sam

Saint Expedite!

 

 

Fet Ghede/Ancestor service!

If anyone would like to share images of their Fet Ghede/Ancestor service, we would love to see them! We may even share them (with permission and anonymity, of course!) in our next newsletter! If you would like to share, please send to Faith at [email protected]   Ayibobo!

Imbolc, Maman Brigitte, and St. Brigid - Oh My!

Imbolc, Maman Brigitte, and St. Brigid - Oh My!

Greetings one and all!

As many of you may already know - tomorrow, February 2, is St. Brigid's day, Imbolc, Candlemas,
and the Feast of St. Brigid.  To Vodouisants, Catholics, Pagans, and more, this is a wonderful day anticipating spring, looking for new love, and being ready to shed off the cold of winter.

A popular prayer for this day is:

"Blessed be the earth, and all who dwell upon it.

We give thanks for the season now departing from us,
For the blessings it has bestowed upon us,
And upon those with whom we share this world.

Blessed be the new season.
We pray that it will be a time filled with peace,
With abundance, with prosperity,
With wisdom,
With love."

For Vodouisants, tonight, the eve of  St. Brigid's Day, is when we put a piece of clothing outside for Maman Brigitte to bless with her healing powers.  Take any piece of clothing, or even a scarf to tie your head with, and put it outside tonight.  Ask Maman Brigitte to walk your way tonight and bless that piece of clothing.  Light a small fire outside for a little while, even if you just burn a candle. Before you go to bed, burn the veve of Maman Brigitte in the fire. Then put that fire or candle out.  Make sure the wax is smoothed down  or that the ashes are smoothed down if you lit a small fire.  Any kind of mark or disturbance of the wax or ashes the next day is considered a sign that Maman was there and blessed your piece of clothing!

Now you can wear that piece of clothing any time you aren't feeling well or you doing healing work or healing prayers for someone else.

 

Veve for Maman Brigitte

 

In Service, 

Mambo Sam 

Greetings one and all!

As many of you may already know - tomorrow, February 2, is St. Brigid's day, Imbolc, Candlemas,
and the Feast of St. Brigid.  To Vodouisants, Catholics, Pagans, and more, this is a wonderful day anticipating spring, looking for new love, and being ready to shed off the cold of winter.

A popular prayer for this day is:

"Blessed be the earth, and all who dwell upon it.

We give thanks for the season now departing from us,
For the blessings it has bestowed upon us,
And upon those with whom we share this world.

Blessed be the new season.
We pray that it will be a time filled with peace,
With abundance, with prosperity,
With wisdom,
With love."

For Vodouisants, tonight, the eve of  St. Brigid's Day, is when we put a piece of clothing outside for Maman Brigitte to bless with her healing powers.  Take any piece of clothing, or even a scarf to tie your head with, and put it outside tonight.  Ask Maman Brigitte to walk your way tonight and bless that piece of clothing.  Light a small fire outside for a little while, even if you just burn a candle. Before you go to bed, burn the veve of Maman Brigitte in the fire. Then put that fire or candle out.  Make sure the wax is smoothed down  or that the ashes are smoothed down if you lit a small fire.  Any kind of mark or disturbance of the wax or ashes the next day is considered a sign that Maman was there and blessed your piece of clothing!

Now you can wear that piece of clothing any time you aren't feeling well or you doing healing work or healing prayers for someone else.

 

Veve for Maman Brigitte

 

In Service, 

Mambo Sam 

Happy Fet Ghede!

Hello everyone,

As many have asked, here is some information about how to serve on Fet Ghede.

To clear up some information - The Ghede (of which there are purported to be MILLIONS) are NOT the Baron and Maman Brigitte.  The Baron and Brigitte are considered the Mother and Father of the Ghede.  There is also a line of thought that the Baron and Brigitte are the "landowners" of the residence of the Ghede (the graveyard, of course).  :-)
 
Traditionally, especially in New Orleans Voodoo, The Baron and Maman Brigitte are often served during Fet Ghede, too, but more as a show of respect. My point here, of course, is to make sure you know who you are serving!  If you are serving the Ghede, you are not necessarily serving The Baron and Brigitte and vice versa.
 
As to service:  If at all possible, you should go to a cemetery on this day.  If you are not in a town where you have ancestors buried, then go to the cemetery anyway.  Bring a trash bag, gloves (if you want to not get your hands dirty),  flowers (purple ones are best if you can find some), and candy offerings, anything you like.  I like to find a grave that looks like it hasn't been attended to in years!  Clean up as best you can around the grave, pick up any trash or debris.  If you can, stay awhile - ask Papa Legba to open the gate to the Ghede and ask your ancestors to visit this spot, to talk to you, to guide you.  There is no real right or wrong way to do this -- go to the graveyard and let yourself be led to what you should do and where you should go.
 
I know people always get nervous about going to the graveyard -- what if someone sees you?  What if someone asks you what you are doing?  As long as you aren't desecrating anyone's grave, it is okay for you to be there.  It is extremely rare for anyone to be questioned in a graveyard; I have probably spent more time there than any one of us, and I have never, ever been questioned or even paid attention to.  If you just look like you belong there and are doing something positive (flowers, cleaning) you are unlikely to draw much attention, especially this time of year!
 
Even if you can't go to the graveyard, doing an altar to the Ghede is fun this time of year - you can get lots of cheap plastic skeletons and coffins and such.  Colors are purple, black, and white.  Offerings are rum, 21 peppers steeped in rum (be careful with this stuff -- wear gloves to put the peppers in the rum bottle), unfiltered cigarettes, and roasted peanuts (raw peanuts, taken out of the shell, and stir fried in a skillet or roasted in the oven - NO SALT!! - remember - no salt in any offerings to the Ghede).  If you have ancestors you are serving at this time, put their favorite foods, their pictures, items to represent them on your altar.  St. Gerard, who is often used to represent the Baron, is also used to represent the Ghede in most Voodoo traditions.
 
Once you are satisfied with your altar, light your candles and ask Papa Legba to open the gate to the Ghede and your ancestors.  This is a perfect time to ask your ancestors for their help, guidance, and favor.  If you have ancestors that you were particularly close to, ask them for their help with whatever situation you have that is troubling you.  Listen carefully, sometimes you might even hear them whisper to you!!  I always recommend that you do a bit of journaling in front of your altar:  Ask questions of the Ghede and your ancestors and write down the first thing that pops into your head - don't edit - write in stream of consciousness.  Don't re-read it right now.  Put it away at the end of the service and read it about a week later.   Sometimes you will be very surprised at what you see written there!
 
Remember as well that Fet Ghede is celebrated as a sort of "New Year's" celebration - a new beginning where old problems and challenges are "buried" or solved!
 
Have fun!
Love,
Mambo Samantha Corfield

Erzulie Freda! By Mambo Sam

Erzulie Freda

Image of Erzulie Freda Dahomey by Saundra Elise Ziyatdinov.  

Erzulie Freda is the Vodou and New Orleans Voodoo goddess of love. A gracious, luxurious, and refined lwa (Vodou Spirit), Erzulie epitomizes femininity, love, passion, and is called upon for favors regarding one's love affairs. However, Erzulie Freda is love of every kind; she is not limited to romance. She is often misrepresented as petulant and never being able to be satisfied. This does a gross injustice to this beautiful spirit. The fact that she often dissolves into tears is misinterpreted as her being dissatisified with what is given to her. That is not it at all; she dissolves into tears because she knows that no amount of material wealth can make up for the lack of love and spirituality in one's life. So even though she is often served in luxury, upon appearance at Vodou rituals, she is often wracked with tears eventually. It is important to remember, also, that she cries so that you won't have to. Another misrepresentation of Erzulie is that she is flighty and unable to stay with one man. This misinformation comes from the knowledge of her three marriages; once to Ogoun, once to Agwe, and once to Papa Legba (a belief in our New Orleans tradition; in Haitian tradition her third husband is Damballah). The three gold rings that most Erzulie altars have on them represent these three marriages. However, we must remember that these three marriages probably took place over lifetimes. It is sometimes hard for us to conceive of the many lives of the lwa and how long they have been with us!  

Serving Erzulie Freda

As with most lwa, she is a complex spirit having lived many lifetimes to evolve to her present state. She, of course, has happy, wonderful, flirty appearances, also. She does love refined things and wants to drink the finest champagne and eat the finest foods (especially delicious sweets and chocolates). She loves frilly, girly things and dresses in beautiful clothes of silk and lace. She loves diamonds and gold..anything that represents wealth and finery! She knows these things do not make up for the sorrows of life, but enjoying these things eases the pain for many of us! Erzulie is no different!

Many people are afraid to do service to Erzulie Freda if they don't have much money. That is such an injustice to her! Yes, she loves refined and expensive things; that is not in question. However, just because you don't have a lot of money does not mean you should not serve her. We are firm believers that any service done with a good heart and doing the best you can will be well received. 
 

Luxury can be a state of mind and an environment can be luxurious without being expensive. So first start thinking of the space that you will be doing your service in. If you purchased the one-day ritual kit or plan on doing the ritual as written on the website make whatever area you will be doing your service in as lovely as you can! Even if you temporarily use one of your own bed sheets as an altar cloth, that is okay because you can spray your perfume on it and make it something special. Set the mood for the ritual with any candles you have and put on romantic music or tune your radio to a soft rock or other type of station that plays the kind of music that would set the mood for romance. Do you have jewelry? You can put it on the altar and "give" it to Erzulie! That doesn't mean you can't wear it! Of course you can, but if you dedicate it to her, then you have given her something wonderful. Do you have old magazines lying around? Cut out pictures of beautiful things - jewelry, clothes, perfume, etc. Make a simple collage out of them and put them on your altar for her!

In Service, 

Mambo Sam

Happy Birthday, Marie Laveau!

Cousin Azacca!

 

Hail to our dear Cousin Azacca (Azaka, Azaca)!

Sometimes considered one of the simplest lwa, he brings a good nature and warmth into life. He is syncretized with the Catholic saint, St. Isidore the Laborer, sometimes called St. Isidore the Farmer. This is not be be confused with St. Isidore of Seville -- this is a different person altogether! This makes perfect sense as St. Isidore was a simple farmer, and his feast day is May 15! 

Since Azacca is one to make all things grow, this May feast day is a perfect time to honor him. He is such a good natured and easy going lwa, he is always considered one of the family, hence the "cousin" moniker. He is, of course, the lwa of agriculture, farming, all things to do with planting and growing. He is a wonderfully hard worker, a peasant, nothing sophisticated about him. I always consider Azacca sort of an everyman. He loves good profit, good girls, and good food! 

He doesn't care much for "city folks" and is extremely down to earth and doesn't mind getting his hands dirty with honest work. He will have little to do with anyone with a pompous or condescending attitude. Azacca appears barefooted, in denim overalls, carries a straw bag, wears a big straw hat, and is rarely seen without his pipe and smoking tobacco.  He should serve as a reminder of our roots and our dependency on this earth for our very survival!  He is the ultimate conservationist living off the gifts of nature.

He loves a good song and has a penchant for the being the town gossip. He is often the quiet observer, taking in all the doings around him, saving the knowledge for later when he can use it to his best advantage. Azacca knows who is who in the zoo! He generally will have all the info on who is dating whom, who is trying to swindle whom, and all the details that people sometimes try to hide! When possessing someone, it is not unusual to have him start telling everyone's secrets! Luckily for those who have something to hide, his voice is gravely and rough and he is somewhat hard to understand.  However, if you suspect someone is keeping a secret from you, do a service to Azacca and ask him to reveal that secret to you and watch what happens.

He can, however, be very suspicious and does not always seem to want to give his favors easily. If you motivation for calling upon him is less than honest, he may refuse you.  However, usually he can be won over with some white rum and a plate of boiled corn. For the most part, he is a good-natured lwa. He is entertaining when he appears at ceremonies, singing you songs about how he would he would rather take charity than steal, all the while "stealing" everything he can get his hands own, usually while he is dancing in his unique fashion! These things are then returned to the distracted owners with everyone having a good laugh at his humorous antics.

He usually will be found in a corner of any party where there is food, voraciously eating his food, looking with suspicion at anyone who might eye his plate. He is a greedy eater and drinker with little in the way of table manners. But this is easily forgiven because of his good nature and good humor.

He is also is generally seen as the brother of Ghede. Author Bob Corbert writes, "There are interesting similarities between the sophisticated Ghede and the more bumbling Azacca, as though a younger less sophisticated brother were imitating a more secure older brother. Like Ghede, Zaka loves his food. But, unlike Ghede, he is rude and voracious in his eating habits, often running away to hide with him food and eat it quickly."

As the lwa of agriculture and plant life, it is natural that Azacca is also an herbal healer. He is said to carry his healing herbs in his djakout (a straw shoulder bag) and is often called upon when there is sickness in a family. In Louisiana, animal fat candles are burned for him and bread is offered to him when someone is ill.  He is said to sop up the illness with the bread from the melted fat from the candles and eat it, thus curing the patient! 

We here at Spellmaker.com call upon Azacca in many ways. We call upon him to "grow" things for us, even though they may not be considered the usual way to call on our Cousin! We call upon him to grow love between two people, to help people "grow" their finances, etc. He has always responded well to these petitions and we certainly can suggest that it is a wonderful way to broaden this powerful lwa's scope in your life! Look at your goals from the perspective of wanting them to grow to be big, beautiful plants and call upon Azacca to help you make that happen. 

Of course, it probably goes without saying that he is also particularly wonderful to call upon if you are planting this spring. Pour a little rum into the ground around your garden and ask Azacca to help that garden grow! We make a mixture of corn and boiled peanuts and spread it around our garden for him. We just leave it there to mix with the soil and help the plants grow better.

No matter what you are trying to grow in your life, May 15 is the perfect day to offer a feast to Azacca! Set up a small altar using his colors and offerings: A piece of denim makes the perfect altar cloth for him, yellow and green candles, a container of dirt, small gardening tools, etc. Spend some time thinking of what plants need nurturing in your life garden and ask Azacca to nourish them and help them grow! Ask him to renew and rejuvenate any wilting plants and cut out all the weeds!

Azacca Stats: 
Feast Day: May 15
Saint Syncretization: St. Isidore the Farmer
Colors: Green, yellow, brown - earthy colors.
Foods: Avocados, corn, peanuts, beans and rice, strong coffee that is highly sweetened with sugar, yams, sugar cane and cane syrup (pour it all over his food and he will love you for it!), heavy breads, coconuts and coconut candy.
Drink: Light or white rum (kleren).
Offerings: The above food and drink, a straw bag, a straw hat, pipe with pipe tobacco, small gardening tools. We usually put a container of rich earth, something like nice potting soil, on an altar to him. Later on, put that dirt in your garden!  Azacca and your plants will reward you.

In Service, 

Mambo Samantha Corfield 

Papa Legba!

 

 

PAPA LEGBA

Article by Mambo Samantha Corfield

Our dear Papa Legba (Papa Alegba in New Orleans Voodoo) is probably one of the most popular lwa (Vodou spirits) ever.  His ability to open doors, smooth roads, and in general help us get things done is legendary!  He can create possibilities, help you choose the right path in your life, and bring order to chaos!  Personally, I call on him whenever I am lost (which is often, I have no sense of direction) and even when I need a parking space.  :-)

While he has many aspects or "personalities", his major function in both Haitian Vodou and New Orleans Voodoo, is to be the intermediary between the other lwa and humanity. His presence at the spiritual crossroads will give or deny permission to speak and interact the lwa. (Although I have to say,  I don't really recall him ever denying permission, though I suppose he would if he felt it was necessary!)  He is invoked in spell work and ritual using many analogies:  To open the gate, to open the door, to lift the veil, etc., between our human world and the spiritual world. He is always the first and last spirit invoked in any ceremony, because his permission is needed for communication between us and the lwa.  He opens and closes the doorway. 

One of his most remarkable traits is that he is known to speak, understand, and translate all languages.  Through him you may speak to the lwa in any language.  If the lwa you are speaking to doesn't understand your language, Papa Legba will translate for you!  Just ask him!

Papa Legba can also facilitate communication between yourself and someone with whom you are having difficulties being understood.  Let's say that you are using, for instance, our Red Male Image Candle kit to communicate some loving ideas to "Johnny".   Now you know Johnny pretty darned well and know that he doesn't always accept new ideas readily.  Simply call on Papa Legba to "translate" your petition words into words that Johnny will understand.  Calling on Papa Legba for a task like this is extremely easy.  Just talk to him:  "Papa Alegba, please translate for me.  Help Johnny understand what I want him to understand."   It is just that simple.  You don't have to even be extremely clear in what you need from Papa Alegba.  After all he is the "universal translator" - he KNOWS what you are talking about even if you aren't quite sure.

He is such a fun character:  Often portrayed as a kindly old man, he is funny, loving, silly, and known to be a trickster.  Some people believe that he purposely plays tricks on people malvolently.  I have never found this to be true of those who serve him and those who call on him for help!  Perhaps some of his "tricks" are misinterpreted.  I believe, however, that many times people think something is attributed to Legba that wasn't him at all, but just happenstance.  At any rate, he is extremely helpful and powerful in Vodou magick and in all my years of working with him, he has never played any kind of trick on me that was mean or hateful. 

Papa loves certain items that you should have if you desire to serve him:   A crutch or baton or walking cane; three pennies; a silver whistle (like coaches use); small toys; keys of any kind (don't throw your old keys away - give them to Papa); a straw knapsack or some kind of straw bag; a straw hat and, of course, a pipe with tobacco and a bottle of rum!  If you are setting up an altar for Papa, you want to have as many of these items as possible.  His altar cloth should be red and white or red and black or red/white/black.  He is traditionally served on Mondays.  Offerings can include rum, cigars, red beans and rice, plantains, smoked fish, chicken, and candy.  Haitian tradition includes goats and black roosters, but we aren't too likely to have those kinds of offerings here and he understands that - stick to the basics and he will be happy!  Dogs are sacred to him.  If you have a dog, s/he will usually show interest when you are calling upon Papa!  Many clients have told me that their dogs went a little bit crazy when Papa was called upon; a sure sign that he is around. 

In Africa, his counterpart, Eshu, is a god of prophecy and taught people how to interpret oracles and readings (corresponding with the "translator" aspect of Papa).  Often he will appear as an old man on a crutch or with a cane, wearing a broad brimmed straw hat and smoking a pipe, or sprinkling water.  Because of his position as 'gate-keeper' between the worlds of the living and Les Mysteres he is often identified with Saint Peter who holds a comparable position in Catholic tradition and, of course, is depicted holding keys. . But he is also depicted in Haiti and New Orleans as St. Lazarus, or St Anthony of Padua. Using Catholic Saint candles to honor Papa Alegba is perfectly acceptable.  

So, however you serve Papa, doing so is always a rewarding and fun experience.  Try it!  

Papa's Keys!

Sad to See it End!

Happy Monday, everyone!  I cannot believe that Papa Legba Month is coming to end here at www.spellmaker.com! Of course, we honor, serve, and call upon Papa throughout the year, but his month is always so special to us all. :-)

But luckily, it isn't over yet!  There is still plenty of time to participate. :-)

We are still accepting petitions for our two last events:

1.  Our online Papa Legba ritual will take place on June 27, 9 pm Eastern time (that is 8 pm Central time, 7 pm Mountain time, and 6 pm Pacific time).  To join in or to send in a petition, please see the informational page at www.spellmaker.com/prayer.htm

2.  Our last in-house ritual to Papa will take place on St. Peter's Feast Day, June 29.  This is a ritual that we do in house and you are welcome to send in a petition.  For information, please see the page at www.spellmaker.com/legba.htm

Remember,  Papa is the great communicator, the translator of all languages, the opening of door, and the clearer of paths!  He is so much more, but those are the main things for which we know him.

He is also known as one of the kindest, most understanding lwa - he wants to help you with your problems! 

So, please, feel free to join us as we wind up this great month!

 

Love,

Mambo Samantha Corfield, www.spellmaker.com 

 

Related articles

Coffee with Papa Legba

Papa Alegba Month is Almost Here!

Papa Legba & Saint Lazarus

Thank you, Papa Legba and Saint Anthony!

Maybe it is You?

Happy Friday, everyone!  Hope your week went well!  Mine seemed to fly by! :-)  That isn't a bad thing, right?

As one might suspect, I spend a great deal of time asking for and receiving guidance from our great Vodou Spirits (the lwa, les lois).  In the instances where I am asking and receiving, it is very clear cut to me who needs what (since I am the one doing the asking  - LOL).  However, there are instances when I am sent on somewhat of a treasure hunt - someone needs something... what is it?  Where is it? ;-)

This time the guidance and the search took a rather circuitous route with me looking up different things for Papa Legba. (It is, after his month here at Spellmaker!)  The search for Papa goodies led me to a very powerful post that Khouzhan Menfo' had done some time back regarding a visit he made to a particular monument.

When I ran across that post the guidance that followed was one of those "no guessing" guidances... chills, smiles, tears, butterflies in my stomach.. all that good stuff!  That post was what I was looking for..someone, somewhere needs to see that post!  I don't know who.  I don't know where.  I don't even know if we here at Spellmaker even know the person - all I know is this - Papa says that it will be life-altering for someone.  It will set them on their path.   Maybe it isn't just one person?? That part of the guidance was shielded from me (and that happens, by the way, when the guidance is something that I am just a part of - that I am just a part of of something bigger than just me and what I do). 

I am sure that whomever is supposed to see this post will!   I hope that they will join in on one or more of the Papa Legba free rituals this month, too! :-)

So, anyway, you will see me posting this post just about everywhere that I post things (how many times can I say a version of "post" in a sentence?). 

CLICK HERE TO READ THE POST BY KHOUZHAN MENFO'

I feel assured that this will reach the folks that it is supposed to!  Happy to be merely the guide who leads you to it!

I would love it if Khouzhan Menfo's post inspires you in some way and you leave us a comment! It would be great to hear what feelings it brought to you!

Love, light, and peace,

Mambo Samantha Corfield, www.spellmaker.com

 

Papa Alegba Month is Almost Here!

Happy Day-Before-Friday, everyone!

I cannot believe that it is almost Papa Alegba Month here at Spellmaker! Every year we dedicate June to Papa Alegba since he has THREE feast days in June (13, 21, and 29)! 

This is the month where we do three free rituals here in the Spellmaker office and you can send in your petitions to be included in all three of the rituals.  If you care to do some work on your own, we also have great products for Papa Alegba on his page on the Spellmaker website!

On that same page is lots of information about Papa, how to serve him, what his offerings are, etc.

One thing I wanted to talk about is why keys are so important to Papa!  No self-respecting Vodouisant would ever throw away old keys! Nope, those go right on Papa's altar!  Remember, he is the gatekeeper, the mediary between our world and the world of the lwa - no work gets done without his permission!  We must always ask his permission to travel to and from (and to allow the lwa to travel to and from) our different worlds.

A little trick that I use, and I know have talked about this before, but I feel like it is worth repeating - is to designate certain old keys for certain things.  For instance, I have three keys that I use with money work.  I have 7 old keys that I use for luck work - I think you get the idea!  When I start any of that type of work for myself and Parran Matt, those keys go on whatever altar I am working from. Those particular keys have been dedicated to Papa, by me, for those specific purposes. In this way, I feel like I get a little extra "oomph" from my work by having particular keys for him for the things for which I am asking!

If nothing else, just throw all your old keys in a bowl and just keep them around.  (Warning:  People will start to think you collect keys and you will find keys showing up everywhere!  LOL)  Dedicate them to Papa Legba and put that bowl of keys on whatever altar you are using for work.  Believe me, he will love them and it will help unlock many doors for you!  ;-)

Love, light, and peace, Mambo Samantha Corfield

www.spellmaker.com

 

Imbolc, Maman Brigitte, and St. Brigid - Oh My!

Greetings one and all!

As many of you may already know - tomorrow, February 2, is St. Brigid's day, Imbolc, Candlemas,
and the Feast of St. Brigid.  To Vodouisants, Catholics, Pagans, and more, this is a wonderful day anticipating spring, looking for new love, and being ready to shed off the cold of winter.

A popular prayer for this day is:

"Blessed be the earth, and all who dwell upon it.

We give thanks for the season now departing from us,
For the blessings it has bestowed upon us,
And upon those with whom we share this world.

Blessed be the new season.
We pray that it will be a time filled with peace,
With abundance, with prosperity,
With wisdom,
With love."

For Vodouisants, tonight, the eve of  St. Brigid's Day, is when we put a piece of clothing outside for Maman Brigitte to bless with her healing powers.  Take any piece of clothing, or even a scarf to tie your head with, and put it outside tonight.  Ask Maman Brigitte to walk your way tonight and bless that piece of clothing.  Light a small fire outside for a little while, even if you just burn a candle. Before you go to bed, burn the veve of Maman Brigitte in the fire. Then put that fire or candle out.  Make sure the wax is smoothed down  or that the ashes are smoothed down if you lit a small fire.  Any kind of mark or disturbance of the wax or ashes the next day is considered a sign that Maman was there and blessed your piece of clothing!

Now you can wear that piece of clothing any time you aren't feeling well or you doing healing work or healing prayers for someone else.

Veve for Maman Brigitte

 

There is a LOT more to this holiday/feast day!  It is well worth looking up more information.

Love, light, and peace,

Mambo Samantha Corfield

www.spellmaker.com

 

 

And so it begins!

Papa Legba Month - 2011  :-)

Happy Monday everyone!  A very special day today!  Of course we begin our amazing triple rituals to Papa Legba today AND a very happy birthday to my son, Ira.  :-)  I just don't know how the heck he got to be 39 when I am only 35!  LOL LOL LOL  Seriously, a wonderful day all around.

I hope you have all sent in your letters to be included in the free rituals.  If not, it is not too late, just visit the Papa Alegba Page and visit the link to send in your letter.

Now we all know that Papa is there to open doors for us, smooth the path, and in general make things easier. Remember though that you can be quite creative in what you are asking.  Papa is the great interpreter.  He speaks and understands all languages.  A very good petition to him is to make yourself and your intentions understood.  This might be in a love case, but it could be for anything.  Perhaps you are having trouble understanding your teenage children and they you.  Remember Papa works BOTH ways - to help you be understood, but also to help you understand.

Many times during spell work we forget to ask for ourselves to understand what is happening and why.  Most often we forget to try to understand what role we play or played in what is happening to us!  Without self-awareness most things are doomed to failure.  Ask Papa to help you understand what your role is in whatever situation you find yourself in.  I am not saying that you should assign the "blame" for things onto yourself.  However, we can easily get wrapped up in what we want someone else to do and forget that there are things that we, too, need to do to improve the situation.

Many times people visualize Papa has their grandfather or trusted uncle or elder male confidante.  I think all of these are wonderful visualizations.  Talk to him!  Have a cup of coffee and a little treat with him (yes, a little treat for you, too!).  Ask him for the awareness that you need to truly see your situation and to understand and be understood.   Most all situations are a two-way street, though we generally tend to get wrapped up in only one way - the way that gets us what we want.  Or so we think!  Learning both sides of the street is a sure path to success. 

Have a great day everyone!

Love, light, and peace,

Mambo Samantha Corfield, www.spellmaker.com

Picture is COPYRIGHT! © Erzulie Red Eyes Art and Spirit 2010-2011 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
 

Papa Legba month at Spellmaker!

Hello everyone!  Once again, June is Papa Legba month here at Spellmaker!  :-)  As has become our tradition, we will be doing our free triple rituals for Papa this month!  It doesn't cost anything to be included and you can get all the details at on our Papa Legba Page.

Our dear Sister Bridget is putting together a list of songs that people can use when serving Papa Legba. She is asking for suggestions, so please join her on her Facebook page!

Additionally, on the Spellmaker Facebook Page we are having a discussion about different ways to serve Papa Legba! Please come on over and give us your ideas!

When I was  starting to arrange Papa's altar today, he put this song in my head and now I cannot get it out - so sharing it with you! :-) In my head, the Sammy Davis, Jr. version is all I can hear!

The Candy Man

Who can take a sunrise, sprinkle it with dew
Cover it with choc'late and a miracle or two
The Candy Man, oh the Candy Man can
The Candy Man can 'cause he mixes it with love and makes the world taste good

Who can take a rainbow, wrap it in a sigh
Soak it in the sun and make a groovy lemon pie
The Candy Man, the Candy Man can
The Candy Man can 'cause he mixes it with love and makes the world taste good

The Candy Man makes everything he bakes satisfying and delicious
Now you talk about your childhood wishes, you can even eat the dishes

Oh, who can take tomorrow, dip it in a dream
Separate the sorrow and collect up all the cream
The Candy Man, oh the Candy Man can
The Candy Man can 'cause he mixes it with love and makes the world taste good

The Candy Man makes everything he bakes satisfying and delicious
Talk about your childhood wishes, you can even eat the dishes

Yeah, yeah, yeah
Who can take tomorrow, dip it in a dream
Separate the sorrow and collect up all the cream
The Candy Man, the Candy Man can
The Candy Man can 'cause he mixes it with love and makes the world taste good
Yes, the Candy Man can 'cause he mixes it with love and makes the world taste good
a-Candy Man, a-Candy Man, a-Candy Man
Candy Man, a-Candy Man, a-Candy Man
Candy Man, a-Candy Man, a-Candy Man

------------------

 Hoping your world tastes great!

 Love, Mambo Samantha Corfield

www.spellmaker.com

 

Gearing up for Papa Alegba Ritual #2!

Hello everyone!

Sorry to not have been blogging this last week or so. We have been taking a lot of time to work with the Papa Alegba ritual and get everyone's petitions heard! :-) Hopefully it will be helping a lot of you out really soon.

We are, of course, now gearing up for the next big ritual day, which will be on St. Lazarus's feast day, June 21, 2009. If you have not gotten your petitions in and still want to participate, you certainly can! Just visit the page at www.spellmaker.com/legba.htm and follow the links to send in your special letter to Papa Alegba.

Since this particular feast day has to do with honoring also St. Lazarus, it is a great time to ask for something to be "resurrected" - whether it a love affair, a job, peace of mind, anything that you have felt is dead and gone! Now is a really good time to ask for that thing to be infused with new life.

I would also encourage you to honor St. Lazarus himself at this time. Remember, these Catholic saints have been used for many years now to represent a particular lwa. However, of course, the Saint him or herself is still a viable entity prayed to by millions every day. Therefore, honoring the Saint at this time is certainy a great thing to do. :-)

St. Lazarus, as most of you know, was a man said to be resurrected and cured by Jesus Christ. Lazarus was a leper and said to have died of his disease but because of Jesus's fondness for him and his sisters, he was resurrected and cured of his disease. Whether you believe the biblical tale or not is inconsequential. If you are going to honor Papa on this day because it is St. Lazarus's feast day, it is always a good idea to honor dear St. Lazarus himself.

There are Catholic prayers to St. Lazarus that you can find on the internet and incorporate into your ritual. You may also want to print out on of the holy pictures you can find of him - he is almost always depicted with dogs which is why he is often used for representing Papa. ;-)

Can't wait to do this ritual, too!

Love,
Mambo Samantha Corfield
www.spellmaker.com

Papa Legba Month!

Hi everyone! Hopefully by now you have received the special email about June being Papa Legba month at www.spellmaker.com!

We will be doing three FREE main rituals on the feast days of the three saints with which Papa is syncretized. These three feast days all fall in June, thus our proclamation of June as Papa Alegba Month at Spellmaker! (June 13-Saint Anthony,June 21-Saint Lazarus,June 29-St. Peter). We will also be doing rituals throughout the month of June, but the main rituals will be on those days.

Of course, we are encouraging yuo to you to send in a letter with your petitions that you would like to be included in the rituals for Papa Alegba. When writing your letter, please be sure that you are writing the letter to Papa Alegba himself, and be sure that your letter is appropriate. For example, you would NOT write to Papa Alegba asking, "Please make Johnny love me." However, if yours is a love case you could ask Papa to "Please open communication between Johnny and I so that he can see the love in my heart." The difference is subtle, but important. You could also ask Papa to remove blockages and clear the path between you and the one you love.

Communication is such a huge part of all relationships of any kind - love, work, friends, etc. Remember, Papa not only speaks all languages but has the ability to translate all languages. So asking him to "translate" your words into words that someone else can understand is a really good petition.

Of course, if you do not have a love situation, you could ask that Papa open the gate and clear the path to any goal that you have in mind. You can ask for anything, but to be most effective, try to be sure that what you are asking is within the scope of Papa!

To be included in these rituals, please email your petition to [email protected]. There is no charge at all to be included in these rituals and you do not need to purchase anything at all. If you do have or will be getting the Papa Alegba Knock-Knock™ Ritual Kit, or any of the other products, using them on the days we are doing the rituals will maximize their effectiveness for you! You certainly could just light some candles and use Papa's oil and incense or take the Papa Alegba Clear Path™ Red and White bath. Anything you can do on those days, or any days in June, will be helpful in realizing your petitions. We have decided not to do a special ritual pack for this ritual because we already have specialized products for Papa that you can use during our ritual days.

We have also included, on Papa's page, a small, free ritual that you can do if you don't have the Papa Alegba Knock Knock™ Ritual pack and/or cannot afford to purchase it right now. Money, or the lack of it, hopefully will not prevent you from participating!

For the first time, also, there is a "donation button" on the Papa Legba page. Many folks have requested a way to donate for these free rituals that we do - just to help us cover costs, etc., if they weren't planning on purchasing anything in particular at that time. It is neither required nor expected for anyone to donate anything, but for those of you asked to have a way to donate, the donate button is toward the bottom of the page at www.spellmaker.com/legba.htm. Thank you to those of you who asked for a way to donate! We appreciate it. :-)

Again, these rituals will be ongoing through June. The sooner you get your petition letter in to [email protected], the more times your letter will be included in the rituals! We really look forward to doing these rituals.

Love to all,
Mambo Samantha Corfield
www.spellmaker.com

Good Friday in New Mexico

Hello everyone! I know many of you have heard me speak of the church here in New Mexico, Santuario de Chimayo. This little church, built in the 1800's, sits high in the New Mexico mountains and has been nicknamed "the Lourdes of America" due to the many documented healings that have taken place there.

There is a tradition here of the faithful walking up the mountain to the Santuario from as far as 100 miles away! This happens every Good Friday here in New Mexico with different families along the route of the pilgrimage opening their homes to the faithful who walk. There are also re-enactments of different religious events and lots of volunteers to help those who walk.

I found an article with pictures that I thought you all might enjoy: Click here for article.

Please enjoy!

Love,
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

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

---

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.

--End of Article--

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

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.

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

SOBO RITUAL ON ST. PATRICK'S DAY

Hello dear one!
The wonderfully talented Ms. Berkeley came up with a great idea to do the Sobo Wealth and Security ritual again on St. Patrick's Day (March 17)! I think this is an awesome idea and even though Sobo is not traditionally associated with St. Patrick, I don't think that St. Patrick will mind if we are asking for the "the green" on his day! :-)

It does make perfect sense to do this ritual on St. Paddy's Day since wearing green and thinking about rainbows and pots o'gold are definitely in order!

Now I know many of you already have the Sobo Ritual Pack that we used last time for the ritual. If you do, you can reuse the holy card and whatever you have left from the ritual pack. If you desire, you can purchase a whole new kit again. Or you can just do the free version of the ritual as it is outlined on the Sobo Page.

We will again accept the petitions from you. Just go to the Sobo page and send us an email about your financial needs and they will be included in our ritual that we will do at the Spellmaker Office.

Remember, we will be trying to work with the "group mentality" or Cosmic Consciousness again to try to send out and accept energy from each other.

Many people reported wonderful results from the last time we did this Sobo Ritual together! :-) Many of you told us a lot of stories about how some really good things happened in your financial life after doing this ritual.

So let's all get together and make St. Patrick's day our day to rake in the green!  Here's a great picture to focus on!  ;-)

Love,
Mambo Sam

What's All This Talk About Voodoo Lamps??

Hello everyone!
Some of you have already noticed that there is a change to Sister Bridget's Page with some new offerings from her! :-)

The majority of you are quite interested in the offering of the burning of a Voodoo Lamp to Ogoun! As most of you know, Sister Bridget is a Priestess of Ogoun. Since her initiation she has been taught many of the secret rituals of our Voodoo family. One of these is the burning of a voodoo lamp on behalf of someone else.

Voodoo Lamps are very ancient with their history tracked back to Africa where animal fat was used to burn a lamp to appease spirits, petition spirits, and communicate with them on matters of importance.

New Orleans Voodoo Lamps use a special recipe mixture of oils and are burned ritualistically to petition a certain lwa for help with situations. The Lamps are also often burned as an offering or in thanks to a lwa. Sister Bridget's speciality lamp burning rituals will be offered to Ogoun to ask for his help.

So what would one ask for in the burning of this special lamp? Think of fire and what it can create and destroy.... it can destroy the darkness and create light where none was before. So in terms of, for instance, love spell work one might ask that negativity be destroyed in the case and the positivity of light shine on it. One might ask for the fire to "destroy" an enemy or intruder (no, it isn't going to kill them or anything like that). One might ask that the light of truth be shined on someone who is lying to keep someone with them. I think you probably get the idea.

Also, it is considered a great honor to the lwa to offer them this lamp. Voodoo Lamps are not simple things to do. You must know the correct oils to use and why you use them, you must know the correct herbs, and then you must know the correct way to offer the lamp. Really, anyone could light an oil lamp and say, "Ogoun, this is for you." And I am not saying that Ogoun wouldn't like that lamp! :-) However, to truly know how to do these lamps correctly, you must be taught as an initiate to do a proper Voodoo lamp.

So until the time that you take your initiation, Sister Bridget can do the lamps for you! When Sister Bridget does the lamp, she will do a ritual with it. She will use the right and consecrated mixture of oils and herbs and other items. She will offer and burn the lamp on your behalf, asking for what you want. When that is done, she will send a picture of your lamp burning and send you some of the lamp oil and tell you how to use it to further empower the ritual that was done on your behalf. You can even choose to have her do a reading for you while your lamp is burning! That has got to probably be one of the most powerful readings you could ever get!

This is a unique and extraordinary service, and I am grateful to have my two beautiful daughters become so skilled!

Love, light, and peace,
Mambo Samantha Corfield

Communication and Papa Alegba.

Happy Sunday, everyone!

Of course as most of you know, it has been a little while now since we introduced the Papa Alegba Ritual and Service Pack. Some of you had already weighed in with your comments about your experiences and usages of the pack. (And we would love to hear from more of you - just click the "comments" link below this post!)

I wanted to share a more specific experience that a client told me about. It reminded me so much about the importance of communication, both in the physical world and in the spiritual world.

The client in question, we will call her Clementine, had a most fascinating story to tell, so I will just let her tell it in her own words:

"Dear Mambo,
I am writing to tell you about my experience with the Papa Alegba kit. I received it about two weeks ago and the first thing I noticed after opening it was the wonderful smell of it. It is always so much fun and so exciting to get a new package from you guys at Spellmaker! Just getting my packages from you always makes me happy.

On this day in particular I really needed to get my package. I had a huge row with my HD and was feeling like I had blown everythingl. :-( The worst part of the whole fight was that we were fighting over something that didn't really need to be fought over because it was a complete misunderstanding. So I opened everything up and started looking at all the parts of the kit and Papa's bath because I had gotten that too.

When I started going through everything a real calm came over me. I took out one of the incenses and started burning it while I was looking over the instructions and figuring out when I was going to the ritual and all of that. As I was sitting there it dawned on me that I felt like my HD has never seemed to get me or understand me. We are loving but there is just this feeling that we speak two different languages sometimes.

I knew with complete certainty that Papa was helping me already. He was helping me to understand that sometimes there are times when my HD literally misunderstands my words. Then I started to wonder if this could be true with my spell work words. Was my HD understanding me? If there were times when he would get angry with me and I didn't think it was warranted because I didn't think I did or said anything wrong did that mean the same thing could happen with my spell work?

I got so anxious and nervous to know the answer that I started setting up the ritual even though I didn't have everything that I wanted for offerings and all of that. I kind of threw everything together, gave Papa what I had on hand and just started the ritual up.

Papa started giving me signs and helping me with amazing insight and understanding of how I had been miscommunicating with my HD, that I needed to try to word things in ways that I knew he would understand. My petitions have always been on my level, using my words, using my concepts and sending that to my HD. I believe Papa was telling me to use MY HD'S WORDS TO TALK TO HIM. Right there in the ritual I took my love doll out and started talking to it using some terms and slangs that my HD uses. I felt like I had been given the key to the universe right there!! I don't know how to explain it completely, it sounds so weird but I started talking just like my HD to the love doll.

Two days later my HD called me and started saying the stuff I said to the love doll. It was truly incredible. I feel like our communication problems are going to be completely mended and believe me I will be using this ritual to Papa Alegba a lot. I don't know that any of this even made sense to you but I just wanted to say thank you for the kit and thank you for listening."

Love,
Clementine

So wow, right?? ;-) Remember how we have talked about Papa Alegba speaks all languages, is the great communicator and translator? I thought it was so interesting how in this circumstance it wasn't that the spellcaster was translated through to the HD, it was that the spellcaster translated her own words into words that her HD could understand! We very often ask Papa to translate our words into those that the HD can understand. I thought this was a very unique perspective.

If you have Papa Alegba stories to share (with or without the usage of the ritual kit), please share them with us!!

Love,
Mambo Samantha Corfield

Mardi Gras!

Good morning, everyone!
Quite a few of you have written to ask me what kind of Voodoo ritual could you do on Mardi Gras day. :-) I suggest doing The Three Kings ritual that we learned in chat class. If you weren't there, I am posting it below. The Three Kings ritual revolves around the religious holiday, The Epiphany. However, traditionally, Mardi Gras day is the last day to do The Three Kings ritual. Now, of course, you can do the ritual anytime, but traditionally it is done between The Epiphany and Mardi Gras.

This is something that I taught in our online chat classes (which are coming back soon, by the way!!!!). There were also at least three classes where we talked about the meaning of this ritual and discussed the details.

Just briefly, The Three Kings ritual involves the Simbi family of lwa. The Three Kings Ritual is designed to work on a situation using the team work of the Simbi family of lwa and the ritual is often used on difficult situations.

Since chat class is coming back soon, I am going to go ahead and give you the links to where the transcript archives are for all of the chat classes. If you plan on joining us for chat class, I suggest that you go over the transcripts to see what has already been covered and get yourself up to speed! :-) (Please remember that this is copyrighted information. The rituals you see there were written by me and are not for reproducing elsewhere. Everything there is copyrighted and owned by Parran Matt and myself. My rituals are all original, not out of some book.)

The transcripts are located at:
http://www.spellmaker.com/chatinformation/transcriptindex.htm

There is a TON of information in those archives. Just be prepared that we also had a lot of fun and you have to read through us doing some goofing off, too! ;-)

Simbi "Three Kings" Ritual

Lwa Served: Simbi Dlo, Simbi Andezo, Simbi Makaya

Ritual Usage: This ritual can be used for many purposes but is especially useful for situations that are complex in nature and need to use more "levels" of magick than other situations. This ritual represents a team effort involving strategy, stealth, and power, and therefore can be extremely effective in situations where there are a lot of factors you need to address.

Lwa Aspects

Simbi Dlo
Song:
Gwo Lwa, gwo pwen-m, Simbi nan Dlo (x3),
Djab la rete bo rivaj l’ape gade, Simbi sa ou we, pinga ou pale.

(Big Lwa, my big point, Simbi in Water,
the “djab” (sometimes interpreted as evil spirit, but more as a paid Lwa —
Lwa achte’ sent to do a job, very often misinterpreted as “the devil.”)
stays besides the shores, he is watching. Simbi what you see, you don’t
speak

Colors: White (also blue and silver)
Offerings: Cucumbers, whipping cream, sour cream, rice, - white foods

Simbi Andezo
Song:
Simbi nan dlo, Simbi nan dlo, Simbi nan kay moin (x2)
Papa Ogoun sot nan Simbi nan dlo Simbi nan dlo, kay li.

Simbi (of the water), Simbi (of the water) stays in his house
Papa Ogoun went to visit with Simbi (of the water) Simbi (of the water),
stays in house.

Colors: Blue, silver, white
Offerings: Fresh and salt water in two separate vessels.

Simbi Makaya
Song:
Lwa Simbi Makaya! Dogwe! Map lage pwen a nan men ti moun yo.
Lwa Simbi Makaya! Dogwe! Map lage pwen a nan men ti moun yo.
Si gen lavi map peye Houngan, Si pa gen lavi mwen konnen m pa dwe.
Lwa Simbi Makaya! Dogwe! Map lage pwen a nan men ti moun yo.

The Lwa Simbi Makaya! Kiss the ground! I let go the “pwen” (power point)
into the hands of the children (Note: “You” are the children — the
group.”)
The Lwa Simbi Makaya! Kiss the ground! I let go the “pwen” into the hands
of the children.
If there is life I will pay the Houngan, If there is no life, I know I
don’t owe. (Note: Basically, “if I do well after this, I will pay the
Houngan, if I do poorly, I will not pay the Houngan.”)
The Lwa Simbi Makaya! Kiss the ground! I let go the “pwen” into the hands
of the children.

Colors: Red and green - especially red.
Offerings: Cigars, whiskey, a whip, raw meat, lots of peppers.

---

Setting Up Your Altar

First clean the space that you will use first with salted water and then with fresh water. As you are cleaning, now is the time to start concentrating on the ritual, on contacting our Simbi Team, and what it is you wish to accomplish. As you clean, begin to picture the attainment of your goal for tonight's ritual. When you are done with cleaning the space, clean your hands with the salt and fresh water, too. You may choose to wear either the colors of all the lwa involved or white. Tie your head in a white scarf.

For this ritual, we will set up three distinct places on your altar; one for each of the Simbi Lwa. As you face the altar, to your left, place your items for Simbi Dlo, in the middle goes Simbi Makaya, and to your right, Simbi Andezo. (If you wish to call upon Ogoun as Simbi Andezo's friend during this ritual, you may put a small token that represents Ogoun in Simbi Andezo's space: A butterfly, a piece of iron, etc. Just realize that this should be small, Ogoun is not the focus here, Andezo is, but you can ask Ogoun to work with Andezo on your behalf.) You may put down altar cloths in their colors if you can, just make sure you are creating three spaces, no matter how small or frugal they may be.

Do the appropriate presentation for each item and place it in the space for the appropriate lwa, saying the lwa's name, "for you Simbi Dlo" - and so on. If you are on a budget, this can be a simple ritual as far as offerings go: Three candles, one for each lwa; fresh and salted water for Simbi Andezo; fresh water for Simbi Dlo; at least one offering for Simbi Makaya, even if it just some pepper or a small amount of meat and hopefully a bit of whiskey. Those are the basics. You can, of course, get as elaborate as you wish from there.

---

Doing the Ritual

Now that the altar is set up, light your candles and we will turn our attention to calling in the lwa.

First call for Papa Legba to open the gate for the Simbi Lwa. (Please note: The invocations for both Papa Alegba and the Simbi lwa are in "langaj" a fairly untranslatable language said to be the original language of the lwa. As far as pronounciation, just do your best especially in light of the number of "scholarly debates" regarding the pronouncisation issue. I feel Les Lois speak all languages and recognize these words, so no use worrying about it, just say it loud and proud if you can!)

For Papa Legba: Par pouvwa Sen Antwan de Padou repwezante Papa Lebga Gwetor, Legba Atibon, Legba Katawoulo, Legba Avadra, Legba Gran chimen, Legba Kafou, Vye, Vye, Legba. Ago, Ago-si.

For the Simbi Lwa, we will use one invocation that names all three lwa:

Pa pouvwa Simbi Andeyo, Simbi Yampaka, Simbi Dlo, Simbi Maza, Simbi Makaya, Simbi Ankita, Simbi Fwi, Simbi Gangan, Simbi twa zile, Simbi travo, Neg Kouloubwa Mennen, Neg dadi maza, neg Anpaka poungwe, Anpaka malo, neg tate kite, new biki makaya, neg eskalye Bounba, neg zazi poungwe li gwendemalolo, neg laye, neg simbi laye, neg kasamanbilaye. Matifouye-yi! Majoman-sa!

After you have done the invocations, sit quietly for a moment to welcome Les Lois to your sacred space.

Now you will sing/chant/or otherwise recite each Simbi's song for them. Sing them in this order: Simbi Dlo, Simbi Andezo, then Simbi Makaya. As you are singing them, or afterwards, choose one of their offerings and hold it up for them - there is no wrong way to do this. Invite each one individually to partake in their offerings. If you can, have a little bit of their offerings with them; share in some "social time" with each one. If you want to have some fun - sing some songs that you know that fit each of these lwa. I have found all of Les Lois to be very responsive to different kinds of songs - pop, rock, etc. You could sing, "The Sounds of Silence" for Simbi Dlo, any number of "sea faring" songs for Simbi Andezo, and even something like "Magic Man" for Simbi Makaya. Take as much time as you feel is right for you and each particular lwa.

Once you are satisfied with the time that has spent, you may now begin your petitioning as we have discussed in class. First, begin with Simbi Dlo. Acknowledge his great skills at silence, thank him for the knowledge that "silence is golden." Ask him to silence the things that you are choosing to work with during this ritual. When you are done, dip two fingers from your right hand into his water offering and sprinkle a few drops on the floor. Thank him for his time and consideration of your requests.

Move now to Simbi Andezo. Acknowledge his great skills of strategy and planning. Ask him to bring your plan to life; to help make a plan; to help execute a plan - any or all as appropriate to your situation. If you have honored Ogoun on the altar, ask Simbi Andezo to confer with his friend Ogoun to bring even more power and strategy into this plan. But this about Simbi Andezo - you are not actually asking Ogoun for his help - you are asking Andezo to confer with Ogoun. When you are done, dip two fingers from your right hand into his fresh water offering and sprinkle a few drops on the floor. Dip two fingers from your left hand into his salt water offering and sprinkle a few drops on the floor. Thank him for his time and consideration of your requests.

Move now to Simbi Makaya. Acknowledge his great magickal skills and powerfulness. Ask him to infuse his magick into the requests you have made. (See the transcripts from class about doing some extra empowering of items from your spell castings or adjunct products.) If you are a smoker (or can do a few puffs of smoke) and have offered cigars or cigarettes, light one and draw smoke into your mouth - don't inhale (even if you are a smoker). Blow the smoke over the whole altar, as much as possible. Do this three times. If you cannot do this step, then don't.

Once you have done all of this, this is a great time to sit quietly with paper and pencil and write down the thoughts that come to you. You may find yourself strategizing on problems, writing out potential solutions, or just randomizing some thoughts. All of this has value and meaning. Spend as much time as you are comfortable with.

End your ritual with a final thanks and acknowledgement of the power of the Simbi Lwa. Invite them to stay as long as they feel they need to and ask Papa to close the gate when the team is finished. They may hang around awhile because they have a tendency to get into strategy mode and like to be around your energy while they do this. It is fine to go to sleep or go about whatever you need to do. Papa Legba will be there to close the gate when all is said and done.

If at all possible, let your candles burn out on their own. Please only do this if you can do it safely. Take all fire precautions, please, please, please. Many of you have had some close calls. Don't take candle burning for granted.

Remember, now that you know this ritual, you can use it anytime. We are often faced with complex issues in our lives and this ritual is particularly effective for those things that may need multi-level assistance.

AYIBOBO!

copyright, ©, 2008, Samantha and Matthew Corfield

Erzulie Ritual Was Wonderful!

Hello everyone!
Just a quick note to let you all know how wonderful the Erzulie Ritual was here at the www.spellmaker.com office!

The first great thing was all the hard work done by Berkeley, our office manager and altar hounsi, to help us set up for the ritual. She baked, cleaned, arranged, made a new petitioning box, and did a wonderful job in setting up for the ritual! (Thank you,Berk!)

As your letters and notes came in for inclusion in the ritual I was moved by how many of you not only asked for blessings from Erzulie for yourself but also for others. There was an amazing energy of the universal mind. Cosmic consciousness was certainly in evidence.

A most interesting thing happened during the ritual. After Parran Matt and I got the ritual started and lit the candles, we took some time to re-read and present the petitions. Imagine our surprise when we were only a few minutes in to see the pink candles burned down over HALFWAY!!! That energy was blazing, my friends!! There was so much love and energy in those requests, it was amazing. Erzulie Freda was certainly one busy lady yesterday.

Remember, although we will not be taking more requests for this ritual until next year, you can still do the ritual to Erzulie anytime you want! We will keep the one day ritual pack available all year long this year! So if you are doing love spell work and want to boost it, you can either purchase the small ritual pack and do the one day ritual as a form of adjunct work or you can just get the ritual itself off of our website for free and provide your own materials for it. Either way, you will be honoring the great Vodou love goddess, Erzulie Freda.

Additionally, we will leave up the other packages that we normally just sell at Valentine's Day. We have decided to make those special packages available to you all year round. So many of you are doing love spell work and those packages allow you to purchase adjunct materials for a much lower price than purchasing them individually. So we have made the decision to make those available to you all year this time around.

Thank you all so much for participating in the ritual with us! It is our pleasure to serve you in this way and it is a great honor to work with so many wonderful people.

So how did your own personal ritual go? We would love to hear about it!!! Just send me a comment in the comment section below. Love,
Mambo Samantha Corfield

Papa Alegba Kits Gets Rave Reviews!

Greetings one and all! Happy Thursday! :-) So have you used the Papa Alegba Knock-Knock Ritual Pack or Papa Alegba's Open Door Red and White Bath??

We were so happy to be able to launch these products a few weeks ago and many of you have already used them and reported back to us! I just wanted to share a few of the comments with you that people have written:

"I feel like I have been waiting a long time for something like this. Never did I feel so much at peace and free as I did after using the ritual and bath. I did the bath after the ritual and went right to sleep. I don't sleep well and could not believe when I woke up and it was morning. I usually wake up three to five times a night. I woke up feeling like I could conquer the world."

"Mambo Sam thank you so much for this Papa kit. I opened my package and smelled everything and started to cry. It felt like I was home and everything would be okay."

"Tell me about the smell in this bath! I was so comforted and felt so good after I did it. I had been sick for three weeks with a cold or something. The next morning I was well and felt ready for anything that was coming my way."

"Knock knock! I love that name and I love you and this ritual pack. I feel like I wasn't just knocking on the door but knocking the door down. Awesome!"

"I have never felt so connected to Papa. He has been my best friend for a long time but this has made it so much better."

Those are just a few of the rave reviews! I was especially elated to hear how much people felt like they could conquer the world or meet whatever was coming next! I really enjoyed hearing about the confidence factor that these products elicited!

Have you used your kit and/or bath yet?? Let us hear from you!! I would love to hear from you all about it. Just click on the comments below and let us hear from you.

Love,light,and peace,
Mambo Sam

Heating up for the Erzulie Ritual!

Greetings everyone!
It is just a little over a week (I can't believe how time flies!) to go until we start our annual Valentine's Ritual to Erzulie Freda here in the Spellmaker office! If you haven't gotten your ritual request in, please hurry up and do so. Just see the page at www.spellmaker.com/erzulie.htm for instructions on how to submit your letter. It's free, it's fun, it's fabulous!

For some, this time of year is terribly dreaded. All those happy couples, Valentine's decorations, hearts and flowers just about everywhere can sometimes serve to make those who are facing this holiday alone just feel terrible. That is one of the reasons why we do the Erzulie ritual directly on Valentine's day. So if you don't have a date, you sure do have a date with us!

Sure, we know it is easy to say it is a cheesy holiday just giving the greeting card companies another way to sell us another $5.00 card. It's easy to say you don't believe in it or wouldn't celebrate it anyway if you were with someone. But for most of us, if we are alone, we still feel pangs of pain in our hearts despite what our lips might say.

If you feel like the idea of another Valentine's Day makes you want to run and hide, make a plan to spend the day thinking about your own ritual to Erzulie, shopping for what you need, setting everything up, etc. Make the day special to yourself in preparation for the day when someone else will make it special for you.

Please remember that we are here for you! If you are feeling lonely, tired of being alone, or just plain stressed out over a Valentine's Day spent alone, please write to your caseworker. Tell your caseworker how you are feeling and spend some time discussing how you will spend the day and how you will make it special for yourself.

So besides doing the Erzulie Valentine's Ritual with us (because I KNOW you are!), what other tips do you have for people spending this day alone? What else can you do to make this day special for yourself?

I look forward to hearing from you all!

Love to all,
Mambo Sam

Service to Erzulie Freda

Hello everyone!
Of course, we here at Spellmaker.com are gearing up for our annual Valentine's Day Service to the lovely Vodou love goddess,Erzulie Freda! Many of you have already sent in your petitions to be included in the free ritual. We are hoping that many more of you will!

One thing I have noticed is that many of you are still worried that your service to Erzulie will not be "enough" for her. Certainly, it is understandable when working with the lwa who is known for loving opulence and luxury that one might have these concerns. Although I have tried to let people know that even the smallest service done with a good heart will be well received, there are still those who wish they could do more. :-)

I have some ideas for you! Remember that "luxury" can be a state of mind and an environment can be luxurious without being expensive. So first start thinking of the space that you will be doing your service in. If you purchased the one-day ritual kit or plan on doing the ritual as written on the website make whatever area you will be doing your service in as lovely as you can! Even if you temporarily use one of your own bed sheets as an altar cloth, that is okay because you can spray your perfume on it and make it something special.

Set the mood for the ritual with any candles you have and put on romantic music or tune your radio to a soft rock or other type of station that plays the kind of music that would set the mood for romance.

Do you have jewelry? You can put it on the altar and "give" it to Erzulie! That doesn't mean you can't wear it! Of course you can, but if you dedicate it to her, then you have given her something wonderful.

Do you have old magazines laying around? Cut out pictures of beautiful things - jewelry, clothes, perfume, etc. Make a simple collage out of them and put them on your altar for her!

How about the rest of you out there? What ideas do you have for serving Erzulie in a respectful, but economical, way? Just click on the little link below the post that says "comments" and leave us your suggestions!

Love,
Mambo Sam

Ogoun's Special Oil

Hello everyone!  As many of you know, we are planning to resume our chat classes on April 23, 2008, with a special ritual to honor one of our favorite lwa, Ogoun Feraille.    He is syncretized with St. George and April 23 is St. George's feast day.  So we will honor both Ogoun Feraille and St. George on this day.

Many of you have responded to the idea that we are offering a special ritual pack to be used either together with us when we are doing the ritual online or at any other time that you desire.  I am really happy to see such a great response to honoring Ogoun!

In this ritual pack is a special voodoo oil that Parran Matt and I have formulated especially for Ogoun.  This is actually partially a formulation that I came up with several years ago for Ogoun.  However, with some special input from Paran Matt, this oil feels even more powerful than it did to start with!  There is a "Fire and Iron" concept to this oil, representing some of the most venerated aspects of Ogoun.  If it turns out that you all like it as much as we think you will, we will certainly start to carry it on a regular basis.

I cannot wait until you all try it out!

Love, Mambo Sam

St. Joseph and Papa Loko

  Greetings, everyone!  Right on the heels of St. Patrick's Day is a day that doesn't receive quite as much recognition in most circles!  It is St. Joseph's Day and it is always celebrated on March 19. 

In Vodou/Voodoo, St. Joseph is syncretized with the powerful and wise lwa Papa Loko.  Papa Loko is the giver of the asson (sacred rattle used by Mambos and Houngans) in the ritual of initiation.   Papa Loko is considered the father of all Vodou houses and is known to be the first Houngan.

Papa Loko is also a healer and often gives herbal cures and medicinal root work knowledge to Houngans and Mambos.  This knowledge, especially in Haiti is used to help the Mambo or Houngan to offer medical help to members of the house.  Of course this practice isn't as widespread in the United States, but in Haiti, the head of a Vodou house often turns to Papa Loko to cure both serious and simple illnesses.

Of all the Saint syncretizations, I think that the altars built to St. Joseph most closely resemble Vodou!  As you can see from this picture, the altars are extremely elaborate!  And as Vodouisants, I am sure you are going, "wow, that is some Voodoo altar!!"

Building these altars has a rich tradition, especially in New Orleans history.  St. Joseph altars begin to be built several days ahead of time and are just beautiful.  Almost all of the food is given to the poor after the altar is torn down.

The tradition of these altars originated in Sicily where St. Joseph was petitioned during a drought and famine.  The drought and famine broke and the people rejoiced and promised to always help feed the less fortunate.   As Vodouisants, we also take the opportunity of this day to do something for those less fortunate and dedicate it to both St. Joseph and Papa Loko!!

Here is a link to a great article to read more about St. Joseph Day and how it is traditionally celebrated.  If you are not familiar with it, it is a fascinating read! (The author even mentions the Vodou connection!)

Louisiana Project - St. Joseph's Day Altars

This is a really cool link!  It is a virtual St. Joseph's Altar.  They even have a place for you to make a virtual offering to the altar!! (The altar might be closed today because the Vatican actually moved the feast day this year because of the way Holy Week fell on the Christian calendear, but normally this would be the feast day and, in my opinion, still is!)    ;-)

Virtual St. Joseph Altar

Honoring Papa Loko:  Obviously, for Vodouisants, St. Joseph Day is also an honor to Papa Loko.  Papa Loko is most often honored by Houngans and Mambos and there are even some schools of thought that if you are not a priest or priestess, you might not want to serve him as he reserves most of his guidance for them.  However, I do not feel there is any reason for non-initiates NOT to honor Papa Loko!  He may guide you towards initiation or have other important guidance for you. 

His colors are yellow, white, and green.  You may serve him with almost any herb or leafy plant (think about serving him a green salad) and fresh water.  I have also found him to be fond of those green herbal drinks and green tea!

It is a tradition in New Orleans Voodoo that if you want to know someone's secrets you take a small cloth bag, put some leaves in it that you are offering to Papa Loko (especially if you have built him a small altar and are doing service to him - take some of the leaves that you offered on the altar and put them in the small cloth bag).  Now write the person's name on a piece of paper nine times.  Fold it up and put it in the bag.   Take the bag and hang it in a tree where it is least likely to be disturbed for 99 days.  During those 99 days, that person's secrets are said to be all revealed to you.  The bag should continue to hang in the tree until it is destroyed by nature or disintegrates from age. :-)

Love, Mambo Sam

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Greetings, everyone!  As most Vodouisants already know, the great snake Lwa, Damballah, is syncretized with St. Patrick.  It is common to serve Damballah on this day.  It always makes me smile that Damballah is represented by St. Patrick as St. Patrick was credited for "driving the snakes out of Ireland."  Somehow it seems that Damballah got the last word on that!!

Of course, the syncretization came due to the fact that pictures of St. Patrick often contain pictures of snakes.  It is important to remember that most syncretizations of lwa with Catholic Saints were originated as a way to hide the practitioner's true intention to serve a particular lwa.  So while we also honor the Saint for his or her long time shielding of the lwa, it is truly the lwa we are serving with the usage of the Saint's image.

The great and powerful Damballah is simple to serve:  A white egg served on a small mound of white flour is the perfect offering for him.  White cormeal is also used, as are white liquor (especially anisette), rice, milk, etc. Always remember to include an offering of fresh water served in a clear glass. You can draw the veve above and put it on your altar or under your offering to Damballah.

Damballah is considered to be the father of the Universe, the father of creation and all knowledge, and the keeper of the skies.  His knowledge comes to his devotees as thoughts and whispers as he does not speak his knowledge aloud.

When you serve Damballah, ask him for power and knowledge to come to you.  Petition him to help bring peace and harmony into your life.  If you are feeling weak and negative, ask him for strength, cleansing, and removal of all negativity.  Of course, our Milk of Damballah White Bath is made according to the Haitian Vodou formula of the bath for Damballah and is consecrated on his point.  If your love life is in a shambles, ask Damballah to bring the strong peace and love that he shares with Ayida Ouedo (his partner) to your relationship.

A song for Damballah is often sung in Haiti:

Ki mele mwen, Dambala, ki mele mwen.

Ki mele mwen, Dambala, ki mele mwen.

Pa gen manman, pa gen papa.

Ki mele mwen, Dambala ki mele mwen.

This song is interpreted as, "I don't care (or "what care I"), Dambala, I don't care.  I have no mama.  I have no papa, I don't care."  This is often taken to mean that a person has no parents, but they have Damballah and so they don't care.  However, it's deeper meaning is to show that Damballah is the lwa of creation therefore having no "mama and papa" because he was always there to start with.   

Even if you don't know the tune of the song, you can still sing it for him when you do your offerings.  It is a good way to honor him and call him into your service.

So as you celebrate St. Paddy's day today, remember to leave a little offering for Damballah!  Have a great day and if you are going out today, please be safe.

Love, light, and peace,

Mambo Sam