Lightning Struck Wood and Storm Water

(Oh Blogger, why am I plagued by this weird grey text? I type with black, it comes up grey.)

Does anyone remember the Simpsons episode, "Homer at the Bat", where Homer finds that lightning has struck a tree, and carves a baseball bat from the wood? (a nod to the movie "The Natural")

I have always wanted to do that.

Lightning struck wood is all about power. You can add it to anything to give it a fiery, energetic jolt of power. It's in a category of what I like to call "amplifiers", things that have such a strong spiritual vibration that they add power to and amplify whatever they're used in. Frankincense, dragon's blood, shark teeth, nut galls, oak, and sweetgum are a few examples. It can also be employed in any work in which you need to drive off or cleanse away evil, which is interesting considering some people say burning it releases evil spirits. I've also heard that you should never burn lightning struck wood in your home because you risk burning your house down.

Lightning struck sand/"petrified lightning", known as fulgurite, is something fewer people talk about. Fulgurite pieces can be used the same way as struck wood.

Storm water/lightning water is rainwater gathered during a thunderstorm. It's great for protection, driving/cleansing away evil, and uncrossing. Tip: Add some blessed salt as a preservative.

I saw St. Elmo's fire over the summer, it was an amazing once-in-a-lifetime thing. I'm so happy I was able to see it first-hand and also collect a good amount of water from that storm. I've seen ball lightning too. And once, I saw a strange orange orb of light bounce/float across the road. My friend and I each turned to each other to confirm we weren't seeing things. He finally shrugged "There's all kinds of weird things in the valley." I wonder if that thing was what people call a jack-o'-lantern or will-o'-the-wisp? Electricity is neat.

A little aside: I used to be terrified of lightning. I mean a full-on, panic attack inducing, phobia of lighting and thunder. One stormy Sunday morning, I was waiting at the doors at church while my parents pulled the car around (I was too scared to walk across the parking lot). A little old lady, on her way out, stopped and asked me if I was waiting for someone. I remember it so clearly, she laid a hand on my shoulder and said "Well let's wait together, dear. You can stand under my umbrella." She kept her hand on my shoulder and we stood in silence until the car appeared.
"Oh, um, that's them,"
"There, see? Nothing to be afraid of. You're not afraid. God bless!"
 I thanked her, but didn't see her again once I climbed into the car. It took me a minute to notice, but... I was no longer afraid. And I was never afraid of lightning again. I went from getting sick to my stomach at the mere mention of the chance of thunder showers, to loving to watch even fierce lightning storms. My mom told me about people with the power of laying on hands and said the lady had healed me. It was amazing. Even the ultra-scientific, perfect rational side of me, to this day, is astounded and humbled by that experience.

Start at the Beginning

It's this first post that's delayed this blog for so long. I've felt like I should start with a thorough introduction, including an extensive autobiography, before I even begin to touch on the subject of conjure. Maybe because there's so much mixed-up nonsense online being presented by marketers and "experts", I feel it's important to share what it's like to have a background in conjure that doesn't come from books or (worse) online classes. Actually, the deluge of internet nonsense being passed off as real hoodoo, rootwork, and conjure is exactly what prompted me to write this blog. As I watch all the fascinating folk tradition I've grown up with become distorted and muted, I feel the need to preserve what I can in writing.

So why has this introduction post delayed the start of this blog for almost two years since I first felt moved to create it? Well, besides the enormity of the task, pouring my life out to strangers just feels unnatural. That's not how people get to know each other in person. We don't first sit down and share our life story with strangers so that they can decide whether they want to hear our thoughts and opinions. No, what we say and what we do speaks for itself, and we get to know each other over time. That's how I'd like to work this blog. I've got so much to write about, why rush it?

The stories about learning conjure and folk magic can wait until I actually write about the things I've learned, if that makes sense.

I'm tired of the fake internet hoodoo, full of "spells" like honey jars and mirror boxes (we don't call it a spell, and neither of those are traditional like they're claimed to be), "cut and clear" jobs with no cutting (seriously!), Wiccans/neo-pagans stealing and repackaging conjure, "certified experts" (HA!), repackaged material from Harry M. Hyatt, and marketers who will do anything to get everyone hooked on their mass-produced products, destroying real conjure in the process. I'm tired of the laziness and entitled attitudes. I'm tired of the disconnect from and even disrespect of nature. I'm tired of the "experts" judging that something isn't real/traditional conjure because they didn't read about it in Hyatt's books. I'm tired of people daring to call themselves two-headed doctors when they don't know how to heal medicinally (and half the time they don't do healing work magically!) I'm not saying there are no traditional workers or sites with good information online. There are! The good just tends to get drowned in the sea of nonsense.

It's time for me to stop complaining and start blogging. I hope you, dear readers, enjoy my blog and find it helpful and informative. Always feel free to hit me up with questions and comments.