Bay Rum (Stop Putting Bay Laurel in It!)

Forget all those nasty, medicinal aftershaves: a good bay rum is spicy, herbal, and refreshing. This is on my "classic male scents" list, along with Creed Green Irish Tweed, Creed Silver Mountain Water, and 4711/other eau de colognes. When your grandpop came home from from the barbershop, he probably smelled like either bay rum or EDC.

The "bay" in bay rum does not refer to bay laurel, so you can ignore all the ridiculous recipes you'll find online calling for bay leaves as an ingredient. Instead it refers to Jamaican bayberry (allspice). Also, you can't substitute allspice berries for allspice leaves. It really is better and cheaper to just buy a bottle of the real deal rather than to whip up a batch of boozy spices from a fake recipe. Although, if anyone were to procure the proper ingredients and mix me up a batch made with Sailor Jerry.... oooh.

Bay rum is used for cleansing and healing. You can cleanse candles and workspaces with it, add it to baths, add it to washes/scrubs. Roots and herbs are sometimes soaked in it to make special formulas. Sometimes for healing it is rubbed on the body, downwards from head to toe, to cleanse away and pull the illness off the person. For example: To draw out a fever, mix it with cool/ice water and rub the person downwards with a clean rag while praying. Repeat every so often until the fever breaks.*

If you mostly use Florida Water to cleanse, consider switching to bay rum. It's, at least in my experience, more traditional to conjure, and the prices are stable. Florida Water keeps getting more and more expensive for no good reason. Well, I think I know why. "Hoodoo" has been a fad (ugh) for the past few years, and all the internet crowd wants is Florida Water. I mean, I got turned onto Florida Water too, it smells nice and it used to be cheap. But I refuse to pay $7-$14 per bottle when I can get bay rum for $3-$7.

The easiest brands to locate in brick and mortar stores are Superior 70 and Clubman Virgin Island Bay Rum. Burt's Bees used to make a good one, but I'm pretty sure it's discontinued. Try pharmacies (especially Walgreens), Dollar General, and Sally Beauty Supply.

Don't let the light shade fool you, it's pretty good.

*all my standard disclaimers apply... healing should always be a partnership with your medical doctor

Colors

I keep going in to write about the use of color in conjure and then abandoning it because I don't like to cover things which have already been written about extensively. Ironically, Blogger can't seem to get the colors of my text right! I wrote everything but the colored words in black, I have no idea why random blocks of text show up grey.

COLOR! Guys, I am all about color. I can't even stand to wear my hair a natural color because I have this deep need to look like some kind of tropical bird or mermaid. I would totally share clothes with Rainbow Brite, David Bowie, or Katy Perry. Color has such a profound effect on our emotional and mental states. Each hue vibrates and hums with its own unique energy. We draw strong links between colors and how they appear in our daily lives. For example: Green is the color of money in the US, so we associate green with money. Now look what happens when I write it in magenta: money. It looks off to you, doesn't it?

Color can be used to attract and invoke particular energies/qualities. Certain colors can themselves be used for protection and uncrossing. Color can also help one fine-tune works, getting everything just right. For example, you have some lavender flowers. You could use them with a pink candle for romance and love or with a blue candle for peace.

One thing to remember is that while things like colored candles are nice, you don't need them. Before colored candles were mass-produced and affordable, people just used white household candles and tapers. You can use white candles for everything. I usually work with white candles, often buying large, inexpensive packs of tea lights and Shabbat candles. Beeswax candles, which are often a very pale yellow, are still considered white because they are uncolored.

You'll notice that all color lists are different. This is because of the mixture of African, European, and Native American color symbolism. Color is also very personal, so of course people will work with what they feel is appropriate.

RED- Power, protection, blood, love, lust, heating things up, domination, anger/war, luck. Red is the color of Mars. Red is the blood that courses through our veins. Red is the color of Marilyn Monroe's lipstick. Red itself is protective: animals evolved red markings to scare off predators because red things in nature tend to be poisonous. Red brick dust is an example of the power of red to protect.

ORANGE- Overcoming obstacles/blocks, opening the way, drawing, communication, bringing joy, learning, obtaining knowledge, psychic dreams, divination. Orange is one of the colors of Mercury. Orange is the glow of a lantern, illuminating the way. Orange is change, like the change of leaves in fall.

YELLOW- Success, wisdom, money, leadership, mastery, cleansing of darkness, lifting depression. Yellow (gold) is the Sun. Yellow is gold. Gold, like the crowns of kings and queens. Yellow is St. John's Wort, purging and protecting from evil, alleviating depression. Yellow is chamomile, drawing in money or quieting anxiety.

GREEN- Money, fertility of all kinds, luck, love, growth. Green is the color of Venus. Money is green. Green is abundant crops. Green is springtime, when love is in the air as flowers bloom and animals pair off and mate. Green is the color of poker and pool tables. Green is a four-leaf clover. Green is also sometimes used to counteract and remove negative/unwanted things. I believe this is from the European grimoire system of planetary correspondences, where Venus opposes Mars. Love conquers all, non?

BLUE- Peace, tranquility, loyalty, fidelity, protection, blessings, weddings, cooling things down, sleep, dreams, divination. Blue is one of the colors of Jupiter. Blue is the color of clear skies and smooth water. A rich royal/cobalt blue is used to turn back and protect against the evil eye. Blue is also used to ward off haints and other nasty spirits. Blue is also associated with divine or angelic protection; For example, Fiery Wall of Protection products were originally usually blue. "True blue" is an idiom used to describe someone who is faithful, loyal, and dependable. Blue can also represent the law/police officers, "the boys in blue".

PURPLE- Power, authority, mastery, victory, controlling, compelling, dominating, psychic abilities. Purple is the other color of Jupiter. Purple is color of royal robes. Purple is the color of lightning. Purple is used for asserting one's power and influence over people or situations.

PINK-  Love, romance, friendship, beauty, attraction and attractiveness, drawing (for love). Pink is a romantic sunset. Pink is the lipstick of a lady on a date. Pink is the lighter, cooler version of Red, both in actual hue and application.

BROWN- Neutral color, court case work, stability, binding (when you seek to "ground" someone), treasure finding. Brown is the color of earth, of soil. Think of "solid ground", "grounding" someone or something, and treasure finding, where one would be literally digging, and you start to get the picture.

BLACK- Removing evil, protection from evil, repelling, reversing, banishing, crossing/jinxing, evil, death. Black is one of Saturn's colors. In Wicca and some other neopagan religions, there is a tendency to use black as a neutral color--NEVER would it be used like that in conjure.

WHITE- Purity, goodness, blessing, cleansing, uncrossing, protection, healing, weddings, angels, spirits. White is used for altar candles/master candles. Like I mentioned above, white is also a neutral color.

GREY- Confusion/"mental fog", confusing a situation, obscuring things, neutralizing (as opposed to being a neutral color). You don't find grey candles too much, but they exist. "Black" colored talc/bath salts are really grey, but they're still used as black.

SILVER- Money, protection, psychic work, divination, femininity. Silver is the color of the Moon.

GOLD- Money, success, masculinity. Gold is the color of the Sun.

Hardware Store Conjure

It kills me that marketers sell stuff like red brick dust for up to $4 per small bag... and that people are willing to pay for it! There's nothing special about what they're selling; you can save yourself a ton of money by shopping at your local hardware store.

BRICKS
Bricks are anywhere from dirt cheap to free. Half the time, you can find a few just lying around your neighborhood. If you can't locate any spare bricks, they can be had for less than $.50 at your local hardware or home and garden store. To pulverize, simply wrap in a tea towel and smash with a hammer. Next, pray over the brick dust for protection. Easy, and you aren't paying such an absurd markup. There's also something to be said for doing the work yourself. You can't just buy $100 worth of products, not build any relationship with the spirits or do any real work, then just "shake 'n bake" and sit back, demanding to be catered to.

MAGNETS
 Magnets, some people love them, others hate them. I personally love them. Don't let anyone teach you that using magnets is "wrong", you're got to spend time with both lodestones and magnets and get to know their spirits. That's another thing, some people teach that magnets are "bad" because they're not alive and don't have a spirit... again, that is someone's personal opinion. Some people like magnets ok, but still prefer the more gentle pull of lodestones. I am not one of those people! I've even come to love the small rare earth (neodymium) magnets, which pack quite a punch.

Magnets still need to be fed the same as lodestones. You can get a metal file and some iron, like a small piece of rebar or something, and make your own iron dust. In this case, I wouldn't blame you for just buying either the pre-made stuff or magnetic sand (iron granules).

SQUARE-CUT/MASONRY NAILS
I think these nails are just lovely, and you don't have to pay an arm and a leg for them. Something I haven't really seen online: some people make crosses with them (representing the nails of crucifixion) and wear them for protection.


OTHER NAILS
All "coffin nails" are made, meaning that they weren't really pried from coffins. Some marketers just rust up some iron nails, a few bury their nails in a graveyard to rust, but a few do bury their nails at a paid grave. Paying up to $1 per rusty nail is just way too much. And, personally, I have a real problem with graveyard work being farmed out. It feels like... spirit pimping.

I've personally found that I like working with copper roofing nails for protection work. Those coming into conjure from European pagan or Wiccan backgrounds sometimes have a difficult time with separating the strong association they have between copper and love work (copper is a metal of Venus). In conjure, we primarily use copper for protection. This comes from the West African influence, where copper has been used for centuries for protection and to promote health. See below for more about copper.

CANDLES
 Household candles and citronella candles. All the bells and whistles of colored wax candles, figure candles, novenas, and 7-day candles are nice, but they are all modern conventions. Household candles are what old workers used, if they burned candles at all. In my family, it's always been either household candles or novenas. I've branched off into the other types of candles, but I still primarily use household candles because that's how I was taught.

Besides keeping the biting bastards at bay, citronella candles are great for protection and turning your luck around. Obviously, you have to pray and work them, but that's the same with all conjure tools. I really like how some companies have been putting out citronella candles with additional scents, like lavender. Every one I've seen was made with real essential oils, rather than artificial fragrance. I like this because you can really get specific with your needs. Citronella-cinnamon, just for one example, is perfect for increasing business luck. Burn it outside, where customers enter.

SULFUR, SALTPETER, ROCK SALT
All are available in the gardening department. Saltpeter (potassium nitrate,  NAo3) will be branded as "stump remover". If you buy a bag of rock salt, make sure you are actually buying salt (halite, NaCl) and not calcium chloride.

COPPER
If you're the creative type, you can use copper wire, coil, and fittings to make protective amulets, jewelry, altar pieces, and even pieces to go in protection hands. Some people wear copper to protect against rheumatism. If you work with the rod/staff/wand, you can craft a very nice one from slim copper pipe. Cap one end and affix a small quartz point to the other.

BROOM/WHISK
Natural, not nylon. I feel like the use of the whisk is slowly being forgotten about, people online only want the black chicken feather ones if they even want one at all. A whisk is used the same way as a broom, only it is more commonly used to sweep a person. I keep my whisk right by my bed, sweeping myself after arguments, nightmares, or whenever I feel I need cleansing. Broom straws can be added to baths and floor washes.

SAND
It is technically illegal to remove sand from a beach, so consider purchasing it to preserve our beautiful shorelines. Look for any broken bags and ask if you can buy them at a discount. You'll usually only have to pay about $1-$1.50. Sand is great for burning incense on charcoal, since it absorbs the heat. You'll want about 2" of sand in a heat-proof container. For those of you afraid to let candles burn while you are not home, get disposable aluminum trays and fill them with sand. Should any candles tip over or glass crack, the sand will prevent fire and catch any mess.

LIVE PLANTS, SEEDS
Look, even if you live in an apartment, you can still at least take care of a small cactus or succulent. How are you supposed to work with herbs and roots when you've got no connection to their spirits? Learn to care for plants, speak to them, and listen. You can even grow many of your own supplies. Trust me, a rose bush or rosemary plant that you've personally nurtured and built up a relationship with will be that much more willing--and therefor powerful--than some dried herbs bought in bulk.

QUEEN ELIZABETH ROOT
What? Yes! Only seasonally available. Bulbs for spring are sold in late summer/early fall for planting. What you're looking for is Bearded Iris (iris germanica). You can either plant some and harvest the extra rhizomes each year when it's time for fall dividing, or you can use just use them out of the package. If you're after queen elizabeth root, you will absolutely benefit from planting it around your house and working with the live plant in addition to the root.

CERAMIC TILES
For hot incense censors.

There's lots more useful stuff at the hardware store (mirrors, twine, chain), so take your time to really look around and keep an open mind. The people who sit there and say "Oh, I'd rather just order it all online, it's more expensive but it's sooo much easier" are, in my opinion, not doing real conjure and not worthy of the gift of conjure. That saying about God helping people who help themselves? That's what conjure's all about. You have to want it and you have to work for it. Put in the work, while saving yourself some money, and you will be surprised by your results.