A Protection Packet For Travel

Since I've been doing so much traveling of my own, I thought I'd write a little bit about conjure for travelers.

A great 3 ingredient packet for travel I like:
-Comfrey
-Mugwort
-Rue

First, one of the most traditional roots associated with travel is comfrey. It can be added to packets or hands, and carrying it on you will ensure your travels are safe and worry-free. Next, fresh mugwort leaves are used to line the shoes to prevent fatigue, and dried they are carried for protection not just physically, but spiritually. The psychic uses of mugwort are so popular and talked about that sometimes people forget about its use in travel. Finally, rue. I. Love. Rue. It's so powerful and protective, keeping off negative forces and spiritual attack.

If you wish, you can add additional things, such as a St. Christopher charm (patron saint of travelers) or salt.

Now, once you've returned home and you've turned into a lazy purring housecat because your hosts spoiled you so much... hmm, I'm still figuring out how to fix that :D

4711 - The Original Eau De Cologne

I must confess: I am OBSESSED with perfumes and perfumery. Scent is our strongest memory and emotional trigger. Whenever I'm not feeling well, I dig into my perfume collection for something to perk me up. (Right now I've got the flu, but I'm awash in Chanel no. 5) Andy Warhol once said that perfume is a way to take up more space, and indeed, various spirits are associated with filling rooms with unexplainable scents. Since Andy Warhol loved perfume so much, he requested to be buried with a bottle of Estee Lauder's Beautiful... I imagine that's what his spirit would smell like. Anyway, the point is, perfume is special.

4711 has such a wonderful, nostalgic scent. Produced in Cologne, Germany for over 200 years, this is the original echt kölnisch wasser. 4711 is responsible for "cologne" becoming a generic term in perfumery. Hoyt's and Florida Water are less-expensive stateside interpretations of this fragrance, to give you an idea of the scent. Several members of my family have owned this, it's such a classic. When I think of conjure perfume, this is the first one to jump to my mind, followed by Hoyt's, and then Bay Rum. Florida Water is honestly at the bottom of the list. Like I've said before, FW is something I picked up later in life.

4711 is used just like Hoyt's. You can wear it for luck (especially gambling), anoint hands/mojos with it, add it to baths/washes/scrub water, soak herbs/roots in it (such as High John) to make special formulations.

 I once read that Pete Townshend used to snort 4711. I think that's fabulous.

If you can get your hands on a vintage bottle (pre-1980's) the scent is superior, but the new formula is still pretty good. Though not traditionally used in conjure, Roger&Gallet's Farina Eau de Cologne is closer to the original smell. In the "Most Expensive" category is Chanel's Eau de Cologne, which outlasts any other cologne I've tried. Guerlain's Eau de Cologne Imperiale is another classic cologne you can check out. (I only list all these for any die-hard cologne fans)

If you love 4711, they've been putting out several variations of it in recent years with their Acqua Colonia line:

Tips For Working With Animal Spirits: Addendum

I feel so stupid for leaving this stuff out, I was just in a hurry to publish my post. Again, these posts are to help people work with animal spirits without supporting the horrific fur industry, not to condemn the use of animal parts. I work with animal parts, just look at my post on turkey bones.

Other things you can do:

-Use animal parts that can be obtained without killing the animal. This is very traditional; for example, cat and dog hair is used to make people fight. Feathers are used for communication, love, or even uncrossing, depending on the bird they came from. Black cat hair is used for good luck or stealth. I actually have a gaming hand made with fur from my black kitty-boy and it works unbelievably well. You can use fur/hair, shed claws, shed feathers, snake sheds, nail clippings, hoof trimmings... things either the animal loses naturally or which can me obtained without harm.

-Keep items with the animal whose spirit you wish to work with. This is another very traditional practice, where the hand/talisman/packet/whatever is empowered via transference. One example is keeping an item for protection under a guard dog's bed for a set number of nights.

-Use parts from animals that have already died. This means death due to natural causes, bones you find in nature, and even roadkill. Be extra careful about that last one. Pray for the animal and petition Spirit beforehand. Follow hazardous waste precautions.