Showing posts with label money. Show all posts
Showing posts with label money. Show all posts

Monday, December 16, 2013

Syrup

 
I just love retro packaging.

People used to use the syrup from preserved fruit.



 I do the same, both with fruit I've canned myself, and canned fruit.

Guys, it's time to break free from the honey jar madness. Honey jars are not some traditional, ultra-powerful trick that's been used for over 100 years... they're something made-up by a marketer a few years ago which have exploded in their popularity. When the honey jar work was first posted, people were only really using them for love, reconciliation, family, in-laws. Now I see them being used for every single thing, even domination and success in school work. Some people don't even want to learn anything else!

Honey is slow-running and comparatively expensive. 100+ years ago, it was even more expensive, most all of the people practicing conjure could not afford it. My great grandmother and a few other farmers in my family kept apiaries, so I do have a certain fondness for honey, but honey was never used so wastefully as it is in a honey jar. You don't need a whole jar of the stuff to sweeten people! Honey is really not appropriate for many long-term goals. Since honey runs slow and gets thicker over time and in the cold months, it holds things and makes them stick. If you try doing a honey jar for riches, you aren't going to grow your wealth exponentially. You'll really just sweeten money to you for a bit and then hold what you have.

One of the sites with instructions for creating honey jars lists a few different sweeteners that can me used, and on this list they've put molasses. When I first read that, let me tell you my mouth fell open and I actually said "Nooooo!" out loud. Molasses can be used to curse, it is the worst possible choice for this type of work.

I was taught to work with sugar and syrup. I roll candles in sugar all the time. In fact, I have a post on sugar coming up where I'll talk about a little trick only I use. Mama Starr at Old Style Conjure was the first to put the truth out there about sweeteners, she's got a great article on her site you should read.

Syrup is awesome to use. It's sweet, viscous, and cheap. It doesn't matter whether it's real maple syrup or just flavored corn syrup, it's all sweet. Many people also used the syrup from fruit they had preserved. Canned fruit in syrup is really cheap, you can use the syrup strained off of that as well.

I like to drizzle a little on a candle and then roll the candle in herbs, then drizzle a little more around the candle on the plate. When doing jobs that utilize fruits or red onions as containers, you can add syrup to give them extra sweetness. You can stand a taper up in a small bowl or teacup of sweetened condensed milk and syrup. There's just so much you can do with it.

If you don't normally keep canned fruit around and you want an "excuse" to strain off some fruit syrup, here's my recipe for ambrosia salad. Drain the syrup well.

Dr. Trixie's Ambrosia Salad

-2 cans of mandarin oranges
-1 can of pineapple chunks
-1 jar of maraschino cherries
-Shredded coconut. Most people use dried or toasted, but I try to use fresh.
-Only a dollop of sour cream if you must add it. And never yogurt!
-Splash of Grand Marnier. This is my secret ingredient: people rave!

Easier than easy. Just combine everything in a large bowl and stir together. One of the most delicious parts of Christmas time!

It also always reminds me of one of my favorite Christmas movies:

 
"I noticed that you have not tasted any of the ambrosia salad I made especially for you."

I also found a great recipe online for true, old-fashioned violet syrup. (I love violet candy.) This would be amazing for love and reconciliation work. It's simple to make, too! This recipe can be adapted to make other edible flower syrups, such as rose and lavender.


Monday, November 25, 2013

Sassafras

I love fall. Love it. There's Halloween, my favorite holiday ever. In the US, we "fall forward" and adjust our clocks by an hour for daylight savings--aligning the day with my circadian rhythm a bit better. It's cool enough for sweaters and my favorite faux-fur coats, but not so bitterly cold that you have to really bundle up before heading out. I love how everything becomes so colorful, all gold, yellow, red, orange, and purple.

One of the more showy fall trees is the sassafras tree. You can find just about all the colors of fall throughout it's three leaf shapes. The smell is just amazing, all parts of the tree are aromatic. You can take a few leaves and crush them to release that familiar spicy-sweet scent. Sassafras tea is awesome, you can make it with the root, bark, or leaves. I wouldn't drink too much of it however: safrole, a naturally occurring compound, has been linked to liver damage and cancer. Once in a while is ok, just don't drink it daily or even weekly. Everything in moderation. I think the leaves have a lower safrole content, so stick to leaf tea if you're really worried. The leaves are made into filé powder and used to thicken up dishes like gumbo. It does have some health benefits, encouraging circulation and reducing fever while relieving the pain of rheumatism and even PMS. "It makes you sassy" I've been told too many times to count. Incidentally, it's used in the production of MDMA and other MDA chemicals.

Sassafras is great for prosperity work. Think about the way filé powder is used to thicken up foods and you've got a great idea of how sassafras works. Use sassafras to make the most out of what you have and get the most out of what's coming to you. Most people favor using the root, but I've also had great success with filé powder. I like to sprinkle some in the little zipper compartment of my bag, where I keep my money and debit card. If you have any sassafras trees near you, bury some money, a personal concern, and an offering of cornmeal with it's root, asking it to help you with your money concerns.

As an incense, sassafras is great for purifying an area of evil spirits. Burn some before bed if you're plagued with hags. You can also keep pieces of dried root under your bed for the same purpose. Carry some to ward off evil influences.

 Filé powder can also be used to hurt. I think I'll save that for another post, because I've got some things to say on the subjects of bad works and justified revenge first.