I have a natural gift for working with spirits of all kinds, including animal spirits. Not everyone who works with spirits works with animal spirits. In fact, some people are simply unable to. If you do have a knack for it, try to be mindful of how you connect with them. Using animal parts is a very old part of conjure, but the methods of obtaining those parts today is so very different from back in the early days of conjure. Whereas a "coon dong" (a raccon baculum, the "penis bone") would have been obtained via responsible hunting*, in which both the meat and fur were used, today most people buy them through marketers. The marketers obtain large amounts of these wholesale as cast-offs from the HORRIFIC fur industry.
I find it so hypocritical that people make a huge fuss and cry about how evil the black cat bone ritual is, then turn around and support an industry dedicated to that same kind of cruelty! In fact (and first let me tell you I am a cat lover and I work with Cat) because the black cat bone's purported gift of invisibility would be absolutely invaluable to an escaping slave, I see this indifference to the suffering, torture, and slaughter of animals by the fur industry and the people who support it as MORE evil. Who will cry for the raccoons? Who will cry for the foxes? Who will cry for the wolves? Who will cry for the coyotes?
There are many campaigns which aim to end the fur industry. Way too many people instantly think of PETA when they hear people about this kind of thing and instantly stop listening. The Humane Society of the United States has an excellent campaign one can donate to.
No animal should have to suffer and die just for you to have good luck at the casino or a spicier sex life. There are so many amazing plants whose roots, leaves, flowers, and other parts do an exceptional job at both of those things, and anything else your heart desires. Marketers need to be held accountable for their support of such needless, evil practices. They buy big wholesale lots of the bones, teeth, and fur of raccoons, wolves, foxes, coyotes, lynxes, badgers, and other fur-industry animals for pennies per piece, then turn around and resell them for a huge mark-up. It's all about money money money.
In my next post, I will show you many wonderful cruelty-free ways to connect to animal spirits and welcome their powers into your life.
*Please take special note of this important distinction. There are many people who hunt and use everything they kill. They are not trophy hunters. I am not opposed to people who utilize the skins and bones of their food. Humans are omnivores, and RESPONSIBLE hunting is far better than the nearly equally cruel factory farming industry.
Monday, December 2, 2013
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Florida Water
When I first created this blog, I had decided that I didn't want to cover things that were already pretty well-covered elsewhere online. Now, though, I'm thinking that I still have things to contribute, so I might as well still cover them.
Florida Water is the name for a type of cologne that has been produced for over 200 years. There are and have been other brands, but Murray&Lanman's (formerly Lanman&Kemp) is the most ubiquitous. If you've ever smelled Hoyt's Cologne or 4711 (a true Eau de Cologne, which both this and Hoyt's are based on), Florida Water is similar but much lighter and less concentrated. If you like Hoyt's, 4711, Bay Rum, and other "old-timey" scents, you will love Florida Water.
Florida Water is used for purification and cleansing, spiritual work, and also drawing in good fortune. It's used in several ways. It can be used in baths and floor washes/scrub water or put in a spray bottle and misted about the home. It can be used to cleanse tools and work spaces between use. It can be used to cleanse candles (let dry before using!) and other store-bought things before you use them. It is frequently offered to ancestors and spirits and, if you work with them, saints and angels. It can be used to feed hands, packets, and also roots and bones and anything else you'd feed. It can also be worn as a personal scent. I know, "duh" on that last one, but I mean a magical scent. There is even a bar soap version of it.
I want to make something clear: not everyone uses it. I know it's traditional, especially in certain areas, but I personally never used the stuff until I lived in a primarily Hispanic neighborhood and was introduced to it. I've never seen anyone in my family use it either. I've known a few to own 4711, that's as close as it gets. Before, I'd always used whiskey, vodka, or even salt water to cleanse things, maybe a little incense smoke.
A few little tips: Florida Water is GREAT for mosquito bites, it numbs and soothes them (thanks to its clove and lavender oils) and helps them to heal. It also makes a great toner for oily or acne prone skin. To keep nice and cool in the summer, mix some into ice water and soak a rag in the mix to wipe yourself down and drape around your neck. This mix is also awesome for a migraine.
I have used Florida Water in healing work to great success. My boyfriend is diabetic and gets these little sores which don't heal for months, and when they do, they scar over. He has been to the doctor about them, and his doctor didn't know what they were but ruled out anything really serious, surmising that they must be, indeed, related to his diabetes. I asked him if, next time any cropped up, I could try to help heal them. Using Florida Water on them twice a day, along with prayer and power, I got them to heal up and leave with almost no scarring. He was shocked and amazed. He'd been using rubbing alcohol on them for a long time, so I know it wasn't just the alcohol content. Florida Water contains actual essential oils as opposed to synthetic fragrance, so there is real power in it.
Please take note: the above healing work did include a visit to a medical doctor. This is one example of using healing work in conjunction with medical doctors, which you should always do.
Florida Water is the name for a type of cologne that has been produced for over 200 years. There are and have been other brands, but Murray&Lanman's (formerly Lanman&Kemp) is the most ubiquitous. If you've ever smelled Hoyt's Cologne or 4711 (a true Eau de Cologne, which both this and Hoyt's are based on), Florida Water is similar but much lighter and less concentrated. If you like Hoyt's, 4711, Bay Rum, and other "old-timey" scents, you will love Florida Water.
Florida Water is used for purification and cleansing, spiritual work, and also drawing in good fortune. It's used in several ways. It can be used in baths and floor washes/scrub water or put in a spray bottle and misted about the home. It can be used to cleanse tools and work spaces between use. It can be used to cleanse candles (let dry before using!) and other store-bought things before you use them. It is frequently offered to ancestors and spirits and, if you work with them, saints and angels. It can be used to feed hands, packets, and also roots and bones and anything else you'd feed. It can also be worn as a personal scent. I know, "duh" on that last one, but I mean a magical scent. There is even a bar soap version of it.
I want to make something clear: not everyone uses it. I know it's traditional, especially in certain areas, but I personally never used the stuff until I lived in a primarily Hispanic neighborhood and was introduced to it. I've never seen anyone in my family use it either. I've known a few to own 4711, that's as close as it gets. Before, I'd always used whiskey, vodka, or even salt water to cleanse things, maybe a little incense smoke.
A few little tips: Florida Water is GREAT for mosquito bites, it numbs and soothes them (thanks to its clove and lavender oils) and helps them to heal. It also makes a great toner for oily or acne prone skin. To keep nice and cool in the summer, mix some into ice water and soak a rag in the mix to wipe yourself down and drape around your neck. This mix is also awesome for a migraine.
I have used Florida Water in healing work to great success. My boyfriend is diabetic and gets these little sores which don't heal for months, and when they do, they scar over. He has been to the doctor about them, and his doctor didn't know what they were but ruled out anything really serious, surmising that they must be, indeed, related to his diabetes. I asked him if, next time any cropped up, I could try to help heal them. Using Florida Water on them twice a day, along with prayer and power, I got them to heal up and leave with almost no scarring. He was shocked and amazed. He'd been using rubbing alcohol on them for a long time, so I know it wasn't just the alcohol content. Florida Water contains actual essential oils as opposed to synthetic fragrance, so there is real power in it.
Please take note: the above healing work did include a visit to a medical doctor. This is one example of using healing work in conjunction with medical doctors, which you should always do.
The Greatest Conjure Book in the World: Lust Dust
I thought I'd kick off my TGCBitW series with something a bit unexpected: a recipe for a powerful seduction formula.
I'm telling you guys, read the Bible! It's full of powerful secrets, like what I'm about to reveal to you. Every time you see a plant or resin mentioned, sit up and pay attention!
Proverbs 7:8-18 - Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house, in the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night: And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart. (She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house: Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.) So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him, I have peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows. Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee. I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt. I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves.
Psalm 45:8 - All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.
Song of Solomon 4:12-15 - A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed. Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard, spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices: A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon.
A few quick notes before we continue:
1) True cinnamon (cinnamomum verum) and cassia (cinnamomum cassia) are in the same family. Much of what is sold as cinnamon is actually cassia. Both are warm and spicy, but true cinnamon is lighter and sweeter and cassia is a bit smokier. They can be used interchangeably, though I prefer to use cinnamon. I will sometimes use cassia, or a combination of the two, for love work that leans more towards passion and seduction. Click on the smaller image under the main one in this article for a visual comparison.
2) Aloes refers to aloeswood/lignum aloes/agarwood (aquilaria malaccensis), and is harvested from trees infected with a certain type of fungus. Aloeswood has been so overharvested that it has become endangered. There have been efforts made to create special sustainable aloeswood farms, which is both a great investment for impovershed farmers throughout Asia and a big step towards preserving the species. Please do not buy any aloeswood that is not sustainably harvested. Aloeswood is expensive, the sustainably grown stuff even more so (much of the less expensive stuff comes from poachers) but no species should suffer just so you can save a few bucks.
3) This is all based on my own original research and experience. If you share it around, please give me credit and link to this post.
Onwards!
This specific combination is mentioned twice in the Bible, and the combination is included with other love plants and resins in the erotic fourth Song of Solomon. In Proverbs 7, it is used by a femme fatal of a prostitute who can lure in both weak-willed and strong-willed men. Psalm 45 is a love song which describes a very righteous king as smelling of the same combo on the day of a royal wedding. There is some real power in this formula:
-Aloeswood is an aphrodisiac, no question, but it also has a lightly binding effect, which I would liken to lady's thumb. It is also quite entrancing, literally. Aloes has been used for centuries to aid meditation, bringing the mind into the trance-like state that is sought after by practitioners. You know how two people can be in a noisy, crowded room, but they don't notice the world outside of each other? Aloes, when used in love work, is like that.
-Cinnamon and cassia are used to heat-up and give spice (no pun intended) to love. Like I said above, I prefer the hotter cassia (or a blend of both) for lustier work, but you can use either one. The sweeter of the two, cinnamon, because it is so good for money-drawing, has the added benefit of getting the other person to be generous with their money/want to spoil you. I mean, make sure you specify that you would like that when speaking to Cinnamon, don't just assume. It's sweetness can give it a leg up on cassia when seeking the love of someone reluctant or with whom you're not already involved.
-Myrrh is interesting. While it's certainly used for love and seduction, it's also used for purification, peacefulness, and dark works. It is quite compelling. The seductive and compelling properties of Myrrh are what we're asking from it in this formula.
So with this formula, you have something that ignites desire, compels, and entrances. I call it "Lust Dust".
In addition to using it for incense, it can be prepared as a dusting powder by combining the powdered ingredients with talc. If you wish, you can add some orris root (Queen Elizabeth root) powder as a scent fixative and even ask it to aid the mix
Some people seem to think that talc is only used as a filler, but it does serve a purpose. If you try to dust yourself with just powdered herbs and stuff, they will easily brush off. Talc soaks up the moisture on your skin, helping the powder to stick to it. Most stuff offered by marketers has way too much talc in it, you only need a bit.
When praying over this Lust Dust, I like to use Psalm 23, the above selection from Proverbs 7 as well as lines 21-22, Psalm 45, and Song of Solomon 4. That is the basic structure, I'm not going to tell you exactly how I do it because praying and petitioning and invoking are things no one should ever take a paint by numbers approach to.
I'm telling you guys, read the Bible! It's full of powerful secrets, like what I'm about to reveal to you. Every time you see a plant or resin mentioned, sit up and pay attention!
Proverbs 7:8-18 - Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house, in the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night: And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart. (She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house: Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.) So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him, I have peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows. Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee. I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt. I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves.
Psalm 45:8 - All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.
Song of Solomon 4:12-15 - A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed. Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard, spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices: A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon.
A few quick notes before we continue:
1) True cinnamon (cinnamomum verum) and cassia (cinnamomum cassia) are in the same family. Much of what is sold as cinnamon is actually cassia. Both are warm and spicy, but true cinnamon is lighter and sweeter and cassia is a bit smokier. They can be used interchangeably, though I prefer to use cinnamon. I will sometimes use cassia, or a combination of the two, for love work that leans more towards passion and seduction. Click on the smaller image under the main one in this article for a visual comparison.
2) Aloes refers to aloeswood/lignum aloes/agarwood (aquilaria malaccensis), and is harvested from trees infected with a certain type of fungus. Aloeswood has been so overharvested that it has become endangered. There have been efforts made to create special sustainable aloeswood farms, which is both a great investment for impovershed farmers throughout Asia and a big step towards preserving the species. Please do not buy any aloeswood that is not sustainably harvested. Aloeswood is expensive, the sustainably grown stuff even more so (much of the less expensive stuff comes from poachers) but no species should suffer just so you can save a few bucks.
3) This is all based on my own original research and experience. If you share it around, please give me credit and link to this post.
Onwards!
This specific combination is mentioned twice in the Bible, and the combination is included with other love plants and resins in the erotic fourth Song of Solomon. In Proverbs 7, it is used by a femme fatal of a prostitute who can lure in both weak-willed and strong-willed men. Psalm 45 is a love song which describes a very righteous king as smelling of the same combo on the day of a royal wedding. There is some real power in this formula:
-Aloeswood is an aphrodisiac, no question, but it also has a lightly binding effect, which I would liken to lady's thumb. It is also quite entrancing, literally. Aloes has been used for centuries to aid meditation, bringing the mind into the trance-like state that is sought after by practitioners. You know how two people can be in a noisy, crowded room, but they don't notice the world outside of each other? Aloes, when used in love work, is like that.
-Cinnamon and cassia are used to heat-up and give spice (no pun intended) to love. Like I said above, I prefer the hotter cassia (or a blend of both) for lustier work, but you can use either one. The sweeter of the two, cinnamon, because it is so good for money-drawing, has the added benefit of getting the other person to be generous with their money/want to spoil you. I mean, make sure you specify that you would like that when speaking to Cinnamon, don't just assume. It's sweetness can give it a leg up on cassia when seeking the love of someone reluctant or with whom you're not already involved.
-Myrrh is interesting. While it's certainly used for love and seduction, it's also used for purification, peacefulness, and dark works. It is quite compelling. The seductive and compelling properties of Myrrh are what we're asking from it in this formula.
So with this formula, you have something that ignites desire, compels, and entrances. I call it "Lust Dust".
In addition to using it for incense, it can be prepared as a dusting powder by combining the powdered ingredients with talc. If you wish, you can add some orris root (Queen Elizabeth root) powder as a scent fixative and even ask it to aid the mix
Some people seem to think that talc is only used as a filler, but it does serve a purpose. If you try to dust yourself with just powdered herbs and stuff, they will easily brush off. Talc soaks up the moisture on your skin, helping the powder to stick to it. Most stuff offered by marketers has way too much talc in it, you only need a bit.
When praying over this Lust Dust, I like to use Psalm 23, the above selection from Proverbs 7 as well as lines 21-22, Psalm 45, and Song of Solomon 4. That is the basic structure, I'm not going to tell you exactly how I do it because praying and petitioning and invoking are things no one should ever take a paint by numbers approach to.
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Incense and Goodies
I picked up some incense at the farmer's market yesterday, and today a few things I ordered online arrived early. Yay!
First up, the incense.
I picked up some of the house-brand incense sticks in opium and jasmine.
Opium poppies and jasmine share something in common: they're both flowers that can be used for psychic work and love work.
The opium poppy, aka bread poppy, (papaver somniferum) is my favorite flower. It's power rests in its alkaloids, such as codeine and morphine. If you've ever used prescription opiates or heroin, then you know exactly how powerful poppy's effects are. Poppy seeds are frequently used to cause confusion, especially in court cases where you want witnesses all confused and unable to give a good testimony or you want the other side to get confused and slip up. Both poppy seeds and flowers are used to stuff pillows for restful sleep and/or psychic dreams. When one is really high or heavily sedated on opiates, it's not uncommon to go into frequent catnaps which are filled with incredibly vivid dreams. This is where we get the term "pipe dream" from. I used to keep a large dried poppy pod for use as a natural rattle. It's use in love work is also heavily tied to it's psychoactive nature. If your goal is to have someone who's doped up, dreamy, and easily led, poppies are the way to go. Think of the one witch in Four Rooms (played by Ione Skye) who entrances Tim Roth's character.
Yeah, I use "love work" a bit broadly.
Now if you really want to seduce, look to jasmine. Jasmine has been prized for centuries for it's gorgeous scent. Indeed, one of my two favorite perfumes, Fracas, is full of jasmine and other captivating white florals. One thing about jasmine that makes it especially great for seduction (and this is directly tied in to its association with psychic work) is that it releases its fragrance at night. Yes, jasmine is another great choice for dream work and other psychic endeavors.
There's one more flower that I know of which is used for both love and dreams, and that's hibiscus. Try combining the three.
Next up is a little obsession of mine: Incense matches.
These are AWESOME. I can light my candles and have incense going and not even need to look for a lighter or matches because the incense IS a match? WHAT? Genius.
I got jasmine and patchouli, and I already own frankincense, cinnamon, french vanilla, "Egyptian Goddess", and musk.
Everyone either loves or hates patchouli. I blame the people who don't wear deodorant and just drown themselves in the stuff for the strong hatred many claim to have. More than once someone has ranted about patchouli, how even a whiff of it makes them sick, only to be surprised that the perfume they'd complimented me on contains patchouli. Then again, it's impossible not to love Fresh's Cannabis Santal, my other favorite perfume.
Patchouli is a powerhouse, it can be used for almost everything. It can be used for seduction, money, uncrossing, and domination. It has a very commanding, even overpowering, nature.
I'm going to have to do proper posts on these items, but I also received in the mail: more Florida Water, more aloeswood power, and both frankincense and myrrh essential oils. I have the latter two in resin form, but I wanted these for oils and skincare.
As you can guess, my room smells incredible right now. Funny, I can be surrounded by all this but all it takes is a tiny bit of Glade to send me into a crazy painful, aura-accompanied migraine.
Friday, November 29, 2013
Wart Charming
Wart charming was one of the very first magics I learned how to perform. By third grade, I'd learned all about wart charming, water witching, the SATOR square and Abracadabra pyramid, various herbal cures, astrology, and a whole host of folk remedies and "superstitions". I freely shared this knowledge to help friends and classmates. Yep, I was conjuring in only grade school.
Warts are caused by several strains of human papillomavirus, HPV for short. That's right, they don't come from toads. I provide this information as what it is: folklore, folk medicine, and folk magic.Your absolute best best for getting rid of warts is to see your medical doctor. Of course, that doesn't mean you can't charm them away in conjunction with treatment.
I'd be writing until my hands were cramped if I tried to cover every single wart charming method I know, so I've decided to only include methods I was taught first-hand. The methods I've read about in books are already preserved for history. This is my history.
The important thing to remember here is that prayer is always involved. Sometimes it's as simple as "In the name of The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit".
-Rub the wart with a sliced potato/apple/tomato and bury it.
-Rub each wart with a tomato seed/an apple seed/a pebble/a penny/a bean. Bury the items off your property or at a crossroads, or toss them over your shoulder into a crossroads/running body of water/old well/rotting tree or tree stump and walk away without looking back.
-Strip away the bark from a switch (usually hazel, sassafras or willow) to reveal the inner green part, rub the wart with it, and stick it in the ground. Walk away without looking back at it.
-Cut as many notches as you have warts into a switch, rubbing each one on the wart it was made for, and stick it in the ground. Walk away without looking back at it.
-Cut as many notches as you have warts into a root cutting (sassafras is one) and bury it.
-Rub it with bacon fat, and either bury it (when it decays, so will the wart) or leave it somewhere where it will be eaten by animals or insects.
-Wash it with water that has collected in an old stump.
-Wash it away in a running creek/stream/spring.
-Rub it with a bone and bury it.
-Sell someone your warts. Literally, you get another person to agree to buy your warts for a penny/button/pin/pebble each. Get rid of whatever they pay you with.
-Touch it to/rub it on a corpse or something that has touched or been rubbed on a corpse. (People would do this discreetly at a funeral.)
Ok, now this last one is disturbing and gross. I've heard it only once, and I was really young at the time and did not want to know more!
-Kill a toad, cut it open, and rub it on your warts.
I know, ugh. Please don't hurt animals! I guess it's in the same vein as other "hair of the dog" treatments, believed to work in the same way that some people believe doing the same with a snake cures snakebite.
Warts are caused by several strains of human papillomavirus, HPV for short. That's right, they don't come from toads. I provide this information as what it is: folklore, folk medicine, and folk magic.Your absolute best best for getting rid of warts is to see your medical doctor. Of course, that doesn't mean you can't charm them away in conjunction with treatment.
I'd be writing until my hands were cramped if I tried to cover every single wart charming method I know, so I've decided to only include methods I was taught first-hand. The methods I've read about in books are already preserved for history. This is my history.
The important thing to remember here is that prayer is always involved. Sometimes it's as simple as "In the name of The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit".
-Rub the wart with a sliced potato/apple/tomato and bury it.
-Rub each wart with a tomato seed/an apple seed/a pebble/a penny/a bean. Bury the items off your property or at a crossroads, or toss them over your shoulder into a crossroads/running body of water/old well/rotting tree or tree stump and walk away without looking back.
-Strip away the bark from a switch (usually hazel, sassafras or willow) to reveal the inner green part, rub the wart with it, and stick it in the ground. Walk away without looking back at it.
-Cut as many notches as you have warts into a switch, rubbing each one on the wart it was made for, and stick it in the ground. Walk away without looking back at it.
-Cut as many notches as you have warts into a root cutting (sassafras is one) and bury it.
-Rub it with bacon fat, and either bury it (when it decays, so will the wart) or leave it somewhere where it will be eaten by animals or insects.
-Wash it with water that has collected in an old stump.
-Wash it away in a running creek/stream/spring.
-Rub it with a bone and bury it.
-Sell someone your warts. Literally, you get another person to agree to buy your warts for a penny/button/pin/pebble each. Get rid of whatever they pay you with.
-Touch it to/rub it on a corpse or something that has touched or been rubbed on a corpse. (People would do this discreetly at a funeral.)
Ok, now this last one is disturbing and gross. I've heard it only once, and I was really young at the time and did not want to know more!
-Kill a toad, cut it open, and rub it on your warts.
I know, ugh. Please don't hurt animals! I guess it's in the same vein as other "hair of the dog" treatments, believed to work in the same way that some people believe doing the same with a snake cures snakebite.
I Want A Salt Lamp
I've wanted a salt lamp for a while now, they're just so pretty. I love their rich, radiant, warm sunset/sunrise tones. Some of the larger lamps are incredibly expensive, but I found some smaller, more affordable lamps on Home Depot's website. Salt is so incredibly powerful and versatile, I'd love to experience working with such a large, unbroken specimen. I would like to make something clear: there is no tradition of working with these salt lamps. I just think they're neat.
By the way, magically, salt is salt is salt. There is no "best" or "most powerful" kind of salt. If you want to buy some fancy salts to cook with, by all means. Just don't let anyone fool you into thinking you need anything more than the salt in your kitchen.
On to the cool lamps!
This little guy plugs right into a USB drive:
This one looks like a bowl of hot coals:
Oooh, this one is also an oil warmer. I've used an oil warmer before when I absolutely could not burn incense and I was very pleased with the results.
Do you die? How amazing this one?! It looks like a crystal ball (well, I guess it technically is) or a planet.
Last, how incredible are these candle holders?
(Sneaky, they cloned the image to make it look like you will get an identical pair.)
I think I need this Pinkie Pie nightlight too:
You know, speaking of My Little Pony, the spirits really know how to speak my language! Recently I've been receiving several dreams where the characters appear as symbols. For example, the other night I received a warning about false friends which included an image of a cartoon snake moving flatly through glass (snake in the glass... snake in the grass... clever) and fake MLP toys! With each of the main characters representing one of the "Elements of Friendship" (Loyalty, Honesty, Generosity, Kindness, Laughter, and Magic), they are perfect dream symbols.
If you've never seen the show, definitely check it out! It's smart, funny, charming, and even touching and inspiring. I'm so glad that a) little girls have this wonderful, empowering show as an antidote to the usual cotton-candy princess dreck that gets pushed on them, and b) it has been able to transcend gender lines and capture a rather large male audience. Bronies 4 life!
By the way, magically, salt is salt is salt. There is no "best" or "most powerful" kind of salt. If you want to buy some fancy salts to cook with, by all means. Just don't let anyone fool you into thinking you need anything more than the salt in your kitchen.
On to the cool lamps!
This little guy plugs right into a USB drive:
This one looks like a bowl of hot coals:
Oooh, this one is also an oil warmer. I've used an oil warmer before when I absolutely could not burn incense and I was very pleased with the results.
Do you die? How amazing this one?! It looks like a crystal ball (well, I guess it technically is) or a planet.
Last, how incredible are these candle holders?
I think I need this Pinkie Pie nightlight too:
You know, speaking of My Little Pony, the spirits really know how to speak my language! Recently I've been receiving several dreams where the characters appear as symbols. For example, the other night I received a warning about false friends which included an image of a cartoon snake moving flatly through glass (snake in the glass... snake in the grass... clever) and fake MLP toys! With each of the main characters representing one of the "Elements of Friendship" (Loyalty, Honesty, Generosity, Kindness, Laughter, and Magic), they are perfect dream symbols.
If you've never seen the show, definitely check it out! It's smart, funny, charming, and even touching and inspiring. I'm so glad that a) little girls have this wonderful, empowering show as an antidote to the usual cotton-candy princess dreck that gets pushed on them, and b) it has been able to transcend gender lines and capture a rather large male audience. Bronies 4 life!
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
My Favorite Condition Oil
Genesis 8:11 - And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth
[was] an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated
from off the earth.
Exodus 27:20 - And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always.
That's right, my favorite condition oil is plain old olive oil. Olive oil or sweet oil (a type of refined olive oil), blessed, is the most versatile oil you can own. The olive represents abundance and peace, making olive oil excellent for all good works. You can use it to fuel oil lamps. You can use it as a base to make your own condition oils (stick to the lighter, non-virgin olive oils if you don't want the smell to interfere.) When Jesus and his disciples healed people, they anointed the sick with oil. Following this tradition, Godfrey Selig's Secrets of the Psalms recommends the use of olive oil in conjunction with specific psalms to relieve pain throughout the body and even to restore domestic happiness between partners. In John George Hohman's Pow-Wows; or, Long Lost Friend, he recommends sweet oil for a variety of ailments. You don't need the expensive stuff, I usually get huge bottles of it for about $5. Just make sure it's 100% olive oil and not a blend.
This is how I bless my olive oil. Every worker's way will be their own, there is no set way to do it:
First, I uncap the oil and add a pinch of blessed salt*. With the cap off, breathing on the oil as I pray, I pray the 23rd psalm, making the sign of the cross over it three times as I say the line "Thou anointest my head with oil", and once when I finish, saying "In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit."
I do this for 7 days, beginning on a Monday in a waxing moon in a week that ends with Sunday still in the waxing phase of the moon. I try to do it just as the sun is beginning to rise, but failing that, I do it in the hour of Sun, and when the clock hands are rising.
My method of timing is complicated, but I will tell you that you don't need to be as crazy about timing as I am. Planetary hours, clock hands, and other timing methods will come in another post. If nothing else, I would recommend just starting on any Monday so that it is finished on a Sunday.
*I prepare blessed salt in a very similar way.
Exodus 27:20 - And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always.
That's right, my favorite condition oil is plain old olive oil. Olive oil or sweet oil (a type of refined olive oil), blessed, is the most versatile oil you can own. The olive represents abundance and peace, making olive oil excellent for all good works. You can use it to fuel oil lamps. You can use it as a base to make your own condition oils (stick to the lighter, non-virgin olive oils if you don't want the smell to interfere.) When Jesus and his disciples healed people, they anointed the sick with oil. Following this tradition, Godfrey Selig's Secrets of the Psalms recommends the use of olive oil in conjunction with specific psalms to relieve pain throughout the body and even to restore domestic happiness between partners. In John George Hohman's Pow-Wows; or, Long Lost Friend, he recommends sweet oil for a variety of ailments. You don't need the expensive stuff, I usually get huge bottles of it for about $5. Just make sure it's 100% olive oil and not a blend.
This is how I bless my olive oil. Every worker's way will be their own, there is no set way to do it:
First, I uncap the oil and add a pinch of blessed salt*. With the cap off, breathing on the oil as I pray, I pray the 23rd psalm, making the sign of the cross over it three times as I say the line "Thou anointest my head with oil", and once when I finish, saying "In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit."
I do this for 7 days, beginning on a Monday in a waxing moon in a week that ends with Sunday still in the waxing phase of the moon. I try to do it just as the sun is beginning to rise, but failing that, I do it in the hour of Sun, and when the clock hands are rising.
My method of timing is complicated, but I will tell you that you don't need to be as crazy about timing as I am. Planetary hours, clock hands, and other timing methods will come in another post. If nothing else, I would recommend just starting on any Monday so that it is finished on a Sunday.
*I prepare blessed salt in a very similar way.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)