Love Magic - An Introduction to my Perspective

This article begins my series on Love Magic. It’s by far the most popular kind of magic (always has been, always will be), some of the most complex, and also in modernity some of the most controversial. This series will explore many different aspects of Love Magic, from my own eclectic perspectives on the matter, using hoodoo to achieve various love goals, exploring why Return and Reconciliation magic can be some of the most difficult, and learning how to draw a suitable long-term partner. Along the way issues of ethics and morality, basic human psychological and behavioral nature, and discussions of various specific spells will be touched upon. As a disclaimer I want to note that the opinions expressed in this series are my own, and are not meant to be representative of any tradition as a whole, or a majority viewpoint of any body of practitioners.

The Love Magic Series

Part 1 - An Introduction to My Perspective

As you can well imagine requests for love work and love spells are pretty much on the top of the list to professional magical practitioners. There’s nothing quite like love and lust to make people completely go out of their heads crazy, and throw all semblance of rational thought and behavior out the window. The very fact that there are spells such as “Love Me or Die” (and it means that quite literally) is a graphic testament to this fact.

Within the mainstream NeoPagan world there is this ideal that no magic should ever be done to influence the will of another and one of the biggest taboos is doing love magic in order to win a specific person. Going into a comparative diatribe of varying magical ethical systems is a huge topic unto itself that will probably get some blog time here eventually. Today is not the time or place for that discussion. However I will speak briefly the ideas of influencing a person magically in order to receive romantic attention from them.

For one thing, magic cannot create something out of nothing. It works by manipulating possibilities. If no such possibility exists, then no amount of magic can birth it into existence. If we look at magic as a manipulator of chance, then we need to look at manipulators of chance in general in order to gain a realistic perspective of how “ethical” the application of magic to romantic situations is or is not. Let’s start small and with an example that applies directly to our topic – with the hypothetical situation that you are a woman going out on the town with the intent of hopefully finding a new lover.

Chances are pretty good that you do not go out hair all a-tangle, in your sweat pants and t-shirt, and your face au natural. You know that, generally speaking, presenting yourself in such a way does nothing to increase the probability of attracting a mate. So to work probability in your favor you shower, spend time getting your hair looking lovely, put on some make-up to flatter your features and downplay any perceived faults, put on a push-up bra, maybe pull on a pair of Spanx, slip into a dress that shows a little cleavage and maybe some leg, don some heels to accentuate your legs and add some feminine mystique, apply a little alluring perfume, and then set out. You have just been working to manipulate the perceptions of any men who may see you that night.

If any conversations do strike up with potential lovers that night, I bet that you also do not conduct yourself in the same manner as you do with your best friend of 20 years. It’s much more likely that you do your very best to put forth a very idealized and sanitized version of yourself. Again, you are working to manipulate the perception of yourself by these men. If you do end up seeing one of these suitors again, I would bet that for at least the first couple of dates, if not weeks and months thereafter, you do your best to maintain this façade of the “best you”, only letting it drop a little at a time. By continuing to put forth this “best you” you perpetuate the manipulation of his perceptions of you, with the hopes that this will keep his attentions. Most will make an effort to learn the likes and dislikes of the new partner, in order to play to these in an attempt to gain further favor over the coming weeks, despite whether or not they actually like or dislike those things themselves. Some very ambitious individuals even take this whole process of possibility manipulation up a notch and study body language and subtle verbal communication. This works to influence their dates more subconsciously, by working on their more instinctual impulses and judgments. It’s all part of the established game.

This is the typical set of behaviors that probably 95% of all people demonstrate when they are looking for, and beginning a relationship. Is all this dishonest and unethical? It certainly contains a great deal of manipulation. However, no amount of make-up, water bras, or personality polish can make someone fall for you if there is no chemistry whatsoever. So really all of that just helps you reel in appropriate candidates, correct? To push things around into your favor a bit more, and in help increase your chances that you will be successful in your “hunt”.

Using magic is not much different. It is simply working to manipulate things on a more subtle level, rather than relying on visual clues, foundation garments, or canned conversation. Each situation that we enter into has a set of possible outcomes, each with their own statistical probability of coming to pass. Each word, action, and reaction alters the statistics until one wins the majority and comes to pass. Magic can help tilt the odds to the favor of one particular outcome. So, in my opinion, making a broad-sweeping statement that “using love magic to try and win a particular target is always unethical and a form of ‘black magic’” is pretty naïve and short-sided. If you think that’s the case, then I dare you to go out to a club bare-faced in your pyjamas and making sure to inform each person that may approach you of all your neurosis in the first sentence that you speak to them.

That being said, I understand why such statements have been made. As I said in the opening paragraph of this article nothing will turn people into irrational nut cases more quickly than love and lust. Far too many people get caught up in using love magic obsessively on a desired target – even when all signs, results, and divinations have shown that it is simply not going to work out, and even after professional workers have strongly advised them to cut that person out of their life and instead work on drawing a suitable partner. They will spend months working one spell after another, and spend hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars on spell kits, magic supplies, getting readings, and in some unfortunate cases in employing the services of scam artists who prey on the hopes of the love-lorn by promising results at a very high price. But the old saying is true that says “the heart wants what it wants”.

Sadly, in many cases, the heart is plainly idiodic. Using a scare-tactic, such as saying that it’s evil and will rebound in untold horrible way upon if you do so, is a great way to attempt to keep people in line. Just look at the threat of the brimstone and demon-infested fiery Hell that has been such a popular socio-political and morality control mechanism for the past thousand or so years. (It may also be valuable to note the overall success rate of this tactic. You end up with a lot of very frightened and repressed people who still behave badly, but feel just awful about it - once they get caught.)

My personal philosophy on love work goes thusly – go ahead and try for the person you desire. We all know that you’re going to do it anyway, so we might as well be honest about it. There are plenty of gentle and non-coercive love spells that will greatly enhance your chances or winning the affection of said person if there is a real possibility for you to be with them. This can help skew the odds in your favor and give you a chance to try your hand at a relationship with the person, or get you some hot and heavy lovin’ with that sexpot. Of course, said spells do not guarantee that the relationship will actually work, or that your fling will last. That is the responsibility of the two people in the relationship to navigate. If the personalities simply clash there’s really nothing to be done about it. Magic cannot change a person’s basic nature.

If after trying for a while for a specific person – and I really don’t recommend spending more than 3 or 4 months trying for a target – you are not getting the results that you had hoped for, it’s in your best interest to admit defeat, do your best to cut your ties with that person, take a bit to heal, and then move on. In my opinion, if nice tricks like honey jars or a Come to Me spell kit do not turn the tide, then you are MUCH better off turning your attention to attracting a suitable partner. Escalating work into the more coercive, controlling, binding, or torturous routes is just wasting your time and energy on what is obviously a lost cause. You may keep drawing them back, but chances are whatever keeps breaking things up, will continue to break things up. You’re playing a losing game, and all the time and money and magic is not going to change that. Cut ties – move on. Everyone will be happier for it.

In my practice as a magical practitioner, I will not help people pursue love cases that are not right for them. I know that some workers, even if they have told the client outright that there isn’t any hope for the case, will still agree to help the person continue to try as long as the situation is not abusive or dangerous. I make no judgments on that, because we all know what it’s like to feel desperate for someone and be willing to try to make it work long after the ship has actually sailed. For most people, that experience is instructive. We learn that it just doesn’t do any good to keep trying when all signs point to “MOVE ON, LADY – HE’S NO GOOD FOR YOU!!!” Aiding people through that process is neither good nor bad. It just is. I choose not to participate in it, and that’s just as valid a choice as being a willing part of the process.

While I am happy to consult on love cases when my divinations show that there is a good probability that things can work out in a way that would be beneficial, and to provide instructions and in some cases supplies for working prescribed love magic, I have also chosen to not do any love work on behalf of any clients, except for crafting custom bottle spells, or mojo bags. I feel that one should win their love – or not - through their own power. I’ll be happy to back-up and lend loving support to their efforts through crafting an item they can work, and I have no issue with any practitioner who takes a more ongoing hands-on approach to helping clients in love situations - but ultimately relationships are something that I feel one really needs to learn to manage on their own. We all need outside advice from time to time, and readings and consultations with reliable practitioners can help provide that. I certainly don’t pull any punches when I give them – in many cases tough love is the best love! But the heavy lifting is something that you have to do yourself. No one can fix a relationship for you.

Sometimes targeted love magic works out to that happy ending that everyone dreams about. But in the majority of cases, it does not. That’s life. Most sexual encounters do not end up as long-term relationship, and even most long-term relationships peter out. Hence why the pursuit of romance is so frustrating! You have to kiss so many frogs before finding that Princ/ess. It would be my hope that eventually people will get to a point where instead of working to draw who they think is the best person for them, they switch to working to draw the person who is actually best for them. Period. And THAT is some very powerful magic that works extremely well. But to work best, it requires that the person doing the work has spent some time really getting to know themselves, and what things they actually need from a partner, rather than just wanting.

Love magic, in and of itself is not evil or bad or immoral. It’s human nature. Can some people get carried away and take things way too far? To quote an unfortunate political figure, “You betcha.” That’s pretty much true of anything. The most powerful love magic is the love magic we can do to benefit ourselves at a deep and honest level. To attract a partner that embodies all the things that we know we need, has qualities that we simply enjoy, they will compliments our personality type and lifestyle, and they will bend over backwards to make us feel amazing and appreciated for being exactly who we are. A perfect partner will receive those same benefits from you, as well! I found my husband through such a spell, and I know others who also found their life-mate through magical work. Love magic can be some of the most meaningful and healing magic that we can perform – we just need to gain a modicum of self-knowledge and emotional sophistication to reap the benefits of it.

I hope that this, and the related articles that will follow it, will be not only entertaining and educational, but thought-provoking as well. Please feel free to subscribe to this blog so that you won’t miss anything in the coming weeks!

Cleanliness is Next to Luckiness

I originally wrote this article as a guest sermon for The Church of Good Luck.

Feel free to surf over to their site which is filled with fantastic luck-lore

and fascinating info on the art of good fortune!

In a previous entry on Good Luck, I mentioned briefly the notion of one’s “sphere” and “energetic atmosphere” in relation to luck. I’d like to expand on these notions and talk about why the old saying “Cleanliness is next to Godliness” is pretty darn true. For our purposes you could re-translate it “Cleanliness is next to Luckiness” and not have it lose any the original meaning at all.

Some people would refer to the sphere as an “aura”, which is the field of energy that is produced by and surrounds your body (and truth be told is really is more egg-like than perfectly spherical – but that’s really here nor there). It acts as an import/export center for all manner of other influential forces around you – planetary, chthonic, holy, or just plain icky and negative.

You might call an energetic atmosphere one’s home, dwelling, or habitat. These are the places where you live. While you are physically incarnate you’re pretty much stuck living in your body, and your body needs a home-base to nest in when it’s not out hunting or gathering. It is within these two places that luck’s presence can be welcomed or impeded. So knowing how to keep the welcome mat out is very important for staying on a first name basis with good fortune.

Let’s start with your personal sphere. This is a pretty permanent fixture as long as you have your body, so it’s very important to have a good grasp on the basic feeding and maintenance for this companion. It’s sort of like a subtle version of your skin – it absorbs a great deal, is sensitive to stimulation, and is the first line of defense against infection. You don’t HAVE to clean it everyday, but you do have to clean it pretty often or else it gets dingy and stinky and no one will want to be anywhere near you!

When you’re clean and well put-together people naturally approve of you more easily, and it encourages positive and regular interaction. Your sphere is pretty much the same. If you keep it clean and strong, it will be very difficult for anything energetically or subtly unpleasant to affect you very significantly. When good things come your way, they are not met with all kinds of garbage and rusted out old junkers on the front lawn - but instead they’ll find the porch light on and a fresh apple-pie cooling tantalizingly on the window-sill. It invites those good things to sit and stay a spell. What that porch light also does is deter intruders, who much prefer to skulk around where there are deep shadows that they can hide within to do their nefarious deeds. Bad luck is totally wearing the gang colors of those would-be intruders.

So how does one’s sphere get dirty? Well, really anything can contribute to the sullying of your sphere. It can get dusty just from interacting with so many people during a normal workday. Some people that you come in contact with are like Pig Pen from Peanuts, they just get dirt all over everything just by passing through – and that includes your pristine sphere. If you get into a confrontation, or are nearby when one occurs, that angry and irritable vibration can taint your aura. People dealing with illness, sadness, frustrated by the traffic, and even those that have to keep up a manic-pace to get everything done by 5pm, can also kick some sand into your sphere-eyes.

These same factors are at play in the environments in which we spent time. The energetic atmosphere of places becomes impregnated with the qualities of the vibrations that are present within them. The longer an area is exposed to one type of vibration, the more that area reflects back that same vibration and can impose that vibration upon us. It’s all rather viral. Most people have had the experience of walking into a home where things just felt “heavy” or “thick”, only to find out that a great deal of fighting goes on, or that there has recently been a severe illness within the home. This leaves an impression on the place. Many “hauntings” are actually what has been termed residuals, meaning that there is no actual spirit present, but that the energy of a particularly strong event has etched itself so deeply into the place, that it gets re-played and experienced by those who come across it.

All of our interactions have the ability to contribute to the sullying of our personal energetic virtue, or that of the building that those interactions are occurring within. As the air-quality inside our sphere and within our larger atmosphere goes down, it makes it harder for the fresh breezes of good luck to hit our lungs, and it becomes easier for us to start being noticeably negatively effected by the negativity. Lack of spiritual cleanliness over the long-term results in imbalances in our lives, and can even cause physical illnesses.

As a Reiki Master and intuitive energetic healer I see this everyday, and along with performing healings and balancing sessions, part of my job is educating people on spiritual hygiene so they can truly recover from their malady, and not just rely on symptom management. As a conjurewoman and village witch, I see how spiritual cleansing plays a huge role in the amount of luck and good fortune that a person will experience. A big part of my job in that context is also educating people on spiritual cleansing so they can be pro-active about transforming their lives, and not have to rely on the seemingly “random” winds of fate.

Now that you know you’re likely a bit messy, how do you clean up the giant invisible egg that you’re living inside, and the actual roof under which that egg is residing? It’s not quite so straight-forward as taking a washcloth and scrubbing vigorously behind your ears, but it’s also not very different. Bathing is one of the easiest ways to spiritually cleanse yourself, and since you do that pretty often anyway (I hope), it will be very simple to integrate some methods of spiritual cleansing into your already established routine.

Salt is a powerful purifying agent. It also makes for a great exfoliating scrub! Mix some lemongrass essential oil into a jar of sea salt with some table or Epsom salts thrown in for good measure and you’ve got yourself a fantastic spiritually cleansing body scrub (that will also keep your skin feeling smooth and youthful). Add a handful of the same mixture to a tub full of hot water, and you’ve got a lovely spiritual cleansing bath. There are also lots of soaps available out there that have spiritual cleansing qualities if you prefer a good lather from a bar. Florida Water soap is one. And your local health food store just may have some all-natural handcrafted made with essential oils and herbs – if you have a wee bit of knowledge on the magical uses of herbs, it will be simple to pick a bar that has real cleansing OR real luck-drawing power. Voila! Your mundane shower has taken on new dimensions that will prime your sphere for fortune and - with a bit of luck - fame! (You can also find an excellent daily cleansing ritual in the Rituals section at The Church of Good Luck that you can easily integrate into your day at ANY time you feel you need it. No shower or bathtub required.) Keeping up this routine will strengthen your sphere and almost act like esoteric Teflon – with negative stuff just beading up and rolling right off of you.

This same idea is extended to one’s environment. Bad luck is like dust bunnies – it likes to accumulate in places that don’t often get tended. So turn your regular housekeeping into an act that invokes good luck and banishes the bad. Remember that salt & lemongrass mixture you made? Put some into that bucket of water before you mop, or dampen your dust rag with some of the mixture dissolved in water. Put that into a spritzer bottle and spray your upholstery, carpets, or curtains (you may want to patch test this just in case). Add some to the rinse cycle of your laundry. Many botanicas and candle shops, such as Lucky Mojo Curio Co, carry spiritual baths and floor washes for all kinds of different conditions. Pop on over to their online catalog and start washing all kinds of good luck and fortune into all the various areas of your life!

When you and the atmosphere around you are clean and full of light, it is so much easier for positivity and luck to find you and make your good acquaintance. Also, when you become accustomed to the light, you get much more sensitive to the dark – even a little shadow will catch your attention, and can quickly escort it firmly away before it can cause a ruckus in the disco of your life!

Luck, light, positivity - all different ways of speaking about the Divine. Since keeping clean allows more luck to come our way, it really is another way of staying just a bit closer to the Source of All Good Things. Cleanliness really IS next to Luckiness.

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If you are interested in receiving more personalized instructions for spiritual cleansing to aid with your individual circumstances and needs, please consider booked a Magical Consultation through Queen of Pentacles Conjure Shop & Village Witchery.

We also carry a line of Magical Bath crystals which can also be used as floor washes when cleansing your home.

Setting Lights - What Is It, and Why Would You Want It Done for You?

Many times in conjure and hoodoo, and sometimes within other witchy contexts you will hear about setting lights, or candle altar services. If you're unfamiliar with the rootwork and folk magic culture these may seem like beautiful and intriguing concepts - so just what does "setting lights" mean?

Setting lights is a lovely service that many magical practitioners offer to the community. Sometimes setting lights is referred to as a candle altar service. Generally speaking, a client will tell a practitioner about their current situation, and the practitioner will decide what color candle and what herbs and oils would be best used to dress that candle in order to have the desired effect on the client's situation.

What the client is getting is a very basic magical consultation, spiritual prescription for a candle magic remedy, and a candle prepared and dressed especially for their case by that experienced rootworker.

Dressing a candle is when magically-potent essential oil blends and traditional herbs that resonate with an specific spiritual goal are rubbed onto or worked into a candle, to impregnate the candle with the desired energies.

The candle is dressed by the spiritual practitioner, while they pray or otherwise channel large amounts of energy for that particular purpose into the wax. The name or initials of the client, or symbols of their goal may be inscribed onto the surface of the candle, and then oils and herbs applied to it as well. The prayers of the practitioner help to awaken the spirits of the herbs that are within the oil blends and also in the dressing mixture, and call them to play a role in manifesting the goal on behalf of the client. The prayers also call upon the aid of the Divine &/or other helpful spirits such as saints and angels, asking for favor to be shown to the situation at hand. The candle may also be impregnated with planetary energies of the day and hour if a practitioner utilizes such in their work. All of this creates a candle that is "programmed" to manifest a very specific intent for the person for whom it is made. Once a candle has been dressed and is ready to be set working, it is referred to as fixed.

A small paper that has the name and goal of the client may also be prepared and will sit under the candle while it burns in order to help personalize and direct the energy even further. Such a paper is called a name paper or a petition paper. Petition papers usually include some form of a formal statement of the desired goal, and the name of the person the candle is meant to aid. Sometimes the name and petition statement will be written a certain amount of times for a stronger effect. In hoodoo 3, 7, 9, and 13 are common numbers used in work - but they are not a hard-and-fast rule. The name will sometimes be written in such a way as to cross the petition statement, which is a way of symbolically claiming power over the situation stated in the petition. If the candle is for money, dollar signs may be drawn upon it in the corners; if it's for love, hearts may be added. This just further solidifies the nature of the energy being summoned into manifestation by the candle. This petition paper will also usually be dressed with dabs of the same oil blend that has been used upon the candle. In some cases some of the same herbs which have been sprinkled onto the candle will be folded into the petition paper to make sure the request is well surrounded by the energies of the oils and herbs.

Sometimes a photo may be used, or a hair or fingernail of the person for whom the candle is being fixed may be also folded up inside the petition paper to make a powerful sympathetic link to that person. Modern quantum theory has shown us that matter that was once part of something will still be effected and be able to effect the original mass of which is was a part, even if it is far away from its source. Using a hair or nail, also called a personal concern, from someone is a very potent energetic link that will help the energy speed to its target without any trouble. Photos and handwriting can also be used very effectively as links, because these do carry an energy pattern closely related to the person, however they are not as reliable as actual personal concerns which come from the person's body. A good practitioner will be able to have some measure of success without having a personal concern, as long as they have the full name of the person for whom the work is being done. Names have power!

Once the candle has been dressed and fixed, and the petition paper prepared and set underneath, that candle - usually a 7-day glass encased vigil candle - will then be set to work by the practitioner there in their own home altar or an altar at their place of business. The practitioner will watch over the candle and see how it burns over the days, as they can often tell alot about how the energy is moving and working by observing the burn and any signs that occur during it.

For example, if a candle burns very quickly, it can indicate that there will be a strong positive result, but that it will not be long-lasting. The practitioner may wish to inform the client that they may wish to back-up their work with something else to make sure the result will last. On the otherhand, if the candle burns very slowly, it can mean that there are delays and obstacles that the energy is having to wade through before being able to manifest. Depending on how the burn finishes and what other signs may be present, it could mean success, but at a weaker level than desired, or simply that it will take longer than expected for the result to manifest. In both cases the practitioner will want to help the client decide if more work is needed for the desired outcome to be reached. However, if the burn is clear and steady, and finishes cleanly, this means that the energy has not encountered any serious impediments, and that all signs point to a successful outcome.

When the candle is through, the practitioner will report back to the client with news of the how the candle burned. This is sometimes referred to as a candle burn report. Often the petitioner paper which was underneath the candle during the work will be returned to the client - they can then bury it on their own property to create a physical link for energy of that work drawing it to their home, or they may carry it with them until the goal has manifested. If the candle burn showed some difficulties, the client may want to schedule to have a full reading and consultation with the practitioner to get a more detailed perspective on the situation, and determine what magical actions should be taken to assure the greatest possibility for success.

Having lights set is a very traditional way to have spiritual work done on one's behalf.

Considering all the work and knowledge that a client can gain through having this simple ritual done by a practitioner, the costs for this service are usually very low. Depending on the base costs that a practitioner incurs from the supplies needed to perform this service (some can afford to buy in bulk, while others pay retail or close to it for their own supplies), the price ranges from $10-30 for the entire personalized 5-7 day service. It is especially useful for those people who wish to utilize magic to influence their lives, but for various reasons are not at liberty to have candles burning in their homes - either for nosy or dissapproving housemates, not wishing to have candles burning 24/7 with a baby or pet in the home, or some other reason. Even if the client is able to work on their own behalf, it can be extremely beneficial to have another practitioner perform this service for them.

For one, it gets a completely separate and potent stream of intent pouring towards one's goals. Some practitioner like to back-up their own work by having another practitioner set lights on their behalf for just this reason. I know I often ask trusted workers to set lights for me when I feel I could use some extra support! It also can provide you with divinations as to how the work is going overall, when you may be doing more complicated work that doesn't present such visible evidence of how the energy is moving and manifesting. Sometimes I will have a worker set a light for me at the outset of a new complex working, just to get a read on the situation as a whole. Hearing the candle report gives me another source of info to work with in addition to my own divinations on the matter.

When having work backed up by having lights set, some clients may request that candles be set on their behalf in runs. This means that once one candle finishes, another one fixed identically, will be set working. This keeps heat on the situation and ensure that energy will be moving towards the goal 24/7 for the duration of the run. Court cases or other legal matters are situations where keeping the work going constantly during the period of time that things are taking place on the physical plane, is one example of when someone might have candles set in runs. Someone having a run of lights set for the healing of a loved one who is chronically ill, or in the hospital, is another example.

Professional practitioners will likely have a much larger inventory of oils and herbs than your average non-pro practitioner, and may also have a wider set of knowledge about which oils and herbs would be best suited to your particular situation. Rather than needing to go out and buy all the necessary supplies, you can have the professional prepare the work for you for you to burn at home. In this case, the candle is still dressed and fixed for your individual needs, but rather than having the practitioner burn it and watch over it, you can take that fixed candle home and do all that yourself. This service requires even a smaller monetary investment than having the light set for you, as the practitioner does not need to watch over your candle for signs for a week. However you still reap the benefits of the practitioner's skills, experience, and inventory!

Some people like to take advantage of this even more by employing a tandem burn. This is where two identical candles will be burnt - one by the practitioner and one by the client. This doubles the output of energy towards the goal, and also provides the service of the candle burn report. In most cases the client can present the finished glass candle jar from their home to the practitioner to get a general read on its appearance, and compare that with the candle burnt on the practitioner's altar for a larger picture of the work at hand.

Having lights set for you is also a great way to establish a working relationship with a magical practitioner. It involves very little financial investment, and with it you can get a good idea of how a practitioner manages their cases, get a feel for their working style, and also get a taste of their skills as a reader of signs. If you enjoy working with a practitioner through the process of having lights set, you will feel more confident in investing more time and money with them in the future for things like readings, consultations, individualized services and products such as mojo bags, bottle spells, etc, and even altar work done on your behalf by them.

I hope that you've enjoyed learning about candle altar services - and that you'll take advantage of enlisting spiritual aid in this way sometime in the future! It really is a unique and powerful experience to be part of, and it can be quite a comfort when times are challenging.

Queen of Pentacles Conjure Shop and Village Witchery offers a full range of candle altar services for nearly any need - aside from crossing/cursing, revenge, break-up, or other aggressive or unjustified coercive work which we won't accept. Having a light fixed and set working for you, and with a detailed candle burn report complete with digital pictures of your candle is $15. We are more than happy to accommodate tandem castings, and setting candles in runs.

Our Setting Lights page provides pull-down menus listing all of the conditions for which we can fix your candle. If you are unsure as to what condition might suit your case best, please do not hesitate to contact us directly before ordering, and we can make sure that you get exactly what you need.

Cleaning Up and Getting Uncrossed

I’m sure we’ve all experienced times in our lives when we just felt like nothing was going our way, and that bad luck was an ever-present companion. This is what can be referred to in conjure as being crossed up –and it can be a somewhat random occurrence from time to time, or it can be caused by negative energy that someone has deliberately sent our way. Whatever the case, there are fairly simple measure that one can take that will help clear away these kinds of energetic messes and get us back on the right track. And it all starts with cleansing!

Spiritual cleansing helps to clear away negative energy that has come into our lives, our homes, and our bodies, and thereby releases us from the residual effects, clearing our energy, and allowing us to once again be open to receiving healing, goodness, and prosperity. You can think of it just like you do about regular cleaning – if you don’t shower regularly, you will start to smell, and all kinds of bacteria and viruses will build up on the body. Your state of “stinkiness” causes people to start avoiding you, talking behind your back, and it could even get you fired! You may find yourself acting angry and short with these people as you react emotionally to their poor treatment of you, and this anger may carry over into your close relationships until even those begin to crumble. Being unclean can also make you more vulnerable to becoming infected by all the germs growing unchecked on your person, and you could become very sick, or small scratches and scrapes could become seriously infected.

The same metaphor extends to your home. If you are no longer taking care to clean yourself, you are also not likely to clean your home very well. The dishes will pile up and dangerous fungus and bacteria will begin to grow that can cause serious illnesses in everyone living there. If dust and trash pile up inside, it can make it difficult and even hazardous to breath, causing your lungs to become stressed, and making everyone present vulnerable to asthma, or other respiratory illnesses. Debris that is not removed from your home and yard will pile up, and soon you will have the Health Department being called to your home, and you may even face eviction! The longer this goes on, the more ants, roaches, mice, rats and other pests will inhabit your home, causing even more health risks and property damage!

This is exactly what can happen when we don’t have a system for keeping ourselves spiritual clean. Negativity can build up, and may reach a tipping point where suddenly nothing is going right. Often this tipping point can happen when a particularly stressful event happens that causes us to have to face more negativity than usual. Build-ups of negative energy can effect every aspect of life, but finances, relationships, and health are some of the most common areas of our life that may start to take a noticeable hit when we’re crossed up. What is the solution then? It’s simple. Clean it up!

You’re going to want to hit 2 key areas – your body and your home. (If the problem has a root in the workplace, then you’ll want to do some cleansing there too, as far as you are able.) Spiritual bathing has a very ancient history, and is one of the first lines of defense. You don’t need to be crossed up to take a spiritually cleansing bath; in fact it’s good to take one at regular intervals just to keep everything flowing smoothly and to keep negativity from having a chance to build up. Taking a very good cleansing bath is fairly simple.

First, we’ll mix together a few cleansing ingredients – a 3 Ingredient Cleansing Bath is very traditional in conjure.

Get yourself some:

• salt (sea salt, Epsom salt, or table salt – it really doesn’t matter, though you can easily get large bags of Epsom salt at the pharmacy for very little money)
• hyssop
• rue

Salt is known universally as a powerful cleanser, and hyssop and rue are two Uncrossing herbs extraordinaire. Hyssop is even mentioned in the Bible for its cleansing effect, and it cleanses away any negativity that we may have brought upon our self through our own actions, either consciously or unknowingly. Rue has a long history of use in cleansing in Europe, especially the Mediterranean area, where it is used to clean away the effects of malocchio, or the evil eye. Rue cleanses away negative energy that has its source in other people, either through them maliciously sending it your way, or simply from it accumulating on and around you due to your dealings with them. These 3 ingredients together can take care of pretty much any negative energy, no matter what the source.

If you can’t find the herbs locally, you may purchase and use a jar of our Queen of Pentacles Cleansing and Uncrossing Bath. It includes several additional herbs and our Uncrossing condition oil to aid your work.

Now you’ll want to make up enough of this to last you a few days. When you’re crossed up it’s traditional to bathe for a number of days in a row, to make sure that all the energy that has built up has been cleansed away thoroughly. I’m sure you can appreciate this reasoning – when cleansing something with really ground-in or long-standing dirt, you sometimes have to clean it several times before it is actually clean. The same goes for you! 3 days will likely be good enough (though in tough cases you may want to do a 13-day cleansing bath schedule, and possibly use a stronger cleansing mixture, such as the traditional 13-Herb Bath).

For the bath itself you will need:

• 3 Ingredient Cleansing Bath
• 2 white candles
• Clean change of clothes
• Small container to put used bath water in
• Cleansing incense such as Uncrossing, Van Van, frankincense resin, or simply some of the herb mixture burned on a charcoal (optional)
• Copy of Psalm 51 “Cleanse me with hyssop…” if you do not have it memorized (optional)
• The location of the nearest crossroads (where 2 roads or paths intersect and form a +)

It’s traditional in conjure to do these baths before sunrise, but other spiritual traditions cite different times. Use whatever timing is most familiar to you. If you have no particular tradition, then you may wish to just follow conjure guidelines and perform it before dawn.

1. About an hour or so before dawn gather your supplies in your bathroom, and disrobe.

2. If you are using incense, you may light it now.

3. Fill the tub about ankle deep, and add in your 3 Ingredient Cleansing Bath. Make sure the salts dissolve.

4. Hold the 2 white candles in your hands while you pray your intent over them.

5. Set the candles on either side of the tub, where you will walk between them when entering.

6. Light the candles, and imagine them making a Holy Doorway.

7. Walk between the candles and enter the bath.

8. Pour the water over your head and scrub your body with it in a DOWNWARDS direction.

9. While you are doing this pray the 51st Psalm, or otherwise pray and concentrate on your intent.

10. When you feel that you are clean, step back through the Holy Doorway.

11. Allow yourself to air-dry.

12. Collect some of your used bathwater in the container – an empty water bottle works just fine -then drain the tub.

13. Once you are dry, put on your clean change of clothes. You may snuff out the candles to reuse them the next 2 days you bathe.

14. Take the bottle of your used bathwater to the crossroads, and hurl it over your shoulder towards the West (where the sun sets).

15. Do not look back.

16. Go home!

Once home, you will want to give your home a thorough cleansing as well. You can do this using the same mixture that you used for your cleansing bath.

You will need:

• your 3 Ingredient Cleansing Bath
• Uncrossing incense (you can use the herbs), or frankincense resin
• a white candle for each room in your home
• broom &/or mop
• dust cloths
• spritzer bottle
• Blessing incense, or frankincense resin

Simply add some of it to a bucket of water that you will use to clean with. Start at the back of your home and work your way towards the front door. Clean your floors – if you have tile you can mop, if you’d rather sweep then dip the bristles of the broom into the cleansing water, if you have carpet you can put some of the mixture into a spritzer bottle and spay it over the carpets after you vacuum, or you can use the broom method. If you have a lot of curtains and upholstery, use the spritz bottle lightly on them. Wipe down all your surfaces with some of the mixture as well. Don’t forget baseboards, window sills, doorframes, and walls as much as you can manage. Burn your incense while you do this, and keep the windows open so the smoke and negative energy can escape.

Pray the 51st Psalm, or otherwise concentrate and state your intent as you clean. Imagine all negative energy being pushed out of the room by the cleansing floor wash and the Uncrossing incense. Visualize bright White Light filling the space. When you are finished in a room, say a prayer of thanks over a white candle and light it. Allow it to burn out. (Birthday candles can be good for this, as they do not burn for very long.) You will need 1 candle per room.

The last room you clean should be the one with the front door. Have your final sweeps go out the front door of your house. Make sure to wipe down the doorframe, too. Light your final candle, and then put on some Blessing incense, or frankincense resin to burn. This will help bring in positive energy into your home, to fill the void that was left by the negative energy. Your home should now feel very light and airy, and much less “heavy” than before. (If it does not, then you may need to repeat, perhaps using a stronger spiritual cleansing mixture. If you do not know of a stronger mixture, you may wish to consult with a spiritual practitioner to have one prescribed for you.)

Continue with your cleansing baths for the next 2 days.

You may also wish to burn some of the Blessing incense or frankincense resin daily to maintain the pleasant, clean, and positive atmosphere. You can also always add some of the spiritual cleansing mixture to your regular cleansing products so that every time you clean your house you are also spiritually cleansing it. This will help keep negativity from easily being able to build up into crossed conditions again. If your workplace is also affected by the negative energy, you can bring in some of the cleansing mixture dissolved into water and wipe down your work area, or put some of the mixture into a spritz bottle to spray around your office and even your aura if you feel yourself being adversely effected by an stressful energies there.

Between the 3 baths and the thorough house cleansing, you should notice a remarkable difference in the energies. Things should start moving freely again in your life! Once things are moving well again and you are successfully uncrossed, you may wish to consider doing some Protection work for yourself and your home to add a further layer of defense against negative conditions being able to take hold again. This is especially true if you are still having to deal with the situation &/or people that contributed to the crossing in the first place! But by taking control of the situation, you can take back your power, and get your life moving in the right direction again, with health, wealth, and love flowing easily into your hands.

Be aware, there are certainly some times when we are crossed up so badly that simple cleansing methods just aren’t getting the job done. If you are in a crisis, feel that it could be due to crossed conditions of some sort, and are unsure about how to proceed, or have had no luck with more simple methods of Uncrossing and cleansing, you may wish to contact a spiritual practitioner to have a reading and consultation on the matter. Through divination, they will be able to look at your situation in an objective manner from a more energetic and spiritual perspective, and be able to provide you with a course of action which should prove effective. Feel free to contact me at Queen of Pentacles Conjure Shop and Village Witchery to arrange for a consultation.

Magical Mantras & Mantra Spellwork

Many magical practitioners find that chanting can help them center and focus before and during meditation or ritual, but did you know that it can be used to achieve magical goals as well? The magical power of words is recognized in spiritual traditions the world over, and mantras are among the most famous and ancient magical word formulas. Mantras are a form of magical prayer-chant that originates in the Hindu tradition. They were designed specifically to have dramatic transformative effects on those that recited them. When said aloud, each letter of the Sanskrit alphabet (which the mantras were originally composed in) creates energetic vibrations that, when combined into spiritually potent phrases can help the chanter attain their goals and desires - or even bring them into contact with the gods! While Hindu & Buddhist tradition holds that most mantras may only be recited by initiates, there are plenty of mantras that have been used and proven to be extremely effective (and safe) by Westerners.

I spent 7 years working exclusively with the Hindu deities, and gained very valuable experience and knowledge on how to work with these deities in their traditional context, and through my relationship with them was guided into how to utilize their energies for magical ends using a more blended style of ritual. Through my contact with the occult and conjure communities, I have found that many others had been working with them in a similar style long-before I was led into it! These mantric practices can really help add an extra dimension to your work, and building a working relationship with these powerful spirits will be more than worth your while in the long-run!

While I am addressing primarily Hindu mantras in this article, there are amazingly powerful traditions of mantra work in the Buddhist tradition as well – you need only do some research on your own to find them!

How Do Mantras Work?

Mantras work on the principle of ‘like-attracts-like’. When you are chanting a mantra, you are immersing your body and your environment with the vibrations created by the sounds of the words – which are believed to be the sound of the vibration that that spiritual principle actually makes if you could hear it! For instance, if you could physically hear the vibration of the energy of Prosperity, it would sound like “SHREEM”, and so SHREEM is an important part of the mantras for Prosperity. By filling your environment with the vibration of Prosperity, Prosperity will naturally begin to manifest in your life.

If you chant a mantra aloud long enough (about 3-5 minutes for me, but everyone is different) you will begin to feel the energy of the atmosphere around you change. This vibration will match the vibration of whatever goal the mantra was intended to achieve. The longer you chant, the longer you will sustain and release the energy of your mantra-spell out into the Universe where it can manifest.

Repetition of the chant on a regular basis is important until you have attained your goal. People who decide you use mantras as a regular part of their spiritual practice usually obtain or make a string of japa, or prayer, beads to help them keep track of how many times they have said a particular chant. In the Hindu and Buddhist traditions, mantras are usually repeated in some multiple of the sacred number 108, and so most malas, or rosaries, have 108 beads.

How Can Mantras Help Me?

As in all spell-type work, the stronger and clearer the intent, the more successful you will be in achieving your magical goals. A mantra is intent “crystallized” into a specific vibration which you can tap into and use to improve your psychic abilities, deepen your spiritual practice - or just accomplish mundane goals, such as gaining self-confidence, drawing more money into your life, or helping you do better in your career. There’s a mantra for nearly any aspiration! Here are some of the most popular mantras and what goals they can be used for:

OM – By far the most well-known and Universal mantra, it is believed to be the sound of Creation Itself. This mantra is a panacea of sorts, as it can be used in nearly any circumstance. It invokes Divine energy and can open many spiritual doors, and increase your intuitive capabilities. Chanting OM can sometimes trigger clairvoyant experiences or even spontaneous channeling. To direct its energy to a specific task, visualize your desire while chanting. I begin and end all my chanting sessions with a few repetitions of OM, as it fills the energetic atmosphere with a powerful and sacred vibration.

OM Shanti! Shanti! Shanti! – This translates into “Hail Peace! Peace! Peace!” and is a wonderful mantra for this hectic (and violent) day-and-age. It is an excellent addition to any magical workings for Peace, Calm, or Clarity that you may participate in. You can use this mantra to calm and center yourself if ever you are feeling overwhelmed with anxiety and worry. Its vibrations can also cleanse and soothe an environment where lots of anger and fighting have been present.

OM GAM Ganapatiye Namaha- This is the mahamantra of the Hindu Deity, Ganesha, Lord of Obstacles. Chanting this can open the road and clear away any obstructions, seen or unseen, which are standing in the way of you achieving your goal. I use this mantra more than any other, and have not once been disappointed! Life just seems to flow more smoothly when you chant this regularly. Use this mantra whenever you feel overwhelmed by delays or just generally stuck, and your path will soon be free and unimpeded.

OM EIM Saraswatyei Swaha – This roughly translates, “Hail to the Goddess that which enlightens all artistic and educational undertakings!” As you can see, this mantra invokes serious aid to any creative or scholastic project. When combined with a sincere effort to hit-the-books, this can help you pull your self up by your bootstraps and make the grade! It can also be chanted to inspire your artistic talents, or improve your overall academic prowess. This mantra is a powerful talisman for any student or artist!

OM AIM HREEM SHREEM Chamundayei Vicche Namaha – This mantra calls upon the Goddess Durga, who is a fierce warrior and extremely strong Mother figure. This particular mantra is extremely effective for personal transformation work aimed at increasing self-esteem and improving one’s self-image and overall self-worth. Use this whenever you are working towards mustering some extra courage, or need the strength to stand your ground, or just generally need to change self-abusive mental and behavioral patterns. It also invokes a greatly protective energy, so you can use this whenever you feel you are in need of spiritual protection and support.

OM SHREEM Mahalakshmiyei Swaha – This mantra invokes the presence and energy of the Goddess Lakshmi, who is the embodiment of Prosperity in all it’s forms. Most commonly petitioned for financial prosperity, and so a perfect Goddess to petition for extra income, increased business, finding a job, or getting a raise at work, she can also bring prosperity in the forms of health, loving and supportive family and friends, and general good fortune and luck in life. She is very often petitioned alongside Ganesha, for a powerful one-two punch of Road Opening and Prosperity-drawing.

How Do I Get Started?

Once you have chosen a mantra that suits your needs, you may want to buy or make a mala, to keep track of your repetitions. Since saying a mantra the traditional 108 times at one sitting can be tough for a novice, the bracelet-sized wrist malas that contain 27 (one quarter of 108) beads are ideal. Decide how often you are going to chant your mantra. Daily practice is recommended if you are working toward a specific aim, but often it is hard to schedule time for meditation every single day. What is important is to make a plan and stick to it. Now it’s time for you to start chanting!

How Do I Chant My Mantra?

When you are first beginning, experiment by chanting the mantra at different rhythms and tempos, and also at various tones and volumes that are comfortable for your voice. You will probably find that chanting at a medium to slow pace, in the middle to lower register of your voice, at a fair volume will result in the energy of the mantra buzzing around and through you. As soon as this buzz intuitively “feels” right to you, you know you’ve found the correct way to say the mantra for you! Once you’ve been chanting for a few weeks, you’ll become familiar enough with the energetic vibration of the mantra, to be able to effectively chant it mentally. By imagining the vibrations surrounding you while you silently recite your mantra, you are no longer limited to when and where you can chant! I often use my wrist mala and chant on the subway or streetcar. This makes maintaining a daily practice much easier.


What If I Pronounce It Wrong?

It is true that correct pronunciation is ideal, but if you mess it up a bit, you’re not going to be hit by a thunderbolt from above! Many websites have audio clips that feature traditional pronunciations and rhythm structures of various mantras. I would recommend listening to these just to get an idea of what your mantra should sound like. I have found, however, that the intonation of the mantra changes from one traditional school to another, and I have personally experienced incredible results using Westernized inflections. Generally, if you take a few moments to sound it out, you will arrive at an effective pronunciation that you are comfortable with and can easily use to attain your goal. There is a Buddhist folk-tale about the spiritual fruits of a laymen’s incorrect - but faithful - recitation of a mantra, wholly surpassing the dogmatically correct –but empty – recitations of the same mantra by a monk. So even the Buddha agrees that earnest effort and a positive attitude is what really matters when chanting a mantra!

How Do I Incorporate Mantras Into Spellwork?

Many spells involve praying to or otherwise petitioning a deity or spirit for aid in a matter. You can use mantras in place of, or in addition to any prayers or affirmations that you feel are appropriate to your cause. Lucky Mojo carries an amazing line of Hindu Deity condition oils, incense, and baths that you can acquire for a very reasonable price.

A simple candle spell for money could go something like this: get a small picture of Lakshmi, a green 7-day vigil candle, some sandalwood incense, some Queen of Pentacles' Money and Prosperity incense or Lakshmi incense, and some Queen of Pentacles' Money & Prosperity oil or Lakshmi oil, Queen of Pentacles’ Money-Drawing Herb Blend for candle dressing &/or burning as incense, a white tea light (one for each day you will work the spell), a small glass of water, a small dry food-item, a 2”x2” square of parchment paper, green ink pen, a mala or other device to count repetitions of chants with, and optionally some Holy Oil.

1) Place the picture of Lakshmi on your working altar – use a green or gold altar cloth if possible.

2) Annoint the picture with some of your oil, while concentrating on your intents and inviting Lakshmi to aid you. This will help fix the image to your uses.

3) While in front of your altar, but before proceeding with any work, say a prayer to Ganesha asking him to open the way for you to work with Lakshmi. If you wish you can chant OM GAM Ganapatayei Namaha as a way of doing this.

4) Hold the tealight in your hand and let some of your energy flow into the candle as an offering. You may also dress this candle with Holy Oil to further increase the energy of the offering.

5) Place the dressed tea light, the glass of water, and the food item on a small plate and place it in front of the picture. Light the tealight and the sandalwood incense while chanting OM SHREEM Mahalakshmiyei Namaha as an offering. Spend a few moments in positive communion with Lakshmi, and inviting her presence into your life with a loving heart.

6) Light the Money and Prosperity, or Lakshmi incense, or place some of the Money-Drawing Herb Blend onto a lit charcoal.

7) Take the green vigil candle and inscribe your intent into the top. If writing words is too difficult, then carve symbols, such as the $, that express your petition.

8) Dress the candle with your Money & Prosperity oil, or Lakshmi oil, while concentrating and praying your intent.

9) Finish dressing the candle by sprinkling some of the Money-Drawing Herb Blend onto the top of the candle.

10) Write your petition, in as clear and concise and specific wording as you can (if you need to be hired in the automotive industry, state that; if you need to permanently increase your monthly income to $5000, then state that; if you need $200 to cover the phone bill by next Friday, state that), onto the 2”x2” square of parchment paper. Annoint the petition paper in a 5-spot pattern – like the 5 side of dice – with the Money-Drawing, Prosperity, or Lakshmi oil.

11) Place the petition paper underneath the fixed candle, and while concentrating on your petition, light the candle.

12) Take your mala or other chant counter out. Chant at least one full round (108 repetitions) of OM SHREEM Mahalakshmiyei Namaha while concentrating on your petition being granted.

13) When you are done, spend a few moments thanking Lakshmi for hearing your petition. Drink the water and eat the food offering – this is the traditional Hindu practice, and it is a way for you to bring the energies of Lakshmi into your body and your life. Leave the tealight to burn out, and leave the vigil light working as well.

14) Each day that the vigil candle is burning, repeat # 3, 4, 5, 6, 12, and 13.

15) Watch for signs of movement. Repeat as necessary until your results are achieved.


When Will I See Results?

Mantras, like spells, manifest in their own mysterious timeframe. The exact time it takes will vary from person to person, depending on their goals. When working with mantras alone (as in, not as part of a larger spell work) 40 days is the traditional amount of time for the results of mantra repetition to be perceived. However, I have personally had the effects of a mantra manifest in under a week, and the resulting sequence of events that it set off remaining active for months! This reinforces the old adage, “be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it”. Basically, if you are going for a deep transformative effect using mantras, the effect can take longer to manifest, as the energies have to move around more people and events to get the desired result. I have found the hoodoo adage “3 days for a sign, 3 weeks for movement, and 3 months for the final result” to hold fairly true for mantra work.

While fun and easy to work with, mantras are an ancient and powerful form of magic, so you must be just as sure about your motives and the full consequences of the end-result before beginning to chant, as you have to be before casting a spell. If you would like to experiment with adding mantras to your magical toolbox, I would suggest making your first goals simple ones, until you get the hang of how to work with this particular piece of Arcanum.

I've also crafted some complete spell-kits for working towards a magical goal using the Hindu deities, which are available through my Queen of Pentacles Etsy Conjure Shop. They include nearly everything you need, including detailed instructions, to perform a multi-day ritual to help you manifest your goal using mantras and devotional offerings, as well as condition oils, candles, spiritual cleansing and bath salts, and more!

If you are not sure if you can work for yourself, or would like a spiritual practitioner to back up your own work, please feel free to contact me at Queen of Pentacles Conjure Shop and Village Witchery. I am more than happy to fix and set lights petitioning the Hindu deities Ganesha, Lakshmi, Kali, Durga, or Saraswati for a variety of conditions, or will consider taking on more complex ritual spellwork on your behalf if a consultation reading shows that it would be beneficial. I am also available for consultation to help you craft a working petitioning the aid of the Hindu deities just for you specific needs.