Peace be with you, my friends! St. John's Eve is the single most important and powerful night for doing Voodoo magic. Each year on this night (June 23rd-24th) I hold a huge ceremony where I prepare many food dishes according to strict tradition and lay them on my altar as offerings to the ancestors and saints.

St. John's Eve, a notorious night for performing all sorts of magic.

Saint John’s Eve, so called because it is the evening before the feast of St. John the Baptist, is a notorious night for performing all sorts of magic from many European and Afro Caribbean traditions. The origins of this observance lay in ancient Pagan traditions that regarded the summer solstice (June 21-22) as sacred and magical since it is the shortest of the year. In Christian times the observance came to be known as Saint John’s Eve do the proximity of the feast of St. John the Baptist to the summer solstice and no doubt many pagan practices related to that night were absorb by early Christians and handed down through the generations of those of us alive and practicing magic today.

In Francophone regions including Quebec and southern Louisiana, the tradition is to build a huge bonfire on Saint John’s Eve and gather with family and friends. There is also a popular belief that water taken from springs, rivers and especially the dew collected from grass on the morning of St. John’s Day is sacred and can be stored in bottles throughout the year and used in magical workings or to bless your house or garden. In Voodoo, this night is special and spiritual work done on this date is most powerful and far reaching. The great Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau, honor to her, used to hold elaborate ceremonies on the banks of Lake Ponchatrain and Bayou Saint John and perform powerful rituals for her patrons and followers.

Each St. John’s Eve I hold a service and do spiritual work on that night. Offerings to petition the spirits and ancestors are a food dish or some flowers in the name of the person needing help. I always encourage people to take advantage of this opportunity to bring about positive change and empowerment in their lives. While the service has passed in 2010, it will be offered again in 2011. When the time comes again in 2011 I will post a reminder and all you need to do is to simply contact me and tell me a little about your intention and I will be happy to present it to my pantheon or powerful spirits and saints on this most special of nights! Peace and blessings to you, my friends!