Peace be with you! I just attended the most amazing Good Friday service and am looking forward to tomorrow night’s Holy Saturday Resurrection Mass. I feel like it’s important to stop sometimes and meditate on suffering and sadness like that of Jesus on the Cross, not to make us sad and depressed, but to help us recognize and be thankful for the blessings we have in our lives.
I hope this Holy Week is going well for all of you that celebrate it and that you are enjoy the beginning of Spring!
Holy Week
Peace be with you, my friends! Today is Palm Sunday, which marks the beginning of Holy Week, the special time of year when Christians around the world remember and celebrate the Last Supper of our lord Jesus, his betrayal by Judas Iscariot, his death on the cross and finally his glorious resurrection on Easter.
I wish you all a blessed and wonderful Holy Week!
Today I witnessed a beautiful reenactment of the Passion of Jesus complete with costumes, bucket loads of flowers and palms and a giant cross. This truly is a special and sacred time of year for many people and I urge all of you reading this to take some time to count the blessings you have in your life, settle old feuds and the invite the peace of God into your hearts, in whatever form you conceive of him.
I wish you all a blessed and wonderful Holy Week!
Lady Luck
Peace be with you my friend. I have many people who contact me asking for good luck charms and services to improve their odds at the casino or just to bring good luck in general. So, today, for those who seek luck, I've decided to share an article about an obscure yet very real and often elusive spiritual entity: Lady Luck! I hope you enjoy and if you are interested in charms, herbal baths, candles or services to improve luck, please don't hesitate to email me!
Is Lady Luck the modern version of the of the Roman goddess Fortuna?
Origins: The origins of Lady Luck are obscured in history. She is perhaps a modern manifestation of the Roman goddess Fortuna. Well known in gambling circles, her intercession is often called upon when pulling the lever on a slot machine or tossing dice onto a gaming table. Starting in the early 1900’s, many products, such as perfumes, colognes and soaps began to appear in Southern Hoodoo circles promising to call down the blessings of Lady Luck. I have spoken with a successful gambler who claims to have seen her materialize and walk through a casino in the form of an elegantly dressed 1940’s socialite or movie star before he scored a major win. Just as quickly as she appeared, she was gone. There is never any guarantee that her luck will even touch the same person twice, although it has been known to happen.
Places of Veneration: Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Macau and gaming establishments worldwide.
Offerings: A respectful, classy attitude regarding ones winnings and at least a round of drinks shared with one’s gambling companions in her honor after a decent sized win.
Uses in Money Magic: There are no specific rituals geared toward drawing down Lady Luck’s blessings. How one appeals to her is very much a personal matter. Commercially produced colognes, soaps and perfumes are often effective as is simply whispering her name before playing any game of chance. There are never any guarantees with Lady Luck, as she is a most fickle spirit, but I have seen many people, myself included, blessed by her tremendously.
General Observations: For me Lady Luck bears a close resemblance to the Voodoo Lwa Mademoiselle Charlotte, to whom I am very close. They are by no means one in the same, but they share a quiet, peaceful elegance and are incredibly elusive in nature while embodying class and luxury.
Saint Anthony!
I thought I would share some information about this powerful and multi-purpose saint!
He is seen by his devotees as an all-purpose miracle worker.
Origins: Originally from Portugal. Anthony lived during the 11th century and travelled throughout Europe preaching as a Franciscan Friar. He died in Padua, Italy and is therefore known as St. Anthony of Padua. Devotion of him exists throughout the world and he is seen by his devotees as an all-purpose miracle worker.
Places of Veneration: Worldwide. Very popular in Portugal, Brazil, Hungary, Italy, Latin America, the Philippines and in Italian-American communities.
Offerings: Candles and bread and cakes baked on his feast day, June 13th.
Uses in Money Magic: Saint Anthony is a tremendously popular saint in both official and popular forms of Christianity. He may be invoked for any purpose including money. In Italian American communities it is common for business owners to keep a picture or small statue of St. Anthony in their places of business so that he might bless their ventures with success. Also, people carry images of him in their wallets so that they may always be filled with money. There are no complicated rituals or offerings that need to be made to St. Anthony. Serving him is just a matter of making your request and showing gratitude once you receive what you’ve requested. In Boston’s North End, a traditionally Italian neighborhood, people hold a procession every year on his feast day in which the saint’s statue is paraded through the streets and people place offerings of money on his float to thank him for the miracles they’ve received throughout the year. While this is a beautiful and culturally rich tradition, one may show gratitude for Anthony’s help by making a small donation to any church or charity upon receipt of your request.
General Observations: Curiously, the number 13 is often associated with Saint Anthony. He died on the 13th of June, which is his current feast day. A popular tradition states if you go to a church and pray before his statue for 13 consecutive Tuesdays, the saint will answer your request before the 13th Tuesday. I have never practiced this devotion myself, but I have heard countless testimonies as to its efficacy. You could even practice this devotion at home, simply reciting a prayer to Saint Anthony each Tuesday either in your own words or read from a prayer book and I’m it would work just as well. Once you receive your request, remember to thank Saint Anthony will a donation to a church or charity.
How to Request Favors from the Spirit World Step by Step with a Simple Ritual
My friends and I have recently done a service to call down the lwa Simbi Makaya, who is a spirit of Congolese origin that has dominion over magic and is known to be fiercely protective of his devotees. He is associated with Saint Expedite. Simbi is also highly revered in the Makaya sect of northern Haiti whose priests are called bokors and are skilled in divination and spell casting. During this session, Simbi Makaya appeared in possession and gave his blessing to a drapo, or spiritual flag, that I have previously prepared. Many people are curious as to how to make a service to the lwa or any spirit. I have decided to share with you the step by step process of how to serve the lwa in a simple ritual that may be performed by anyone, even the uninitiated.
A step by step process in a simple ritual that may be performed by anyone, even the uninitiated.
The information I am about to give you may be taken as a template on how to serve and request a favor or general blessing from any spiritual entity, not only those of the African diaspora. The following service would be equally adequate to obtain the favors of the Chinese Quan Yin, the Native-American White Buffalo Woman or the Celtic Brigid as it would those of Papa Legba, Erzulie Freda and Maman Brigitte. It is a simple and common approach that can be used by people with little or no experience in Voodoo or Hoodoo and just a bit of knowledge on the saint or spirit you are trying to invoke.
First find a space that can serve as a make shift altar. A table or a cleared space on a countertop would work nicely. You can make the space as simple or as elaborate as you like. Knowing what colors are sacred to the spirit or saint in question, you may choose to cover the space with a cloth of that color. You may also adorn the altar with items sacred to that entity, for example some seashells would be appropriate for La Sirene or a gold necklace for Ochun. Also, if applicable, you may wish to place an image of that spirit’s Catholic counterpart. It is possible to do a service to more than one spirit at a time, but make sure to keep their images, sacred items and offerings on separate sections of the altar.
Next lay out as many or as few offerings as you’d like. Food offerings are always important and flowers are also a welcome addition to any altar. You do not need to worry about making live animal blood offerings since this can only be done by an initiated priest or priestess.
Now light a candle and make your petitions. Your candle should be in the color sacred to the particular spirit. If in doubt, you may use white, which is universal to all spirits, saints and lwa. Sit at the altar as long as you want and meditate. Talk to the saint as you would a friend and ask for his or her blessing and assistance in the matter at hand. You could ask for a new special person in your life or a marriage proposal from a current partner or the return of a former lover or money and success in business. Whatever your needs are, explain them to the saint. To give an extra kick to your service you may decide to make a promise to the saint such as agreeing to perform another service or feeding once your petition is granted or perhaps donate some money to charity. Whatever you promise, make sure to fulfill it, since what has been given to you can be taken away just as easily.
Leave the altar in place until the candle has burned out and then dispose of your offerings, ideally in a place sacred to that saint, but if you are a city dweller, this is not always possible, so you may dispose of them in the trash after the service is complete.
I would just like to make a quick comment on the purpose of offerings in spiritual work. The saints and spirit guides to not need food as we do since they have no bodies. They do have foods and animals that are sacred to them and which when presented to them, they transform into raw spiritual energy and use to make things happen in the physical world. For example, if you make an offering to Papa Legba of rice, beans, rum and a cigar, he will take up those offerings and use that energy to make your petition manifest in your life.
The service I have just described is very common and many spiritual workers perform it every day. I am confident that this simple service would be enough to bring about positive change in anyone’s love life. I invite you to try it with the saint or spirit of your choice and please share your results with me!
