So what is D.U.M.E. ?

Hello Everyone,

I've been having a nice relaxing first day of the new year, and I'm also excited because one of my favorite old T.V. programs is going to be run on one of the retro T.V. stations "Kolchak: The Night Stalker"  I loved that program when it came out, it was the inspiration for X-Files, and I think for a few other shows.   So for this old lady, I'm happy.

But that is not why I'm posting here.

One of my readers (and you know who you are   ;)   )   posted a comment to me about a particular powder and oil called “D.U.M.E.” 

I’ll post his comment here---

“Dear Ms. Q,

I'm a recent reader of your blog. Seeing from one of the comments from above, I see that you mentioned "D.U.M.E" (Death unto my enemies). And what I've read from the "Goofer Dust" post you wrote, I thought that "Goofer Dust" was the most powerful/lethal powder that one could utilized in hoodoo/conjure/rootwork. And seeing from the previous comment, are you implying that there's another formula that's much powerful than Goofer Dust, because you said: "She by-passed hot foot, by-passed Goofer and went straight to D.U.M.E. Her situation was that horrible." Please clarify, Is there one powder this "D.U.M.E" powder much more lethal than Goofer Dust?

Thank you.”

I answered his question in my reply in the comments section, but I'll admit it was abbreviated in terms of history because he later asked me---

P.S Ms Q, If I may suggest that you should do a blog article for the D.U.M.E powder so future readers don’t confuse it with Goofer Dust.

Well my young friend, with all of this I may just confuse you even more, because just as I said that X-Files was inspired by "The Night Stalker"  we see that with D.U.M.E  and Goofer Dust.

So here it is-----  my more expanded reply on  What makes Goofer Dust D.U.M.E.  and what is D.U.M.E?

So I first need to explain what is DUME and why is it a little different from Goofer Dust.

Traditionally the letters D.U.M.E.  pronounced Doom, means “Death Unto My Enemies”  but I’ve also seen is called “Destruction Unto My Enemies” as well as “Do Unto My Enemies” and it’s also among some Wiccans called “Kiss of Death”  and elsewhere it’s called “Blacklist”.

So how can one thing have so many different names?  

Well based upon my own personal experience, talking to my friend and with some other practitioners and what research information I’ve been able to come across, and I admit its meager, I’d have to say it’s adapting, adjusting and “marketing”, as well as how nasty and vengeful does one want to get without fear of making a bargain to the Devil---not that you would, but for some folks a certain moral code holds them back and really that’s fine.  

Because if you really want someone dead you have to really be worked up and super-villain angry

Goofer Dust is extremely powerful and it is the bases or foundation of DUME, BUT with an addition or deletion of other “items” it can be changed or ramped up to DUME level,  BUT to make it effective it has to be done in concert with  candle and spell rituals as well as a lot of will power of the one doing the work, and one may need to be prepared for any possible back-lash.

Many years ago, I had a friend who owned her own store selling Botanica items, she eventually closed up shop when she married a very good man who understood her path and how she worked it.  She did continue selling but out of her own home and mostly to those who were her former customers who use to go to her “brick and mortar store” as well as by word of mouth.

She and I get together occasionally for tea and the most wonderful cookies (she can bake and cook up a storm, they are so delicious), and we’d also compared formulas’ aka recipes, there was and is no rivalry between us as oppose to some other groups and persons that I can think of, and more than once I’ve said to her “Hey, you have here the same recipe but under two (or at times 3) different names. How come?”

She said “Because what we’d would call it traditionally in Conjure or Hoodoo or Voodoo, to others who come into the shop but are somewhat uninitiated to the concept of Hoodoo or Conjure, being more airy-fairy Fluff bunnies or believe in the Harm None philosophy, they would not understand or just pass on it, but if it’s given a different name, a more mundane name, even though it does the same thing its better understood by the uninitiated.”

And also it depended upon the focus and the intent. It was all in the marketing and since she had been for a long time operating her own business she could understand why one thing would have different names, because of “marketing”.

For example and this is a good one, DUME is also called “Blacklist” and among wiccans or witches it’s also called “Kiss of Death”, for those that seek serious retribution and are willing to accept the consequences.

Now at the time why it was also called Blacklist I didn’t have a clue, but “Kiss of Death” made perfectly good sense. But DUME is becoming a more frequent name---it can mean, as I said,  “Death unto my Enemies” or “Destruction unto my Enemies” or more milder “Do unto my Enemies”   the old “do unto others as they would do unto you” kind of concept.

So before we get to DUME let’s look at “Kiss of Death” first, in all my hunting on the internet and the few old catalogs I have,  (unless I’m missing something) the only place that even mentions this version is the web site The Village Witch in the U.K.  they call it “Kiss Of Death™ Oil – Witchcraft Hoodoo Voodoo Wicca Pagan  Used as, well…. as the name says. Use ONLY ON CANDLES! WASH HANDS AFTER USE AND USE WITH EXTREME CAUTION!  This is the witchy version of the hoodoo/voodoo/conjure DUME oil which we also sell.”

So we are back to the DUME oil, but they do make it clear that it should only be used on candles but they soften its idea by saying it’s a witchy version of the same thing.  But it’s not.  What would make it different is the type of spell work done with it.

So let’s go to the next name variation on the DUME list and that is Blacklist----I can understand using this name or title if you want your enemies to be humiliated and humbled to the point that no one believes them or will hire them, in a way it would be like the old Communist Blacklisting done in the 1950’s.  

But Original Products Botanica sells a DUME black candle and they call it a “Black List 7 Day 1 Color Prayer Candle…..Even the score with those who do you harm by burning our 7 Day Black List Candle. Write the names of your enemies on the glass in the space provided. Anoint with our Crossing oil for added strength.”   So on this candle on the back or somewhere on it you can write the names of those you want “Blacklisted” but it’s on a DUME candle.   And they suggest using Crossing Oil not DUME oil.

So one would be doing with the Blacklist (aka DUME) candle is you are sending to those persons on the list on the candle “crossed conditions”.  Not necessarily “death” but misery.

This is also repeated on a product from Wisdom Products and they advertise it as a “7 day glass candle black list dume - Black list condition candle DUME”

Wisdom Products goes on to explain to you to “Even the score with those who do you harm by burning a 7 Day Black List Candle.  Opens the doors to hell- problems, bad luck, sickness, poverty, failure and enemies.  Write the names of the individuals on the candle whom you wish to cause distress in their life.  Burn the candle until the name and blow out the flame.  Concentrate on the incantation.  Repeat the ceremony for the remaining names. “  

 Now no mention is made of using an oil but it is a DUME candle where once again you can write the names, but now it’s explained to the purchaser how to do the ritual, so now we are looking at the will of the person working the spell.

But they are not saying to send Death to your enemies but to make their lives completely miserable, but as I said it is a DUME candle, but the intent is only misery but not death.

You see how this is going?

Now we get into the D.U.M.E. Part.

 But first we’ll start with “Do Unto My Enemies”   I have to admit I really like Conjured Cardea’s take on this oil, she makes it clear “…My formula can be tailored to bring about your desired outcome-it is not only to cause harm…” now that works if you are afraid of the stain of causing death on your soul.  So it does have the punch but now you can adjust the “punch”  she states “….D.U.M.E-"Do Unto My Enemies".  An old formula used in very strong control/compel and sometimes reversal workings in which an enemy receives what they have sent out. It can also be used to debilitate a target or their workings or to harm those who have harmed you or your loved ones. My formula can be tailored to bring about your desired outcome-it is not only to cause harm. Some places claim the name of this oil stands for "Death Unto My Enemy". I find this to be a later, misappropriated, meaning.”

She makes it clear that it is to only make a person’s life, one who may have cursed you, miserable,  her formula is designed to be an extremely powerful reversing type of oil formula, because she clearly states “…it is not only to cause harm.”   Now how she adjusts it I do not know and it would be rude of me to ask as each formula is private to the individual. 

But her statement that the phase “Death…etc”  she found to not be the correct phase, I’m not sure.  Whether this is true or not I have found that Wisdom/Indio products which has been in business since 1987 has been making this candle and DUME oil since then.  So until I can get to my Anna Riva books and see if it’s mentioned there I will let that date stand for now.    I did come across an old catalogue from the early 1970’s that mentioned the DUME candle so it’s possible that it goes back further.

And that brings us to “Death/Destruction Unto My Enemies”  well who hasn’t wished ill to those that torment us. 

Doc Conjure makes it clear that this is in the “Black Magic” field “D.U.M.E. (Death/Destruction Unto My Enemies), a.k.a. Black List, is the name of a particularly strong black magic condition formula used in the practice of Hoodoo/Rootwork and which is believed to bring about the complete destruction and death of one's enemies.

I do not know of any official recipe for this line of spiritual products, but my opinion would be that recipes along the lines of Goofer Dust would be appropriate. This means that any recipe for spiritual products such as D.U.M.E. oil, powder, or incense, may include items such as graveyard dirt, brimstone powder, red pepper, black pepper, snake sheds, and crushed insects such as ants, wasps, snails, spiders, scorpions, etc. Additional toxic and malefic herbs may also be used.”   

Now he makes it clear that it is used along with candles, oils and powders so it’s not just a powder or a candle alone being used, there has to be a combination of things, he goes on further to say “On a personal note, I have never used D.U.M.E. spiritual products. I once bought a D.U.M.E. Hoodoo Candle "just in case" but I ended up simply burning it as a Halloween decoration. I had previously bought some D.U.M.E. oil, again "just in case", but it gave off such a negative vibe that I ended up throwing it away. Personally, D.U.M.E. spiritual products should only be used with extreme caution. Don't rush out to purchase D.U.M.E. supplies for silly and trivial revenge purposes. D.U.M.E. spiritual supplies are for when someone needs to die, as in with regard to a child molester, serial rapist, serial killer, etc.”

Of course with the way some folks feel about our president-elect, Donald Trump, they might consider him to be in that league.

Denise Alvarado offers the D.U.M.E. oil   and she makes it very clear what it is supposed to be according to lore--- In her offering of the oil she states “New Orleans Hoodoo has a marked reputation for notorious conjure works, including Conjure oils. D.U.M.E is one such oil. For left-handed practitioners, this oil may be used either offensively or defensively; but for those who subscribe to justified conjure, then the use of D.U.M.E is reserved as a defensive measure for situations in which someone has caused harm on another and is in need of a serious slap down from "karmic" forces. In general, this formula is reserved for cursing, to anoint candles, doll babies. coffin works, and the like. Make no mistake, according to lore, whenever this oil is used it is for the express result of causing harm or even killing someone. It goes without saying that its use should never be taken lightly and one should be fully prepared to deal with the consequences of acting as judge and jury on another human being.”

She makes it clear that it is intent that describes its use, either to defend or to take action against someone in a justified intent, but she like Doc Conjure and even Conjured Cardena emphasize that it MUST be justified. 

Catherine Yronwode  since 1994 offers the DUME oil, candle, powder and other items but she clearly states “ D.U.M.E. products are always applied with curses”  she goes on to say “This spell is alleged to cause trouble, pain, and even death to an enemy. It is not guaranteed to work, and it is recommended that you think very seriously about your needs and desires before undertaking this type of work. It is best to work this spell in justified revenge, not out of anger.”

And she makes it clear that after working this for 7 days that the person doing this work take a spiritual cleansing bath with hyssop and other cleansing herbs stating  “cleanse yourself and ask God for forgiveness from sin if you have transgressed. This is optional, but many people find it a good idea to perform this additional spell after the seven days of D.U.M.E. work.”   And she recommends setting up protection around the practitioners' as the home.

She intimates on her site that Goofer Dust is separate from DUME, and I respect her opinion on that as I do the others mentioned here.

But in talking to my friends recently who are long time practitioners, DUME appears to be a more recent development from Goofer Dust.  So it maybe a Grandchild if one thinks about it.

Mojo Moon suggests combining DUME oil with Jezebel oil to make it an even more powerful oil on one’s enemies but I think it would be to get even on an ex-lover, the hard way.

In using the oil I say dressing a candle or a mojo bag is fine except, and I really want to caution everyone, Never, Ever put it on your skin or in a bath,  because it would be physically harmful to you because of the ingredients used.

Whenever you handle the oil or powder or whatever, ALWAYS wash your hands.

So now we come to DUME’s great-grand pappy, Goofer Dust. 

Goofer Dust and that is exactly what it is -- dust, was and is used in Foot Track magic, you have to put the dust physically where the person(s) you want to get rid of is going to stand, or in something they are going to wear such as socks or tennis shoes or mixed with talcum powder inside dress shoes (men mostly but it’s been done to ladies)  but this is being used up-close and personal.

And for many people getting up-close and personal to one’s target could be a problem, so DUME appears to be a more long distance ritual utilizing one’s will and calling in those spiritual energies to carry out one’s will on those who have harmed you.   There is no direct contact except perhaps to collect those biological concerns from the target for the ritual.

Is DUME more powerful than Goofer Dust? In terms of the dust/powder/oil itself, no it is the same, because it is the same recipe but instead used in a specific ritual that can add more oomph to it, as oppose to basic foot track magic which Goofer Dust is usually used for (which goes back at least to the 17th Century), then yes because It is the will of the person, focused by the ritual that can add to it.

 Otherwise the formula is the same.

I did find out about a “little extra added ingredient” to Goofer Dust, many years ago from Mrs. Washington and from Bella, my Granny’s neighbor, they told me how extremely dangerous this extra ingredient is, in either form, to both the practitioner and the one on the receiving end. I know what it is but thank goodness it’s hard to get (at least I hope it is) even Agatha Christie the author was aware of it and used it in several of her novels and short stories.  I would never touch it myself.

 BUT--- according to my meager sources, the name D.U.M.E. appears to not have come into use until the early 1970’s so it appears to have always been Goofer Dust, at least from my sources.

It’s possible that the DUME candle itself,  goes back to the 1940’s or earlier, but even in Hyatt’s works I’ve not seen it mention and his book was printed in 1939,  but from what I’ve been able to find out from my sources it appears more likely very early 1970’s or even the  late 1960’s.  Unless I happen upon a much earlier catalog of metaphysical supplies or another source, I’m going to go with that approximate date for now.

 But in the 1970’s with all the protests and such, there were people who wanted stuff which they thought was more powerful.  Even my friend said that she had people coming into her shop wanting stuff to curse Richard Nixon and this was before Watergate, so maybe it did work.    Really they should have cursed Lyndon B. Johnson, he wanted the war, Kennedy was against it. Maybe that was the reason Kennedy was assassinated.

At the little “Tea Party” that I had recently with some of my “friends”, we talked about Goofer Dust and DUME, and I remembered my Cousin who was desperate, she combined Goofer Dust with mineral oil and used it to apply to something, I can’t remember what (I’ll need to look at my notes) but when I mentioned it to my friends at the “tea party” one of them said that was what she did to start her own DUME oil,  but to make it even more powerful she added coffin nails to her Master bottle, the ladies talked and one of them said that she even considered adding crab shells, she was asked why and she replied “so that everything this S.O.B. worked for will be eaten away”  because crabs are scavengers and eat dead things as well as ocean plant life and fish. 

Even my friend who owned her store, offered for sale a powder and oil called Ragnarok (Old Norse Ragnarök, “The Doom of the Gods”) the recipe was the same as Goofer Dust but she added the hair sheds of a black wolf (very hard to get) to her Master bottle to represent the jaws of FENRIR the wolf destined to break his bonds and devour Odin at Ragnarok.

Another friend mentioned that she had a very old formula of Goofer Dust that said to add red powdered mercury but that mercury is extremely poisonous so she eliminated it from her process and I too had such an old formula and I never used powdered mercury for the same reason, I don’t know about the Ladies from Granny’s group.   They never talked about that.

As we discussed this a collective light bulb went off in our heads, it appeared to be obvious to us, that D.U.M.E is a mid to late 20^th century development of Goofer Dust but without doing the foot track work, but instead adding oils, candles and rituals.  It was simply, it seemed to us, a natural progression from one to the other, developed out of necessity, access or lack of, and marketing depending upon the moral fiber of the individual that created it.

That somehow in some way the DUME candle was created first and somehow it became merged with an oil that had Goofer Dust as its base and was renamed DUME.

Anger, revenge, desperation created it, and smart marketing provided it, and those practitioners who offered it developed their own formulas for it. 

And we all agreed no matter what it was called Goofer Dust, DUME, Kiss of Death, Blacklist, Ragnarok---it was the same, it was only the various adjustments, the additions, the ritual, the intent and a bit of marketing that made them different,  either way----it works!

But no matter what, its original ancestor was and is dangerous and since it is the foundation for the oil, it is still dangerous, but one’s own will can make it explosive.

 And I caution everyone to be very, Very careful with it. It is Not a play thing.

Bright Blessings,

Ms. Q