On the Ethics of Magickal Workings~~~Important Please Read!~~~

 Dear Ms. Q,

“What are the ethics of magickal workings?”

Recently from one of my blog inquiries I received this question:

“I don’t want to insult anyone but I have a strong belief in GOD and I wonder does this in take away my belief in him /my soul? That is where I’m torn. Do everything work together? Is this understandable? I pray daily and I have have a war prayer book helping me through the pain of it all.i pray for him, myself and our kids. I am reading my bible more. I have no interest of ever doing anything dark. All I want is love, happiness and healing. Even the other women I just want her to release this man that completes my family and move on.”

 I get this type question quite frequently, especially from those who feel and fear that they may be going down a slippery slope and turning away from God, Jesus and Mother Mary.   

 The type of workings that I do is not Wicca, not really Voodoo, but folk magick, some people call it Hoodoo, root work or Conjure, in doing this type of work there is no religious associations except that the prayers from the Bible are very effective in petitioning for help.  

In essence the type of work that I do is neutral, or grey, the only considerations are what is in your heart.  

In the workings of Ifa the main law is that you have the right to be happy, at peace and surrounded with love, now this love does not have to come from a person but just a general feeling of contentment.   The use of Folk magic is to assist in gaining the same thing, that desire of happiness.

It does not follow the Law of Three as in Wicca, and although I do mention the concept of the Karmic path that one must follow, that is to emphasize that before you do something, you need to consider if it is the right thing.

The concept of "harm none" and “The Law of Three”, when it comes to magic is a recent emergence that developed in the modern religion of Wicca (since the 1960’s at least), and has very little to do with real traditional witchcraft or magical practice.   

Mrs. Harcourt of my Granny’s group,  was English and was from a traditional witchcraft group or coven when she lived in England, but they did Not have the Law of three, when she heard about it in her old age, she gave a derisive snort and said to me “What about those so called Christians that pray to God to ‘smite down’ homosexuals?  Where’s the ‘law of three’ in that?”   

 She told me that traditional witchcraft didn’t have that, but it was believed that to do something for the betterment of one’s life and to bind a harmful person to justice was correct and proper.  That is why she was attracted to my Grandmother’s group of ladies.

This "witches' rede" isn't adhered to within the tradition of  folk magic or Hoodoo. Hoodoo aka Conjure is instead based on African-American traditions, folk magic traditions from Europe and that are the result of a melding of original African magical practices, European folk magical practices  and a Christian understanding of a just and yet vengeful God.

More people are familiar with this law of three so when they come across folk magick and wonder if will it back lash on them, so they are naturally concerned about doing workings in it, it’s perfectly understandable.  

It is a shock to them that hoodoo does not have a concept similar to the Three-fold Law, it is a shock to them that the idea that the Universe, or Deity is not going to strike you down with lightening the minute you do something that does not fit their idea of rainbows, fluffy bunnies butterflies and Unicorn farts, it is simply shocking if not down-right unethical.

To these people hoodoo, folk magick, conjure work is nothing more than flat-out dark magick and nothing could be further from the truth.

Anyone working with the system of Folk magick, and this is both conjurers and rootworkers, as well as the private person,  are mature enough to figure things out on their own as to what would be the best way to deal with things  without an infantile system of reward and punishment, one important fact that many critic’s scream and almost pull their hair out is the fact of folk magick, hoodoo or conjures' lack of the concept of karma is missing.

Well bottom line Folks,  folk magick/conjure/ hoodoo is magick pure and simple.  It is not a religion,  it is a system of “magick”, and  Not just any magick, but one that is ultimately pragmatic.

Pragmatism is a strong part of many magical traditions and hoodoo/folk magick/conjure exemplifies this. What purpose is there for magick if not to be utilized to help right wrongs, to help find a person happiness, to bring about a nurturing relationship, or financial success?

Anyone working this type of magic including The rootworkers are deeply spiritual persons, but  they are persons who are not so far up in the clouds, not so high and mighty that they forget where their feet are and what they are doing.

This applies even to very young people who maybe starting out doing folk magick who think they can do this for fun or out of spite or a mis-placed sense of revenge.   It is never for fun, it is never for spite, and/or  revenge.   They forget that if something is done wrong it will spill over,  here’s an example of doing something wrong and it is not an urban legend either:  

You go and gas up at a gas station because your gas tank is near empty, just as you are about to put the nozzle into the tank your fancy cell phone rings, well just as you click to answer it and you start to gas up, you forget that you are releasing a flammable vapor, end result----BOOM!!!!

No wonder a lot of gas stations have those signs “hang up your cell phones while gassing up”, even if they improve the cell phones or the gas nozzles the possibility of BOOM is still there.   That is why I always will caution folks with some of the more dangerous products.  

But also you have to give serious consideration to any magickal working, in anything be it love or revenge.

So what am I saying?   Am I saying that folk magick/hoodoo is a "do whatever you want" type of a system?  No I’m not.  What people fail to understand is that folk magick has an inherent doctrine of ethics that should not and cannot be overlooked.

When you go to a conjurer or root doctor, an ethical conjurer works with divination methods in order to see all sides of the problem and the implications and consequences of any magick that they decide to throw into the mix. Now this is done with a very clear understanding that they are answerable to higher power, whatever you want to name that Higher Power.

The concept is very clear if you cannot justify your actions in a logical and objective manner then you have no right doing what you plan on doing. It is for this reason that ethical conjurers turn to divination, I myself will do a one card reading for guidance.

Folk magick, Hoodoo and conjure accept the fact that spiritual and magical power is not only able to, but should be used in order to help bring things about like justice, love, fortune, peace and success. It is the right of a person, man or woman or family, to be happy and prosperous and free from fear.   

 However it does not mean that you have the right to steal from your neighbor, BUT it does mean that if that person is stalking you, abusing you, stealing from you, harming your family or children, well then you have the right to send that person straight to prison.

In the end this does Not take away your belief in God, Jesus, Mother Mary or the Angels and Saints, this magical working calls upon their aid, and helps focus your energy to a happy conclusion, and it does work together as a common whole.

As I said in a reply to a query about feeling conflicted or torn about doing this work and you think you may be going against God and harming your soul, I can assure you that workings to bring about peace, love and to insure protection of you and your loved ones is not going against God.

In Matthew 7:7 it says (depending upon which bible translation) "Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and ye shall find: knock, and it shall be opened to you."

Matthew 7:8

For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

Psalm 34:4

I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.

Psalm 37:4

Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

In their own way in the Bible, it is saying that God helps those who help themselves, what is being done is to augment, and focus your prayers.

Even my Granny use to say to me "When you have turned the other cheek and they still keep slapping you, it's time to get tough, because you've run out of cheeks to slap."

My own Mother (God Bless her) use to say "The most dangerous place to be is between a Mother and her family" and if you are a parent, you have a family and no one should come between that to cause harm and unhappiness.

Blessings to you, Ms. Q

Honey Jar spell for Love~~~~

Dear Ms. Q,

I am back.

A bit worse for wear and still not completely recovered but I am back.  The pneumonia  has aggravated my heart condition, so I do need to take serious care of myself.

I do have to thank my niece whose love and unselfish caring to make sure I do get better has been the instrument towards my healing. She helped take a tremendous worry off of my children's shoulders.

Just as I know the prayers from my family and friends and my friends who read my blog have also helped me get much better.

When one get's older and even when you're young, a person does need an advocate who can see things far more clearly than the person who is ill, and my niece has been that as well as in consultation with my children.  

And she has taken it a step further, she is retired from her job.   Her children are grown, she is a widow, and she gave up her apartment to move in with me in my home to make sure I will stay well. 

And I cannot argue with that, as a matter of fact she is the only one who was in the perfect position to become my caregiver, well I can do things myself but I'm not as spry as I use to be, so I consider this a blessing.

Fortunately my children have no problem with the arrangements as their jobs have forced them to live some distance from me and although they do frequently visit me, they are wise enough to see that it's the best arrangement.  

Now on to the Honey Jar Spell~~~~

Honey jars are also called Sweetening jars, they are a type of   jar or bottle spell that is used to sweeten someone up to you, sweeten their mind to you, become nicer, loving, willing, or offer kindness to you.

In some situations they are used to sweeten the situation that you maybe in such as a court or legal case, or to bring money to you.  Now those spells to be used for court or legal cases in which you want the judge and lawyers to take your side over the opponent’s side are a very good aid.

You can use a jar spell to get a new job,  to sweeten your boss, or get accepted in a new program in college.

They are simple jar spells; but you have to remember they can be slow to start working for you.  Especially if a difficult situation has been going for a long time.   Once they get going then it a matter of keeping them hot with continuous burning of candles on top of the jar, this is quite favorable in pressing cases.

The beauty of these little jars is that you can work one jar for months or even a year later successfully. And when you are  finished with the jar, such as getting the job, or winning the case then  give it a proper burial in the front yard in an easterly  direction, or if you don’t have a yard then  in a potted plant.

These jar spells can be used to reconcile with a lover, friend, or family member. You can use them to sweeten a new guy or gal towards you.   But you also have to remember you cannot interfere with someone’s karmic path either, so in using these spells you have to give very serious consideration.

Sometimes a honey or sweetening jar or bottle spell (yes I did say bottle) can be used to make a home life very happy and cozy.    I have one friend who did use a honey jar spell, but instead of a jar she used a bottle.   

Have you ever seen those bottles with a round bottom with wicker around it and a candle stuck in the neck of the bottle and it would melt and run down the bottle like in those Italian type restaurants from the 1930 to 1950’s very cliché looking, but my friend who is Italian keeps one burning all the time on the family dinning room table to prevent accidents she keeps a large Hurricane glass shade around it to prevent fires and has it sitting on an old plate to catch the excess wax, the color of the candles she burns different color candles alternating between blue, pink and green for a peaceful home, love and money.  

Her home has never been without money, has always been peaceful no fighting, and love just radiates throughout the place.   She told me many years ago she did a honey spell for those same things, but first she started with love because she was having problems with her then new husband, then she burned a green candle for him to have a good job and money would come in, and then blue so the home would be peaceful and loving,   she put all of that into her jar and then by burning the candles one at a time that would happen and ever since then she has alternated the candles and it has been going for over 40 years,  when she was in the hospital she had her daughters make sure the candles were lit and only in those colors.     

And it will most likely continue until the day she dies, she told her daughters about the bottle and the candles and they have done the same thing as well so they understand.

So now most of the time when someone wants to do a Honey or sweetening jar it is most always for love especially to bring a love one back.    The spell is easy but it is also a bit difficult as well.

Now you can use maple syrup, karo syrup, brown sugars, or white sugars instead of honey, but the best kind of honey is local honey from a farmers market I feel that local honey is more potent and pure verses watered down imported honey that is sold in supermarkets.

Your jar should be glass and have a metal lid, you will be burning candles on top and a plastic lid will melt as well as being dangerous.

The type of candle that goes on top is not important as much as what goes on the candle and inside of the jar. Tea lights, vigil lights, tapers, pillars, are all good choices depending on your style and the kind of work you are doing as well as the size of the lid of your jar.   

Choose the appropriate color for your working, or if you live in an area where resources are limited, use white candles, the whole idea is to get the energy going and the flame of the candle is the kick off so to speak.

Petition papers, photos, personal items from the target and yourself go inside of the jar. If you do not have personal items with their DNA, such as a strip of tissue, cotton tip, clothing, etc. with bodily fluids on them, then use a photo of them.  If you don’t have that then you have to be clever to get one, cell phones have cameras on them, or if they are on Face Book you can “capture” a picture of them, but something with their DNA is always best,  even a used paper napkin from a bar-b-que.

And then a  3 x 3  square of brown paper with the edges neatly torn, not cut with scissors, (scissors in hoodoo represent cutting something out of your life).  Write the Full name of the  person you want to reconcile with, first middle and last (if you know the middle name that helps) write it on the brown paper square in pencil and odd number of times (3, 5, 7, 9) one line under the other like this:

Their name

Their name

Their name

(I did it three times just to show you how it looks but 7 times is best)

Turn the paper ¼ of a turn to the right. Write your full name the same number of times one line under the next, just like you did with their name, ON TOP of their name.  It should look like a grid.

In the next step  turn your paper right side up how you started their name and with a red ink pen around the outside of the names in a complete circle WITHOUT lifting your pen, in cursive writing, write out a command that matches the type of spell work you are doing, such as  returntomereturntomereturntome.

Be very careful this has to be one continuous word , DO NOT cross the t’s or dot the i’s until you have completed this circle around the names and joining the last letter of the last word to the first letter of the first word. THEN you can lift the pen to cross t’s and dot i’s. If you lift the pen too early before finishing the circle you will have to start a new petition paper all over again----This is the hard part because it is instinctive to lift the pen to want to cross “t’s and dot “I’s”  so remember keep that pen to paper until the circle is complete.    Take your time to do this, do not rush.

Next, anoint the paper with the appropriate oil or oils for love, just a dab will do. Sprinkle the hoodoo  love powder in the paper, add the items you were able to get or the photograph and some herbs to the center, just enough though so the paper will close up, if you find the paper to be too small make a larger squared paper. 

Speak your intention out loud and then fold the paper towards you in half, turn the paper, and fold again towards you, turn and fold a third time towards you. Spoon out some honey and eat it and chant  “so and so’s heart and mind will be  as sweet to me as this honey is to my mouth”

Put your petition paper in the honey jar, put in the herbs, powders, or curios into the jar pour in the honey and close the lid.

Get a colored candle appropriate to the work, pink for love, red for passions but white will do if you can’t find those,  put a few drops of oil on the candle and stroke the candle towards you covering the entire candle, use some of the hoodoo powder to sprinkle the candle.

The oils to use to anoint the petition paper and the candle  can be a love oil like Adam and Eve oil, Fires of Love oil, Reconciliation love oil, Return to Me oil depending upon the situation.

The type of hoodoo power should be the same as the oils.

The herbs can be any one of these but it must be an odd number with the Honey or sweetening syrup as number 1

So use any odd number of combination of the follow herbs according to your intentions:

Lovage Lucky in love and sexual passion

Rose buds promotes loving conditions

Lavender promotes luck in love affairs of married couples and love affairs of same sex partners

Balm of Gilead heals the heart and emotions

Ginger spices of a love life

Damiana to draw in a lover close and to spice of a love affair

Deer’s tongue leaf to speak with kindness, love, and passion

Cubeb berries to increase passion or draw in a new lover

Catnip to attract and draw in someone close or follow you

Violet promotes luck in love from increasing passion, drawing a lover closer, and healing a old heartbreak

Tonka beans

And two load stones male and female  two Matching lodestones that you will name as you and your desired one, these are male and female matched pairs taking into account same sex relationships you can substitute male/male or female/female stones.

Just remember it does not have to be all these herb just those that would apply to your situation but it should be an odd number such as for example:

Honey

Rose buds

Damiana

Violets

Balm of Gilead

Catnip

Deer’s tongue

But the first one should always be the sweetener Honey.

The load stones and some of these herbs can be found in a good metaphysical shop.  

Once you have filled the container with prayer/petition papers, herbs, personal items, etc. close the lid, shake and swirl the jar or bottle, heat it up by melting wax over the top and light your candle on it. Some folks will heat that jar up on the stove then burn candles on it be careful so it doesn’t explode.

After you have anointed the candle light the bottom of the candle while holding it over the jar to drip some wax on the lid of the jar and stick the candle on top of the lid in the wax drippings so it will adhere to the surface.

 Focus, visualize, and speak the intention as you Burn the candle completely down, the next day repeat the candle process.

 Do this for 7 consecutive days to jump start the energy of the honey jar, heating up the energy. After the first week, you can move it down to three times a week for the next 3-6 weeks, once the energy is flowing nicely maintain the energy that is flowing by speaking, focusing and visualizing your intention to once a week.

 IF you need to heat up the honey jar to get the energy flowing quicker, go back to three times a week.

The results could start slowly; more times it will start slow, but pay attention to them. Like any spell, be patient, the spells aren’t a quick fix, magick is a lifestyle, a new way of seeing the universe, a new way of working in your universe.

Don’t lust after a result, the result might come to you in a way that is unfamiliar Believe in yourself, believe in your spirits, and believe in your universe.

More people fail at attempts to magick because they give up too soon before they see real results, because they either doubted the work would happen OR they expected a certain sign from the universe and didn’t give it enough time to manifest, so that is their own fault do to their own  unrealistic expectations or wanting it now.  It doesn’t work that way.

Now about the wax that will be dripping over the jar, after you have done it then set the jar inside of a bowl or large plate to catch the wax run over from candles.

Over time when the plate or bowl becomes full of wax you will take the excess wax and wrap it up in a brown paper bag and bury either in the yard, under a tree, or at a crossroads.  Thank the tree, or crossroads, pay the crossroads or tree with some coins such as 3 pennies.

Sometimes, the buildup of wax on the jar will keep a wick burning too long, causing the honey inside to be too hot and seep out of the jar, so make sure to periodically check the size of the wick and trim it.

Sometimes it’s unavoidable though, and you will get some seeping honey from your jar, you should change your jar to a better fitted lid on it, and continue working the jar.

For Money Spells, Legal cases etc. the process is the same but the oils and herbs and powders are different as well as the color of the candle Green for Money for example, check my color candle list for other situations.  But always use honey or a sweetener as your first ingredient.  

WARNING: 

And remember you are burning candles, if you have pets or young children put the jar and candle in a safe place away from anything flammable and away from curious children and pets,  if possible get one of those hurricane lamp shades, it looks like an oversize oil lamp glass shade, put this over the jar and candle and make sure nothing touches it,   Cats are notoriously curious creatures as well as little children, so especially at night be careful 

Blessings to all of you and may 2016 be sweet, loving and prosperous, Ms. Q

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR FOR 2016!

Hello Everyone,

Ms. Q wants to wish everyone who reads her blog with Blessings to all for a wonderful, prosperous, healthy and loving New Year for 2016!  

This is a Nine (9) year which means that for many it will be finishing up old things, old projects and ending old situations so that the Wheel of Fortune can turn to a new year for everyone in 2017.

This will also be a year of reflection to see what we've done or having done and what we can do to make it better to improve our lives and let go of situations and relationships that are harmful to us.

For many we may join groups that are helpful for us in group therapy, we may decide to simplify our complicated lives,   9 means endings to things that are harmful to us, we make decisions to start to help ourselves, and this does take courage, and determination.

Ms. Q drew a card to give us an idea of what the year will be in store for all of us and she drew the

Six of Swords  Well what better card to end the old year and begin the new.  This one is perfect!

Six of Swords’ Meaning is about A journey · Better future · Escape · Left over challenges · Travel: Trusting in intelligence and intuition and setting off into the unknown. Leaving the past behind and charting a new course. Passage from difficulty and progress towards a solution. The road to recovery. Travel and exploration.

 For all of you Your mental focus can put you on track to leave your current troubles behind, leading to better times ahead. It is important to face your problems from a mental standpoint, thinking through them. There is still trouble ahead for you, but the worst is over, this is a new year and new ideas and new and better situations.

For all of you have overcome a major hurdle while also staying true to yourself. The understanding and objectivity you have developed will lead you to a better future.  There will be a change in your life for the better. A burden or challenge you will face may yield a new path and a more positive future.  The challenges you face will eventually be overcome. The struggles are necessary to provide you with the growth you need to find your way to a better future.

The Six of Swords is symbolic of a journey or escape into mental clarity. It suggests a better, positive future or possibly a period of calm straight ahead of you. Moving forward could require you to use your logic or natural intellect, but the end result is of a positive nature. The answer is yes.

The first day of the New Year is always setting off into the unknown, it is a new adventure and we leave the problems that had beset us behind, this is new territory for us to discover and deal with.

Ms. Q says It is no joke that the New Year always starts off with a little baby and then by Dec 31 it ends with an old man, because we do feel that way.  We start off with new enthusiasm and by the end we’re glad the year is over.  And then we start all over again.   But with each year we learn something and we carry this new knowledge into the New Year so we can deal with things even better, we have a better idea of how to handle things.   And when we review the old year we do get surprised by how far we’ve come.

That is what the planets and tarot are saying, we now have new ideas coming into our minds, we are on a new journey, we put doubts aside, and see what this year will hold for us.  Yes we will have our ups and downs but we are better prepared for it, we can deal with it a lot better.  

This is a year of simply being in the now and letting go of the past, and working towards a future that is far simpler than before far better than before.

   And that is what the Six of Swords is trying to tell us, life is a journey, with smooth roads and rough roads, but we always manage to get to where we are going,  picking up and dropping off things, situations, people etc. along the way.  Ms. Q has said many times “We can cry or we can laugh, I prefer to laugh even when things are rough because it won’t be rough for long.”    And that is what the journey is all about.

Each new day is a day of discovery, even with the tiniest things, and we should marvel at the wonders and discoveries that we find, be it by reading, observing, doing, it doesn’t matter we should always marvel at it.   The squirrels and the birds in Ms. Q yard every day give her delight, the weather, people watching, always something new. 

So we should rejoice on starting a new year, a new journey, even though it may seem like a continuation of the old one it really isn’t.  Something new will always pop up and surprise us.

In a day or two Ms. Q will give me a reading for Endless Love as well as how to do a Honey Jar spell for Love, so everyone please be patient.

And in Ms. Q's words "Bright Blessings to Everyone"