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Animal Curios in Hoodoo

One of the hallmarks of hoodoo spells is the use of more than just herbs in magical workings. Rootworkers will often couple together roots, herbs, minerals and zoological curios (animal parts) for maximum power in their spells. If you ever get a mojo bag and it has more than just plant material in it, then you can pretty much bet it was made by a genuine rootworker. I normally make a point of including some kind of animal curio in my 13-Item Custom Mojo Bags.

Animal curios are usually something very rare or difficult to get your hands on. Their rarity is what lends them such power. Of course, the magical attributes associated with each curio is often reflective of the Doctrine of Signatures - a philosophy used by many herbalists that attributes powers to curios according to what they look like. Consequently, animal hands or feet were good for luck with anything you laid your hands on. Animal genital parts were for love or virility, etc. Here is a list of some of the more typical animal curios a rootworker would use in their work - particularly in the construction of mojo bags.

Raccoon Penis Bone - "Coon Dong"

Raccoons have bones inside of their penises. These bones can be extracted from dead raccoons, cleaned and used in mojo bags for love, sexual prowess or even for luck - especially in gambling luck.

It is said that you can tie a red string around a raccoon penis bone making it into a necklace and give it to a girl you like in order to make her fall in love with you and stay in love with you. Dress the coon dong with Love me NOW! Oil for added power first!

Alligator Foot

A gator foot is a great curio to include in any gambling mojo bag. As it resembles a hand, it would be particularly good with dice gambling or craps. You can add it to a mojo bag or just carry it on its own - like a keychain.

One particularly good gambling luck mojo bag takes a silver dime and puts it in the grasp of an alligator foot. Try to use a silver dime that was minted in a leap year. Put that into a green flannel bag along with a lucky hand root, and a pinch of five-finger grass. Dress this with Lucky 777 Oil and carry it on you when you're playing craps or just having a friendly game of dice with your friends.

Lucky Rabbit's Foot

This is one of the most classic and universally known hoodoo animal curios; the rabbit's foot. Again, being a paw, it is considered good luck with games of chance where you manipulate the item with your hands: dice, cards, etc.

A rabbit's foot can be placed in a flannel bag and carried as a gambling luck mojo, but it is more typically made into a keychain and carried in that manner. Traditionally, a rabbit's foot is dressed with Van Van Oil for fortunate out comes and luck with money and love. Rub your lucky rabbit's foot before shooting dice or playing cards but keep it out of sight as with any luck item. You don't want people to know you have an advantage over them.

Cowrie Shell

A cowrie shell is the home of a little aquatic snail that lives in the ocean. The shell itself resembles a vagina, and as such, can be used in any spell dealing with female sexuality, or by women looking to attract others.

A great mojo bag for women to draw men as sexual partners can be made by obtaining a cowrie shell, dressing it with some of her vaginal fluids, and placing it in a red mojo bag along with queen elizabeth root and cubeb berries. Dress this bag with Hot Fucker Oil and carry it on you either tucked into your panties or into your bra and watch the men come running your way!

Badger Tooth

Here we have a unique animal curio that came into hoodoo from European tradition. Badger's teeth are used in gambling luck work. You can include one in a mojo bag or even wear it as a necklace or a charm off of a watch or bracelet.

Another good gambling mojo bag would consist of a green flannel bag with a badger's tooth inside, along with a pair of dice that were used in a winning run, a piece of pyrite, devil's shoestrings, a whole nutmeg, alfalfa and marigold petals. Dress this with Fast Luck Oil or whiskey right before gambling and make sure to rub your hands with the bag before you play your game of choice.

Spells to Overcome Alcoholism and Drug Addiction

Substance abuse and addiction have become a very common thing in this bad economy. Many people are turning to drugs and alcohol to escape the reality of life's pressures. For some this is a very serious situation that quickly becomes an issue of addiction and dependency. While ultimately the best treatment for such conditions is professional help, a rehab facility or a recovery program like Alcoholics Anonymous, these individuals can also be helped on a spiritual level to keep them strong and focused on their sobriety. Below I present a few spells that you can do to help conquer alcoholism, drug addiction and other addictive behaviors. (Again, these are NOT a substitution for professional help - please contact a local chapter of A.A., N.A. or speak to your doctor for assistance.)

Novenas for Strength in Recovery
Because you can't "make" someone be sober, the battle to conquer addictions is ultimately a solo, uphill struggle. You can't perform a controlling spell to make someone stop smoking, drinking or taking drugs - but you can give them the spiritual assistance they need to make the right choices when they are at a crossroads in their recovery. A great way to do this is with continual and focused prayer to specific Catholic saints. Here are two novenas that I've had good results.

Novena to Saint Martin of Tours (San Martin Caballero)
Saint Martin is often considered the patron saint of alcoholics or reformed alcoholics as well as those who are destitute and needing help. He is typically depicted (to the right) on horseback offering his cloak to a beggar below him. He is called upon for his assistance in desperate times and to help make the right decisions in recovery. His feast day is November 11.

You'll need:

• A white glass-encased vigil candle
• An image of Saint Martin of Tours (you can print one from the internet)
• Glue
• Blessing Oil
• A photo of the addicted person
• a ceramic saucer or plate

Wipe down the glass-encased candle with some ammonia or Florida Water to clean it of any residue. Using a very thin, light coating of glue, adhere the image of Saint Martin of Tours to the glass. Poke three holes down into the wax from the top using a skewer or other pointed tool. Drip one drop of Blessing Oil in each hole. Place the photo of the addicted individual under the saucer. Hold the candle to your heart and pray with all your heart for the recovery and sobriety of the addicted person, calling their full name aloud. Then hold the candle up to the heavens and pray to God and Saint Martin of Tours to rescue this person in need, assist them in their most desperate time and help them cleanse their life of this addiction. Tap the candle on the table three times to lock in your intention then place it on top of the saucer so that as the candle burns it will bring light to the person whose photo is under it. Light the candle.

Now for the next nine days you'll pray the following:

1. One recitation of The Lord's Prayer (Our Father)
2. 10 recitations of the Hail Mary
3. One recitation of the Glory Be
4. One recitation of The Prayer of Saint Martin of Tours:

Prayer of Saint Martin of Tours:

Dear well-beloved Saint, you were first a soldier like your father.
Converted to the Church, you became a soldier of Christ, a priest and then a Bishop of Tours. Lover of the poor, and model for pagans and Christians alike, protect our soldiers at all times. Make them strong, just, and charitable, always aiming at establishing peace on earth. Amen.

Every day you'll return to the candle and pray the above prayers. Your candle will extinguish before the 9 days are up, but continue to pray over the glass. You can, optionally, just prepare a second candle and light it off of the first one when you know that it's going to burn out soon. Those two candles will burn for a cumulative time of about 10-11 days.

Novena to the Venerable Matt Talbot

Matt Talbot is a very powerful spirit to call upon when battling alcoholism. While he is not yet a saint he is one step away from being canonized by the Catholic Church. I've had tremendous success with calling upon the assistance of the Venerable Matt Talbot on the behalf of those battling the addiction.

Matt Talbot began working at the age of 12 at a wine bottling facility and that was when his drinking began. He was a severe alcoholic his entire life and at the age of 28 he went to confession and pledged an oath to not drink for three months. A year later he renewed his pledge and never touched alcohol again for the rest of his life (41 years). He dedicated his life to prayer, daily mass and penitence. He died in 1925 of a severe heart attack and news of his holiness spread quickly. A formal decree of his virtues was on October 3, 1975.

Similar to the novena to Saint Martin of Tours, a novena can be prayed to the Venerable Matt Talbot for assistance in overcoming alcoholism. Here's a great working you can do to help your loved ones who are battling the disease.

You'll need:

• a blue glass-encased vigil candle
• an icon of the Venerable Matt Talbot (Seen to the right)
• glue
• a bottle of Holy Oil
• a packet of Evil BEGONE! Powder
• a photo of the person struggling with alcoholism
• a saucer or plate

First clean the candle by wiping down the glass with some ammonia or Florida Water to remove any residue. Then using a very thin, light layer of glue, stick the image of the icon on the front of the glass-encased candle. Poke three holes down into the wax from the top of the candle and into each hole drip one drop of Holy Oil. Put a little pinch of Evil BEGONE! Powder in the top of the candle, and set it aside.

Taking the person's photo, put a pinch of Evil BEGONE! Powder over their face. Then fold the photo in half away from you. Turn it one-quarter turn counter-clockwise and fold it in half away from you again. Repeat this one last time for a total of three folds. Place the folded photo under the plate. Holding the candle to your heart, pray with all your might for the person who is battling alcoholism. Call out to the Venerable Matt Talbot to help this person overcome the demons he faces and for his mind to be illuminated and his heart to be strong in the face of adversity. Hold the candle up toward the heavens and ask God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit to bless your prayer and make it happen. Then tap the candle three times on your table to seal in the prayer, and place it on top of the plate. Light the candle.

Now for the next nine days you'll pray the following:

1. One recitation of The Lord's Prayer (Our Father)
2. 10 recitations of the Hail Mary
3. One recitation of the Glory Be
4. On recitation of the Prayer for the Addicted (below)
5. One recitation of The Prayer for the canonization of Venerable Matt Talbot (below)

Prayer for the Addicted:

God of mercy, we bless You in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, who ministered to all who come to Him. Give Your strength to N., Your servant, bound by the chains of addiction. Enfold him/her in Your love and restore him/her to the freedom of God's children. Lord, look with compassion on all those who have lost their health and freedom. Restore to them the assurance of Your unfailing mercy, and strengthen them in the work of recovery. To those who care for them, grant patient understanding and a love that perseveres. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer for the canonization of Venerable Matt Talbot:

Lord, in your servant, Matt Talbot you have given us a wonderful example of triumph over addiction, of devotion to duty, and of lifelong reverence of the Holy Sacrament. May his life of prayer and penance give us courage to take up our crosses and follow in the footsteps of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Father, if it be your will that your beloved servant should be glorified by your Church, make known by your heavenly favours the power he enjoys in your sight. We ask this through the same Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.

Again, your candle will not last the full 9 days. You can prepare a second one and light it off of the first one, or simple use only one candle and continue your prayers even though the light is not lit. At the end of the working, take the folded photo of the person battling addiction and deposit it at a church door to bring that person to God. You can also put a pinch of Evil BEGONE! Powder in the person's hat or shoes to help them overcome their addiction beyond the work of the novena.

Interview with Óchá'ni Lele - Author of Teachings of the Santería Gods

I recently had the wonderful opportunity to chat with Óchá'ni Lele, the author of the soon-to-be published book Teachings of the Santería Gods: The Spirit of the Odu, to learn a bit more about his book, his perspective on spiritual topics and what wisdom the Santería Gods can teach us.

Dr. E.: First, I’d like to thank you for taking time to stop by my blog and chat with my readers. You’ve written a book titled Teachings of the Santería Gods, forthcoming by Destiny Books (an imprint of Inner Traditions International). It is a collection of short stories based on the ancient Lucumí and Yoruba myths, and they are paired with the root odu of the diloggún. What inspired you to write this book?

Ócháni: Dr. E., I’d like to thank you for hosting me on my virtual blog tour! When I first found this religion one of the things that intrigued me were the stories, the sacred myths known as patakís. They were vibrant, powerful, filled with drama and intrigue. I’d always loved mythology and folktales. I grew up reading about Greek, Roman, and Egyptian mythology, and when I was quite young I remember hiding in my bed with a flashlight (so my parents wouldn’t know I was up) reading the original tales from the Brothers Grimm. But these were stories from ancient times that had no connection with the present. The people who knew the Grimm tales were long dead, and the civilizations that worshipped the Greek, Roman, and Egyptian gods stood in ruins. The orishas, however, were alive and well; and their worshippers had an unbroken chain to an ancient past. I was amazed.

While other aleyos and aborishas were asking their godparents, “What ebós does Oshún like? What is Oshún like? Tell me how many roads Obatalá has?” I was asking my godparents (and any priest who would talk to me), “Why doesn’t Obatalá like palm oil? Why doesn’t Obatalá like liquor? Is there a patakís for that?” Sometimes they would look at me like I was crazy, but sometimes I would actually be told a story. I found that through those brief stories I learned more about the nature of the orisha than any amount of pompous dialogue could teach. And when I learned that almost each and every patakís was paired with an odu in the diloggún . . . well . . . that deepened my understanding of those patterns as well.

But knowledge of these ancient stories is severely lacking in this faith among both initiates and laity. Storytelling seems to be a dying art, and people are starved for this knowledge. I believe that if we don’t start writing down the stories we know about the orishas, the odu, and the people who lived and died following the orishas, one day these things will be lost. The death of each elder priest or priestess represents the destruction of an entire folkloric library that simply cannot be rebuilt if these stories are not shared.

Dr. E.: Which brings me to this: How did you do the research for your book?

Ócháni: Research for this book has been a lifelong process. It began with my first reading at a very small botanica in Miami, Florida, in 1989. The santero who read me that day preferred to recite patakís and let his client draw his own conclusions. I made copious notes of every session, and I must have taken the greyhound bus to Miami at least once every two months for a year and a half to be read – not because I needed to be read that much, but because I needed to learn and record the stories he told. Along the way I picked up a few poorly written Spanish pamphlets in the botanicas that spoke of the odu and gave a few poorly written patakís to go with the signs that were discussed.

With the opening of the internet to the public in the mid 90s came the various newsgroups and chat rooms dedicated to the religion. I made a lot of virtual friendships during those days, and I would spend hours online with various priests and priestesses discussing the myths and stories of this religion. Some of those became real-life friendships, and we traded notes copiously. But I think my greatest resource has been my own godfather. When we first met we spent hours discussing the orishas, the odu, and the patakís that spoke of both. We still do. I don’t think he realizes how much he has taught me since we first met online back in 2000 (or maybe it was 1999?). He is a living, breathing folkloric library.

Also, every time I work the religion, whether I’m divining in my home with other priests present, or if I’m working an ocha in someone’s house, or even if I’m doing ceremonies for my own godchildren (with either my godfather or grandfather in ocha working as the oriaté), each ceremony becomes a chance to not only ask questions and learn, but also to listen to the conversations of others and learn. Every single person in this faith has some knowledge, and when we come together and share we weave this wonderful tapestry of wisdom. I think, by working the religion, I have learned more than any applied study or research I’ve done.

Dr. E.: From what I’ve gleaned in reading your book, odu is a vast and rich volume of information. What tips do you have for someone starting to learn the meanings of each odu?

Ócháni: First, while it’s been said over and over again that one cannot learn anything of value in this religion by reading a book, I have to argue that those times are changing. They changed in the year 2000 when I published The Secrets of Afro-Cuban Divination – How to Cast the Diloggún, the Oracle of the Orishas. My book was the first one in English to speak in any depth of this oracular system; and since that book was published, I’ve tried to find other books in Spanish prior to my volume’s publication that give significant information regarding the mechanics of the diloggún as an oracle. There were a few feeble attempts in Spanish, but nothing that gives complete, working directions for using the diloggún as a system of divination. Nothing!

So for someone wanting to learn the basics of how to cast the diloggún, I would start with that book. It is a step-by-step guide to the process of divination. It shows the apprentice diviner how to properly manage the more heated signs of the diloggún; and, it gives detailed directions for closing the session and the odu so osogbo is not left behind in the diviner’s home. It is how I read; it is how my godfather reads, and it is how most responsible diviners read.

For a more in depth study of the diloggún and its odu, I’d recommend that students follow up with my volume The Diloggún: the Orishas, Proverbs, Sacrifices, and Prohibitions of Cuban Santería. It takes the novice diviner into a higher level of skill with the opening and closing manipulations of the oracle, and it gives more in depth knowledge of the root odu and their accompanying composites. If a student can master the material in both books, that person is ready to be a diviner in my opinion.

Beyond those two books, work a lot of initiations and attend itá, no matter how boring one might think that is. An itá is a life-reading of the iyawó just crowned, and oriatés tend to explore the odu very deeply during those sessions. They have to. During itá, an oriaté might be surrounded by dozens of priests, each with their own knowledge of the letters that have fallen, and an oriaté’s reputation at that point is balanced on his knowledge of the odu that have fallen. So it is at itá that the deeper secrets of the odu are revealed; and it is there that one learns the most.

Dr. E.: Which of the patakís in your book is your favorite and why?

Ócháni: It is difficult for me to pick one – so I’ll have to pick two stories. My second favorite is the story titled “The Story of Elegede.” Unraveling that patakís took a lot of work, and I detail that process in chapter six of my book: Obara – Six Mouths on the Mat. After the manuscript was edited and finalized for publication, my godfather taught me a second version of that patakís, and towards the fall I might offer that second version on my blog at http://ochanilele.lit.org/wordpress.

My most favorite story in the entire book is titled “Eshu at the Crossroads.” It is in chapter 11 of my book: Owani – Eleven Mouths on the Mat. Eshu has always been a problematic character in this religion, and with good reason. Of all the stories I’ve been told about Eshu (as opposed to Elegguá), I think this one best illustrates his nature.

Dr. E.: When is your book available for purchase and where should we get it?

Ócháni: There are two places online where it may be purchased:

http://www.innertraditions.com
http://www.amazon.com

Amazon buys in bulk and gets the best deals because of that, so if you’re looking for a bargain price check there.

Also, my book was scheduled for release on August 15, 2010, but it looks like it will be available on July 7, 2010. So if you preorder expect your copy a bit early.

And, as always, because I deal with a traditional brick-and-mortar publisher, this book will be available anywhere books are sold! Just walk into your neighborhood bookstore and ask for it. If they don’t have it, they can get it.

Dr. E.: Thank you so much for stopping by to speak with us.

Ócháni: Thank you for having me. If any of your readers have questions, I’ll be sticking around for about a week to field questions from them. So tell them to not be shy!

Dr. E.: Again, for my readers, that was Ócháni Lele, the author of quite a few books on Afro-Cuban folklore and spirituality. His latest book is titled Teachings of the Santería Gods, published by Destiny Books (an imprint of Inner Traditions International). It is available online from either his publisher’s website or amazon.com. The work is incredible; he is an amazing storyteller, and I encourage everyone who loves mythology, magick, or even a good story to pick up a copy of his book.