Witchy Wisdom

Got questions? Ask a witch!

Iris from the Portland store answers questions from our readers, and tells you what you need to know!

Querent: I’ve always been interested in Wicca and recently I’ve started reading up on the practice. I don’t know how to start fully practicing witchcraft though and I was wondering what tips or advice you may give me?

Iris: Thanks for reaching out! Your first steps on a new path are very exciting! Practicing witchcraft varies a lot from person to person or from group to group. The first steps are usually building an altar, and setting yourself up with a regular practice (daily, weekly, at full and dark moons) of candle lighting or meditation or divination. To be a witch, a person needs to notice nature around them, and to try and connect to the energies of nature. I'd suggest finding safe places to go for walks where you can touch the dirt, smell the air and feel the sun on your skin. Some folks find that journaling can bring stronger connections with nature and Deity.

And of course there are tons of books. My personal recommendations to start are "Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner" by Scott Cunningham, "How to Become a Witch" by Amber K, and "Wheel of the Year" by Pauline and Dan Campanelli.

I hope that's helpful! Best wishes, and Blessed Be!

Querent: Do you have any products or books you would recommend to keep negative spirits out of a home while welcoming benevolent spirits?

We never cleansed our apartment when we moved in a year ago. When I was younger, I was very sensitive to the spirit world around me, but decided to consciously close myself to it. Two days ago I made a decision to return to being open to them. That night the wind broke my childrens’ window, but miraculously, only one large piece fell inside. The rest fell onto a little used walkway.

I cannot decide if this was a negative spirit trying to take advantage of my renewed openness or just nature and a benevolent spirit who protected my children. Either way, I am out of my depth. I would love your advice on any products you have at the shop which could help me moving forward.

Thank you!

Iris: Sounds like a harrowing experience! I'm glad everyone is alright. It sounds to me like the choice to open up again definitely resonated with the spirit world. I do have some suggestions for you. Please, don't feel pressured to buy any or all of these products, but use the following links as examples of what you might choose.

I would start by cleansing your home, either with smoke from cedar or juniper bundles, or with a cleansing spray, like Sacred Woods. Do the whole apartment, starting at the front door and moving through each room counterclockwise. Open closets and cabinets and fumigate the whole space. In the childrens' room, I would place a protective stone, for example jet or black tourmaline or our protective stone bundle, near the window, where it won't be disturbed. (Maybe hang it from a curtain rod in a little pouch). I would refresh this warding once a month, by redoing the smoke (maybe less thoroughly just to re-up the protection) and taking the stone down and rubbing it with salt to cleanse it.

Then, I would make a little welcoming altar outside, or near the front door. Start with a plate or a bowl, and add offerings or gifts for the types of spirits that you want to invite, along with an actual written welcome note. "Kind spirits are welcome to share and teach in this home" or something similar. Quartz, amethysts, blessing herbs, all make good starter offerings. From there, be willing to keep this space clean and well-tended, visiting this altar everyday, maybe lighting a small candle when there's time to meditate and commune with the spirits. Food offerings are nice, but have to be cleaned regularly. Take note of what the spirits like, and consider your work with them like getting to know new friends.

I hope this is helpful! Feel free to write back, or call the shop with questions. We are all happy to help if we can!

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PRODUCTS FEATURED:

Cleansing Herb Bundle.

Sacred Woods Cleansing Spray.

Blessing Powder.

Magic of the Morrigan

As Dark Moon approaches, we thought we’d explore a Celtic approach. While many folks work with Hekate at Dark Moon, we reached out to Oakland-based local artist, author, and priest of the Morrigan Morpheus Ravenna, to get her take on Dark Moon practice.

Here, Sharon Knight interviews Morpheus for our readers.

Sharon: Does the Morrigan have any Dark Moon practices or associations that you know if?

Morpheus: A lot of people do associate the Morrigan with the Dark Moon. It’s not so much a reflection of her being specifically associated with the Dark Moon as it is that the kind of energy and “spiritual weather” that occurs at the Dark Moon is compatible with where she sits, and what her functions and roles are; because it’s a good time for cleansing and releasing, and even destroying, sometimes. 

Sharon: Do you yourself do any Dark Moon practices?

Morpheus: I don’t work with the Morrigan specifically in relation to the Dark Moon, but it is often a time when I do cleansing and purification practices, and I will often also do divination at that time. It is the start and end of a cycle, which is a good time for those types of practices.

Sharon: Do you think of the Morrigan as a Dark Goddess?

Morpheus: That is something you hear a lot. In terms of the lore she arises from, like the medieval Irish texts, it’s a mixed picture; she’s associated with battle and victory and some of the forces that surround her could be characterized as dark in the sense that they’re associated with violence, but not necessarily darkness as in the absence of light.

One thing we have to ask is, are we talking about dark in the sense of morally or spiritually?

Sharon: what about the aspect of her that deals with the Dead, like the queen of the phantoms, and ferrying Dead souls to the underworld? That’s what I think of when I think of dark.

Morpheus: There is one particular medieval poem that speaks of her haunting the battlefield in the aftermath. She comes and washes the entrails of the Dead, and she is described as being accompanied by specters, and the “Terrors of the Night”. 

Sharon: Like the Washer at the Ford?

Morpheus: The Washer at the Ford is more of a role than a specific being. The Morrigan can step into this role in delivering an omen, but she is not the only one who does so. Sometimes it is the Morrigan, sometimes it is Badb (pronounced Bive), and sometimes it’s not exactly clear who the Washer is, but she appears as an omen that you will die in the upcoming battle.

Sharon: I have seen somewhere that the Washer is washing the soul from the body.

Morpheus: That would be a more modern take on it. The descriptions in the lore depict her as washing blood from armor, clothing, or sometimes a body. That said, I wouldn’t call The Morrigan a “Dark Goddess” per se; she does have an association with specters that appear in the night but she also has associations of brightness, such as victory, and the Hero’s Light.

Sharon: Could you talk about the Hero’s Light a little bit?

Morpheus: Sure! I should probably add as a caveat that the Morrigan is part of a complex of Goddesses, and some of these associations cross over. So the Hero’s Light is more associated with Badb, who is sometimes described as the Morrigan’s sister, and sometimes they are treated as interchangeable.

The Hero’s Light is a translation of an Irish phrase that refers to an emergent spiritual phenomenon that occurs when warriors are in a state of elevated rage and passion, a battle fury that they enter in order to access their courage, and become unstoppable. These spiritual phenomena are described as lights or torches over a warrior’s head, or a bird that flutters from their head or emerges from their breath, or sparks or clouds, even pillars of light. Some of these phenomena are monstrous, such as fountains of blood.

Sharon: Is this perceived as an outside spiritual force or as coming from within the warrior?

Morpheus: It is described as emerging from the warrior’s breath, but also, it is associated with visitations of the war goddesses. It is sometimes described in terms of a bird that is fluttering over their head, and that, to me, suggests that it’s a visitation from a spiritual entity. One of my theories about it is that we are talking about an in-dwelling presence which emerges when they enter the state of battle fury.

Sharon: How would you suggest approaching the Morrigan? 

Morpheus: You can begin at whatever pace you are comfortable with. Many people find the Morrigan intense, and sometimes demanding or overwhelming, and it is okay to set boundaries, and take the relationship one step at a time. 

With any devotional relationship, a good place to begin is to create a space from which to make offerings, and to honor them. Especially if you are trying to establish a new relationship, where it has not yet really been forged, it is helpful to be regular with devotional practice. Daily practice is good, but if not daily, at least on some really regularly recurring pattern, to give the relationship a chance to establish itself.

Sharon: How does your artwork interact with your spiritual practice? 

Morpheus: The two are really closely intertwined. A lot of the subjects that I choose to make art about are driven by my spiritual practice. I’ve always had a big love of mythology and mythical beings, so I do a lot of art that’s inspired by those stories, and by my sense of devotion. I grew up surrounded by a lot of imagery and cultural features associated with Hinduism, which has this really rich tradition of devotional art, and very loving depictions of their deities. I suppose I adopted a love of that kind of devotional art. More than anything else, I really love to do mythical beings, and that sort of thing.

Sharon: Do you find that it helps to deepen your understanding of the beings, and your spiritual practice?

Morpheus: I do. For me, creating art of a deity or a spirit, or that is inspired by one of their stories, is like a doorway for me to enter into exploring that being. I will follow feelings that arise as I am doing the work, a certain look or effect that really moves me in the moment, that feels like something is coming to life. As I follow those instincts I find that it reveals something; a face, or a way of seeing that being that wouldn’t have occurred to me before.

Sharon: What have you learned in 2020 with all of its challenges? How has it changed your practice? Spiritual approach? 

Morpheus: We are definitely doing more online rituals than I am used to. I have never been really into online rituals, because for me ritual is a very embodied experience, so trying to share that experience over a Zoom connection was never going to be my first choice. But at the same time I am finding that it is prompting me to share ritual space with people that I wouldn’t otherwise have been doing so with.

Sharon: Yeah folks aren’t geographically limited from attending now. You can reach more people.

Morpheus: Yeah. Also, I think one of the really big messages from this year is that solidarity is what’s going to save us, in so many ways, and so practicing a broader solidarity, where we are connecting with people from all over the place that are sharing these experiences and struggles that we’re in, feels really important. That’s powerful, and I feel that we should be leaning into that solidarity. 

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Would you like to learn more about the Morrigan? Morpheus wrote a book called “The Book of the Great Queen”, which is an excellent resource for both lore and practice!

Want to see this book at our Bookshop.org site?

SHOW ME!

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Would you like to learn more about Morpheus’ art, and perhaps get a devotional tattoo? You can learn more about Morpheus’ work at https://bansheearts.com

Traditions of Samhain

Of all of the Pagan holidays, Samhain is probably the best known. Pronounced “Sowen”, this tradition originated as a Gaelic festival marking the passing of the light time of year into the dark. It was believed that the veils between our world and the Otherworld; the realm of spirits, Gods, and ancestors, grow thin during these liminal times, and therefore the denizens of the Otherworld could slip more easily into our own world.

In keeping with this tradition, modern witches set a plate for our Beloved Dead, that they might join us in feasting while the veils are thin. During this time, we honor our personal ancestors as well as the Mighty Dead; those heroic souls whose mighty deeds have left such an impact as to reverberate through our collective consciousness generation after generation.

Communing with our Dead allows us to ease the longing left in their wake. It gives us a chance to find closure by speaking the words we wish we had spoken in life. Some also practice keening; a style of mournful wailing that allows us to express grief while also creating a bridge that helps the recently deceased find their way to the Afterlife. We will always miss our Beloved Dead; yet feasting with them when the veils are thin allows us to share in the joy of their memory once again.

Many of the customs we know from Halloween originate from the traditions of Samhain. Dressing in costume and going “trick or treating” was intended to mimic the souls of the Dead, that we might receive offerings on their behalf. Not every spirit that slips through is benevolent after all! This practice, called mumming or guising, was believed to appease them and incur their blessing, rather than the mischief some denizens of the Otherworld like to stir up. Appease them with treats, and you avoid their tricks!

Bobbing for apples, another popular Halloween tradition, appears to have been a form of early divination. Whoever managed to catch an apple with just their teeth would be the next to marry.

Of course, Gaelic speaking peoples are not the only ones to honor their Dead at this time. Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is also an ancestral celebration. Far more than “Mexican Halloween”, Dia de los Meurtos has its origins in pre-colonial Mezoamerica, through a blending of an Aztec festival dedicated to the goddess, Mictecacihuatl, and the later Catholic influence imposed by Spanish colonialism. Mictecacihuatl is the Aztec Queen of the Underworld, and her festivities were once celebrated over a 20-day period. She lives on today as La Santa Muerte.

It is fascinating that two such geographically removed cultures - Gaelic and Mezoamerican - would have evolved such similar practices around honoring the Dead!

How might you celebrate your own Beloved Dead?

Here are a few ideas:

1) Build an Ancestor altar. Place photos, keepsakes, and the favorite foods and beverages of your beloved Dead on the altar, to give them an anchor to the physical realm.

2) Host a “Dumb Supper”, a feast shared in silence with our community and/or our Dead.

3) Read the names of the Dead aloud in sacred space, by candlelight, and recount their deeds.

4) Forge relationships with Deities/Powers who preside over the Underworld and the Dead; Hekate, Persephone, La Santa Muerte, the Morrigan, Anubis, Eshu. (NOTE: When exploring the Gods and traditions of colonized peoples, include in your research their policies on appropriate ways for outsiders to interact with their culture).

5) Sing mournful songs (keening) to open the Western Gate and help usher through any recently Deceased who may have lost their way.

As modern Pagan practitioners, we have found much value in reviving our pre-Christian ancestral traditions. Only two have been featured here, but with a bit of digging, you can find traditions that honor the Dead in any culture. Honoring those who have gone before is a fulfilling and needed aspect to all spiritual practice. May you find honor among your ancestors and your Mighty Dead this season!

Candle Magic!

Candle magic is a tried and true practice within many branches of witchcraft. Few things are as beautiful and evocative as a flame drawing our prayers up to the Heavens!

What goes into a successful candle spell, you might wonder?

Here are 5 tips to get you started!

1) Know what magic can and can’t do.
Magic works in subtle ways, and is best used to gently nudge a situation in our favor. If we want to increase our prosperity, it is better to enchant for opportunities to find/earn/win money, rather than enchant for the winning lottery ticket. Magic amplifies probabilities, but the probability has to be within a reasonable ratio at the start. Plus, when we frame our desire in a way that allows for the money to come from a variety of directions, we increase our possibilities.

2) Keep to one focus.
It is good to be as clear with your focus as possible, and to stick with one focus per candle. You will be crafting each candle with a specific theme and energy pattern in mind, and if you infuse it with too many messages, they are likely to cancel each other out and be ineffective. It is best to create one candle for peaceful calm, and another for prosperity. Each candle should evoke a specific quality, and only that quality.

3) Consider color.
Choosing the color of your candle is always a good place to start. Color establishes an underlying emotional tone that sets the feel for the working overall. In general, green is associated with wealth, health, and fertility, red is associated with passion and energy, pink for a gentler love, blue with peace, serenity, and intuition, white for blessings, cleansing, and clarity, black for protection and banishing, and gold for luck. Check out our candle color guide for more details. While these color associations are common, and therefore a good place to start, your own emotional responses are always a better guide than the “recipes”. Remember, we are working with our own consciousness when we practice magic, so what a color evokes for you is going to be more powerful than the standard suggestion. If you have a different association with a color than what is suggested, go with that! It’s all about using your own senses to conjure your desire!

4) Engage as many of your senses as possible.
The more of your senses that can be drawn into the ambiance you are creating, the better! Carve one word or a simple phrase into your candle wax with a nail for tactile sensation, and to focus your mind on the topic. Pour in a little essential oil and crushed herbs or resins to awaken with scent, add flowers and crystal chips to evoke visual beauty. You can add glitter too, to make it feel special. (Please use biodegradable glitter! We are earth stewards after all!) You can also decorate the outside of your candle with sigils or art that brings focus to your working. The prettier and more delicious you can make your candle, the more evocative it becomes!

5) Be practical
Be sure to keep the requirements of the physical plane in mind when preparing your candle. Don’t drown your candle in oil, just add enough to coat the wax. Also, make sure any herbs or flowers you add are in very small pieces or powdered, rather than larger chunks that can catch fire and break your candle glass. (Our TRW powders are perfect for candle dressing!) When you first light your candle, let it burn for 1-2 hours, until the top layer of wax is evenly melted about a quarter inch down. This will prevent it from guttering in a pool and putting itself out. Also, be sure you keep it in a safe place, and never leave it burning when you leave the house! It is absolutely okay to put your candle out and relight it again later. Each lighting and extinguishing can be an opportunity to refocus your intention.

Now that you’ve got some guidelines, go forth and make beauty and magic, that you may ignite your desires and send your prayers up to the heavens!

Suggested products for dressing your candle:

Doc Grey Conjure Oils, for a variety of spells and situations!

Our house blended powders, perfectly ground for candle magic!

Herbs and Stones for Lung Support

Could you use to breathe a little easier? Whether it’s smoky air, or allergies getting you down, we could all use some additional lung support now and then.

Here is Jenny, form our Portland store, with some helpful tips.

Breathe Easier Tea

1 tsp thyme
1 Tbs rosehips
½  tsp cracked black pepper
1 Tbs mullein
1 Tbs marshmallow root
1 Tbs horehound
½ tsp fenugreek seed (optional)
1 piece candied ginger (optional)
Honey, to taste

Combine all ingredients except for ginger (omit fenugreek if you have low blood pressure); store in an air-tight container away from heat, moisture, and direct sunlight.

To brew, add a piece of candied ginger to your cup if desired, and 1 Tbs tea (in strainer or reusable tea bag). Pour boiling water over contents, cover and steep for 10 minutes. Sweeten with honey, if desired.

Drink 1-3 cups per day as needed to support breathing and lung health.

Black Pepper (Piper nigrum):
Warming, stimulating, good for chills and coughing, improves circulation and digestion, carminative, antibacterial.

Fenugreek Seed (Trigonella foenum-graecum):
Good for sore throats, analgesic, demulcent; used as a galactagogue and to lower blood sugar.
NOTE - Lowers blood pressure; may stimulate uterine contractions

Ginger Root (Zingiber officinale):
Antiemetic, improves circulation and digestion, eases congestion, antimicrobial, antitussive, analgesic, warming to the extremities, expectorant, antihistaminic.

Honey:
Antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, expectorant, immune stimulant, soothing to the throat.
NOTE - Honey should not be given to children under 1 year, due to possible contamination by botulism spores. People allergic to bee stings may rarely have an adverse reaction to honey.

Horehound (Marrubium vulgare):
Expectorant, tonifying to the lungs, antispasmodic.

Marshmallow Root (Althaea officinalis):
Mucilaginous, demulcent, expectorant. Removes phlegm from lungs and bronchial passages.

Mullein (Verbascum thapsus):
Improves respiratory and bronchial infections, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, tonifying to the lungs, antitussive, expectorant, reduces congestion.

Rosehips (Rosa canina):
High in vitamin C, astringent, immune boosting, slightly analgesic, soothing to the throat.

Thyme (Thymus vulgaris):
Antimicrobial, stimulates the thymus gland improving energy, stimulates the immune system, antispasmodic, carminative, anti-inflammatory, antitussive.

**This recipe is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any illness. It is not a substitute for medical care.

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“I put together this array of stones to support the throat and lungs: amazonite and lapis ease the throat chakra;  rhodochrosite helps release trauma that lodges in the chest which can impair breathing; amber and amethyst are soothing, helping to open the airways; bloodstone and red jasper help revitalize the body, supporting healing; chrysocolla and moss agate aid the body's ability to heal itself; rutilated quartz and pyrite promote well being”.

- Jenny

Clockwise from bottom left: amazonite, bloodstone, rhodochrosite, rutilated quartz, chrysocolla, amber, lapis lazuli, moss agate, amethyst.
Center, top to bottom: pyrite, red jasper.

The Sacred Art of Bathing

Few things are as delicious as submerging ourselves in a deep pool of warm water. Our tensions melt away, and our spirit comes alive at the feel of soft, sensuous water. 

Here are five of our favorite ways to enjoy a rejuvenative bath!

Natural Hot Springs
Geothermal pools are one of the great wonders of this beautiful jewel of a planet! These glorious natural pools can be found all over the world. In Japan, taking an Onsen can be as highly ritualized as a tea ceremony. First, bathers scrub their skin thoroughly to remove the cares of the world (and to get clean of course), then they pour water from the Onsenover their extremities, slowly working their way toward their hearts, to acclimate to the water temperature. Only then do they immerse themselves fully into the spring.  

Did you know that tattoos were once extremely taboo in Japan, and to this day, you may not be allowed admittance into some bath houses if you have one?

Closer to home, you might try Breitensbush Hot Springs in Oregon, or Harbin Hot Springs in California for a glorious outdoor bathing experience.  

Breitenbush Hot Springs

Harbin Hot Springs

Mud-Bathing
Bathing in...mud? Sounds messy! However, mud baths are actually wonderful! Mineral rich mud baths have been used for centuries, and help to draw impurities from the skin, soothing skin ailments and inflammation. Plus there is something about the weight of the hot mud pressing into your body that is sooo calming! Calistoga in California is famous for its mud baths. Plan a post-pandemic trip, and until then, you can also get mud bath kits to use at home.

Ginger Baths
Most people know about the healing benefits of drinking ginger tea. Did you know that ginger baths are also an invigorating way to get the benefits of ginger? Ginger aids digestion, reduces inflammation, and improves circulation. Sipping a cup of hot ginger tea while soaking in a ginger bath is an effective way to reap the benefits of sweating. Who needs a sauna when you can ginger it up in your tub?

(NOTE: Ginger is contraindicated for some conditions. Please do your research before diving in. This article is a good place to start.

Flower Baths 
Flower baths do far more than dress up your Instagram page.  Many flowers, like herbs, have medicinal and spiritual properties. Few things are more luxurious than bathing in a tea of flowers! When we steep blossoms in hot bath water they release their delicate scent and healing properties, and their benefits seep into us through our open pores. Heaven!

Gem Elixirs
Bathing isn't just for our outsides; we can bathe our insides in the the cooling essence of gem elixirs! The quartz family is most widely used for gem elixirs because they are quite safe. Rose quartz makes a lovely gentle support essence, while amethyst helps to open up intuition. Smoky quartz will filter out negativity, and clear quartz will amplify any intention you wish to focus on. Let your stone sit in water for a few hours, or overnight beneath the moon, and then sip while enjoying your favorite bath.  

(Please note: not all stones are safe to infuse in water. Stones that contain copper, mercury, or aluminum should be avoided. A good rule of thumb is to avoid stones who's names end in "ite").

Left to right: Rose quartz, Tibetan Quartz, Amethyst

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Have you tried our in-house spiritual bath blends?

5 sumptuous scents to awaken your magic!

Black Lives Matter

The Raven’s Wing Magical Co. believes and affirms that Black Lives Matter.

We would like to encourage our community to give what they can to organizations that support, defend and protect Black lives, as we cannot ignore the suffering and oppression of our Black siblings.

For the month of June, we matched every donation you made toward this righteous cause by making equal contributions to the following organizations: National Bail Out, East Oakland Collective, Don’t Shoot Portland. Together, we contributed over $14,000 to this effort. We have been truly amazed at your commitment and generosity, thank you. 

Beginning in July, The Raven’s Wing committed to continue working on ongoing and sustainable methods that our company can contribute to advancing and uplifting Black people in the U.S.

The current fundraiser recipient of the proceeds from every sale of our BLM Spell kits, is the Herbal Equity Project, a community support and reparations effort founded and led by Brunem Warshaw of WellDeep Remedies, designed to provide herbal wellness and health support to members of the Black community at no cost. If you’d like to contribute directly to this project, you can become a patron here.  

Additionally,  a portion of every sale of our new Doc Grey Conjure Oils will be donated to Southerners on New Ground, a Black-led organization that builds community and works for access for LGBTQ+ people of color across the Southern United States. 

For more resources and organizations who need your support and donations, take a look at this list of Resources for Accountability and Actions for Black Lives.

We are so grateful to be in community with all of you. Thank you for all that you do to make this world safer and more just. Together, we can make Magic Happen Everyday.

Podcast Recommendation: The Mortician’s Daughter

Hello magical friends.

Iris here with a diversion from your regularly scheduled doom-scrolling. My dear friend and unofficial Queen of the Desert, Carly Schorman of Tempe-based YabYum Music and Arts has created a podcast that is short, funny, and full of information. Specifically information about death.

What witch isn't interested in death? Ok, ok, some of us aren't. If you aren't, please go right back to whatever else you were doing. Consider this your content warning before you dive in.

Still here? Great! I'd like to introduce you to The Mortician's Daughter, a bite-sized (15-20 minutes or so) podcast focused on the what's, how's and sometimes the why's of death and dying. Previous episodes include topics hauntings and fairy killings and, personally appealing to my philosophically trained mind, the concept of eternal recurrence. There's an episode focused entirely on the Golden Gate Bridge. The most recent episode "Reincarnation" is especially of interest to pagans and magical folk, though be warned it is told from the creator's distinctly agnostic perspective. In this episode. Carly outlines many faiths and traditions that ascribe to reincarnation, while poking mountain sized holes in western celebrity new ageism. 

 The whole series is this way:  glib and detached while remarkably engaged. This podcast is informative without being dull. It's witty without losing its darkness, and macabre without losing its humor. It's highly recommended to witches, magicians and all those who work with death, grief, and the life we anticipate beyond this life. Check it out at YabYum.

Protection Mojo!

Hello Everyone!

Omikemi here bringing you an Apotropaic Charm, a charm to ward off bad luck and the evil eye.

This spell was taken and then adapted by me, from Hoodoo Herb and Root Magic by Cathrine Yronwode. Spell Components are as follows: 1 single small piece of licorice root(domination of situation; to empower the mojo hand), pinch of rue(purifying), pinch of hyssop(cleansing), 3 anise seeds, personal concern(I use my own saliva quite often in my workings), small square of black felt or any cloth(to mask the intentions of the work + negate energy), and hemp cord(to tie up the work).

I energetically place intentions and prescribe jobs to each of the herbs or curios for this workings and then I grab the corners of the felt and bring them together. Using the hemp cord, I bind the mojo hand together 8 times( for me this number presents justice through a Yoruba lens) and knot it 8 times as well. If you plan on keeping this hand charged, feed it either magnetic sand, money, song, breathe, tobacco smoke, special oils blends, or all of the above. I have also added a few other special things to the inside of this mojo such as tiny handcuffs, a golden star or badge, a small piece of paper with a name of job description listed on it (i.e. POLICE) and folded away from myself. These were added to give clear intention to the mojo which energies I would like to avoid coming into contact with. These objects can also be swapped out and arranged as you personally see fit.

Blessings everyone,

Omi the Waterbearer