Sparks from the crucible

A shorter path to Easy Street?

2009-08-24T09:06:00.000-07:00

I learned from Robert Stuberg* that the only acceptable reason to abandon your dream is the birth of a better idea.

I've abandoned several plans in the course of my life. The first one was a dud: a religious conversion in my teens turned out to be just an excuse to hide under the bed for a couple of decades – which is why you didn't hear about me twenty years ago.

Another religious conversion finally freed me to follow my conscience and my heart, so the changes I've made since then have been course corrections rather than dead ends. I've been homing in on the beacon fired by my appetite for mystery and service.

As I proceed on my course, I begin to suspect that the path to Easy Street is shorter than I thought.

When I first began working with the Law of Attraction, I was inspired to dream big; to call into my life exactly what I wanted in a house, a vocation, what have you.

But as the road opens up, I begin to suspect that it's shorter than I thought. I don't mean to say that it's easier; just that I'm getting so much joy out of my rickety mobile home that I may not need my own replica of the Gamble House after all.

If I can deliver solid service to my clients, maybe I don't need worldwide fame.

Maybe an annual trip to my mentor's place is as much fun as trips to Europe.

Maybe my little garden is as much fun as an antique collection (but I really need a few nice pieces of furniture and art glass for proper comparison, I think).

*By the way, try to get Creating Your Ultimate Destiny used if you can.

Songs for the altar

2009-08-17T18:37:00.000-07:00

Everybody knows there's power in music. It's just as powerful at the altar as anyplace else.

I'm developing a soundtrack for my altar time.

Surely He Died On Calvary by Rev. James Cleveland (not sure why, except that it makes my hair stand on end; it's partly the wailing harmonies in the background as Rev. Cleveland sings. But the rest of it is: Jesus knows.)
Satan, We're Going to Tear Your Kingdom Down by Shirley Caesar

Black candles

"Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel?" - haven't selected a version yet, but it's a good old spiritual with a proud universalist message.

Lord, Do It by Rev. James Cleveland (...while this candle's still burning, Lord!)

I'm still considering:

You Can Make It by Shirley Caesar - pay close attention to the lyrics.

How I Got Over by the Clara Ward Singers
Or maybe by Mahalia Jackson
And something by the Swan Silvertones or the Golden Gate Quartet, haven't made up my mind yet.

My next wish...

2009-08-17T15:09:00.000-07:00

I really need a cell phone with a camera in it. I'll just put that on my "treasure map," shall I?

Because when I went to the health food store to buy altar candles, I stopped on the way home at the feed store/ice cream parlor and had some mushroom ice cream. Honest to god, made with candy cap mushrooms. Looked like vanilla-with-speckles, tasted like maple nut. Great stuff, and only available a few weeks a year.

And I don't have any pictures to show you.

Well, I wonder. But it makes me smile

2009-08-08T14:23:00.000-07:00

While I was tending to my justice altar (also "Jesus altar") just now, I saw this:

Now, I must tell you, that it struck me as a lucky omen.

Here's a closeup (right), just so nobody misses the connection. I call your attention to the caption on the picture.

Now, what say you? Is this a sign that my work is blessed, or a call to further service and attention to detail? Or (most likely) both?

"You still play music?"

2009-07-05T13:25:00.000-07:00

I just saw a wonderful YouTube clip that illustrates perfectly the quest for spiritual power and connection.

For me – and, I know, for some other spiritual workers – acting in the spirit world, outside the familiar five senses, is just like a deaf girl playing great music. You don't get the same feedback the angels and ancestors get. You must learn to value signs and omens to find your road to miracles and wonders.

That is all.

(Thanks to Anne Naylor at the Huffington Post.)

Preaching to the Soloist: Get in the tub!

2009-05-31T14:18:00.000-07:00

Friends, I'm here, again, to testify to the power and value of spiritual baths. It's something that I keep putting off, because it does require some "trouble."

You need to get up early so as to leave some of the bathwater at the crossroads around oh-dark-thirty, or anyway right before sunrise (especially true for cleansing baths, not so much for other kinds).
You have to air-dry, which means you can't use a towel, so as not to wash off the blessing or dilute the cleansing.
You have to put on clean clothes, not yesterday's, so you have to plan ahead.

Friends, do it anyway, and do it right.

See, a couple of days ago, probably because of some enemy/justice work I was doing, I had one of the worst poverty tantrums I've had in years. Even an invitation to apply for AIRR membership didn't turn me loose. Friends, I was sure that not only would I starve, but I would never do any effective altar work again, and never had. It was bad.

So I resolved to bathe in ... I was out of hyssop, so I settled for a little Cast Off Evil oil in warm water ... and took it to the funny-shaped crossroads a few minutes' walk away from my house, along with the remains of the enemy candle I burned.

Peace returned as soon as I stepped out of the tub.

By the end of the following day - yesterday - optimism returned in full flood. I returned to my altar work with zest and eagerness. I'm building a new justice altar, as a glance at my tweetstream will show you.

So, I'm telling myself as much as I'm telling you: never, ever hesitate to take a spiritual bath. Do it right, or as close to right as you can. Attention to detail is the better way, of course, but sloppy is probably better than not at all.

Here's something I've been meaning to do for a long, long time

2009-05-15T19:26:00.000-07:00

Today I fulfilled a promise I made long ago: I placed an apple spell in the bottom of a planter.

This is a traditional conjure spell; it serves the same purpose as a honey jar. It is based around the name papers and candle wax from a spell I did for President Obama during the presidential debates last year. I also added patchouli, yarrow, borage, thyme and other herbs for protection, courage, attraction and wisdom.

While I was praying over it, I remembered an old English rhyme, which I improvised on:

Remember, remember, the fourth of November,
the end of treason and plot.
I see no reason why return to reason
should ever be forgot.

Here is the loaded apple at the bottom of the planter,

and here is the basil resting comfortably on top.

"Evil can't be where basil has been," so I have been taught. I will plant a little sage and yarrow in there later.

Taking negative cards seriously

2009-05-05T15:31:00.000-07:00

I'm learning to take negative cards seriously in love readings. Just turned down a case on the basis of the following:

Now, this wasn't the whole spread – I pulled about a dozen cards – but every layout contained at least one nasty card like this. She begged me to bring him to her, but that would have been like voting for Bush. Twice.

Yes, I believe this stuff. I trust these cards.

Ever since the day when a card fell out of the deck while I was shuffling, indicating my next client had some kind of love problem. "Why, no," he said, but twenty minutes later he told me how he'd been having trouble dreaming lucky numbers ever since his ex-girlfriend replanted everything in his yard. (Underneath a plant is one of the best places to hide spellwork.)

I just finished a case like the first one I described here. And again, in every spread, I got at least one card indicating the man was a no-account trifler, one who could only be kept at home by main force. A classic, time-tested spell to bring him back to her brought nothing but a couple of phone calls from him.

Reconciliation work is hard, often – but not always – because people start too late. And often – perhaps more often – because people are trying to keep someone who isn't good enough for them.

How to tell mojos apart when you have more than one

2009-03-18T17:38:00.000-07:00

Nowadays mojo bags are often color coded: yellow for court case, red for love, purple for success or mastery, green for money. Red was the most traditional color, though, because it is powerful and because red flannel was commonly available, back in the day. I prefer red for all purposes, but I may rethink this.

Like many conjures, I put charms & symbols on mojo bags to tell them apart. I have metal dollar signs, crowns, hearts, and little blue "evil eye" beads. But today I was putting together two protective mojos: one "Leave Me Alone or Die" and one "Protect My Car." And no skulls or cars in my charm collection. No embroidery thread either.

But my daughter is an artist, so...

I just asked her to draw the skull for this "Leave Me Alone or Die" mojo bag.

Naturally, this Protect My Car mojo was even easier. (It'll get an Evil Eye bead, too, as soon as the last remaining ingredient arrives.)

And here's a honey jar for someone else who needs the Housing Authority to treat them right.

Thank you, O.L.K.

2009-03-16T12:08:00.000-07:00

(Twitter, my shiny new tech toy, is down at the moment; it is to laugh! So I'll just post here about today's adventure.)

I have two mojo bags almost assembled and ready to go, except they need graveyard dirt; this person needs strong protection, and there's no stronger spiritual protection than a spirit who has passed on. So I went to the graveyard, to where the military graves are. Plain white stones with clear black lettering, so that no matter how old the grave is, the stone is absolutely legible. As I stood at the foot of that section - sort of like reviewing the troops, I thought - I saw several promising names: FARMER, RICH, BULLIVANT (for protective work, maybe?). And I was about to introduce myself to Mr. Bullivant when someone else - O.L.K.- caught my eye. I won't reveal his name here, because people deserve their privacy. But his seriousness, interest (and, I confess, the fact that he was a World War I veteran) commanded my respect. So I introduced myself, explained the situation, and paid him for the two spoonfuls of earth I took from his grave.

It's been raining since last night, so that earth is drying in a very slow oven right now.

I don't post nearly often enough, I know.

2009-03-15T18:35:00.000-07:00

Would you like to be able to look over my shoulder, kind of, in something approaching real time?

Well, I'm on Twitter.

And this is for comments that are longer than the 140 characters Twitter allows. But they're automattically linked to Twitter as soon as I post them anyway.

So, yeah, I guess this blog is mostly for philosophical and historical ruminations now; and for posts that really need more than one illustration; TwitWall will only allow you to post 1 per entry.

I haven't quite figured out how to link Twitter to this blog yet.

Willits Cemetery

2009-03-11T11:35:00.000-07:00

Well, I had to take something to the graveyard. I'm always a little nervous about a new cemetery - it's not the dead that bother me, it's the living caretakers; I just worry that one of these days I'll get the stinkeye or be chased off. Didn't happen this time.

It's a beautiful place, though. We took some pictures.

Cleansing: what, how, why? Part 2 of 2

2009-03-01T22:06:00.000-08:00

All right, my thoughts turn from "sin," however defined, to "cleansing" and "purification." The questions that arise now are these:

What, precisely, is being removed, dissipated or banished? (And is "precisely" even a useful word in this context? :))
When the cleansing takes place, how is your life changed?
What is being restored?
And what, if anything, does all this have to do with repentance?

Maybe it's time for some visual aids. We can at least get a grip on the first two questions:

A Wiccan cleanses her house of ghosts (except for lilac, the herb attributions she uses are European, and long ago entered into hoodoo; ditto the use of Christian prayer. Don't let the ominous soundtrack scare you off).
A Mayan curandera cleanses a foreign journalist of tension and wards off misfortune (no, not hoodoo at all, but very instructive. Spiritual work starts around 2:17).

More later, perhaps.

Reversing candle

2009-02-26T09:18:00.001-08:00

A client of mine needs a reversing candle right now, but there are none of those nifty half-and-half ones to be had in this lovely town.

So I made one the old-fashioned way.

The process moved much quicker than I expected, so we begin with the program already in progress:

I melted some yellow wax in the oven, sprinkled it with money herbs, and rolled these green candles in it.

Here you can see a closeup that shows a little of the yellow wax.

Next, I broke up some black wax by cutting up a small taper.

The purpose of cutting up the taper - on the diagonal, mind you - is to free it from the wick, which I discarded.

Next, the wax is laid on a foil-lined cookie sheet, which is placed in a 350°F oven.

Five minutes later, the wax is removed from the oven and sprinkled with harsh protective herbs. The green candle is rolled in the wax.
Voilà - a black-over-green reversing candle to "bounce back" financial bad luck, back to its source.

Cleansing: what, how, why? Part 1 of 2

2009-02-20T12:37:00.000-08:00

Well, I delayed this post because I was chasing a literary reference, and I'm not prepared to read all of Karen Armstrong to find it.

At least I think it was Karen Armstrong (in The Great Transformation) who said that, back before the ~~Bronze~~ Axial Age, sin didn't really mean evil conduct or have much to do with morality at all. It really meant "anything that got between you and the experience of divine power" - or, in more concrete terms, "anything that spoiled the ritual." Offering a badly prepared sacrifice was a sin; killing somebody was a good reason to run you out of town.

In the old Levitical holiness code, "uncleanness," including such ordinary events as menstruation, wet dreams and childbirth, had to be atoned for ritually. Now, I was taught to include hyssop in many uncrossing and cleansing tricks, because of the strong Biblical association with cleansing. Note the reasons given for cleansing with hyssop: mildew, a death in the house. Uncleanness, once removed from the sufferer, transferred itself to the priest, who was unclean only until sunset.

In short, these common occurrences were "disturbances in the force," if you will, which required a trained expert (a priest); not the same thing as cackling narcissistic evil, not at all.

And yet the Holiness Code of Leviticus includes "Love your fellow as yourself."

There is more, much more, to be said about it, but I haven't digested it all yet. More later, I promise.

Is it dementia, or philosophy?

2009-01-13T16:40:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm finally old enough to lie about my age, so I've been coming to terms with little gaps in my memory, of the "where did I put my keys?" variety.

And I've always had a touch of hypochondria, so I've been entertaining dark thoughts of Alzheimer's, diabetes side effects – "Why, yes, Paranoia, I'll be happy to pour you a fourth martini. And your little Black Dog, too."

But I think it's something much more benign. While I was washing dishes, I was deep in meditation on inchoate thoughts about the connections between blame, responsibility, purification, sin, moral failures ... and what the Bible word translated "sin" used to mean, back in the day, and why sacrifices actually worked to ...

You see where I'm going with this? I can't remember why I left the living room and went into the bedroom, because I'm trying to figure out how spiritual purification baths work.

I really am thinking hard about this subject, too; watch this space.

"Don't let her wash your clothes!"

2009-01-07T14:51:00.000-08:00

One of my clients told me that her husband was taught that – "Never let a woman wash your clothes!" Why? Because she can put stuff in your laundry!

You can even work this trick on yourself, whenever your spiritual cleansing, luck, or prosperity need a touch-up.

It's a fine old time-tested method for influencing people, and the easiest way to do it is to put things in the laundry rinse water. A few drops of oil, some bath salts dissolved in water - it's easy.

Especially in This Modern Age, when you can soak a washcloth in it and pop it into the dryer, just like a dryer sheet; or pour it into a Downy Ball, walk away and forget it.

A little claws-and-teeth work - on a shoestring

2008-10-20T16:32:00.000-07:00

A year ago, I bought the three big, thick volumes of Hoodoo – Conjuration – Witchcraft – Rootwork by Harry Middleton Hyatt.

The arrangement of this book is actually fairly confusing. It seems to be mostly arranged according to the materials used in each spell [or "rite," as Hyatt prefers to call them]. When you're looking for a particular kind of spell – enemy work, love work, etc. – it helps to know what each kind of material is most commonly used for.

Lately, for reasons of my own, I've been looking for good old-timey spells to – how shall I put this? – shut certain enterprises down. Herewith, a few choice methods:

Take a photograph or symbol of said enterprise and lay it face down on top of a glass of water. Surround it with a circle of nine black candles – they don't have to be very large – and stick the candles with pins. Light all the candles; do this every day for nine days.
If you have no black candles to spare (as I do not, at the moment), take some cotton twine or thread and tie a knot in it. Put some turpentine on it and read the 22nd Psalm over it (the first 8 verses should suffice!). Repeat every morning until nine days have elapsed; you will have a nine-knotted string, each knot dressed with turpentine. Go to your target's house, office, or place of business, and place the string behind the door. His efforts will come to nothing.
A simple trick that can be used for good or ill: take seven matches – wooden kitchen matches would be easier to work with – and cross them. You will probably end up with a vaguely teepee-shaped pile. Pour niter on them – also known as saltpeter, sodium nitrate or potassium nitrate – make a wish, and set the whole thing afire. Repeat every morning until seven days have elapsed.

I don't usually do this kind of work, but these are desperate times.

My first and last comment on the 2008 presidential campaigns

2008-10-01T11:29:00.001-07:00

I've been following the campaigns obsessively for the past few weeks. Before that, I was cowering under the bed, as I usually do when I have to face other people's bad news.

Yes, I have a lifelong allergy to bad news. It's gotten so I rarely read the papers and insist my husband wears headphones when he watches the news.

But I gotta say: my husband had the headphones off a few nights ago when Obama was explaining why we need some kind of economic rescue bill ASAP; in calm, measured tones, and in detail. And I realized I was able to relax when Obama was talking about our troubles.

When McCain talks, I hear an old white man demanding my vote.
When Obama talks, I hear a wise man explaining how everything's going to be all right.

I'm just sayin'.

A palindrome for your heart

2008-08-26T16:22:00.000-07:00

It starts out grim, but be brave for a minute or so and you will be rewarded.

(Thanks to Brian Smith at the Beautiful Heresy blog.)

Cleaning the mess out of your house

2008-08-21T16:12:00.001-07:00

I'm talking about spiritual cleaning, not about actually shifting dust bunnies and spiderwebs. To do that, you simply sweep/mop your house from back to front with some good strong herbs, such as you find in Lucky Mojo's Van Van for instance. Unfortunately, my husband is allergic to the main ingredient, so I used Henry's Grass Oil, which is very similar to Chinese Wash, another fine old cleansing formula. I also added their lovely Crucible of Courage Oil, and a little of my own "CSI."

Well, it was the most thorough job I've ever done – it's amazing what a bigger, better-arranged living space can do for you! And I have a feeling that this property, or even just this house, is a luckier place than my old one was, because the difference was incredible! Last night, you see, I was having a lovely poverty tantrum. Today, ever since I did that job, I know I've got money strictures and health problems – and yet I haven't a care in the world.

Just so you know. Lots of great classic spiritual cleansing formulae at Lucky Mojo – and check out New Orleans Mistic, too – go and try some!

The Merry Old Land of ... Willits

2008-07-28T12:52:00.000-07:00

... not "Oz."

Well, we have arrived, and spent the past weekend unpacking things. I almost miss having a produce store and drugstore across the street, but it's more than balanced by friendly neighbors, attentive (in a good way) landlords, and an actual piece of forest on the property. We have a view of farmland from our bedroom window. We have space to put a dining room table – something we haven't had for years!

When we landed in Willits on Friday night, our son and daughter-in-law hosted us to a magnificent dinner: we pulled our propane grill out of the moving van and they adorned it with a buffalo tri-tip, of all things – so by guess and by gee, we cooked it just right, somehow. We got to crash at their place, after spending a few hours cleaning up after the previous owner of our new place. We smudged the house repeatedly.

The previous owner left a lot of nice things behind, so we left messages on her cel phone to make sure whether or not she was coming back to get them. No reply, until I asked my daughter, the only tobacco-smoker in our family, to do a little old hoodoo trick: write her name on the next cigarette she smoked.

We got hold of the lady within half an hour.

So, yeah, I'm gloating today, and will be for a long time to come.

I'll be able to take calls tomorrow, or maybe even this evening. The phone number is here; scroll down to "Miss Michaele." I'll be keeping the 510 phone number for a while so as not to confuse everybody; the listing went up just before I moved. The Hoodoo Foundry Phone is a VoIP line, so I can have any area code I want and use that line no matter where I'm living, as long as I have Internet access.

Moving Day

2008-07-25T09:06:00.000-07:00

Well, we found a little mobile home in ~~Tie Dye Town~~ Willits, CA, where my son and his family live. They've been nudging us for years to move up there where they could help us with connections and labor and things. This month, we finally got the chance. The money has changed hands, the papers have been signed, and we'll be planning our garden and shopping for seeds and tie dye next week. And waiting to sweeten your luck, of course.

This is the place.
Here's the official Willits website.

A simple "go away happy" spell

2008-06-16T02:36:00.000-07:00

Not traditional, but it ought to work:

Say you're in a relationship that really ought to be winding down. It's time to move on, but you don't want storm and drama. Not because you're selfish, but just because you don't want her (or him) to be unhappy.

Make a name paper which includes her/his full name, your full name, and a petition such as "go away happy," "go in peace," or something similar. Inside it, place a pinch of sugar and some Blessing or Peaceful Home Incense Powders, and fold it away from you. Burn the paper with the incense in it. The Peaceful Home incense makes it clear that pain is not your intent.

Big doings at the little coffeehouse

2008-06-15T14:49:00.000-07:00

I only got to do one reading at Café Sorriso today -- the new manager! Pentacles came up -- one reversed, one upright -- so we got into a conversation about market research!

It was extremely quiet after that -- I myself was about one third of the "Sunday lunch rush." But when I went up to the counter to get my sandwich, the new owner, Tracy, was excited about new plans: "Next week," she told me, "we're going to put up a sign, 'Under New Management,' and we're going to have Vietnamese chicken noodle soup, noodle dishes, eggrolls, Thai iced tea, and bubble tea! And we're going to make everything fresh!"

Now, this little place has changed hands about four times in the past dozen years, and this is the first time I've heard about anybody paying serious attention to the quality of the food -- and I really think that is the one thing that will make this place take off!

The weekend Tarot readings will continue, of course. I'm shifting my schedule again, hopefully for the last time: noon to 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

Want a free reading? Read on

2008-06-06T18:00:00.000-07:00

Well, today I dressed myself with my favorite fragrances – Attraction, Money Drawing and Steady Work – just before I dropped by the Cafe Sorriso in my hometown this afternoon, and asked to speak to the owner or manager.

A man pointed me toward the nice Korean lady behind the counter, so I asked her: "How do you feel about offering free Tarot readings to your customers?" Well, her English is kind of seldom, so she called the man over. He vaguely knew what Tarot was, but not "up close," so to speak. First he wanted to know, "What's in it for you?" Then he wanted to know what a Tarot reading was, exactly, so I gave him a four-card spread. (His first card was the Three of Pentacles, reversed – and when I asked, he said business was "not great.") So we had a nice long talk about spiritual things in general, hoodoo and what it is, and a little about what it ain't, and especially about openmindedness. "I'm really interested in all of this," he said.

So, yeah, I'm offering free Tarot readings at Cafe Sorriso on Saturdays, starting tomorrow from 2 pm to about 4:30. It is, as the reviews at the link state, quiet and friendly. By all means, drop by if you're in town.

Try the green tea latte, too; it's fantastic.

Oh my Lord: or, Slater, Please!

2008-05-31T12:54:00.000-07:00

All right, I got my hands on the Slater Formulary, the online version that doesn't actually give you the proportions for everything. But that doesn't matter, and I'll show you why. Here are a couple random formulas:

Zawba Powder
Brown [That's the color you are supposed to add]
Vanilla powder
Thyme
Wintergreen
Almond
A special blend which is used to create dissension between lovers and very close friends. Sprinkle on those individuals you wish to cast a spell upon. This is a black magick blend.

The hell! Vanilla has long been used for love; thyme to keep money in your house and bring peace of mind; almond - well, I was taught to use the oil as the base for magical oils because of its mild fragrance and long shelf life. It stands for God's vigilance and swift response, according to Wikipedia. Wintergreen's magical attributes add zap to your love, money and sexual life. Yeah, I can see the dissension now:

"Dammit, I love you more than you love me." "No, I love you more!"

"B*tch! What part of 'buy municipal bonds' don't you understand?"

Yeah, that's gonna work really well.

Let's try one more:

Shoe String Root Powder
Vetivert
Patchouli
Sprinkle around the home to protect the inhabitants against death. Also brings extreme good luck to those who play cards as it invokes lucky spiritual forces.

Well, the latter might be true: Some people use vetiver for love; patchouli works for love, money and protection. But how the hell can he call it "Shoe String Powder" and not include any Devil's Shoe String? That's one of the best protective herbs I know.

Slater's either yankin' your chain or talking through his hat. I'm just sayin.'

Another kind of two-color candle

2008-05-29T21:53:00.000-07:00

Well, that nice Road Opener candle I burned a couple weeks ago wasn't a perfect burn, after all; the glass was a little gray when I looked at it closer.

So, rather than buy another vigil light - I don't like the way they burn the first couple days; they need constant attention because the quality of the wax has gone so far downhill in the past few years.

Rather than buy another of those, I say, I bought a nice freestanding orange taper - one of those two-inch-thick pillar candles, melted some green beeswax and sprinkled some herbs on it, then rolled the candle in it. Et voila!

I didn't invent this method; Miss Cat Yronwode teaches it to her students. Though I haven't seen her demonstrate it, she describes it well enough for me to produce the results you see here.

Mommy, what does "vibration" mean?

2008-05-22T23:12:00.000-07:00

When magic workers or New Thought folk talk about "vibrations," it can be confusing to the materialist who visualizes a sound wave on an oscilliscope. How can "a higher vibration" change one's life? What a confusing way to put it.

Here is a little illustration. Note that the higher the pitch, the more complex the "landscape" on the metal (?) sheet laid over the speaker.

(BTW, TURN DOWN YOUR SPEAKERS; this demo gets extremely shrill.)

This kind of complexity can mean two things, depending on how optimistic you are:

More variety of opportunity, or
More rules to learn and negotiate.

Even "more rules" is not necessarily a bad thing, once you remember that knowledge is power.

2008-05-12T13:19:00.000-07:00

Well, my family and I have big plans these days, and what better way to start than with a Road Opener candle from Lucky Mojo? I dressed this candle under the guidance of Dara Anzlowar during the Lucky Mojo Hoodoo Rootwork Workshop last week. And I must say, it's been burning sluggishly and reluctantly until yesterday. I've had to tweak it every couple of hours, poking deep holes in the candle with a chopstick to allow the flood of melted wax to run off, so the wick had some room to burn. There was a big old wall of wax on one side, too, like a big old Thou-Shalt-Not.

That is, until yesterday.

Since yesterday afternoon, that candle is burning as prettily as you could wish. Nice robust flame, glass absolutely clear.

Also, my husband's doctor called us about a couple hundred dollars' worth of insurance snafu that we just discovered; they are going to straighten it out.

And – here's the weird part – I'm still struggling with some of my oldest fears. But now my effective "pacifiers" have dwindled down to two. I can't eat about it any more and feel better; reading science fiction doesn't soothe like it used to. No, I have only two pacifiers left:

Plan your work.
Work your plan.

Master Class

2008-05-05T22:41:00.000-07:00

Well, I spent the most incredible weekend with my wonderful Lucky Mojo classmates and teachers!

Saturday, May 3, was the annual Hoodoo Party and Birthday Bash (for our teacher, miss cat yronwode), where people you only know by their e-mail address and literary style :-) got to talk shop for as long as 12 hours!

For nearly all of my life, I have been a shy person, especially in crowds. I carved out a pretty comfortable niche being the wallflower at parties. But not that day. I drifted from small group to small group, from conversation to conversation, sharing all the brain candy that was going (Matthew 13:52, more or less :-)). You know, just like a normal person. I guess it is, in a way, an emotional or spiritual or maybe even a magical growth spurt.

Sunday, May 4, I attended the Hoodoo and Rootwork Workshop at the Home of Truth in Alameda, California. This workshop was a set of master classes in magical technique. The teachers were experienced and gifted rootworkers: cat yronwode, of course, Dr. Kioni, Dara Anzlowar, and Tanisia Greer. I was eager to attend the sessions on Astrology for Rootworkers and on Spiritual Footwashing, both new to me. The other workshops were devoted to general principles of candle magic and the making and blessing of mojo bags -- and here, too, though I have several years' experience in these two areas, I learned a number of important things.

So, I'm still flyin', but not in a psychedelic hippy-dippy way; my course is straight and true and the travel is easier than it has ever been. I spent an hour or so this evening doing some of the best altar work I have done in months. The candle I burned on the road opening honey jar left a little bit of wax in the shape of a horn of plenty; the mojo bag I charged and blessed tonight was dancing with excitement over the candle flame.

And I'm about to get a separate phone line for Hoodoo Foundry, thanks to Vonage.com and Amazon.com.

Some candle signs

2008-03-19T21:42:00.001-07:00

I'm working a "hire me" spell with this honey jar. After three nights of absolutely clean burns, the candle on my latest honey jar left the amorphous pile you see on the left. I was disappointed about it – and the fact that the person I'm trying to influence hasn't called me since the (really fabulous) job interview – until I remembered that the same thing happened to the last such jar I worked on somebody – which is working to this day.

Well, this afternoon, I was sitting in the center of the couch when I happened to look at that “failed” honey jar. From that angle (see right-hand photo), the wax looks like a seated dragon crouched on the edge of the lid!

Like many diviners, I use the usual system of tasseomancy symbols to read odd candle-wax signs like this. The Complete Book of Fortune-Telling has this to say:

Dragon.–A sudden, unreasonable terror will come upon you. Let sanity counsel your actions – this monster is born of your imagination only.

You know, the same stuff everybody has been trying to tell me all along.

A suggestion for prosperity work

2008-02-06T23:33:00.000-08:00

This just occurred to me while I was tweaking my own situation just a bit. It's not traditional, but it might be worth a try.

When you're doing a "steady work" job, you want to convince the prospective employer that you are the best person for the job. But another way to describe yourself is "the missing piece of the puzzle," the one element needed to make your new workplace purr like a finely tuned engine. So next time you want the cosmos to send you steady work, get yourself an old jigsaw puzzle, and include a piece in your spiritual work – the name paper in your shoe, the mojo bag, or the honey jar.

"Now we can do Big Things for love"

2008-01-20T13:45:00.000-08:00

Preach it, Brother Geek!

... with thanks to Rev. Jack at the Pirates of the Unitarians blog.

I believe...

2008-01-03T21:06:00.001-08:00

Well, I gave my friend Lakisha a copy of Get Right Church for Christmas. She told me she was going to take it home and listen to it during a nice hot bath, where she could relax enough to concentrate on the message. Now, Rev. Cleveland knows how to raise the roof, so I was surprised she wanted to listen to jumpin' happy music at such a time.

Anyway, we got on to the subject of the message. "I can't stand to hear anybody sing about 'before it's too late,'" I said. "I can't believe that you don't go on learning after you die, so you could still grow enough to repent."

"Well," said Lakisha thoughtfully, "it depends on what we come back as. If you're gonna come back as a ladybug, you're not gonna learn nothin'."

I had an answer for that, and it was interesting and possibly even wise, but also totally irrelevant to my ~~sermon~~ story tonight.

"Be exactly what you are," said Rev. Franklin, "and let God work it out."

Or, as an unnamed gentleman told me at a Friends of Negro Spirituals event I went to, "We each have to interpret these things in our own way."

Maybe Lakisha doesn't believe in reincarnation, but she was willing to entertain the idea. No, it was she, not I, who brought it up. I guess it was the handiest way for her to make sense of my idea, of learning after death.

But, you know, I was a Christian once, and I sure wouldn't have stepped outside my belief system to carry on a conversation like this.

Mad props to Lakisha! And more Happy New Year!

A great dream for the new year!

2008-01-01T09:48:00.000-08:00

This morning I dreamed of a mysterious plant with a blue, trumpet-shaped flower and a stem like a jade plant; I cut it preparatory to placing it in some kind of rooting medium to start a new plant.

Wikipedia says that the jade plant is also called “friendship tree” and “money tree,” and is very easy to propagate; a great dream symbol for someone who needs to catch up on their networking. Looks like my task this year is to be a true friend to the folks who know what I need to know.

What, me worry?

2007-10-25T22:43:00.000-07:00

When I burn a candle, I prefer free-standing ones, because I like to read the wax.

I'm burning a series of candles for personal power, as you can tell by the color. Tonight I melted the top layer of the wax from the previous candles - and when I had the candle affixed I noticed that it was "standing on its own two feet," "standing pat."

A coded message

2007-10-14T11:04:00.000-07:00

Lately, since I'm still figuring out the real-life marketing thing, I've been feeling pretty hopeless about working for myself. It's the first poverty-tantrum I've had in a long time.

I was thinking of praying Psalm 23 to receive guidance in a dream (as Secrets of the Psalms recommends), but I had a powerful dream last night before I got the chance!

I was working in a big, handsome office. A homeless man was trying to get in to harass the employees. A coworker named FAITH – a strong lady whom I know and remember fondly from real life – was keeping him out. (Come to think of it, one of the most energetic women in my small business class was named Faith.) I sat down at my desk to call the library and ask for a book. Instead, a lady named "Joan Mendez" came on the line and addressed me as "Sis." Meanwhile, I noticed that a little green eraser on my desk had caught fire. Without any bewilderment or trepidation, I put it out while talking to Ms. Mendez.

So, after I found the links highlighted above, I googled "Joan Mendez," and found:

Joan Mendez was the sound person on a documentary called After 45 Years of Working
a Joan Mendez has a one-man contracting business in Kissimmee, Florida
...was an early explorer of the Philippines
...was a sister of the founder of the Lima Lima Flight Team, "The world's original six aircraft civilian formation aerobatic team!"

So, Joan Mendez is a signifier for independent work, an end to drudgery. Financial independence is my sister; this is what I must learn down to the marrow of my bones!

But still no practical marketing tips :)

(At 6:37 pm, it occurred to me: in my dreams, I often get names wrong. I know a real live person with the same initials, J.M., who has given me a number of punchy, inexpensive marketing ideas. In short, I already have the tools in my hands :)

"Who can stand to hear it?"

2007-10-07T12:41:00.000-07:00

I take my text :-) from John 6:60 (Amplified Bible)

I haven't been back to Starlight Cathedral in about three weeks. The last service I attended really did a number on me. I said (see below) that it aroused "memories of far too many years of legalistic church life." That was something of an understatement.

Mother Hughes said of the Church, "This is the hospital." Healing and curing are not the only things that happen in hospitals; there is also pain, trauma, fatigue, and the prospect of mortality.

Medicine does not always work easily, painlessly, or "naturally." Medicine includes surgery, bone setting, and chemotherapy. Nobody looks forward to any of this. Nobody looks forward to pain.

Medicine also includes misdiagnosis. There are many diseases, once thought to be common and treated aggressively, which are now known not to exist. There are whole classes of treatment which are now known to be ineffective.

Maybe there is such a "disease" as "sin." That doesn't mean it can't be misdiagnosed. That doesn't mean that treatment for it can't be mis-prescribed.

I know most people need some kind of "fixing." But I also know -- from experience -- that to the pure, all things are pure.

Now, I realize that the scripture I just cited is about not overthrowing "the work of God" for the sake of physical pleasures. But I'm not sure it's that easy to overthrow the work of God, or disconnect from -- you know, a phrase like "the love of God" just isn't strong enough! But that's another Sermon I'll Never Preach :-)

What I mean to say, at least this time, is that there are other ways of overthrowing the work of God in the name of preserving it. ("We had to destroy the village in order to save it." Or, to put it biblically, "Let no one defraud you by acting as an umpire and declaring you unworthy and disqualifying you for the prize, insisting on self-abasement.")

To put it bluntly, my life has convinced me that many of the things that even the Bible calls "unclean" may be beneficial. I realize that when the apostle Paul said that "to the pure, all things are pure," he was talking about the Holiness Code of the Old Testament. He did not have in mind gay rights, medical marijuana, or religious pluralism, any more than America's Founding Fathers had those things in mind when they wrote the Constitution. But I believe history has proven that those things are latent in the Constitution and in the Bible.

I don't know how to develop this any further, not today.

It's all about the law of Love, people.

Fruit Feast

2007-09-19T18:37:00.001-07:00

The Fruit Feast was not what I expected. (It is not the same as the Back Hawk Feast, for one thing; at least not in the Bay Area – either that or Jason Berry was wrong.) Nine speakers were invited to discourse briefly on the fruits of the Spirit, but most of it aroused (for me) unpleasant memories of too many years of legalistic church life. However, there were a few highlights that just about made up for it: the pastor of a local church, one Mother Hughes (see blog photo), said that the Lord had taken her "from the crackhouse to the church house," and underlined her few remarks by singing a spiritual: "My soul looked back and wondered / How I made it over." Later – much later – Bishop Hayes discoursed on Faithfulness, and happened to say: "When I was low down, when I was about to be homeless, when I applied to the government for everything on the books [all available social services] and they denied me – they told me No! – I reminded God of my faithfulness all these years" and the situation straightened itself out. (I didn't get a picture of the Bishop, because my camera batteries had wimped out by that time.)

See, here's where I'm on tenterhooks with the church: they hammer on "obedience to the Word" interpreted literally, on a "holy life" defined in apparently fairly conventional terms, and then they'll say something earthshaking and egalitarian like that.

Well, Miss Brenda (a card reader I met last year at Lucky Mojo) did tell me last year that the best church home for people like us is "where Moses went" – the wilderness!

I'm staying home next Sunday – possibly for several Sundays – and if/when Pastor asks about it, I'll just remind him that Jesus advised us, "When you pray, go to your own room." I'm sure he'll take that in good part. After all, it was he who told me a few weeks ago to be exactly what I am.

Bad news?

2007-09-12T18:23:00.001-07:00

Well, a couple of days ago, the Corazon Brothers (see below) lost their balance: the top stone fell right off onto the glass plate that supports them.

I didn't do any cleansing or protective work; I just thought, "Well, you know ... gravity..."

The next day when I left the BART station on my way home from work, I discovered that my brand new bike had been stolen. I may have left it unlocked, but maybe not.

So anyway, by the end of the following day – yesterday – my darling husband had bought me a shiny new Raleigh bike, for about three times the cost of the old one. So, yeah, big financial hit.

But a much better bike!

"...and praise God ... "

2007-09-04T19:16:00.000-07:00

Now I'm thinking where Pastor Franklin said he could walk into any church and praise God, because he had the Holy Ghost in his life.

I submit that it goes farther than that, much farther.

One of my favorite books, as a theist, is Richard Dawkins' The Blind Watchmaker. But if you've been following the news lately, you'll discover that Richard Dawkins has no use for religion of any kind, and is convinced that the very idea of God is a delusion. He doesn't think that "true" and "religion" belong in the same sentence.

Yet when I read his explanation of the pressures of natural selection – by which all mutations that "don't work" just drop out of the game – I looked up from the book with a new sense of the vastness and beauty of the universe – yes, even its lovability. I was trying to be an atheist then – it didn't take – and at the time I wished God was real, so that I could compliment Him/Her/Itself on the elegance of the vast, complex universe. (Now I know better, or at least different.)

Which just goes to show that – to turn a favorite scripture inside out – anything that is "profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction," or "for training in righteousness," so that you are "completely equipped for every good work" – that is scripture, inspired of God – no matter where you find it. If "the stones themselves cry out," why shouldn't a scientist?

Starlight Cathedral, Oakland CA

2007-08-26T21:17:00.000-07:00

Today I enjoyed (mostly) a Bible-literalist sermon with very little thou-shalt-not in it. Pastor Franklin is a long, lean man with a lively, commanding manner and an intelligent eye.

He compared himself to King David at one point: “Yes, I’m a warrior, a fighter. Don’t mess with my kids! Don’t mess with anyone in my church family! But I’m gentle, I’m compassionate [like David was].” Not in a spirit of boasting, either, because he addressed the congregation as “brothers of Jesus” several times. In fact, the first ten minutes or so was about claiming and using the power – “the anointing” – that God has already given us; a sermon that Dr. Kioni could preach off the cuff. “And that’s why I can go into any church – Catholic, Baptist, Religious Science – and praise God, because the Holy Spirit is in my life!” He went on to say more than I wanted to hear about obedience to God and the pastor.

Later he exhorted us to challenge the devil, because “I don’t mind if the devil’s on my track, as long as he’s not on my back – ’cause he doesn’t belong there. If you give the devil a ride, he’ll want to drive!” He called our attention to the story of the Gadarene swine, when Jesus begins the exorcism by demanding: “Who are you?” Which is precisely the question I ask of any unpleasant spirits I meet!

Earlier in the sermon, he redefined “brainwashing” as “being washed clean of pessimism!”

All this time I sat in a chair by the door, meek as a church mouse and conspicuous as a rat in a punch bowl. I was intimidated by the silken rope across the aisle. Even when it was unhooked shortly after I arrived, I didn’t move...

Until the minister invited us to come up and be blessed and prayed for. I was about third in line. The women in front of me were looking for help with finding housing for a large family, health problems, and getting a foster care license (the pastor recognized her as “a visionary” who “could be an inspirational speaker”).

I assumed he knew them all, intimately – but then it was my turn. As he anointed my hands with olive oil, he said, “I see things that you have lost are being restored to you” – which pretty well describes my feelings about Christianity at this point. “I see that you are a wise woman; a humble woman; a woman of God. Be exactly what you are. God’ll work it out. (Which addressed my concerns about being ensnared by obedience again.) Are you trying to move?” I remembered my husband’s desire to leave the city. “Yes, but it’s not on the front burner,” I said. He rubbed the olive oil into my palms and prayed: “Lord, break the shackles on our sister’s business.”

And all this without ever having spoken to me, or overheard me, before.

After me came a woman who was trying to get her son released from Juvenile Hall. The pastor was inspired to tell her what kind of candles to burn: “a red one – the red represents the blood of Jesus; a white one – the white is for purity; and a purple one – for power! The First Lady (his wife) will give you her phone number; call her and she’ll tell you how to dress them.” (Later in the service, the Queen Mother – Archbishop’s wife and pastor’s mother – interrupted her shouts of praise to tell this same woman how to arrange those candles.)

After this, the spirit of the service became more comfortable and informal. First-time visitors to the church where thanked sincerely for coming (and special note was taken of the fact that I had sat down among the congregation after I was prayed for). A final song was sung by the children (all the choir they have, apparently), a collection was taken (the church lined up to contribute, rather than passing the plates), and announcements were made: the Harvest Feast is next month – and it is, apparently, the same Fruit Feast in honor of Black Hawk that was mentioned in Jason Berry’s book. Black Hawk was not mentioned, but the First Lady explained to me: it’s a celebration of the “fruits of the spirit,” at which nine people get up and say a few words about one of them (“We’re looking for nine people,” she told me meaningfully) and the congregation is given blessed (literal) fruit to enjoy. It reminded me of the Unitarian Universalist flower communion, and I told her so. “Well! That’s something we could do here,” she said.

The Corazon Brothers: front view

2007-08-25T18:49:00.001-07:00

The Corazon Brothers: front view
Originally uploaded by Miss Michaele

This is a pair of lodestones that was sold to me by Miss catherine yronwode of the Lucky Mojo Curio Company on August 19 of this year. Together, they weigh about 2 pounds. Their purpose is to attract good things into my house. Their heart shape traditionally suggests that they are most effective for love work, but as miss cat told me, "I think they'll do anything you want."

My initial impression was that they are keenly interested in money work, as am I. In fact, they have paid for themselves more than twice over in the first week!

I haven't tried doing any love work with them yet. I haven't had any signs -- dreams, casual omens, or psychic impressions -- to rule that out.

Further progress reports will be available here. Assuming these gentlemen don't declare things to be secret or something.

Clicking on the picture will take you to my flickr.com account, where you can see a back view. Do look at it, for these boys were originally one piece of rock.

Jesus and John ... no, not that John

2007-07-23T19:12:00.000-07:00

Last week, in circumstances that have nothing to do with conjure at all, I met a wonderful, powerful woman who turned me on to the Friends of Negro Spirituals. She also alerted me to an upcoming event, their Fourth Annual Negro Spirituals Heritage Day, an awards ceremony. The speechifying was brief, informative, and to the point. The atmosphere was respectful, courteous, and friendly; not only to me, but to each other.
But here is where Jesus and I inch a little closer together:

Anthony Jerome Smith, baritone and composer, sang three spirituals, including one that was new to me: “I Got a Home in That Rock.” The chorus runs:

You got a home in that rock, don’t you see?
You got a home in that rock, don’t you see?
Between the Earth and sky
I heard my Savior cry,
“You got a home in that rock, don’t you see?”

That’s about as universalist as you’re going to get.

Pretty as that was, I was going to let that roll off my back, until Diane Ferlatte got up to tell a story. Her subject was the mysterious High John the Conqueror, and how he brought the gift of hope where there is no hope. His sign, indeed, is laughter, just as Zora Neale Hurston says. As Ms. Ferlatte told it, he fell on the slaves like the Holy Spirit and took them off on a tour of the cosmos which included a stop at hell – “just for a minute!” – and a visit to heaven itself. The voice of the slave master shook them out of this vision, but they were left with gifts of song and laughter that were not dependent on outside events, but could be called up whenever they were most needed.

As soon as I heard that, I realized: High John and Jesus are cousins!

I offered this insight to several people there, and they didn’t quite get it – but neither did they contradict me. In fact, one gentleman told me, “Well, we each have to approach these things in our own way.”

Psalms and honey

2007-06-28T19:10:00.000-07:00

Here's a cute little candle spell that you can use if you want to be thought well of at work.

Write out your intentions on a piece of paper. Make sure to include both your boss's name and your own. Place a few of the appropriate herbs on the paper – patchouli is good, so is gravel root – and wrap them up, folding the paper toward you.

Empty and wash out a baby food jar.

Place the paper in the jar with, perhaps, a John the Conquer root or a piece of Master Root, and fill the jar with honey. Screw the lid closed.

Now, this jar will serve as the candleholder for the candle spell you're going to do to complete this process (and now you know why I specified a baby food jar; they have nice, fireproof metal lids!). Light a candle every day and let it burn while you read Psalm 34. After reading the Psalm, state your desires out loud, for instance: "[Boss's name], you see nothing of me except what you would approve; you know nothing of me except what you would approve; you remember nothing of me except what you would approve; and that is what you will write on my evaluation."

Light the candle, read the Psalm, and state your desires every day for a month before your employee evaluation, especially if the last one was bad. After you have achieved the desired result, do the candle-and-Psalm thing once a week to keep it humming along nicely.

Lord Buckley vs. St. John of the Cross

2007-05-28T23:21:00.000-07:00

Well, some good idea-candy today. I've been reading about the sins of mysticism tonight, and I see this:

Purgation is the cleansing stage which begins with self-examination and penitence and leads to a holy life. Sixteenth-century monk, St. John of the Cross, is best known for his description of this stage which he called the “dark night of the soul.” During the dark night the soul of an individual feels abandoned by God, spiritually dry and at the point of despair. John saw this as a way in which God purified the soul by suffering, for only when the soul has been purified is it in a position to experience a rapturous union with God. This purgation involved detachment from the things of the world including material and physical desires; and mortification, the building of new paths to replace the old ones now rejected.

But I wonder. Watch this clip of my favorite preacher, Lord Buckley, and see if you don't catch him describing the love of God overtaking someone right in the middle of a sinful act.

A spot of pronoia

2007-05-28T00:38:00.000-07:00

So I was thinking about the alleged extinction of the honeybee today -- a topic that's been frightening me for weeks now -- and somehow or other, my mind wandered onto the topic of Al Gore -- you know, the man who lost the last presidential election.

Do you remember (those of you who didn't vote for George Bush) how crushed you felt when the wrong party won? Do you remember how permanently lost it all seemed? I am far from a political expert, so I will simply gloss over the slow-motion train wreck of the past four years, and remind you of this:

Al Gore went on to accomplish something else he has been trying to do for the past 30 years: revolutionize the political will on the subject of global warming. I wouldn't be surprised if he has already accomplished much more out of the White House that he ever could in it. This is just the latest example of the principle: sometimes the Universe knows better than you do.

Working the practical side: a place to research

2007-05-19T12:09:00.000-07:00

Here's a little post to help you work the practical side.

I'm in the midst of starting a (not-conjure) business, thanks to Women's Initiative for Self-Employment, as described before. A classmate of mine, Dream Doula, turned me on to a website that is a mine of information:

"City-Data.com"

There you can find out all kinds of surprising things about any town you might want to work in: where are the richest neighborhoods? How many gay households are in your town? How much money does city government spend on services? How clean is the air? What is the racial makeup? Is the economy growing or shrinking, and why?

You can advertise your business, too.

My Own Particular Strait and Narrow Path, Part 6 of 2

2007-05-13T15:29:00.000-07:00

My apologies for the long delay between the last post and this one.

I've had my plate full – and happily so – with a little thing called the Women's Initiative for Self-Employment. Long story short, I'm building myself another day job. Anyhow, nothing more now about my own attempts at Coincidence Management ™; here's another entry in the "Narrow Path" series.

A French poet, Arthur Rimbaud, once wrote: "Oh, will you not give me, who has suffered so much, the life of adventure found in children's books?"

How many of us get into magic or other spiritual quests for this reason? And is there, or is there not, an element of guilt in it? Is there nothing more in it than escapism? (Why the hell did T. H. Lawrence do it?)

Are our poets at fault? Was Plato right to warn against poetry? (But he advocated geometry, the measurement of the world, instead. I think I've got hold of the wrong dichotomy here.)

I have discussed before the Declaration of War against Exploiters of Lakota Spirituality, and Eoghan Ballard's cogent exposition of the imperialism that underlies white middle-class America's embrace of ... well, spiritual gaudiness generally.

But is there a way to do all this innocently – without running roughshod over other people's spiritual treasures?

How did the Cao Dai Church do it in Vietnam? (If you click on the link provided, the first picture above the cut is of an edifice that reminds me, just a little bit, of the Missionary-Independent Spiritualist Church I visited yesterday. You can't google it yet, but it exists due to the hard work and conviction of my main mentor, Catherine Yronwode.)

Anyhow, check out the Wikipedia link to the PBS story about Cao Dai, which is as deliberately syncretistic as Unitarian Universalism now is. After the communist takeover of North Vietnam, séances were forbidden to the hierarchy; now, this was a central practice of the Church. However, a Vietnamese-American author describes the current situation this way: "We don't see the necessity to have a séance anymore because we have direct from the Supreme Being to people by returning inside to our heart to see the Supreme Being in there, to see God in there."

I see a comparison to the Roman destruction of the second Temple at Jerusalem in 70 CE; just as that resulted in the development of rabbinic Judaism and the relocation of spiritual activity to the synagogues of the world, the shutdown of centralized spiritual communication via the Cao Dai hierarchy spreads, rather than dissipates, spiritual power. I mean to say that spiritual power is democratized rather than dissipated!

Hasn't the same thing happened in the African-American Diaspora? Isn't hoodoo, conjure, the Pentecostal movement, the Holiness movement – in which the manifestation of the holy spirit bears noticeable similarities to the highly prized spirit possession of African religions – and the black church – isn't it all the American Cao Dai?

Another question suggests itself: why have not those people subject to religious imperialism contented themselves with be mild and tepid religious observances of the West? Why have they developed nothing similar? (And no fair comparing Buddhist monasteries to the bland tedium of a second-rate Protestant sermon; there is no comparison with an intense bout of, say, Vipassana meditation.) Let us not underestimate the value of amazement and splendor in spiritual life.

But this still leaves unanswered the question of spiritual imperialism. I'm not callous enough to say that there is no such thing; but the white folks' story is much more complicated than some conjures or medicine people are prepared to believe. I think the next thing to investigate is something I've only heard of, but have not yet been convinced of: "bourgeois emptiness;" the so-called "hunger for meaning." Maybe I'm not as high on Maslow's ladder I thought I was. Or maybe it's just my conviction that I already have so many of the things money can't buy.

slowly getting back in gear

2007-02-28T18:54:00.000-08:00

Like most conjures, I also work a day job. It's not a very nice day job, and neither is the paycheck.

Anyhow, I'm in the process of fixing all that. Part, but not all, of that process is about moving "Sparks From the Crucible" over here to blogger.com. It'll take a while.

More later about what else I'm doing for myself in the way of Coincidence Management™.