A simple "go away happy" spell

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

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.

More free readings

Well, I had a good time at Cafe Sorriso this weekend (see previous entry for location, hours etc). Saturday afternoon, I read for the owner, his mother, and a young lady who worked there. I spoke to the owner about some basic guerilla marketing and to the young lady about being in charge of her own spirituality.

The next day I read for the young lady again -- I'd left a couple of questions unanswered -- and for another lady who turned out to be the new owner of Cafe Sorriso.

But the place was quiet -- too quiet. So if you're in San Leandro next weekend, drop by. I'll be there Saturday and Sunday mornings, from 10 am to about noon.

Want a free reading? Read on

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!

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

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?

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.