Sors Istennok; "The Destiny Goddesses"

Working with the fates is not about working with yet another deity, it is about honoring the biggest power of all- the cosmos, the universe. For me, magick is all about tempting the Fates into smiling upon you which blesses you with fortune. It is about accepting the cosmos' ebb and flow around you, seeing their is meaning in everything and that we are connected to everything-everything is magick. They teach us we must give to receive, we must be compassionate to be understood, and must see ourselves in others. Honor them and they will bestow fortune and grace upon you.

A prayer to Sors Istennok-
O holy and most praiseworthy ones, Faith, Hope and Charity, and wise mother Sophia of these glorious daughters: to you do we now hasten in heartfelt prayer, for what better representation can we have than faith, hope and charity, the three cornerstone virtues, which, bearing their names, ye embodied in fact. We entreat you to shield us, save us and keep us in every sorrow and trouble, because you are good and loveth humankind. We pray that your Mother Sophia's glory, like a sun that never setteth, be with us in our humble prayers; may the Godhead forgive our sins (mistakes) and iniquities (transgressions), and have mercy on us who are forgetful of our Being-ness. Pray indeed for us, ye holy daughters, also unto our Lord Jesus Christ the Son of Man, and the Holy Bride Magdalene, to whom we practice to be present with, together with his Father and Mother, the All-holy, and Good, and Life-creating Sophia, who are from the Everlasting. We join our energy and our consciousness to the Everlasting the combined Godhead, merging with their presence now and ever, and unto ages of ages.

A prayer to Goddess Sophia/Isis/Inanna;
Praise you, Mother Sophia;
Praise you, Great Goddess –

Hail to you Aset, Holy Virgin, Mother of God;
You who birth souls to the Infinite and Eternal,
Whose grace is the Light of the Day of Be-With-Us!

Yea though I walk in the day of your mourning,
Yet with your Forethought I behold your joy,
And with your Afterthought I gaze into your heart –
The perfection of Light and Love, Life and Liberty!

Placing lotus blossoms upon your alter, and making offerings of incense and lights;
Envisioning the offering of everything good, in the heavens and on earth,
I worship in your Light-presence and call forth your Light-power,
Send the Opener of the Way before me,
Let the Spiritual Sun shine from within me:
O Mother, give birth to your Holy Child –
Empower me to go forth in the Divine Light!

There is Light and there is Fire, and your Great Spirit passing through;
One Aeon dissolves and another arises, but all is in you as in a Holy Womb –
You, the Portal of All-Worlds; You the Life of All-Worlds: You giving birth!

I pray, Holy Mother, that you might part your veil, that I might see you in all your forms,
And perchance glimpse into the In-between to behold your True Essence;
Such is my prayer, such my inmost heart's desire,
To know you and to love you,
To be at-one with you!

Ave Sophia!

Sacred Egyptian Kyphi-week 3

Today, the golden currants which had been soaked in spiced red wine, cardamom pods, juniper berries, and cinnamon sticks were combined with their dry ingredients to form the traditional pellets of the kyphi. This is a labor of love and the most tedious part, up until now it's just a lot of waiting till the currants are just right.

The dry ingredients consists of calamus root, galangal root, spikenard root, rose petals, and juniper berries. The powdered part consists of cardamom, cinnamon, orris root, benzoin, frankincense, myrrh, coriander, gum mastic, and yellow sandalwood. Isis, Inanna, and Ma'at were invoked to bless this incense and the homes it is offered in. The currants are mixed with honey (orange blossom in this case) the course dry mixture is added, then the powdered. The pellets are formed by hand and then rolled in the powdered mixture again. These will dry over several days and will then be ready to sell at www.ConjuredCardea.etsy.com! Pictured were taken previous to the final powder bath.

The Magick of Hedge Apples (Osage Oranges)

I have been intrigued by these since I was child. My mother and I would frequently go for rides in the car in the country, it was beautiful and cheap entertainment;) We used to drive down a hilly road that had an Osage tree hanging over it. In the fall, we would stop and pick up a basket full to decorate the house with. My mother taught me that not only were they good for keeping pests out of your home but also good for keeping other nasty things away, like tricky spirits. We would set them in bowls or pin a ribbon to them, like a pomander, and suspend them around the home, particularly from the trees and by windows. They have been used in homes for centuries to keep cockroaches, boxelder bugs, spiders, and crickets away and, perhaps, other pests as well;)

Very little is known, magickally about this strange fruit, but I love finding them and having their protective energy around. They are becoming increasingly rare due to the invention of barbed wire. It was once widely planted for it's long thorns-trimmed into a hedge, this created an impenetrable fence to contain livestock.

Osage oranges possess masculine energy and are associated with the elements of Spirit, Earth, and Fire. Named after the Osage tribe of the Great Plains region who used it's very hard, rot-resistant, non-shrinking wood for their bows. It is highly desirable and suitable for magickal tools as well. These fruits are famous for their associations with astral travel, and it's ability to attract spirit guides and animal guides. The fruit also aids with achieving goals and expressing passions, bringing your true purpose and abilities to light.

the beginning of my kyphi (kapet) process...

The favorite scent of Egyptians was Kyphi. On a daily basis, the ritualized burning of incense in ancient Egypt consisted of frankincense in the morning, myrrh during the day, and Kapet (Kyphi from the Greek translation) in the evening.

According to Egyptologists, Kyphi played an important role as a sacred fragrance in many ceremonies. It was also believed Kyphi could revive the dead and was placed in tombs of kings to enjoy in the afterlife. It was highly prized, had many expensive ingredients, and required a lengthy and specialized process to create it.

This is the beginning of the process, the way it was passed down to me. I don't know if I'll document the entire process, as it is sacred to my family. I have begun by using golden currents,

a spiced red wine, cardamom, both ground and whole, cinnamon, both ground and whole, and juniper berries. 11 other ingredients will be added along the process which takes 30 days. Many recipes claim you can create this overnight...you can't. I highly enjoy this process, it is meditative and strengthens my connection to me deities. I hope you enjoy the process and the finished sacred incense that will be available for purchase at my shop www.ConjuredCardea.etsy.com

10-10-10 Coven Oya Ritual

Pokeweed, one of my favorite autumn plants

Also known as pokeberry, cancer-root, inkberry, american nightshade, false nightshade,crowberry, poke root, polk root, virginia poke, cocan, coakum.

Pokeweed is edible and medicinal, when cooked. It has a long history of use by Native Americans as a medicine for colds, a dye for leather, and used as a food source. The young shoots are boiled in two changes of water and taste similar to asparagus, berries are cooked and the resulting liquid used to color canned fruits and vegetables. The root is alterative, anodyne, antiinflammatory, cathartic, expectorant, hypnotic, narcotic and purgative. It is used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, tonsillitis, mumps, glandular fever and other complaints involving swollen glands, chronic catarrh, bronchitis and diseases related to a compromised immune system it has potential as an HIV treatment drug.

Magickally, pokeweed is a masculine plant, it's element is fire, and planet is mars or mercury. It is an intense protection and hex-breaking herb. It also promotes courage and strength, and development of self and enhances magick. It even has a reputation for aiding creating hexes as well. With it's defensive qualities, it will protect and defend you while you create your working.It's berries have long been used as an ink and make a wonderful magickal ink for writing in special books or inscribing sacred items and tools.

I became enthralled with this plant when I began my 7 years of work on Hood's flower farm. It grew along the flower fields and thought it's contrasting pink stems, green leaves, and deep purple berries were beautiful. I also felt attracted to it magickally and spiritually, maybe because I'm a fire or because I'm always attracted to the toxic plants;) This native herb is one of my allies and I have gained so much from it's protection and magick. I now grow it in my garden, eve though here, it is a common nuisance weed. Make a tincture with this herb and asperge your home with it to protect it from negativity. You can do this by filling a jar with the leaves and pouring vodka over it, letting it set for a few weeks, shaking it daily. You can also dry the leaves and add them to charm bags, mojos or sprinkle around the perimeter of your property. The root takes a while to dry as it is very fleshy, you can speed this by putting it in the oven at 150 degrees for a couple of hours. It makes a very potent protection talisman.

I often cut it just to put in vases, then dry the parts after. Don't place a vase of this on a light colored, or good table cloth, the berries WILL drop and stain:/

This herb is toxic and the berries will stain.

La Sal Negro...A Family Tradition

These pictures show my family's process of creating the salt. I start with a cast iron pan, consecrated only for creating this salt. It is cleansed with vinegar and oil, sage is then burned inside. Ashes from benzoin, copal, dragon's blood, myrrh, aloeswood, and frankincense resins (all have exorcising properties) are added to the pan along with the ash from the sage. Consecrated salt is then added and the pan is scraped repeatedly in order to combine the ingredients with iron filings from the pan-THIS is true sal negro!

Black salt prevents and repels negative magick. This salt can lessen the severity of most jinxes, hexes, curses, or hants. Place this around your property to prevent those who wish to harm or steal from passing over. Place in an enemy's footstep to prevent them from returning. I find the best way to use this is as preventative magick; before any working place a circle of this around so unwanted forces can not disturb your working.

For sale at ConjuredCardea.etsy.com

Oya's Altar

Autumn is Oya's season and with each day growing crisp and cool it is obvious that She is here. The leaves become the 9 colors of her skirt, the cool winds blow in the change of season and blows out stagnation. She brings us cool change but warms our hearts in order to be open and accepting to that change.

Change is inevitable-ignore her and it will be fierce and abrupt, honor her and it will be slight and with ease .

Oya's altar is decorated with 2 images of her, 2 rainbow candles, a small Kali statue (her hindu aspect) a large, sliced eggplant, a whole coconut (used as the mouth of Oya) drained of milk, plum grapes, fresh patchouli from my garden, red and purple skull candles, the largest osha, high john, dixie john, galangal, and orris roots I could grow;), horse teeth and bones, earth from Ethiopia, she butter (her favorite!) 9 pennies, copper pieces, garnets (another favorite) red tiger eye, and rainbow coloured stones-chalcopyrite, opal, pietersite-all of which come from Africa. Ashe!

Recommended Readings...

Recently, I've been contacted by quite a few people through Etsy wanting book recommendations. Many of these books are on my required reading list for my coven, and they have all spurred spiritual growth within myself.

Diane Stein-Guide to Goddess craft

Luisah Teish-Jambalaya

Luisah Teish-Carnival of the Spirit

Luisah teish- Jump Up

Sharron Rose-The Path of the Priestess

Susan Weed-The "Healing Wise" series

Szuzannah Budapest-Summoning the Fates

Szusannah Budapest-The Holy Book of Women's Mysteries 1 & 2 Starhawk-Spiral Dance

Stephanie Rose Bird-Four Seasons of Mojo

Stephanie Rose Bird-Sticks, Stones, Roots, and Bones

Milo Riguad-Secrets of Voodoo

Shekinah Mountainwater-Ariadne's Thread

Judith Gleason-Oya, In Praise of the Goddess

Anita Diamont-The Red Tent

Clysta Kinstler-The Moon Under her feet

Lady sabrina-Secrets of Modern witchcraft Revealed

of course, more will follow;)

The History of Red Brick Dust and "Reddening"

Red brick dust got it's beginning and associated power in an abandoned brick yard on Dumaine Street in New Orleans. This was common place for Voodou Queens to gather and hold ritual. Repeated police raids on the brickyard drove the practitioners to Bayou St.John and Lake Pontchartrain. It has been used by hoodoos for centuries to scrub their front steps in order to ward off curses, evil, and bad juju. Adding the dust to chamber lye (urine), ammonia, or vinegar is called "reddening" and used along with blueing, produces a very powerful effect with cleansing and protecting a home. I sell two such products below. Moma Sarah's Bluing and Red Brick Dust. To lay red brick dust around your home will keep those who wish to steal, or do any other harm from crossing, onto your property. Allegedly, evil can not step over the line of dust. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, get up before dawn without speaking to anyone and wash your doorstep with your own urine and water. When it dries, sprinkle this dust across the doorstep. To make the wash stronger, write the Name of the Captain of Police on paper, burn the Name-Paper to ashes, and add the ashes to your scrub water. For a money drawing dust, mix Red Brick Dust with cinnamon powder and brown sugar with water and scrub your doorstep inward for quick and continuous cash flow. This dust was made by myself with the help of my husband and daughter...who could not resist the fun of smashing it up! The road we live on was originally brick, some of the bricks were taken up and pavement laid. We have some of the bricks, printed nearly 100 years ago with the name of the company and city on them. They are real bricks, not concrete one's that are made now days. The dust has a lovely feel, weight, authenticity, and energy. The brick was ground in a counter-clockwise manner, to banish negativity, under the guise of the warriors Ogun and Ochossi for extra protection. This stuff works really well! I have used it to protect my home for years and it is hard to find authentic stuff that is affordable. Very versatile and unusual hoodoo ingredient.

This year's garden

sedum, belladonna, campanula, lysimachia, patchouli, voodoo lily, native nightshade, coltsfoot, and pokeberry.

Dittany of Crete-The Glamoury Herb

This unusual, whimsical, and rich-looking herb is an old European love and glamoury charm. Although it appears in many recipes for potions and spells, it is actually quite costly and difficult to find, because it grows wild only on the remote Aegean island of Crete. Of course, now you can buy it an any up-scale nursery or on-line shop catering to exotic plants. www.Richters.com carries it. It is in the mint family and is a relative of oregano, but its magical uses differ greatly from theirs, as they plants of protection and prosperity, and this is a true plant of manifesting love and goals. When used as a culinary herb, it is said that when fed to the one you love, it will help cause passionate desire to develop. Burned on charcoal with benzoin, myrrh, sandalwood, or dragon's blood it is said to aid in the generation of trances and visions in which you may divine your future mate. I use Dittany of Crete in all of my glamoury recipes-incense, oils, and candles, and it has proven to be the best herb at manifesting one's desires and changing how you feel about yourself and your life. use this herb in any ritual to honour the Fates and tempt them into smiling upon you. This picture is taken from my very own plant, and isn't she is lovely!

My Apothecary

I was blessed to find this lovely Hoosier cabinet at a friend's store that serves perfectly as my apothecary for the creation of my wares I sell at ConjuredCardea.etsy.com. It has the original flour/grain storage, pull out enamel top, dry bins, cutting board and drawers. The enamel top is perfect for my oils, as they can be wiped up instead of soaking into the wood. I could take out the old fixtures for more room, like the flour mill, but I don't want to disrespect or ruin the integrity of the piece. It's in great shape despite a little water damage and some replaced hinges. I have absolutely fallen in love with it. I can now work in my dining room and watch my kids in the living room or see them out in the backyard AND, most importantly, I am ORGANIZED! Everything I need to create my concoctions and potions is right at my finger tips! I can finally enjoy seeing my vintage bottles I've collected over the years, instead of hiding them away behind a wooden cabinet door. They are now proudly displayed and being used to hold herbs, resins, and roots, just as they were created to.
I am a firm believer that homes have their own entities and this has moved right in and become a part of us and our home. Now, I just have to find a name for her...

High John, Southern John, and Little John-Which John is Which?

I am often shocked that many hoodoos and witches out there still don't get these right! I know, the information is confusing, but these are 3 separate roots, with VERY different purposes. We should all know exactly what we're dealing, from a magickal, medical, and consumer standpoint. I am also listing pictures in the order described so now you will know which John is which.

High John or John the Conqueror-Ipomoea jalapa is this plant's scientific name. The MOST popular root in hoodoo and magick! Any working for success, luck, prosperity, manifestation, drawing, attraction, power, or gambling will call for this root. It can be added to any spell for extra power and can be identified by it's "liquid smoke" type scent and dark brown colour.
John's story-
John the Conqueror was an African prince who was sold as a slave in the Americas. Despite his enslavement, his spirit was never broken and he survived in folklore as a trickster figure, because of the tricks he played to evade his masters.
In one traditional John the Conqueror story, John falls in love with the Devil's daughter. The Devil sets John a number of impossible tasks: he must clear sixty acres of land in half a day, and then sow and reap the 60 acres with corn in the last half of the day. The Devil's daughter furnishes John with a magical axe and plow to use for these impossible tasks, but warns John that her father means to kill him even if he performs them. John and the Devil's daughter steal the Devil's own horses; the Devil pursues them, but they escape his clutches by shape-shifting.

He was NOT the white washed "King" you see below sold on candles, soaps, incenses and oils. These products are completely void of history nor do they contain any actual High John root. They are a mockery of High John's name, history and culture and a mockery of those of use who work hard to provide authentic conjure items.

In "High John De Conquer", Zora Neale Hurston reports that:
like King Arthur of England, he has served his people. And, like King Arthur, he is not dead. He waits to return when his people shall call him again. . . High John de Conquer went back to Africa, but he left his power here, and placed his American dwelling in the root of a certain plant. Only possess that root, and he can be summoned at any time.

Now onto Southern John, Dixie John, Low John, Beth Root, or Birth Root. These are the names of the root of the common Trillium Grandiflorum which is a native woodland plant here in Michigan. It is considered an endangered species and is illegal to harvest. I have several plants from my mother and each year I harvest 2-4 from my own patch to use the roots. They are becoming very difficult to find due to their endangerment and they are often mislabeled in botanicas which are selling galangal roots instead of true southern john's. Southern john's can be identified by their hairs (rootlets) and segmented body.

These spring-flowering members of the lily family have long been used medicinally, and among Euro-American herbalists, low john is sold medicinally under the name birth root or beth root and used as an aid in childbirth and with menstrual cramps.

This root is also used for luck, love, sex, and family. Carry a whole root for luck. To draw love, make a tea from it and drink it nightly while burning incense mixed with the root “hairs" the fibrous rootlets extending from the larger body of the root. For marriage, carry Southern John in a red bag with violet leaves, lodestone, and iron filings, dressed with attraction oil.

For a better sex life, tie low john in a muslin or cheesecloth bag and launder it with your bed clothes, underwear or lingerie. To break up an affair troubling your marriage, mix the root with the hair or nail parings of you and your spouse and burn them to ashes. Use the ashes to mark the corners and center of your bedroom and bed, praying the 91st Psalm for the intruder to go away.


Little John, Courtcase root, Chewing John, or galangal. This is Alpina galanga, and it is a member of the ginger family. It is most often confused with Low John, Dixie John, Beth root, or Southern John. Galangal Root is used for its Psychic ability, luck, money, courage, strength, protection, sex magick and for avoiding legal problems.

Worn or carried, it protects and draws good luck. Place it in a leather mojo bag with silver, to draw money. Galangal is burned to break spells and curses. It is also carried or sprinkled around the home to promote lust. Worn as a talisman, galangal aids psychic development and guards the wearer's health.

In Western Europe in the Middle Ages, the root was considered an aphrodisiac and is used in perfumes in India. In Hoodoo, it is often combined with grains of Paradise to make protective wash. You can also make this magick herb into an incense by combining it 2:1 with white sandalwood.

In African-American hoodoo practice, its pleasant gingery taste is part of its charm and, unlike High John and Low John, Chewing John is actually chewed and the juice swallowed. A typical spell prescribes its use in court case magic: Chew the root, swallow the juice and discretely spit the "cud" onto the courtroom floor before the judge walks in; he will decide the case in your favour. This root is almost always sold in slices, and can be identified by it's orange colour and ginger root-like form.


So now you know-use the right root for your workings and don't be fooled any longer;)