Spring Cleaning-Hoodoo Style

I love spring! the energy is immense, powerful, flowing, ebbing, growing, changing, fresh and abundant! If you want to attack a new endeavor, spring is the time! But to prepare for all those new ideas and to make room for growth...we need to clean house...seriously.
Spiritually and physically cleaning a house should not be exclusive from each other but inclusive. After all, we pagans believe in many realms and many forces and when we utilize all of them in balance and harmony we can create positive and destroy negative. Life is all about creating, balancing, and controlling forces. This balance and and respect is what sets us apart from others.
I like to start with dusting, refreshing, decorating, and cleaning my altars. My Ogun altar is featured in this post. His cauldron got a good rub down with a cotton cloth, the old 7 African Powers oil was wiped out and his coins were cleaned. Unexpectedly, there is a lovely green ring on all of his coins. Not sure why this would happen as his pot is filled with iron and silver not copper? It was a beautiful gesture and a little secret to let me know he is there.
His obsidian arrowhead got a good shine (not that it needs it!) his railroad spikes got a good rub and distribution of oil. His roots and nuts got replaced (new palo santa, ginseng, nutmegs, galangal slice, and high john) and I gave him a new piece of specular hematite, bloodstone, malachite, and tiger iron. A new batch of Ogun oil whipped up to fill his bottle (yes, he has his OWN bottle) He's happy.
His prayer candle was rubbed down with oil and a new, alchemical prosperity candle inserted. A lovely seller on etsy, BovedaBeads.etsy.com, sent me a beautiful holy card for him (which is funny because I had JUST sent a holy card of him to a customer for her Ogun altar!)
Once cleaned he was put back behind the front door, where an Ogun altar should be, his corner dusted and him feeling so fresh and so clean-clean.
On to the house. A good sweep from front to back (to draw in good luck) and flush the dirt (to throw it out it to throw out good luck). A wash with 4 Thieves vineegar to combat negativity and dissinfect-walls then floors. Next a floor sweep with lavender, high john, sage, and rose. To bring friendship, love, success, and harmony.
Light incense outside to carry blessings through out the community, and meditate on what I want for my family and neighbors, what I want for this city.
Hang out diapers to dry in that first warmed ( I say warmed because it's in the 40's) spring air, beat the rugs, wash the windows...now onto a regluar day of readings, potions, and notions. Ah, the blessed life of a a full-time witch!

Photos for Missy

www.mazawi.com

Our good friend Missy has been diagnosed with a rare (1 in 200,000 adults) auto-immune blood disease, Langerhans Histiocytosis.She has been referred to the mayo clinic, but needs $5000 up front. Missy needs help.

If you could please take a moment to purchase some her phenomenal photography, make a donation, and most importantly, share her website on your social networks, it would be greatly appreciated.

Missy must reach her $5000 goal before March 15th. If you've ever needed a hand, please check out her site and share her link.

Love,
Sarah

"They're not a REAL witch"

Have you ever heard anyone say this?
I've been hearing it a lot lately, too much in fact. I hear it at conventions, I read it in blogs, status updates, and
it makes me feel embarrassed of my fellow pagans. Isn't it
nice to know that your fellow pagans are out there judging
you, just like everyone else does?
One of the beautiful things about paganism, and one of it's facets that attract many people who were previously
Christian, is the fact we don't have an almighty power
judging us from above. No one telling us what we can and can not do, and who we are and are not supposed to be. So why is
it, so many other pagans take it upon themselves to fill
this position, when it's exactly what they are/were escaping
to begin with?
I can't answer this question because I have no idea what makes another person judge one of their own. I have never in
my life uttered the phrase "they're not a REAL witch"because how the hell would I know if someone is a real witch or not? I don't know every pagan or witch in the world, and
I find that people who do say things like this, are speaking about a person they have never even met! So what are they
basing this on then?
I've done my fair share of workshops, retreats, and conventions, and I do run across young people who are just beginning to discover their spirituality. Hell, I was one of
those teenagers, and I was even raised pagan! We all go through that corny, awkward, witch phase, and it's okay because this path is about self discovery and self
expression. Their rebellion, attitudes, and innocence make
me smile, are they "REAL witches"? Maybe they are, maybe
they aren't, maybe they are the most powerful, devoted witch you will ever see, they just don't know it yet. Will you be the one standing and judging whether or not they are "real"
or will you go introduce yourself and see what you can learn
and/or teach?
Another venue I hear this in is in classes, workshops, or
stores that are geared towards pagans/witches. You have the
people who insist their ideas are being stolen and their
work copied by people who aren't even "real witches". Get over yourself. Witchcraft has been around thousands of years, sorry to tell you, but you're not the first to do
anything. Who's to say that two people didn't come up with
the same idea at the same time? Or maybe one had it first
but didn't use it in a class or a design right away. My
point is, you can't possibly know. There is room for all of us here. How would you feel if someone was talking or writing about you saying you are not "real" when they've
never even met you? Or that you stole their witchy idea,
even though you've been teaching that way or making that
item for a decade. It's not right to treat others like this, no matter what belief system you are. By doing this, you're only hurting your own connections, business, spirituality, and relationships. Be descent and treat others how you would like to be treated, all religions agree
on that, so why can't witches?