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.