Disservices of Big-Box Botanicas

as i have mentioned on my page here, i am going to list a few Master Key Crucifix candles. Here is why;

a HUGE joy for me with my shop is explaining the history, culture, and use of items in magcikal practices around the world. this provides accurate information for us to add to your own magickal repatoire and also expands our knowledge of history, culuture and others' practices.

i went to purchase one of these candles for my own personal use, as i have been hording my last one for 10 years because it was the last of a batch i bought from a root shack that was going out of business. i didn't know if i'd find anymore again and honestly, the energy from that candle was so powerful it didnt even need to be lit- damn! any good worker i have known uses these candles to perform workings and to recommend to clinets for personal use. it is the most powerful candle in my opinion.

so, i started searching for one of these candles only to find that EVERY site that listed it didn't even know what the hell it was! the site said it was a "cross candle with celtic and floral motiffs"....what?! these candles are NOT Celtic and NOT floral! They show several powerful conjure symbols;

1) the flaming cross or crucifix

2) the bible in the center

3) two arms and hands reaching out from the bible along the sides of the cross

4) 2 keys coming down from the bible

does it sound like there are any fowers or knots here???

now don' t get me wrong these candles aren't made like they used to be. they used to be solid colour so the details were more visable from the mold. now, unfortunately, they are all dipped in colour which glazes over the details, blurring them making them difficult to dicipher if you don't know what they are to begin with.

i was, and am, offended on many levels. i was offended that they are basically lieing to customers, they have put no effort into researching the items, and they care nothing of it's history, power, or symbolism. they ordered a big box of them, made up a description, marked up the price,listed them, and are collecting the money. in my oinion- don't sell shit you don't know about. THAT is some bad juju.

each of these candles, no matter the colour, is created for conjure work. though the colour is taken into account of course; white for exorcism, black for enhancing conjure work or protection, red for love, green for prosperity, brown for courtcases, orange for chnage and opportunity, pink for romance or relationships, and yellow for devotion.

the flaming cross represents the crucifixion of Jesus. the keys represent opening and closing, initiation, knowledge, mystery, and curiosity-1 to open a door and 1 to close another. the hands outstretched are the hands of God, comforting you, directing you and opening your paths. the bible in the center, obviously another symbol of Hoodoo's Christian roots and the power, knowledge, answers, and wisdom of the holy book. these candles are the stongest you can get for conjure work and truly encompass and master the energies you are working with.

nope, no Celtic knots or flowers here;)

please, know who you are buying from and do all the research you can before investing in spiritual items.

"Workin" My Famous Attraction Powder

For a limited time each year i include a packet of my Attraction Powder with each order from my shop Conjured Cardea in order to share the blessings and opportunity that have been bestowed upon me. the following is my interpretation of how and why this practice works.

We can manifest our goals and dreams. We can attract luck and blessings. Working yourself to death trying to keep the negative away is actuallyl FOCUSING on the negativity, which is the opposite of what you want, right? The idea is to attract positivity by projecting and visualizing our goals and needs being achieved-think only positive. By complaining about all that is wrong in our lives or worrying about the next thing to come, we are only manifesting those things, giving them power and momentum. Words are merely sounds, which are vibrations. They are physical energy that we send out when we speak. So when you say "i'm ugly" , "i'll never get this job", "i can't do this"-then you are right, and you have already failed. Our thoughts are even more powerful. When we have a thought we involuntarily see images in our minds, even if you are focusing on getting rid of something or fear something, you are still focusing on it, seeing it, manifesting it. That energy is sent throughout our bodies, into our impressionable cells, into other people- into the world.

Imagine what your negative words and thoughts are doing to you and others. It is extremely difficult to just stop worrying or to stop expecting the worst, but instead of thinking about what could happen or what you are expecting, think about the opposite of that. If you are worried about a bill coming and how much it will be, visualize the amount of that bill being low or visulaize the money in your pocket or bank to pay it. This is where grounding and meditation practice comes in. We are made up of atoms, minerals, and elements, just like everything else in the universe. We are connected to the universe, we are divine, and we CAN control our lives. You can control your future by utilizing this law. What you send out is what you get back. Like attracts like.

A big key to this is letting go the past. You cannot change it and it is not who you are in this moment, so leave it alone. Sure, your past is part of you but you are not your past. you have taken steps away from it, to change yourself. Going back to re-visit it with your thoughts only re-creates it in the present, and the same things will happen over and over.ever wonder how people get in cycles where they make the same mistkes over and over? This is how.

This requires several steps, with idea that you will be creating a new habit, and change in your everyday life. This is the catalyst for attracting these positive avenues and opportunities. The idea is that the more time you spend and more physical acts you do during this, the more energy you have invested into your creation and your life. It’s like baking a cake; the more precise you are with the ingredients, measurements, and timing, the better the cake;)

the working;

Gather several magazines, catalogs, or newspapers. Cut 7-9 pictures out of these of the things you need or desire. Get a white candle you can burn for seven days, glass encased prayer candles that you buy from the grocer’s are good. You can find these in the “ethnic foods isle, they cost between $2-3. Create a space just for this candle and lay the pictures around it. Anoint your candle and the pictures with my Attraction Oil. You can also use it on doors and windows. Sprinkle my Attraction powder in each corner of your house, moving clockwise, and say "spirit of attraction, bring me what I desire", then name the things that are on the pictures cut out. Sprinkle some on your candle and say "as I feed you, you feed me". Do this ritual for seven days. Ask Lakshmi (or whatever force you believe in) that your needs and desires are met. Set a bowl in the place you have reserved for your candle and pictures and fill it with coins and cinnamon as an offering for Lakshmi (or offering appropriate for your deity) After the 7 days, continue to fill this bowl with your loose change. Once in a while, bury a coin outside in your garden or in a houseplant. Give the rest of the change to charity or to someone who needs it, and start to refill your bowl again, repeating the process.