Seekin' Ritual

The Geechee ceremony of "Seekin'" is defined by Gullah community leader Emory Campbell as "a traditional Gullah ritual to become a member of the church: to meditate for a period of time, which nightly dreams are recalled and told to a spiritual leader for interpretation, a sacred place in the forest is visited three times daily – for day, midday and evening in determining eligibility for Baptism and subsequently church membership."

Seekin' ritual is similar to coming-of-age ceremonies or transitional rites of passage in West and Central African secret societies, which were later adopted by the Gullah spiritual leaders and Church ministers and combined with Christianity.

Hoodoo tradition does not demand that all would-be practitioners must undergo this ceremony. Old and experienced rootworkers already explained that anyone who faithfully believes in Jesus and reads the Bible earns a proper place in Conjure and Rootwork; however, since the Gullah people were the ones who retained the practices of their West African ancestors, including this ceremony, which is now collectively known as African-American Hoodoo, then I believe there's nothing wrong if those who practice the said folk spirituality go through it as well.

The practice of Seekin' came from, as mentioned above, Central West Africa. The traditional African coming-of-age rituals have been seen as consisting of three main phases:

• Separation from the community - initiates are physically removed from the community and taken to the 'bush,' which is typically very distant from the village. During this time, initiates usually do soul searching and self-reflection.
• Transition period - initiates learn the skills necessary to participate in society as adults, often involving various tests and ordeals, many painful, such as circumcision and tattooing, while others are death-defying activities. A supreme trial culminates the rite.
• Reincorporation into society - initiates are reintegrated through public ceremonies and celebrations and reintroduced to the community as adults.

Other rituals incorporated in coming-of-age ceremonies varied from one ethnic group to another. Seekin' tradition, according to some historians, is actually derived from the initiatory rites of specific societies or organizations called Poro and Sande, introduced by Vai and Gola people (possible source for the name of the Gullah people) to some tribes such as Mende and Kpelle tribes (who were all at some point settled in Low Country region). Membership in such a fraternity or sorority is not just a custom but a necessity. This is where adolescents learn about their law, proper sexual conduct, agriculture, housekeeping, and the military.

On a deeper level, just as the bodies of the young initiates are growing and changing, their minds, hearts, and souls are also growing and evolving. A new level of the soul comes into awareness at this time. This is when moral awareness and sensitivity fully develop, enabling young people to take responsibility for their actions, marking the transition from childhood to adulthood, from innocence to maturity.

One's actions after reaching this stage of life are considered more significant for another reason: the customs and precepts are being observed and performed because he understands that he is bounded by sacred tradition passed down from generation to generation within his own society, is considered more significant than tradition observed by preference. This is because a person naturally dislikes fulfilling an obligation or requirement. Overcoming this aversion is a sign of maturity.

During the slavery era, many slaves were stripped of their native belief systems, such as the coming-of-age rites, and denied a free religious practice. Slaves managed to hang on to some traditions, especially those in plantation areas, where some organized underground churches and hidden spiritual assemblies, where slaves were unrestricted to integrate their traditional African beliefs into Christian worship and service.

Methodist denomination was primarily practiced during the 19th century in Low Country and Sea Islands. Black Methodist ministers who were taught to ask those who were being initiated into Christianity to 'seek Jesus' embraced the African transitional rites of passage and devised a unique interpretation of seeking Jesus, which most Black Baptists nowadays accepted as evidence of Christian conversion.

Seekin' ritual in Gullah tradition is also a three-step process:

• Become part of the congregation - seekers are urged to participate in Church services and shun all social or worldly pleasures.
• Communicate with ancestors and spirit guides - with the aid of the elder in the community or the chosen spiritual parent who is usually pointed out in a dream, seekers learn how to commune with their ancestors and spirit guides to ask for wisdom, guidance, and protection.
• Separation from the community - seekers are asked to fast and 'go into the wilderness' (graveyards, marshes, and cotton or cornfields), where visions and divine messages usually are perceived through spiritual travel.

Aside from those processes, initiation involves fasting and ordeals accompanied by the learning of dream lore, conjure, and remedies. According to American sociologist and folklorist Newbell Niles Puckett, one initiation procedure required that the seekers drink a pint of Whiskey mixed with rainwater-steeped bark gathered from two small saplings which rubbed together in the wind.

Customarily, during the initiatory rite, as one elder said: one needs to 'sacrifice.' To the Western ear, this sounds like a drastic action, but is there a reason for what the African ancestors did? And where did they find the strength to lay down their lives for their tradition?

Aside from the fact that this ceremony is believed among the Geechee folks as an act of maturation with the intention of the seeker becoming a vital part of the Black Christian community, the reason why other folks still practice it is to show their strong drive to find purpose in life and to make a difference. We see that a Gullah mother will send her beloved son off to the wilderness and sleep there at night - with the genuine risk of danger - because she believes in the moral purpose of the cause.

Elders advise the seekers to find a meaningful cause that they would forfeit their temporal life for it during the isolation period. Because if one does not know what he is willing to die for, then one has not begun to live. If one does not have meaning in his life, even with all the physical enjoyment, bliss, and pleasure, he will feel that something is missing.

This is the primary purpose of Seekin'. Because when one goes ahead and 'lives' for the cause he has found, it is with unparalleled power and pleasure.

So what are these causes?

The world takes for granted values - belief in Almighty God, respect for the elders and ancestors, unconditional love and humility, justice for all, equality, coexistence, the preciousness of life, etc. So though Africans were seized, enslaved, oppressed, persecuted, and beaten, in the process, they had to proclaim their 'faith' and 'hope' in God's providence. This is an enormous impact, and they accomplished it under the most adverse conditions.

Adherence to these ideals is only possible by a tenacious commitment to African cultural heritage preservation and Church service. Without their unwavering dedication to them, Gullah folks could never have made an impact today. When faced with challenges, one should know he has to fight to keep the Afro-Christian message alive.

A Gullah folk from Georgia once revealed the secret of her greatness. She said: "W'en uh bin 18, Uh mek recishun to gitt'ru de akshun of Seekin' ritual. Uh tek'um all of Gullah' en Christian t'aw't 'en practice, 'en emptied muhself of eh. Uh dun top obserbin' warruh my ancestors taught me. Uh pit eb'ryt'ing on de tubble so uh could stan at eh. Uh stan at ring shout, fuh sample, en quizzit muhself: Warruh dis? Hu do uh relate to eh? Warruh aspects do uh' admire, and wich'n side do'n uh onduhstan?" She continued: "Uh needed to grow up en become my'own pusson. De ritual mek my'own fait' in Chryse en convictions strong en unshakable. Uh know'um who uh 'em, en mo' portun'ly, wuffuh uh'm libbin fuh." (When I was 18, I made a decision to undergo the process of the Seekin' ritual. I took all of the Gullah and Christian thought and practice and emptied myself of it. I did not stop observing what my ancestors taught me. I put everything on the table so I could look at it. For example, I looked at the ring shout and asked myself: What is this? How do I relate to it? What aspects do I admire, and which side don't I understand. I needed to grow up and become my own person. The ritual made my faith in Christ and my convictions strong and unshakable. I know who I am and, more importantly, what I am living for.)

That being said, I suppose it is a good practice for us practitioners of African-American folk magic to seek our cause as well. And also, to ask these questions to ourselves: What is the value of conjuring, belting hymns and spirituals before our altar, practicing rootwork and herbalism, making charms and power objects, and helping people to find a resolution to their problems?

Why be a rootworker?

When they came of age, young folks would live out by themselves in nature and seek their cause.

Alfalfa Leaves

medicago sativa

Alfalfa is a herbaceous perennial in the legume family, which leaves remain green, even if they dry, as it has an extraordinary storehouse of chlorophyll. It has a very long and arduous taproot that enables the plant to absorb nutrients from deep underground and survive dry periods. Due to these characteristics, this herb is widely believed to have the power to provide financial security, expel misfortunes and prevent poverty and monetary troubles despite dry spells, drought, or any economic crisis in one's locale. 

Shopkeepers in the South mix ground dried alfalfa leaves with cinnamon powder and Irish moss to attract paying customers, draw trade, ensure continuous cash inflow, and bring about financial success in one's business. 

Some rootworkers advise their clients who want to get a loan to make or carry a mojo bag that contains alfalfa leaves, five-finger grass, coins and bills, petition paper and brochure, flyer, catalog, or even just a printed photo of what they want to purchase with the loan. 

Personally, I include dried alfalfa leaves, comfrey leaves, and fenugreek seeds inside my coin purse and wallet to make my money last longer. 

Alfalfa does not only increase one's cash flow and dissipate money-jinxing tricks, but medicinally, it also increases urine flow and flushes toxins out. It helps relieve bloating and water retention and is helpful in the treatment of kidney, bladder, and prostate infections.

Early Arabians called alfalfa "al-fac -faca," meaning the 'father of all foods', and with good reason! The herb is long prized for its abundant content of vital vitamins, minerals, and proteins. No wonder it is the superior herbal choice for vitality, well-being, abundance, and prosperity!

Lavender Flowers

lavandula officinalis

Rootworkers believe that many folks have used them to bring good luck in love affairs and promote peace and harmony in relationships. People wear love bosom sachets filled with lavender flowers, cubeb berries, and ginger roots to draw love and lust from the same sex or opposite sex.

I sometimes advise my married clients to make tea of lavender flowers, rose petals, and rosemary leaves and add it to floor wash or as a delightful after-dinner or bedtime infusion for soothing herb baths to enhance satisfying conjugal relations. Others make a herbal pillow sachet or just place the herbs beneath the bed to banish strife and grudges between a married couple.

Lavender flowers are also one of the most popular herbs practitioners use when performing Peaceful Home spellwork. Some people compound lavender flowers, pennyroyal leaves, periwinkle leaves, and angelica root into powder, add talcum or cornstarch and use it as a family's astringent powder to soothe hot tempers and bring harmony. Others put some buds inside the frame of a family photograph and then dress it with Peaceful Home, Dixie Love, and Crown of Success oil.

Folks who want to tame, calm, and subdue their harsh boss mix lavender flowers, licorice root chips, sugar, and bay laurel leaves and sprinkle them around the room where they meet their boss.

Rootworkers also prescribe lavender tea to downhearted clients as it helps treat anxiety, depression, insomnia, and restlessness. Lavender oil is also used to help heal minor burns and bug bites.

To add a dose of tranquility and clarity to your busy life with the fragrant blooms, create a relaxing atmosphere in any space by adding 5-10 drops of lavender essential oil to a diffuser or use it as an ingredient for your aromatic sleep pillow by filling a small muslin bag or cloth with dried lavender buds and placing inside the pillow (can add 1-2 drops of lavender essential oil).

Rub-Down And Tea Rite

Herbal teas cleanse your mind and body of those negativities that could possibly interfere with your manifesting capabilities (Photo courtesy of Batara Gat Baya).

A freshly brewed cup of tea and a light-touch therapeutic massage is, in truth, stimulating and invigorating; they do stimulate the nervous, circulatory, and other main systems of our body. These curative mores are two of our oldest forms of medicine, not just for physical health. I have mentioned before that everything in the physical world has its spiritual counterpart. Moreover, the spiritual counterpart is actually the source of the physical properties of a thing; therefore, tea drinking and rub-down have been regarded by some spiritual workers as keys to good health, tranquility, and clarity.

I learned how to make herbal teas and herbal oils and to perform the rub-down and tea rite from a spiritual worker and a root doctor from California and Oregon. The healing rite they shared with me consisted of two parts: first performing a massage to the afflicted body parts while praying for healing and deliverance, and then giving the client a herbal tea to drink, which is usually offered hot to rid the body of any accumulated materials in the muscles left during the rub-down session. The client is also sent home with a tea concentrate or packet of herbs from which to brew tea to be drunk, usually for three days.

Rub-down is actually a Native American orientation, particularly Cherokee influence. Rub-down rite entered Hoodoo practice during the time when some enslaved Africans revolted and fled the colonies to seek refuge among the Native Americans.

Cherokees were among the tribes that took Africans as servants. Still, unlike their former White owners, Africans worked side by side with their Native American masters since they were known people who resisted the European system of chattel slavery. There were also enslaved Cherokees, and Africans worked and lived among them in communal quarters. During this time, they produced collective recipes, developed unique customs and traditions, and shared natural healing modalities. Some even intermarried and had mixed children.

In Cherokee tradition, 'touch' is a spiritual action, and they don't consider it a relaxing therapy; it is more than that. Internationally renowned traditional healer and an apprentice to North American Indian medicine men, Kenneth "Bear Hawk" Cohen said in his articles that Ancient Cherokee people were well versed in body therapies, breathing exercises, and energy work.

In the late 17th and early 18th centuries, the suppression of Native American and African practices and beliefs gave rise to these 'spiritual workers.' The healers could syncretize the ancient healing mode with the new religion by exchanging native prayers, chants, and songs with Christian prayers and biblical verses.

Some people begin the rub-down rite with a foot-bath or spiritual foot-washing as the feet connect us to the earth, our roots, and our energy flow. Though I heard from other spiritual workers that it is customary to dress the head first and then work on arms and hands before doing the legs and feet, as it is widely believed among Hoodoo practitioners that healers should expel the negativity through the soles of the feet; that's why they are the last parts that are touched.

To perform the hands-on work, I ask the client to sit down on a comfortable chair and relax. What follows is a light massage and anointing of the head. This is done by rubbing or warming the oil up in my hands and pouring a little amount of oil over the client's head first. Then I gently pinch the bridge of the client's nose with my middle, index, and thumb fingers. After that, I lift my index finger so only the thumb and middle finger touch the client. Slowly, I spread the thumb and middle finger apart, rubbing two arched lines above the client's eyebrows, and I ran them upward to the top or crown of the client's head. I do this three times, saying, "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." Next, using my fingertips, I make light circular motions across my client's head, moving from back to front, front to back, side to side, and ensuring I run my fingers under the hair and at the temples. With one hand, I cup the client's nape and gently rub it with the thumb on one side and the other fingers on the opposite side, moving up and down. Lastly, I place my right hand on the client's forehead, with my hand sideways, thumb downward, and fingers positioned horizontally, while I put my left hand at the back of the head. Then I gently push both of my palms upward, rubbing the entire head with the oil and applying mild pressure on the skull; palms should end up over the head. I do this three times while I say my extemporized prayer. I finish it by lifting my hands, bringing them together in a prayer position, and saying, "Amen!"

After anointing my client's head, that's the only time I can start doing rub-down on distressed body parts of my client. First, I pour oil into the palm of my hand, and while rubbing it between my hands, I usually recite another prayer. Next, I was taught that I have to warm my hands over the flame of a candle, just like how Cherokees warm their hands over burning coal when doing bodywork. Then I circle my palms on the distressed body part, spreading the oil, applying pressure, and gradually increasing from light to medium to warm up the muscles. After that, I was told to rub the muscle to enhance deeper circulation. My mentors did not teach me exactly how to perform any body massage techniques (motions, strokes, etc.) aside from what I've shared, as they said no one taught them too were to press their fingers. The only advice I've got from them is to let my fingers obey the dictates of my heart.

Nevertheless, for beginners in folk healing, here are the links to helpful video tutorials explaining and demonstrating how arms, hands, and feet massage is being done. Filipino practitioners may also incorporate our traditional "hilot" techniques when doing the rub-down rite. One can do this while he speaks his prayer or petition for the client aloud, to be released from the condition causing whatever problem he is experiencing.

For the rub-down, one may use olive oil or any cooking oil and add a few drops of essential oil of your choice for immediate physical and spiritual detoxification and wellness action. Others prefer to naturally infuse their massage oils with herbs.

In preparing herb-infused rub-down oil, my mentors instructed me to use dried herbs instead of fresh herbs to prevent the oil from becoming rancid. The dried herbs are cut or crushed with mortar and pestle before adding to a glass jar.

Next, fill the remaining space in the jar with oil, ensuring the herbs are well covered. Stir well and cap the jar tightly.

Then place the jar on a warm sunny windowsill and prayerfully shake once per day. After 2-3 weeks, strain the herbs out of the oil, pour them into glass bottles, and store them in a cool dark place.

On the other hand, the old-fashioned tea-rite came from the extensive tea culture in West Africa. In this region, folks prefer green mint tea, similar to the Gullah morning tea recipe. Tea drinking, throughout history and even today, is actually a vital part of the social and spiritual life of Africans, especially those folks from Senegal, Guinea, Gambia, and Mauritania, where tea is prepared and presented in an elaborate process known by the Wolof term, "attaya."

As Africans were considered to be immigrants in America at the time of slavery, there were traditions they carried with them to the New World. One of the most vital expressions of their old nation in their lives in America was tea-making and drinking.

Enslaved Wolof, Fula, Mandinka, and Moor brought the African tea culture to the New World by including it in their home remedies. Unlike the true purpose of the tea ceremony in West Africa, tea preparation in America within the Black community at that time was rarely seen as drinking for enjoyment. Hot teas were prepared when one had a cold coming on, when one had an upset stomach when one was experiencing difficulty sleeping, or when one was having headaches or muscle pains. There was always an association between tea preparation when there was and illness. Things started to change; however, when these people met Native American herbalists, chiefly from the Choctaw, Muscogee, Cherokee, and Seminole tribes, they began learning about different ways to approach wellness through food and beverage. They learned about herbs in America, not just their medicinal uses but their culinary, household, and even magical uses, as well as different processes of propagation and harvesting of the herbs and refining and preserving the leaves, flowers, roots, and barks. They began to understand the properties of herbal teas and how they could incorporate them into their spiritual works. They also saw how these magical properties of herbs manifested in Native American practices and recognized and realized how these plants' properties had similarities with the properties of local herbs and spices back from their motherland, Africa.

Many of these people were dispersed throughout the American South during the antebellum era. At that time, Africans started learning about different methods, not just for healing but also for various magical and spiritual works and everything alternative to how they were taught by the natives. They were inundated with other fellow Africans from different ethnic groups and other American Indians from different tribes. Over time, slaves' knowledge of the nature and function of plants immensely grew to a great extent. Enslaved Africans then started preparing and prescribing teas when people wanted to be spiritually cleansed from spiritual maladies, jinxes, or crossed conditions, when people tried to protect themselves from evil influences, when people wanted to feel energized, inspired, and motivated, or when people wanted to attract success and good fortune. They realized it didn't have to be that beverage one went to just when he was sick. They learned how teas could be engaged in a way where one experienced 'healing,' not just for physical ailments, but for any kind of condition. That's now how their descendants approach making their blends; they want them to be curative or remedial and, at the same time, to have spiritual and magical components.

I use chamomile tea and Van Van oil I personally prepared and blended for jinx removal and spiritual cleansing.  

Tea preparation and drinking (and even the rub-down method), though, have struggled to survive because a lot of African-American conjure doctors are increasingly reaching long-distance clients, and their works consisting mainly of the setting of lights and performing spells; making hands-on work (tea preparation and rub-down) ultimately a minority.

Yet African-American tea culture is fascinating, and they have so much to offer in healing and folk magic. To show that teas are really part of the Hoodoo healing tradition, here's a song entitled Hand Reader by Washboard Sam, where a combination of herbal tea and pills were prescribed by a worker to remove the client's bad luck:

HAND READER BLUES

by Washboard Sam

I went down to the hand reader and to have my fortune told
I went down to the hand reader and to have my fortune told
He said, "You need to catch policy, doggone your bad luck soul."

He give me some good luck tea and said, "Drink it before it gets cold"
He give me some good luck tea and said, "Drink it before it gets cold"
He said, "Drink it all day, doggone your bad luck soul."

He give me some pills, to drive my blues away
He give me some pills, to drive my blues away
He said, "You bad-luck rascal, take them three times a day."

Blow it now, boys, blow it

Bad luck fell in my family, and there was no one home but me
Bad luck fell in my family, and there was no one home but me
I was a fool for thinking my happy days would ever be

Some folks don't think herbs work because they don't have enough information regarding the proper preparation of the herbs, so they end up using formulas that don't have the strength to do what they are intended to do. Making herbal teas is a bit more involved than just dunking a teabag in a cup of hot water to get the most out of the herbs. I was taught that herbal teas are best used with consistency, and are usually consumed for at least a few days, so it's easier to just make a sound, potent concentrate - enough to last for three days (it begins to break down after that) - and just add hot water whenever one drinks a cup.

This is how I was taught to make enough herbal tea for three-day use:

- 12 teaspoons (about 1/4 cup) of dried herbs. (Use heaping measurements if the herbs are cut large or the flowers are whole; use scant measurements if the herbs are finely cut or powdered.)
- 6.5 cups of purified water. (Do not use tap or distilled.)

Over a medium-low setting, I was told to heat the leaves, flowers, or roots gradually until the water was hot but not boiling; then, I covered and removed the pot from the heat and allowed the tea to cool. Afterward, I strain the liquid from the herbs and refrigerate the tea in a glass container (do not use plastic!)

To use, I heat plain purified water to boiling. Then, I place four ounces of the tea concentrate into a cup and fill it with hot water.

The concentrate can be reheated if adding hot water doesn't make the tea hot enough to one's preference. Add four to six ounces of water for every four ounces of concentrate, then heat slowly.

An alternative to stove-top cooking (which I usually do) will be the heater if we have one. A prayer can be spoken during the tea preparation and/or before giving it to the client. Some root doctors also interpret the patterns or 'signs' in the leaves after the client has finished drinking his tea to further diagnose the client's illness or condition.

A painting by Harry Roseland shows an African-American woman reading tea leaves for her young, wealthy, White client.

Here's a list of traditional herbs used in preparing teas for spiritual cleansing, uncrossing, road opening, and protection:

• Angelica root - protection and empowerment of women
• Blessed Thistle leaves - blessing and healing
• Boneset leaves - road opening, healing, and protection
• Burdock root - spiritual cleansing, uncrossing, and protection
• Chamomile flowers - spiritual cleansing and jinx removal
• Eucalyptus leaves- casting off evil intentions and influences and healing
• Ginger root - healing and protection
• Jasmine flowers - purification and unconditional love
• Lemon Grass leaves - spiritual cleansing and protection
• Lemon peel - cut and clear from old and unwanted conditions
• Mint leaves - protection
• Orange peel - road opening and success
• Rose petals - removal of love-jinxing tricks
• Rosemary leaves - tranquility and empowerment of women
• Sage leaves - spiritual cleansing and clarity. 

Just a word of caution: some teas are safe during pregnancy, but others might not be a great idea. It is essential to consult your physician first before drinking any tea if you are pregnant. 

Photo of prescribed herbal tea taken by our client. 

Does Conjure Actually Work?

A honey jar spell was performed on behalf of a client who just left us a heartfelt testimonial sharing her journey in her marriage. She eventually overcame her challenges. 

It would seem that some spells we are trying to perform are not working. This does not mean, however, that they were a failure or ineffective. One of my mentors taught me that I should never forget that the ultimate goal of conjure is not the actual fulfillment of the request submitted. Still, the awareness that in the whole universe, there is none to whom it is fitting to pray other than the spiritual beings from the higher worlds and, most of all, to God and the recognition that man is altogether flawed and only the higher worlds can provide whatever he lacks.

This does not mean, however, that one should ignore the literal or common purpose of conjure work and spells: to ask for the intercession of the spirits and petition God to give one what he wants and needs, such as money, love, luck, success, etc.

On the contrary, when one sees that he worked on a spell and did not manifest, he should do it again and again, as long as God or the spirits permit when he divines it until he sees signs, movements, and completion. As it is said, "Be strong and let your heart be valiant and hope in God." Nonetheless, one must not lose sight of the true essence of conjure work, which I mentioned above.

Shut up work to lock up the mouth and burn the tongue of our clients' colleagues who promoted gossip, slander, backbiting, and malicious talk! Those who initiated and encouraged negative office gossip from circulating resigned three weeks after we performed this spell.  

Now, what do I mean by signs, movements, and completion?

I first encountered this guideline from catherine yronwode of Lucky Mojo Curio Co., which she learned from a man who once owned a candle shop where she usually bought her spiritual and magical supplies during the 1960s. Then I ran into it again when a country Hoodoo practitioner mentioned this to me.

I usually ask nature and the spirits I work with for affirmative responses through signs or 'omens.' The response doesn't necessarily occur in the spoken language. Images, emotions, impressions, symbols, and signs are the more subtle and empathic forms of communication.

However, we often don't notice omens or choose to ignore them, believing it's a product of our imagination or just a chance or coincidence to occur.

But I was taught to use, read, and interpret omens to know the answer to my seemingly unanswerable or inexplicable questions, like, "Did my conjure work accomplish its purpose?" Recognizing the spiritual forces around us will enable us to hear the answer.

This custom of reading omens may have come from the Bantu people brought to America during the transatlantic slave trade. History and culture tell us that these people were known to look for assistance through omens and dreams. They sought to foretell the future by interpreting random events that appear to carry no significant value or apparent causal connection, such as sudden changes in weather, the behavior of the animals, the appearance of insects, bodily movements, repetitive actions, dreaming, etc. They would bypass the logical and rational mind, creating a wall between things beyond physical reality when they felt the spirits had messages for them.

An example of how one works with omens: When I performed my first enemy spellwork, just after I disposed of the spell remains at the crossroad, I asked my spirit guides to give me signs or wonders concerning my working. Immediately upon coming home, a cold gust of wind entered my room, which made me stand and go to the windows. Outside my room, though, when I was about to close the windows, I saw two aggressive felines on my neighbor's roof, threateningly looking at each other as if in combat. The cats loudly purred like they were arguing over something, and a few seconds later, they attacked with their fangs and claws furiously. But the catfight only lasted a while as thunder growled and lightning flashed, and the cats scurried away as if anticipating trouble.

Traditionally, cats could mean deceit and treachery, and that being said, I believe the omen was referring to the treacherous thief who tricked my partner, Tim. While the thunder and lightning could mean problems, conflict, and turmoil, my work would bring him. The catfight could mean that the thief might have some sort of protection (given that he was from a place where talismans, amulets, charms, etc., are commonly sold). It opposed and resisted my work, but rain scared the cats away, which could mean my magic would overpower whatever protective crutch he had, and the struggle would not take long. Due to this, the spell (thunder and lightning) would finally end the deceits and treachery (cat noises) he was making, bringing about better circumstances.

After witnessing and interpreting the whole event, I felt my heart rejoicing in reaction to the sign. It was leaping in the air as it knew already that my work was effective.

Movements, on the other hand, are when things are about to turn your way. How do we know if it's already a movement? As we all have blind spots, it is essential to be supervised by our guides to be in spiritual flow or the consciousness of God's presence.

What will we and our guides look for? First of all, are the movements positive? Do they suggest beneficial or advantageous actions that would serve our highest good?

Secondly, does the movement lead us toward our desire, goal, or dream? Does the movement repeat in different ways? Do doors open for us that seem beyond coincidence? Does it feel like spiritual energies are empowering our path?

If the answer to all these questions is yes, thank God and your guides for inspiration and guidance and for making you see changes and movements in your life.

Here's a story about someone I helped grant her prayers to come abroad to study regularly. The client told me that she had been going through some financial difficulties, so it was hard for her to achieve her goal. So I did perform a Blessing and Crown of Success spellwork on her behalf. One week later, she called to inform me that she had two new clients who made appointments to see her, and these two people were committed to coming for a while and had already recommended her to many other people.

This is an excellent example of seeing positive movements. As you can see, the story above does not get what she desires yet, which is to study abroad, but there's movement; she could now possibly save money for her studies. Things are starting to break her way.

Finally, completion is self-explanatory. It happens when your prayers have been realized. Completion also shows the natural consequence of one's belief in God, which is that He can do anything He wants, He has all the power in the world, and He hears man when he speaks to Him.

Returning to our main topic, some objectives of the spells, such as Court Case, Domination, Break-Up, Return to Me, etc., require multiple prayers and a tremendous amount of strong energy. Moreover, these individual prayers are not only part of a whole that takes time to complete, but they also affect partial responses of the exact genus of the prayer request submitted to God. Gradually, one will see many forms of miniature movements and manifestations.

Most importantly, I think I differ from other rootworkers in this area simply because this is what I have been taught. Every magical or spiritual work is effective, though not necessarily on the petitioner's level.

In the words of my mentor, as soon as the spell has been performed with affirmative intentions and great conviction, it is already working for what has been requested. The magic may manifest, except that it is in a manner hidden from the petitioner.

For example, one may have performed a job precisely to remove his distress, and this request was granted in terms of the world in general. There are times that the personal anguish of the person may remain, but that itself is actually for his own good, to make him realize something beneficial for him or to atone for some sin, and the like.

A Christian spiritual worker once said that all conjure works are effective in the higher worlds and sometimes in other parts of the earth. I experienced that one client had asked for one thing, and she was given something else, a better response for her prayer; sometimes, the prayer's effects are limited to the higher worlds. This refers to the spells that affect fantastic things in the upper places of the world, yet people think that the spells are not accepted and, therefore, treat them lightly, and worse, some even refuse to pray anymore.

All works are accepted, but their effect is according to what the omniscient God determines to be in man's best interests. The excessive belittlement of one's work on his part, thinking his magical or spiritual works to be of no avail, is, in effect, false humility and may lead him astray. False humility causes a man to think that his service to the spirits and to God, his prayers and devotions, is of no consequence. In truth, however, he must realize that he is a "ladder set on the earth, and its top reaches into heaven": all his spiritual motions, speech, conduct, and involvements leave impressions in the higher realms, so there is no failure here. All of man's actions are of spiritual significance. All of man's actions elicit equivalent reactions.

In physical science, the energy conservation law states that energy remains constant. It can't be destroyed; somewhat, it can only change from one form to another. There is a similar law to magic. No spell or conjure work is ever lost; no prayer is wasted. Your request will be granted; it may be in an unexpected form. Every action, word, and energy we release is stored away. It will rebound back when one needs it most.

How long should you try casting your spells?

It is a good practice to set a time limit or deadline to expect you to see the results of your workings. After the deadline, if the spell is still not manifesting, continue praying until it promotes changes. By recognizing the Source of all our blessings, our sustenance, and our very existence, we bring ourselves closer to God. Through this act of elevation, we become more fitting to receive what we've petitioned so hard for in our spells.

Conjure work is also most effective when combined with effort. We live in a world of 'action.' Conjure work helps us to focus on what we need to do to succeed.

So, does conjure always work?

Definitely! Sometimes it works immediately, sometimes it works slowly, sometimes physically, and sometimes it works spiritually. And whatever the spirits and God work for us, it's always what's best for us.

An old conjure work alleged to bring your beloved back to you. We use genuine Balm of Gilead buds, said by many African-Americans in the Deep South, to draw estranged lovers together and fix any unresolved issues. This spell was done on behalf of Tim's client; both were surprised to see the result after a month of successive devotions because the client was given a better response to her prayer!

Do Conjure Doctors Believe In Karma?

Personally, I believe there is no randomness in the universe, and human conduct sets mental, emotional, energetic, and spiritual forces that eventually materialize in physical effects, manifesting their consequences.

My belief, however, as a Hoodoo practitioner, differs from the Eastern 'Law of Karma' or the Wiccan' Threefold Law' in significant ways. First, the Eastern belief about the 'Law of Karma' is strictly personal; an individual who rapes someone would be raped too, in this incarnation or the next. On the other hand, Wiccan's Threefold Law has a more radical approach, as anything you do is believed to come back to you three times. The individual's rudeness will revolve back only on himself. It can't cause others to suffer and it can't force other consequences. Many people DO believe in it, and it works for them, but the concept doesn't resonate with me as a conjure worker.

In Hoodoo, it credits our actions with a much broader effect. For instance, a person who performs a Money Drawing spell could cause someone to lose money, or a person who does a Cast Off Evil work for his alcoholism may avert a massive auto accident. The spiritual or energetic channels of effect run far below the surface, sometimes untraceable but powerful.

We believe in every choice we make; there's a fair consequence, whether pleasurable or not.

A second significant difference is that karma is irrevocable; a misdeed once committed is, as they say in Oriental teachings, like the tusks of an elephant; it can't be retracted. Hence, the sum of a person's actions in his current and previous lifetimes determines his destiny in his future existence. I personally believe it's inexorable if one doesn't do something about it. On the contrary, since most Hoodoo practitioners are Folk Christians, we accept the concept of repentance and correction, meaning we can admit, regret, forget, and change our mode of conduct. When we do, past actions are spiritually erased. As laid out by my mentor, this process of repentance includes three stages: confession, regret, and a vow not to repeat the misdeed. The true penitent, as my mentor says, is the one who finds himself with the opportunity to commit the same sin or crime again yet declines to do so. Suppose he does it again, in this case, he has a serious problem, and a severe consequence of his action is awaiting. 

This concept also resonates with traditional African beliefs; some priests from Yoruba, Igbo, and Ewe do spiritual readings and use verses from their sacred literary corpus to look for particular patterns or mistakes in past and present lives. Once found and interpreted, the priests can guide people in the right direction and fix or correct the issues or problems to prevent them from reoccurring. This priestly guidance not only gives verbal and ceremonial advice but also offers recommendations that can be performed by themselves or on their behalf. In West African spiritual paths, it is believed that humans are not given destiny by God; humans choose their own destiny. They just forget their chosen fate and past lives as soon as they are conceived. This traditional impression provides a good reason why humans can alter parts of their destiny through ceremonies and offerings. The ancient African belief concerning destiny was eventually assimilated into the Hoodoo tradition. Thus, a skilled conjurer can dramatically change a person's fate through natural magic and spirituality. This means a Hoodoo practitioner can destroy someone's life by conjuring destruction onto them or protect a person's destiny from other forces trying to change it. Divination is utilized to know a person's destiny. Through what some practitioners call psychic or spiritual diagnosis, divination is also used to know what rituals should be performed and what charms should be worn to protect or alter a person's destiny.

And so that's it! I reckon most Hoodoo practitioners will agree that there is no such thing as a cosmic tally system that keeps track of our good and evil deeds in our tradition. That idea doesn't make much sense to us.

Regarding the application of karma in our magical workings, conjure workers and root doctors DO NOT believe in karmic backfiring. Hoodoo practitioners bless and curse, just like the God in the Bible. Conjure men and women are known to use the Bible and God Himself for both blessing and cursing justice and revenge, and healing and infliction. One can use certain Psalms and biblical verses for these kinds of work.

I heard people saying it is not Christian to do such a thing. For the Fundamentalists, perhaps, because even Jesus once cursed a barren fig tree. Folk Christian exegesis regarding this parable includes giving us the authority to condemn those who are wicked and fruitless. Catholic Hoodoo practitioners even invoke the powers and assistance of hot saints such as St. Rita for revenge, St. Martha for domination, St. Raymond Nonnatus to shut up one's enemies, St. Cyprian of Antioch to curse one's enemies, and a whole lot more. Even Jesus can be called unto when doing justified enemy works. Christ demonstrated violence when provoked to genuine anger when He cleared the temple of the moneychangers and animal sellers (Matthew 21:12-13; Mark 11:15-18; John 2:13-22). Baptist exhortation sermons are also available, which some Protestant Hoodoo workers use as curses when doing enemy works. A popular one is called Hitler and Hell, recorded by African-American preacher Reverend J. M. Gates during World War II.

This is not a sign of an incompassionate heart. We are rooting our prayers on pure love for God, His statutes and methods, and compassion and dear to our clients who desperately need help. This is not to say that conjure workers are free to throw curses at random people. We refuse to do a job if it is deemed unjust in the eyes of God through divination.

When people don't want to shut their mouths and mind their own business, the good old beef tongue shut-up work is handy. The cow's tongue represents the enemy's evil tongue, and the spell uses obvious symbolism to sew and tie that tongue up and stop them from slandering or bad-mouthing anyone! Experienced Hoodoo practitioners are encouraged to cast magic like this without fear of repercussions.

Spiritually Cleansing A Location (Domestic Hoodoo Folk Magic)

We always bring hoodoo cleansing essentials when doing house purification and blessing rituals. 

Spiritually cleansing a house or place of business is created through prayer and ritual. If we have a space that can be set apart as a spiritual sanctuary, do so. If not, a corner of a room will do. But best of all, make all our homes, shops, and offices a protected and blessed space. 

The practice of spiritually cleansing a location using housekeeping operations such as sweeping, mopping, or scrubbing has been a part of Hoodoo tradition for a very long time, dating back from the reconstruction era when African-American women with few other job opportunities, and a history of slavery combined with a culture of servitude embodied in the Southern United States 'Mammy' stereotype, dominated the domestic occupation.

Mama Mollie, born in Africa, was transported into slavery, sold to the Partridge family of South Carolina, and came to Jefferson County, Florida, with John and Eliza Partridge. A family member described her as a loyal, thoughtful, and caring servant and said they loved her as their second mother. 

Many conjure women then worked as household keepers in White American families. This was the moment when magically inclined African-American women started to incorporate household cleaning agents like ammonia, lye, Epsom salt, borax, laundry bleaching, turpentine, etc., in their space clearing and protection rituals, combining elements of African and Folk Judeo-Christian traditions and also a bit of Native American lore. 

According to some sources, some methods in spiritual cleansing of locations originated from specific Mande tribes. This conclusion was found because most house servants at that time were, in fact, recruited from Mande ethnic groups, particularly Guinea Africans, as they were believed to be suited for domestic service in that they had been city dwellers. The women were said to be loyal, maternal, obedient, submissive, industrious, and innovative, and they were also trained to perform tasks similar to those they had achieved in their home villages. Their duties included preparing meals, nursing children, laundry, decorating the house, and cleaning homes. Out of these responsibilities arose the different techniques of house cleansing and home protection.

So, where do we start?

Common Hoodoo cleaning materials: (from left to right) Chinese Wash, Pine-Sol, Two Girls Florida Water or Lanman & Kemp Barclay Florida Water, (in front) blessed salt, Van Van oil, and Epsom salt.

Remove Messes and Bad Jujus

Evil spiritual entities can pollute places with their presence. Such pollution or messes usually occur when someone commits certain acts that open the door to the activity of evil spirits. For example, a place used for violence and torment or a house that witnessed rape or murder crime may invite haunting spirits and entities. Even when the perpetrators have left the scene, spirits may still linger, hoping to prey upon unsuspecting newcomers.

Objects, materials, tools, and instruments used in these sinful activities could have strong vibrations attached to them and attract negative entities. A knife, for instance, used to kill somebody with anger and hatred, would acquire a different character and could have adverse effects on a place or a person. That's why antiques and second-hand items of unknown origin should never be brought to one's home unless you have cleansed them because they can give bad vibes.

Remove and/or destroy any objects exposed to sinful actions or evil motivations held by wicked people or troublemakers. If they can be burned, burn them outside the building while praying the Lord's Prayer (Our Father) and Psalm 29 or 40. Afterward, throw the ashes in running water like a river to completely banish the negativity. If they cannot be burned, throw them in outdoor running water. Ensure they are thrown in a place where they would not be easily found and that you wash your hands with holy water or Florida water after handling such objects.

Cleanse the Place

Space cleansing involves clearing the atmosphere of a house or place of business so that its spiritual energy becomes neutral. This process sends away haunting spirits and draws in health, wealth, love, and peaceful spirits.

Houses' energy rises and drops according to the energies of those who reside in them. Walls retain traces, impressions, and imprints of memories and emotions, and residual energy can be present from the aftereffects of illness, death, violence, divorce, or relational conflicts. It's also important to cleanse a new home when you move into it or if you are preparing to get pregnant.

1. General cleaning - making the place free from dirt or messes through the use of floor sweeps, floor washes, and cleaning solutions are among the most practiced forms of Hoodoo folk magic; that's why most conjure workers believe that for one to properly cleanse the place, he needs to make sure it is also physically clean. If not, thoroughly clean the area; sweep and scrub the floors, dust and wipe the furniture, wash the dishes, etc. Cleanliness attracts harmonious and tranquil spirits; otherwise, it's the opposite.

After your usual housekeeping routines, prepare your spiritual supplies. You may use ammonia solution, Peace Water, Florida Water, Van Van oil, and lemon-scented detergents for spiritual cleansing. Due to their potent cleansing properties, these cleaning materials have acquired a very strong magical reputation among Hoodoo practitioners and rootworkers.

Then, begin clearing away the negativities by sprinkling floor sweeps (salt, ground coffee, or herbal mixtures or blends) over the floors throughout the house and then sweeping them from back to front. You can leave the floor sweep down for a little while. Sweeping the floor thoroughly before ever touching the mop to the floor prevents your floor from becoming a sticky, muddy mess.

In Hoodoo tradition, brooms and scrub brushes are powerful cleaning tools, so folks in the South take extra precautions when handling them.

Next, select your preferred detergent and prepare a powerful floor wash. Some commercial household products with magical history and applications are Pine-Sol cleaner, which has been in the market for almost 60 years, Murphy Oil Soap, and Young's Chinese Wash. However, the original manufacturing company of Chinese Wash, Oracle Products of New York, has already gone out of business, so spiritual workers nowadays find and purchase this cleaning product in spiritual or occult shops with their trademarked recipe and brand.

How can you make a powerful spiritual cleansing solution or floor wash?

Grab a bucket and pour in enough warm water. Mix a small amount of Chinese Wash or Pine-Sol, vinegar and/or ammonia, and Epsom salt. Combining three ingredients when making up a spiritual cleansing solution is traditional. Generally, use no more than 1/2 cup of cleaning product per 1 gal of water.

What's the proper way of cleansing?

Making a floor wash/scrub solution. 

Dip the rag and mop into the floor wash solution. Place them in the bucket and let them soak up the solution for a few seconds while you pray for the purification of the place.

Now, start by cleaning the walls. All premises should be cleaned from top to bottom, back to front, often with the recital of appropriate Psalms or personal cleansing prayer. Wipe or wash the top of the wall, drying as you go down gradually. Other practitioners remove the marks and stains first before doing the entire walls.

Always! Sweep your place from back to front, towards the door, cleaning up the floor sweep as you go. 

After washing the wall, mop the floor in small sections and cover as much of it with the cleaning solution as possible. Work your way toward the door, ensuring you only step on parts of the floor you've already cleansed once they dry up.

White sage smudge stick and abalone shell

Then, light incense or white sage over a saucer, pot, or bowl that will catch any ash. Blow the sage to make it smolder. Then, using a feather to waft the smoke, wave the sage into the house's walls while walking clockwise around each room, ensuring that smoke goes to every corner of the house.

Always remember that before doing this, a white or blue candle should be lit, and prayer to God should be said. Ritually dispose of the dirt and the water as it sees fit and is convenient to the practitioner.

Spiritual materials to be used in space clearing and blessing: bluestone, Epsom salt, ammonia solution, Chinese Wash, holy water, Van Van oil, red brick dust, brown sugar, and herb mixtures

If you feel uncomfortable about the place for some reason, redecorate it and rearrange the furniture. Do this to create a space that suits your will and the flow of your movements. Inhabit the area so that other evil spirits will not inhabit it.

2. Blessing and protection - in cases where regrettable events have occurred to the inhabitants, candles and special offerings (food and drinks, flowers, coins, incense, etc.) may be placed at the four corners of the building and to the altar to ward off future invasion or assaults of evil and to ask the spirit inhabitants of the building to bless or protect the property and its residents. Suppose the family or company experiences a string of unfortunate events or an ongoing threat of enemy work. In that case, all doors and windows that open to the exterior may be sealed with sulfur powder or crosses drawn with Jinx Removal, Fiery Wall of Protection oil, or oil with scriptural verse ash (Psalm 91).

Offerings to the guardian or protective spirits of the house.

 Sprinkling sulfur lines at the four corners of a building (sometimes mixed with salt) is said to protect the area.

Once cleansed, doors should be opened, swept with salt crystals or herbal mixtures of angelica root, blessed thistle, cascara sagrada, holy basil, white rose petals, and/or yerba santa, or washed inward with fresh water that contains herb-based oils or herbal blends that have been compounded and prepared to draw in whatever blessing you request, such as health, financial, family, or fertility blessings.

When you have finished, smoke all rooms with appropriate incense, such as myrrh or benzoin, and pray quietly for a while, focusing on what you want to bring into your life. Say a thanksgiving prayer to God.

After that, call upon the protection, intercession, or assistance of the spirits, patron saints, or guardian angels of the family or the company. With a crucifix in one hand, pray Psalm 61, which is very effective for a home blessing, or Psalm 114 for a business blessing. Then, start to move around the place, going from room to room, saying your own prayer while sprinkling holy water, spraying Florida Water, and calling upon the Holy Spirit and protective spirits to reside and protect the newly blessed home or business.

Dedicate the Place

Release your rights to the property. Other practitioners advise the house owner to 'mark' the place as the client's territory by washing the doorstep with the client's urine in a bucket of water. And when it dries, sprinkle red brick dust across the doorstep.

Offer the place to your spiritual community, most especially to God, inviting their presence. The verbal, visible pronouncement is important in declaring this intention. The head of the household (usually the husband) or the boss in the company leads in prayer or rite of dedication. In a home with a same-sex partnership or relationship or friends living together, one should voluntarily take the part of the husband or the head of the house. Single-parent mothers can take this role for their home and children and establish their authority over the place.

Decorations and Ornaments

Fill the place with objects and activities that attract protection, money, luck, love, good health, etc. A tangible blessing extends to the positive and optimistic person's family, dwelling, company, and business. Let's be practical when you decorate your house, office, or shop; remember what the eye sees, the mind and heart will follow. Consider tastefully including paintings, sculptures, books, and symbols that catch the eye and direct the mind toward sacredness, protection, and happiness.

1. Sacred designs, amulets, and talismans - you can hang some sacred protective designs and good luck talismans around the house, shop, or offices, such as arrows, horseshoes, the Huichol Indians "tsikuri," mercury dimes, or any good luck coins, Hamsa, Nazar (evil eye charm), traditional African masks, or amulets such as corals, pieces of devil's shoestring root, animal horn or garlic cloves in a decorative manner. Protective designs can also be a simple drawing on an illustration board, a charm with sigils or seals, or any craft. The idea behind a specific design or symbol that demonstrates protection and blessings is to give you and other inhabitants a structure on which to base your belief so that you can be confident and kept focused that you are indeed illuminated, guided, ruled, and guarded. Additionally, amulets and talismans have consciousness and life forces or spirits; thus, they can create positive vibrations that affect your thoughts and emotions. These spirits are what give power to these objects. Like the Catholics hang crosses on their doors, you can try to ensure that every symbol you put is perfectly balanced by considering all necessary ritual procedures.

Buddha representations with specific poses and hand gestures are significant in an important event in Buddha's or past lives. The statue on the left prevents family members from fighting, while the figure on the right represents focused concentration, serenity, and calmness.

2. Setting up an altar - it's also advisable to make an altar or shrine – a small table is ideal at home or even in shops or offices. Place on it a cloth, candles, whatever spiritual symbols move you (a cross or crucifix if you are a Christian), a statute of the spirit, saint, etc. you are drawn to or working with, a glass of water, flowers that represent protection and happiness, votive offerings for the spirits, etc. Of course, ensure you have blessed the articles with smoking sage, cleansing herbs, incense, and/or sprinkling holy water or Florida Water. You can also create two or more altars, depending on their purpose. For instance, our home has altars for prosperity, love drawing, and ancestral work.

Altar set-up service for a client. 

If you go to that place first thing every morning and bless yourself, your family, your business, and the day, you will create an area of consecrated space within a week. Ensure your altar is never cluttered; keep herbs and flowers fresh and renew the sacred objects when you feel moved. Very soon, you will find yourself drawn there whenever you need peace, time to think, or an issue that must be resolved.

3. Jars and bottles - long ago, conjure workers revealed a powerful and valuable protection craft. Their purpose is to protect the practitioner from the envious look of others, help eliminate negative feelings, and shield them from evil entities and spirits. The crafts are indispensable for spiritual and physical protection. When channeled through certain words and phrases, your prayer can charm the crafts and turn their state into a state of entirely positive, protective energy.

Money-charm bottles (Photo courtesy of Rita's Juju)

One can create and place spell jars, bottles, or Latin American charm flasks, which are customarily filled with a variety of hand-made lucky pieces, protective amulets, botanical and mineral curios, and a combination of native folk-magical charms and Catholic religious artifacts. One can create a spell bottle for Fast Luck, Steady Money, Peaceful Home, Protection, etc.

Bottles in trees became widespread in plantation regions of the Southern United States. (Photo courtesy of Tradition and Innovation in African-American Yards by Grey Gundaker, African Arts, Vol. 26, No.2)

In the Gullah community, people keep the bottle tree tradition. Like many of the South's oldest customs, this tradition was brought by enslaved Kongo and Mbundu people passed down from early Arabian traders and continued by Southern African-American families and White rural folks. It is very decorative and a good garden feature, but its real purpose is to trap evil spirits that venture inside and then destroy them by morning sunlight.

Placing a bottle of Peace Water in the living room is also a good idea. The symbolism comes from the Biblical command to 'spread oil on troubled waters.'

4. Feng-Shui - although this ancient practice only became popular in the United States in the 1980s, its introduction into the Hoodoo tradition came about through the social and cultural intermingling of Cantonese Chinese immigrants who were adherents of folk Chinese religious systems with the African-American populations during the late 19th and early 20th century. This practice mainly originated on the West Coast, New York City, and Chicago.

Our money-drawing altar is where Hotei the Laughing Buddha, Jin Chan the three-legged money frog, Guan Gong, and Maneki Neko are placed to flourish our business, obtain monetary gain, eliminate lousy chi, and protect us from competitors.

I suggest doing some feng shui to draw and balance the spiritual energies. Feng-Shui is not just for Chinese or Asian people. It's about maintaining balance and harmony between form (doors, furniture, fixtures) and timing (dates, direction, location), which works like a computer's hardware and software – both are essential for the machine's job. Here are some feng shui tips for the home:

Ensure that the house's main door, entrance, or place of business is not blocked by anything. It should open up to a pleasing vista. As you stand from your threshold, look out; what you see is what you receive. Go for a pleasant, clutter-free view.

Keep the foyer or entrance clean. Entering your main door, the first thing you and your guests see should be something welcoming, not cluttered. If the door opens to a blank wall, place something that evokes good memories like a happy photo of your family or the company, a painting of a place where you traveled, your personal collections, things from your childhood (toys, books, etc.), posters of your favorites, achievements, and recognition of the company - all of these things can lift the vibrations within the room without the need for magic.

Know which colors you need according to your birth month for balance. Winter-born people need firey colors such as red, orange, scarlet, bright yellow, warm yellow, and golden yellow. Summer-born people need watery colors such as blue, black, white, silvery blue, gray, blue-green, and seafoam green. Spring-born people need metal colors such as copper, bronze, silver, and gold. Fall people need wood colors such as brown, green, tan, olive, and dusky hues.

Illuminate your house, shop, or office. Make sure that the lights are turned on. Do not turn off all the house lights or shop at night.

Position your bed correctly. Ensure there's no light directly above the headboard, as this would drain one's energy. It's also ideal for placing the headboard facing the window.

Honor God and the Spirits

Regular prayer to God and your ancestors should form the cornerstone of your and/or your family's spiritual life. Families, couples, and singles living together should learn to gather regularly to pray and meditate.

God and the spirits also had reasons for instituting feasts and festivals. Many were object lessons of worship and ways of the ancient folks. As modern followers, you can celebrate some of these observances in your own modern way. A blessing awaits those who observe Christmas Day to celebrate the birth of Christ, the appropriate feast day of a saint if you venerate one, Pentecost to commemorate the giving of Torah if you are Jewish, or the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ if you are Christian, Passover to remember how the biblical God delivered the Israelites from slavery or All Soul's Day to honor your ancestors and other departed souls.

Maintain Protection

For your house or business location to be a sacred space, you must understand that you have an ongoing duty to discern and pray for the protection of the home, family, and business.

• Pray unceasingly. It's nearly impossible to be in a conscious and practical continual state of prayer. Just maintain sensitive communion with God and your guides. You can trust your indwelling guides to signal when physical, emotional, mental, astral, and spiritual danger is imminent.

• Exercise authority. Decide to overcome your hesitation about exercising ownership in your home or business. I know this is easier to say than done, but don't be afraid of the spirits and entities that cause harm and discord in your place. The most minor initiative here may result in warding off them completely.

• Discern and deal with negative influences. Be cautious about inviting strangers into your home: Parents should be careful who enters the door. Like an online community such as this, real-life trolls in the outside world spread negativity and drain your energies.

• Confront negative values. Talk to children and other family members or staff about their undesirable traits, attitudes, and behavior. Don't terrify them, but ensure they're informed when needed. Fathers must define values and exercise wise authority when children or other family members violate some values or house standards. The same applies to business for bosses and employees. Improper attitudes such as disrespect and deceit must be recognized and dealt with. A spiritual lifestyle in the home or business can protect everyone.

• Resolve tensions. Deal with attitudes of resentment, anger, hatred, bitterness, and unforgiveness before the nasties and parasitic spirits get an opportunity to deal with you. After an argument, how often have you tried to sleep peacefully without mending the rift with your colleague, mate, parent, or friend? Even if you think yourself free of guilt, you still may need to go to the other party and talk it out. Being convinced you are 'right' and others are 'wrong' doesn't produce any good. To live in harmony, you should reconcile conflicts with truthfulness and unconditional love. Whenever this is not done, consequences ensue, such as a lack of peace in the home or business, stress on the mind and body, and an open crack for potential attachment.

• Deal with isolated psychic or spiritual attacks. If you are sensitive enough, you may discern an arrow from someone with ill intentions slipped into your home, family life, work, or business. Ask your spirit guides, guardians, and such to give you more discernment about it. You may be experiencing a barrage of fear during nighttime, heavy discouragement, or intensive strife. Learn to deal with these events quickly and decisively. Your tardiness in responding will keep you in the fog longer than you need.

Evaluation and Replication

Because these activities are focused on the spiritual, measuring success is only sometimes obvious. It is dangerous to rely on subjective impressions to answer the question, "How are you doing?" There must be objective criteria by which you determine movement in the right direction. Ask the hard questions: Has your discernment been correct? Are you slipping into any errors? Have there been injuries or casualties in my family? Do my family members or staff need correction and exhortation?

It's also necessary to measure the effectiveness of your efforts. Has there been a noticeable increase in the unity of heart and shared purpose among my family members or staff? Do I sense balance, happiness, and harmony in my life? Are there visible signs of evil spiritual entities or energies weakening? Are there signs of new, measurable growth or development among my family members or staff? Can you honestly say that forces of protection and blessing are advancing in my place?

Giving your experience substance helps you document what you have developed in writing. This can serve as a model or pattern adapted to other situations in other places.