Materials -

2 x 4″ white candles, large Basin, Hot water, Herbs of your choice (Go with Lemongrass, Hyssop and Rue [Be careful with Rue, it's an abortive. If your pregnant, don't use it. Use salt instead ] for a general cleansing. As with any work with herbs, make sure your not allergic to them via a skin test!

How to prepare the materials -

Gather the herbs and water to make a herbal tea. Steep them for about 5 minutes and you should have some fragrant green water. Remove the herbal component from the water once its steeped unless you don’t mind walking around with herbs stuck to your body. I used a tea ball or muslin sack for the herbal brew. Mix each part equally. They normally say a pinch of each. Try a tablespoon if you have the herbs and would like.

How to perform the act-

This should be done first thing in the morning, if possible before sun rise. Light two white candles outside of your bath tub to make a kind of door way. Let them burn as you place the basin inside the tub with you. Shut the drain on your bath tube. Dim or turn off the lights so the ritual is done by white candle lights. Place your hands in the basin and cup them to pull the water out of the basin and pour it over yourself. With each pour you’ll stroke the water downwards (Your trying to remove stuff. So downward motions only.) off your body. You’ll do this 12 times. Each time you will be praying aloud to your higher power (Or just use the word “God”) to help take off of you what doesn’t belong and cast it into the water. After you’ve repeated this 12 times lift the entire basin up and pour it over your head (That should be all of the tea). At the moment you should be entirely soaked with the mixture, the basin empty. Do one last downward stroke over your entire body (making sure not to miss your head or the bottom of your feet) and step out of the tub and through the two candles. You’ll more than likely feel something when you venture between the candles. Close the candles behind you (bring them together) So you can’t walk through them again. Your going to want to air dry so the essence is stuck to your body (And avoiding the act of physically removing the water from your body sort of voids the act of putting it on.). Take the candles and let them burn out on their own. Collect the bathwater (Enough to fill a small container, you don’t need to get it all) and let the rest go down the drain. Take the water once your ready to be on your way to a crossroads a little bit away from your house. Cast the water toward the rising sun (Some say over your left shoulder) and turn your back on it. Those problems are dead to you now and walk away. -DON’T LOOK BACK- That will invite those energies all back to you.

That’s it! It’s a very simple ritual that comes from the Hoodoo tradition. I think everyone could use a little pep up with something like this. If you’ve never done it i urge you to try it. You’ll be shocked at how much better you feel. Normally this whole ritual is repeated. In the case of the herbs i recommended above, repeat this 3 days. Once a day for three days. Tell me about your experiences! Perhaps we will do a give away. Hoodoo, Herb and Rootwork Magic by Cathrine Yornwode might just do the trick for that!

-SS

Gillian’s website and forum place!

Our episode!

-SS

What the hell is a Systrum? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sistrum

Scarlet’s Page (Not McPage!) -www.lakefrontpaganvoice.podbean.com

I do apologize for the shortness of this post, but as I had explained in my outro, things for me are changing and i need to start figuring our how to better fit it together. So until then! Thank you for listening/reading.

-SilverShadow

EDIT: Fixed the links, not sure why they did what they did, but thanks for notifying me faithful listener!

Second EDIT: Fixed the links…again. WordPresser’s, if you don’t include http:// before a link, it will assume its a local page. Mind boggling I know. So if your having trouble with linking, that’s how you fix it. PEACE!

I wanted to speak today on a few ideas that perhaps you haven’t thought about. I hope that through this you will be able to achieve that same state with a bit more ease and be able to call up the energy you need to get what you want from your magic. I realize that a large part of this is personal preference and even more so that some of us feel this to different degrees. I firmly believe that each of us can come to the same place with simple instructions that we may have over looked.

First, we need to establish what it is to want something. There is a reason that within Wiccan/Pagan circles, the idea of love spells are so taboo. To have a burning desire for something, to literally have it consume your thoughts and your dreams lends to a great deal of desire and desire is the fuel to Will. That is to say that if you want something bad enough you can make it manifest. I see this as a driving obsession that magicians have, but that’s a topic for another day. What you need to understand from this point is that, if you can’t focus on what it would be to have such a thing. You more than likely don’t want it enough. If your desire is lacking your results will be lacking as well. You have to want the success with a fervent desire. This is often why many workers who are working for mothers for their children will allow the mother to fuel the work. They connection and their pure desire to have their children succeed just can’t be met from someone from the outside. Those who can are professionals for that reason, among many others. Imagine that though, trying to match the desire of a parent to see their child protected, healthy and happy. That is a large order to fill.

Next is the mental head space required. You have more than likely read in books about people establishing sacred space. This idea I believe is two fold. One is the simpler idea of having a space where you can work unabashed. I feel that people who aren’t in what they believe to be a “safe” place to be truly open just can’t call it up like those who aren’t. Most of the time this has all to do with feeling secure with those who can see/hear what is going on. Either in public space, private space that isn’t ‘secure’ (Such as an apartment where neighbors may over hear or a room where a roommates may come in) or being uncomfortable with what your doing. Comfort it turns out has a great deal to do with establishing this sacred space. So either keep working until your comfortable with what your doing for any and all to hear or find yourself some seclusion. This brings to mind images of my youth, trudging through the woods with my backpack full of supplies to try and find a place where no one could find me. A much different scenario than today, were I am often asked to perform ritual or spell work before coven members and clients which are a lot less like family. The second half of head space is focus. I have used this word often but I want to give it special attention here. Focus is again, brought up often in your witchy 101 books as well as really any book that teaches you a system of magic. There is something that falls of you when you’ve narrowed your focus to a pinpoint. The best examples I can give of watching or listening someone who is in that state are Palero/a’s and Santero/a’s chanting their linage and evocations before they read. I believe this practice was both designed to call on those helpful and powerful energies but also to bring the practitioner to a razor focus through a long series of incantations and homages give to their respected spirits. Another from the pagan podcast circle is Cory from New World Witchery‘s sudden change when he intones Braucheri workings. I wish I could remember the exact episode for you to have the audio example, but if you’ve heard it you know exactly what I mean. For just a moment, Cory seems to disappear and Cory’s Will seems to come forward. It’s a very powerful and sudden change when he enters that head space to me. This brings me to my final point.

When a magician gets himself into that head space a kind of change falls over him. His (or Her) voice may change, there is a serious tone to it. The words seem to spill from his lips in a way that gives you a true glimpse into his desire. That is a huge sticking point for me. Often I’ll be in public ritual where you’ll have someone reading from a page. They stumble through it because the words aren’t their own. They may not understand all of the words and more importantly the meanings behind the words. If at all possible, disregard how others phrase things. Those words aren’t your own, they won’t have the same feelings attached to them. Find your own words or if you really like what someone has to say, spend the time to memorize what is going to be said. There is something special about something you’ve taken the time to memorize. Most root workers have memorized a few psalms after the first few years of practicing. I believe this lends a great deal of strength to their workings because it gives them a special kind of confidence. One, I think if you spend the time truly absorbing what your going to use in a spell, you will come to appreciate. But I digress, Let me get back to my point.

Each time you step before your altar take a moment to gather yourself. Before you speak, stop to realize what your about to do. Ask for your higher power to come stand with you and dig down deep for that fire that burns within you. Each of us was born with an inner power many of us have touched once or twice in our life. Most of us touch this fire first when we were angry. So angry that our words came without thought, without that part of our brain that stops us and makes us analyze whats being said. There was that rush that came with it. A release of that anger that perhaps now that your reading this begins to remind of you of how you felt when you really let go of whatever spell you felt had the biggest baddest punch you’ve thrown. That fire is in you all the time and you may have unconsciously grabbed it before, but its there always. Step before your altar with that knowledge and reach down and grab it. Once you have started it will be unmistakable. Bring that inner fire into focus. If you’ve gotten the above squared away you won’t have much else to do. Let the words come to you. Keep refining them over and over, building within you until you feel you’ve shaped it to your desire and then release it. It should feel as though a great burden has been lifted from your shoulders. You should feel elated and relieved at the same time. Its a glorious thing to give it your all and I truly believe if you’ve tapped into it once. You’ll never go without again.

-SS

     For those of you who don’t follow the wheel of the year, yesterday was Imbolc. Its a holiday of pushing the darkness back. I thought this would be a wonderful opportunity to try to reclaim a feeling I had lost.That feeling of actually being apart of the harmony of the universe.

     For years I’ve been celebrating these holidays in my own personal way. Things were always personally impactful, but as a Virgo, I’m never satisfied with something simple. It needs to be thorough and perfect. So I sought others to join in what is traditional within our budding religion. I become a part of a coven and we’ve been celebrating together ever since.This helped quite a bit, being close to so many who truly feel close to the Gods when they worship and I took a lot away from watching them really love their faith. I still didn’t really feel anything though. When I had done my own thing I felt a sense of wonder and perhaps a twinge of the supernatural. I didn’t know what would happen and always waited for something, well lets say romantic to happen. Something that you could write about. Still, nothing ever did, yet I felt close to my Gods anyway. This isn’t to say that its a failing on anyone’s part but my own. I’ve just become uncomfortably numb.

    Whenever you speak to someone who is starting on this path they all have the same thing in their head. Some way, some how, the Gods will speak directly to them and then they will know they are on the right path. Some have dreams, others have inspiration, still some others just feel a connection. Regardless, within Wicca is almost a tenet to have a very personally relationship with your Gods. What happens when you can’t feel them anymore? Beyond that, what if when you look back, you couldn’t place your finger on when you ever did? Well you get to where I’m at I suppose. Let me turn this around once and see if I can come to my point.

    Regardless of what your expectations were when you get in. They weren’t met more than likely. Things just turned out differently. More than likely you enjoyed what you did find. Put away the books that told stories that you now know aren’t for you and started to gravitate towards the ones that ring true for your personal belief. Whatever happened, you kept going and you stepped forward. My question to you is, would you ever step back if you found yourself in something that didn’t resonate with you anymore? Would you keep searching for your own Truth no matter what? This is the question I’m facing now.

     I need to find what it is I believe. I know what I once believed. I know what I want to believe, but what is it I DO believe? Its something I think needs to be addressed before you can push off this numbness towards faith. I think I’ve given it a fair shake (though I still have a few more things to try before I entirely abandon ship), but I still can’t experience the things that most people explain after their first year or so of being Wiccan. I can’t say in the 15 years that I’ve been doing this I’ve experienced even most of them. I wish I could say it was from a lack of trying, but I’ve done just about everything I’ve been able to get my hands on from books to friends to workshops. It just doesn’t work for me.

    Now! Before we get all angsty, I do have to say this journey has brought me to some amazing realizations in my life. I have been able to narrow down what I do believe, things I have encountered and things that just work for me that don’t for other folks. I love that I have found a community of so many different minded folks and that we can easily share our ideas and life styles so others may be able to find what works for them. Its truly a blessing and I want to thank everyone who supports this kind of an ideal. Your amazing people.

    Now lastly, I do want to say, I’m not writing this to air anything out. Rather I’m writing this just in case someone is walking the same path as me and stumbles on this post. Your not alone and your not defective. You just need to keep searching. Just because I’ve come to the end of one path doesn’t mean your hopeless. More importantly it also doesn’t mean that you can’t stay friends or still celebrate with your pagan friends if it makes you happy. Just don’t stop searching while you do that however. Something new and wonderful is waiting for you. You just have to keep looking!

-SS

I do want to thank for Sophia Cathrine and Amadore individually for this as it a bit of a trick to get them together at the same time. Thank you Sophia for helping me get everything timed correctly and always being on Skype for me to launch some kind of crazy new thing too and being a sport about playing along! Thank you Amadore, for sending Hob via myself some hard to find herbs and in general just chatting time and again about life, religion, etc! Also both for taking some time to do the recording. Amadore juggles a LOT of stuff to do their own recording. So I can’t imagine how stressful it may have been to juggle one more show!

Lastly, thank you reader (And hopefully listener) for downloading. Its been a fun ride and I have so much more planned for this year. I hope I can land you some more top notch podcasters and again some folks that aren’t exactly in your listener/social groups so you can be introduced to lives, religions and ideas you may have never even thought about! Keep on doing what you do and make the most out of this life!

-SilverShadow

   While Doctor Hob was at Cleo’s (Where he does readings now and again, ill post the dates he’ll be back for next time) I suddenly got slammed with clients. People who didn’t even come into the shop called me to put in orders for tobys, candle work, powder work and just about everything else. I was suddenly surrounded by the life I had dreamed of and couldnt have been happier. I helped Hobs clients get settled in for their readings and those who needed and wish for help, I was able to sit down with and have Hob explain their situation so I could put together the best workings I could for them. I know I will be busy for weeks with this work and I think I could even help enough folks to be able to afford rent with this money alone. It made me realize that this is exactly where I am meant to be. It is a little overwhelming, I am definitely a tad nervous about taking on so much work, but that is normal of anything big anyone starts.

   I just want folks to see something in this. One, your not crazy for wanting a purely spiritually life. Life is definitely full of surprises. You may have a plan in mind at some point, spirit may throw it out the window. Realize if its meant to be, you will lead toward it and doors will be opened for you. Two, truly figure out what you believe and never stop seeking to define it better. You’ll be surprised how often it may come up if you start doing work for folks. Lastly, have fun with life, don’t work hard enough that you no longer enjoy it.

    I hope this year is great for your spiritual awakening as it has been for me. Ill have another post soon to some up this week soon. I just need to finish some client work and get a good solid sleep in before anything else gets done. You can look forward to a new pagan rapport AND Lamplighter Blues in the next week or so. More on that as it occurs!

   -SilverShadow (Soon to be QuickSilver Conjurer)

Some of these changes are very welcome. Seeing new faces among my local community and getting a much firmer grasp of my practice. All kinds of great things just budding on the horizon as I push my way through the gunk and search for what will become my personal path. I think this is truly what I’ve been lacking. Since my sudden explosive search for the divine has happened, its knocked loose a lot of what I used to believe. Its help in some areas and totally destroyed others. However, for this post i’ll break down a couple of things for you and we’ll move on from there.

I’m open up a little digital shop. It will be held on my web space here and won’t have a fancy checkout system (quiet yet at least), but will contain all of the services and magical curios (For both hoodoo and traditional witchcraft) I have and will be selling. This is a brand new thing for me (I usually sell everything out of a physical store) but I hope it will be something to help me cover the costs of the pod-casting RSS and WordPress fees. One day I will move it over to an actual web store and begin in earnest, for now this will work nicely. More details as it unfolds.

I’m done searching externally for awhile on what could become my “true” faith. I’ve searched under so many different ATRs because the practitioners of those faiths have been amazing people that I both admired and believed had access to a spiritually realm I didn’t. I have solidified that those paths aren’t for me as much as perhaps I had wished that they were. Much love to everyone who can claim them as their own, at this moment and for a good long time for the foreseeable future, I’m going back to where I started with a few twists. Perhaps this will mean a few more folks from the active Wiccan/Traditional Witchcraft community will become guests. Who knows, but I have to find my spark again and I think this is the way to do it.

I have decided to make this year my dedication to working my path. I have done so much for so many other folks, I pushed working things for my own benefit aside. A lot of time was just wasted escaping from myself, that has got to change. 2013 will be a strange year indeed! I’m hoping this will mean more blog posts, more readers and perhaps more than a handful of emails from my listeners and readers! I’ll do my best to provide you with content I think would make you happy and help educate you on whatever it is that I’ve learned through my journeys of ADD spiritually!

Finally, Dr. Hob is coming back to Rockford! Its kind of a loose tie in but there it is regardless. Hes going to be doing readings and rootwork at my local metaphysical store (Cleo’s Aromapothacary of Rockford on Jan 18th and 19th) and we will be doing a workshop on Ancestor Altars in different cultures. It has a few folks signed up for it already, but if your in town Jan 19th (4:30 pm) you can have yourself a sit down, drink some tea and listen to us teach you how to setup an altar within your own home. The class will even include a set of tools for your own altar!

Remember, if you have questions, comments, etc about the podcast, blog, or the likes. You can drop me an email at thepaganrapport@gmail.com and i’ll get back to you as soon as I can. I thank everyone who’s emailed me so far and was thrilled to be able to chat with some like minded people. Thank you for making 2012 amazing and I hope I can rock your 2013.

-SilverShadow

Realizing I have totally forgotten to do the show notes for this podcast, I figured I should finally put them out! Though there isn’t a whole lot to say, however I am trying out the different formats of libsyns downloaders, so if you have an opinion, let me know!

Cory is the co-host of the podcast New World Witchery (His latest can be found here), along with his co-host Laine, they bring together an amazing podcast on “American Magic”. Its something different for sure within the realms of pagan podcasting because it deals with issues none of the other podcasts (At least that I’ve listened too!) come across. Many of their topics have inspired me to do a lot more research and have brought new aspects to my practices that I’ve used ever since.

Some of their topics include, Hoodoo, Braucherei, Spell successes and failures, Biblical Magic, and many more! They have even had some amazing guest interviews such as Cathrine Yronwode, Dr. E (Who I’ve gotten a go on to interview as well!) and many more. (My favorite being an interview with a gentlemen researching Braucherei practices) I heartily encourage you to take a look at their show library if you haven’t already and let me know what you think. You’ll be in for a treat.

-SS

- Lamplighter Blues – Podcast – This is a podcast done by myself and Doctor Hob with a direct approach to solving troubles with Conjure. Its fairly new so give us some time! www.lamplighterblues.wordpress.com also find us on iTunes. We each have our own blog as well where we give tips and do reviews on things that matter to folks within the occult and conjure community. You can find Hob @ www.penniesfortheboneyard.wordpress.com

Lucky Mojo & Their Hoodoo Rootwork Hour – Website / Blogtalk Radio Show – This site is PACKED with knowledge that is the real deal. Given its only a small fraction to what’s available to those enrolled in the Correspondence Course, you can learn a LOT just from reading of this Site. As well they have a call in show that anyone can sign up for to be on the air. The two hosts (Cathrine Yornwode and Conjureman Ali) take calls and give divinations to help solve folks troubles. They always have a guest from AIRR as well, so that’s fun too. Find them on blog talk or at their website http://www.luckymojo.com/radioshow.html

New World Witchery – Blog / Podcast – Cory and Lane host this wonderful podcast and blog. The blog routinely has amazing things on it containing information gathered by a true academic. I was floored when I finally saw how many different posts were made and on the verity of different subjects. Their podcast is equally as amazing containing formula and direct spell work advice while also going into the metaphysics of why we do what we do. They cover more than just conjure as well, diving into what they call “American Folk Magic”. Which believe me, if your interested in differently styles of magical workings, you’ll learn a few you’ve never heard of here folks. Giving you some new topics to do research on. Amazing show, serious kodus. Find them on iTunes or their website @ www.newworldwitchery.com

Crossroads of Sorcery – Blog – Brother Ash is from a linage of practitioners and always has information and formula to give away and explain. He is also an author of a solid title that I can’t wait to get my hands on covering the herb and the spirit of High John the Conqueror. Give his website a look and you’ll learn all kinds of solid tips and tricks to making conjure both easier and more accessible. He also does giveaways from time to time. So stay tuned! http://www.crossroadsofsorcery.com/

Dr. Raven’s Conjure – Blog – Conjureman Ali’s personal blog contains a lot of beautiful imagery as well as instructions on how to do quite a few different spells and tricks. His blog always has amazing pictures of his work and an explanation of why the spells look like they do. I’ve tried my hand at a few of his suggestions (As he’s kind of a personal hero of mine) and had solid success. Definitely take a look here and learn all you can. http://ravenconjure.blogspot.com/

Dr. E’s Conjure – Blog – Dr. E is another one I am I big fan of. He constantly is out there helping put fraud awareness to the forefront to protect their seeking spiritual services. He also gives some tips and tricks about conjure on his blog as well! I’d give both of his pages a look. http://conjuredoctor.blogspot.com/ and http://santeriachurch.org/

I should also mention that just about everyone at AIRR (www.readersandrootworkers.org/) has their own website/blog. Taking a good solid read of their work is always helpful. I would recommend taking some time to navigate the site itself as well.

After this short list you can more than likely add a few yourself. So do so! Post replies to websites or shows you’ve found have helped you learn. The amazing thing about these resources is the availability of them to reach everyone with an internet connection. I hope these help you find what you may need and guide you on your path.

-SS