The Suits of Tarot

In Tarot, some suits are used to designate the different areas of life that are represented in the Tarot. Specifically, four suits talk about the different conditions that we go through.  

In this article, I am going to talk about the suit to give the reader a better understanding of them. This knowledge is important for you to become a proficient reader, so you will be able to help yourself or others. 

So, the different suits represent the different themes of Tarot, which we will go into later on in this article. I will now explain the different themes of what we need to understand. 

The suits represent the different elements in the tarot. They represent the situations and events that are daily occurrences or people within your life. Just because these cards represent smaller occurrences of daily situations, it does not mean that they are insignificant or something to not concern yourself with. The thing about the minor arcana is that you can see the energies of the day-to-day activities that are going on. So, now that I have mentioned the importance, I am going to talk about the 4 suits and the meaning behind them. 

Cups Suit

The cups within Tarot represent emotions and feelings. This is because the cups also represent water or water signs, and in astrology, the water signs are normally associated with feelings and emotions. When a cup card comes up in a Tarot reading, your spirits are giving the information that whatever pertains to your reading, there are influences of emotions, or there is an emotional decision that will need to be made. Whenever you see the cups within your reading, you can decide that the situation is based on emotion. Also, the cups are associated with intuition. Intuition is a very important sense that people do not pay attention to like they should. With the suit of the cups, through a single card or throughout a whole reading, you can see how intuition will play a role in the actions of a specific person. There is much more that I can write, but for now, this is a good stopping point for the suit of cups. 

Wands suit 

This represents inspiration and action; the wands also represent fire. When you see the wands in a Tarot spread, you can know that the situation you are dealing with will need some form of action or inspiration, or some form of creativity. Also, in some cases, the wands suit, for example, the Ace of Wands, can mean fertility. Whenever I see the wands in a Tarot reading, I know there is something that the querent is doing, and there will be a lot of energy and action involved, which is a positive indication that the person will be successful in their endeavor. The wands are a great suit to see, or it could be an indication that you will need to be motivated if you want to accomplish your goal. 

Swords suit 

The swords represent the mind, intellect, or spoken word; also the swords represent air. Whenever you see the swords within a tarot reading, you will be able to see what is going on in terms of intellect or things pertaining to the mind. Whenever I see the swords within a Tarot reading, I always know that there is a thought or something that is weighing down on the querent in a reading. This thought is something that needs to be handled, but the situation is not easy to handle. Also, when you see the swords in a reading, it could mean that the querent needs to be discerning and that they need to use their mind rather than their emotions when engaging in a situation. 

Pentacles Suit 

This represents all monetary or material matters. The pentacles also represent the element of earth. Wherever you see the pentacles when you are talking about things that are happening that will have an effect on things with money. Also, pentacles represent matters with work or your career. Seeing the pentacles in a tarot spread means that you are going to come into some money, or there is going to be an event that happens pertaining to material matters. 

So this explains the suits within Tarot. I hope that when you read this, you will be able to further your Tarot journey by understanding what the different suits mean. With this guide, you will be able to use this information to improve your Tarot readings. Also, there is a lot more information within each card that you can do the research behind to have more information for your reading. If you have any questions, please feel free to message me or leave a comment. Thank you so much for reading!

"Those who don't believe in magic will never find it." 

- Roald Dahl 

Days of Power in Hoodoo

Hello, in this article, I am going to talk about the important days of Hoodoo. I think it is essential to talk about days that can aid Hoodoo workers in strengthening their work.

I know some people who are reading may think, ‘Why does this matter?’ Well, the reason is that during certain periods of time, there is power on certain days where your magick and rituals can be increased to accomplish your goals. This is something I want new practitioners to know about because it can be a great benefit to know, and also knowing these days helps with developing a spiritual routine. 

So, throughout a calendar year, there are a few days that are powerful to observe and to use to create powerful magick. 

Halloween - October 31st 

This one may throw people off a little because the spiritual practice of Hoodoo does not observe Halloween. However, spiritually, Halloween is a day of power for any spiritualist, and I know you’re reading this, saying, “What?” but just hear me out. Halloween is a day when the veil between humans and the spiritual world is the thinnest. This is the perfect time to connect to your spirits and to do spiritual work. The only thing I would caution you on is to strengthen your protections. The reason is that the veil is thin, and even if there are good spirits who are around you, there will also be negative spirits. Always be careful on days like these because many different spirits may not have the best intentions. In Hoodoo, you normally practice at night if you are throwing work out or you are cursing an enemy. Halloween is a great time to do this. 

All Saints’ Day - November 1st 

All Saints’ Day is powerful. This is a day in the Catholic church that celebrates all of the faithful spirits who have attained sainthood who are in heaven. This is a part of the trinity of Halloween, All Saints’ Day, and All Souls’ Day. All Saints’ Day is a great chance to honor your ancestors and saints who are not with us anymore. Many people who are Catholic and Hoodoo practitioners will work on this day and honor their ancestors because of the synchronicity with the Catholic church, where they honor saints. Some things you can do on this day are: you can leave food out for your ancestors on your altar, or you can pray for them. In Hoodoo, normally, the people who practice go to the grave site of the departed and clean up and prepare the gravestones. 

All Souls’ Day - November 2nd 

This is a day that is not recognised in Hoodoo, but if you are a Hoodoo practitioner who is Catholic, then you know this is a day when you pray for your ancestors who are in purgatory; you are praying for them to be able to get into heaven faster. All Souls’ Day is a day that I use to honor my spirits, to give them foods that my family has made for generations. Also, I give them drinks that they like, some drinks that I give are rum, whiskey, and other drinks like Coca-Cola. The point of this day is to honor your spirits who are gone. I would like to mention that on this day, don’t ask your ancestors for anything, just give them thanks and offerings. That would be like you being asked for a favor on your birthday. That is crazy work lol. 

New Year’s Eve - December 31st

New Year's Eve is a day for many people of all different cultures. This is a time when people prepare for New Year's Day. Personally, for New Year’s Eve, I get ready with cleansings and doing spiritual work like making a spiritual bath, and pulling cards to see how the year ahead is going to go. Cleansing yourself and your house is a form of road opening, so doing this along with other rituals is a great way to open your roads. Also, I cook the food I am going to eat for New Year’s like cornbread, black eyed peas, and collard greens. This is a staple meal in Hoodoo tradition to bring in good health and prosperity for the year. New Year's Eve is a great day to clean and prepare for the new year coming. 

New Year’s Day - January 1st 

New Year's is great because this is the day when you will do everything that you would want to do for the rest of the year. In terms of magick, I normally do a money drawing candle and another candle for protection. These are rituals that are easy to do, and it’s something I do every New Year to bring in continued blessings for the entire year. I always keep some physical money in my wallet, so I will have money for the rest of the year. I would have taken a spiritual bath sometime after 12 am, so I will come into the new year cleansed from anything in the past. These are some things that you can do as well to enhance the energies of this year. Some examples are manifestation and Feng Shui. 

Good Friday (Easter) - April 

Good Friday is the day that Jesus was crucified, and then on the third day, Jesus was resurrected from the dead. Jesus defeated death, and he came back. Good Friday and Easter, not only in Hoodoo, but in the Christian faith, are such important days. However, specifically, Good Friday is a day for cleansing by taking a spiritual bath. Also, you can use this day for readings and to see what is going to happen down the road. I like Good Friday because it is a day that is an annual reminder that springtime is coming. This is a time when we remember that Jesus was resurrected from the dead to defeat death. Also, there is a shift in the seasons from winter to spring, so this is also a shift in the energies of resurrection and growth. 

Saint John the Baptist Day - June 24th 

Saint John the Baptist’s day is a powerful day for spiritual workers. This day falls a few days after the summer solstice, and this is a powerful time in Hoodoo or any other type of spiritual practice to use the power during this time to make your work stronger. Collecting herbs, doing spiritual work, or communicating with your spirits are some of the ways that working on this day will help you. John the Baptist was a Jewish preacher who baptized Jesus. This was a powerful moment. With the symbols of fire and water, the fire being spiritual cleansing, and the water being a connection to the spirit. The path of Hoodoo deals with synchronicity, and being able to blend the spiritual elements of Christianity and the spiritual practice of Hoodoo, which uses elements of African spirituality. It creates the spiritual path of Hoodoo, so take advantage of this day and create magick. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, these are all of the special days that you can observe in Hoodoo to honor your spirits and to empower your spiritual work. I wanted to give you information about these days, so you can develop a spiritual routine. Plus, for newcomers to Hoodoo, you know what days have an extra benefit. I will say this, Hoodoo across the South, and even all across the United States, has different types of methods. For example, conjure men and women who are in New Orleans are Catholics, so they work with saints, and conjure men and women from Georgia normally are Baptists, where they only work with their ancestors and God. So, what I am trying to say is, things change depending on the region where you are from, but all of these days that I listed, any spiritual worker can use to strengthen their work. I hope this article was informative. If you have any other questions, please feel free to leave a comment on something I might have missed. Thank you so much for reading! 

“The axe forgets but the tree remembers.” 

- African Proverb

5 of the Most Important Psalms for Beginners to Know

Hello, in this article, I will tell everyone who wants to get into Hoodoo the five most important Palms for beginners to know when they are starting this practice. 

First, with Hoodoo, the book of Psalms is one of the most well-known parts of the Bible for newcomers when they are starting their Hoodoo journey. I will say that it is important to understand the different uses of the Psalms. The book of Psalms can range from many different uses for the human condition; there are psalms for money, luck, love, protection, and many other things.

Understanding the many uses of the Psalms is important because there are 150 different Psalms, but for now, I will tell you the 5 most important Psalms you need to know as a beginner. 

Top 5 Psalms 

Psalm 91

Psalm 91 is the first psalm that a beginner should familiarize themselves with. This is a ubiquitous psalm that is known for protection. It’s one of the most powerful psalms that is used for protection. Fun fact, there are old homes of former slaves, where the page of Psalm 91 was ripped out of the Bible, and placed in the foundation of the home, to provide protection. This psalm talks about God protecting people from all harm. You can use this psalm for protection rituals or when making a spiritual bath; there are many different instances where you can use this psalm. 

Psalm 23 

This is a catch-all Psalm that can be used for all manner of conditions. You can use this psalm to draw money. You can use this psalm for protection. There is no shortage of things you can do with this psalm. In Hoodoo, you will see this psalm a lot with all of the works that you will be doing as you get further in your practice. I use this psalm for both money and for protection. Also, when I am enchanting an object for a working that I am doing, I will pray the 23rd psalm to activate the object that I am using. 

Psalm 65 

This psalm is very good for road opening work or if you have a petition. I use the Psalm many times if I have something that I am praying for, and I need to have success in obtaining it, or if I am doing a road opening work for myself or a client. Here is a tip that not many people will tell you! Using the correct name for God in the psalm you are reciting will increase its effectiveness. With Psalm 65, you want to use the name Jah, which is one of many names God has. 

Psalm 51 

This psalm is very important for anyone getting into Hoodoo to learn about. The 51st Psalm is of great importance because you use this psalm for cleansing and purification. Whenever I am taking a spiritual cleansing bath, I will recite Psalm 51 over the bath while I am preparing it. Also, I use Hyssop, which is mentioned in the Psalm. Hyssop is a powerful herb that is used to cleanse a person of sin, as well as cleanse any negative spiritual energies. The passage mentioning Hyssop is in verse 7: “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” 

Psalm 78 

Psalm 78 is used to gain favor from authority figures or people in positions of power. I know we need to gain favor from people to advance our careers or to get a leg up. You recite this psalm if you have a request to give a boss or a loan officer, and you need to be favored by them. I use this psalm when I have a request to give a boss whom I need a favor from, like taking time off, or for them to be more agreeable. Before any meeting, I would go into the bathroom and pray this Psalm before having the meeting. This would work, and my boss would be more receptive to my request. 

So, there are the top 5 Palms that I believe are the best for beginners in Hoodoo to learn. These psalms cover a wide range of issues that people have. I will say that Psalms are important, but in other articles, I will talk about other passages in the Bible that are great for spiritual work. This is just the start, but soon you will be able to use many different psalms covering all manner of conditions. 

Thank you so much for reading! If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment.

"Magic is believing in yourself. If you can do that, you can make anything happen."

                - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

The Easiest to the Most Complex Methods of Spiritual Cleansing

Hello everyone reading this article, I am going to talk about cleansing. This article is not only going to be about cleansing, but I will talk about the simplest to the most complex cleansings. Cleansings are a spiritual process of alleviation that is used to remove any evil energy, spirit, or negative things. Spiritual cleansing has been used for centuries by many different groups of people and different cultures. However, in this article, I am going to talk about the spiritual cleansings of Hoodoo workers and of African spiritual cleansings. I want the reader of this article to have a spiritual cleansing routine to add to their spiritual practice. So, I will start from the easiest cleansings that everyone can do, and through the article, I will move to more complex methods that you can try to do, but I will caution you to ensure that you are protecting yourself. 

Okay, so let’s get started! 

Fasting and Prayer

Fasting and prayer are some of the simplest things that you can do, but they can be effective methods of cleansing. In the Bible, in Matthew 4:1-11, when Jesus went into the desert for 40 days and nights, he went without eating or drinking anything to get closer to God, and to begin the start of his ministry in the Catholic church. Fasting and prayer are great ways to be closer to God, and if you have a special and urgent request, fasting and prayer are great ways to increase the likelihood of you getting your petition being answered. Also, fasting and prayer are forms of cleansing as well because you are not putting potentially negative things inside of your body. 

Sage/Incense/ Palo Santo

Using either of these three sage sticks may seem small, but it has a powerful effect on removing negativity from your body, spirit, and aura. This method is simple, but it is effective if you need to do something in the interim. The way you are cleansing is through the smoke, and the special properties that the incense has. White sage neutralizes and removes all energies, good or bad. Palo santo removes negative energies and brings in positive energy.

Egg Cleanse

This method is very powerful, and it is not complicated to do at all. Spiritually, people would normally pass a chicken over themselves for the chicken to absorb all of the negative energy, then the spiritual practitioner would kill the chicken. However, today in the modern day, sacrificing a chicken can cause a lot of trouble with the authorities. This was a hoodoo practice that people would do to remove evil. During the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, the ancestors would take the eggs that they had access to, and they would pass the egg over the person afflicted, and once the cleansing was done, they would bury the egg or send it down a river or creek. This method of cleansing has been used by many different cultures. The best way to do the egg cleanse is to take an egg that is room temperature, and you will rub it all over yourself. While doing this, you will want to say the Lord’s Prayer for the entire duration of the cleansing. Once you have rubbed the egg over all of your body, you will throw the egg away. Some people will crack the egg in a glass to see what they were afflicted with. 

Spiritual Cleansing Bath 

This is a simple cleansing, but it is very effective, and depending on the situation, this cleansing ritual could be powerful if you need to enhance it. So, to start off, a spiritual cleansing bath can be simple; for example, you can use three items to create your bath, like Holy Water, Hyssop, and Lime. Also, you can use ingredients with an odd number of items in it. Spiritual cleansing baths can be as simple as taking one bath and being done, but it can be more detailed by doing a multi-day bath. The length of the days that you are taking a spiritual cleansing bath is related to the extent of the cleansing that you need. If you have a large amount of negative energies, then you will have to take a bath for 5,7,9, or 13 days to completely remove the evil from you. 

House cleansing

This is a method of cleansing when you feel that your space has had evil or negative energies in it. For everyone, their house/space is their sanctuary, where they should be able to come to so they can unwind and decompress from their work days. However, if there is evil and you need to do a cleansing, then there are a lot of things that you will be able to do. For example, you can use the Sage/ Palo Santo, which I stated earlier, can clear your house. Also, there is another method you can do, which involves using a coconut and cascarilla. However, if there is an evil entity that is stronger, then your best course of action would be to seek out a member of the Catholic Church, and get a priest who can bless a house or even exorcise a house too. Also, if you look it up online, you can get a Saint Michael the Archangel house blessing prayer. 

Exorcism 

This is the last method of cleansing, which is only for emergency situations. The process of an exorcism is or can be defined as: “ a ritual or practice, most commonly associated with religious traditions, intended to cast out or ward off evil spirits or demons believed to possess individuals, places, or objects.” This is one of the most powerful forms of cleansing, and exorcisms cannot be done readily. You will need to gather substantial evidence to give to the Catholic Church, and there will be an assessment done to ensure that the person who is possessed is not suffering from any mental or psychological illness. Once this is done, the church will send a trained priest who is experienced in exorcism. The priest will commence the exorcism on behalf of the possessed person. This method of cleansing is one of the most powerful and is highly effective in removing demons and evil spirits from the person who is afflicted with evil. However, exorcisms are an intense practice, and there have been people who have died when removing evil spirits from a person. 

In conclusion, this is not a concrete list; there are many different cleansings from different cultures that are highly effective, which you can research on your own. I have compiled this list to give the reader information so that they can use these healings to help themselves or others who have been plagued with negativity in their lives. Thank you so much for reading this article! 

“We must not let daylight in upon the magic.” 

- Walter Bagehot 

Working with the Spirits to empower your work

A High John the Conqueror House Blessing Candle

Hello, everyone reading this article. I will be talking about working with the spirits to empower your work.

First, you need to know it's essential to build a relationship with the spirit you are trying to invoke, so your petitions will be heard and answered. Normally, when people start working with spirits, they think that this is easy to do; however, you need to give an offering to pay the spirit for the work that you would need them to do. So, I would start off with researching what the offering is that the spirit is receptive to, then I would get the offering and just talk to the spirit, and let them know who you are.

Whatever the reason, it is important to know the steps it will take to build a good relationship with a spirit. So, for starters, I determine which is the right spirit to work with. For me, I like to work with various saints, such as Saint Michael, Saint Expedite, Saint Anthony, and Saint Cyprian. There are plenty more spirits that you can choose to work with, and you don’t need to choose only saints in the Catholic church. There are other spirits, such as the 7 African Powers, like Ogun, who is a Yoruba deity or Orisha of Justice, war, iron, and metal work. You can go to the Hindu religion, and ask the intercession of Lord Ganesha, who is an elephant-headed god, and is known for removing obstacles. The point is, there are many different types of spirits you can choose to work with. 

Next, once you choose to work with a spirit, you are going to figure out what the best offering to give to a spirit is. Doing research is one of the best ways to find out what it is that the spirit wants. Next, once you find out what the spirit wants, you will then acquire what it is that they want, and then you are going to create a space for the spirit. You can do this by using your altar and creating a small space for the spirit you wish to work with. Now, this is a very important fact: during your first interaction with the spirit of your choice, you are going to want to only talk to the spirit and introduce yourself to the spirit. You will tell them your name, likes and dislikes, and everything else that you feel is important to you. This is going to be your first action: to get to know the spirit and introduce yourself to them. Another important factor is having a set schedule to commune with the spirit; this will establish a stronger relationship. After a while doing this for about 2 to 3 weeks, if you want to begin working with the spirit, you can now ask the spirit to help out with any type of spiritual work, or ask for their assistance. 

So, in this article, I have gone through all of the things that you need to do to build and have a good relationship with the spirits you decide to work with. Thank you so much for reading this article, and God bless you.

"If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water." 

- Loren Eiseley

The 3 essential herbs for beginners in hoodoo/conjure

Hello, in this article, I will be writing about 3 of the most important herbs you will need when beginning this work in Hoodoo. First, I will explain why herbs/roots are so important in spiritual work. The spiritual practice of Hoodoo has a belief in ‘animism,’ which is the belief that everything has a spirit or energy. So, when the root man/woman is working the root, they are communicating with the root and telling the root what they want it to do. This practice has been with African Americans from Africa all the way to the United States during the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. Now, in the modern day, herbs are still an essential part of the practice. Herbs have power, and when you are starting this practice, you need to know how to work them.

John the Conqueror Root 

So, now that you know this information. I will discuss the 3 essential herbs for beginners to use. The first and most famous root would be John the Conqueror root, which is a staple in hoodoo and is a very powerful root. There are many uses for this root, such as overcoming problems and protection. It's good for boosting personal power. There is no shortage of things you can do; you want to use this root to its full potential. There are many stories about the origin of John the Conqueror. I will give a short synopsis of the story I was told when I was younger. The story goes that there was once a King in Africa who was sold into slavery, and then he was sent to the United States. Even though the King was sold into slavery, no matter what the slave owners did, it would not faze John. However, one day, John was talking to a nice young lady, and he fancied her, but later, he realized that she was the daughter of the devil. When the devil found out about this, he tried to kill John. The devil had John go through a series of challenges, and if John was successful, he would be able to marry his daughter. All of the trials were impossible, but through the help of the devil’s daughter and John's quick wit, he was able to pass the trials. However, upon completing the tasks, the devil still intended to kill John, so John and the devil's daughter escaped, but before leaving the United States and going back to Africa, John left some of his power in the root we now know as John the Conqueror Root to help the people who were still enslaved. That is one of many versions of how the root of John gained its power. So, the story aside, this root is integral for virtually all practitioners of hoodoo/conjure. You can do a lot with this root, and it will help in pretty much any aspect of your spiritual work. 

A Spiritual Bath with Hyssop

The next herb is Hyssop. This herb has been named in Psalm 51, and this herb has been stated to cleanse and make oneself completely clean from all spiritual negativity. Hyssop is a wonderful herb that is used for cleansing, healing, and restoration. If you wanted to, you could use only hyssop for a spiritual cleansing bath to get the effects of removing all evil, negativity, hexes, and jinxes off of you. This is one of the most powerful herbs for protection and cleansing. This herb is a staple for cleansing baths for myself or for my clients. If you are not already using this herb, then you will want to stock up on it. 

The third herb is Cinnamon. I know people may be reading this and wonder, Why is cinnamon so important. Also, cinnamon is not an herb; it's a spice. However, there are many uses for cinnamon, and that is why I chose it, because of its versatility. Using cinnamon is good for a multitude of things. First and foremost, cinnamon is used for money. When I was younger, my grandmother was the person who informed me about the uses of cinnamon; she would tell me to put pieces of cinnamon sticks in my wallet, and that would bring money to me. So when she told me this, I started to do it, and from there, I would see instances of money coming to me randomly, or there would be an increase in opportunities for money coming to me. Also, you can use cinnamon for a lot of different work, for example, love workings, cinnamon is very good for that and is one of the key ingredients for any type of love work. In conclusion, if I were to have only three herbs to pick from to restart my inventory and usage, these are the three that I would choose. Thank you all for reading, and if you have any questions, please feel free to comment down below.

Cinnamon sticks

"I am sure there is Magic in everything, only we have not sense enough to get hold of it and make it do things for us."

- France Hodgson Burnett