Showing posts with label new orleans voodoo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label new orleans voodoo. Show all posts

Absinthe Conjure Oil (Green Fairy Oil)


Here is a sneak peak into the revised edition of the Voodoo Hoodoo Spellbook. It is an excerpt from the formulary section about Absinthe. If anyone decides to try it, please do share the results!

Absinthe is a potent alcoholic beverage made from select herbs and a large percentage of the purest alcohol. In French, the word "absinthe" means "wormwood." Accounts in ancient texts date as far as 1500 B.C. mention wormwood's medicinal as well as religious significance. The original recipe was simply wormwood leaves soaked in wine.

Absinthe was also known as the "Green Fairy" during its heyday in France in the 1800s. The Green Fairy is the English translation of La Fee Verte, the French nickname given to absinthe in the 19th century. The nickname stuck, and over a century later, “absinthe", "Green Fairy", “Green Goddess”, and “Madness in a Bottle” are some of the names that continue to be used.

According to some accounts, absinthe was first formulated in the 1790s by Dr. Pierre Ordinaire, a French doctor living in Switzerland. He made it by combining wormwood with other herbs such as hyssop, coriander, anise, and melissa, with 68% alcohol. He created the amazing elixir to treat his patients and patented it as a “cure-all”, guaranteed to heal what ails you.

The legacy of absinthe as a mystifying, addictive, and mind-altering elixir continues to this day. Absinthe has been largely and incorrectly portrayed in fine art, music, literature and the media as an unnaturally glowing green liquid that causes over-the-top hallucinations and madness.

Absinthe is an anise-flavored liquor or spirit that is made by steeping wormwood (wormwood has been defined as the quinine of the poor) and other aromatic herbs (hyssop, lemon balm, and angelica) in alcohol. The drink is distinguished by its dazzling emerald blue-green clarity, due to its chlorophyll content. When mixed with water, the liquor changes to cloudy white. Absinthe drinking was exported to New Orleans and the French Quarter, where the Old Absinthe House has been a tourist attraction for more than a century. Absinthe appeared in New Orleans liquor advertisements as early as 1837, but its popularity didn't take off until the latter half of the 19th century with the opening of the barroom that would become the Old Absinthe House in 1874.

The classic French absinthe ritual involves placing a sugar cube on a flat perforated spoon, which
rests on the rim of the glass containing a measure or “dose” of absinthe. Iced water is then very
slowly dripped on to the sugar cube, which gradually dissolves and drips, along with the water, into
the absinthe, causing the green liquor to louche (“loosh”) into an opaque opalescent white as the
essential oils precipitate out of the alcoholic solution. Usually three to four parts water are added to one part of 68% absinthe.[1]

In the Czech Republic they have a different absinthe drinking ritual, which is not recommended. They set it up similar to the traditional way with a slotted spoon and sugar cubes, except they soak the sugar directly in the absinthe, then set it on the spoon and put a match to it. The absinthe in the glass, and the sugar, both ignite and the sugar melts and drips down into the glass. The remnants of the cube are eventually dropped into the absinthe and the fire is blown out. The warm absinthe is now ready to drink. This method of absinthe preparation is obviously dangerous, and again is not recommended.[2]

Aleister Crowley wrote about the spiritual/metaphysical function of water in the making of absinthe in 1917:

 "Here, too are marble basins hollowed—and hallowed!--by the drippings of the water which creates by baptism the new spirit of absinthe."

Absinthe conjure oil is used to enhance psychic visions and create unusual spiritual clarity and heightened clarity of mind and vision. This oil will also produce vivid dreams and is a powerful aphrodisiac.  

Like the absinthe ritual for creating the beverage, conjuring the magickal oil also involves a ritual of baptizing the spirit of absinthe into being. Make sure your herbs are fresh and green, though dried. This is extremely important for the final product. Here is the formula for making absinthe:

Herbs
  • Cardamom
  • Lemon balm (Melissa)
  • Hyssop
  • Common wormwood (Artemesia absinthium)
  • Petite Absinthe (Artemesia Pontica)
  • Green anise or Spanish anise, powdered
  • Whole and powdered fennel
  • Calamus, powdered (minor ingredient)
  • Fennel, powdered
  • Peppermint

Essential Oils:
  • Oil of wormwood
  • Anise essential oil
  • Peppermint essential oil

Additional ingredients:
  • Base alcohol (beet alcohol or grape alcohol is traditionally used, but you can substitute Everclear since we are not concerned with the taste)
  • Distilled water
  • Sugar cube

If you have gathered your own wormwood, your will need to strip the leaves from the stems because you only want to use the leaves. Combine all of the herbs in a mortar. Gently macerate the herbs together until they are well mixed and the fragrance is strong. Pour a quantity of base alcohol in a copper pot and dilute with distilled water to about 85%. Add the herb mix and allow to steep in the alcohol over night. In the morning, add a little more water and heat over the stove on low heat for about an hour. Keep the pot covered, and periodically stir the mixture and collect the condensation from the lid of the pot. Take off of the stove and allow the liquid to cool. Strain the alcohol out of the herbs and do a second maceration with the artemesia, hyssop, and lemon balm using about half of the strained liquid. You can either add the herbs in loose, or put them in a tea bag to make the straining process easier later. Warm over the stove until hot but do not allow it to boil. Remove the mixture from the stove and allow it to cool. This mixture should be a bright emerald green. Strain the liquid again. Filter through cheesecloth into a clear bottle until clear of herbs and sediment. Add the first liquid to the bottle and cover tightly.

Allow this mixture to sit for a couple of weeks to allow all of the fine sediment to settle to the bottom of the container. When the liquid appears very clear, you are ready to make your smaller bottles of Absinthe Conjure Oils.

For a one dram bottle of Absinthe Conjure Oil, take about 10 full droppers of the Green Fairy liquid and put in the bowl. Add one full of dropper each of the oil of Wormwood and the anise essential oil. To this, add about half a dropper full of peppermint. Gently stir the oils and liquid. Now, fill your smaller dram bottle about 3/4 of the way full with the Green Fairy liquid.  Place a funnel into the top of the smaller one dram bottle and put a sugar cube into funnel, so that the distilled water you will add has to pass through the sugar. This is the actual baptism of the Green Fairy. Using an eye dropper, slowly add the distilled water, drop by drop, on the sugar cube until the bottle is full. The final mixture should be a milky green if done correctly.

You should have enough extra absinthe elixir to last a long, long time. It will not go bad so long as you store it in a cool dark place, in a dark amber bottle (or other dark colored glass). Do not refrigerate your absinthe elixir because some of the chemical constituents may crystallize and may not remix with the other ingredients when it reaches room temperature.

Most folks who make the Green Fairy conjure oil will simply blend the essential oils in a base of grapeseed oil, perhaps with a sprig of wormwood added to the bottle. This is certainly a less complicated method. However, as you can imagine, the effect is not nearly the same on a magickal level. You don't have the intimate relationship with the herbs, the same kind of intensity of intent from the whole process, and you don't have the baptism of the spirit of absinthe. The technique I have described here really is a fabulous process and you will feel ecstatic when you get it right.

The base absinthe formula is a vintage recipe for the absinthe brew and so it can technically be drunk as an alcoholic beverage. Please exercise caution when consuming absinthe as it is an extremely powerful Spirit.

Here are a couple of vintage New Orleans recipes for drinking absinthe. While drinking absinthe is not a hoodoo activity, it is decidedly New Orleans and so I have included them as a little lagniappe for their historical value.

Green Fairy Frappe

1 ounce base Green Fairy formula
½ ounce simple syrup
7 fresh mint leaves
1 ounce soda water

Combine mint leaves and simple syrup in a tall glass. Add crushed ice. Place an absinthe spoon over the top of the glass and place a sugar cube. Add the absinthe by carefully pouring it through the sugar cube into the glass. When all the absinthe has been poured into the glass through the sugar cube, cover with a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously. Top off the drink with soda water.

Absinthe Cocktail

1 jigger absinthe
1 teaspoon sugar syrup
1 dash anisette
2 dashes Peychaud bitters
2 ounces charged water

Fill a highball glass a little more than half full with cracked or crushed ice. Pour in the absinthe, sugar sirup, anisette, and bitters, then squirt in carbonated or other live water. Jiggle with a barspoon until the mixture is well frapped. Strain into cocktail glasses which have been iced ahead of time.[3]


[1]The Virtual Absinthe Museum, (2002-2008). Retrieved, July 27, 2010 from  http://www.oxygenee.com/absinthe-ritual.html
[2] Earl, J. (2008). A Brief History of Absinthe
[3] From Famous New Orleans Drinks and how to mix‘em by S.C. Arthur 1937

Copyright 2010-2017 Denise Alvarado, All rights reserved worldwide. Please ask if you would like to repost this article.
 
Purchase Absinthe "Green Fairy" Conjure Oil at Creole Moon.
 
 

What's in a Name?

Every now and again, I am asked about why various practitioners use "nicknames" as their main identity. In many traditions this is the norm. Spiritual mothers of New Orleans are all Mama something's or Reverend Mothers, and who knows how many drs there are in the world of hoodoo. I have been referred to as Mama D, Priestess Denise, Voodoo Mama, and reverend sista docta healer medicine woman by any number of people. I use to use Voodoo Mama much more than I do now, but as I have become much more in the public eye and have a serious academic reputation to maintain, I have transitioned over to my real name as my primary identity. I happen to be of the school of thought that transparency is a good thing because it gives my clients more confidence in me as a practitioner. Even when I used Voodoo Mama more than I do now, I have always been open about who I am and where I am from. Just check any of my websites and click on the About Me page and you will learn a lot about who I am, my background, and where I am from.  If anyone wants to know who I am, just look...it's really no secret.

I can't say this is the case with everyone. For some reason, there are those who insist on using a first name or some given name and do not reveal anywhere on their sites their real names or anything much about them at all. Maybe that works for them, I don't know. Personally, I would feel much more confident in having someone perform a service for me if I knew who they were, what their experience was, and where they are from. I mean, I wouldn't go to a dentist named Dr. Bob with no reference to his training or expertise anymore than I would go to a spiritual worker named Dr. Bob who gives no reference to how he obtained his expertise or background. But that's just me...

And for the haters out there, Dr. Bob is a fictitional name with no reference intended towards any real person.

I think this is one thing that is addressed with Cat Yronwode's Association of Independent Readers and Rootworkers (AIRR). For people who need such validation and have no other background or qualifications, this can be a good thing. I suppose even those who have a background could benefit as well. That is what credentials are for, to demonstrate a level of mastery over your particular area or areas. Credentialing gives you credibility because it is bestowed upon you by a group of peers who are already established in your area. But it is only one way in which a reputation of reliability is built or demonstrated. There are many more ways, such as time in the field, life experience, and related professional credentials along with complete transparency.

Now I am not a member of AIRR, nor do I intend to become a member. My life is a whole package of credentials that make me an expert at what I do. Credentialing is a tricky thing when it comes to indigenous healing systems, however. The requirements for holding specific titles are not uniform across cultures. What makes me an expert in my area does not make me an expert in your area, especially given regional and cultural differences. But the fact that my experience lies in a different, but related tradition does not make me any less reliable or competent than you (and I am speaking figuratively here).

But this brings me to an issue that just irritates the hell out of me. Why is it that people who have no idea of my experience or credibility are so quick to attack and squash? What is it with these people? And you know who you are...

Look, if you are going to criticize me and my work, then do so with intelligence. Read my work, learn about my background, dispute what you see with the facts and not with some side of the mouth, grade school playground bullshit. I welcome open discourse on any topic in which I have written...or not. I think intelligent discussion is productive and constructive. It keeps you and I in check and it keeps us accountable to each other and at our best. Nothing wrong with that.

As an academic with advanced degrees, I am used to having to back up every statement with proof. That is the culture of the academic world. If I say something about Native American healing for example, I better be able to back it up with facts or a damned good theory based on related literature and research. My name depends on this. I have taken this training and used it in my life as an indigenous healer, author, and rootworker. The training I have endured on an academic level makes the malicious gossip on forums a joke. But jokes can be hurtful.

My academic training is an afterward, though, to my spiritual training. I wasn't born an academic...I became one. I wasn't born in a university. I was however, born and raised in the unique, Voodoo and hoodoo rich culture that is New Orleans. I am a Creole woman and proud of it. And at the risk of sounding racist and absolutely not being racist, no white person half my age can tell me what I am and what I do is not legitimate. My earliest lesson that I can remember being an actual lesson was by a spiritualist aunt on the bayous of Mississippi when I was around five years old. I was instructed in the art of candle magick and communicating with Spirits. That's when my spiritual training started...at least, that's when I remember it starting. My whole childhood I was taught about plants, minerals and animals, what is referred to as herbalism and animal and mineral curios in today's hoodoo lingo. Back then, and I'll date myself, back in the 60s, we didn't call what we lived hoodoo. It was just life. It was fixing this and doing that or making a mess of somethin'...you get the picture.

And I'll share something else for those of you who feel the need to denigrate my name and for those of you who may just be interested in the juicy details. Do you know what it is like to grow up in the Deep South as a person of color? Nevermind the fact that I was a Voodooist (and in New Orleans, this includes hoodoo for many people, including myself). Do you know what it is like to have to shove your spirituality away underground just so you can maintain a measure of safety? But still, not be safe anyway? Do you know what it is like to pass as white when you can just to be accepted and not part of a "nigger hunt"? Yes, I said it...I said it because it is the sad ass truth. I can tell you that I know what it is like to be shown an oozie in the backseat of someone's car, ready to be used on such hunts, and praying to the Spirits that be that I would not be found out for who I am. Because many of my friends were white, and because I am creole, I was more accepted than my darker brothers and sisters. People focused on my Indian and Spanish heritage more than anything else. But these experiences affected me in a deep and profound way, and for a long time it affected me in a bad way because I internalized it, felt guilty, and punished myself for the sins of another.

At this point, if you are still reading, you may be wondering what does this have to do with hoodoo or Voodoo? Well, I am here to tell you that it has everything to do with it. Because hoodoo is not just a "magickal system" as it has been reduced to in contemporary writings. Hoodoo is part of the history of Louisiana, and I am part of that history, along with anyone else who was born and raised in the culture as I was.

Indigenous religions have for ever and a day been demonized by the predominantly White Christian majority. My ancestors were oppressed in the least and murdered at the worst for being who they were. The religions of my ancestors were made illegal and many were imprisoned. Children were stolen from families with the express intention by the government to break down the family systems and destroy culture. This was very effective. Hoodoo, that is, the use of herbs, roots, bones, natural elements and their spiritual qualities was not separate from Voodoo. According to Dahomean cosmology, the knowledge of how to utilize the sacred herbs, roots, bones, and other natural elements for controlling and changing one’s destiny was given to the people from Legba, who received the knowledge from the Forest Spirits. Hoodoo, in its form today, is a direct result of colonial government policies, church dogma, and slavery, and ongoing persecution of those who openly practiced the Voodoo religion.

And so I ask this question of my criticizers, is this part of your history? If so, what are you taking it out on me for? If not, what are you taking it out on me for?

See, the thing is that just because I was born a Creole doesn't mean I am immune to criticizing other people for what they do. There were times in my life that I am not proud of that I exhibited the behaviors of my oppressors too. I used words and actions to hurt other people, both on a magickal and a not so magickal level (its called lateral oppression in psychology). And then I was enlightened by a few good people who understood the soul wound that I was experiencing. The soul wound is the effect of intergenerational trauma on the psyche of the colonized. Yeah, it is somehow metaphysically technical and you will either get it or you won't. Either way, its okay. We all come to understanding in our own time and I am am certainly not one to judge another for their degree of enlightenment.

What this all boils down to with regards to name bashing on seemingly meaningless forums is tolerance and respect for self and others. You can either continue to be intolerant and disrespectful of someone you don't know and have never spoken to (but if you have read this lengthy post of mine you know me a little better), or you can quit being a cowardly gossiper and address me directly, like any self-respecting person and professional practitioner in any field should do. After all, if we are rootworkers in it for healing and light, then why not act like it.

Now, dispute THAT.

Copyright 2010-2013 Denise Alvarado, All rights reserved worldwide. Please ask if you would like to repost this article.

Hoodoo & Conjure Quarterly! A New Magazine for Hoodoo and Conjure Enthusiasts!

If you haven't heard by now, there is a brand new magazine on the horizon for folks whose souls lie deep in the heart of the conjure arts. I am so excited about this project and the response we have received from the endeavor...it just validates the need for such a magazine.

You may be wondering how this all came about. Well, I cannot take credit for the original idea...it came from Papa Legba who advises me on business opportunities on a regular basis. It was after petitioning him that it became clear this was a project worth attacking, so I pitched the idea to someone I thought to be my friend, who immediately said she was in, albeit mostly for friendly support.

Hoodoo & Conjure Quarterly it is a project that I believe should reflect the community of rootworkers, conjurers, folk magicians, authors, and artists inspired by Spirit and the conjure arts. This is proving to be a realistic goal as I have been approached by several folks who are eager to contribute in a variety of ways. I have wonderful interviews featuring notable folks in the magickal arts, as well as the every day rootworker. I am featuring professionals and those who practice privately or within their circle of family and friends. I am featuring a column on international hoodoo as it is evident this tradition has spread to all corners of the world. And, as an artist myself, I am featuring artists who are inspired by Spirit and conjure.

For example, the first featured artist is Deacon Gary, th' Georgia Mojo Man and his Allegedly Genuine Souvenir Mojos. Deacon Gary really was a deacon in a local church in his community, so he dons the title honestly; it is not just a clever title. The first time I set eyes on his art I knew he was ridden by Spirit to create signatures of love and luck to share with the world. Take a look at what he has to say about his conjuring process:

"Brethren, it is a true saying that "Mojos are curious horsemen", mounting steeds of diverse forms and sizes. And I, Deacon Gary, the Mojoman of Georgia, by the inspiration of the Creative Fire from the Great Creator Spirit, am appointed to the selection and acquisition of horses, worthy and acceptable, for Mojos to mount.

Once a horse, worthy and acceptable to be mounted by a Mojo, is chosen, then is the Mojo conjured to ride forth into the world."

Oh, there is so much more to this story but I have to save it for the magazine.

Another regular column you will find in Hoodoo & Conjure Quarterly is based on my new book the New Orleans Voodoo Hoodoo Formulary. I will share with our readers recipes for New Orleans oils, portions, gris gris, powders, floor washes, spiritual baths and animal and mineral curios. Few people outside of New Orleans Voodoo realize the influence of the French perfumeries on some of the formulas. And, some of the regional differences in the various botanical and zoological materials incorporated in ritual formulas within this tradition have been hotly and incorrectly contested in some of the forums. I think that sometimes people like to argue for the sake of arguing, and as a result miss the opportunity to learn a little something  that could quite possibly enrich their lives and practice.

These are just a few of the topics you will find in Hoodoo & Conjure Quarterly. To read more, please visit the official website Hoodoo & Conjure Quarterly.

Copyright 2010-2013 Denise Alvarado, All rights reserved worldwide. Please ask if you would like to repost this article.

How to Perform a House Cleansing


One of the most frequent questions I get from people is that of how to get rid of negative energy in the home. Sometimes the energy is defined as spirits, ghosts, evil entities, or just a general negative vibe. Regardless of the type of negative energy, it is necessary to start by performing a home cleansing. Sometimes, you have to do this more than once, particularly if the energy is pervasive or just downright stubborn.

Cleansings are a staple in New Orleans Voodoo and Southern hoodoo practice. Many works require a basic cleansing to be performed first, to remove any negative energy that may interfere with the work to be done. Cleansings are also done by themselves whenever a “clean slate” is needed. The goal of a cleansing is to restore a person to a natural, balanced state and to provide them with some immediate relief.

To perform a home cleansing, you will need some sage or cedar or sandalwood incense or holy water. You can also use some holy anointing oil to anoint the entrances to your home, such as doorways and windows.

This ritual calls for a spiritual practice called “smudging” wherein objects, people, or spaces are lightly covered with the smoke of incense, or the smoke of smoldering herbs such as cedar or sage. Simply light the incense or herbs and fan the smoke with your hand or a large feather. Offer the smoke to the helper Spirits by fanning it to the west, north, east, south, heaven, and earth and respectfully ask them to help you clear the area of all negativity.

Begin fumigating the area, beginning with the doorway. Smudge it, and all of the corners moving from the floor up, going clockwise. Smudge everyone present, starting from their front, going from their feet to their head. Have them turn around and repeat the procedure. Next use some Holy Water and sprinkle it (or you may place it in a spray bottle so that you can mist it) on the floor of the room or area you wish to have blessed. Mist each corner and move to the center of the room. Anoint the window sills and doorways of your home with holy anointing oil. As you are doing this, repeat the prayer of protection:


Prayer of Protection

The light of God surrounds me
The Love of God enfolds me
The power of God protects me
The presence of God watches over me
Wherever I am, God is
And all is well.


You may now thank God, the helper Spirits, or whatever Divine spirit you deem to be your Higher Power for their special attention.

Express your love, say “So be it”, and say goodbye. Your space is now properly cleansed.

At this point, you could bury a medal of St. Benedict in your front yard and/or carry one on your person for added protection.

You can find a complete line of cleansing and uncrossing products at my website Creole Moon.


Abramelin Oil, the Ceremonial Jewish Holy Anointing Oil as Described in the Biblical Book of Exodus

Abramelin oil, also called Oil of Abramelin, is a ceremonial magical oil blended from aromatic plant materials. Abramelin oil became ...

More Articles of Interest

Popular Posts