All Free Public Domain Photos for your Conjure Blog

Have you ever run into a brick wall when trying to find the perfect image for your blog or website? With the ever tightening up of copyright restrictions being enforced, it can often be a challenge when scouring the internet to find true public domain images. I have my sources for public domain images and have learned the hard way to never assume anything is public domain at first glance. Always check out the original source of the image before using it, and at the bare minimum, always credit the place where you got the image.

Even crediting a copyrighted image is not a guarantee of protection from infringement, however. There is a growing trend of lawyers representing photographers and artists who use software to scan images on the internet to identify cases of infringement. These are the new internet copyright infringement ambulance chasers. And, contrary to popular belief, the owners of copyrighted material do not have to submit a DMCA warning to have the image removed before filing suit. On the contrary, many are skipping over that step entirely and going straight for the jugular. On the one hand, as someone who has suffered great financial loss as a result of people pirating my books and using my artwork without permission (one company has an image of mine they are using to brand their whole product line) and one book has been downloaded illegally over 1 million times, I can understand skipping over the niceties in an effort to be paid for my work. On the other hand, most people do not have any malintent for using photos and artwork and simply want to make their websites look good. To those people I say please credit the author/artist/photographer, and if the website where you see the image has a copyright notice on it such as mine i.e."Please do not repost this article without permission" pay attention to the terms and abide by them. Most of the time, all you have to do is ask. We just want credit given where credit is due, after all.

Check out these nightmares for what is going on with everyday bloggers being sued for copyright infringement:

The $8000 mistake that all Bloggers Should Beware

Blogger Beware: You CAN Get Sued For Using Photos You Don't Own on Your Blog

Over the years its been a learning curve as to what constitutes "fair use" and what is infringement, though now the laws are much clearer with regards to internet usage. And though most of the images on my website and blog are my own, with the exception of those believed to be in the public domain, I still put up a DMCA page, just in case I missed something. Some people, and for legal reasons I cannot say who, will sue for use of an image that is so low resolution - as small as 120 pixels -  if it is copyrighted and used without permission. And if they own the copyright, you have no recourse but to pay a license fee whether you meant well or not.

I've thought long and hard about this. I have continued to educate myself on internet copyright laws and have gone through a long and painful process of pouring over all the sites and blogs I own and changed any images that I did not create myself. But not everyone is an artist or photographer. And in our little niche of folk magic, the public domain imagery is slim pickins.

So, I decided to start placing some of my photographs into the public domain to help out those in the conjure community who want to be on the up and up and maintain some integrity.

I created an account on Publicdomainpictures.net where you can visit my profile and download any images you see there without any worries whatsoever. You can use them for any purpose you want because they are in the public domain. Although I would appreciate a shout out as the photographer, you don't even have to do that legally, you can just download any photo and use it without any mention of who took the photo or where you got it. You should know that it is a matter of professional courtesy to credit even public domain sources, but if you don't, I'm not going to hunt you down and make a stink out of it. These images are my gift to the community, in an effort to help strengthen it and provide a much-needed service that can help to build a community of integrity.

I have just started uploading photos so there aren't many there yet. If there is a photo you need, post a request in the comments below and I'll see what I have. I have thousands of photos just sitting on my hard drive doing nothing. Please note that I am not putting these images up anywhere but on the publicdomainpictures.net website so there is no confusion as to what I have placed in the public domain. If it is not on that website, it is NOT in the public domain and you will have to ask for permission to use it. Which is easy enough - really - just ask.

I hope you find the images potentially useful.


*Photo of brick wall copyright Denise Alvarado, All rights reserved worldwide.
Find free public domain photos here.

Better to Die Fighting for Freedom Than be a Prisoner all the Days of your Life: 16 Favorite Memorial Day Quotes

Memorial Day began after the Civil War and was know at that time as "Decoration Day." It was created to honor those who died in the Civil War originally but has since become the day we honor all soldiers who died in service to our country defending our freedom. Memorial Day is sometimes confused with Veterans Day, which is the day we honor all soldiers who have served or are currently serving in the U.S. military.

Here are some quotes I found that are fitting for Memorial Day. The first is my personal favorite. After the quotes you will find a free download for those of you who would like to create and light a special candle to be of service to those who died for our freedom.

“Better to die fighting for freedom than be a prisoner all the days of your life.”  Bob Marley

"On Memorial Day, I don't want to only remember the combatants. There were also those who came out of the trenches as writers and poets, who started preaching peace, men and women who have made this world a kinder place to live." Eric Burdon


"My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." John F. Kennedy


“The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it. And one path we shall never choose, and that is the path of surrender or submission.”  John F. Kennedy


“The dead soldier’s silence sings our national anthem.”  Aaron Kilbourn

"Who sows virtue reaps honor." Leonardo da Vinci


“Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are stiffened.”  Billy Graham


"These fallen heroes represent the character of a nation who has a long history of patriotism and honor - and a nation who has fought many battles to keep our country free from threats of terror." Michael N. Castle


"Patriotism consists not in waving the flag, but in striving that our country shall be righteous as well as strong." James Bryce


"As America celebrates Memorial Day, we pay tribute to those who have given their lives in our nation's wars" John M. McHugh


"I would rather be remembered by a song than by a victory." Alexander Smith


"137 years later, Memorial Day remains one of America's most cherished patriotic observances. The spirit of this day has not changed - it remains a day to honor those who died defending our freedom and democracy." Doc Hastings


“The greatest glory of a free-born people is to transmit that freedom to their children.”  William Harvard


“A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.”  Joseph Campbell


“They are dead, but they live in each Patriot’s breast, and their names are engraven on honor’s bright crest.”  Henry Wadsworth Longfellow


“Better to die fighting for freedom than be a prisoner all the days of your life.”  Bob Marley

Simple Service for Fallen Soldiers on Memorial Day and Any Day

While we have Memorial Day to remind us of those who made the ultimate sacrifice for the rest of us,  we can and should perform a Memorial Service any time we feel the desire to do so. It is very simple to do and requires little on our part.

To perform this service, you will need the following:

• white candle
• frankincense tears
• frankincense essential oil
• angelica root
• rose petals
• marigolds
• white rocks and/or shells
• alum stone
• clear glass of water
• white plate

First, prepare your candle. I use a seven-day glass container that I pour my wax, fix with herbs and oils, and add a nice label to it. I am giving you the label as a free download today - just scroll down to get it.

I melt my candle wax and then add the frankincense, angelica root, rose petals, and marigold petals to the melted wax. You can use a regular white candle by anointing it with the frankincense essential oil then crushing the angelica root, rose petals, marigold petals and frankincense tears and rolling the candle in the floral blend. If using a pre-bought white glass-encased candle, poke nine holes in the top, add a drop of frankincense essential oil to each hole and sprinkle some of the crushed floral blend on top.

Set the fixed candle on a white plate and add some flower petals around the candle.

Place the white rocks and shells around the white plate. These represent the fallen soldiers. Place photos of relatives who died in war on your altar if you have any. Add a glass of water to which you have added a piece of alum stone to keep evil away from your service. I was taught to add alum stone to water to aid in communication, and to protect the living and the Dead, among other things. If you don't have alum, just leave it out.

Add some flowers and your patron saint if you wish to further personalize your service. Now all you have to do is light your candle and pray for our soldiers who died for us. Just pray a heart felt prayer and do it every day until the candle burns down.

If you do not have everything for this service, don't let it stop you. You can even just light a tea light and say a prayer of gratitude and blessings for our fallen soldiers.

FREE DOWNLOAD

RIGHT CLICK ON THE IMAGE BELOW AND SAVE TO YOUR COMPUTER

Then, open a blank word document. Set the orientation to landscape. Insert the image into the document and print it out. It will fit perfectly on a glass encased seven-day candle. Cut out the image and glue to a white seven-day candle and perform a personal service to the ones fallen in battle for our freedom.

THIS IMAGE IS FREE FOR YOUR PERSONAL USE ONLY. I HAVE NOT PLACED IT INTO THE PUBLIC DOMAIN. NO COMMERCIAL USE IS ALLOWED.

Friday the 13th: Myth, Superstition, or Reality?

The fear of number 13 is the most

common superstition in Western culture.

One of my earliest memories about Friday the 13th as a day other than what is commonly portrayed in the media was when we were in Germany at an army base where my father was stationed. I remember it well; it was a sunny day and I was sitting on the grass outside. A soldier whom I did not know walked by me, looked at me and said “Happy Red Day.” I remember thinking to myself...what is he talking about? And then I remembered it was Friday the Thirteenth, and it must be something about this day that he is referring to. 

But why did he say that to me? I still don’t know the answer to that question; but, what we did find out was that he was the resident Satanist who was on a mission to infiltrate my life at the ripe young age of, oh yeah, did I mention...13? 

Sounds like the beginnings of a scary movie, right? Well, nothing crazy happened, we did get to know him a little and get inside the thinking of a Satanist in the army in Germany at that time. My mother never let me be alone with him and instead engaged in a useful dialogue that prompted me to learn more about the meaning of this “Red Day.”

The Origin of Friday the 13th

Apparently, there is no definitive date for the origin of the dreaded day of special misfortune. While there is evidence to suggest that the number thirteen was considered unlucky prior to the 20th century, there is no definitive link between Friday and the number 13, or so “they” say. I used to take that at face value, but not so much anymore. Actually, when you consider all of the origin stories, there are all kinds of connections between Fridays and thirteens. 

There are some who insist that Friday the 13th is a modern conceptual invention. According to this theory, the first recorded mention of a Friday the 13th occurred in 1907 with the publication of Thomas W. Lawson's popular novel, Friday, the Thirteenth. The storyline of the book tells of a stockbroker who exploits the superstition to create a panic on Wall Street on Friday the 13th. Obviously, it doesn’t make sense that this book is the first mention of Friday the 13th, because the author had to draw from earlier superstitious beliefs about Friday the 13th to propel the plot of the novel. In my mind then, this origin story is crossed off the list. 

In fact, a simple search in the historical newspaper archives reveals many references to Friday the 13th (see examples on the opposite page). 

So, what’s the deal then? Well, another theory is proposed by Donald Dossey, founder of the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in Asheville, North Carolina. According to Dossey, who is also a folklore historian, the phobia associated with Friday the 13th is the result of an ancient combination of two separate negative associations with the number 13 and the day Friday. Okay, so if something bad happens on a Friday, and it happens to be the 13th, then...that make Friday the 13th a day for bad luck? Well, considering bad things have happened to people on every other day of the week and on every other date as well, there’s got to be more to it than that. But, I do understand the psychology behind this explanation. 

Some suggest Friday has always been considered to be an unlucky day. For example, there is the reference made by Chaucer in his 14th-century book The Canterbury Tales, where he states Friday is considered a day of misfortune and ill luck: “...and on a Friday fell all this mischance.” Another explanation is based on the Christian belief that Jesus was crucified on a Friday. I can certainly agree this was a bad day for Jesus. 

But wait, there’s more! We can’t overlook Wall Street’s perpetuation of the superstition for decades. On Oct. 13, 1989, Wall Street experienced what was at the time the second largest drop of the Dow Jones Industrial Average in history. As a result, the day was nicknamed the Friday-the-13th mini-crash. 

And finally, we can’t let Hollywood off the hook. “Fridays will never be the same again” was the tagline to Paramount Pictures 1980 release of Friday the 13th, starring Jason, every horror movie buff’s favorite slasher. Born on Friday the 13th, Jason chooses to make that day ever more meaningful by seeking revenge on folks who are similar in behavior and appearance to those who allowed him to drown in Crystal Lake. 

But long before the Friday the 13th mini crash of 1989, Lawson’s 1905 novel Friday the Thirteenth, and Jason, for that matter, we find peculiar associations with the number 13. For example, it is curiously omitted in the list of laws in ancient Babylon's (circa 1772 BC) Code of Hammurabi. No one seems to know what the reason was for the omission. And, there is an age-old myth that if 13 people dine together, one will die within a year. The myth is said to derive from both the Last Supper, when Jesus dined with the 12 Apostles prior to his death, and a prevalent Norse myth. 

Blame it on Loki

Loki, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=679795

Okay, so let’s blame it on the trickster. Apparently, twelve gods were having a dinner party at Valhalla, the majestic Norse hall presided over by Odin and where half of those who die in battle go to upon death. An uninvited 13th guest arrived, the mischievous Loki. Ever the trickster, Loki manipulated Hoder, the blind god of darkness, to shoot the god of joy and gladness, Balder the Beautiful, with a mistletoe-tipped arrow. 

After Hoder shot Balder, the whole earth grew dark. Balder died and all of Earth mourned. It was an awfully unlucky day. Since then, the number 13 has been considered ominous and foreboding. 

The DaVinci Code?

Loki could be the end of it, but just for shits and giggles let’s take a look at a theory made famous through the DaVinci Code. In the book, a connection is drawn between the slaughtering of the Knights Templar by the Church and Friday the 13th. The Knights Templar were the wealthy, powerful and legendary order of warrior monks formed during the Christian Crusades. Historically, the arrest of Jacques de Molay, the Grand Master of the Knights Templar, did occur on Friday, Oct. 13, 1307. The event marked their demise by the Church and state for fictitious crimes such as heresy, blasphemy, various obscenities, and homosexual practices. Hundreds of members of the Order died excruciating deaths by torture and burning at the stake. Friday the 13th was indeed an unlucky day for the Knight’s Templar. 

Obviously, it is impossible to determine the exact origin of the superstition surrounding Friday the 13th. That said, there are innumerable superstitions related to this day and date that warrant mentioning simply because people observe them—a LOT of them—and they aren't going away any time soon. Page 173 has a nice collection of superstitions indicating bad luck associated with the day and date. But what about good luck? 

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Is There Such a Thing as Lucky 13?

Consider this, despite its bad luck associations in superstition, the number 13 is considered in a positive light in esoteric traditions. It is the number of mystical manifestation. For example: 

• The teachings of Jesus are centered on the formula of 12 + 1 (Jesus plus his 12 disciples). According to Pythagoras, one added to 12 creates the unlimited number of 13. It is this formula that allows miracles such as the multiplication of fish and loaves. 
• Thirteen is the number of the Great Goddess, represented by 13 lunar cycles to a year. 
• Contemporary witches consider thirteen to be a lucky number. 
• In the Kabbalistic system, numbers are equated with letters, and the number 13 is equated with love and unity since the Hebrew letters for love and unity both equal 13. 
• Thirteen is the cosmic law of destiny: death through failure and regeneration. 
• And hey, let's don't forget the Baker's Dozen...Okay, so that's not esoteric, but it is a good thing, right? I mean, who doesn't like an extra donut? 

Superstition or Reality?

Clearly, there are many explanations for the association between Friday and the number 13; yet, none of them adequately answer the question regarding the absolute origin of the superstition. We’ve looked at origin stories and superstitions and beliefs, both bad and good. Its prevalence is undeniable. However, the whole topic warrants another question. Is there anything to it? 

Indeed, inquiring minds want to know. Friday the 13th has been the subject of formal research. One way to measure whether or not an actual phenomenon exists is to analyze statistical data related to the prevalence of traffic accidents and hospital admissions that occur on Friday the 13th as compared to other days of the week. 

According to research completed at the Dutch Centre for Insurance Statistics in 2008, there were fewer accidents and reports of theft or fire on Friday the 13th than on other Fridays. 

On the other hand, there is this bit of information published on News.com.au website: 

One of the few reputable research papers on the matter - published in the British Medical Journal in 1993 - found that there was a higher risk of road accidents on Friday the 13th than on other Fridays. It found the risk of hospital admission as a result of a transport accident may be increased by as much as 52 per cent on Friday the 13th, compared to Friday the 6th.

Another study on the topic, conducted by Professor Simo Nayha from Finland's University of Oulu in 2004, found women in particular were at higher risk of dying in a road accident on Friday the 13th, compared with other Fridays. And he offered this conclusion: "Friday the 13th may be a dangerous day for women, largely because of anxiety from superstition.

Whatever—don’t get me started on the female focus of the latter research which is annoyingly reminiscent of the 19th-century-no-longer-recognized medical diagnosis of female hysteria. The problem with conducting research on Friday the 13th, aside from possible gender bias, is that it is impossible to control specific variables. For example, some people take extra caution when doing anything that day, whether they are driving or taking a shower. Still others simply avoid going out altogether. Surely these conditions would affect the outcome of any research regarding the incidence of accidents on Friday the 13th. 

Friday the 13th Remedies

Friday the 13th always occurs at least once a year in the Gregorian calendar and can appear up to three times in any one year. In 2016, there will only be one occurrence of Friday the 13th: May 13, 2016. So, is there anything that can be done to prevent possible bad luck for believers? 

Fortunately for paraskevidekatriaphobics, a number of remedies exist. You can escape to high ground, stand on your head and eat a piece of gristle (yum!) or burn all of your socks with holes in them for protection from inevitable. Or, you can carry a Friday the 13th lucky talisman, which I normally create each year but alas, did not have to prepare one today. 

Talisman magick goes back infinitesimally in the civilization of humankind, or by some estimates over 4,120 years. A talisman is a small amulet or object, often bearing magical symbols, worn for protection against evil spirits or the supernatural. 

There are the interesting talismans that are said to protect us from the evils of Friday the 13th. An 1896 Illinois newspaper article (p. 175) reports on the sale of rabbits foot talisman is the magic square. A magic square is a 4 x 4 square with the sum of each of 4 rows, 4 columns, and 2 diagonals always the same, "magic" total. They are found in a number of cultures, including Egypt and India, engraved on stone or metal and worn as talismans, the belief being that magic squares have astrological and divinatory qualities, their usage ensuring longevity and prevention of diseases. 

Bonne chance and good luck on Friday the 13th, wherever you are! 

References

Guiley, R.E. (1999). The Encyclopedia of witches and witchcraft. New York: Checkmark Books.

Roach, John. "Friday the 13th Phobia Rooted in Ancient History", National Geographic News, August 12, 2004, p. Page 1. Retrieved on July 13, 2007

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friday_the_13th

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*The above article is excerpted from the Hoodoo Almanac 2014-2015 by Denise Alvarado, Carolina Dean and Alyne Pustanio. It has been lightly edited to make it applicable to 2016.