How to Do Voodoo: The Tools You Will Need

In our How to Do Voodoo ebook, you will learn a lot about this esoteric branch of magic which first emerged from Africa. There are many things that voodoo magic is uniquely suited for. For example, you can use it for protection, self-defense, and to attract desired situations into your life. You can even use two voodoo dolls and a wand in a ritual to stop two gossiping people from talking to each other or do the reverse and bring two people who refuse to speak with each other back into conversation.

Voodoo dolls are what most people think of when they think about how to do voodoo. The use of voodoo dolls has become well-known in popular culture mostly through movies, books and television. Through these mediums, voodoo has quite often been portrayed as a dark, mysterious, and often morbid tradition. Actually, voodoo is simply a West African religion, also known as Vodun, Vodoun, Vodou, Vudu, and Voudou. The practices include much more than the use of dolls. They also involve circle rituals, dancing, singing, drumming, and ancestor worship. A voodoo doll is simply a simulacrum or an object that is a likeness of something. In voodoo or simulacra magic you can affect a person without being in physical contact with them by choosing an object that resembles the person and making a psychic connection between the object and the person. The Law of Similarity dictates that the greater the likeness, the greater the psychic connection, which make photographs a good choice in many instances.

Besides simulacra, there are other tools needed when learning how to do voodoo. Here is a list for the beginning practitioner.

• firebowl with sage, pine resin, charcoal burner disks and paper or wooden matches.
• Sun Yellow Candle
• Wisdom and Protection candles (taper candles of Sun Yellow, white or sky blue color)
• keyed Wand (Air Tool)
• keyed Athame (Fire Tool)
• keyed Chalice (Water Tool)
• keyed Plate or Pantacle (Earth Tool)
• keyed and well-trained pendulum
• aluminum foil and scotch tape (for protective voodoo magic)
• Book of Shadows (to record all your voodoo actions and spells, in case you need to take them back down)

Many of these tools you will be able to find easily or get online and are not expensive. Others you will make yourself such as with the Wand. The How To Do Voodoo ebook covers all you need to know about gathering these tools and/or making and keying them if you don't already have them, so no worries there. Learning how to do voodoo or simulacra magic can give you a variety of useful techniques and magical skills to add to your treasure chest of magical knowledge. As always, enjoy the magic!

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Protection Magic: Useful Talismans and Passive Shields

Sometimes we need active protection magic in our lives to preserve sacred space. Everyone has the right to sacred space and to practice magic and protection magic may be necessary to insure these rights. This type of protection magic falls under the category of self defense. In daily life, however, we often need passive protection magic against random psychic blasts from people, places or things. We often run into people carrying a lot of angry or negative energy, and by law of contagion we can pick up this energy if we don't have any passive shielding.

Often talismans can be worn as passive protection magic and passive shields. A talisman can be any object that is used for protection or to bring good luck. They are usually objects small enough to wear as a necklace or ring or carry in your pocket. Talismans have been used since ancient times and have been associated with many different religions, organizations, and spiritual societies. The word talisman comes from tilasm (Arabic) meaning "a magical image" and teleo (Greek) which means "to consecrate".

Some people have talismans without really realizing it. A piece of jewelry inherited from a beloved family member, a photograph always carried in the wallet, a lucky penny or rabbit's foot could all be seen as talismans. Native American traditions often use talismans with animal representations to bring in animal totem medicine. The consistent use of a prayer, affirmation or incantation could also be considered a talisman.

Many people choose talismans of strength, such as Thor's shield, as a form of passive protection magic. In our school, we use keyed sun and moon shields. We feel it is important to key the talisman to your own personal and unique energies. Keying is a simple technique that makes a magical connection between the object and the person making it personal and work specifically for that person. Our sun and moon shields come with directions on how to key the shield to work specifically for you as a form of passive protection magic.

So, if you are feeling overwhelmed by negative energies in your environment, looking to bring a particular characteristic into your life or in need of protecting your sacred space, magical talismans are a good tool to have. We have many you can browse through in our school store or consult your guides and higher powers for one that would be right for you. 

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Spirit Guides: Hire an Unemployed Angel Today

Most people are intrigued with the concept of spirit guides or angel guides. There have been many popular and successful TV shows and movies created around the theme of an angel coming to help people. Many people however see these shows as purely fictional and don't consider using angels and spirit guides in their everyday lives. And yet there are a multitude of unemployed angels just hanging around waiting to be asked to help. With today's economy being in such sorry shape, we don't need any more unemployment right? So, consider hiring an unemployed angel.

Asking For Help
There are angels for every single thing in our lives, and most are not being asked for help. When people do ask for help they tend to ask for help in a vague way, but to really get help you need to ask precisely for a specific angel to help you with a specific act. "Magic is a precision science", which is why so many people don't get the help that they ask for or pray for. Angel guides and helpers, when asked specifically, will always help. It is their purpose to help humans. They have to be asked though as they will not interfere with the affairs of humans if they are not specifically asked to.

Thanking Your Angel
Angels work for gratitude. It is best to thank them in advance and then again after the job is completed. If the job is a long one or all day affair, you can also thank them throughout the day or length of time. When asking for help from angels and spirit guides, you do need to be specific, but not get caught up in too many details on how to make it happen. In other words, turn loose of the control and let the angels do what they do best. Your job is to state specifically what you need help with and their job is to figure out the best way to make it happen.

Hiring Angel Guides
Hiring an angel is a very simple process. Here's all you need to do.

• Say out loud or in your mind "I'd like to hire an angel specializing in [state your desire]."
   
• Wait a few seconds until you feel a presence or just wait a few moments. They don't take long to get there.
   
• Make your request, which might go something like this: "Angel of [your desire], I request your help in walking with me through this life transition so that I see all the gifts and beauty that are part of this process. Thank you in advance." or "I would like to request the help of a travel angel. I would like your help on my road trip today in making sure that I arrive at my destination [state where] safely and on time for my 2:00 appointment. Thank you for your help."

It is very important to thank angels so they will be willing to help you later. When you first start working with angels and spirit guides, be sure to start small and always express appreciation in advance. You want to start establishing a relationship and become comfortable with the process. It's better to start out with small things now and be comfortable before you get to an intense situation in which you REALLY need help. Sometimes you may ask for something that you are not physically present to observe. It is OK to ask for signs that the angel has done its work. If you need a sign then you do need to ask for it. Just call to the specific angel that you hired earlier and state that you would like to be shown a sign letting you know that what you have asked for has been accomplished. Then be open and be watching for a sign. The sign could come in a variety of ways. It might be a knowingness or calmness that comes over you, you might "hear" it inside yourself, it may come from outside sources in a conversation, a song on the radio or a line read in a book. If you don't get the sign, ask again and this time ask that it be a sign you can easily see.

It may take a little practice for you to get comfortable working with angel guides and spirit guides. Eventually, temporarily hired angels, if hired frequently, may stick around and become permanent angel guides (for instance, many people have permanent parking angel guides). The first step though is to start establishing those relationships now. Give it a try, hire an angel today and invite the magic of spirit guides and angel guides into your life.

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Ritual Magic: Daily Rituals of Greeting

Daily rituals of greeting are just what they sound like. These are rituals done every day greeting and acknowledging those spirits above us in the hierarchy that find magic and miracles to be simple. Greeting them daily introduces you to them, and starts you on your way to developing a relationship between you. Once you have a relationship, meaning you have reached out to them and you have felt them make contact with you, you can begin to ask them for help and guidance.

Ritual Magic: The Navajo Beauty Way as a Daily Ritual
The Navajo Beauty Way is a very powerful daily ritual that can be used for greeting and to start you on the way to developing a relationship with higher powers and beings. It is a non-denominational set of exercises that was created in very ancient times and is designed to:

• restore personal power through developing trust in one's wisdom gained through personal experience
• enhance creative flow and one's connection to the environment and nature's laws and forces
• help us learn new skills and use new tools for observing and maintaining harmonious and pro-active inner states
• develop a practical working relationship with higher powers and beings or natural forces and laws
• create stability and choice in walking in different realities and worlds
• being safe and protected without the need to build walls or hide behind masks
• establish and maintain contact with higher powers and beings or natural forces and laws so as to live in compliance with and gain support in our creative endeavors
• maintain spiritual integrity for individuals or groups during times of high external change and stress
• preserve cultural and spiritual identity beyond the efficacy of sociological myths in times of breakdown, and restructuring of communities, tribes or nations
• restore the balance both internally and externally between the feminine aspect of integration and oneness, and the masculine aspect of separation and duality

That's a lot to get from one simple daily ritual! If I had to pick just one daily ritual to have in my life, the Navajo Beauty Way would be the one. Time and time again, I see the magic, enlightenment, guidance and wisdom this ritual has brought to my life and those of others in my magical circle. There are actually 3 parts to the Navajo Beauty Way: the exit ritual, day greetings and day endings and the walking litany. Our Basic Magic Students are taught this ritual from the very first day of class and continue using it as a daily ritual throughout their studies and beyond. I have personally seen it open doorways through which I was able to see other beings such as animal totems and garden divas and received guidance from higher beings for problems I have faced.

A Personal Experience from Daily Ritual
Just to give you an idea of the power of this daily ritual, here is one instance I will never forget. I was facing a situation in which my reputation was in question and would be attending a meeting that would address the issue the next day. Needless to say I was dreading it. The night before, I went out and did the Exit Ritual and asked for the truth in this situation to come out and for others to be able to see my true self. After I finished the ritual, I saw something move out of the corner of my eye. I turned to look and saw a skunk walking towards me. Not just any skunk mind you, but a skunk that was around 4 feet in height. Obviously a totem!! I ran inside to check the Medicine card book for the interpretation of the skunk and sure enough – reputation. I'm sure you can guess how the meeting the next day went and it was definitely settled in my favor. Not all experiences with the Navajo Beauty Way are this dramatic, but in all the years I have been doing this daily ritual, I have definitely received continuing magical guidance and beauty in my life.

Doing the Beauty Way Exit Ritual
One of the most common forms of the Beauty Way is called the Exit Ritual. You do the Exit Ritual every time you leave an enclosed space, like your car or your house. It takes a little practice to make this a part of your life that comes naturally. For some people there is an embarrassment factor to overcome when they start doing this daily ritual. Others find that they forget to do it each time they exit somewhere. That's all OK, don't stress about it. Just keep doing it and it will come more naturally as time goes on.

So are you ready to dive in and add this powerful daily ritual to your life? Here's how:

1. Once you exit your house or car or other enclosed area, stop and put your focus up into the sky and say aloud, "Sky Above" or "Sky Father." (Note: the reason we extend our focus first is that the exit ritual is a form of asking favor from powers and beings, so it is appropriate that we go to them rather than asking them to come to us. In ritual, when we have carefully prepared sacred space, we can then invite them in and then bid them farewell).

2. Keeping the awareness up above, extend your focus into the earth and say aloud, "And Earth Below" or "And Earth Mother."

3. Then, keeping awareness of both above and below, say aloud, "I Greet You."

4. Wait a moment and see what happens. Be alert for acknowledgement or response in one of these three ways:

• From within you, such as a realization, a change of attitude or belief, a new awareness.
• Changes in your environment, such as a sudden breeze, a change in the color of the sky, a bird or animal suddenly appearing, or a tree or shrub suddenly becoming vividly visible or possibly a four foot skunk to come walking by.
• A response from Sky and/or Earth: a special message for you, an answer to a question, or guidance and new directions.

5. What happens may happen in just that moment, or it may happen throughout the day. It may change the quality of your day, your awareness ... whatever you notice.

6. You may also want to use hand gestures. Arms raised in a upward facing V for "Sky Father" and arms down in a downward facing V for "Earth Mother."

The Exit ritual is also a quick and easy way to get reconnected with your inner peace and serenity. Deep inside, you are always peaceful, happy and serene - sometimes you just don't know how to access that part of yourself. So, if you find yourself getting frustrated, negative or stressed out, go outside and do the Exit Ritual. See what changes this simple daily ritual can make in your life. To learn more about the Navajo Beauty Way and other magical daily rituals, get our Daily Rituals ebook.

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Ritual Magic: How to Learn Magic Through Daily Rituals

There are many paths for how to learn magic, and doing daily rituals is among the best and easiest paths. Why? For one thing, daily rituals give you daily feedback as to results. You will see magic starting to work in your life pretty quickly with daily rituals. For example, if you do a daily ritual for pain relief, you will very quickly find your pain alleviated or have an idea of what else you need to do to alleviate it. With daily rituals you can see fast progress as opposed to other practices like long-acting spells where you have to wait to see results. Daily rituals are also a great way of how to learn magic in that you may get many chances during the day or week to practice the ritual. This not only increases your skill at performing the ritual, but also gives you a more consistent connection to higher powers.

Ritual Magic: Daily Rituals Needs Consistency
You do want to make sure that once you have a daily ritual, you practice it with as much consistency as possible. In spiritual circles, people have discovered that the consistency of doing a ritual at the same time every time increases the level and quality of the connection with the higher. Consistency is a key principle to success in many areas of life and one that most people find difficult to maintain. At the moment of setting a goal we usually have a high level of energy or excitement and are convinced of our ability to achieve the goal. Then life happens and we get busy in our mundane level lives and realize we have not paid any attention to our goal. It can take 40 days to break one habit and put another in its place. Doing daily rituals consistently can help you create the "habit" of making magic an integral part of your life.

Ritual Magic: Active vs. Passive Daily Rituals
Daily rituals can be an active process as opposed to more passive practices like meditation. Whereas you may use meditation as a daily ritual, those rituals that have a more active component give you a participatory role in the ritual and can lead to more personal relationships with higher powers and being. Allies will show up in daily rituals to help you out on a short-term basis, and some may stay with you permanently as spirit guides. Instead of doing the regular sitting type meditation, walking meditations can add an active component to this type of daily ritual.

Ritual Magic: Keeping Daily Rituals Fresh
Finally, daily rituals give you enough variety to keep you interested and prevent you from getting mechanical. Even though you may be doing the same ritual everyday, the focus of it may change according to what is happening in your life or according to how you feel at the time. The results you see may vary and give you various perspectives that lead to insights about yourself and others that you hadn't seen before. Just doing a ritual because you have told yourself you will do it everyday will not work. Going about a ritual in a mechanical way does not open you to all the magical possibilities of it.

The key to using rituals as a doorway to the higher is to keep them simple and do them daily. Rituals that are too complex won't make it onto our daily schedules, and rituals that we don't do often won't have as much effect as daily ones. If you don't already have a ritual to use as a daily ritual, you can find plenty in our Daily Rituals for Attracting What You Want in Life ebook.

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