A Stepford Wife's Review of the Voodoo Hoodoo Spellbook

OMG, is all I can say when I stumbled upon this review of my book. Okay, maybe I could say a little more...okay a lot more...but I won't. Truly, we are living in a digital age. 

Okay, I lied...I just have to say a little something about this review. First, are you kidding me? I mean, I appreciate the exposure but damn, someone please teach that narrating stepford wife how to say "gris gris"! I've said it before and I'll say it again and again and again until everyone hears me - the "s" is silent! It is not pronounced like it looks when viewed from the English language. It sounds like "gree gree." Is that too much to ask? I think the only thing worse than watching some tutorial by the various "experienced" rootworkers in the New Orleans tradition found on You Tube who also mispronounce the word while attempting to show viewers how to "authentically" create "gris gris," is hearing some computerized female voice make the same glaring mistake - in a book review! Uggh, can we not program our computers more intelligently? More...cultural specific?

I thought I spoke to this bionic woman today on the phone when I was paying my electric bill. And then again when talking to Sallie Mae about my student loans. My, she sure gets around.

Clearly, the mispronunciation of the phrase "gris gris" is a pet peeve of mine and I've owned it before. Maybe I'm being a bit of a New Orleans Voodoo Hoodoo Gris Gris Ju Ju Rootworkin' Spiritualist snob, but I don't care. Just call me honey badger. LOL (I really am laughing at myself here).

Thank you www.spiritualbookmix.com, I do appreciate the review. I don't mean to sound ungrateful (although it really isn't a book review; rather, it is more like a book description). But maybe, if you wouldn't mind, could you erase that pronunciation of the word from the computer's word bank and insert the correct pronunciation? I would be ever so grateful.

Copyright 2013 Denise Alvarado www.planetvoodoo.com, All rights reserved worldwide.

Candle Magick

The following is an excerpt from chapter 5 of the Voodoo Hoodoo Spellbook.

The practice of using candles, oil lamps, or a flame of some sort to accompany prayer is universally accepted by most religions. There is a false assumption, however, that the use of candles is a form of Satanism, witchcraft, or Voodoo. While candles are used in these other traditions, the act of burning a candle as a focusing tool in prayer is nothing more than an act of devotion.

Candle magick is a primary activity in hoodoo. Hoodoo candles are available in all sorts of types and shapes. The most popular of the hoodoo candles are the glass encased seven-day candles with pictures of saints and angels on the fronts and prayers on the backs.

The practice of candle magick in hoodoo is fairly simple. First, a candle is chosen of a color that matches the specific need, such as green for money, black for repelling, etc. Then, it is then anointed with appropriate dressing oil (Money Drawing Oil, Fast Luck Oil, etc). The final step is lighting the candle while reciting the appropriate psalm or statement of intent.

Below is a short list of candle types and what they are used for:

• Black Cat – gambling luck
• Crucifix Altar - For divine assistance.
• Devil – For commanding lust and sex
• 7 Knob - For 7 day workings - adds power.
• Male/Female Image - To work a person.
• Gender - To affect the sexual nature.
• Skull - To invoke help of deceased spirits, meditating on death, or
gambling luck.
• Marriage - To work a marriage or lover pair.
• Coiled Snake - To bind or control.

For an in depth read on working the candles, the reader is encouraged to refer once again to The Magical Power of the Saints: Evocation and Candle Rituals by Ray Malbrough.