Florida Water

A fellow root doctor recently shared an ARTICLE on facebook about a 147-year-old ship wreck. The ship was the Mary Celeste, and in the wreckage, preserved at the bottom of the ocean, researchers found a bottle of old cologne.  On the bottle was embossed, "Murray and Lanman, Florida Water, No. 69 Water Street, New York." This is the oldest known sample of Florida Water, to date. 

So, what is Florida Water? 

Florida Water, named for the legendary Fountain of Youth rumoured to be located in Florida, is a 19th Century comercial formula for toilet water.  It has heavy floral scents and a water-alcohol base. It is important to note that toilet waters are simply *weak* perfumes.  Where perfumes may contain 1 to 3 oz of oils per pint, toilet waters may contain 1 to 6 oz of oils per gallon, which is then diluted with water.

Currently, only two commerical suppliers still manufacture Florida Water, Lanman and Kemp and Two Girls.  Lanman and Kemp, once Murray and Lanman (pictured at left) is the most popular manufacturer used among hoodoos today.  Still, historically there were many commerical manufacturers for Florida Water, and no *true* way to make it.  A simple google search will supply one with an array of independent recipes to choose from, as well. 

How does one use Florida Water?

Florida Water can be used for home protection, sprinkled around the inside and outside of the house or used as a floor wash.  It can also be used to protect a person, sprinkled or dabbed on like the perfume it is.  Or, in the same fashion, Florida Water can be used to engender peace in a person's location.  For instance, if a person is subject to a hostile workplace, they simply dab on a little Florida Water to bring peace to their surroundings or sprinkle a little around a malicious coworker's work space.  While Florida Water can and is used in its pure from, many hoodoos like to *doctor* it a bit for its purpose.  For instance, if a root worker wishes to use Florida Water to bring peace when at home, they might add borage leaves and motherwort.

Florida Water can also be used in spiritual matters.  It can be used as a spiritual cleanser, added to a bath by itself or as part of a ritual bath recipe.  Also, Florida Water is used as an all-purpose altar offering.  Simply add a small amount to a dish of water and place it on your altar as an offering to whichever spirits you are working with.  For ancestral work, I use Kananga Water, but for all other spirit work, inlcuding working with Saints, Florida Water would be appropriate.   

St. Christopher - Patron Saint of Travelers

For those of you who don't know, my husband is currently living in BC, Canada.  WAY OVER on the west coast... This Saturday my four-year-old son and I will be traveling to see him.  The trip includes seven and a half hours on planes, one way; hours and hours of traveling by car; and eventually a couple ferry rides.  I have made the trip before, but this will be my first time traveling with my son.  Therefore, I decided to have a few extra safety measures in place.  This trip I will be calling on the aid of Saint Christopher, Patron Saint of Travelers. 

Saint Christopher is generally depicted as a man, in mid-life, bearing a staff and wading across a river carrying a small child, the Christ child, on his shoulders. 

Legend has it that Saint Christopher was born Offerus(Offero), in the 3rd century, to Greek parents.  His parents having prayed and made offerings to their gods, Machmet and Apollo, on his behalf, Offerus grew tall and strong.  As he grew older he searched the heavens and Earth for a Lord who was worthy of his service.  After being continuously disappointed, he was convinced by a hermit to vow allegiance to Christ.  He was baptised and rechristened "Christopher," Christ-bearer.  Christopher would make no promises of fasting or praying, but agreed to use his great strength to safely transport others across the river.

One day, a small child came to the river asking to be carried across.  Much to Christopher's surprise, as they crossed the river the child became steadily heavier, until it was almost impossible for Christopher to carry him further.  When Christopher asked the child why he was so heavy, the child replied, "Because I carry the weight of the sins of the world."  Christopher was skeptical, so the child instructed him to place his staff in the ground by the river.  The next day it had turned into a beautiful palm which was bearing fruit.  This act enraged Decius, and Christopher was imprisoned, tortured, and beheaded.

To me, this has the smell of a Greek myth/story turned Christian conversion tool.  There is virtually no concrete evidence of Christopher's existance and it is generally agreed upon that he was added to Christian cannon sometime during the 12th century.  The Catholic church apparently came to the same conclusion and de-cannonized Christopher during the late 20th century, when many, including Brigid, were purged from the rank of the Saints. Still, Christopher retains a following among both Christians and conjurers, especially among Meixcan and Italian Catholics.  In Santeria, St. Christopher is assocaited with the orishna Aganyu, patron of travelers, walkers, drivers, aviators, and stevedorers. 

Christopher's Patronage:

• against bad dreams
• against epilepsy
• against floods
• against hailstorms
• against lightning
• against pestilence
• against storms
• against sudden death
• against toothache
• archers
• automobile drivers
• automobilists
• bachelors
• Baden, Germany
• Barga, Italy
• boatmen
• bookbinders
• Brunswick, Germany
• bus drivers
• cab drivers
• epileptics
• fruit dealers
• Fubine, Italy
• fullers
• gardeners
• Havana, Cuba
• holy death
• lorry drivers
• mariners
• market carriers
• Mecklenburg, Germany
• motorists
• porters
• Rab, Croatia
• relief from pestilence
• sailors
• Saint Christopher’s Island
• Saint Kitts
• taxi drivers
• Toses, Girona, Catalonia, Spain;
• transportation
• transportation workers
• travellers
• truck drivers
• truckers
• watermen

Simple Protection Working:

Materials

Protection Master Candle
Red Altar Candle (Red is the color of martyrs and is also the color I use for protection, in general)
Protection Oil
Small Straight Pin
St. Christopher Medal (These have become a bit difficult to find in stores, but you can find them on Ebay, fairly cheap)

Procedure

Begin by creating a protection petition candle using your Protection Master Candle and your red altar candle. First, using the small straight pin, carve Saint Christopher's name onto one side of the red candle, lengthwise.  Then, on the other side, carve your own name or the name of the person/persons you wish to protect.  Then, dress the candle with your protection oil.  Bring light to your Master Candle, charging it with an intent of general protection.  Next, transfer the light from your Master Candle to your petition candle, this time charging it with a more specific purpose, to protect you (or client) while you (they) travel.  Allow the candle to burn for a moment.  Then snuff it out and pull the melted wax up over the wick, locking the mojo inside. 

Next, you will set your petition candle in a candle holder and place you St. Christopher Medal in front of it.  I like to place the candle inside the cord/chain, that way the necklace forms a circle around it.  Light your petition candle and tell St. Christopher your petition.  This can sound much like a prayer. For this particular working, I asked that St. Christopher provide safe travel for myself and anyone traveling with me, including my son and husband.  Remember that you must promise an offering that will be given when the petition has been granted.  For this petition, I have promised to publish a public "Thank You" to the Saint, when my son and I have returned home safely.   

Psalm 91 - For Protection Against Enemies

It is common practice within hoodoo to utilize the book of Psalms for various purposes; for protection, health, to reconcile relationships, increase fertility, provide safe travel, and more.  A great number of hoodoo practitioners are Christian, so it should be no surprise that these verses found their way into hoodoo practices.  However, the book of Psalms can be a very powerful tool for all hoodoos.  Its usefulness does not have to be limited to Christian practioners.  To ignore this tool based on Christian symbolism is to limit your own practice, in my opinion.

Still some occult and magical practitioners are hesitant.  Some have asked me, "How do you work with the Saints and the Psalms?  You aren't Christian."  In regards to the Psalms, for me, the answer is simple.  The same way I work with any spell.  Essentially, the Psalms are words like any spell.  Their effectiveness depends on the practitioner and the meaning and energy they put into them.  So, if they are just words, why use them?  Why not use some other, non-Abrahamic, verse?  Well, the amazing thing about the Psalms is that they are words in which millions and millions of people have put energy and meaning into over hundreds of years. They have become, in essence, an extremely powerful egregore.  When you recite the words of Psalm 91 for protection you are activating a powerful thoughtform contructed by the thoughts and prayers of millions and millions of people.     

So, when I am "praying," or reciting, each psalm, the *Lord's* or *Almighty Father's* and so on are not, for my purposes, the Abrahamic God.  For me, I am simply calling on the protective thoughtform, the protective energy attatched to these words.  Again, the words only have meaning if you give them a purpose.  If I recited the same words without purpose, I might was well be reading the newspaper.  You cannot call upon the egegore or energies without willful intent. 

Now, let's look at one way to use the Psalms in our practice, for protection from enemies.

Psalm 91 (KJV)

¹He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
 
 ²I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
 
 ³Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
 
 ⁴He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
 
 ⁵Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
 
 ⁶Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
 
 ⁷A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
 
 ⁸Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.
 
 ⁹Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;
 
 ¹⁰There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
 
 ¹¹For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
 
 ¹²They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
 
 ¹³Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.
 
 ¹⁴Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.
 
 ¹⁵He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.

 ¹⁶With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.

-------------

A Simple Protection Working:

Materials

Protection Bath Crystals
Psalms 91

Procedure

This is a very simple working, and just one example regarding the use of psalms.  The Psalms can also be used in candle magic, with poppets, with spell bottles, and more. For this working, simply, dissolve the bath crystals in a hot bath.  Then, get into the bath and take a handfull of the ritual bath water and pour it over your head while reciting Psalm 91.  Repeat this process a total of three times.  Each time you pour the water over your head recite the psalm.  Remember that it is important that you recite the psalm with purpose. It is not enough to just say the words.  You must say them with intent, calling upon the energies to protect and shelter you.  Between each pouring take a few moments to think about what it is you want.  Why do you need protection? Is someone causing you problems at work? At home?  What is the nature of the protection you need?  With each pouring envision yourself being covered in the protective energies of both the mixture and the psalm.   

Now you, yourself, are protected.  However, depending on the nature of the danger, additional workings may be needed to protect your home and any others. 

A Protection Spell Bottle

I found this bottle at a local Goodwill store and decided that it was perfect for a Witches Bottle.  I loved the wooden top because I can paint it...



So I did....


The top I painted red, to make it pretty actually, more inviting.  It seemed fitting.  On the inside, under the lid, I hid a pentagram, to protect the exit.  Prevent what is inside from getting outside.
Then I gathered all of my ingredients together onto my workspace.


 

Like Grayson, I decided on red thread to intice the "nasties," as he calls them, into my jar.  However, I also added red tulle.  It's as bright and inviting as the thread, but adds a net-like quality, to help capture the nasties.  I also used silver bells.  I know that bells are commonly used to ward of "evil" and that using them in a spell designed to "intice and trap" seems a bit counterproductive, but something said "use them."  So I did.  They are shiny and silver, and seem even more inviting to me.

In addition, I chose comfrey and patchouli, two herbs associated with Saturn, for their binding qualities, and mint for purification.  I chose to use salt also for purification and grounding.  The spiny thing on the far right is a Sweet Gum tree seed pod.  I chose it for its protective qualities.

The black candle I used to charge the spell with its purpose, binding.  I used the Patchouli oil to annoint the candle and the pentagram.

Procedure:

First, I annointed my black binding candle with patchouli oil, and lit it while speaking my intent to it.  Then I got to work.  I held the ceramic dish with my herbs over the candle's flame and concentrated on the purpose of their work.  Then I poured the salt into a small bowl, and added each herb one at a time, speaking its purpose to each.  Then I stirred them together concentrating on my intent and poured them into the jar.  Next I placed the sweet gum seed pod in, instructing it to give protection against anything caught in the jar.

Then, I cut nine lengths of red thread.  I tied three together, with three knots, tying bells onto the string with the last knot.  I did this three times, so that I ended up with three bundles of three threads, each with bells on one end.  Then I ran each bundle through the flame speaking my intent to it.  I placed one thread in the jar and then placed a piece of tulle on top of that, instructing the tulle to catch anything the thread brought in.  Then I placed another bundle and another piece of tulle the same way, and then the last bunch.

After, all the ingredients were safely inside, I place three drops of my High John oil on top to give it some extra *oomph*.  Then I annointed the pentagram with patchouli oil and traced some oil around the jar's seal.  Next I closed the lid and sealed it with wax from my binding candle.



I let the candle continue to burn until it was almost gone.  Then, I blew it out to activate the spell.  Now, I have my very first Witches Bottle, sitting on my shelf.

Setting My Master Healing and Protection Candles

*** If you are not familiar with hoodoo Master Purpose Candles please see THIS post first.  Thanks.

Tonight, due largely to the fact that I NEED them, I decided to finally set my Master Purpose Candles for Protection and Healing.  I began by chosing colors for both candles.  For protection I chose red.  I went back and forth about this because I've read may different candle correspondences calling for different colors for protection, non of them red.  Red *felt* right to me.  To me red is a less passive protective energy.  I ultimately chose it for that reason.  I'm not passive, and neither will my protection works be. For my healing candle I chose a more traditional color, blue.  I chose blue for its obvious connection to water and its healing qualities.

Next, I created seals for both candles.

  

For the protection candle I used a personal protection seal that I have used before and the Star of David. 

For the healing candle, I drew a nautilus shell.  I chose the nautilus for it connection with water, but also because of the personal connection I have with the image.  Much of the nautilus's symbolism, for me, comes from the Oliver Wendell Holmes poem "The Chambered Nautilus." To me, this poem, symbolizes a deeper healing than just the physical.  It symbolizes a spiritual and emotional healing, which I believe we sometimes neglect to think about in our work.

Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul,
As the swift seasons roll!
Leave thy low-vaulted past!
Let each new temple, nobler than the last,
Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast,
Till thou at length art free,
Leaving thine outgrown shell by life’s unresting sea!

Below the nautilus is rough Theban that states, simply, "Heal".

I then annointed each piece of parchment with the appropriate oil in a five-face die patter, and taped them to their corresponding candle.

Now, it was time to dress the candles.  I used the same oil I used to annoint the seals.  For the protection candle I used Fiery Wall of Protection Oil and for the healing candle I used Healing Oil, both from Lucky Mojo.  I dressed both by rubbing oil clock-wise around the top of the candle three times.  Then, using a taper candle, I brought the light from my Master Candle to each Master Purpose Candle, first the protection candle then the healing.



Next, I allowed the candles to burn for a bit, creating a nice "pool" of melted wax and oil.  Then, I added three drops of my High John the Conqueror Oil to each and allowed them to burn another half hour before extinguishing their flames.