Dandelions and a Mojo Hand

The dandelion's bright yellow blooms bring visions of sunny days and spring picnics and its white powder-puffs conjure memories of childhood wishes and hopeful dreams.

I just love them!!

Though considered a weed by most people, dandelions have many culinary, medicinal, and spiritual uses.  Dandelion is crammed full of Vitamins A & C and has more beta carotene than carrots!!  A diuretic, it is used to treat liver, kidney, and digestive problems and to improve skin health.  The white sap in the stems can be used to treat scrapes or bee stings.

All parts of the plant are edible and the flowers make a fabulous addition to a spring salad.  These flowers are slightly sweet and add vibrant color.  The leaves, which can be eaten raw or brewed in a tea, have a bitter taste that allows them to aid digestion.  The roots can be eaten raw or roasted as a non-caffeinated coffee substitute.

All parts of the dandelion, especially the seeds, are used for various magical purposes from divination, to communication with spirits, to bringing good luck. In hoodoo, however, it is the root that we are most concerned with.  Hey, there's a reason they call us rootworkers!

In hoodoo, the root of the dandelion is traditionally dried, chopped, and brewed into a tea.  It is said that if a person drinks this three times a week  they will have "true" or prophetic dreams.  In addition, this brew is said to increase the second sight or psychic awareness.

To grant a wish or bring good luck, one can carry the root on their person.  This can be as simple as carrying the dried root in your pocket -OR- for a little added oomph you can create a wish-granting or good luck mojo hand.

Wish Granting Mojo Hand

Dandelion Root
Mojo Beans - Five
Grain's of Paradise - Five
Small Piece of Parchment Paper
Five Strands of Your Hair
Green Flannel Bag
Holy Oil or Blessing Oil

Write your wish five times on the piece of parchment, each overlaying the previous. Turn the parchment a quarter and cross your wish by writing your full name five times, each overlaying the previous.  Wrap the whole dandelion root with your hair and then place them over your crossed name and wish.  Fold the parchment towards you over the root and hairs. Anoint with Holy Oil or Blessing Oil.

While reciting Psalms 40:5:

Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered. 

Place the package inside the green flannel bag.   Repeat the Psalm until it has been recited five times, while adding the Mojo Beans and Grains of Paradise.  In between, each recitation, talk to your mojo hand. Tell it what you are doing, why you are creating it, what you want it to do.  I find, like many rootworkers, that giving it a name helps you connect to it.  Mojo hands are living things with power.  Giving it a name helps the rootworker to really see their mojo hand as alive and vibrant.

Then holding your mojo hand, say a prayer for the wish you want to be granted and sew it shut.

Now, you need to cleanse it, breath life into it, and then feed it.

First, run your mojo hand through incense smoke (I use frankincense and myrrh) and sprinkle it with salt water to cleanse it.  Hold it over a candle flame (not in it) to ignite its power. A fellow rootworker and friend calls this "getting its mojo cookin." I would use a green candle for this particular hand.

Next, to breath life into it.  Holding your mojo hand in your left hand call out to it three times, by name.  Tell it that it's time to wake up and get to work.  Then pat it three times as if trying to wake it up from sleep.  Now, you will literally breathe life into it.  Holding your mojo hand take a deep breath and exhale sharply through pursed lips onto it.  Do this three times.  Your mojo is awake and ready to go to work.  Say Hello!!

Finally, you just need to feed it.  A conditioning oil relevant to your purpose is used for this.  For this mojo hand, we use Holy Oil or Blessing Oil.  Place five drops of oil on the bag.  Repeat this about once a week.  Remember, just like you, your mojo hand needs to eat.  You must keep feeding it for as long as it is needed.

Now, keep your mojo hidden in your pocket and out of sight at all times.

As a final thought, dandelion roots can be real bothersome to harvest.  I have been known to curse and shake my fists at the air during this process.  If you are a first timer, here's a helpful link to make it much easier for you.  Harvesting and Using Dandelion Roots



 

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.

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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.