Hoodoo Blue ( Laundry bluing, haint blue )

Though to some may appear reminiscent to “Hoodoo blues” and therefore remind of Doctor John, and in general, music genre associated with African American Conjure community, this article will deal with the power of different kind of blues ( as in blue,  the plural form ). The color that comes to my mind, when speaking of Hoodoo, is pale yellow  and brownish pastel color, present so much on roots of all kind and old, parchment paper leafs of Hoodoo recipe books. But on a second thought, there is another color so prominent,  and respected in Hoodoo. This color is blue.

It can be  an  “Angelic influence candle” or a haint blue paint in ( and on lol ) folk’s dwellings, or it’s a blue water colored with Laundry bluing ( laundry blue Reckit’s or Mexican anil balls ) or with Bluestone Cu ( SO4 )2. This nice blue color inspires respect, and instills peace among conjurers and root doctors, as well as among arguing clients, and strikes fear into malevolent. Alongside these, well-known uses, I’ve encountered some of these items in "Bend over" or  other kind of Influence formulas, and  in the  Hyatt’s anthropological works, we encounter usage of bluestone in gambling luck. So let’s go through some of the “sources” of Hoodoo blue ( followed by some exemplary formulas, as I do, after all, tend to write practical articles ) And their uses :


 Laundry Bluing and Bluestone

Laundry bluing and Mexican anil balls, a washing products, composed of Ultramarine ( or more rarely Persian blue ) dye,  and compressed washing soda, entered Hoodoo spiritual works, as a safe substitution for the toxic bluestone,  which was used in apotrophaic and gamble luck spells among Conjure community. Although it’s pretty much safe ( as long as You are careful not to come in direct contact with ) to use Bluestone in mojo’s and gamble luck spells, as well as in making Blue water for placing around, for bathes or any other type of product we plan using on humans, or other living beings, we use laundry bluing or Mexican blue balls. You can encounter names such as "Roman vitriol" and "Blue copperas", and they all refer to copper sulphate  , a crystalline, sulfide salt of Copper acid, a form of fungicide used in agriculture .

WARNING : If You have any doubts of how to properly handle, bluestone, keep in mind that is corrosive and highly toxic, and that If You decide to ignore this warning , for any possible injury, intoxication or otherwise harmful effect on Your body homeostasis I WILL NOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE. You can always use LAUNDRY BLUING ( like Reckit’s crown laundry bluing or Mexican balls ) as magickaly equal substitute.

Spirit repelling blue water

Dissolve some Laundry bluing in metallic pans or glass bowls, or metal bowls, and strategically arrange those in places infested with evil spirits to drive them away, while at the same time  to beacon the kind ( benevolent ) spirits . A florwash made Copper blue, salt and Blessed water can do wonders as well, and will rid the place of evil, where used.

Gambling charm ( mojo bag )

Hyatt’s “Hoodoo – Conjuration – Witchraft – Rootwork “ entry 13000, teaches us to place ( sew together ) 9 silver dimes with a piece of Bluestone in a red flannel mojo, to have success in games of chance and gambling. [1]

Aura of Influence

One spell suggests adding :

• Coriander seeds
• Licorice
• Sweetflag
To a jar or a bottle of Laundry bluing ( meaning either  Reckit's stuff dissolved in water, or the liquid laundry bluing ) and leaving it sit for 7 days, then straining. The liquid is used to wash clothes, and  when  the clothes have dried,  one   is to wear them to inspire respect, and make others agree with him/her, improve leadership qualities , personal power, and boost self-confidence. [2]

It can also be used to dye, one of the components of Peace water, meaning either the oil or water. I’ve heard of folks mixing it with Florida water and using that as Peace water instead.

Haint Blue paint

Haint blue is a pale, celestial-marine , to aquamarine paint/color often seen on porch ceilings, doorways and even inside the Houses all over the world, particularly in Southern States (USA), Indonesia, Haiti, some parts of Africa and Mediterranean. There seems to be a neverending discussion between scholars of all sorts, anthropologists, sociologists and occultists about the origins of the custom of painting walls, ceilings or doorways  with haint blue, to keep evil dead sprits away.
Does it comes from  the Gullah tradition ? Or from the Cherokee beliefs, that every spirit of the deceased ancestors are by nature angry and mischievous. Maybe it comes from old German-Anglo-Saxom customs of warding off similar ( but by no means same ) hag creatures? There are no solid proofs that the belief comes from a single culture-bound system.

In my humble opinion , it might as well be coming from Mediterranean. I live in a Mediterranean country and the common folk belief, if not even a part of culture, here is that angry and mischievous spirits can not cross body of water, let alone sea or ocean water and that they greatly fear pale, aquatic tints and colors. Most likely however seems, that such beliefs are not culture bound at all, furthermore they may be cosmopolite and probably even developed simultaneously In many parts of the world. Because, regardless of the part of the world, haint blue paint has pretty  much the s ame purpose everywhere, to repel evil spirits and negate them entrance to a dwelling of a kind, most often house. In States , and  some other English speaking areas, these spirits are often called “haints” ( aka angry ancestral spirits ) , hence the name. The paint is supposed to confuse the spirits, and make them think it’s either water or the celestial infinities , what  they see in front  of themselves, and haints as earthbound creatures, eager to remain on , our physical plane must by all means avoid those. All sorts of demon, and lower-level malicious spirits, likewise  fear it.

Indigo powder ( or indigotines )

Indigo tint , although not as light and pale as that obtained from Bluestones, has similar properties in magick and can additionally be used to dye oils and other products. You can get pale-er tint, If You use less indigo powder in base. Indigo powder C16H10N2O2 ( though mostly synthetic for those purposes ) , known as indigotine or carmine indigo is what is used to dye texas ( like Denim for example ) pants/jeans. Source of Indigo are plants of Indigofera genus, or less commonly Woad ( Isiatis tinctoria ) or Dyer’s knotweed ( Polygonum tinctorium ). In magick, it founds popular use in Uncrossing baths, and is often suggested by some Conjurers, for such. It is not, however that much present in traditional Hoodoo, were people will   simply go ahead and use Laundry bluing.  Also, alcoholature of the indigotines, malkes a brilliant Saturn related ink and a good addition to bath in small doses. It can also be found in some very old, spirit repelling and vanquishing potions and recipes.

NOTES: This article was written and compounded by myself, therefore If You wish to use it elswehre, feel free, but give credits : Shadow of Shadows magick place, or Shadow-333@hotmail.com Credits [1] from “Hoodoo – Conjuration – Witchraft – Rootwork “ by Harry Middletone Hyatt, entry 13000, paraphrased here Credits [2] Original spell, in slightly different form can be found in "Encyclopedia of 5000 spells “ by Judika Illes The image is taken by me, and shows Crown reckit blue squares and altar candles in pale blue color, all obtained from occult supplier

Many Blessings!

Spring Solar magick ( Energy flow, reenergizing and renewal )

Warm air, moody weather, with interlace of sun and timely , soothing rains, dominant green in nature, scent of blossoms and spring flowers are some of the things we readily associate with, so long awaited spring. The dark part of the year is definitely gone, so is the introspection and anabiosis that normally come with it on spiritual plane. This long period of darkness, and self-battling has more than likely caused mental and physical fatigue in many people, be them spiritually aware or not. Some of the causes are mundane, some spiritual, some both, yet the result is same, weakness when we need the strength. Fear not, this is entirely normal for this time of year, even physiologically. The crafty and cunning folk, as well as those of “ higher “ magickal perspectives, had know that for ages now, they’ve worked up some rather nifty methods of dealing with energy lack.

Wether it’s wearing stones, taking potion or doing some energy channeling/meditation, it’s important to renew oneself after the long winter, so we are ready for the rest of the year and so that we do not miss a thing important, due to meekness of body and our mind.
Christians have a brilliant saying : “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak!” . Sometimes, going outside, enjoying still kind, solar energy and merely smelling the spring can do wonders, itself. But there are folks that are simply not as perceptive, sensitive or are simply too worn out, depressed or otherwise held back as a result of aforementioned self struggle and winter darkness. Such people, or people that happen to be in scuh situation could use some magickal knowledge, and recipes of the wise

Solar magick and correspondences are most proficient for this kind of work as well as power of the Crescent Moon. Mind that the magick I had here in mind is similar, but not the same to Power magick, Spiritual/Occult power magick and even Road opening, yet with significant differences.Therefore in this post we will discuss way of magickal reenergizing, renewal or simply put methods of making the chi flow strong and undisturbed again 
So here are some examples

Heaven and Earth meditation

Drawing energies from both Heaven ( symbolic of spiritual, ascendance, uplifting ) and Earth ( symbolic of grounding, strengthening ) , will not only work as charging from double source, but will bring the so needed balance as well. Perfect timing for such meditation can be midday, eclipse or midnight.
Sit on the ground in comfortable position ( it’s preferable to do this outside, should that be impossible at the moment, next best choice is in a nice room near an open window ).
Raise Your hands above Your head with palms opened, and envision gold rays if light coming down, and being absorbed through Your palms, circulating downwards Your body. Then, envision roots growing from Your feet, deep into Earth, and absorbing the Earth energy in from of green pulsating, powerful light, ascending up the roots and into Your body. See the Energies of Earth and Celestial energies softly intertwine becoming strong white light pulsating through all Your body. Keep that image for few minutes in Your head and You should feel energized and empowered.
This visualization can also come handy as a part of shielding.



Energy potion ( ingestible )

• Warm infusion of small peeled, cubed Ginger rhizome ( ½-1 teaspoon to 2 dl ) in spring water with a pinch of cinnamon
• Juice of one Orange
• Some fresh Mint finely chopped or few drops of Mint juice
• Honey that stood exposed to Sun some for at least and hour after Midday ( noontime ) , as much as You see fitting
• OPTIONAL: Powdered mace in a smallest finest, pinch

Combine all together, stir thoughtfully, bless and strain if needed be, and drink in three portions during the day, or all at once, should You be in serious energy deficiency state.
Another version for those that dislike ginger can be made with simple Echinacea infusion with Cinnamon and Honey, like above.


Spells of renewal and empowerment

Very simple, and very effective. Take Sowilo runic body posture, holding between Your palms, a cleansed, and charged Sun stone or Carnelian or Citrine. Place some Honey on Your tongue ( small amount , best to use Solar charged or Lunar charged honey as described in potion recipe above ) and say some words of power

Light of Heaven , Divine fire

Give me strength

Give me power

This is my desire
!

Hoodoo strength/power drawing spell ,

On a piece of petitioner paper write Your name and cross it seven times with the word power. Fold three times towards Yourself. Place the paper in a small jar, cover it with brown sugar, add some Echinacea root or Master of the Woods powdered if You have, and then place also a fed lodestone in the bottle. Place a with candle on the lid, and light it praying for strength and empowerment.

Strenght and endurance powder

Combine Echinacea root powder with Master of the Woods and High John root powder and lay small amount in Your shoes. Such powder shall prevent tiredness.

NOTE: This article and recipes are written by myself, so If You wish to use any of it elswhere, credeits must be given, Shadow of Shadows magick place or Shadow-333@hotmail.com . First image is Albert Durer's illustration "The Sun, The Moon and the Basilisk", which is a fragment of an old manuscript kept in British musem, and is used here for illustrative purposes only ( image source www.britishmuseum.org ). The second image shows Sowilo runic body posture and is from www.sunnyway.com I believe ( I recieved this image as a part of personal e-mail correspondence ) and is used here for explanatory purposes only.
The powder recipe, was inspired by entries from "Hoodoo herb and root magick" by Catherine Yronwode

Hoodoo Studious Success ( Pass test spells )

There are many formulas and products in Hoodoo magick designated
To be beneficial to one’s mind, intellect, mental domination, social skills or even psychic powers. In lack of better term, “mind products” are a rich family in Hoodoo. Some of the famous formulas include “King Solomon’s wisdom”, or “Master key”. However these may be considered formulas with profound effect, on mind in more than just cognitive process
And logics. The two examples mentioned foster spiritual and elevated wisdom.

In this post, however I will speak of a slightly different genre of the family. And this is, what I like to call “Pass test” products. These products differ slightly from general “wisdom family” because they focus on shorter terms effects, and other than mind empowering and boosting ingredients, contain also success curios. Simply put, they are meant to do just what the name says, help one be successful in school, and pass tests thanking to both mind power and luck and success powers.

The best day for this type of operations is obviously Wednesday and the most proficient time of the day are hours or Mercury. Patron saints in Catholic Christian fiath, that are commonly associated with students are Thomas Aquinas, St. Albertus Magnus, Catherine of Alexandria and among Orthodox people, one of the patron saints of studnets and schoolchildren is St. Basileus.

The candles we use in such magickal work, should be of yellow or gold color, orange or seven days candles. Spheral and image skull candles are a brilliant choice as well. Purple offertory candles are another great choice. The words such as “pass test” may be inscribed in continuous ascending spiral on the candle.

Herbs associated with wisdom and mind power ( in terms of Hoodoo herbalism ) include, but are not limited on, Mint, Sage, Solomon’s seal root, Smart weed, Sage, Verbena, Peach tree leafs, Camphor, Bay laurel, then Rosemary etc.


I feel silly for having to point this out, but You do actually have to study. Simple “studious success” spells exist in most of the traditions, even folk magick ( see examples later in the text ) , and without further ado, here are some examples


Pass test/exam oil


• Mint leaves
• Solomon seal root
• Peach tree leaves
• Verbena
• Bay Laurel essential oil
• Sage essential oil
• Some Sandalwood or Bergamot essential oil ( optional )

Simple folk spells for exam passing

These spells orriginate from Balkan pennisula folk magick lore, though the one with the book seems to be widespread in Europe

• There is a custom in Balkan peninsula, that when the school kid or a student goes to take an important exam, mother or other dear person is to pour ( spill ) water behind them, as they walk outside the house, minding not to pour water on to the student, but that the water comes close to their ( student’s ) backs, simply put follow, but do not catch 
• Hold a new fresh egg for a few moments, prior to leaving Your yard, and hit it against some large stone. This Balkan simple, traditional folk spell ensures that no ill or misfortune may interfere with You on the day You have important task. Balkan folk commonly say : “Break an egg to outsmart the Wicked”
• Place a book ( textbook, one from which You have been learning ) bellow Your pillow , while asleep. If the material ( book, textbook ) was read ( material/lessons ) learned , then placed bellow the pillow it will assure that all the information bits come together and will strengthen memory, focus and eloquence, preventing confuse or memory flaws. .



Spell to pass test

Needed
- Seven day or large yellow, offertory candle
- Pass test oil
- Mint and Verbena mixed powder
- Incense like, King Solomon’s wisdom, or alike incense
- Petitioner’s paper , with phrase such as “pass exam” written 7 times and crossed 7 times with Your name

Carve “pass test” in continuous ascending spiral, on Your candle, If You are using Offertory candle. If You are using Seven days candle You don’t need to carve anything. Either way, dress a candle with “Pass test/exam oil”, and dust the candle with Mint and Verbena mixed powder.

Inscribe the petitioners paper as suggested and, fold it three times towards Yourself. Then place it underneath the overturned saucer, and on the saucer place the candle.

Light the candle, and light the incense. Fumigate Yourself with the incense briefly, than place it near the candle.
Than Read Psalm 23rd and follow by Your personal petitions to pass the test.

Prayers

Following Orthodox Christian prayers will bring You success, in specific task ( in this case, exam taking and studies ) . Now it is customary in Orthodox Christian practice to “give thanks” with a prayer, upon receiving spiritual help from Divine forces. Therfore many prayers, have two version, one to be prayed, when asking for help, and other giving thanks or expressing gratitude afterwards. The given prayer for successful task is no exception.

Prayers Before Any Task \

Lord Jesus Christ, my God, You have said, "Apart from me You can do nothing." In faith I embrace Your words, Lord, and I entreat Your goodness. Help me to carry out the work I am about to begin, and to bring it to completion. To You I give glory, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Almighty God, our Help and Refuge, who knows that we can do nothing right without Your guidance and help; direct me by Your wisdom and power, that I may accomplish this task and, whatever I do according to Your divine will, so that it may be beneficial to me and others and to the glory of Your holy Name. Amen.

My Lord and Savior, You became man and labored with Your hands until the time of Your ministry. Bless me as I begin this work. Help me to bring it to completion. Lord, enlighten my mind and strengthen my body, that I may accomplish my task according to Your will. Guide me to bring about works of goodness to Your service and glory. Amen.

Prayer After Any Task
Thank You, Lord, for Your strength and guidance in my work. You are the fulfillment of all good things. Fill also my soul with joy and gladness, that I may praise You always. Amen.

The following prayers should be read or spoken before and after the actual study process, and like previous, have second, “thanksgiving” part


Prayer of a Student

Christ my Lord, the Giver of light and wisdom, who opened the eyes of the blind man and transformed the fishermen into wise heralds and teachers of the gospel through the coming of the Holy Spirit, shine also in my mind the light of the grace of the Holy Spirit. Grant me discernment, understanding and wisdom in learning. Enable me to complete my assignments and to abound in every good work, for to You I give honor and glory. Amen.

Prayers Before Study

Most blessed Lord, send the grace of Your Holy Spirit on me to strengthen me that I may learn well the subject I am about to study and by it become a better person for Your glory, the comfort of my family and the benefit of Your Church and our Nation. Amen

Christ, the true light, who enlightens and sanctifies every person coming into the world, let the light of Your countenance shine upon me (us) that I (we) may see Your unapproachable light; and guide my (our) steps in the way of Your commandments, through the intercessions of Your all-holy Mother and of all the Saints. Amen.

Prayer After Study

I thank You, Lord our God, that again on this occasion You have opened my eyes to the light of Your wisdom. You have gladdened my heart with the knowledge of truth. I entreat You, Lord, help me always to do Your will. Bless my soul and body, my words and deeds. Enable me to grow in grace, virtue and good habits, that Your name may be glorified, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.


NOTES: The recipe for oil, and spell to past test were written by myself. The folk spells, are as said in text, part of traditional Balkan witchraft, the picture is edited by myself ( Originally trading card of Yu gi oh game, "Brain contol" property Konami ), prayers are from www.orthodoxprayer.org posted here for educational purposes

Many Blessings !