Coventry Creations Articles

  Entering a rapture: Trance in American Root-Doctoring and Conjure Practices By Orion FoxwoodFoxwood is a witch, conjure-man and faery seer; and, the author of “The  Faery Teachings” (RJ Stewart Books), “The Tree of Enchantment” and “The  Candle and the Crossroads” and "The Flame in the Cauldron" (Weiser Books).. Orion is the founder, and primary teacher, of the House of Brigh Faery Seership Institute, a multi-year teaching program in the "Tree of Enchantment" Seerhship lore, practices, traditions and skills; and a co-founder of Conjure Crossroads (CC), which is a collaboration between five (5)  seasoned root-workers and witches focused on preserving and promoting the healing and helping benefits of southern root-work, witchcraft and other folk traditions. CC hosts the annual Folk Magic Festival in New Orleans, Conjure-Craft in Santa Cruz, CA and an ongoing blog show. He is the Founding Elder of Foxwood Temple, a coven dedicated to passing on the traditional...

PINS AND NEEDLES by Dorothy Morrison. Well known author of books as the author of Lucinda's Web, Everyday Magic, The Craft, Utterly Wicked and many other books. A native Texan, she is  a Third Degree Wiccan High Priestess of the Georgian Tradition, founded the Coven of the Crystal Garden in 1986, and spent many years teaching the Craft to students in eight states and in Australia. Dorothy currently ensconced in studies of the RavenMyst Circle Tradition, and enjoys membership in the Coven of the Raven.   Poppets have a made a magical comeback in the last few years, and there’s plenty of related information to be found in both books and on the internet today.  What you won’t find, though, is information on the correct pin and needle insertion points to cause the desired effect.  Of course, if the intent is to cause illness, locating the proper insertion point is just...

  Olive Oil in Conjure By Caterina O’Sullivan Caterina is owner of La Buona vita.  She is an Ama Deus and Reiki Master as well as a skilled Rootworker. Taking into consideration the day of the week, the time of day, and the phase of the moon, Caterinas products are hand crafted for the specific needs of clients. La Buona Vitas aim is to Craft the very best and most powerful product to help everyone “Live the Good Life”.  For more information about Caterina, please visit her website http://labuonavitausa.com/   A family tradition From soaps to sauces, and cures of many ailments, Olive oil is well known all over the world. I grew up with no other oil in the house; it was sacred to my mother’s family. I was fortunate enough to spend a lot of my youth in Italy and I can attest for its many wonderful properties and...

  Mama Izzy’s Hoodoo by Nicki Mcdermott (Izzy McDermott) As far back as I can remember the faith that is so deeply entwined with Conjure work has always been a part of my family and my life. When I was young I would be at my grandmother’s house and it was busy. Lot’s of people, lot’s of noise. My Grandma Bowers would be cooking in her cast iron skillet, Great Granny Wilson would be at the kitchen table singing bible hymns and gramps and Uncle Izzy, my great uncle, would be sitting around having a Budweiser talking about this or that. It was crazy and chaotic, but it was my family. Things were always done the “old way”. My Granny Wilson lived in a tiny house next to my grandma’s and she would hold Sunday school for us. It was always a lesson taken right out of the bible and you...

The Syncretic Worlds of Kabbalah and Conjure By Storm Cestavani   Storm Cestavani is a kabbalist, astrologer, and practices transformational magic.  He is the co-host of the popular metaphysical podcast “Keep It Magic” with Jacki Smith and the creator of “Your Daily Dose™” a daily astrology column.  You can follow his work on Facebook or Twitter.   Have you ever seen the movie “Practical Magic”?   It’s a lovely film about witches starring Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, and Stockard Channing.  The film centers around two sisters that are born into a mysterious witch family, in which one of the ancestors was heartbroken and cast a spell where she would never fall in love again.  According to the prologue of the movie, the spell turned into a curse and any man who fell in love with a witch woman born into this family, would die.  Of course, like any movie, the two...

  COFFIN NAILS by Dorothy Morrison. Well known author of books as the author of Lucinda's Web, Everyday Magic, The Craft, Utterly Wicked and many other books. A native Texan, she is  a Third Degree Wiccan High Priestess of the Georgian Tradition, founded the Coven of the Crystal Garden in 1986, and spent many years teaching the Craft to students in eight states and in Australia. Dorothy currently ensconced in studies of the RavenMyst Circle Tradition, and enjoys membership in the Coven of the Raven.   While coffin nails used to be plentiful and easy to come by, such is not the case anymore.  Of course, there are still many occult supply stores that offer them for sale, but the problem with obtaining those is clear:  There’s no way to know whether the nails you’ve bought are truly the real thing, or just regular nails that can be purchased at half...

  Mother Mary By Momma Starr Casas   For over 35 years, veteran Rootworker and Traditional Conjure Woman, Starr Casas, has been helping folks through her ancestral heritage of Old Style Conjure. She is the best-selling author of THE CONJURE WORKBOOK VOL. 1: WORKING THE ROOT published through Pendraig Publishing. She is also the author of many bestselling self-published titles on Old Style Conjure such as WORKING WITH BLACKHAWK & THE HOODOO MONEY CONJURE WORKBOOK. For more information, you can visit her site http://www.oldstyleconjure.com/   As a child I was taught how important Mary was because she was Jesus’s mama. The Virgin Mary is also known as the Heavenly Queen. She is wonderful to petition for anything dealings with males or the family. Any mother that is worth a grain of salt is going to protect her children. Mother Mary is very good when it comes to protection.   You can...

    Louisiana Conjure: Faith, Remedies and Roots by Denise Alvarado   Denise Alvarado  is a New Orleans-born, native Creole raised in the rich culture of New Orleans, Louisiana. She has studied indigenous healing traditions from a personal, professional and academic perspective for over four decades. She is the author of numerous books about southern conjure, including the The Conjurer's Guide to St. Expedite, The Voodoo Hoodoo Spellbook, the Hoodoo Almanacs, Workin' in da Boneyard, Hoodoo and Conjure New Orleans, Crossroads Mamas 2015 Spiritual Baths for Every Occasion, the Voodoo Doll Spellbook, Voodoo Dolls in Magick and Ritual and more. Her provocative artwork has been featured on several television shows including National Geographic's Taboo, The Originals, and Blue Bloods, as well as in several books by other authors. She is a rootworker in the Louisiana Hoodoo tradition, a spiritual artist, and teacher of southern conjure at Crossroads University,www.crossroadsuniversity.com. Visit her websites:http://www.creolemoon.com...

  A Conjure with No Name By Bryon Ballard   H. Byron Ballard, BA, MFA, is a ritualist, teacher, speaker  and writer. She has served as a featured speaker and teacher at Sacred Space Conference, Pagan Unity Festival, Pagan Spirit Gathering, Southeast Wise Women’s Herbal Conference, Glastonbury Goddess Conference, FaerieFest and other gatherings. She serves as elder priestess at Mother Grove Goddess Temple, a church devoted to the many faces of the Divine Feminine, where she teaches religious education and leads rituals. Her essays are featured in several anthologies, and She blogs as “Asheville’s Village Witch” (myvillagewitch.wordpress.com) and as The Village Witch for Witches andPagans Magazine (witchesandpagans.com/The-Village-Witch), where she is also a regular columnist.   Her pamphlet “Back to the Garden: a Handbook for New Pagans“ has been widely distributed and her first book “Staubs and Ditchwater: an Introduction to Hillfolks Hoodoo” (Silver Rings Press)  debuted in June 2012.  Byron is...

GATHERING GRAVEYARD DIRT by Dorothy Morrison. Well known author of books as the author of Lucinda's Web, Everyday Magic, The Craft, Utterly Wicked and many other books. A native Texan, she is  a Third Degree Wiccan High Priestess of the Georgian Tradition, founded the Coven of the Crystal Garden in 1986, and spent many years teaching the Craft to students in eight states and in Australia. Dorothy currently ensconced in studies of the RavenMyst Circle Tradition, and enjoys membership in the Coven of the Raven.   There are probably as many theories on how to gather graveyard dirt as there are graves on the planet.  And the truth of the matter is that the exact procedure just depends upon who you ask.  For that reason, you’ll only find my personal protocol listed in the guidelines below.     Timing:  It’s said that for good works, graveyard dirt should be taken within the...

  How to use Ganesha to overcome obstacles   Ganesha is a candle from our World Magic Line. We represent Ganesha with an essential oil blend of date, tangerine and bergamot in a dark pink candle. He is the Lord of success and destroyer of evils and obstacles. He is also worshipped as the god of education, knowledge, wisdom and wealth.He is one of the main deities in Hinduism.   Ganesha's head symbolizes the Atman or the soul, which is the ultimate supreme reality of human existence, and his human body signifies Maya or the earthly existence of human beings. The elephant head denotes wisdom and its trunk represents Om, the sound symbol of cosmic reality. In his upper right hand Ganesha holds a goad, which helps him propel mankind forward on the eternal path and remove obstacles from the way. The noose in Ganesha's left hand is a gentle implement...

  April’s series of blogs called “Why? Discovering your personal motivation” has been inspired by excerpts from Coventry Magic by Jacki Smith.      Just to recap: For 2015, we are dedicating ourselves to unleashing your personal power. Since this is no overnight task, we have broken it down month by month. April, we talk about discovering what is your personal motivation.   It may seem obvious, but being honest about what and why you want the things you do can be a tricky and sometimes painful. Last week we talked about ways to break down those excuses and look for real solutions. This week it is all about becoming prepared for when the changes you wanted to make actually start to happen.   Each Saturday  there will be a new blog about motivation and what drives you.  These blogs are really just a summary of the real exercises found in Coventry Magic...

  What are some ways to use sage? Sacred White Sage Pillar is 10% off in April.  Use coupon WORLD10OFF at checkout.   Smudging with sprays is a well known tradition. You can Google any number of combinations with sage and cleansing and smudging and receive many wonderful resources on how to use it for cleansing.  The most traditional way seems to be the smudge stick and there are many resources available on how to clear your home using this process. The Sacred White Sage candle is the less smokey alternative to use sage for cleansing.   Through out the years, I have heard both Jacki and Patty talk about different reasons to cleanse the space.  Here are some that our customers have found useful over the years. (especially those just digging into this world)   Let’s get started-You woke up one morning and decided you are missing a spiritual connection...

  April’s series of blogs called “Why? Discovering your personal motivation” has been inspired by excerpts from Coventry Magic by Jacki Smith.      Just to recap: For 2015, we are dedicating ourselves to unleashing your personal power. Since this is no overnight task, we have broken it down month by month. April, we talk about discovering what is your personal motivation.   It may seem obvious, but being honest about what and why you want the things you do can be a tricky and sometimes painful. Last week was all about confronting those excuses that keep you from moving forward. This week we talk about ways to break down those excuses and look for real solutions.   Each Saturday  there will be a new blog about motivation and what drives you.  These blogs are really just a summary of the real exercises found in Coventry Magic by Jacki Smith, for more detailed...

  April’s series of blogs called “Why? Discovering your personal motivation” has been inspired by excerpts from Coventry Magic by Jacki Smith.      Just to recap: For 2015, we are dedicating ourselves to unleashing your personal power. Since this is no overnight task, we have broken it down month by month. April, we talk about discovering what is your personal motivation.   It may seem obvious, but being honest about what and why you want the things you do can be a tricky and sometimes painful.  Last week we talked about things that block you. This week, it is all about confronting those excuses that keep you from moving forward.   Each Saturday  there will be a new blog about motivation and what drives you.  These blogs are really just a summary of the real exercises found in Coventry Magic by Jacki Smith, for more detailed explanation, I recommend checking out the...

  April’s series of blogs called “Why? Discovering your personal motivation” has been inspired by excerpts from Coventry Magic by Jacki Smith.      Just to recap: For 2015, we are dedicating ourselves to unleashing your personal power. Since this is no overnight task, we have broken it down month by month. April, we talk about discovering what is your personal motivation.   It may seem obvious, but being honest about what and why you want the things you do can be a tricky and sometimes painful.  This week, we talk about aspects that may block you from discovering your motivation.  Each Saturday  there will be a new blog about motivation and what drives you.  These blogs are really just a summary of the real exercises found in Coventry Magic by Jacki Smith, for more detailed explanation, I recommend checking out the entire book.   What is Your Block?   We all...

    March’s series of blogs called “Clearing Negative Patterns” has been inspired by  excerpts from Coventry Magic by Jacki Smith.      Just to recap: For 2015, we are dedicating ourselves to unleashing your personal power. Since this is no overnight task, we have broken it down month by month. March, we talk about what it takes to break negative patterns that keep you stuck.  We start with the acknowledgement that habits are very challenging to actually break and how to even start that process. Each Thursday, there will be a new instalment about breaking these habits and clearing negative energy.  These blogs are really just a summary of the real exercises found in Coventry Magic by Jacki Smith, for more detailed explanation, I recommend checking out the entire book.   Habits Can Be a Bitch to Break   There are habits that are not great for you.  Biting your...

This series of blogs called “getting comfortable in your skin” has been inspired by Coventry Magic by Jacki Smith.      Just to recap: For 2015, we are dedicating ourselves to unleashing your personal power. Since this is no overnight task, we have broken it down month by month. January, we talk about getting comfortable in your own skin.  Before you can become your most empowered self; our thought process is first you have to figure out who the hell are you before anything?  Last Wednesday, I wrote about looking down deep to discover what is really important to you. If you would like to read it, it is called: Getting into your body here and now.   Forgiving Yourself   I call them memory ninja attacks.  You are just about the drift off to sleep and then BAM a super embarrassing memory pops into your head leaving you wide awake...

Our newest limited edition: The Power Brokers are here!  Introducing our special  pour of the the ladies The Love Edition. These candles combine ideas of empowerment and self improvement while focusing on matters of the heart and learning to love yourself.   Heather Heartful for Love Spell.  This is charisma in a candle. Lovespell is about bringing out all your charm leaving everyone enamored with you.  This is also a great candle to burn before things like presentations and job interview. Just be careful using it before speed dating!   The Power Brokers will only be available for a short time.  Whether you are looking to gain confidence, finding love or being an independant woman; these ladies are here for you!

This series of blogs has been inspired by Coventry Magic by Jacki Smith.      I am sometimes shocked to see photos of myself nowadays. It's not like I have changed too much, but in my head  I am the cutest photo I have ever taken, that is my expectation.  Then in the seconds it takes for the actual picture to pop up, I feel a mini betrayal from my phone. That was not flattering phone! What were you thinking giving me a double chin phone!?   The truth is, we are not always really who we think we are.  This could be in a positive way like you consider your self boring, but you have everyone in your office in stitches most days.  It can also be in a more negative way(I am picturing the failed auditions from American Idol, talk about false sense of self!)   January’s theme for...