Gumbo Ya Ya 1

Bottle Spell Conjure

How to Make a Magic Mirror

The 6 Dumbest Things You Can Do to Make a Love Spell Fail

Too Many Mojos

How to Keep la Llorona Away

Creole Shrimp Bogged Down in Rice

Beyond the Crossroads: The Gates of Guinee

And more!

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©2013CreoleMoonPublicationsNo. 3

ya ya GUMBO

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Gumbo Ya Ya #3 2013 is published by Creole Moon Publications, Prescott Valley, AZ. 86312, USA. Copyright © 2013 Denise Alvarado, All rights reserved. Photographs and illustrations copyright 2013, Denise Alvarado or are in the public domain. Individual articles are under copyright of their respective authors. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopy, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the authors, except in brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. ISBN-13: 978-1493511532 (paper) ISBN-10: 149351153X (paper) Primary Category: Body, Mind & Spirit/Magick Studies Country of Publication: United States Publication Date: 10th Moon in the year 2013 Language: English

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www.creolemoonpublica ons.com

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CONTENTSBottleSpellConjurebyDeniseAlvarado…….6ToMakeaMagicMirror…….8RandomFormula,JustBecause…….10TheSixDumbestThingsyoucandotoMakeLoveSpellFailbyDeniseAlvarado….11CharmstoDriveAwayEvil…….17HowtoKeepLaLloronaAwaybyOskar“DocMojo”Yetzirah…….18MiscellaneousQuotesfromtheNewOrleansCityGuide…….21ShrimpBoggedDowninRicebyDeniseAlvarado…….22TooManyMojosbyCarolinaDean…….24BeyondtheCrossroads:TheGatesofGuineebyAlynePustanio…..29

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Greetings!WelcometoGumboYaYa,theonlineezinenowpublishedbyCreoleMoonPublications.Inthisissue,webringyoualittle Southern Conjure, un poquito LatinAmerican folk-lore,alittlebitofCreoleCooking,someNewOrleansVoo-dooandavarietyofmiscellaneoustidbitsofmagicalandSouthernculturalinformation.Forthoseofyouwhomaynot know, the term "gumbo ya ya" is a colloquial termused in New Orleans to describe conversations whereeveryone is talking at once. Casual conversation whereeveryone’s got something to say! Like this little ezine,thereisnorhymeorreasontoagumboyaya!Thecom-mondenominatorineachGumboYaYa,however,istheunderlying theme of conjurin' a world of your own de-sign.Createthechangeyouwanttosee!Sobeit.ManyBlessings,Denise Alvarado EditorinChiefCreoleMoonPublicationsWebsite:http://www.creolemoon.comBlog:http://conjureart.blogspot.comFacebook:https://www.facebook.com/hoodooandconjureOf icialFanPage:https://www.facebook.com/AuthorDeniseAlvarado

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BOTTLESPELLTOWARDOFFEVILCombine a teaspoon ofguinea peppers, three gar-liccloves,ateaspoonofas-afoetida, and one-half pintof Jamaica rum in a bottle.Place it behind the frontdoor and shake it everymorningwhenyouawakentokeepallevilaway.

TOFIXALANDLORDWrite the landlord's nameninetimesonapieceofpa-per and place in a bottle.Add some gin, whiskey,and rum. Take two tea-spoonsofsugar(whitesug-ar if the landlord iswhite,brownsugarifthelandlordisnotwhite)andputinthebottle some river water,water from the faucet andwellwater.Shakewelleve-ry day at twelve o'clock.Burn nine green candles—one a day for nine days—

and say Psalms 1 and 18each day. Plant the bottlewith neck down close tothe front door. This willensure you stay in yourhome.TOMAKESOMEONE

MOVEWritethenameoftheper-sonyouwanttomovethir-teen timesonpaper.Put itin a dark bottle and addfour tablespoons of vine-gar, one tablespoon ofwhole black pepper, oneguinea pepper, one cay-enne pepper and hang thebottle where the sun canriseandsetonit.Theywillmovequickly.TOMAKEHUSBANDS

STAYHOMETake sugar, cinnamon andmix together. Write nameof husband and wife ninetimes. Roll paper with

BOTTLE SPELL Conjure by Denise Alvarado

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names and put in a bottleof holy water with sugarandhoney.Layitunderthebackstep.TOBREAKUPWITH

SOMEONECombine one-half bottlevinegar, one-half can red(cayenne)pepper,halfofadirt dauber nest, and onetablespoon Epsom salts inabottle.Writeonapieceofbrown paper the name ofthe one youwant to sepa-rate from ive timesstraight and four timescross. Put in a bottle andclose. Make nine longsteps, shake the bottle upand down with each stepand put it in the corner ofthehouseandgotoitonceevery day and shake itonce.TOCLEANOLDBOTTLESOld, vintage bottles arewonderful when repur-posed as containers forconjure ingredients andbottle spells. The onlything is that a lotof times,these old bottles are hardtogetcleanontheinside.Ifthis is the case, try this

householdhintfoundinan1892 edition of the NewYork Watertown Heraldnewspaper. Save all yourbrokenandcrookedcarpettacks, thumb tacks andnails and keep them in abox in the kitchen forcleaning bottles. Just put afew inside the bottle andaddwarmsoapywaterandgently shake the bottlewiththetacksandsuchin-side. The sharp edges willscrapeoffallthestainsandgetinthehardtoreachar-easinneedofcleaning.

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To Make a Mirror in which everything is

discerned

Within the Pennsylvania Dutch tradition comesacoupleofversionsofmagicmirrors.FromAlbertusMag-nus’ Egyptian Secrets, instructions for making a magicmirrororerdspieglaregiven.ErdspieglmeansEarth Mir-roranditisusedasadivinationdevice.Somefolkssuggestthatthemagicismirrorisfordis-covering the identity of an individual; speci ically, thepersonorwitchwhohashexedyou.Ididnotseethislim-itation given in the instructions and so Iwould think itcouldbeusedasdescribed-todiscerneverything.Theoriginalinstructionsareasfollows:Procure a looking glass, such as are commonly sold. In-scribe thecharactersnotedbelowupon it. Inter iton thecrossingoftwopathways,duringanunevenhours.Onthethird day thereafter, hike to the place at the same hour,andtakeitout:but,youmustnotbethe irstpersontolookintotheglass.Itisbesttoletadogorcattakethe irstlookintothemirror.

S.SolamS.TattlerS.EchogartnerGematarIhavewrittenaslightlydifferentversionthatisbasedontheoriginal,withtheadditionofafewspeci ics:

Procure an ordinary handheldmirror and using a brandnewnail, inscribe thewordsbelowalong theouteredges.

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Go to a crossroadsand bury the mirrorthere at 3:00 in themorning or 3:00 inthe afternoon on aMonday. Leave themirrorthereforthreedays,andonthethirdday, retrieve themir-ror at the same timeinwhichyouburiedit,butdonotlookintoit.Firstallowadogoracat to look into themirror.

S.SolamS.TattlerS.EchogartnerGematar I’ve seen some folkswrite thewords across themirroritself but thatwould annoyme personally. So I suggestwriting thewords around the edge of themirror. Somefolkselect to inscribe thewordson thebackof themir-ror.Inthemiddleofthemirrorcanbedrawna ivepointedstarwiththewordsheilig,heilig,heilig(holy,holy,holy)at thebottomandunder the left and rightpoints. Somewill write Elohim in the center of the star (meaningLord).Themagicmirrorshouldbewrapped inablackclothwhennotinuse.

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Random Formulas,

Just Because...

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Are you In over Your Head?

Desperately in Love? The Six

Dumbest Things You Can do to

Make a Love Spell Fail ByDeniseAlvaradoSo,youlostthatexandyouwanthimback.Personally,Isaykickhimtothecurb…ifheleftthere’sareasonandyouneedtore lectonyoursituationandseeifgrovel-ingormanipulating for love is thebestwaytogo.Thefactis,ifyougetsomeoneto“love”youthroughmagic,youwill have to continue towork at keeping them inthatstateofmindfor…whoknowshowlong.This isn’t

Harry Potter or I Dream of Jeannie (I’m dating myselfhere). But, somany folks are simply in denial and aredesperate (Ahhh! Worst state of mind to be in) anddon’twant to hear practical and logical advice. So, for11

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thoseofyouwhoeitherhiresomeone toperforma lovespellforyouorifyoudoyourownandarenotgettingtheresultsyouwant,thereareafewthingsyoumaywanttoavoiddoing that can completely sabotageany spellworkthatisdone.Hereisalistofsomeofthosethings:1. Impatience.Quit it! Really….Magic is not a serveyour ex on silver platter thing as soon as the candleburns down. Quit asking yourworker every day, forsomefolks(andyouknowwhoyouare)severaltimesadayifthespellhasbeendone,whyisn’t itworking,canyouburnanother candleordoanotherwork forfree(no,really,don’taskyourworkertoworkforfree.Weareinarecessionifyouhaven’tnoticedandagoodconjurerhasasetofskillsyoudon’thaveandthat iswhatyouarepayingfor.Inadditiontoskill,spellstaketimeandcostmoney…that’sright,everytimeyouasksomeonetoperformaspellforfreetheyarereachingintotheirownpocketstopullouttheirownmoneytobuy the items they need tomake YOUR spell work).Furthermore, impatience will not speed up the pro-cess and in fact, your impatience can create a funkyenergybetweenyouandyourworker,sometimesre-sultinginregretforeverhavingagreedtoperformthespell in the irst place and dreading even looking intheiremailsoransweringtheirphoneforfearofsee-ingorhearingyouask the samequestionsagainandagain. So do yourself a favor, and give your workersome space, and give the spell the time it needs tomanifestyourdesire.2. Laziness. Relying on magic to do the work youshouldbedoing.I’mnotnecessarilytalkingaboutyoudoingyourownspell…leavethattotheexpertsifyoudon’tknowwhatyouaredoing.I’mtalkingaboutyoutakingresponsibilityforyourlifeandcocreatingyourown reality. If you are stubborn and argumentative,stop it.Maybeyourway isn’t thebestwayand that’sone of the reasons he or she left. No one likes to be12

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told theyarewrongall the timeormade to feel thatway through subtle and not so subtlemanipulations(like making snide remarks, giving the silent treat-ment,withholdingsex,cheatingonhimtogetbackathim for cheating on you, etc.). Look at yourself andownyourpart in thebreakup.What is it about youthatyouneedtochangeinordertomaketherelation-shipwork?Onlyyoucananswerthatquestion.Ifyouareoneofthesepeoplewhositsthereandsays,“Ijustdon’t understand it. I love him and want him to bewithmeandonlyme.Itreathimreallywell,Idoeve-rything forhim…”and “Ineeda spell thatwillmakehim loveme”andyoucan’t see theother sideof thecoin,well,thereisanissuerightthereyoushouldtakea lookat.Doyourpart in creating the lifeyouwant;don’trelyonsomeoneelsetodoitforyou.3. Quit being annoying. Quit texting your spiritualworker just because it’s fun as if they have nothingelse to do but cater to you. There really is nothingmoreannoyingthansomeonewhohashiredmeforaspell to contact me ALL THE TIME. Through email,phone, text messaging, Facebook, through someoneelse….really,it’sannoyingandit’schildish.It’slikego-ingonvacationandthekidinthebackseatofthecarcan’tstopasking“Arewethereyet?”everycoupleofminutes.Whenyouaretoldittakestime,giveittime.Calling,textingandemailingwon’tspeedupthepro-cessonebit.4. Denial.NoCleopatra,itreallyisn’tariverinEgypt.Note that if youarepiningawayafter someonewhohasbeentreatingyoulikedirtorisemotionally,phys-icallyorsexuallyabusive, thenquitreadingthisarti-clerightnowandgetatherapist.Youneedtoexplorewhy you are compelled to be in a relationship likethat.Andtakemyinitialadvice:kickhimtothecurb.Idon’tcareifheisyourbabydaddy…anyonecanbeaspermdonor.Ittakesamantobeafatherandapart-ner.13

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5. Noncompliance.Thisoneissimpleandbuildsonacoupleof thepreviouspoints -dowhatyourworkerasksyoutodo.Ifyouaretoldtonotcontacttheper-sonforacertainnumberofdays,orifyouareaskedtotakeaeriesofattractionbathsorcleansingsbathsandyou don’t do it, then you are sabotaging the work.Don’t go blaming your worker for something theyhavenocontrolover–you.6. Dishonesty.Don’t lie to your worker. Don’t omitimportantdetailsaboutyoursituation.Ifyoulieorfailto divulge important information, not only are youaskingsomeonetodospiritualworkbasedondecep-tion, you are also not giving your worker the infor-mationtheyneedtodesignthebestspellforyoursitu-ation.Letmegiveyouanexampleofapersonalexpe-rience I had with someone. This person wanted thesun,themoonandthestars.Butheespeciallywantedhiswifeandkidsback.Healsohadacoupleofcourtcasescomingup.Hetoldmehissituation,howmeanhisex-wifeisandhowhewantsrevenge,thenontheother hand he wants her back. But more than any-thing,hewantstowinthesecourtcases,andcomeoutthevictor in thesettlementand invisitation,ANDhewantshiswifetosufferformakinghimsufferandforkicking him out. So, having been around the block afew times,havinganadvanceddegree inpsychology,havingspentalmost15yearsasatherapist,andovertwice that longdoingconjurework, I’m thinking thisguy isn’t tellingme the whole story. So I asked himpoint blank: Do you abuse your wife? Do you talkdowntoher,belittleher,pushheraroundeverynowand then…anything like that?OhNohesays.Heonlytreatsherwellandhejustcan’tunderstandwhysheisbeingsomean tohim.So, I still thinkhe’snot tellingme the truth. I told him that in no uncertain termscouldhepaymeenoughmoneytoharmamotherandherchildren.Idon’tcarewhatshedidtohim,ifthat’swhathewants,I’mnottheone.Okay,hesays,wellat14

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leasthelpmewinmycourtcases(heactuallysoundedsurprisedwhen I didn’t bow to his demands). I toldhim if hewas lying tome the spell would notworkand the truthwill be revealed tome, givinghimonelast time to come clean before I did his court casespell.Hestucktohisstory.Okay,wellmaybeit’spos-sible, not probable, but possible, that he was beingtreatedunfairly.IaskedforhelpfromoneoftheSpir-itsIworkwiththathelpsmewiththesetypesofsitua-tions.Ididapreliminarywork,spentaboutahundreddollars on offerings asking for help in making thecourt cases a success (this one particular spirit hasexpensive tasteand themanpaidmewell so Idid itupright).ButIalsoaskedforthetruthtoberevealed,and to only give him victory if he deserved it. Thetruthwas revealed tome, just asplain asday in thecandle wax remains, a picture was shown. ThemanWAS an abuser and a LIAR. I thanked the spirits forconsideringmypetitiononbehalfofthisotherpersonandforshowingmethetruth.Thenext timeI talkedtothemanItoldhimIknewthetruth,thatthespiritshadshownmethetruth,thatheliedtomeandthathedidhithiswifeandthatiswhysheissoangry,whichhe was interpreting as being mean. That’s why shewaskeepingthechildrenawayfromhim,becauseshewaskeepingthemsafe.Andthatiswhyshewasask-ing for somuch in their divorce settlement, becauseshedeservedit.Headmittedit,thatitwastrue,hedid“pushheraround”butnotregularly,blah,blah,blah…all the typical excuses I have heard from abusers. Itold him that because he lied, the spell would notwork,remindinghimthatIwillnotdoanyworkthatharmsawomanandherchildrenandthatisthecon-ditionoftheworkwhenIworkwithmyspirits.Ialsotold him I would not be redoing the spell, which ofcourseheasked,thinkingafterheadmitteditIwouldchange my mind, after wasting his money and mytime.No,Iwouldn’t.Hehadorderedabunchofthings15

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frommysitewhichImadeandsenthim,butIdidnotdo any furtherwork for him, nor did I continue anycommunicationwithhimbeyond,“thankyouforyourorder.”He continued toharassmebeyond thework,and I am quite certain he hired someone else to putthejujuonme(Icanonlyimaginehowhereallytreat-ed his wife, his very essence oozed with misogyny).Theworkerhehiredwaspowerful,but Iamprotect-ed. Iwon’t go into details, but you can see how thiskindofthingplaysoutwhensomeonestartswithalie.It’sjustnotprettyforanyoneinvolved.Unscrupulous spiritualworkerswilldemandmoneyandmakepromisestheyshouldn’tbemaking,unlesstheyareGod incarnate,which I’mpretty sure is not the case.Noone,andletmeshoutthisfromthehighestmountainforalltohear,NOONESHOULDGIVEYOUA100%GUARAN-TEE THAT A SPELLWILLWORK! There are simply toomany variables, as we social scientists like to call themthatareoutofthehandsoftheworkerthatcanin luencethework.Forexample,somepeoplearemoreeasilyin lu-encedbyspiritualinterventionthanothers.Justlikehyp-nosisworks for somepeoplebut forothers ithasnoef-fect.Norcanaworkercontrolwhatyoudo.Sothereyouhaveit…sixofthedumbestthingsyoucando to sabotage spellwork: impatience, laziness, annoy-ance,denial,noncomplianceanddishonesty.Inanutshell,giveyourworkerthetimeandspacetoperformtheworkcorrectly.Doyourpartbytakingpersonalresponsibility.Do what you worker tells you to do. And, above all, behonest. Without these things you are trying to make amountainoutofquicksand–itjustwon’twork.

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Charms to Drive Away Evil • Ifyouwishthedevilandhisangelsto leefromyourdwelling,alwaysblessyourcandlebeforeyoulightit.• InCrete,basilisplacedonwindowsillstocharmawaythedevil.• InNorthWales,itusedtobethecustomtospitatthenameofthedevilandstrikethebreastthreetimesatthe name of Judas, to ward off evil in luences. Thiswasespeciallydoneinchurch.• Abunchofredcypressandpalmettotiedtogetherandhungfromthechimneyboardwillpreventyourene-miesfromconjuringyou.• A charm against enemies: Repeat reverently, andwithsincerefaith,thefollowingwords,andyoushallbe protected in the hour of danger: “Behold, God ismy salvation; I will trust and not be afraid, for theLord Jehovah ismystrengthandmysong;Healso isbecomemysalvation.Forthestarsofheaven,andtheconstellations thereof, shall not give their light; thesunshallbedarkenedinhisgoingforth,andthemoonshallnotcauseherlighttoshine.Andbehold,ateven-ing tide, trouble; and before themorning, he is not;thisistheportionofthemthatspoilus,andthelotofthemthatrobus.”

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Charm for protec on against enemies.

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How to Keep La Llorona

Away!

By Oskar “Doc Mojo” Yetzirah

The story is older than the Barrios, every one of Latindecent knows her, many have claimed to have had anencounter of some sortswith thiswoman shrouded inmythandlore.La Llorona orThe Weeping Woman,isthenamethattothisdaystilliswhisperedatFiestasandQuinceneras. “La Llorona is gonna get you” is shoutedoutofthefrontdoorbymothersandbigsisterstryingtogetthechildreninbeforesunsetfordinner.Aschildrenweusedtoallgatheratacousinshouseforweekendsleepovers, andeveryoneonce inawhile, thethunderstorms would roll in…hovelled in dark bed-rooms,sittingIndianstyleonthe loors,listeningtothe18

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storiesusheredbyouroldercousin,onlyasinglebeamof light fromanalreadydying lashlight illuminatesthecoldroom.“Listen to me primos” he would say “Listen to theverystorythatmayjustsaveyourlife!”Hewouldmakehiseyeshugelikethemoon,andwavehishandsintheairtocastshadowsalongthewall,shadowsthatregaledastoryofawomannamedMaria,asimplewomanwhofellinlovewithaman.Amanwhowouldneverloveherwhileshehadchildren.Drowningherchildrensherunstotheman,whointheendcontinuestorejecther.Inhergriefshegoestotheriverwhereshedrownedherchil-drenandherselfjumpsin.Inheaven,sheisnotallowedtopassthroughthegatesuntilshecollects thesoulsofherdrownedchildren. “Shecontinues to search for thesouls of her children” he whispers, “crying out theirnames….Pedrooooooooo,Oskaaaaaaaar,Diaaaaaaaaaaa-na, Josueeeeee! Sodon’tstayoutinthedarkafteritrains,shewillbewaiting,don’tstandaloneontheriverbanks,she iswatching, andwhat everyoudo, don’t cross thestreetatsunset!Shewilltakeyouaway!”Filledwith theemotionsandtinglesof thestory,wewouldruntotheonlypersonweknewcoulddefeatLaLlorona! “Buelitaaaaaa!” we would shout as we randownthehallways to thekitchen,whereshewouldbesittingatthetable,drinkinghercoffeeandwatchingherNovellas.“Howgran’ma,howdowestopher!?”“Whochulitos?”“LaLlorona!” “Easy corazones, you go ind the pomegranate tree,afterithasrained,immediatelygotothetree,andpickthemostbeautifulpomegranate,pickitandsaytheHailMarythreetimes.Placeitbyyourfrontdoorrightout-sideonasmallblueplate,andthenyousaytheOurFa-ther,everyoneinthehousewillbesafefromthehandsofLaLlorona….justgoseebythedoorninos.”

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MISCELLANEOUS QUOTES FROM THE

NEW ORLEANS CITY GUIDE

Let me tell you, my friend, those early colonists, they had to keep a sharp eye out for trickery. Those Voodoo queens, they knew things no white man ever knew. They could make people die, have them buried, and raise them again two weeks or a month later. ~ p. 58 You start out on foot, as you always do if you want to see anything in New Orleans. Along the way, you are surprised by the number of freshly scrubbed doorsteps, sprinkled with powdered brick, which you see. Your Creole tells you that powdered brick not only keeps off evil spells, but witches and ghosts, as well. ~ p. 61 The popular name, Crescent City is derived from the fact that the site of the original town was on a sharp bend of the river. ~ p. 66

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Sureenough,lookingoutsidethedoor,thereitwas,adriedpomegranate….inablueplate….therewewere….safe,fromLaLlorona.

About the author: Oskar “Doc Mojo” Yetzirah is the Owner-Operator atMidtownMojoManufacturers,Host forBayouCityConjureRadioatLocalLiveMedia,LLC.andOutreachCoordina-tor atUnited StatesVeterans Initiative.He resides inHouston,Texas.HecanbefoundonFacebook:https://www.facebook.com/bayoucityconjuredocktor20

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MISCELLANEOUS QUOTES FROM THE

NEW ORLEANS CITY GUIDE

Let me tell you, my friend, those early colonists, they had to keep a sharp eye out for trickery. Those Voodoo queens, they knew things no white man ever knew. They could make people die, have them buried, and raise them again two weeks or a month later. ~ p. 58 You start out on foot, as you always do if you want to see anything in New Orleans. Along the way, you are surprised by the number of freshly scrubbed doorsteps, sprinkled with powdered brick, which you see. Your Creole tells you that powdered brick not only keeps off evil spells, but witches and ghosts, as well. ~ p. 61 The popular name, Crescent City is derived from the fact that the site of the original town was on a sharp bend of the river. ~ p. 66

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Creole Shrimp Bogged Down in Rice

Here's a good Creole shrimp dish my motherusedtoserve.ShecalleditShrimpBoggedDowninRice. It is simple and relatively quick tomake,butmostofallitisdelicious!

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INGREDIENTS• 11/2c.uncookedrice• 1podgarlic• 1/8tsp,blackpepper• 3lbs.freshshrimp• 1largeonion• 1/2tsplemon-pepperseasoning• 1/2tspparsley,chopped• 1/2/tsplemonjuiceCook rice in 3 cups of boiling water and 1 tea-spoonof salt.Boil gentlywithout stirring for15minutes.Reduceheattosimmercovered5to10minutes.Setaside.Peelanddeveinshrimp,washwell, and drain. Put butter in skilletwith lemonjuiceandletmelt.Addonionandgarlic;sauteun-tilsoft.Addshrimp,lemonpepper,seasoningandblack pepper. Add parsley. Turn shrimp untilcooked.Pourthisintocookedriceandtossgently.•

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Too Many Mojos? By Carolina Dean

Ithaslongbeenanopen-secretamongspiritualpracti-tioners that magic can be somewhat addictive. You’veprobably heard of this in the context of peoplewhobe-come overly reliant on psychic-readings and who can’tget through the daywithout their reader telling them iftheyshouldwearredorblueorsomesuchnonsense.Thesameisalsotrueforthosewhohaveaneedandusemag-ictoful illthatneedandhaveinitialsuccess.It’snotsur-prisingthenthattheyarenaturallyinclinedtousemagicagainwhenanewproblemorissuecomesalong,whetherit’sastumpedtoeorbitterenemyouttodestroythem.Withsomuchmagic lyingaround,somepeoplebeginto get concerned that their work drains them or some-howinexplicablybeginstoworkagainstthemratherthanforthem.AtypicalquestionIgetthroughmywebsiteof-tengoessomethinglikethis:DearCarolinaDean,Icurrentlyhave3mojo-bags.Oneisfor[love-drawing], one is for [keepingmoney], andthethirdisfor[work.]Iwillbetravelingoutof the country in a fewweeks and Iwouldliketomakeonefor[protectionwhiletravel-ing], however I am concerned that Iwouldhavetoomanymojos.Istheresuchathingashavingtoomanymo-jos?Canhavingseveralmojo'sactuallyworkagainstme. Howmany can I carry at onetime?Help!

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WhatIusuallytellpeopleisthatmanyRootworkersem-phasize that a person's mojo is alive and that it is notsimply a charged object; rather, it is a spiritual ally.Therefore,owningamojo-bag, for lackofabetterword,isahugeresponsibilityandinmanyrespectsitisakintoowningapet.Justlikeyoubuildarelationshipwithapet,youhavetobuildarelationshipwithyourmojobag.Thismeansgivingittheproperfood(oils)andcare,aswellasspendingtimewiththemojocommunicatingyourwishesandgivingitlotsofpraiseandencouragementwhenitisworkingforyou.Howmanymojo bags you carry at any given time isentirely up to you and you have several choices in thematter. You can carry all yourmojos on your person atone time, or you can selectively wear them at certaintimesand/oroncertaindays.Inmypersonalpractices,Icurrentlyhave threemojobags.Theyarea lovemojo,amoneymojoandasuccessmojo.IcarrymysuccessmojoonthejobeverydaysothatIwillbesuccessfulinmyprofession.However,IcarrymylovemojoonmeintheeveningsandonweekendswhenIam away fromwork and socializing. Finally,mymoneymojobagiscarriedonFridayswhenIgetpaidandontheirst day of the new and fullmoons, atwhich time theyarefedwithappropriateconditionsoilsandprayedover.Youmaywishtoonlycarryyourlove-drawingmojoonFridays as Friday is associatedwith love; or carry yourmoneymojoonthedayoftheweekthatyougetpaid.Ofcourse,youwillwanttocarryyoursafetravelmojobagonyoutheentiretimethatyouaretravelingabroad.That being said,my opinion is that you should neverhavemoremojobags thanyoucansuccessfullycare forandmaintainatanyonetime.Forsomepeople,thatnum-bermaybelow,whileforothersitmaybehigh.Itreallydependsontheindividual.Supposingyourmojobagwasproperly ixedandconsecrated,itshouldstaystrongandworkingforyousolongasyougiveitthepropercareandmaintenance.25

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Ifyou indthatyouhavemorethan1or2mojobags,itisprobablyagood ideatoreallyconsider ifyouwanttotakeonanymoreaddedresponsibilitybeforeyouactual-lypurchaseormakeanothermojo-bag.Analternativetomakinganothermojo-bagistoconsideraddressingyourissueorproblemusingadifferentformofmagicsuchascandles,baths,dolls,lodestones,etc….Ifyou indthatyouhave a mojo bag for which you can no longer properlycareforandmaintainthenchancesare it isnotworkingtoyourbene itanyway.Inthiscase,Iwouldsuggestthatyoueithergive it the lovingcare itdeservesor thatyourespectfullytakeitapart,buryyourherbs,curios,etc..intheearthandburnyourpetitionalongwithanypersonalconcerns.About the author: Carolina Dean is aWitch, a Rootworker, aMagickal Craftsman, and a Gifted Reader Born in the DeepSouth.HeistheassistanteditorforHoodooandConjureMaga-zine andhaswrittenarticles forWitchesHourMagazine,Hoo-dooandConjureQuarterly,HoodooandConjureMagazine,andGumboYaYa.Heistheco-authoroftheHoodooAlmanac2012andHoodooAlmanac2013Gazette(withDeniseAlvaradoandAlynePustanio).Website: www.carolinaconjure.comBlog: http://carolinadean.blogspot.comFBFanPage: www.facebook.com/carolinadeanfanpageTwitter: www.twitter.com/carolina_dean

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Featuring ar cles by Dorothy Morrison, Louis Mar nie, Byron Ballard, Alyne Pustanio, Devi Spring, Carolina Dean, Witchdoctor Utu, Madrina Angelique, Nish Perez, Dr. Snake, Tim Broussard, Aaron Leitch, Dane e Wilson, and Denise Alvarado. Pure, unadulterated, fabulous New Orleans Voodoo and Southern con-jure. Order your copy today! www.creolemoon.com/books.htm

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BEYOND THE CROSSROADS

THE GATES OF GUINEE byAlyneA.Pustanio

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heinfamouscrossroads igureprominentlyinalegendofoldNewOrleans,thatofthemysteri-ousGatesofGuinee.In theVoodoo religion “Guinee” is thenamegiven to thatportionof thespiritworldwhere thedeadreside.Unliketheunderworldofmythologyorthehellofthe Judeo-Christian tradition, Guinee is not a place ofpunishment. Though there are different schools ofthoughtonit,mostagreethatGuineeisarealmthroughwhichthedeadmustpassontheirwaytothe“deepwa-ters”andspiritualreunionwiththeirancestors, theLwaandotherdeities.The ruler of this in-between realm is the great andpowerfulBaronSamedi,theVoodooLwaofdeath,regen-eration,transformationandrebirth.TheBaronisusuallydepictedasatallskeletonwearingatophatandtuxedo,or undertaker’s clothing, dark glasses, and cotton-pluggednostrils,andcarryingaspadewhichheusesforawalking stick: in short, a corpse ready for burial in theHaitianstyle.BaronSamedi, it issaid,standsattheCrossroadsbe-foretheGateswherethesoulsof thedeadpassontheirwayintoGuinee.Awisejudge,onlyTheBaroncanallowasoultopassintotherealmofthedead.Ifasoulappearsbefore him prematurely, the Baron, in his aspect as thegreatmagician,willsendthesoulbackintotheworldoftheliving.Legionsofspirits,knownasthelesserGuede,assist theBaron inhiswork,digginggravesandhelpingtoferrythedeadfromGuineeandacrossthe inalAbyss.In Voodoo belief, when a person dies their soul re-mainsnearthecorpseforaperiodofsevendays.Duringthis timebothbody and soul are very vulnerable to thethreatofbeingmade intozombiesbyhoodoosorcerers.BaronSamedi,inallhisaspects,andtheGuede,ledbytherambunctiousPapaGuede,arecalledupontoassurethatthishorriblefatedoesnotbefallthenewlydeadandthat29

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thepassagetoGuineeisasafeone.BaronSamediandtheGuedealsoassurethatthecorpsesofthedeadarenotdis-turbed in their graves, but are allowed to decomposecompletely, in order to avoid the horrible fate of beingtroubledbynecromancersorreanimatedandzombi ied.Only the boldest black sorcerer would attempt to con-frontBaronSamedioverthesoulofadeadperson;heisoneof themost infamousand frighteningof theVoodooSpirits.Accordingtosomelegends,itisnotnecessarytowaittomeetBaronSamedi,PapaGuedeorthelegionsofotherGuedewhoservethem.BecauseoftheBaron’sdistinctionasaworkerof sorceryhimself, andPapaGuede’sabilityto see inboth thewakingworldand theworldof spirit,manybraveindividualsaresaidtohavesoughtthemoutfor empowerment or enlightenment in theworld of hu-mankind. In fact,someclaimthat it isonlynecessarytoind thepassage to the realmof thedead, the legendaryGatesofGuinee,toencounterthesedreadedspiritualbe-ings.Sowhereare theseGates?Are they real, or, as somesuggest, are they simplymetaphorsmeant to representtheVoodoodeathprocess?Inanswer,manypointoutthesigni icanceoftheperi-odobservedfollowingdeath–aperiodofsevendays–asacluetowhattheGatesofGuineereallyare.Adherentstothis theory have suggested that each of the seven daysrepresents a separate Gate of Guinee; the soul passesthrougheachgateand is inallymetat theseventhgate,ontheseventhday,byBaronSamediwhothenescortsitintothelandofthedead.OtherssaytheGatesofGuineeare actual gates and that they exist in the real world.Theyclaimthat,liketheinfamousSevenGatesofHell,theGates of Guinee are the Voodoo version of those night-mare portals, leading into a realm of shadows, evil, anddeath.There are some New Orleans hoodoo practitionerswhowilltellyouthattheGatesofGuineearenoneother30

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thantheentrancestocertain localcemeteries–sevenofthem,infact,andsometimestheymayevenpointyoutothem.But,becausethehoodooworkersnevergivemuchgenuine information and, in fact,may be intent onmis-leading the curious, their suggestions should be takenwithaheftygrainofsalt.Still, this last version of the Gates of Guinee legendseemstohaveakerneloftruthatitscorebecausecoinci-dentally (or maybe not) there happens to be a greatcrossroadsinNewOrleansnearwhichthereisaconver-gence ofmany of themost signi icant cemeteries in thecity.Thiscrossroads,itissaid,representsthecruxofthecruci ixinBaronSamedi’smysteriousveve,ortheVoodoosigilthatrepresentsthispowerfuldeathLwa. Accordingtosomewhosubscribetothelegend,theGatesofGuineeare clearly marked in relation to the veve cruci ix; oneneedonlydeciphertheremainderofthevevemarkingstodiscover the location of the Gates themselves. And liketheconstructionoftheBaron’sritualveve,thereisacer-tainordertothelocationofthesevenGates.AnyonesearchingfortheGatesonapathofenlighten-mentorformagicalpurposesiswarnedthattheorderofthe opening of the Gatesmust be strictly observed. Toignorethiscaveat,ortoincorrectlyopentheGatesoutofsequence,issaidtoputtheseekerinthegreatestdangeras spirits entering thematerialworld through the gatescanpossessunwaryhumansoreventakethem,bodyandsoul,backthroughthegatesintotherealmofthedead.Inaddition toopening theGates in theproperorder,the proper timing must also be observed. One crypticrhyme,saidtodirectlyrefertotheopeningoftheGatesofGuinee,statesthefollowing:Sevennights,Sevenmoons,Sevengates,Seventombs

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Itispossiblethatthisrhymemakesreferencetopar-ticularaspectsofanopeningritualthatmustbeobservedin order to assure success in opening theGates. Again,notethesigni icanceofthenumberseven.Moreimportant,andmoreominous,thanjustobserv-ingtheorderandthetime,isshowingtheproperrespectand propitiation to the guardians of each gate. Theseguardians are said to be powerful Guede, including as-pectsoftheBaronhimself,whosejobit istoassurethatthe livingdonotpass into theworldof thedeadunbid-den, without the Baron’s permission. Those seeking toenteranyoftheGatesofGuineemustappeasethegate’sguardianwithappropriateofferings,aprocesssaidtobefurthercomplicatedby the fact that the identitiesof theguardianscanatbestonlybeguessedat.ItissuggestedthatthesepowerfulGuedearesubjecttothesameritualorderoftheGatesthemselves,andtoappeaseonebeforetheothercan lead tonoendofproblems. One thingnoonewantsisangryGuedeafterthem!This version of the Guinee legend seems to providemoredetailsthanspeculationandsomeresearchershaveputforththetheorythattheGatesofGuineearealignedwiththeoldcemeteriesthatsurroundtheintersectionofCanal Street and City Park Avenue. This convergence,quiteliterallyinthemidstofaCityoftheDead,whereatonetimeseventeenseparateburyinggroundswerelocat-ed, is the only New Orleans crossroads that meets thespeci icationssetoutinthelegend.Standingasitdoesatwhatwouldhavebeenthemostoutlyingpointpasttheoldcitylimits,thiscrossroadsanditsnearbycemeteriesareperfectlysuitedtotheGatesofGuinee legend. NewOrleanians have buried their deadtheresincetheendofthe18thcentury;whentheCitywasstrafedwithyellowfeveroutbreaksanditsoldcemeter-ies illed, thecemeteriesatCanalandCityParktooktheover low.Benevolentsocietiesalso igureprominentlyinthe founding and organizing of these old bone yardsamongwhichcanbe foundacresdedicated toCatholics,32

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Protestants, Jews, and, perhaps signi icantly, even Free-masons. Two indigent burying grounds, or so-called“Potter’sFields,”arealsolocatednearby,oneofwhichisamagnetforVoodooandhoodoopractices.It is not hard for themind to race when confrontedwiththisplace,andtheimaginationtakeshold.Extrapo-lating on the legend, using the veve of the great BaronSamediasaguide,itiseasytoconjecturealistofthepos-sible locationsoftheGatesofGuineefromthealignmentof some of the cemeteries with the great crossroads.What is impossible to ascertain, however, iswhat ordershouldbegiventothegates,andthis isnodoubtagoodthing,becauseifthiswereknowntheparadeofthecuri-ousandthrill-seekerswouldbeendless.More important still, which guardian is attached towhichgate?AccordingtosomeoldbeliefssetdowninthedaysofVoodooQueenMarieLaveau,theguardiansoftheGatesareBaronLaCroix,GuedeNibo,GuedePlumaj,Bar-on Cimitiere, Guede Babaco, Guede Zaranye, and BaronKriminel.Whathasnotcomedowntous–oratleasthasnot beenwidely disseminated – is how to connect eachGuardianspiritwithitsproperGate.Somepositthat,be-causealltheGuedeareactuallyaspectsofBaronSamedi,andALL are indiscriminate guardians of cemeteries andburying grounds, it is impossible to offend any of themwithofferingsappropriatetotheirnaturesandfunctionsas keepers of the Dead. It might be added, too, that itwouldbeabravepersonwho irsttriestoprovethatthe-ory...Itshouldalsobestated,particularlyinlightofthecur-rentghost-huntingcraze,thatasageneralrulecemeteriesarenotreallyplacesyouwanttobehangingaroundinforlongamountsoftime.Thisisnotsomuchoutofrespectfor thedeadorevendeference to theirpowerfulguardi-ans. One should not spend inordinate amounts of timerandomlypoking around cemeteriesbecauseof the sim-ple fact that the dead are truly hungry for life and life-33

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energy. Somediscarnatehumanspiritswilldoanythingtorecapturethefeelingofbeingalive,includingattachingtoalivinghumanhostuponwhomitwillliterallyfeedun-tilithastappedsomuchvitalenergythatthelivinghostisnolongerviableandthespiritdetachesonitsown,oruntil it isdisplaced,usually inacleansingritualorexor-cism. It is also prudent to be aware that not all spiritsfoundincemeterieswereoncelivinghumanbeings;therearemany,manytypesofspiritstherewho,onceattached,willliterallyeatyoualive.TheGatesofGuineemayverywellbereal,andpursuitofthem,andtheirmanymysteries,maynotbeasinnocu-ousasitmightat irstseem. Novices,thrill-seekers,andneophytesinthe ieldofsupernaturalexplorationshouldbewaryofactually indingtheGates,andwhatmight liebeyond.

About the author: Alyne Pustanio is the author of PurloinedStoriesandEarlyTales ofOldNewOrleans, HoodooAlmanac2012 andHoodoo Almanac 2013 Gazettewith Carolina DeanandDeniseAlvarado.SheistheCreativeDirectorandAssistantEditor forHoodooandConjureMagazine.Alyne isconsideredtheforemostauthorityontheparanormalandoccultphenom-enonandLouisianafolklore.Website:http://www.alynepustanio.netBlog:http://alynesvoxarcana.blogspot.comFacebook:https://www.facebook.com/alyne.pustanio

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