How to Use Crystals, Stones, Rocks, Minerals Questions and Answers

[Brujero05]

Can a Lodestone that has been used for money be "reprogrammed" for something else afterwards? Like love, sex, lost lover, etc??

[Literarylioness]

Brujero05,

Usually a lodestone used solo cannot work as a mate in love work. A lone lodestone is alone, because it did not fit magnetically very well with a mate of its size. Lucky Mojo has the best lodestones by far, because they match-up the lodestones properly. The solos are solo for a reason and the mates are mated the same way.

Now, if you have a pair of lodestones that were used for love work and are still alive, you can wash them in hard liquor (whiskey is traditional) and use them again on another pair of lovers. A lot of rootworkers do this. Some think it is "cheap" to do it, but it can be done,

When I left my last husband, I took our huge lodestones and soaked them in whiskey for about a month. Technically, I should have buried them, but they are very good lodestones and I wanted to keep them, since they are huge and quite magnetic.

All depends on the rootworker,

Mary

[Miss Bri]

Hi all,

I agree with Mary on the inadvisability of re-using lodestones, especially if designating them for a different kind of work.

Lodestones used in love usually work in pairs, money lodestones are trained to attract money, I think it would be akin to trying to train a dog that is used to hunting to working as a sheep herding dog--maybe it could be done, probably its been tried, but I wouldn't waste my time and energy on it.

And, the evidence I cite in support of this opinion is that in many lodestone spells where a single lodestone is used to attract something ( a new car, a new lover, whatever...) once the wish has been fulfilled the lodestone is given a peaceful burial

take care,
Bri

[catherineyronwode]

Dear Brujero05 ,

I'm sorry, but i totally and completely object to the term "reprogramming" a Lodestone. This is so mechanistic and uninsightful that i really must speak my mind here.

A Lodestone is considered to be alive, and to work as an ally. While it is yours, you must feed it and work with it, as with a friend or family member. You would not "reprogram" your lover to be your dentist or "reprogram" your child to be your boss -- would you? I mean, such changes may develop naturally, but to really be right, they must be consensual. So ditch the idea of "programming" -- that is disrespectful to the Lodestone and actually will cripplingly distance you from experiencing the magical relationships with the natural world upon which rootwork is founded.

So, what Bri says is right -- you would need to work with that Lodestone, bathe and refresh it, thank it for what it has done, suggest some new field of endeavour, get a sounding on whether it will or will not take on the new task, and then see what you can see.

Furthermore, love Lodestones come in pairs and money Lodestones come single. In my experience, breaking up a good working pair of love Lodestones in order to have two money Lodestones is one of the most foolish things you could do, given how difficult it is to make really great matched pairs in the first place.

On the other hand, finding a mate for a money Lodestone and training it to work for love sounds more feasible -- if you can find a good, strong mate for it. The thing is, money Lodestones tend to be flat, which means they don't tend to make good stand-up mates for love work.

There is a lot more about the art of selecting, matching, feeding, and working with Lodestones in the "Hoodoo in Theory and Practice" page on Lodestones, which is at

http://luckymojo.com/lodestone.html

Good luck!

[Sharona22]

This is an interesting converssiion

[loveliesbleeding]

Hi,

I'd like to know if it's okay to re-use items such as High john roots again in different spells. I have one pretty nice root that I was thinking of re-using in another spell as the first one was already successful (been quite awhile since it was successful too). It would be the same spell but with a different target. I think this High john root is pretty strong.

Or should I just respectfully retire my root and start with another?

Thanks

[starsinthesky7]

loveliesbleeding,

If the root was dedicated or baptized to a particular person's love with that person's name, it should not be done. It would be like reusing a candle or a mojo bag for someone else. The materials have been personalized with that person. You should start with another root.

If it was dedicated for a particular use, such as sex, you cannot easily reuse it for a different spell, such as money drawing, without a small ceremony of re-dedication.

[Turnsteel]

Depending on what you did with it if you wash it off with whiskey you might get away with it. Wash it with whiskey, smoke it in a cleansing incense like Van Van and you should be good. Doing so may have repercussions on the other spell you did if it had on going results. But I do think it would be best to start with new materials.

[Jesterjosh]

I do not recall where I came across this claim, but I have heard that a double terminal quartz point (a quartz crystal pointed at both ends) will help to bring lucid dreams when placed in a glass of water, and prayed over. Then drink the water (but not the crystal! ) before going to bed.

Two questions:

A) Has anybody else heard of this?

B) Has anybody tried this?

[Turnsteel]

Quartz crystals are not used very much in hoodoo, but some do use them.

If you are looking to dream true, there are a number of traditional hoodoo formulas that can help. Do a forum search as that topic has come up before.

[dorothybaez]

Wow! Hi, I'm new here....

I had never thought about using a laser pointer on a crystal to amplify its energy, but someone mentioned it to me and I am curious.

Also, what kind of crystals do you have that can cause headaches?

[Lucylookingskyward]

Hello, dorothybaez,

I don't think you can charge a stone with a lazer pointer, not to belittle your concept.

The concept of charging a stone in sunlight or moonlight (which is a New Age, mostly Wiccan custom) is to infuse it with the qualities and energies of the sun or moon. It's almost like living energy. Putting a man-made light source against a crystal isn't going to give it any more oomph than it would to keep your crystal on your TV or next to your lamps and expecting them to fill up with energy.

It's like the difference between Spring Water, Tap Water and Mineral Water.

Besides, from what I understand about that particular practice, you charge your stones with energy by channeling your intent through the stone. You cleanse the stone in sunlight or moonlight so that you can use it again and to clear it of negativity.

[rocksandplants]

dorothybaez,

RE headache: crystals that have caused headaches in combination,

moldavite+libyan gold tektite+tibetan tektite (3 tektites being used for rapid transformation),

phenacite+herderite (used mainly for amplification, usually affects people that are very sensitive).

Re: charging crystals:

There are products marketed out there from moldavite oil, or charged waters, some using a telescope to amplify light from specific stars.

As for a laser being ineffective, have you tried it? ( LASER= Light Amplifed Solid Energy Radiation) Usually a crystal inside the laser is a ruby or a sapphire, sometimes doped (coated) with another mineral. i find it very effective, charging crystals far beyond what natural energies can do.

Re: cleansing crystals:

I have used streams to cleanse minerals, although sun and moonlight usually dont cleanse enough, burying minerals works well, as well as boiling minerals with hyssop or other cleansing mixtures ( some stones dont work with certain materials, salt corroding (hcl acid) or water soluble crystals like selenite, usually only mainly quartz crystals work with boiling.

[hello]

Lucylookingskyward

Agreed.

I know many Wiccans that say that charging them by natural means is to honor nature/Gaia that brings the energy more than simply the projection of light. I think Wiccans are very in tuned with nature which is why they charge things by moonlight or sunlight. Even if you aren't Wiccan, like Lucylookingskyward said, it is mostly a Wiccan custom and that is the reason they chose to charge it like that and it is also very much about intent so i'm not sure a laser would be the most appropriate way to do that....

[Lucylookingskyward]

rocksandplants

Actually, yes I have tried many different ways to charge gemstones, including something similar to your idea, but this was before I'd done more research into gemstone magic. As I said, taking a lazer pointer, which was created in a factory and designed specifically to be an office aid etc is not going to impart any energy onto a crystal than it would if you kept a quartz next to your TV and hoped that the TV would charge your stone. I'm sorry, but I fail to see how lazer charging works.

To address your other points, I have absolutely seen gemestone waters and oils that have been created with specific intent, but this is typically used in combination with herbs and other essential oils.

[rocksandplants]

Thanks lucy, too bad it doesnt work for you, i feel that the abundance of light is more easily shaped and bent into a mineral ( if it wills). I work exclusively with plant and minerals, no animals, but i have no problem with synthetic minerals, as long as they were grown from a seed crystal. (most synthetic minerals are grown from seed crystals in high pressure/heat chemical solutions.) the super 7 crystal is one good example, or theres also the titanium doped quartz, whose name escapes me right now. I recently tested a magnifying glass on identical white quartzes and with the same exposure time the laser exposed quartz was palpably stronger. A laser may have been made in a factory, but it contains a gemstone which is used to amplify the light. Maybe we'll agree to disagree on this one.

[CopperFox]

Guys, I'm an amateur gemologist and serious rock hound and this is quite interesting...but this conversation is a bit off topic. The stones commonly employed in hoodoo are pyrite and lodestones...minerals used would be assorted salts, alum, saltpeter and magnetic sand.

This is not to say they don't have their magical uses, or that hoodoo practitioners are limited only to the use of curios that were available during the 19th century, but only rarely does one encounter crystals and gemstones in old-style hoodoo rootwork as they simply would not have been available to the original practitioners. They did become available via mail order during the 20th century, and they may be added to mojo bags.

Have fun,

Michelle

[Turnsteel]

A single lodestone, one that isn't mated with another can be asked to attract various things.

Generally a mated set of lodestones used for love work are not going to turn around and pull in money for you, especially if you take them away from one another and force them to work alone.

But paired lodestones can do different forms of love work or work on different couples, if you have a good relationship with each pair.

For example I have four sets of mated lodestones:

one male/male for client work
one female/female for client work
one male/female for client work and
my personal set of male/male lodestones for my own work.

The ones used for client work get washed and well cleansed before being given another case to work on, but over the course of a year they my be set to work for at least 6 different couples.

So yes lodestones can be asked to work on new things, but there are limits.

[catherineyronwode]

First, lodestone spells do not require petitions (although some people do use petitions with them). The stones are baptized, in the same way that a doll-baby is, and you work with them as representatives of the beings thus named, thus they are not like a fixed candle or a vigil candle that radiates your petition -- they are more like the figural candles in a moving candle spell, which are named, but not usually set on top of petitions.

As for the idea of re-using Lodestones, here are my opinions:

I have never had luck taking a mated pair of love lodestones apart and trying to use one singly for money. That is a non-starter for me.

I have never had luck trying to use a dedicated money lodestone as part of a paired set for love.

When working for couples, i do NOT do as Turnsteel does. I do NOT re-baptize my paired stones for each new client couple. I have serious, strong, and symbolically deep reasons for not working that way -- and perhaps i can explain them well enough to convince Turnsteel to consider changing to my way of working.

What i do is get a packet of small grit lodestones -- "riders" -- and keep them on hand to represent cleints for whom i am working. One packet of small grit-sized lodestones will last for YEARS -- for DECADES.

At the outset of the work, the magnetic lodestone grits or riders are baptized for each member of the client couple and then they are set on their respective stones. Each little grit rides along on top of one of the big magnetic rocks as they come together through the love spell working.

When the big love stones are united, the riders come together too, and they are then gently removed from the big stones and bound PERMANENTLY by being placed in a mojo or a locket charm, or buried together. In this way, they are not pulled apart when the big stones are re-used, and the work of uniting the clients is never symbolically undone.

After the riders are bound together, the big stones are allowed to rest together in union in their bed of magnetic sand, until i need them to work again. Then i gently separate them and bathe them and set newly baptized client-riders on them and they go again.

My big stones help train the riders, and the clients benefit from that -- as well as from the fact that their little grit stones are together FOREVER.

[Joseph Magnuson]

That was a great post Cat, thank you! Good to see more Lodestone information on here...

[catherineyronwode]

Thanks. I'll go add the informtion to the Lodestone HITAP page at

http://luckymojo.com/lodestone.html

so it can be easily found from now on.

[Transformer]

Hi, I would like to repeat a spell that is normally only done once over a series of days. The spells calls for an individual candle to be encircled with herbs. Now, each day of my 9 day cycle I would like to just replace just the figurine candle in the middle and leave the circle of herbs. Is that appropriate? Or would it be necessary, or more potent, let's say, to clean everything out and start fresh daily with candle and herbs?

thanks

[Miss Bri]

Transformer,

I have done workings both ways and I think you should be fine if you leave the circle of herbs as is. Another option would be to change it out every 3 days or so.

Blessings,
Bri

[Transformer]

good compromise. thanks.

[Joseph Magnuson]

Thank you for the info Miss Bri, much appreciated!

-Joseph

[ConjureMan]

Transformer,

I never re-use herbs that I've used for one working for another. That means if I am doing a love spell for one client, I won't go and use those same herbs for another.

In this case you are working the same spell with the same intent, for the same target then yes you can leave the herbs there. Once the spell is complete dispose of the herbs with the rest of the remains.

[gremlin]

If I have a controling candle and use a spell with it where I control one person but do not finish the candle during that first spell, does theat mean i have to only use it for controling that one person?

[Devi Spring]

gremlin,

Yes, you cannot reuse a candle. You should dispose of that candle properly.

Unless of course you are very crafty and are skilled at candle making, and then you could melt down the wax, and crafting a new candle for controlling purposes from scratch. Miss Cat talks about doing that kind of thing, but very few people have the equiptment or know-how to do so.

[catherineyronwode]

When a guest comes to your house, do y'all tell that guest to "Just help yourself off of Cousin Jimmy's plate 'cause he just forked around on it and there's still some there" -- or do you get your guest a fresh plate with fresh, unforked-over food?

Your spiritual work should be at least as clean as your cooking, i would not go to your house if you told me to eat your Cousin Jimmy's scraps, and if you were working conjure on me, i'd laugh in your face, spiritually speaking, if you tried to lure me with left-overs from your past spells.

[Devi Spring]

Miss Cat - didn't you speak of melting down candle remains to make new candles for the same type of work?

[catherineyronwode]

Yes, Devi -- melting down candle wax and making new candles is called "making a casserole next day with the left-overs plus fresh ingredients" and that is a whole different thing than having your guest eat off of Cousin Jimmy's plate!

The title of the question was "re-using curios" not "recycling unburned candle wax."

[Devi Spring]

Ok good...I wasn't sure if I had completely misunderstood. Thanks for clarifying.

[DrXTheRebirth]

I've read many posts about people asking to re-purpose a lodestone for another petition than the one it was used for. I.E. using a money drawing lodestone to draw love. I was wondering, can a JTC Root be re-purposed for two different petitions?

[JCPA72]

DrXTheRebirth --

I'm no expert BUT the majority of responses I've seen to this type of question, say NO.

[catherineyronwode]

I am adding this to the thread where folks say NO a bunch of times.

[Miss Ida Lundin]

Hello Jesterjosh,

This is described on the Lucky Mojo Hoodoo Rootwork Hour episode from 2006 entitled: Dreaming -- Types of Dreams and Concepts About Dreams (theory) -- How To Use Dreams To Do Hoodoo (techniques) with Queen Mabulla and Dr. Eoghan Ballard. And it is Queen Mabulla that describes it.

So if you've listened to the show that might be were you heard it.

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Spell Methods:
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[catherineyronwode]

The use of quartz points is a bit less common in hoodoo than the use of crystal balls. They have become much more popular recently. They are also used in Neo-Pagan and New Age workings. We do carry them in the shop.

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Use in Magic:
Quartz is undoubtedly the most versatile crystal on the planet. In addition to Clear, Milky, Smoky, Spirit, Rose, Rutilated, and other colourful Quartzes, its forms include a number of stones that bear their own traditional names, such as Amethyst, Ametrine, Aventurine, Citrine, and Prasiolite.

Spell Methods:
Quartz is undoubtedly the most versatile crystal on the planet. In addition to Clear, Milky, Smoky, Spirit, Rose, Rutilated, and other colourful Quartzes, its forms include a number of stones that bear their own traditional names, such as Amethyst, Ametrine, Aventurine, Citrine, and Prasiolite.

Product Details:


MIS-QUA-POIX
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$10.00





You can order right here in the Forum by clicking on the blue Add To Cart button.

For more information, see:
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[beebee22]

After listing to Cat's advice on the LM radio station -- to gain customers for a business by creating an altar and have a series of dirt throughout the world I was wondering if anyone would like to exchange dirt?

I live in the UK so I am happy to send dirt to anywhere in the world, I just thought I would put this out there and see if anyone would be interested?

[Miss Tammie Lee]

I think it is a good idea. One thing that you could consider is asking for some dirt (with permission from Miss Cat) from Lucky Mojo when you place your next order.

[starsinthesky7]

I think someone should send you some dirt from wal mart. I know dr. kioni spoke of that once to make a prosperous business and home or just general money drawing.

[catherineyronwode]

What kind of "business dirt" would you send from England? Bank of England?

Just asking is all.

[MissMichaele]

What kind of "business dirt" would you send from England? Bank of England?

Maybe the Virgin Group -- the little record company that Richard Branson parlayed into a business empire?

Miss Michaele

[bluebutterfly12]

I was curious, and just to clarify

Can I use the same root I used from a previous spell if I want to redo the same spell on the same person? I did it two weeks ago but I would like to redo since its a good time,as far as the moon phase goes

Thank you in advance for any info =)

[Miss Bri]

bluebutterfly12--

It's hard for me at least to give you a clear answer on this question-I don't know what the spell was and I don't know what the role that the root played in the spell was, and finally, I don't know how the ritual remains were to be deployed.

Blessings,
Bri

[bluebutterfly12]

Hi Ms Bri,

thank you for answering my questions, the root is high john root,and it was for a spell that CM had posted for a reluctant lover,using the high john root with a name paper,along with follow me boy oil,and cubeb berries
I have another root so I think I will just use a new one, but now I have two more questions

1) can I reuse my mojo bag that has the previous HJR in it?,or do I add the new root from the new spell?

2) if I have to dispose of the old root, can I bury it in the same pot along with other love spells, I have done before?

3) I have a balcony that faces East, can I keep my pot their or does it have to be inside the my apartment?

Thank you so much

[catherineyronwode]

bluebutterfly12 ,

1) If you are working on a different person, don't re-use the same ingredients.

2) Yes.

3) It's fine on the balcony.

[bluebutterfly12]

Thank you Miss Cat

it is for the same person that I used the last root for,but I just want to verify

1) Will it affect my work if I use the same root?, I mean will my chance of success decrease if I use the same root or new one?

2) the red flannel bag I used to place the root in from the previous work, can I reuse that too?

3)when I gather the herbs and root from my work, do I prepare my "bag" as you instructed in another post? I just wanted to clarify because when I first did this work, I just gathered the remaining herbs and put them in a red bag,and when I read your instructions about preparing a "mojo" bag it was completely different

4) if i do have to prepare it,as per your instructions, what kind of incense should I use? it is for a resistant lover,and the work is to stop him from being so resistant

5) "smoking the bag" does it mean that I place the bag in front of the smoke and let it pass through the bag?,or, does it mean I open the bag,and allow the smoke to go in?

6) Candle petition, does it mean I write directly on the candle,or in a piece of paper that I write the purpose of my "mojo" bag?


I just wanted to say thanks to every one on this site.I have been reading up a lot on this stuff from your site,and I have learned so many things,and I am very interested, fascinated,excited,and happy to find such a wonderful site, I can't wait for the stuff I ordered from LM to arrive.

Thank you so much in advance for your time and answers, any info will be greatly appreciated

[avoiceanswered]

So it's okay to use leftovers for a new candle for the same person? Would this add more power to it by having the old and new?

[Wandering_Jew]

Apologies if this is a dumb question (I'm new around here), but...

I noticed that, unlike most of the other systems of magic I've studied, hoodoo doesn't seem to include any mentions of using 'crystals' (i.e. stones with interesting properties) in traditional spells, except lodestones. Is that due to African American people maybe not having widespread ability to go buy a decent-sized lump of, say, amethyst until fairly recently in American history? Or is using semi-precious stones frowned upon in hoodoo?

I understand that they're not traditional, but am curious whether many rootworkers use them, now that they are more available? (I've read in Cat's online book that hoodoo has picked up many tools and practices from other traditions, when rootworkers had widespread access and exposure to them, so I hope it's not a disrespectful question.)

I don't often find a stone that will work with me, but when I do, they can be powerful tools, so would be interested to hear if anyone does use them, and if so, how they incorporate (or not) them into traditional hoodoo.

Or if they are taboo/anathema in hoodoo, I'd really appreciate it if someone could explain why to me? (Or direct me to a link if it's come up before but I couldn't find it...)

[ProphetAvery]

I'm not answering this question by any means but i'm also interested to see some suggestions on how people incorporate crystals gemstones etc into their work, i've recently purchased the book gemstone crystal and metal magic, looking forward to seeing where it takes me.

[mystic_fae]

I'm pretty sure I've read it's not traditional to use them in hoodoo, but some rootworkers do. I have heard and read of some putting gem stones in their oils, along with the herbs and roots. Or including relevant crystals on a specific altar, or like a money-related crystal/stone with herbs and roots in a prosperity dish, that type of thing.
It sounds like it is not in old style, traditional hoodoo but for those who find crystals help them with their work, it's not completely uncommon.

I have always been drawn to crystals and have tons of them. I haven't used them in any rootwork yet, though.

[catherineyronwode]

Hoodoo is land-based, and the land where it originated, the South-Eastern United States, is not a notable source of gemstones or crystals. To become familiar with conjure practices, understanding the history of African American culture is as important as understanding the history of magic.

We are a full-service shop and we do carry a fine selection of crystal points, carved stone hearts, scrying stones, stone wands, stone spheres, and specimen rocks, but not because they are prominent in hoodoo practices -- rather, because we are trying to be of service to many.

Hoodoo history is here:

http://luckymojo.com/hoodoohistory.html

[heartexalted]

When your incense burns down, such as the ash from incense powders, any use for the remains?
Maybe mix into a powder to sprinkle or dress a candle? Or put into a mojo bag?

I like the idea of putting prayers into the incense, activating it with fire, and then filling it with more prayer by adding it to yet another work or trick...

[catherineyronwode]

heartexalted,

What a great question.

There are indeed uses for remnant ash in hoodoo, including incense ash and other ashes.

Name-Paper Ash, With or Without Quassia Bark:

It is a well-known and often practiced way of working to triple-refine a name or "concentrate" it by burning it, folding the ash into a second name paper, burning that, and folding the ash into a third name paper. This is used when no personal concerns can be had, as a way of concentrating the name.

It is common to fold Quassia Bark chips into the name-papers when burning them, that is, to burn the Quassia Bark with the name-paper each time and to mix the name-paper ash and Quassia Bark ash. Quassia Bark is the only herb i know that is routinely used in this way.

Back in the day when people wrote with fountain pens, sprinkling the ash of a name-paper on the second and third written iterations was also practiced because the ash actually stuck to the liquid ink as it dried.

Prayer Paper or Scriptural Verse Paper Ash with Incense, Powders, Dirt, or Herbs:

Burning a name-paper, prayer-paper, or a written verse of scripture, such as a passage from the Bible, on incense means that the name or prayer becomes part of the incense, and the ash from that contains the prayers and the name. The paper can also be burned without incense in the flame of a candle.

Such ash can be mixed with local dirt, graveyard dirt, sachet powders, powdered herbs, more incense powders, or sand as the case requires. Depending upon what the ash was mixed with and what you are working on, the resulting ash mixture can be

* sprinkled around the property,
* cooked into food,
* mixed with sachet powders for use in drawing designs on the altar
* used to line incense burners or candle trays

Ash Deposits for Eventual Interment, Scattering, or Other Disposal:

If you provide your altar with a brass bowl, especially one with a cover or lid (you can use an extra incense burner if you like), you can use the container to collect ash during the course of many days of work on the same general goal.

For instance, you may be working for money in the house with a weekly ceremony, and catching all the ash from that work for one year.

Or you may be working three times a week on a love job and catching all the ash on that for as long as you perform the work.

Or, if you are a professional root doctor with separate working altars for various client conditions, you may catch the ash from each altar separately until your container is filled.

However you catch the ash, whether by specific timing (one year), by job (until the work is finished) or by the container (until the vessel is filled), when the time is right, you can then dispose of the ash in a ritually appropriate manner (interment, scattering, sprinkling, etc.), according to the kind of work the ash came from and the goals that are held in mind for that work -- for which directions, please read my "Hoodoo in Theory and Practice" web page "Laying Tricks and Disposing of Ritual Remains":

http://luckymopjo.com/layingtricks.html

Thanks for asking such a deep question. The answer is not that there is one way to do this, but that yes, it is good work and also, no matter how you work it, your method should have at its core the concept of concentration of energy and effect.

I have added this information to a new page on ASHES in my book "Hoodoo in Theory and Practice" at http://luckymojo.com/ashes.html so that folks can find it there as well.

[Jibrael]

Wow.
Thank you so much for this info.

[thatgirl]

Ash can act as a wick creating fire hazards, so be very careful if using it with candles. The ashes can be mixed with powders as mentioned above or alone for certain tricks.

[catherineyronwode]

For a set of general traditional guidelines regarding disposal of ritual remains of all kinds, please see my "Hoodoo in Theory and Practice" web page "Laying Down Tricks and Disposing of Ritual Remains" from my free online book "Hoodoo in Theory and Practice:

Laying Tricks and Disposing of Ritual Remains in the Hoodoo Tradition
http://luckymojo.com/layingtricks.html

In addition, these are the forum threads that deal with ritual disposals:

Disposal of Spell Kit Remains Questions and Answers
disposal-of-spell-kit-remains-questions ... 12316.html

Disposing of Bath Water and Floor Wash Remains
disposing-of-bath-water-and-floor-wash- ... ml#p120548

Candles: Disposal of Ritual Remains
candles-disposal-of-ritual-remains-t7525.html

Using Leftover Incense Ash in Rootwork
using-leftover-incense-ash-in-rootwork-t24073.html

Good luck!

[MissMichaele]

An elegant and sensible way to work, Miss Cat. Thank you so much for passing this on.

Miss Michaele

[galeb]

I am new at Hoodoo, but in other forms of magic, you can reuse crystals, lodestones, and things like that if you cleanse them after each use, the same for using crystals for healing, cleanse them before using them on a different person. So I would think the same would apply to using roots over again, Intent is the key for most magic, so I would not think that Hoodoo would be any different.

Please let me know what you think, and if can't reuse, please explain why! (I understand that for some spells, you are to dispose of the remaining ingredients) But for those that you are not required to do specific things with what has been used, I see no harm)

[catherineyronwode]

avoiceanswered,

If you are continuing a work on one person or one situation, sure, you can remelt partially melted wax and make new candles or use previously opened but not completely used oils or incense powders in the spell.These are ingredients. But anything really personal that was named for someone -- a mojo, a doll, a root, a Lodestone, a bundle of herbs -- don't try to re-name it for someone else.

Go back and read ConjureMan Ali's post from 2010 about reusing herbs. He said it well.

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galeb,

Every culture and every system of magic that develops within that cuture has its own traditions. Folk magic is specific to the culture in which it develops. Those who come up in one tradition or culture often try to make "correspondences" between their system and that of other people. I believe, with all due respect, that this is what you are doing here.

You say you are new to hoodoo and then you proceed to tell us all how "in other forms of magic" (unspecified forms -- hermetic? Ashanti? Taoist? Siberian shamanism? Zulu? Quechua? Jewish?) that "you can reuse crystals, lodestones, and things like that if you cleanse them after each use."

This is misleading and wrong on several counts:

1) Not all systems of magic use minerals. At all. Ever. (Some use a mixture of animal and plant ingredients but very few minerals. Some use nothing more than pen and ink on paper.)

2) Not all systems of magic have a concept of "cleansing" ingredients or tools. At all. Ever. (Some use things as they come from Nature and the very idea of cleansing the gifts of Nature seems disrespectful or fussy or obsesso-derange-o.)

3) Not all systems of magic permit re-use of anything. At all. Ever. (Dedicating each item to a specific purpose and naming it for that purpose and calling into it the powerful intentions and forces of that purpose may be an important part of a ritual, which would be made mockery of if the items could so easily be washed off and re-used.)

4) To many people, crystals are not the same as lodestones and would never be treated in the same way. Furthermore, to many people, carved stones are not the same as natural stones and would never be treated in the same way. You can learn why people make these fine distinctions (which you, obviously do not make) by asking questions about their cultures and their systems of magic.

No offense intended, but i stand by what i wrote above -- as i was taught in the culture of hoodoo, by African American middle-aged and elderly women in the 1960s-1970s in Oakland, California, Chicago; Illiniois, and throughout the South, you cannot "repurpose" dedicated love lodestones to another lover. it is just "not done" anymore than asking your new lover to wear your old lover's shoes is done.