Psalm 71: Christian Magic Against Enemies (Coverdale's Translation)

Henri Gamache includes a version of this Psalm in his Master Book of Candle Burning, accompanying a ritual to "Protect Against Evil Influences." The Psalm can also be read on its own or in other contexts; it can even be written out as a type of gris gris.

In te, Domine, speravi

In thee, O Lord, have I put my trust; let me never be put to confusion, but rid me, and deliver me, in thy righteousness; incline thine ear unto me, and save me. Be thou my stronghold, whereunto I may always resort; thou hast promised to help me, for thou art my house of defence, and my castle.

Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the ungodly, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man. For thou, O Lord God, art the thing that I long for; thou art my hope, even from my youth. Through thee have I been holden up ever since I was born; thou art he that took me out of my mother’s womb. My praise shall be always of thee.

I am become as it were a monster unto many, but my sure trust is in thee. O let my mouth be filled with thy praise, that I may sing of thy glory and honour all the day long. Cast me not away in the time of age; forsake me not when my strength faileth me. For mine enemies speak against me; and they that lay wait for my soul take their counsel together, saying, God hath forsaken him. Persecute him, and take him, for there is none to deliver him.

Go not far from me, O God; my God, haste thee to help me. Let them be confounded and perish that are against my soul; let them be covered with shame and dishonour that seek to do me evil. As for me, I will patiently abide always, and will praise thee more and more. My mouth shall daily speak of thy righteousness and salvation; for I know no end thereof. I will go forth in the strength of the Lord God, and will make mention of thy righteousness only.

Thou, O God, hast taught me from my youth up until now; therefore will I tell of thy wondrous works. Forsake me not, O God, in mine old age, when I am gray-headed, until I have showed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to all them that are yet for to come.

Thy righteousness, O God, is very high, and great things are they that thou hast done; O God, who is like unto thee? O what great troubles and adversities hast thou showed me! And yet didst thou turn and refresh me, yea, and broughtest me from the deep of the earth again. Thou hast brought me to great honour, and comforted me on every side.

Therefore will I praise thee, and thy faithfulness, O God, playing upon an instrument of music; unto thee will I sing upon the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel. My lips will be fain when I sing unto thee; and so will my soul whom thou hast delivered. My tongue also shall talk of thy righteousness all the day long; for they are confounded and brought unto shame that seek to do me evil.

Paper-in-Shoe Spells

A popular and very traditional hoodoo spell, often used for any situation where you need to control someone with magic , is the namepaper-in-shoe spell. It's very easy: you write the target's name 3, 7, or 9 times on a paper (depending on intent and who's giving instruction) then fold it up, sometimes after dressing it with oils or powders, then put it in your shoe. This "keeps the person underfoot" or "stomps out the trouble" or "puts pressure on them" or any other number of metaphors. I have had this work several times over the years. In one instance, I was working for a very unpleasant boss, on a short-term job. It was the last day, and I only had about 3 hours of work left on the project; and I wanted him to up my pay for the day since it almost wasn't worth the trip across town for the amount he was paying me, for only 3 hours. He was very reluctant. So I wrote his name 3 times on a 5-dollar bill he'd given me, and dusted it...

Ammonia - A Spiritual Cleansing Agent for Magick

Ammonia is a strong cleansing agent in hoodoo magick, both physically and spiritually. In Edwardian times it was advised as an old home remedy for a nerve tonic (see recipe below.) "Household ammonia" or "ammonium hydroxide" is a solution of NH3 in water. Household ammonia ranges in concentration from 5 to 10 weight percent ammonia. The Romans called the ammonium chloride deposits they collected from near the Temple of Amun (Greek Ἄμμων Ammon) in ancient Libya 'sal ammoniacus' (salt of Amun) because of proximity to the nearby temple of Amun, the chief god of ancient Thebes. Salts of ammonia have been known from very early times; thus the term Hammoniacus sal appears in the writings of Pliny, although it is not known whether the term is identical with the more modern sal-ammoniac (ammonium chloride). In the form of sal-ammoniac (nushadir) ammonia was important to the Muslim alchemists as early as the 8th century, first mentioned by the arab chemist...

Spiritual Use of Turpentine in Hoodoo and Witchcraft

I have posted in the past about the use of giving one's bedding a spiritual cleansing from time to time. I recently was laundering my pillows in the same load of laundry as some turpentine-soaked rags, with the result that the pillows emerged from the wash reeking of turpentine. From a magical perspective, this may not be a bad thing. Turpentine is used in old-time hoodoo rituals for purposes such as uncrossing, protection and sometimes as a feed for mojo bags. Its solvent powers and strong odor do indeed suggest a powerful spiritual cleansing agent, and it is still used in some modern day cleaning products on a purely practical level for these same reasons. Old time medicines sometimes included turpentine as a thing to drink, in small doses. A book from the 1850s, The Domestic Medicine Chest , recommends giving it to children in a dose of one teaspoon for killing tapeworm. Relatedly, in old time hoodoo cures for "live things" turpentine might be made into a tea...

Magical Water Recipes - Old Style Hoodoo, Real and Genuine Magic Spells from History

Hoodoo Style Magical Waters for Magic In hoodoo tradition, some of the oldest and most traditional ingredients are natural gathered waters. While cologne and perfume is sometimes classed as a water for conjure purposes, special waters are based on water, sometimes taken from a specific location. They can have additional ingredients added, but the magic is generally held to be in the water itself. They've become a little less common since the rise of commercial hoodoo, perhaps due to manufacturer's tendency to sell any old tap water as "alleged glory water" or whatever it's labeled; and also there is difficulty in shipping liquids like water that aren't inherent in somewhat thicker mixtures like soaps or oils. (For example, a bottle of oil won't evaporate if left out too long.) Here's a list of some traditional hoodoo magical waters and how to make them: Glory Water Glory Water is a recipe I did not include in my Conjure Cookbook , as it's not ...

The Intranquil Spirit

(EDIT: Up to date information about the Intranquil Sprit can be found in my book The Intranquil Spirit , available on Amazon. This post has some incomplete information which is clarified in the book.) The Intranquility spell is, unfortunately, the first resort of many a rejected lover. In some ways it makes sense -- the more unhappy and forlorn one is about a breakup, the better this idea of making the other partner feel just as much so starts to sound. Unfortunately, this spell is often not well suited to a case. The purpose of the standard Intranquility spell is to have the person be tormented by the spirit until they make contact with you, or whomever the spell is being cast for. This means that if a person is already in good contact with their ex OR if they're one of those people who cannot restrain themselves from initiating contact, then this already is probably not the right spell for that case. If you've had an Intranquility spell cast and you make contac...

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