WHAT IS IMPORTANT IN YOUR LIFE?

  WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT TO YOU IN LIFE?

We all have to constantly work against becoming too attached to the material things that we possess. It is especially hard for those that have a lot of material wealth. They must guard against becoming greedy and focus more on the giver than the gift.

Although material wealth, career success and prosperity are good, our actual value is not determined by what we own, but by who we are.  Success goes far beyond a large paycheck.  What determines your value to you?  I would be very surprised if you admitted to it just being the large paycheck.  Name dropping, vacations you take and the things you possess are not the things that make up the person.  It goes so much deeper than that.

2012 is a year of change.  Now is the time to step back and take a personal inventory….not of your possessions, but of your heart and soul.  What do you plan on doing for the remainder of your journey in this life?  Do you need to pay more attention to your family and the ones that you love and cherish?  Have you let your job or day-to-day activities absorb all of your time?

Now is the time to clear our minds and bolster our confidence. We need to seek balance in our lives.  The greatest way to achieve and insure success is by doing for others.  As the Universe sees that you are a responsible steward of your finances and personal resources and you keep the flow of positive energy in motion, more resources will naturally flow to you.

Many times, the problems that we are experiencing are due to our own decisions and the obstacles that we encounter are self-imposed.  This is the year for removing obstacles, expediting solutions and solving problems.  We need to re-establish self control and resilience.  We tend to attract the kind of energy that we put out.  You have to consistently guard yourself against absorbing any bad energy that is out there.  

2012 is the year for self-expression, soul searching, balance and healing of the soul, mind and body.  Now is the time to search for strength, protection from harm, psychic sensitivity and a deeper connection to the spirit world.  We can all gain greater knowledge and deeper spiritual awareness. It is not the year of our demise…..it is the year of decision and change.

Sweet Dreams….the Hoodoo Way

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Box Of Crayons

                                                                                 BOX OF CRAYONS

 Have you ever not liked someone because of what you have heard about them from other people? Have you ever felt that someone must be a bad person because they had tattoos or piercings? Do you judge people by the clothes they wear?

There are so many reasons not to like someone….and believe me, here in the French Quarter of New Orleans, we could judge a lot of people by their outward appearance!

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The Soul….Life After Death

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Free To Fly

 THE SYMBOL OF THE BUTTERFLY

When I was growing up, I loved butterflies. There was something about them that drew me to them. They are beautiful and amazing to watch, but they are also angelic and spiritual.

I never will forget the experience I had with a yellow butterfly. I named it Sunbeam. My relationship with this little butterfly was more than just seeing it fly past me for a brief moment. I have tried to explain it away throughout my life, but it was truly special and an encounter that was meant just for me.

We lived three houses away from the elementary school. I was in the 2nd grade. While playing on the school ground during recess, a yellow butterfly began to fly around me. I remember watching it in awe as it flew around my head and stayed close by. Later, the bell rang and it was time to go inside to my classroom. It was a hot summer day and the windows were open. While doing my school work at my desk, that same little yellow butterfly came and lit on the corner of my desk. I couldn’t believe that it came to see me and knew who I was. I continued to do my work and watched the butterfly as it sat there, not moving. I reached out and it lit upon my finger. It walked up my arm and to my shoulder several times and then it flew away.

The next two days after that, the same yellow butterfly came to my classroom. I saw it on the window, as if it was watching me. I never saw it after that. A few days later, I saw the butterfly in my yard where it had died. How could this beautiful little creature come to see me at school and know which house was mine? I felt sad….like I had lost someone very special to me. I remember putting it in a matchbox, digging a little hole, burying it and having a funeral. Through the years, I have always wondered about this pretty yellow butterfly and what purpose it played in my life.

I have learned that butterflies are the most common symbol or communication from our guardian angels or from a loved one who has passed on. I don’t know who it was that was watching over me or trying to tell me something through this yellow butterfly, but I know that they came to see me for some reason.

Have you ever had a bird or a butterfly come to you shortly after the death of your loved one? It appears to be one way we receive communication from the other side. Although it could be somewhat subtle, many recognize it and know it is a message of love. I have no explanation how a spirit on the other side, or even an angel, has the ability to change into another form such as a bird or butterfly, or even a being of light, but apparently they can and do. It is an amazing transformation. Apparently Spirit can either send a beautiful butterfly or an eagle or a dove, or they can transform into one.

The butterfly is greatly admired among American Indians and is believed to bring joy and peace.

Cultures all over the world revere its delicate and colorful beauty. Most butterflies live very short lives, consisting of only a week or two. The Angel Wing and Monarch live about six months.  They experience stages of development from egg in the cocoon to caterpillar to adult butterfly.  

• The short life span and beauty of the butterfly is symbolic of early spiritual growth. Lessons of life will be shown during sometimes difficult formative years and come to light as the butterfly spirit begins to fly.  They hold the gift of transformation and soul evolution.    
•  The butterfly is reminiscent of freedom and creativity. 
• Butterflies have a pair of large compound oval eyes made up of thousands of individual lenses.  They can see a single image clearly and are able to perceive ultraviolet wavelengths of light.  This suggests clairvoyant abilities for those that hold this totem.
•  The antennae of the butterfly has small knobs on each end which is said to play a role in orientation.  When one antennae is missing the butterfly will fly in circles unable to find its way.  Those with this totem need to stay consciously connected to Spirit at all times in order to arrive at their desired destination. 
•  Butterflies are not very organized, often returning to the same flower many times before they realize it, and cannot remember their relatives.  This trait shows us to be better prepared for life’s challenges and relationships. 
• The butterfly represents the process of transformation and shape shifting.  When a butterfly shows up, make note of the most important issues confronting you at the moment.  What state of change are you at in regard to them?
• Butterflies remind us not to take life so seriously. They feed on flowers that they help pollinate, thereby further spreading beauty. They represent the element of air, quickly changing and ever moving, so gracefully.  Butterflies are messengers of the moment. They come in a variety of colors. To understand the message that the butterfly holds for you, a study of its colors can be helpful.
• Whenever an eco system is damaged, the butterfly is usually the first to leave. They are especially sensitive to the harmony of earth. If the butterfly comes to you in a hurt, trapped or ill way, you are being asked to stop disturbing the natural design of life and to flow with events in a more gentle, natural way. 

I took me years to find out, but I found out the true meaning of the butterfly. They are such extraordinary, delicate little creatures that come to us to deliver messages or watch over us for a while. They are an ancestor we have lost or a guardian angel. That is why I chose to have a butterfly tattooed on my left shoulder. Due to many changes in my life, I have grown and found my purpose. I am now “Free to Fly” into whatever endeavor I choose to undertake. I am my own person.

The next time you see a butterfly, I hope you’ll be still and take the time to watch it’s flight, for it has come to bring messages and give you peace and promise in your journey. It is my sincere desire that you will also become free to fly into whatever your life holds for you.

The Difference Between Vodou and Hoodoo

VODOU AND HOODOO

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between Vodou and Hoodoo? Coming from Cherokee Indian and Gypsy ancestry, I have always been drawn to the use of herbs, roots, candles, oils, bath crystals, incense, brick dust, etc…. to accomplish various purposes in life for myself and for others. I can feel my ancestors work through me. Their abilities are still being used, even though they have passed over to Spirit. Due to this, my practice is basically a combination of Vodou/Hoodoo, however I DO NOT cross over into any area as far as curses, hexes, revenge or anything that would bring harm to anyone. I will help to remove hexes, but I WILL NOT put hexes on someone. I don’t want anything bad to happen to anyone. That type of work is totally against what I believe and I am engaged in only bringing good and helping others. I only want them to have a change of heart. If that doesn’t happen, then I totally believe in karma. Sooner or later, a person always recieves what they deserve, whether it be good or bad….all based on the kind of energy you have generated towards people, animals and our earth.  All of the wonderful things that were put here on our earth were put here for us to utilize for good. 

There are those here in New Orleans and all over the world that practice black magic, doing curses, hexes and revengeful magic. First of all, it is very dangerous to be involved in something like that and in Vodou, we believe that what you do WILL come back to you. To me, Vodou and Hoodoo are so enriching and beautiful. The blend of these beliefs help me to have more of an appreciation for the world and for mankind.  Hoodoo is a form of predominantly African American traditional folk magic, also known as conjure. It is a rich magical tradition that developed from the merging of a number of separate cultures and magical traditions. Hoodoo incorporates well established practices from African and Native American traditions, as well as some European magical practices. It is often used to describe a magic spell or potion that also include conjuration, conjure, and root work.

The goal of Hoodoo is to allow people access to supernatural forces to improve their daily lives by gaining power in many areas of life, including luck, money, love, divination, health, employment and protection. As in many other folk religious, magical, and medical practices, extensive use is made of herbs, minerals, parts of animals’ bodies, an individual’s possessions and bodily fluids. This brings to mind another thing I want to mention. I DO NOT believe in the sacrifice of animals as a form of religious practice.

Contact with ancestors or other spirits of the dead is an important practice within the conjure tradition, and the recitation of Psalms from the Bible is also considered magically effective in Hoodoo. Due to Hoodoo’s great emphasis on an individual’s magical power, its basic principles of working are generally felt to be easily adapted for use based on one’s desires, inclination and habits.

Homemade potions and charms form the basis of much old-time rural Hoodoo , but there are also many successful commercial companies selling various Hoodoo components to urban and rural practitioners. These are generally called spiritual supplies, and they include herbs, roots, minerals, candles, incense, oils, floor washes, sachet powders, bath crystals, and colognes. Many patent medicines, cosmetics, and household cleaning supplies have been also aimed at Hoodoo practitioners and have found dual usage as conventional and spiritual remedies.

Hoodoo and Vodou are often mistaken for one another. Some believe that the terms may have a common etymology. The ancient African religion of Vodou is an established religion with its ancient roots in West Africa and Haiti. Its modern form is practiced across West Africa in the countries now known as Benin, Togo, and Burkina Faso, among others. In Haiti, Cuba, and other Caribbean islands, the honoring of Vodou ancestors (called Lwa or Loas) is practiced in a form that has been greatly modified by contact with Catholicism. New Orleans Vodou has a Haitian/Caribbean/African influence due to the slaves that were brought to New Orleans many years ago. They had to practice their religion underground and were greatly influenced by Catholicism. Although the Vodou of Haiti is better known to English speakers, the practices among Spanish speakers in Cuba is called Santeria.

Hoodoo shows obvious and evident links to the practices and beliefs of African folk magic religious culture. The Hoodoo practiced in the U.S. by the enslaved Africans was brought from West and Central Africa, specifically, the area that is now known as the Congo and Angola, Togo, Nigeria and other West African regions.