Welcome

A collection of ConjureMan Ali's thoughts about magic, the occult, and spirituality.



Thursday, May 10, 2012

The Hoodoo Workshops


Spirit Traps workshop--using fire and a demon bowl to purge parasitic spirits as we prepare our own personal spirit traps





This past weekend I flew out to Santa Rosa to participate in the Hoodoo Workshops put together by
Missionary Independent Spiritualist Church. What an amazing weekend.

I had the opportunity to mingle with my fellow conjurers and meet many familiar names who I have gotten to know as clients, friends of the forum, or followers of the radio show.

The weekend was started by a Lukumi Road Opening and Blessing ceremony performed by Dr. E and assisted by Mamma E and myself. It was a beautiful and moving ceremony orchestrated and guided with a gentle hand by my good friend, Dr. E. This set the tone for the rest of the weekend and ensured a productive, positive, and all-around excellent time spent together.

Several of the great names of conjure gathered together to present workshops on various topics from grocery store magic, to bone reading, from mojo bags, to a panel on cursing.

The weekend was managed by the impressively capable Sister Robin who ensured that everything went smoothly and brought a professional quality to the workshops while still keep a friendly atmosphere.

This weekend's workshops were more successful than previous years as they continue to grow and expand.

I got a chance to sit in on a few workshops and loved every second. I took the bone reading workshop taught by cat yronwode which also featured the release of her new book (review upcoming) and found myself deeply engrossed in the oracular systems of the world as she once more demonstrated her nearly encyclopedic level of knowledge. Through bone and dice we connected to our ancestors and peered through the veil into the world of spirit where past and future mingled.

I also thoroughly enjoyed Dr. E's presentation on mojo bags. While I have been making mojo bags for longer than I can remember and make a mean one myself, Dr. E's presentation shows that no matter how much you think you know there is always more to learn. So just because you think you know a topic doesn't mean you should skip the class. He presented a unique style of working with mojo hands that creates layers of complexity and life, making the mojo bag an indisposable ally. It is a class I would highly recommend again.

All the classes were great and the workshops were a blast.

I was invited to teach a workshop this year and presented a class on the use of Spirit traps. We discussed the historical and cultural uses of spirit vessels and spirit traps around the world and how they distilled into the practices of the conjure and hoodoo. I presented a personal demon bowl from my family's tradition which we used in a simple rite of cleansing. Each student was instructed step by step on how to construct a spirit trap and left having made a fully functional spirit bottle.

I was happy to see that my workshop was a great success and was proud to bring another good class to the workshop weekend.

Dr. E, catherine yronwode, nagasiva yronwode, Ms. Robin, Deacon Millett, and I then joined together for a panel discussion on cursing work. It was an hour of heavy-hitting tips, tricks, and spells from a gathering of the big names of American conjure. We discussed little-known techniques, shared powerful secrets, and everyone left with pages of notes and an arsenal of spiritual weapons for defense and offense.

Ms. Robin brought with her several of her personal doll babies made for powerful cursing conjure, and Miss cat unleashed her inner taskmistress by demonstrating a traditional conjure hot foot using a whip. Dr. E showed the class a rare technique of how to close down a person's road, while nagasiva taught clever ways of double-crossing work. Deacon Millett discussed a new way of working cold break ups, while I taught the class how to attack a person's strength and mind.

The class was wonderfully successful with attentive students and intelligent questions.

What was great about the workshops was not only did they provide an amazing resource for hands on teaching on conjure from some of today's reputable and famed conjure doctors, but they afforded an opportunity for fellowship. People of all backgrounds and all levels of experience mingled, got a chance to talk to people they had only heard of by name or met online, and enjoy one another's company. It was a time for old friends to get together and catch up and new friends to be made.

It was a great experience and look forward to it next year. 

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Practice Closed from 5/4-5/7

ConjureMan's Spiritual Practice will be closed from May 4th to May 7th as I will be away at the Lucky Mojo Hoodoo Workshops.

Be sure to sign up for the classes if you haven't done so yet and stop by to say hello if you make it out. We have an amazing workshop planned this year with lots of people. Even if you aren't signed up you can still stop by to hang out and mingle.