They can be found along the side streets of many American cities: herb or candle shops catering to practitioners of Voodoo, hoodoo, Santería, and similar beliefs. Here one can purchase ritual items and raw materials for the fabrication of traditional charms, plus a variety of soaps, powders, and aromatic goods known in the trade as "spiritual products." For those seeking health or success, love or protection, these potions offer the power of the saints and the authority of the African gods. In Spiritual Merchants, Carolyn Morrow Long provides an inside look at the followers of African-based belief systems and the retailers and manufacturers who supply them. Traveling from New Orleans to New York, from Charleston to Los Angeles, she takes readers on a tour of these shops, examines the origins of the products, and profiles the merchants who sell them. Long describes the principles by which charms are thought to operate, how ingredients are chosen, and the uses to which they are put. She then explores the commodification of traditional charms and the evolution of the spiritual products industry--from small-scale mail order "doctors" and hoodoo drugstores to major manufacturers who market their products worldwide. She also offers an eye-opening look at how merchants who are not members of the culture entered the business through the manufacture of other goods such as toiletries, incense, and pharmaceuticals. Her narrative includes previously unpublished information on legendary Voodoo queens and hoodoo workers, as well as a case study of John the Conqueror root and its metamorphosis from spirit-embodying charm to commercial spiritual product. No other book deals in such detail with both the history and current practices of African-based belief systems in the United States and the evolution of the spiritual products industry. For students of folklore or anyone intrigued by the world of charms and candle shops, Spiritual Merchants examines the confluence of African and European religion in the Americas and provides a colorful introduction to a vibrant aspect of contemporary culture. The Author: Carolyn Morrow Long is a preservation specialist and conservator at the the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History.

With spells, charms and tips along the way, this complete introduction to the world of Wicca shows how modern witches relate their lives to the animal and even mineral worlds around us and seek to channel natural forces for the good of both themselves and the whole world. Packed with fascinating insights into many global traditions, ranges from the history of witchcraft to finding a coven, and how to use magick for divination and healing.

Filled with plenty of hexes for just every purpose, from a general souring of ones life to causing baldness and even death. The spells within this book should only ever be used when they are justified. This is not for the frivolous practitioner who throws hexes on people for no reason. With over 100 hexes, a few protection and un-hexing recipes this book is everything you've always wanted, but were too afraid to ask about.

For those who wish to master the art of magical achievement, there are numerous occult aids which may be of value. Some of these tools are amulets, fetishes, charms, symbols, talismans. These are objects inscribed with a magic incantation or sign that stands for or suggests something else by reason of relationship, association, convention or accidental resemblance - a visible sign of something invisible. They are worn or carried to avert harm, ward off misfortune, protect against danger, to bring good, insure fortunate events and attract love, luck, and favorable conditions. The seals herein are only the most popular or readily available talismans. The suggestions for uses have been modernized, shortened and simplified to suit the modern user.