An Easy Way To Increase Your Daily Blessings

Probably one of the greatest practices that someone who works conjure or magic can do is the practice of charity. As one of the greatest of virtues Charity opens the heart to those in need, heals, and demonstrates worthiness of prosperity from the spirits. As an act of penance it can alleviate the weight of misdeeds and misfortunes and return missing blessings.

What Is Charity?

Charity is the act of generosity towards those less fortunate than yourself. It is recognition of empathy that you have towards the suffering of another person and acting upon it. The act of giving a few extra dollars from your pocket to the person on the street corner, or buying a hungry person a sandwich is an act of charity. Taking the time to assist an elderly or disabled person is also an act of charity. In fact, most act of goodness towards other humans can be charitable, especially if you are someone who has a hardened heart or little sympathy.

Why Should I Be Charitable?

Those that seek the help of their ancestors, saints, and spirits are seeking the charity of beings that don't have to give of their time and energy. Beyond a merely transactional relationship with spirits, there can be an underlying element of trust being developed. The spirits watch you carefully as they bless you to see what you do with their generosity. Do you share the blessings that they give to you or do you hoard it? When the spirits give you real power do you use it to heal or to harm? These answers to these questions define your character to the spirits and may affect your future blessings.

What About The Drug Addicts/Alcoholics I see?

Charity does not discriminate what suffering is worthy or not worthy of your assistance. Even if you come upon a person in the throws of addiction, and you know that any aide that you give them may lead to them continuing in their self-abuse, you should still offer what you can to alleviate their suffering. Despite what may appear as obvious to you, your kindness to them may have an impact on their future decisions. This will not always be the case, but it's better to err on the side of goodness.

The Suffering You Alleviate May Be Your Own

There is a common expression in Afro-Caribbean Traditions that states that a single act of evil requires ten acts of good to correct. When someone that has felt powerless or has been victimized is introduced to power it is not uncommon to see them become cruel and intolerant. This type of sickness is more common than most are willing to admit. The purpose of power is to heal and correct sickness and imbalance. When the heart is hardened by life acts of charity help to open it and soften it to the world. Charity also offers a path of atonement for your misdeeds as well.

How Charitable Should I Be?

This is a difficult thing to answer for each individual. The basic guideline is to give what you can after you have taken care of yourself. It's important to remember that if you are not taking care of your own needs you will not be able to help others. Some fall into a sickness of developing a savior complex and spend their money and time fretting over the needs of others without first helping themselves. Your security in life grants you the ability to be generous with others. 

Charity Opens The Path To Blessings

As you practice the act of generosity towards others, you may notice that the spirits begin to bless you in ta variety of ways. This prosperity is meant to be shared with others around you and in your community. As you become blessed you should also bless those you encounter, not just with money alone, but with generous and kind expression. 

Edit: I change the title of this blog to get you to read about this important practice. The word "charity" should never be an aversion to you. Many of you want to claim to be empaths so start demonstrating your empathy towards others through your actions.

What Should Be On My Ancestor Altar?

An altar is a place where you commune with particular spirits. It is a place where offerings are made or magic is done. In a very real sense it is a representation of your relationship with spiritual beings. So, before placing things haphazardly in this area some considerations must be made.

Who Are My Ancestors?

Your ancestors are the countless generations that preceded you in this life. They are those that struggled and toiled so that you could have the existence that you have today. Ancestors are generally the direct genetic line to you but also sometimes extended family. For those that are adopted they generally will have two set of ancestors those they were born with and those of their adoptive family. in general, your ancestors are there to assist you with life's difficulties. 

How Do I Build An Altar?

With all spiritual relationships, things should be taken one small step at a time. The very first step is to establish a place in your home where you can commune with them. This place should allow privacy for both you and your ancestors. If you are limited on space I recommend getting a simple cabinet where you can open and close the doors when you work with them. 

On the altar for them you should place a white plate of a cloth, I prefer to use a plate as it is generally fire safe for you to burn candles upon. You may want to put up some pictures in the area of deceased. I placed a casket cross from my great grandmother's funeral here as well. Try not to clutter the space, and be mindful that you may want some room to do magic. 

Salute Your Ancestors

Now that the place has been neatly and mindfully arranged you can salute your ancestors here. Take a moment beforehand and clean and organize your home first. It's a little bit of something extra to let them know you are taking them seriously, it will also ensure that the energy moves smoothly during the ceremony. It helps if you do some simple quiet relaxation before hand as well.

How Often should I Give Offerings and What Should I Give?

In the beginning, a weekly tea light and a glass of water is all that is necessary. This is because you are greeting them into your life, elevating them, and asking them to help. However, there is nothing wrong with giving a small offering to them such as some tobacco, liquor, white flowers, or even some incense. Generally, in giving flowers to your ancestors its best to give white flowers, leaving them on the altar until they wilt. For incense I recommend burning frankincense for it's harmonizing and purifying qualities. 

Let me emphasize that less is more! You can bog down your ancestors with frequent and large offerings. A small amount is all that is necessary, and it should be removed after 24 hours. More offerings doesn't mean that you will get what you want because offerings are not bribes, they are signs of appreciation and respect.

Every Relationship Is Different
When you start this process it may begin blissfully, and seem like life will be smooth sailing. For some this may be true, but for others they may encounter difficulties. Stubborn and difficult ancestors do exist, and they may seem like they are blocking your progress. These ancestors require extra attention and need to be purified through your service and acknowledgement of them. You don't have to like each other, but if you help them elevate they will no longer be an obstacle for you. Your job here is illumination and elevation.

Initiation: What You Should First Consider

Initiation has long been a grail of sorts in the West. This is likely because there is no demarcation in Western culture that marks our maturity from childhood to adulthood. For example: unless you were raised in a religious family such as Catholicism and went through catechism, its fair to say that there was no signal in your life that brought you into adulthood. 

This strange paradigm or lack thereof, may likely account for having a generation the laps up nostalgia from their childhood. Most certainly it is behind why many adults have difficulty processing their emotions and also make a fascination of "adulting." At no point in their life were they made aware that their childhood innocence is behind them and now they must be aware of a world of consequence. 

In African based cultures, initiation helped to bring the youth into adulthood. These various rites were put in place to not only mark the individual as a full member of the society but also to stave off the effects of puberty on psychism. More than that it helped to reveal a destiny for the individual in order to live the longest most fruitful life available to them. Beyond such rites within societies initiation brought individuals into the powers of medicine and even trade and commerce as expressed in the Lemba society. Sometimes initiation was the medicine for people with afflicted conditions to save them from misfortune and death. 

In it's simplest form, true initiation is a process of death and rebirth. The initiate is stripped of their past life and reborn into their new life. From my perspective the only meaningful initiation beyond this scope is the initiate being mounted by a spirit, thereby sealing their destiny and being gifted with the spiritual tools needed for self-improvement and mastery. What is done with the gifts after this point rests solely on the shoulders of the initiate.

Initiation is not open to all

Not every person is called to be initiated nor are all those who are called to be considered worthy of initiation. Each house, society, and elder have their own standards by which they judge the prospective initiate and few may live up to those standards. Some houses pride themselves (and rightly so) on how few people pass through their doors. 

The act of taking on an initiate is akin to adopting someone into your own family. A family with a sense of pride may not be so quick to take on someone who doesn't share their moral and ethical views. What's more, the spirits of that house may reject the candidate for any reason at all. Maybe the candidate doesn't live up to the spirit's standards or the spirit sees a flaw that humans do not. 

Take the time to get to know your future god-parents

In an age of social media, it's easy to mistake someone's online presence as representative of who they actually are. Many are in such a rush to be initiated that they don't seem to notice that their motives are never questioned by their would-be god-parents. They produce the money, which is taken with a smile, and they are rushed through initiation given not much more than a pat on the head and forgotten about. They spend the next few years attempting to juggle their spiritual practice and life with little to no supervision and have little offered to them in terms of knowledge. After sometime they will experience buyers remorse and realize that they didn't get what they were promised.

Worse yet, are those that find out their god-parent who had seemed at once hip and knowledgeable turned out to be cruel and uncaring. I have heard horror stories of people being extorted financially, berated publicly, even found themselves being worked on by their own god-parents. That is not to imply that you may not occasionally invoke the wrath of your god-parent, they are there to ensure you grow up right and you may need to be straightened out from time to time. However, you should not live in fear of your god-parent.

Watch out for those that love drama on and off social media. Those that seek too much attention in public spaces. Get to know other initiates in the house or society, talk with them and share your concerns. Do they seem happy? Do they share your values? These are very important questions that you need to have answers for.

Initiation doesn't make you all powerful

A common misunderstanding that is widely repeated is that becoming initiated will grant all sorts of serious juju on you. While it is true that you will have a spiritual connection that the average person does not have, you must still learn how to use it properly and wisely. Most are looking to get paid, get laid, and get even since life up to that point may not have seemed very just to them. Many will get themselves into all sorts of trouble trying to flex their newfound yet untamed abilities on perceived enemies. 

Even if these battles are won, the amount of time wasted is irreplaceable. A first year could have been better spent in introspection, purification, and service to the spirits. Imagine the growth that could take place if someone just slowed down in this fast paced world and focused on their own needs. 

Initiation is a healing process but not a cure-all

Many come to get initiated in hopes that their problems will be solved or that their disease will be healed. While this thinking is not wrong as the process opens doors for healings and the spirits will oftentimes produce miracles, however, some things may not initially improve. Certain problems may be crutches that you will have to bear throughout your spiritual journey and part of the journey may be learning how to cope. The spirits will supply you with the tools you need heal but you may also need to do the work yourself.

Also, not everything can be healed. While alleviation of the disease is likely, it may not provide a "cure" that is being sought. For instance: certain psychological disorders that are the result of structural issues with the brain will likely not be cured, the spirits can help you to cope with the condition.

Initiation is a commitment for life and longerin a world of instant gratification and short attention spans, people have a habit of putting things down when they seem repetitive or difficult. A person might buy a musical instrument and not be gratified with results that are not instantaneous and the instrument will spend the rest of it's time collecting dust in a closet. Unfortunately, once you are initiated there is no putting the spirit back in the box. A deep connection is forged on a spiritual level tying yourself to the ancestors of that society through the rest of your life and even through death. This is not something to take lightly!

When you pass through the gates of initiation your soul is altered and you will forever be changed on a spiritual level. The stakes in the game get considerably higher and you are no longer living a life for yourself as now there are generations of ancestors and spirits that are now with you. These beings are very patient and will seem to let you getaway with a great deal, however, it should always be remembered that eventually you will meet and answer for your behavior

In conclusion

I feel as though I have gone much broader in scope than what I initially intended, but I hope that I gave some eager people pause to assess their desires. There is no rush to get to your spiritual goals, furthermore, rushing will only slow you down in the long run. If you are considering initiation or on your way towards it, I hope you take the time for introspection and determine if it is truly the path for you. Most of the time your problems can be resolved with competent work and not necessarily initiation. A proper cleaning and pocket piece or guard can go very far.

The wisest thing a brother from another tradition told me (among many other words of wisdom) that still rings in my head, "Remember brother, initiation for us is a crutch. We need the spirits just to meet our potential, but not everyone does. We are there for those people."

Uncovering Your Spiritual Court

In previous posts, I discussed what I call the “spiritual court,” but what exactly is it?

The spiritual court is a matrix of ancestors, spirits, and divinities that surround you. These living beings may have been with you since birth or may have been attracted to your region by life choices, magic practices, or simply through a chance encounter. They have a great effect on your life, thought-processes, luck, and much more. Their subtle to gross nature manifests daily as each spirit within your court seeks attention from you in their own unique ways.

"How then can you discover what spirits accompany you through your life journey?"

Admittedly, this is not any easy task for anyone to undertake, but then again, self-discovery takes time and discipline! The best place to start is with those spirits that are nearest to you: your ancestors. The act of researching them will often call them to life around you. You may spend some time on the web reading about your genealogy and later find yourself having dreams of long past ancestors. Perhaps, grandpa comes to visit you in your dreams, or you find yourself dreaming about living in lands of your ancestors. Such occurrences should be noted as signs that your ancestors are beginning to awaken in your spiritual court.

Take your time in this process, try to broaden your knowledge as much as possible. Learn some old folk songs of your heritage, cook traditional meals that your ancestors may have eaten, and above all try to spend time communicating with relatives that know stories about your family. No one needs to know what you are doing, and if they ask you can simply say you are doing research to learn more about your family’s history. Does your family name have a coat of arms? Then display it above the altar dedicated to your ancestors. Do you have medals that were awarded to a family member who was in combat? This too is appropriate for your altar. Along with regular service, these nuances will bring life into your spirituality and you will begin to feel their presence in your daily dealings.

"Okay. So, how do you find out about other spirits in your court?"

Within you is a complete spirituality. You were born with everything that you need to connect with the spiritual world pre-wired to you. Although the knowledge may have been lost to you, the clues are oftentimes so unassuming that you may have brushed them off. Did your grandmother have a saint that she prayed too? If so, that is an excellent place to start. The Catholic Church is the definitive source for all things saint related and can provide you with a wealth of information including prayers, rites, and feast days.

For those of a more disconnected spirituality, you may need to do a bit more research. Those that came from families that have a generational disconnect in their spirituality often struggle to find a spirit or saint to put their attention toward. The solution for this can often be found in your ancestral research. Does your family have Scottish roots? Then perhaps you should explore St Andrew. Irish or Celtic roots? St. Patrick and St. Brigid are both patrons of the Irish with roots that go deeper than the Catholic Church. Are you Scandinavian? Perhaps you should spend some time reading the Elder Eddas and study the Runes.

It is important that wherever your spirituality leads you that it should be through the roots of your own bloodline. That is where your power lies. Not from a catalogue of spirits whom you have no connection to, but rather the forces that led generation after generation to your creation. Honoring your roots should be the core of your spiritual practices, and within those roots are places of power and spirits ready to not only be elevated but also elevate you.

It is fair to say that spiritual afflictions caused by a person’s neglected spiritual court. Sure, the individual has no problem calling on Hindu gods, demons, or a variety of other spirits to establish their spirituality, but when it comes to their own spirits they are often clueless. These people experience bad luck, poor health, and sometimes mental illness. The condition is like feeding your neighbor’s children while ignoring and neglecting your own, eventually your own spirits will begin to have a real issue with you! Ignorance to electricity does not mean that you still can’t get electrocuted, and your spirituality can be no less forgiving.

It is important to seek guidance and counseling from a competent worker if you are having issues, don’t think you can fix it on your own if you lack proper knowledge. A true worker can deal with the spirits on your behalf to help you establish a clear line of communication and get you on track with the right practices. Some skilled workers can divine the identities of your spiritual court and help you in the process of building relationships with your spirits. A good worker and teacher will strive to make you independent and not try to hold the key to your spirituality, but rather help you unlock and open the door for yourself.

For those interested in learning more about the identities of the spirits in their court, and how to encounter these beings feel free to select the palm reading option here on my blog. I will personally contact you and explain to you the spirits within your court and how you can contact them for yourself.