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I've come to realize that several of my friends and readers are as of yet unfamiliar with Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab.  This is an omission I feel compelled to remedy at once. Theirs is an art of humor, sophistication and mystery. It truly is a thinking person's perfumery. Recently, the virtuosic minds of BPAL conjured a series of scents based on Jim Jarmusch’s film and soundtrack, Only Lovers Left Alive.  I indulged rather wildly in this limited collection as it is, even considering my long-time love of The Lab, among the finest I have ever experienced.  Here are my personal impressions...

Among the simplest and most effective methods for engaging magickal assistance is to carry a well-prepared mojo bag.  Other names for these charms include nation sack, mojo hand, gris gris, conjure bag and toby.  The practice is most commonly attributed to American Hoodoo and Rootwork, but has also gained much popularity in contemporary New Age and Shamanic circles.  While opinions differ greatly among various traditions as to the "correct" method of construction, here are a couple of ways I've found to create these helpful personal amulets. Simply select a cloth bag whose color resonates with your intention.  Ready-made pouches are...

"Poverty consciousness" is one of those New Age-y terms that gets thrown around just frequently enough to be widely misunderstood.  When we hear these words, we tend to conjure images of hungry and destitute human beings struggling to make ends meet because we lack the vision or fortitude to achieve more.  We think that poverty consciousness keeps so many of us caught in a loop of barely getting by due to some deeply rooted fear of success.  We think that if we could just shake the delusion of being undeserving, we could build sufficient self-esteem and tap into the ever-present...

This phrase has nestled into my mind.  And steadily, over the weeks since I first read it, it's become a mantra of sorts.  "To feel held and heard."  It's simple and beautiful.  And it haunts me in a way that unlocks many years' worth of emotion. I have a cousin whom I strongly admire.  I always have, since we were little.  She always demonstrated an effortless cool that was at once fascinating and intimidating so, I tended to keep my distance.  In our adulthood we haven't been in much contact but, I do keep up with her goings-on via the...

Over the last several months, as frequent waves of illness swept through my circles of friends, I brewed up variations on a spicy broth that seems to have held it at bay. So, when my husband woke up one day with a sore throat, I offered to make him a cup.  He cast a suspicious eye toward me and asked "what's in it?"  I ran down the list of ingredients and he grimaced, as expected.  But, it was the kind of ominous, back-of-the-throat feeling that portends at least a week of misery so, he quickly relented.  Lo and behold his...