7-11 Holy Oil & Special Oil #20

These two are the bare basics, and must-haves for people first starting out in Hoodoo, be it for a dabbler or a person serious in magic.

With just these two, even a hoodoo root worker should be able to get by with no trouble at all. (As long as no cursing or domination work is involved.)

7-11 Holy oil is a biblical oil, mentioned in Exodus. It is also known as the traditional hoodoo oil "High Altar Oil." Its uses are obvious, that for prayer, devotion and blessings. For God, and for giving thanks to Saints and petitioning them. It has a very gentle resonance, and can be used for healing, tranquility and protection.

Special Oil #20 is mostly as it says on its label. It's a very good all-rounder, but mostly in love, luck and money. Because it is an all-rounder some people think it is weak. No, I assure you not at all. It is very strong, just not precise or specialised like other oils.

I find it difficult to put into words, but it has a very strong vibration or presence. It feels "big", "bulky" with a punch. (I'm abit of an empath, so I can feel it.) The best description I can come up with is that it just feels very powerful, and very lucky. Hence it can be used in protection and power spells, but it works differently from say, Power Oil or Protection Oil, but still getting the job done.

I'm sure you all know what I mean.

Container Spells

Let's talk about something other than the famous honeyjar and glass bottle spells. For container spells it is said the longer you work on it, the more powerful it becomes. Sort of like wine made to age, and the amount of focus and intent it picks up from you the spellcaster and the spirits.

The symbolism of a container spell is that it is a place of ideals created by the conjurer, in which is made to manifest in the real-world. For example a healing container, filled with hyssop, rue and lavender. Putting in personal concerns and sealing the container is putting the person in a place of healing and safety. Likewise with nasty intent, with nasty ingredients (rusty nails, needles broken glass) the victim is put literally into "a world of hurt" by the conjurer.

Of artificial containers (those not found naturally in nature like the egg) I like most of all those made of metal. Tins, cans, boxes. These are light-weight and durable. Very shakable while chanting. They come in every imaginable shape and size, and cry out to be decorated. (You can even write your petition on the outside as a reminder, especially when you have many container spells.) I seem to be irrationally drawn to them for no obvious reason. They just seem charming to me, and they surely will develop scratches and dents in time as they are used.

For these sorts of containers no liquids are used within them. Just the petitions and herbs, powders. Maybe a dash of sugar if things are needed to be sweet. I like capturing the smoke from incense before sealing them.

The sort of container you pick often reflects what sort of spell you want it for. Candy tins for positive work, and chilli sauce bottles for negative work. Medicine tins can be used for healing. For cast-off evil work, go for something like cardboard. (So that you can easily torch it once you are done with it.)

Pictured here are some of my personal container spells.

Egg

So easily accessible. So convenient. Yet so powerful and underrated. Or in some cases people are hesitant about using them because it seems complicated or difficult. Some people say it has to be a fertile egg. Others say it has to be from a black hen. Not all of us can get that, so for the rest of us we can just use commercial eggs right from the supermarket sold in cartons. Like this British Lion brand egg.

People need to take care of themselves more, and not fall into self-neglect. It can be done so with the humble chicken's egg. (Actually other eggs can be used as well, but chicken's eggs are most common.)

Eggs, are symbolic of life, new beginnings, fertility, even a little like the world, it being round and can be also used to represent a person. These things have a strong property of being able to absorb negativity very well. Hence they are most often used in cleansings. Used to rub a persons body, starting from the top of a person's head, with a cross, another cross on the chest, back of the neck, all the time praying your intent, down to the palms of your hands again with a cross and the soles of your feet. After that it can be cracked into a glass of water to be used for egg divination. If a person is suffering from illness or being cursed, the yolk can be splattered with red, have black patches or smell bad.

A trick I know is using eggs to remove bruises. Take an egg and hard boil it, remove its shell. While it is still very hot, roll it over your bruise while praying.

Eggs are powerful for use as container spells. What you do, is shake a raw uncooked egg in its shell to mix its yolk and white. Then, you knock a hole in it and pour out some of its contents to make way for what you are going to put in it. Pour in ground herbs depending on your intent, along with personal concerns and seal it with wax. It is tedious and fiddly to do, but the strong results of the spell will be well worth it.

Write your petition like so...

Continue shaking up the egg and praying to mix well what you have put inside it. Some rootworkers feel that just doing that is enough, others like to light candles around it and pray even more.

Once again, depending on your intent you either go outside and throw it against a tree, or toss it at a busy crossroads. Go home and do not look back.