TEXT, PHONE, EMAIL CUSTOMER SUPPORT!
Most of you know that we don't have a huge staff here! :-) But we love to give the best possible customer support that we can! In order to facilitate that, we are using a new phone system on a trial basis to see how it works. Please make note of the new number for TEXTING or PHONE assistance. Please be aware that these services are available Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Mountain Time. We are UNable to answer the phone or texts in the middle of the night or on weekends.
PLEASE NOTE THIS NEW NUMBER: 505-309-0404 This number will work for either calling or texting during regular business hours. (All other numbers you have will still work for now!)
Reaching us by email remains the same: customerservice@spellmaker.com
We do our best to return phone calls or emails within 24 hours. We do sometimes experience problems with our emails getting where they are supposed to go. Please make sure that @spellmaker.com is in your accepted mail list. If you don't hear from us within 48 hours max, please resend your email and also consider texting us to let us know that you sent it. We don't want to miss your important communication with us!
Mabon - AUTUMNAL EQUINOX
by Mambo Samantha Corfield
Ah, the fall season! Bring on the pumpkin spice, scary movies, and, most importantly, a bountiful harvest! While not particularly a Vodou holiday, Mabon (the autumnal equinox) is certainly something that can be celebrated in all traditions.
If you desire to incorporate a Vodou ritual at this time of year, you can certainly celebrate the manje yanm!
This ritual celebrates the harvest of the yams and could certainly be worked into a Mabon ritual. During Mabon you want to give thanks for all that you have, strive to bring balance into your life, and share what you have with others. Manje yanm could certainly be celebrated in some fashion along with Mabon. In fact, I feel they really go hand-in-hand. While there is generally no fixed date for the yam harvest, certainly September 22 would be just fine. Since most of you are probably not actually harvesting your own yams, you can certainly do a Mabon altar and also celebrate manje yanm!
During manje yanm, the first and best of the yams harvested are offered to the Lwa (Vodou spirits) before any are consumed. Generally this is a two-day process. Here is a quick version that anyone can do. First, get yams! :-) Whether you can get them from a farmer's market or if you have to go to the supermarket, get the best looking yams that you can. It's fun to get crazy shaped ones, and different kinds. Once you have your yams at home, you will lave yanm. This means that you will wash them! Light a white candle at your sink. Use clear water in the sink to wash the yams and get any dirt off of them. Treat the yams nicely and sing and speak of your gratefulness for the bounty of the yams. Sing songs or talk to the lwa that are important to you and be sure to include Gran Bwa and Cousin Azacca. Include all other lwa that you are close with. After the yams are washed, you will now kouche them. (Put them to bed!) If you can, wrap each yam in a white dish towel or cloth. If you don't have that, a clean white paper towel will do just fine. Put them in a basket or other container and, if you have built a Mabon altar, put them there or near your Vodou altar. Alternatively, put them somewhere safe and quiet. Shhhhhh, the yams are resting!
The next morning you will leve yanm, wake them up! Unwrap the first yam! Be grateful for this harvest and this bounty. Speak to the lwa and tell them of the great harvest. The first yam will remain uneaten by you or other humans. That yam should go on your altar or wherever you offer things to the lwa*. The rest of the yams may be prepared and served to friends and family. Part of the ceremonial beauty of this ritual is the sharing of the bounty with others. If you don't have anyone to share with, you might consider donating something to a food bank. (This is also a great way to celebrate Mabon!)
The formal version of manje yanm has a much bigger scope, but as with most Vodou ceremonies, there is almost always a version you can do at home. Burn green, gold, white, or orange candles. Sprinkle herbs that are pleasing to you (or are left from spell kits!). Sing and dance with abandon. Call upon your favorite lwa and share your gratitude and bounty with them. Give out apples! With this, and other ceremonies, it is important to always bear in mind what you are trying to accomplish. With this ceremony, thankfulness for what you have, sharing, and achieving a balance between giving and receiving is the main goal.
For Mabon itself, manje yanm easily correlates with the offerings of root vegetables, meditations on gratefulness, celebrating balance, harvest, and communion with others! Feel free to explore the rituals of Mabon and see how they might be blended with Vodou ceremonies and beliefs. Don't be afraid! Anything you are doing with a good heart and gratitude will always be well received.
Mabon falls on September 22. Share the gratitude!
*When you are done with it, the altar yam may be left somewhere in nature where it will be reabsorbed into the earth.
READINGS BY SISTER BRIDGET
If you are looking for a clear, concise, accurate reading, at a great price, visit Sister Bridget's page at www.spellmaker.com/bridget.htm. Sister Bridget will read for you giving honest feedback, no nonsense advice, and caring support. Much more than a card reader, Sister Bridget is a Voodoo Priestess with guidance from the lwa at her fingertips. You can't go wrong with a reading by Sister B!
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