As I said a couple of posts ago, Fernando had purchased a few small dolls to make customized pieces for The Hoodoo Shop – and as usual, his intuitive purchases always end up being something beyond our own expectations.

Dolls in Santeria are an institution, specially in Cuba, where the tradition dresses them in white silk and gorgeous handmade laces, often with dresses over a yard long for a doll that’s only a few inches tall. They are traditionally placed on a small chair, usually made by the devotee or bought to an artisan, and the chosen spirit is called with offerings to inhabit the doll. On special occasions, or in return for favours, the spirit doll receives a new dress, a new chair, an embroidered cushion or cape, jewelry… until a spirit doll with several years of work in the house of a Santero is like a living jewel, covered in riches and offerings. The spirit that inhabits her (or him) can be a local priestess, an ancestor, a famous deceased figure of the religion like the Negra Tomasa and the Negra Francisca, two lovely spirits of Santería priestess (that I will tell you more about soon). Of course, they can also represent a deity, but they are not used as the Orisha’s vessel, as the Orisha vessel must be something of a purer essence, like a stone, and not a plastic figurine. On the other hand, they are widely used a gifts for the Orishas, specially when asking for a difficult spellwork.
Images From Flickr – Original Here

Original Here

Original Here.

Of course, tourists get the cheap, assembly-line, totally lame Santeria dolls. There is hardly no alternative online, so I was very happy when Fernando brought these dolls, because they are small and light enough to be sent without expensive shipping costs, and still big enough to allow me to work on detail in the clothing and adorning.

Pomba Gira Doll

Pomba Gira is the female Eleggua, the god of luck and opportunities in Santería. She is the patron of lovers, the queen of gypsies and the owner of the night and its secrets. She favours women who have been treated unfairly in love, and all those who have been outcasted or abandoned. She is the bringer of change!

Full underwear: bloomers adorned with red satin ribbon and vest made of cotton and lace. Turban made of vintage satin.

Finished Piece: White cotton petticoat with embroidered eyelet ribbon and red satin ribbon. Overskirt made of vintage satin and black lace. Black satin belt and turban adornment made with a victorian style carved button and a burgundy feather. The doll wears a crystal bindhi on her forehead, sign of its spiritual use. Traditional Santeria beaded jewelry has been made in the colours of her worshipping.

The doll is 21 cms/ 8,5 inches tall (not including clothes or turban) and has poseable arms and legs, but would need a stand to make her stay on her feet. Traditionally, they are placed in the altar sitting, with the skirt spread around as in the pics I am showing here. All the doll’s clothes, including full underwear, have been handsewn using fabrics of many different origins: some are new, some vintage, some recycled, etc. Though the pieces of clothing are sewn separately as you would do with human sized clothes, they have been also sewn between them to preserve that all pieces stay in place correctly – so the doll cannot be undressed. If you purchase a doll and want to change the doll’s clothes in a future time, I’ll be very glad to me a new custom outfit for her if you send it to me after we discuss design and price.

Each doll will be a unique piece, and though I am open to custom orders, I cannot do reservations as I only have four of this dolls right now. The price of each doll may vary depending on the materials used, hours of work and my own time availability. Of course, no spirit has been called to inhabit the doll: that is completely up to you. I have only casted a general blessing over her as I do with all my artwork. You can give the doll to your deity as an offering, perform a ritual for it to be inhabited by a spirit, or use it simply as a good luck charm.

You can find this doll, and many more soon, at The Hoodoo Shop at Etsy

Ingredients For Around 35-40 Cookies:

- 150 grams (1/3 pound) of butter, at room temperature;
- 1 egg, at room temperature;
- 150 grams (1/3 pound) of sugar, white or brown;
- Baking soda, two teaspoons;
- 250 grams (a bit more than 1/2 pound) of flour of your choice;
- the rind of half an orange, grated or cut in really small pieces;
- a spoonful of ground cinnamon;
- five cardamom seeds, powdered;
- two teaspoons of spearmint (Mentha Spicata), minced and preferably fresh;
- two teaspoons of catmint (Nepeta Cataria), minced and preferably fresh;
- two teaspoons of peppermint (Mentha Piperita), minced and preferably fresh.

Mix the butter and the sugar until the mix is soft and fluffy – if it’s too cold where you live, you may need to heat the butter just a little to get a good result. Add the egg, and the herbs if they are fresh; in another bowl, mix all dry ingredients together (and the herbs if they are dry) and add slowly to the butter mix, mixing very well. Preheat your oven on High for about 15 minutes and prepare your oven tray with waxed paper, adding portions of the mix in the size of a teaspoon. Low down the oven temperature to Low-Medium and bake for about 15 minutes. These cookies are very light so keep an eye on them!

The taste of this cookies is really a suprise; first, you get the taste of a delicious homemade cookie; then the flavour of the herbs and the orange rind appears, minty and so… comforting! Tonight I’m making hot chocolate because I’m sure they will make a perfect match . I also have plans to make a salty herbal cookie recipe soon… mmmm…

After four days of dollmaking, I was seriously missing my herb witching! Since the day was sunny and without a cloud, we got up early and worked on transplanting, cutting, cleaning and generally spoiling our beloved green babies.

A disoriented geranium that is not aware that we’re almost in winter bloomed last night.

Pomba Gira, in her jungle of basil and peppermint.

Borage is loving this climate, as you can see! The leaves are like twice the size of my hand.

Beautiful Borage flowers.

And this is today’s harvest! Wormwood, peppers (fruit and flowers), catnip, spearmint, peppermint, basil and those five yellow fruits are miniature melons! I will try to dry them as is done with gourds to make small altar vessels with them. Today we put some plants to “sleep” as they were starting to be damaged by the colder temperatures at night. The trunks were set to dry on the roof for our bonfires, and the leaves were cut and added to our mini compost bin.

While Fernando finished cleaning, I went downstairs to process the herbs. I made several bundles, both medicinal and magickal, and the leftovers of the edible leaves (on the dish) were cut to make a cold water infusion.
Now I still have to add all this info to my BOS – the work of a Witch never ends lol…

Update on the doll’s work:

The skirt was made with a piece of red satin under an overcoat of hand-dyed lace that my sister brought me from London.

The headdress – sorry that it’s a little blurry – made with the same ribbons used in the bodice, and also adorned with ribbon roses. Green and black satin ribbons hang on the sides.

It’s almost finished! I still have to make some jewelry and construct a box where the future owner will keep her. Fernando has already prepared the wood for the tambourine, keeping a stripe a pine wood from a fruit cake in hot water for several hours, and forming it around a circle frame – now it’s set to dry.

And it’s already Friday night again… this week since the wedding has really flown. We’ve had our car on repairing since last week, so I think the weekend will include some outdoors activity…the country must look beautiful since we’ve had a week of rain and sun intervals. Right now it’s still so hot that we have the windows open all day to let the wonderful scent of our super mild winter.

Yesterday Fernando bought some dolls to make a few small, more affordable pieces for the shop. Customized dolls are actually a very important business in Santería, made by the finest seamstresses – they are offered to the Orishas as gifts, often in ask for favours or good results in spells. Also, they represent important deceased priests and priestesses, whom are not in the Orisha status, but are still powerful enough to protect devotees, just as it happens with gurus in the Hindu traditions. As soon as I have something to show, you will be the first to know .

Have a wonderful weekend!

Here are some pics of the new doll I’m working on. She’s about 15 inches tall, and the doll itself was a gift from a friend, who owned it in the early 80’s. I’ve been saving this doll for a special occasion mainly for the GORGEOUS hair, and now a special (but secret yet) occasion has arrived.

Except the parts that were already sewn, everything you see is done entirely by hand. This is what I’ve done so far:

The chemise was made starting with a real newborn undershirt, most likely from the 60’s. The chemise was pleated to fit the doll and adorned with eyelet ribbons. The sleeves were made from scratch, as well as the shoes, made from felt, suede and faux fur and adorned with black ribbon roses (shoes are unfinished yet).

The petticoat was made using the lower part of a traditional Canarian peasant costume, and the corset is being made with embroidered ribbon, gold cord couching and ribbon roses. It is not finished, but I pinned it in place so you could see it.

Still I have ahead the kirt, hair styling, head ornamentation and the jewelry. My husband will also be participating, making a miniature gypsy tambourine for her. Back to work!

Santería Waters

Santería waters can be used as cologne, used as floor washes, sprayed on beds and all absorbent surfaces like sofas and curtains. They clean, energize and protect energy and they are a quick, invisible way to cast a spell anywhere. 20 ml/0.9 liquid ounce plastic bottle.
- Florida Water smells like a garden in full bloom, with touches of rose, lilac and other flower perfumes; it is used to clean and bless yourself or your ritual space and tools.
- Kananga Water has a vibrant, fruity scent that is made to protect and clean your aura while smelling like a tropical queen. It is used for attracting business, money and job opportunities, either as a floor wash to clean your business, sprayed around the cash register, etc.
- Satyr Water has been infused with indigo powder and has a manly, powerful scent of sandalwood, myrrh and other powerful oils. A wonderful all-purpose protection spray for the warlock in your life – spray this over your bed’s sheets to turn your man into an insatiable son of Dyonisus!
- Pomba Gira Water has a base of homemade rose water and a mixture of perfumes that make this water sensual and rich to the senses. Made to unblock your love energies and open opportunities, as she is the female Eleggua. It has scents of orange, jasmine and cinnamon among many others – a sensual treat perfect for a magick bath, or to spray on your bedroom before that magical date .

NEW Kyphi Incense – Akelarre

Akelarre is the Basque word for Sabbat, the sacred reunion of Witches. With a mix of 37 herbs, flowers, roots, barks, resins and many more ingredients, all of them of spanish origin and all of them organic, this batch of Kyphi incense is absolutely unique!
Along the next months, it is our intention to offer you more items related to Spanish traditional Witchcraft; this Akelarre incense is perfect for all you Daughters of the Dark and/or Horned Goddesses! The Akelarre was a symbol of self-empowerment, healing and mutual help for spanish Witches; these are qualities I have tried to reproduce in this scent – wild, woodsy, powerful and sensual, with the scent of sage, peppermint, willow, wormwood, eucalyptus… and up to 37 elements!

Winter Tea – For Colds And All Its Related Processes

This is the first herbal tea mix we’re offering at The Hoodoo Shop, but definitely won’t be the last! I have been making tea mixes for years and this is one of the most required at this time of the year – a tea to ease mucus, cough, congestion, headache, and all the processes related to colds, flu and similar.
The mix contains White Horehound, Mullien, Spearmint flowers, Peppermint, Lemon Balm, Passionflower and Tumbleweed. ALL of the herbs used are organic – some bought to organic farmers, but most of them are homegrown by us. It has a delicious taste!
To make your tea, simply add a teaspoon of the mix to a cup of boiling water, let sit seven minutes and strain. This mix does not contain tea leaves, so don’t worry about theanine, you will sleep like a baby .
Ziplock bag with enough mix for about seven cups, more than enough for a daily dose during a week.

Yemanya Vigil Candle – To Honour The Great Mother Orisha

Yemanya is the Great Mother Goddess in the Orisha pantheon; she lives in the deepest ocean in her underwater kingdom, symbol of motherhood, wealth and wisdom. She is definitely the most popular Orisha ever, as her understanding nature attracts devotees from all paths. She is believed to be one of the oldest form of deity in Africa, and the mother to all Orishas.
I have not “tagged” this candle for any particular use because Yemanya is SO powerful, generous and helpful that all kind of petitions can be made to her.

You can find all this items at The Hoodoo Shop at Etsy.

Gorgeous photo by Maria Lau

It is believed that smoke is the vehicle of communication with the Divine – the cigars in Santeria and Voodoo, the pipes of the American Natives, the Ganja of rastafaris, Opium and hashish in India, are just a few examples known by all. But, there are many other herbs that are smokeable, magickal and highly enjoyable, without the negative health factors of cigarrettes and cigars.

The truth is that all edible herbs can be smoked to achieve the same results that you can have with a cup of herbal tea, and though not all of them are psychoactive, all of them are beneficial and ALL of them are magickal. As it happens with tea or incense making, a herbal smoking blend is a delicate art where taste, scent and properties are carfully measured and many tries are made to achieve a specific result. In commercial brands, I have seen that the magickal and spiritual aspects of smoke have been completely ignored, favouring the concept of “legal high” that looks simply to be substitute for Cannabis. That is definitely NOT our goal.

Lord Krishna smoking herbal mix, handcrafted by us after our own recipes. This particular mix contains White Horehoud, Damiana leaf, Catnip and Great Mullien. Ziplock bag with enough mix for 4-5 cigarrettes or 8-10 pipe uses.

Our herbal smoking blends take care of all the aspects that Witches need. The psychoactive herbs are soft enough to be tried by Witches that have never smoked cannabis, providing relaxing, aphrodisiac and visionary qualities; the aromatherapy herbs, those that provide taste and smell, are related in its elemental and healing properties; and the magickal qualities of all herbs are all carefully chosen to avoid mixing plants that would interact negatively.

Our mixes can be smoked in a rolled cigarrette, a pipe, a water pipe (hooka), or in any other smoking device of your choice. They are made of one or more “base” herbs like mullien, coltsfoot, horehound and others, which are chosen for their benefits for your lungs, and then the mixture of psychoactive and magickal plants are added. Along with the bag of herbs, you will receive several first quality rice smoking papers and foam filters, so you can try your mix right away without worrying for looking for that smoking paper you have since college .

Of course, if you don’t want/don’t like to smoke, you can also make a herbal tea of any of our mixtures, using a teaspoon of herbs per cup of boiling water and letting it sit for five-seven minutes. The only difference is that it will take a little more time to work. Another use for the herbs is as herbal incense, using a self-lighting charcoal tablet. Oh! And if you don’t know how to roll them, just leave a note on the “message to seller” section, and have them rolled by us .

- I am very honoured to announce that my post, “What Is Hoodoo?” has been one of the winners of the Topic Of The Week contest at The Noble Pagan – thanks to everyone who voted, and if you haven’t joined yet…eeeh well, why haven’t you?

- EDITED LATER: A new article has been published at The Noble Pagan Forum: Hoodoo Pantheons II: The Dead

- Again, I am super honoured to announce that I have been admitted as an author/contributor at the online magazine The Modern Pagan! I am already working on my first submission and as soon as I know when it will be posted I will properly link you to it .

- At The Hoodoo Shop, we will hopefully be listing a LOT of new products along this week. We are working on several new herbal teas, smoking herbal blends and new oils. It is very likely that I will finish a couple of new altar dolls too, as our dear Holy Death doll has flown today to Germany .

-Our Isis Kyphi Incense batch is over. Along this week, I will prepare another small batch but it takes at least 10 days to cure properly before it is usable. If you want to make reservations, please contact me! We have a new batch ready to be listed this week, with a very different scent to the Isis type, but just as enjoyable and delicious!

Before the eye candy, I would like to say that it was a wonderful day! We had fun, food and drinks until midnight, were surrounded by love and joy, and it will really be a day to remember. Once again, thanks to everyone that sent us good wishes – your magick really worked!!!!

Before leaving for the register.

My witchy friend, who came from Madrid just for the wedding. Best maid of honour EVER.

My sister and my best friend, who were the legal “witnesses” of the wedding. Aren’t they super beautiful?

My aunt, Fernando, me and my cousin at the civil register.

It’s done! The booklet we’re holding is the “Book Of Family”, the civil register proof for weddings, sons, etc.

My sister and my aunt, the fairy godmothers of this wedding. I love them LOTS!!!!

Today I am filled with thankfulness for all the good that happened on Friday. I would like to add a very special thank you to my dearest Krista, who made the necklace I am wearing in the pics. Now, life gets back to normal! I like that – you wouldn’t believe how much we’ve missed crafting in the last week. It makes us see how much we love our work, another reason to be even more grateful for the life we are creating.