Southern Folk Belief - Hoodoo in Savannah

I'm on my way to Savannah and have just discovered it's Hoodoo Central - here are a few of the beliefs and practices recorded by the Georgia Writers Project in, 'Drums and Shadows' - read the full text at SacredTexts.com http://www.sacred-texts.com/afr/das/das06.htm

To dream of a dead person is a sure sign of rain.

If you hear an owl hoot in the day time, someone you know will die.

If you hear a ghost call you, they want to take you with them and you must tell them you aren't ready to go yet.

If the first person to come into your house on Monday morning is a woman, you'll have bad luck the rest of the week.

It is bad luck to borrow or lend salt.

Sweeping out the house at night will sweep your luck away.

Shaking a tablecloth out the door after dark will bring death in your family.

Laying a broomstick across the door at night keeps witches away.

If your left eye twitches, you'll get bad news. If your right eye twitches, good news is on it's way.

Placing a knife or a bible under your pillow keeps witches away.

If you blow on a coin, it will help you get more of them.

If you dream of a snake, it means you have an enemy.

Babies born with teeth will have bad luck all their lives.

The Elves and the Shoemaker

THE ELVES AND THE SHOEMAKER
by the brothers Grimm


I

THERE WAS once a shoemaker, who, through no fault of his own, became so poor that at last he had nothing left but just enough leather to make one pair of shoes. He cut out the shoes at night, so as to set to work upon them next morning; and as he had a good conscience, he laid himself quietly down in his bed, committed himself to heaven, and fell asleep.

In the morning, after he had said his prayers, and was going to get to work, he found the pair of shoes made and finished, and standing on his table. He was very much astonished, and could not tell what to think, and he took the shoes in his hand to examine them more closely; and they were so well made that every stitch was in its right place, just as if they had come from the hand of a master-workman.

Soon after, a purchaser entered, and as the shoes fitted him very well, he gave more than the usual price
for them, so that the shoemaker had enough money to buy leather for two more pairs of shoes. He cut
them out at night, and intended to set to work the next morning with fresh spirit; but that was not to be,
for when he got up they were already finished, and even a customer was not lacking, who gave him so
much money that he was able to buy leather enough for four new pairs. Early next morning he found the
four pairs also finished, and so it always happened, whatever he cut out in the evening was worked up by the morning, so that he was soon in the way of making a good living, and in the end became very well-to-do.

One night, not long before Christmas, when the shoemaker had finished cutting out, and before he went to
bed, he said to his wife, “How would it be if we were to sit up tonight and see who it is that does us this
service?” His wife agreed, and set a light to burn. Then they both hid in a corner of the room behind some
coats that were hanging up, and then they began to watch. As soon as it was midnight they saw come in
two neatly-formed naked little men, who seated themselves before the shoemaker’s table, and took up the
work that was already prepared, and began to stitch, to pierce, and to hammer so cleverly and quickly with
their little fingers that the shoemaker’s eyes could scarcely follow them, so full of wonder was he. And
they never left off until everything was finished and was standing ready on the table, and then they
jumped up and ran off.

The next morning the shoemaker’s wife said to her husband, “Those little men have made us rich, and we
ought to show ourselves grateful. With all their running about, and having nothing to cover them, they
must be very cold. I’ll tell you what; I will make little shirts, coats, waistcoats, and breeches for them, and
knit each of them a pair of stockings, and you shall make each of them a pair of shoes.” The husband
consented willingly, and at night, when everything was finished, they laid the gifts together on the table,
instead of the cut-out work, and placed themselves so that they could observe how the little men would behave. When midnight came, they rushed in, ready to set to work, but when they found, instead of the pieces of prepared leather, the neat little garments put ready for them, they stood a moment in surprise, and then they showed the greatest delight.

With the greatest swiftness they took up the pretty garments and slipped them on, singing, “What spruce and dandy boys are we! No longer cobblers we will be."

Then they hopped and danced about, jumping over the chairs and tables, and at last they danced out at the
door. From that time they were never seen again; but it always went well with the shoemaker as long as he
lived, and whatever he took in hand prospered.

Confessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom: The Housewive's Tarot

Confessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom: The Housewive's Tarot: If you've been following me for a while, you've probably heard me mention The Housewive's Tarot. I bought this deck a while back, and fe...

More Dream Images

1. People of all shapes and sizes walking in circles around a large clock-face singing, "What is the world going to do today? What in the world? What in the world?



2. My childhood room -

3. A time machine.

4. A man with the plague stirring a cauldron, (not a good dream!)

(I had a better cauldron dream once, where a beautiful woman with dark hair sang a skeleton on a table back to life.)

5. In a rain forest, gathered round a Mayan sacred pool with other warriors, (I was one)...

6. Watching lions run down a beach as the oceans receeded... an apocalyptic sort of dream...

7. Dancing with a circle of women around a fire on a mountain ... there were drums in the distance... one woman turned to me and her eyes flashed yellow like a cat's and her teeth barred showing fangs... "Sorry", she said, "sometimes that just happens."

Eyes of Erzulie Flambeau

8.  An army of Cardinals moving in kaliedoscopic patterns over a U.N. Conference...

9. An ancient maypole...

10. The real Scarborough Fair

11. That I'm a fox running across Sutton Hoo...

I must go back to keeping a dream journal...

The Meaning of Moonstones

Some Beliefs About Moonstones

1.Moonstone is the most valuable stone from the feldspar group.

2. It was named by the Romans.

3. A sacred stone in India, it was believed to bring the wearer beautiful visions. Indian astrologers say that the stone was used to befriend the Moon.


4. Moonstones were and are used for scrying and some ancients believed that to tell your own fortune you needed to hold a moonstone in your mouth.

5. Other ancient people believed you could see the crescent and waning phases of the Moon in the stone.

6. In many areas of the world, moonstone is believed to bring good fortune to its wearer.
7. It is believed in some cultures to specifically protect women and children.

8. Moonstones are also believed to enhance passion, strengthen emotional and subconscious aspects, our intuition and our capacity to understand.


9. The Moonstone is also called the lover's stone, said to enhance feelings and safeguard love/keeps lovers faithful.

10. In Arab countries moonstone a symbol of fertility and women often sew them into their garments. 


11. From Antiquity to the Middle Ages the moonstone was assigned to the planets Neptune and Venus.

12. Moonstone is said to be of help for headaches and backache.
13. Some legends say moonstones were formed out of the rays of the moon.

14. Other legends say you can see the future in a moonstone during a waning moon.  

Crystals - Some Metaphysical Properties

Agate

•Agate: Balances ying-yang energy and stabilizes the aura. Imparts strength and courage. Opens one to innate creative talents.

•Amber: Purifies body, mind, and spirit. Balances electromagnetic of the body and allows even flow of energies. Provides a positive, soothing energy. Spiritualizes the intellect.

•Amethyst: Calming energy. Encourages spirituality and contentment. Stone of stability, strength, and peace. Enhances psychic ability.


•Aventurine: Independence, leadership, creativity. Balances male and female energies. Aligns intellectual, physical, emotional, and etheric bodies.

•Aquamarine: Courage, intellect, protection. Assists spiritual awareness and actualization.

•Azurite: Awakens psychic ability, insight, and intuition. 

Azurite

•Amazonite: Balancing energy, harmony, and fosters Universal love.

•Bloodstone: Bloodstone imparts strength, courage, and the self-confidence needed to succeed in business and legal affairs. Attracts wealth, sexual potency, insures victory.
•Carnelian: Carnelian is a healing stone that counteracts feelings of apathy, fear and rage. Fosters peace within and without, imparts self-confidence, and inspired verbal and written communication.

•Celestite: Excellent stone for dream recall and astral travel.

•Chrysocolla: Strength and balance. Promotes harmony and attunement to the Earth. Purifies one’s environment.

•Citrine: Dissipates negative energy. Encourages warmth, joy, and optimism.

•Diamond: Purity, perfection, abundance, and inspiration.

Flourite

•Emerald: Loyalty, sensitivity, harmony, and tranquillity. Assists in memory retention and mental clarity.

•Fluorite: Stability, order, discernment, and concentration. Helps one to understand and maintain ideals.
•Garnet: Commitment, devotion, love, stability and order. Even flow of energy.

•Hematite: Excellent for the mind, and grounding.

•Jade: Harmony, peace, fidelity, confidence. A great dream stone.

•Jasper: Protection, awareness, insight, and grounding.
•Labradorite: Represents the light of the Universe. Intuition and illumination.

•Lapis Lazuli: Knowledge, wisdom, perfection, protection, and creative expression.

•Lepidolite: Honesty, stability, hope, acceptance. Assists in change and transition. 

Labradorite

•Lodestone: Lodestones are natural magnets, used primarily to attract things to the one using them- good luck, healing, money, love.

•Malachite: Transformation and spiritual development. Clears the way to attain goals.

•Moldavite: Clarity and eternity. Inter-dimensional properties.

•Moonstone: Lunar female energy. Emotional and intuitive. Rhythms, cycles, and destiny.

•Obsidian: Dispels negativity. Grounding, healing, protective. Helps one to clearly see one’s flaws and the changes that are necessary.

•Onyx: Centring, self-control, and intuitive guidance. Assists in the grieving process.

•Opal: Creativity, inspiration, and imagination.

•Peridot: Healing and protective. Allows one to understand changes in one’s life.

•Petrified Wood: Grounding provides strength. Stone of transformation.

Moonstone

•Pyrite: Shields from negative energy, good stone of protection. Enhances intellect and memory. Symbol of the sun.

•Clear Quartz: Universal crystal, clarity of consciousness. 

•Rose Quartz: Empowers and attracts the energies of love, happiness and peace. Encourages healing on all levels.

•Ruby: Love, nurturing, spirituality, wealth, and protection.
•Sapphire: Beauty and prosperity.

•Shiva Lingam: Said to contain the loftiest vibration of all stones on Earth. The stone represents both the male energy of knowledge & the female energy of wisdom.

•Smoky Quartz: Dissolves negativity, grounding, and balancing. Excellent for meditation.

•Sodalite: Logic, efficiency, and truthfulness. Enhances group communication.

Smokey Quartz

•Sugilite: Spiritual love, perfection, inspiration, confidence. Alleviates negative/destructive emotions.

•Tiger-eye: Earthy, grounding. Represents sun and earth. Optimism, insight, personal power.

•Topaz: Success, true love, individuality, creativity, and joy.

•Tourmaline: Inspiration, understanding, self-confidence, balancing.
•Turquoise: Spiritual attunement, strength, and grounding.

Reference: Pagan.org

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2. Orpheus Descending

3. Zen Quotes by Sun Sign #1 and Zen Quotes by Sun Sign #2

4. Rune Poems

5. My Interview With Don Miguel Ruiz

6. Buddhist Chant, Shingon and AUM Chant

7. How to Tell Fortunes With Dice

8. Victorian Ghost Stories, 'The Judge's House' by Bram Stoker

9. Omens

10. How to Make Corn Husk Dolls and Their Role in Legend and Ritual

11. How to Tell Fortunes With Tea Leaves

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