Charms, Spells, and Formulas (Llewellyn's Practical Magick) [Paperback]

Rev Ray T. Malbrough (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 8, 2002

How would you like to increase the power of your magick? Now you can, with the help of real Louisiana Hoodoo. In Charms, Spells & Formulas, you'll find rituals and recipes for incenses, oils, powders and washes that you can use to make changes in your life.
But that's just the beginning. You'll learn the secrets of how to make gris-gris bag charms for any purpose. You also get full instructions on how to set up your altar and perform the ritual to charge the bag so that it becomes a powerful magical tool. Need to improve your health or love life? Make a gris-gris bag!
You'll also learn how to make magical dolls from cloth and clay, and how to increase the power of magical candles by adding herbs to them.
Do you think you might have been given the "evil eye?" You'll learn how to overcome it with the instructions given here. The book also includes full instructions on how to use prayers and Bible psalms to solve your problems.
Hoodoo is a tradition that is 200 years old. Within these pages you'll find the secrets of genuine Hoodoo and be able to put them to use! You can use Hoodoo to help get rid of illness and bring prosperity, find romance and get rid of bad luck. If you are doing any sort of magick at all, you'll find that the techniques in this book will powerfully enhance your magick. And if you're new to magick, you'll be surprised at just how successful the magick in this book can be.
Are you ready to really make a change in your life? With the help of this book and some common herbs, you can do it. Get this book today!

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

One of the things that I, as owner of Llewellyn, have tried to do is find little-known magical traditions and help keep them alive. Ray T. Malbrough's Charms, Spells & Formulas certainly fills the bill. Better, it is not simply a book by an outside scholar, it is an actual text by a real practitioner. That way, you can learn Hoodoo as part of a living tradition. It's exciting, powerful, and fun!
Many of the ideas of Hoodoo have become part of magical lore. You may have heard of the famous gris-gris bag. Ray not only shows you how to make one, he teaches you how to make them for a wide variety of purposes and then shares traditional rites for charging the bags.
Other traditional Hoodoo techniques include using the magical powers of Bible psalms and special ways to pray to the Catholic saints. You'll learn all about them in this book, and you'll be able to put them to use.
You see, this is not a book about Hoodoo, it is Hoodoo. It captures the very essence of this folk tradition that is true American Magick! By working with it you can become a Hoodoo practitioner. In fact, the last chapter includes wise advice concerning what you need to know to become a better magical worker.
We live in a time where people are abandoning the past. But while it is important to embrace the future, there are many valuable aspects of the past which should be kept and honored for the treasures that they are. This includes our magical traditions. I hope you will learn from the past and create your future. This book can help you do exactly that.

About the Author

Ray T. Malbrough was born in New Orleans and was raised in the "Pays des Cajuns" Region of southeastern Louisiana. He learned the basics of hoodoo in his early teens with the permission and encouragement of his mother. At age 19, he started working in a New Orleans tearoom as a reader/advisor, and has since earned a good reputation as a Hoodoo worker all over the region surrounding his hometown of Houma. He is a 1982 graduate of the Seax-Wica Seminary founded and directed by Dr. Raymond Buckland. The author is active in the parapsychology Association in Thibodeaux, Louisiana. Today, Ray is a full time reader/advisor and hoodoo worker in his home in Houma.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Llewellyn Publications; 1st edition (September 8, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0875425011
• ISBN-13: 978-0875425016
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (71 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #136,529 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for non-Wiccans!, December 4, 2001

By 

ivorynetsuke (Jacksonville, FL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Charms, Spells, and Formulas (Llewellyn's Practical Magick) (Paperback)

(...)Charms, Spells & Formulas is an excellent introductory book for those who follow paths other than Wicca. In fact, I think that it is better suited for those who are interested in voodoo or some variant thereof. The one thing that I did not like about this book is that I wanted it to be longer! There is a wide variety of information and I feel that Ray Malbrough did an excellent job touching base on so many different topics. It contains associations on colors, herbs, candles, and more. It goes into a little detail about voodoo practices and the blending in of Catholicism. I highly suggest that readers who enjoyed this book check out Malbrough's "The Magical Power of the Saints," which goes into greater detail on the Saints than what was briefly touched upon in this book, along with explaining novenas and the 7 day candles. As a non-Wiccan Witch that practices the style of magic as presented in these books, I feel that both are excellent and are ones that I continually refer to.

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun with Hoodoo, May 29, 2003

By 

Charles Harrington (Calif, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Charms, Spells, and Formulas (Llewellyn's Practical Magick) (Paperback)

This was a fun little book. It never claims to teach the religion of Vodou (or Vodun ore any other number of spellings) nor does it claim to align itself with Wiccan philosophy. As a practicing Wiccan I can differentiate between spells I (personally) should and should not cast. As to problems with karma it's not so bad, it doesn't have nearly as much baneful magic as the venerable Modern Witches Spellbook. If you want to work with this one you should try and find access to a botanica to get many of the supplies. If you don't want to hunt around for the more exotic herbs try The Supermarket Sorceress series, all of the ingrediants for those spells can be found at the local grocery store. I have other spellbooks that I look to more frequently but it's nice to have something with hoodoo flavor in the collection.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For Llewyllyn Its pretty Good, November 29, 2004

By 

Inner Spiral - See all my reviews

This review is from: Charms, Spells, and Formulas (Llewellyn's Practical Magick) (Paperback)

Although this is a book published by Llewyllyn Publicatons, a publishing firm known to publish anything to make a buck, this one is pretty good. I have owned this book for years and often return to it for a prayer or ingredient in one of rays formulas. The information is basic and introductory. I must admit that the "spells" are all in rhyme and sound more childish than a Mother Goose poem. Putting that aside, the rest of the book is pretty usefull, especially for a beginner looking to understand basic HooDoo. I must caution you though, avoid his other book, HooDoo Mysteries, that one is pure garbage and not worth the paper its printed on. Magical Power of the Saints, also by Malbrough is pretty good for those who enjoy working with the saints. Check this one and the Saints book out, leave his other "book".