Why We Must Feed Our Mojo

Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Chas Bogan, author of the new Secret Keys of Conjure.

There are all manner of physical items that we may build a magical relationship with, such as roots whose indwelling spirits we have engaged for aid, or metal charms stamped out in factories, or mojo hands that some perceive as being an extension of their own body and magical will. Though the life force present within such objects may be perceived in many ways, keeping it healthy is essential to maintaining an effective charm. The responsibility falls on us to sustain and nurture our magical allies. If you won’t work on their behalf, why should they continue to work for yours? Even the most loyal and loving of pets, if starved of attention and sustenance, may turn.

Perhaps because such things as our magical jewelry and ceremonial wands do not jump on our sleeping chest and yowl as our pet cat might, we tend to forget that they must also be tended to. Of course, not everything is by nature needy, as such things that are made of metal have dwelled inert within stone for ages and may not have the needs as, say, a root having given up its prospect of sun-touched leaves to become an ally on a magician’s altar. Listening to those entities that serve as our magical allies is important for understanding what their needs are.

When I make a mojo bag for someone, I always impress upon them the importance of keeping it fed. This is done by applying alcohol or cologne to it, at least once a week. I tend to give them a specific day of the week to work with, which I choose to be aligned with the purpose of their bag, for instance, for love charms I favor Fridays for its association with Venus the goddess of love. As for what type of cologne, the choices vary. There are commercial brands that have a long history of traditional use, such as Hoyt’s Cologne and Florida Water. Whiskey is the most common alcohol used, though I might get fancy and use something like Goldschlager—which contains the traditional money-drawing ingredients of cinnamon and gold leaf—to feed a mojo whose purpose was to draw money. Other magical items might have other wants, such as how lodestones crave iron shavings, or your flute the breath from your mouth. Whatever their needs may be, it is important to understand how their strength and health leads to our own.

The saddest thing is when our magic is left to die like a forgotten bathroom fern. I have been guilty of this myself, having on occasion cleaned out a drawer or old backpack to find some magical item whose life force was dulled by dust. A bath in morning dew or night spent bathed in moonlight can often be the trick to reinvigorating them, but maintaining a regular schedule of care is by far preferred.

Our thanks to Chas for his guest post! For more from Chas Bogan, read his article, “5 Conjure Fixes for Ridding Yourself of Negative Influences.”