My Godkids were not that happy with me a few weeks ago. Regular readers here at Voodoo Universe know we run our own New Orleans Style Voodoo house here in Brooklyn. My initiates, or Godkids, and I come together for feasts, rituals, and other events. Two of my Godkids had been making a normal stop at the Botanica, or spiritual supply store, before we began our last ritual. They asked, as you do, if I needed anything from the store. Here in NYC the Botanica scene has changed over the years, in my neighborhood alone three-quarters of the stores have closed in the past few years. Since they were going to Spanish Harlem, I asked my Godkids to pick up what I had thought was something simple… Grains of Paradise. Well we all know what happens when you look for something simple for ritual, the search is anything but easy. They went to 3 or 4 different places, drove from the top of Manhattan to the bottom looking for the seeds before they finally found them. Thank God, Goddess and the Orisha.
Grains of Paradise are powerful magic. They can also be called alligator pepper, guinea pepper, and their botanical name is Aframomum melegueta. In Lucumi they are a standard ingredient for the honored ancestors or Egungun. A ritual offering is prepared using eight pieces of coconut, Red Palm oil and a single grain of each piece. Guinea pepper is also known to aid in divination magick. Hoodoo folk magick says to place the grains in a piece of red cloth and tie it up with a picture of St. Michael as a Gris-Gris or herbal spell for safety. You can put them in your mouth or your shoe for luck and success. Or you can spit them around a bank, court, or a prospective employers location to ensure your success when applying for loans and jobs.
Many magickal practitioners use them in culinary spells for lust. This can be done by simply putting them in your pocket or beneath the bed. Like all good magickal spices Grains of Paradise can also be used for blessing and removal of curses and hexes. The following formula is designed to honor your ancestors and protect you.
Hoodoo Ancestor Protection Oil
Ingredients:
Sweet Almond Oil, for base
12 grains of paradise seeds
3 drops Galangal oil
3 drops Vetiver oil
Combine all ingredients in a small glass bottle. Close the bottle and trow it gently into the air to charge it by sending it into the realm of the invisibles.
How do you use these little gems? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below.
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