What do I need to get started in a Spiritual practice?

When I started out, I had very little funds. I was working as a telephone operator at a catalog company in a small New England town. I had very little money and resources. There was no botanica in my region. Anything that I wanted for my spiritual practice had to be ordered online. It was difficult and I had to make sacrifices in order to save money, but I made it work.

There are many people out in the conjure world who can relate to my past. Especially now with all the craziness that is going on in the world. Money is tight. People are getting sick and everything is going up in price.

Spiritual Supplies on a Budget

Candles

I know that there are a lot of candle makers out there who sell a wide array of candles in different shapes and colors. Originally these candles did not exist back in the old days. People made due with what they had. White candles can be used for every purpose imaginable. I invested in a box of 72 Shabbos candles. They burn for about 3 hours. If I needed to do emergency spellwork, they were always there. I didn’t need to run to the store and 72 candles will last you a while. A lot of grocery stores sell them for about $12-15 per box.

Perfume Waters

Being that I work with a lot of Caribbean spirits, perfume is used a lot! And there are so many perfumes available! Pompeiia, Reve D’Or, Florida Water, Hoyts Cologne, Rose Water, etc. The list goes on and on!

Florida Water – One of the things that is great about Florida Water is that it has cleansing properties as well as multi-purpose fragrance. It can be used it baths, to bless spiritual objects, as an offering to spirits, to cleanse your home of unwanted energies and it has a fresh, clean scent that you can wear on your body. Florida water has become a staple in my daily spiritual life and only costs $7.99 per bottle.

Hoyts Cologne – Hoyts Cologne normally runs the same price as Florida Water. This fragrance water is used primarily to bless and to feed charms, like lodestones, mojo bags and talismans.

Crusellas – This company makes a wide variety of colognes at $4.95 for a 4 oz bottle. They carry Gardenia, Vetiver, Lavender, Rose, Sandalwood, Kolonia 1800 and Tobacco. These are great for purifying sacred spaces, dressing candles and as offerings for the spirits. Besides that, they smell amazing. I especially love using them after taking a cleansing bath.

Olive Oil

This is the one thing that is probably in everybody’s cupboard. Olive oil is so simple and widely available. Olives are associated with peace, healing, protection and abundance which means that it can have a myriad of uses.

You can use it to make a conjure oil. There are a lot of spiritual oils on the market, ranging from $9-45. They can add up especially if you want different oils for different purposes. You can make your own oils by placing dried herbs in a bottle of olive oil for 3 weeks or more.

Another great use for olive oil is making a lamp. Lamps generate more power than a candle since they can become hotter. Spirits are attracted to that heat and can sit right in the lamp. The most simplest way to create a lamp is to take a ceramic bowl or ramekin, add your petition to it, olive oil and apply a floating wick. Lamps can also be housed inside a enamel container or even fruit (coconut, pineapple, squash, etc).

Floating Wicks

There are a few different types of floating wicks. Machetas La Milagrosa, which are commonly sold in botanicas are generally only $2.99 per box. They come with a piece of metal that floats with about 50 wicks inside. These types of wicks actually last a long time and the wick can be changed daily.

The second type are floating wicks from a Jewish supply shop. They are called Petilits. They are mini floating wicks that can last between 20 minutes and an hour. These are when you want to make a small prayer but do not want the lamp going for many hours.

And lastly, the Large Round Floating wicks. These are the same design as the Petilits, but they can last for hours.

Playing Cards

You can get a deck of playing cards for $3.00. They are insanely cheap! Not only can they be used in divination, but for spellwork too. There are plenty of books and online resources on how to divine with playing cards. I’ve commonly seen them placed in lamps where the petition was the card. Each card has an energy or spirit attached to it. This is based on the card Number (or person on the card), the suit (hearts, diamonds, clubs or speades) and the colors on the card. Ace of Hearts usually symbolizes love whereas the 10 of Spades represents death, loss, or a brutal end.