Brujeria in South Texas


Book Description

A pile of puzzling objects suddenly appears on Isabella’s porch step. As more of the same piles clutter her lawn each passing day, Isabella’s health deteriorates, arousing her best friend Bonnie to suspect brujeria in a sinister plan to destroy Isabella. Dr. Zuniga, a renowned anthropologist, confirms Bonnie’s suspicions after seeing the evidence in Polaroids taken by Isabella and advises her that only an experienced curandero or priest can break these powerful spells. When Isabella turns to Father Andrew for help, she is unaware he carries a dark secret that traces his family lineage back to Eve and the Serpent in the Garden of Eden, a link tying him to the 13 ruling families of the powerful elite. To deliver Isabella from the forces of evil, Father Andrew must travel back in time to confront deeply embedded memories of unspeakable crimes against humanity. To save a life, the perilous path into the past may cost him his own life. In a region of the country where palm trees, the gulf breeze, piñata fiestas, and Tejano music pervade the heart of deep South Texas, old family traditions, along with a tequila blend of Hispanic and American values, invariably clash against witchcraft rituals and satanic sacrifices.




The Modern Art of Brujería


Book Description

"This modern take on traditional witchcraft will introduce newcomers to the unique and vibrant traditions of magical practice. Drawing inspiration from Latin American and Afro-Caribbean regions, The Modern Art of Brujería takes readers on a journey through spirituality. Touching on historical colonial impact, this book offers new approaches to practicing traditional magic that support and uplift cultures that were once oppressed for their beliefs"--




Blood of Brujeria


Book Description

WHAT IS THIS BOOK ABOUT Mexican brujería (witchcraft) is generally assumed to be just the folk magical practices of Mexico and its borders. But, the magic, spells, and rituals of Mexican brujería are very much a system of their own. It is deeper, darker, and rooted in the teachings of the Mexican ancestors. In the pre-hispanic societies, brujería was revered, and those who had the gifts to perform it were much respected, as well as feared. This book explores the basic concepts of Mexican brujería by clearly presenting it as its own distinctive branch of magic. Brujería isn't just cursing and hurting people without reason; it's a powerful means for defense and the fight for fairness in the face of injustice. A knife is a tool commonly used to prepare food; it has no intention of its own. It can also be employed for violence. The one who holds the tool decides its purpose. The spells and trabajos (spiritual workings) within this book are placed in the reader's hands to use as they decide. We hope that this book can serve the community as a working guide that will lay bare and rectify common misconceptions and misunderstandings. In our first book, Magia Magia: Invoking Mexican Magic, we explored the magical folk practices of our ancestors and their current iterations. Traditional Mexican brujería and its practices warrant their own conversation. In this book we explore brujería, not from an outsider or academic perspective, but through first-hand spiritual accounts. Blood of Brujería tells the stories we were told, and the magical lessons we were taught. This is the brujería we grew up with. This is the brujería we were warned to stay away from. This is the brujería of our blood. Tienes la llave, abre la puerta. You have the key, unlock the door.




The Mexican Witch Lifestyle


Book Description

Discover the vibrant culture of brujeria and embrace your own inner witch with this essential guide to spellcasting, spirit worship, tarot, crystals, and all the other elements of this increasingly popular lifestyle. A modern Mexican bruja is a powerful person, one who reads the tarot and performs spellwork and rituals of devotion to their spirit guides and deities. Brujeria, which translates as witchcraft in Spanish, is a unique form of spirituality that blends core elements of Afro-Indigenous beliefs. Having originated in Mexico, brujeria is now practiced in Latinx communities across the world. Valeria Ruelas was raised living every aspect of the brujeria lifestyle. From shopping at botanicas and yerberias, to casting spells, to interpreting tarot readings, Valeria has today become one of the foremost practitioners of brujeria in the US. And as part of her daily practice, she seeks to bring the intense wisdom, harmony, and spirituality that comes with living this bruja lifestyle to her followers and returning power and ancestral magic to those whose agency has been lost. Within these pages, Valeria provides you with an expert’s introductory handbook for all the aspects of brujeria, including, -Respectfully shopping at a yerberia or botanica -A complete guide to common crystals -Essentials for your altar -A introduction to tarot -Spells to bring luck, love, and good fortune -The secrets of Santa Muerte ​​​Comprehensive and inspiring, The Mexican Witch Lifestyle is the perfect guide for anyone curious to learn more about this vibrant culture of witchcraft.




Crossroads of Conjure


Book Description

Explore the Fascinating World of Southern Folk Magic Featuring an introductory look at Granny Magic, Hoodoo, Brujería, and Curanderismo in the American South, Crossroads of Conjure provides a fresh perspective on folk magic. This authentic and powerful book demonstrates how these systems are interconnected, celebrates their sustainability, and dispels the myths and misunderstandings about them. Learn about each path's beliefs, practitioners, history, and how its traditions are carried on in modern society. Discover the techniques practitioners use for healing, survival, protection, and more. This entertaining and informative exploration of folk magic also helps you determine which practice resonates with you the most.




Magia Magia


Book Description

Like Mexico, the witchcraft and spell casting of the borderland people is diverse, colorful, and deeply-rooted in its history. With origins from the early Mexican natives and influence from the European colonizers, the magic of Mexico is truly unique. As traditions continue to blend and transform into new identities, the power of hechicería (spell-casting) continues to grow today with influences rooted in Asia, Romani culture, the Caribbean, and more.The purpose of this book is not to explain the history of the magic from Mexico, but present you with the spells and formula to begin your practice. This powerful but practical magia (magic) is filled with alma y corazón (heart and soul) and lays a strong foundation for this introductory book. Many of the hechizos (spells) presented here are time-tested methods and were developed to help you manifest protection, love, luck, and aid in spiritual cleansing. To advance your spell work and magic, several unique divination methods are included to help you communicate with the ancestors and guide you along your path. We also want to be transparent in stating that most of the magia contained within these pages may have origins from Mexico, but is mostly derived from the Texas-Mexican border where we grew up, and may differ greatly from the magic of interior or Central Mexico.As the Curandera (folk healer) Maria Sabina of Oaxaca once said, "There is a world beyond ours, a world that is far away, nearby and invisible." From El Paso to Brownsville and along the Rio Grande, this folk magic thrives hidden under the guise of Catholic Saints and ancestral shrines. We are proud to present and preserve the ancestral knowledge that flourishes as our fam-ilies and culture continue to do so. Now, you can learn the ways as they were taught to us by our elders.




The Sacred Art of Brujeria


Book Description

This beginner-friendly guide is the ideal choice for understanding and practicing brujería--the healing witchcraft of Mexico and the American Southwest. Adapted from a twelve-month series of classes, The Sacred Art of Brujería is a hands-on learning tool that features practical techniques, engaging exercises, and clear explanations of a wide variety of brujería-related topics. This remarkable how-to book is unlike any other, covering everything from the history and divine figures of brujería to the healing, protection, and money magic that you can utilize in daily life. Explore power words and breath work, treat spiritual maladies, perform different types of limpia (cleansing and clearing), and learn about brujería as a business. Professional bruja Katrina Rasbold gives you an insider's look at this sacred practice and how it helps others as well as yourself.




Witchcraft and Welfare


Book Description

Persecuted as evil during colonial times, considered charlatans during the nation-building era, Puerto Rican brujos (witch-healers) today have become spiritual entrepreneurs who advise their clients not only in consultation with the spirits but also in compliance with state laws and new economic opportunities. Combining trance, dance, magic, and healing practices with expertise in the workings of the modern welfare state, they help lawyers win custody suits, sick employees resolve labor disability claims, single mothers apply for government housing, or corporation managers maximize their commercial skills. Drawing on extensive fieldwork among practicing brujos, this book presents a masterful history and ethnography of Puerto Rican brujería (witch-healing). Raquel Romberg explores how brujería emerged from a blending of popular Catholicism, Afro-Latin religions, French Spiritism, and folk Protestantism and also looks at how it has adapted to changes in state policies and responded to global flows of ideas and commodities. She demonstrates that, far from being an exotic or marginal practice in the modern world, brujería has become an invisible yet active partner of consumerism and welfare capitalism.




WitchCraft Cocktails


Book Description

A stunning collection of 70 witchcraft-inspired drink recipes with inspiration for creating your very own spirited cocktails to benefit your practice. For centuries, witches have been using spirits of all forms during rituals and celebrations. Now, today’s modern witch can learn how to make the perfect powerful witchcraft cocktail. All you need is a delicious and easy recipe, a bottle of your favorite booze, and a desire to get witchy. In WitchCraft Cocktails, you will find 70 recipes for alcohol-based beverages that are sure to help you in your craft. Designed for healing, spells, offerings, and just plain fun, there’s nothing these boozy drinks can’t do! Need a love potion to help woo your lover? Maybe a tincture to heal a cold? Or perhaps you’re looking for the perfect witch-themed signature cocktail to serve at your next gathering. Regardless of what you’re looking for, this book has you covered and includes tips on how to use your witch’s brew to further your practice—and have fun!




Curanderismo


Book Description

The practice of curanderismo, or Mexican American folk medicine, is part of a historically and culturally important health care system deeply rooted in native Mexican healing techniques. This is the first book to describe the practice from an insider's point of view, based on the authors' three-year apprenticeships with curanderos (healers). Robert T. Trotter and Juan Antonio Chavira present an intimate view of not only how curanderismo is practiced but also how it is learned and passed on as a healing tradition. By providing a better understanding of why curanderos continue to be in demand despite the lifesaving capabilities of modern medicine, this text will serve as an indispensable resource to health professionals who work within Mexican American communities, to students of transcultural medicine, and to urban ethnologists and medical anthropologists.