How to Do Your Altar Sessions

Ok, I will be posting more of the LWA and the information about them in the very near future but let’s get down to the basics of exactly how to set up the altar and have your sessions. If you don’t buy the love kits from the spellmaker site (which I strongly recommend because Mambo Samantha Corfield has already consecrated them with amazing power), here’s the way to set up your altar for your sessions.  Say you want to petition for help with love.  You would set up the altar honoring Erzulie Freda, the spirit of love.  On the altar you would place a lavender or pink colored candle, two of Erzulie’s favorite colors (any candles used in your sessions should be that color through and through; in other words, a lavender candle would have to be the lavender color through and through).  A white candle should also be on the altar because it makes the energy of the session pure and minus any negative energy.  There should also be a love incense which can be bought at any magic shop.  I happen to prefer the Spellmaker’s Madame Bridget’s Be My Love Slave because it smells so wonderful and always added a strong magical power to the sessions.  There is also a Be My Love Slave Oil at the spellmaker site (www.spellmaker.com) that is perfect to use for consecrating the candles.  Of course any magic shops on the web have magic oils as well; whatever your choice.  On the altar you should also place the symbols or veves for Alegba and Erzulie Freda (shown on my earlier posts), a picture of the Catholic saint equivalent for each of them (St. Peter for Alegba and the Virgin Mary for Erzulie Freda).  You should place a small dish with offerings for Erzulie.  I would put cakes, candies and any kinds of shiny jewelry (costume jewelry even from the local dollar store worked fine) as these are the things Erzulie loves.   I would also place offerings for Alegba as well on a separate dish (he likes small toy cars, sweets and rum) Somewhere on the altar should be a bell that can be rung to start and end each session.   These sessions should be done for 9 days straight (preferably at around the same time) and they should last for about 30-45 minutes each.  Always remember to put all candles out when the session is through to avoid any fire hazard.  The way I started the session was to first consecrate the candles with the love oil (consecrating with the oil merely consists of taking your index finger and rubbing the oil on the candle from the middle up and then all the way back down to the bottom; this is done all around the candle), ring the bell to begin then ask Alegba  (three times) to open the gates of communication so I could talk to the LWA.  I would say “Papa Alegba please open the gates so I can enter (the spirit kingdom).  Please open the gates Alegba.   Please open the gates for me Papa Alegba.  I’d wait a few seconds and then thank him.  Next, I would call out Erzulie's name (the LWA I was petitioning) and then hold up the offerings I had for her.  "I bring you food" I would say and then gently place the offerings back on the altar.  I'd lift the drink I had for her and say "I give you drink" and then place the drink back down on the alter and thank Erzulie for attending my session; Normally I would have my petition written up before hand and I would petition Erzulie to help bring my heart’s desire closer and closer to me.  I would go into thorough detail about exactly what I wanted to see happen (I'd state it as if it were already happening)  When the  session was over I would say to Erzulie, "Thank you for attending my session and for helping me with my situation. If it pleases you, you may now leave.  To Alegba I would say, “You can close the gates now Alegba, please close the gates, papa Alegba,  Please close the gates Alegba.  After a few seconds I'd thank him and I’d ring the bell to signify the end of the session.   Then I would carefully snuff out all candles (using a candle snuffer or a spoon - never blow out the candles). After 9 days of doing this ritual passed, I would take all offerings, candle and incense remnants and bury them under a tree, stomping the ground three times as I thanked the LWA for their help and then turned and walked away.  If I couldn’t manage to find a private enough place to bury them, I would place them in a paper bag (the bag must be paper) and dispose of it in a trash container distant from my home, thanking the LWA for their help and then just walk away.  All sessions are sacred and should be given the respect and honor they deserve.