Today I was in Hollywood running some errands, and I happened to see a Botanica (on Melrose). I recalled from Baba's book that some of the items used in several of his effects were found and just such a shop.

I entered the darkened room cautiously. The smell of incense was strong. Candles were burning everywhere I looked. After looking around a bit, a woman approached me and asked if I needed any help. I explained why I was there, and that I was looking for several items that were sacred to several of the spirits. She pointed out a few things, and I wound up with some rather cool stuff.

I got an Ellegua head (cement with cowrie shells, there are several pics of these in Baba's book), a Macuto amulet of Ogun, a small statue of Shango (with some tiny coins embedded in wax underneath it), an 1 1/2" long tooth (??), and an interesting bracelet. The kind woman that helped me, told me both the Santeria names for these and the Catholic names, but I lost the piece of paper I wrote them down on. Could anyone help me out with these? Baba?

I'm going to work on his Invoke effect. This is going to be cool...

Eleggua=st anthony
ogun=st christopher
chango= st barbara (yes, a woman, despite his maleness. shes a warrior, thus the correlation)
the tooth is probably water bison, or perhaps coyote if its caninine.

ask away, I live to relate this science to my fellow brethren o bizarre.

Baba

The tooth has a "canine" shape to it, but I'd be surprised if there was a coyote out there with this big of a tooth. It's almost as long as my little finger, and similar in diameter (at its widest point).

Wikipedia links Ogun to St. Peter and St. George (as well and St. Sebastian). I suppose their are a variety of correlations.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogoun

Also, what can you tell me about Macuto Amulets?

Thanks for your quick reply!

I will have to go hunt this store down when I get back to L.A. Thanks for the heads up Dr Mage...

Dec

Ok, Ogun vibrates to st. chris in VODOU. and YES yu will find that in different countries, mainly carribean, the saints differ here and therem according to what aspects are focused on in whatever House(path)...

eshu eleggua is also seen as christ, for christ too is the SUN and his cross is the crossroads...
yet, said spirit is seen as mentioned, as st. anthony, the keys to the Door. and eshu is the Doorkeeper.....

macuto is simply carried or kept on ones altar as yet another focus point to gather/invoke said spirits ase(energy, chi, kundalini, holy spirit)--pronounced ASHAY....

the tooth. yes, but I wear a real lions tooth. its huge, but you have to think of the portion that's in th gums--so perhaps its still said animal, but looks bigger being that its been pulled from root..

either way, enjy the botanicas whilst theyre still around. they are a dying breed, not unlike our brick and mortar magic shops.......

type in santeria in that green board where yu bid your life away...lots of stuff...I even sell there when I can....

Baba

PS. I FREAKIN LOVE TALK BLASPHEMY. makes me all warm and fuzzy.....

The woman in the Botanica tried to tell me what the tooth was for, but I could not understand her. It was something specific to Santeria.

I simply nodded, and she went on...