A host of holiday Treasures

There's just something magical about the Yuletide season, no matter where you live or who you are. As bright candlelight mingles with the smells of pine and warm cookies and we perform our yearly rituals of song and family gatherings, the spirit of peace and goodwill seems to reach the heart of even the most cynical Scrooge.

In the pages of Yule, Dorothy Morrison presents a wonderful potpourri of holiday lore from around the world and throughout history, along with fun crafts, delicious recipes -- even a calendar of celebrations for every day in December.

Learn where the traditions of the season originated -- for instance, did you know that the ringing of bells was meant to drive away the demons who inhabited the darkest days of the year? That leaving cookies for Santa mirrors the old tradition of leaving a loaf of bread on the table overnight to bring prosperity in the new year? That the Yule log can be traced back to the ancient Greeks?

Need a recipe for wassail or plum pudding? Tips for your holiday party? Want to make the season special by making your own decorative crafts and gifts? That's just a sampling of what's inside.

Best of all, Yule shows that the spirit of the season is universal and, however we choose to celebrate and worship, we can all join together in the spirit of peace, love, and harmony at this special time of the year.

Looking for simple solutions for today's problems: computer viruses, traffic that drives you crazy, and an overextended schedule?

There's an easy way to incorporate magic into your life without adding more stress to it. Everyday Magic updates the ancient arts to fit your busy lifestyle. It promotes the use of modern convenience items as viable magical tools, and it incorporates the use of easy-to-find spell ingredients--most of which are already in your kitchen cabinet. It discusses the items and forces that boost magical work, as well as offering a multitude of time-saving tips and a large assortment of recipes for creating your own incenses, potions, and powders. More than 300 spells and rituals cover the everyday concerns of the modern practitioner.-- Set your spell into motion and speed up the results with "magical boosters"-- Magnify your focused intent and energy flow with herbs, flowers, trees, and stones-- Learn how to perform ancient arts with modern tools: your coffee maker, blender and crock pot-- Make your own magical powders, sachets, bath salts, potpourris, incenses and oils-- Discover the secret to success in magical workings-- Practical spells for more than 300 purposes

1999 COVR AWARD WINNER

A special edition of the acclaimed magazine journal under the new name of simply Hoodoo and Conjure is here In all its gloriousness and fabulous writ, this special edition publication of Hoodoo and Conjure: New Orleans brings to you a fantastic collection of articles from a variety of notable as well as up and coming authors. The majority of the articles center on aspects of New Orleans Voodoo and Hoodoo, however, we also include some fantastic articles about southern conjure traditions in general. Here we go...are you ready? FEATURE STORIES: Get the original story about Mary Oneida Toups by the original author, 6th generation New Orleans born Alyne Pustanio And, New Orleans-Style Day of the Dead with Sallie Ann Glassman and In Memorium: Coco Robicheaux by Alyne Pustanio; Digging in the Dirt by Dorothy Morrison; The Wishing Tomb of Marie Laveaux by Denise Alvarado; Tituba, the Black Witch of Salem by Witchdoctor Utu; Food as Medzin and Spellwork with the Dead by Ya Ya Madrina Angelique; The Graveyard Snake and the Ancestors by Dr. Snake; Holy Death and the Seven Insights: A Gay Man's Story of Self-Transformation and his Search for Love, Adventures in Ghost Hunting by Carolina Dean; I Reckon it Might be a Sign of Things to Come by H. Byron Ballard; Wicca and Voodoo: Bringing the Two Together by Nish Perez; Wicca and Voodoo: Rhythms by Louis Martinie; Crimson Light through Muddy Water: Southern Goth as an Occult Reality by Tim Broussard; Uncrossing Land by Aaron Leitch; Throwing Dem Bones by Danette Wilson; Conjure with the Goetia by Devi Spring. PHOTO ESSAY: Herein lies the Poor and the Indigent: A Photo Essay of Holt Cemetery by Denise Alvarado and Alyne Pustanio. INTERNATIONAL CONJURE: Mystery of a Sacred Sastun and The Trinity of Stones: An Interview with Winsom Winsom by Rev.Roots; El Dia de Los Muertos by Denise Alvarado. TUTORIAL: How to Make a New Orleans Style Rope Doll by Denise Alvarado. MEDIA REVIEW: American Horror Story: Coven by Denise Alvarado. Plus, recipes and formulas and more Illustrated in full color with stunning artwork and photography, Hoodoo and Conjure: New Orleans will keep you visually, intellectually and spiritually stimulated and inspired to explore the mysteries of the sacred and the profane of the American South and the wide world of conjure.