Parran Matt's Blog

Top 10 Things You Don't Know About My Wife!

Of course you all know my wife, the delectable Mambo Sam. But I think there are few things you don't know about her:

10. She types in her sleep, literally. I guess all those hours on the computer just go to bed with her.

9.   She plays a mean "Guitar Hero."

8.   She is not as tough-skinned as you think she is.

7.   She can't cast her fishing line very far but always catches the biggest fish. (Wait a minute, I think she made me say that.  I am sure I caught the biggest fish last time. No, I am mistaken, SHE caught the biggest fish.)

6.   She worries, thinks about, stews over clients just about every waking moment.

5.   She cannot be beat at Scrabble.

4.   She can cook eggs at least 20 different ways (all good).

3.   She will do almost anything to avoid hurting someone's feelings.

2.   She can shoot straight if she doesn't have to shoot too far.

1.   ....it really IS from "The Chambers of the Enchantress."  (If you don't know what that means, I guess you will just have to stick around and be a Spellmaker client longer!)

Have fun out there people!

Parran Matt

Voodoo Debt Eliminator!

Since I am a former letter carrier I could not help but sharing this one.  (So that is why I have back trouble!)

Faith.

In my duties as Parran of our House, I get asked a lot about the question of "faith."  How to keep the faith? What to do prove what you have faith in, etc.  I am no expert on faith, but I do know that life is pretty bleak if you have faith in nothing.  My wife, Mambo Sam, once said to me that it was really easy to have faith when things were going great, it is when things are going terrible and we need faith that we seem to have it the least. I couldn't agree with her more.  Good days bring great faith, but who needs faith on good days?  It's those bad days where we need our faith.

Mightier writers than me have written a lot about faith and I thought I would share with you some of the quotes I have found.  I hope you enjoy them and keep them for those days when your faith is in short supply.

Faith is like radar that sees through the fog.  ~Corrie Ten Boom, Tramp for the Lord


Reason is our soul's left hand, Faith her right.  ~John Donne


Faith is reason grown courageous.  ~Sherwood Eddy


Doubt is a pain too lonely to know that faith is his twin brother.  ~Kahlil Gibran


Fear knocked at the door.  Faith answered.  And lo, no one was there.  ~Author Unknown


If there was no faith there would be no living in this world.  We couldn't even eat hash with safety.  ~Josh Billings, His Complete Works, 1888


Faith, to my mind, is a stiffening process, a sort of mental starch.  ~E.M. Forster


Faith is spiritualized imagination.  ~Henry Ward Beecher


Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens.  ~J.R.R. Tolkien


Faith is courage; it is creative while despair is always destructive.  ~David S. Muzzey


Faith is a passionate intuition.  ~William Wordsworth


To me faith means not worrying.  ~John Dewey


Faith is putting all your eggs in God's basket, then counting your blessings before they hatch.  ~Ramona C. Carroll


Every tomorrow has two handles.  We can take hold of it by the handle of anxiety, or by the handle of faith.  ~Author Unknown


Faith is the bird that sings when the dawn is still dark.  ~Rabindranath Tagore


He who has faith has... an inward reservoir of courage, hope, confidence, calmness, and assuring trust that all will come out well - even though to the world it may appear to come out most badly.  ~B.C. Forbes


A faith of convenience is a hollow faith.  ~Father Mulcahy, M*A*S*H, "A Holy Mess," 1982


Be like the bird that, passing on her flight awhile on boughs too slight, feels them give way beneath her, and yet sings, knowing that she hath wings.  ~Victor Hugo


Faith makes things possible, not easy.  ~Author Unknown


Faith is raising the sail of our little boat until it is caught up in the soft winds above and picks up speed, not from anything within itself, but from the vast resources of the universe around us.  ~W. Ralph Ward


Faith... must be enforced by reason.... When faith becomes blind it dies.  ~Mahatma Gandhi


Faith and doubt both are needed - not as antagonists, but working side by side to take us around the unknown curve.  ~Lillian Smith


As your faith is strengthened you will find that there is no longer the need to have a sense of control, that things will flow as they will, and that you will flow with them, to your great delight and benefit.  ~Emmanuel


In faith there is enough light for those who want to believe and enough shadows to blind those who don't.  ~Blaise Pascal


Faith enables persons to be persons because it lets God be God.  ~Carter Lindberg


Weave in faith and God will find the thread.  ~Author Unknown


A little faith will bring your soul to heaven, but a lot of faith will bring heaven to your soul.  ~Author Unknown


Faith can move mountains, but don't be surprised if God hands you a shovel.  ~Author Unknown


A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything.  ~Friedrich Nietzsche


Faith, indeed, has up to the present not been able to move real mountains.... But it can put mountains where there are none.  ~Friedrich Nietzche, Human, All Too Human, 1879


Faith is believing in things when common sense tells you not to.  ~George Seaton


Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.  ~Martin Luther King Jr.


Faith makes the discords of the present the harmonies of the future.  ~Robert Collyer


Feed your faith and your fears will starve to death.  ~Author Unknown


Life without faith in something is too narrow a space to live.  ~George Lancaster Spalding

The LaPlace's of Our House

It has taken me a little bit of time to get my thoughts together for blogging. One thing that I thought my be interesting is to write a little bit about the role of the "LaPlace" in our New Orleans Voodoo House.

At our convention last year we had the great experience of appointing the two gentlemen who are now the LaPlace's of our House. They did a great job and we look forward to the many years we are sure to have together.

We didn't have a lot of time to explain to everyone the exact role of the LaPlace. The LaPlace's are still learning and will continue to do so as their service continues. But basically, the LaPlace's, along with the father of the house (that's me), are the guardians and protectors of the house.

So first and foremost, the role of the LaPlace is to protect The House in every way possible. Historically this role was much more arduous than it is today. Literally, the LaPlaces physically guarded The House. The LaPlace was armed and ready to kill to protect The House. Rival "flag boys" as they were called (as they protected the flag of the house) were known to battle in elaborate rituals and fights. Each of our LaPlace's was given a bell at the Convention. The bell of the LaPlace at one time was used to alert the members of the house of danger or threat so that they could get away.

The bell was/is also the link between the different LaPlace's of the House and the Father of the House. The Father of the House is the guardian over the LaPlace's and, in turn, the LaPlace's are the guardian of the father. The bell of the LaPlace is used to call for the father of the house if needed and is a spiritual link as well. The ringing of the bell when danger is not present signifies that the LaPlace needs the protection or guidance of the father of the house.

The LaPlace also uses his bell to communicate in secret with the other LaPlaces of his house (and with the father of the house). Houses have elaborate "bell codes" that the LaPlaces can use during ceremonies or every day life to communicate with each other and the father of the house. This is often done in ritual so as to not interrupt the ritual with talking but rather soft bell ringing which has meaning and is a way of communicating without talking. This is also done to alert each other of some kind of danger or inappropriate behavior that might just be starting and the LaPlace's want to alert each other and the father, but not necessarily alarm the congregation. (The LaPlaces and the father of the house determine these codes.)

Today LaPlaces tend to have the duties of keeping rituals flowing properly, attending to the congregation, all while keeping the peace and watching out for any kinds of inappropriate behavior. LaPlaces also bring to the attention of the father of the house anyone or anything that could be considered a threat to the peace, reputation, or progress of the house.

We are very lucky to have our two wonderful LaPlaces, both of whom will learn much, much more about their roles as time passes.

TAke care all, Parran Matt

Time to Blog!

Hello to all out there! Before I get into today's post I want to apologize for taking so long to get into the idea of blogging. I am not a person who usually writes what I want to say. I usually prefer to talk to someone face-to-face and it is taking me some time to get used to the idea of mass messages, text messages, and all of the other media we use to communicate with each other now.

But I have to say that I am starting to enjoy the idea of social and business communication on the computer and so I promise to make time to blog!

So what would you like to hear from me? Are there subjects that you would like to hear my perspective on from my position in our New Orleans Voodoo family? I have some ideas, but certainly would like to hear from all of you on an ideas you have for me.

Looking forward to communicating with you all!

Best to all,
Parran Matt

Happy Easter!

While I realize that not everyone may celebrate Easter, let me say if you do, please have a happy and safe day.  Enjoy your family, friends, and especially yourself. 

The religious aspect of this holiday may be a Christian one to most, but there are also pagan aspects of the holiday.  While Easter primarily serves as a day of remembrance and rejoicing over the Resurrection of Christ, many of the traditions and symbols of Easter are actually based on pagan traditions and symbols.

Since Easter has always taken place during the spring, it became interwined with pagan celebrations of the arrival of spring and renewal of life. In Europe and Asia, this time was dedicated to goddesses of fertility and birth. In Saxon mythology one of the main goddesses was known  as "Oestre" or "Eastre." Quite a few authors and historians consider this goddess's name to be the origin of the name "Easter."

What about those Easter eggs and rabbits?   These are meant to symbolize reproduction and were thought to invoke the fertility of spring. Even the painted eggs and egg-hunts originated from pagan ceremonies of various cultures!  Eggs were painted and hidden even by the Babylonians as part of the rites of the beginning of spring with vigorous contests proving strength and ability.

Just something to think about while you are enjoying those chocolate bunnies!

Love, Parran Matt

The Godfather

Hey everyone.  As many of you know from the 2007 Albuquerque Voodoo Convention, I have finished a large portion of my New Orleans Voodoo training.  This is of course not to say that I don't still have a lot to learn because obviously I do.  But taking my position beside my wife, Marran Sam, as head of our Voodoo family is something that I take very seriously.

So you might wonder, what IS a Parran?  Technically the term means "godfather" - this term is adapted for use in the New Orleans Voodoo heirarchy to mean the spiritual Father of a particular Voodoo family.  Parran is the title that is used by the public and followers of the family who are not initiated into the family.  (Actual initiates of the family use the term "MaPere" - my father - when referring to me.  Interestingly in most Cajun families, MaPere refers to the actual grandfather of the family.  This is supposed to be taken from parents referring to their own fathers to their children as "my father" to explain to a child who the grandfather of the family is. However, the term MaPere is used by the children of a Voodoo family to describe their spiritual father. It's a little confusing, but makes sense when you think about it.)

Another question probably is, what does a Parran do?  First off, I am very active in our business, www.spellmaker.com.  Besides my spiritual duties for the family, I assist in consecrating of items, shipping, working on the website, ordering, product development, packaging, and general day-to-day operations.  A lot of my participation in the business is much more behind the scenes than Mambo Sam (Marran Sam).  You may not see me but I am always there!

Marran and I work together almost every day.  We are blessed in that we work well together and complement each other very well in our work ethics.

Right now we are working on developing new packaging systems for products so that they arrive in the best possible condition to you.  Additionally, we are planning the 2008 Albuquerque Voodoo Convention.  I hope to meet many more of you this year.  I am looking forward to seeing old friends and making new ones. 

Until next time, take care everyone and many blessings to you all, Parran Matt.

How to Lose a Man - Part I

Hello everyone.  As you know I am Mambo Sam's husband and co-owner of our business, www.spellmaker.com.  Right now I am the lone "male voice" of our Spellmaker family!  Now that is not a bad position to be in, believe me.  The ladies of Spellmaker are a mighty force to be reckoned with!

Over the years, many times in speaking with our female clients, I see things that they could really avoid doing.  Sometimes the lady is in a troubled relationship with no clue that some of the trouble is "her."  (Now don't get all upset with me just yet.  I do promise to later on address the issue of what "he" does to lose his relationship with you!  Believe me, I definitely see two sides to every story.  I am very much a "what is good for the goose is good for the gander" type of guy.)

But the truth is that 75% of our clients are women - wonderful and beautiful and good women.  But the things I see some of them doing really give me cause to pause. So I am going to share with you Part I of "How to Lose a Man."  (But pay attention, men, a lot of this can apply to you, too!):

1. Don't bother getting to know him. Instead try to immediately turn him into what you think he should be. "Because that will work."  Do you want a puppet or a man?  If you don't like him just the way he is, don't be with him.  He is not a "fixer upper."  You wouldn't want to be viewed that way, don't do it to him.

2. Ask his opinion and immediately do the opposite.  If you think you are "involving" him in your life by asking his opinion when you don't really want it, you are mistaken.  All that happens is that he feels like you don't value what he has to say.

3. Rather than sit down and talk "it" out try to manipulate the situation in your favor.  Men do want to talk about whatever it is that is bothering you.  They don't want to talk about it for hours, but they do want to talk about it.  Being manipulative, conniving, and whiney is unattractive (for either sex!)

4. Withhold sex when you don't get your way or for any other controlling reason.  If you use sex as a weapon in  your relationship, then the sexual intimacy in your relationship will cease to be about love and will be about who is controlling whom.

5. Cheat on him, hide it, and when you get caught find some way to blame it on your man.  "You're never there for me." 

6. Always have to be right and when you find out you are right, rub it in his face.

7. Don't let him help you with anything, always be the "fiercely independent woman."

8. Take your female friends' side against your man and later use that to attack him. "You know what Susie said about you?  I think she might be on to something."  Your man could care less what Susie thinks about his relationship with you!  Leave her out of it.

9. Play the jealousy game: Go out of your way to make your man jealous and then get angry when he shows it.

10.  Make sure he knows that he never does anything right. Never be satisfied with what he gets you or does for you.  Be sure to criticize his choices where you are concerned:  "I don't like daisies."  "That color is all wrong for me."  "I know you meant well, but...."   If he stopped at the convenience store and saw a little bouquet he thought would brighten your day, know that he meant it lovingly.  He was thinking of you even if he didn't got to the florist and get two dozen of the finest roses. 

So there's a start on how to lose a man.  I will definitely post more soon and can't wait to get started on what we guys do wrong!  ;-)

Welcome to My Blog!

Hello everyone!  I am Matt Corfield, co-owner of www.SPELLMAKER.com.  I hope you enjoy my blog.