The Diary of a Rootwork Student: Reader/Rootworker of the Month: Professor Ames

http://skullbone-emporium.com/index.html

Ok folks! The long awaited "Reader/Rootworker of the Month" is finally making it's debut on my blog.
*squee!*

For November we have Professor Ames of The Skullbone Emporium. I have had the pleasure of working with him just recently over a job loss/gain as well as picking his brain on insights and discoveries I have made along the way with his divination's.

What really makes this individual stand out to me is his genuine interest and concern for his clients. He did not know me from a hole in the ground on Facebook, but treated me like I was a long lost friend.
Without having to ask for help, he just DID IT. His gracious gentle nature and care for others makes him a very empathetic worker in my opinion... Something you just don't see a whole lot these days.

Even Wild Deer LOVE him!... Yes, Wild Deer.

http://skullbone-emporium.com/index.html

While he is not YET a member of AIRR, he is a graduate of the Lucky Mojo Hoodoo Rootwork Correspondence Course given by Cat Yronwode and has done the Apprentice works.

He can also be found in the chat room during the Lucky Mojo Curio Co. Rootwork Hour hosted on BlogTalk Radio every Sunday at 3pm PST/6pm CT. under the name of "Professor Ames".

Feel free to say "Hello" but please do not bother him or any other readers during that time as they are there to relax, unwind, and commune with other workers and friends.
You never know... you may even get a chance to witness him participating in a reading (in the chat) using various forms of divination! It is always exciting to see that. His predictions are dead on!

My personal favorite divination from Professor Ames is his Lenormand Card readings. They are literal and to the point. Being a Capricorn, I don't have time for the "sugar coating" and this fits me perfectly for which Professor Ames must have "known" ;)

http://skullbone-emporium.com/index.html#divination

The accuracy with his readings is downright SCARY. If it doesn't make sense to you at the present moment... it WILL later. I needed a crash helmet with all of the "OMG.. You were right's! and Holy CH*T... It Happened's"

He also has shown quite a gift with Geomancy, but don't ask me about that... I am not familiar with that form of divination just yet.
Who better to ask, than the man who gives such readings.. And with that I give you : Professor Ames!

Name: Professor Ames

Do you belong to a professional association that requires readers and rootworkers to abide by a code of ethics?

No, but I abide by that same code of ethics personally.

What kinds of readings do you perform?

I am primarily an astrologer, but I’m also a big fan of the Lenormand deck use that quite frequently. The results are accurate and exacting. I also throw bones, do a bit of geomancy, and read the Playing Card Oracle and do a new form of divination called Astrogem, which is a blend of astrology and geomancy and uses various gemstones for mnemonic devices. I’m always up to exploring and learning new systems – next up is the Petit Etteila.

Which of the reading styles you use are most popular with your clients?

I mix astrology with Lenormand quite frequently. Astrology is good for timing and overall energy patterns. It’s highly flexible, so can answer anything from when is a good time to start my new business, to where should I move, to what happened to my wallet. Lenormand is great for specifics on what led up to an issue and what is the expected course of things. It’s also great for questions about specific people.

http://skullbone-emporium.com/index.html#divination

Who was or were your divination teacher or teachers?

I’m predominantly self-taught as are so many folks. I started learning astrology when I was about 12. The writings of Robert Hand have been most influential in that realm. For card reading, I learned Ana Cortez’s system with her cards and for Lenormand, I started with Sylvie Steinbach, since it’s one of the few English language texts on it. The internet has provided a huge resource and I like Andy Cerru’s approach to reading Lenormand. I’m very traditional and his approach syncs well with mine.

Do you prescribe spiritual supplies for the people you read for?

It’s a mix. Most people who are interested in the astrology side of things simply want to know information and patterns. People who are drawn to the cartomancy often want some rootwork done as well. Others come to me with the intention of rootwork being done and the divination is incidental.

http://skullbone-emporium.com/index.html#rootwork

Do you teach spell-casting or do magical coaching with your reading clients?

Not generally. I give them the instructions for doing the work (for instance if they are doing a spiritual bath, I tell them the specifics of timing and how to dispose of the water, etc.). I am however working on a series of classes locally that focuses on teaching traditional hoodoo workings as a means to discover the underlying principles of that system. I’m calling it Charm School… haha, get it, “charm” school…

How and when did you first hear about hoodoo rootwork?

I grew up with my father and grandfather always saying that somebody got “hoodoo’d” or had the “hoodoo” put to ‘em. I thought it was just a silly saying or that it was a different word for voodoo. I explored a little of it when I was living in New Orleans and I’d frequent the “Voodoo Shop.” I ran across cat yronwode’s Lucky Mojo website through a book by Jason Miller (which I can’t remember the title of), and then the lightbulb went on. All of that superstitious stuff that had been going on around me as a kid had a name. It was truly getting back to my roots.

http://skullbone-emporium.com/Work.html

Who was or were your rootwork teacher or teachers?

The wonderful cat yronwode of course.

How long have you been professionally practicing divination, psychic reading, hoodoo rootwork, or conjure doctoring for clients?

I’ve done astrology for folks for years and years, mixing it with rootwork and other divinations has only come in the last few years.

What kinds of hoodoo spell-casting cases have you handled successfully in the past?

I read a lot for business folks. I have one regular client that I see monthly for readings on her entrepreneurial business. Some of the standouts recently were a woman who was looking for a boyfriend, I managed to deliver not one, but two of them…. LOL. Another friend’s boyfriend was interviewing for a job and I did some work with dirt from the business and some dressed candle work. They created a position for him that hadn’t existed and gave him the offer within days.
*Ok...Professor Ames, I have a project for you!(Me)*

http://skullbone-emporium.com/Toby.html

Can you provide me with any references from among your clients?

There’s a lovely woman that lives out in the SF bay area that I did some divination work for and I believe she got good and accurate results… <g>
*See above "Rave" for proof (Me)*

Can you send or show me any pictures of altar work that you have performed for other clients?

Yes, I should have some pictures of works that have been done.

http://skullbone-emporium.com/index.html

What are your strong suits as a magical spell caster and rootworker?

Love and business I’d say.

What are your weaknesses as a magical spell caster and rootworker?

I have very little experience working court cases and legal cases, and frankly little interest in it.

Do you have any moral or religious limitations on the kind of magic spells you will perform for others? If so, what are they?

The work needs to be justified. I’ll usually take the softer approach first. So, someone might ask me to kill off their ex, but I’ll usually guide them to something like simply having them move away. I won’t work with clients who refuse mundane approaches and medical care. I’ll only engage in healing work if they can demonstrate that they have seen a doctor or psychologist and are following that course. I won’t support abuse.

Do you work according to the precepts of a particular religion, and if so, which one?

I was raised Southern Baptists and though I no longer am in that church most of the work follows Protestant Christian lines (use of Psalms and the Bible and petitions to a Judeo-Christian God and the Holy Spirit). Ironically, I’m not a religious person, but I have really enjoyed reading the Bible not as a device to thump on, but as a magical textbook. I will work with ancestral spirits and a couple of saints. Saints are foreign to me as a Protestant and so I don’t think that way normally. I do not work with any deities outside the Judeo-Christian faith, but I’m also okay with not working with any deities at all if that’s more comfortable for my client. I just don’t have any relationship with ATR deities or the gods or goddesses of other religions.

How long do you think I should have to wait before I can see results from your spell casting or altar work if we are going to have positive movement ?

Signs withing 3 days, movement in 3 weeks is the general rule. Usually divination will give me some indication of time period.

What could I be doing at home in combination with your rootwork and prayers to improve the chances that my aims and goals will be achieved?

There is always mundane work to be done. If you’re sending out resumes, dress them. If you are working on healing, then be sure to take your meds and do your physical therapy. There are lots of magical activities that folks can do at home, spiritual baths are usually the big one. Burning a candle, or carrying and managing a relationship with a mojo bag is another. Clients always have to be participants in the work.

http://skullbone-emporium.com/index.html

If the spell casting or altar work I hire you to do is not successful, how would you suggest that I proceed next?

There’s no guarantee on magical work, especially if we are working against the divination. If you find the door is locked, then it’s a sign to try to open a different door. I am also happy to recommend other excellent rootworkers that I know if you want. I’m more than happy to describe to them what approach we took and hand you off to their methods. There are rootworkers who specialize in things that I don’t touch – like court cases. Or that have a different method or approach. I don’t get hurt feelings from that. It’s a bit like a doctor recommending a specialist or a second opinion.

Do you provide magical coaching services?

Yes, I do. I take the approach that you’re buying my time and if you want rootwork or divination or you want to talk about the last episode of Honey Boo Boo, that’s all good with me!

What advice would you give to someone who is just starting out in Hoodoo/Conjure?

Learn the tradition of hoodoo. If you learn the traditional ways, then you understand the system and it's cosmology. Only then can you really create your own "version" of it. It's too rich to go mucking around with it. Second piece of advice is to get in touch with your ancestors. Can't emphasize that enough. It takes a lot of work and time and dedication.

Professor Ames can be found at: The Skullbone Emporium

http://skullbone-emporium.com/index.html

Do yourself a favor and get yourself or someone you love a Reading or Rootwork from Professor Ames this Thanksgiving holiday... Trust me, you will be Thankful that you did!

Tell him Love Potion #9 sent ya!

Questionnaire can be found at:: http://www.readersandrootworkers.org/index.php?title=Questions_to_Ask_Your_Reader%2C_Rootworker%2C_or_Conjure_Doctor