SAINT JOSEPH (SAN JOSE)
SPIRITUAL SUPPLIES
in HOODOO and CONJURE
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Saint Joseph is particularly popular among Sicilian-Americans, and they credit him with having saved the nation of Sicily from famine by bringing about a bountiful crop of Fava Beans and a good fish catch at a time when all other sources of food had failed. It is still the custom to prepare a meal of Fava Beans on Saint Joseph's day, and to set out a dish of the uncooked beans -- called Saint Joseph Beans -- for visitors to take home as lucky pieces. In New Orleans, where Sicilian fishermen settled, the custom of wishing on Saint Joseph Beans long ago transferred into the African American community and became a staple practice of hoodoo rootwork. Seven of the beans, locally known as "Mojo Beans" or "African Wishing Beans," are carried in the pocket for seven days and then thrown into running water over the left shoulder while making a wish.
SAINT JOSEPH AND REAL ESTATE SALES
The custom of burying a statue of Saint Joseph upside down in the yard while one's house is for sale goes back a long way in the United States -- for despite an "urban legends" page online that pseudo-authoritatively claims the custom only began in the 1970s, i have ads in 1930s hoodoo spiritual supply catalogues that offer a tiny statue of Saint Joseph in a case made to carry him upside down.
The functional opposite to Saint Joseph -- that is the Catholic entity to whom one addresses a petition when one wants to buy or rent a house -- is Our Lady of Loreto.
The following is the text of a real estate ritual and prayer to Saint Joseph that i have written, drawing upon traditional sources, and which i also offer for sale online as a complete Lucky Mojo spell kit:
REAL ESTATE SPELL KIT
Alleged to Help in the Sale of Real Estate
1 Dressed and Blessed Saint Joseph CandlePREPARATION: This spell is used to make a home or other property sell quickly once it is listed on the real estate market. It is up to you to see that the premises are clean and that the asking price is within market value. In addition to the items here, you will need a picture frame for the print (it is 8" x 10" and fits in a standard frame) and a trowel to dig. If the property has no yard, you will also need a house plant in a large pot.
1 Statuette of Saint Joseph
1 Bottle Saint Joseph Oil
1 Saint Joseph Chromo Print
1 Saint Joseph Holy Card
DOING THE JOB: Remove the cling wrap from the Saint Joseph candle and light it. It is already dressed with St. Joseph Oil and with three herbs used in real estate spells -- Cedar, Cinnamon, and Cloves. As the candle burns, hang the print of Saint Joseph where it will be seen by those who are viewing the house. Hide the holy card of Saint Joseph among your real estate papers (deed, termite inspection notice, mortgage, etc.). Spray or dab Saint Joseph Oil in the four corners of each room, each window frame, each door jamb, and the framed print. When you are done with this, hold the statue of Saint in the your hand as you recite the following:
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PRAYER TO SAINT JOSEPH FOR SELLING A HOUSE
O, Saint Joseph,
you who taught our Lord
the carpenter's trade,
and saw to it
that he was always properly housed,
hear my earnest plea.
I want you to help me now
as you helped your foster-child Jesus,
and as you have helped many others
in the matter of housing.
I wish to sell this [house/property]
quickly, easily, and profitably
and I implore you to grant my wish
by bringing me a good buyer,
one who is
eager, compliant, and honest,
and by letting nothing impede the
rapid conclusion of the sale.
Dear Saint Joseph,
I know you would do this for me
out of the goodness of your heart
and in your own good time,
but my need is very great now
and so I must make you hurry
on my behalf.
Saint Joseph, I am going to place you
in a difficult position
with your head in darkness
and you will suffer as our Lord suffered,
until this [house/property] is sold.
Then, Saint Joseph, i swear
before the cross and God Almighty,
that i will redeem you
and you will receive my gratitude
and a place of honour in my home.
Amen.
Now take up the statue of Saint Joseph and dig a hole in
your back yard. If there is no back yard, use the front
yard. If there is no yard at all, dig a hole in a large
potted plant. Bury the statue upside down, head downward,
facing east, in the hole and cover it over. Let the candle
burn continually inside until it goes out.
FINISHING UP: When the property sells, you MUST dig up the statue, clean it, and carry it with you to your new home, where it should be kept in a place of honour. Failure to do this will lead to trouble with the sale or trouble with the new home or property.
SAINT JOSEPH AND EMPLOYMENT OR JOB-GETTING
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The picture of Saint Joseph shown here is a detail from a typical Italian holy card that has been used as the basis for the Lucky Mojo Curio Company's Saint Joseph novena candle label. It shows the Saint at his carpenter's work bench, holding the infant Jesus. This is the special form of Saint Joseph known as Saint Joseph the Worker who is petitioned for job-getting. On the work bench is a carpenter's try-square and a wooden box plane; the bench is also outfitted with a vise.
In this picture, Saint Joseph holds a long stalk of Lily flowers in the crook of his left arm. This is a standard Catholic hagiographic symbol that he lived and died as a virgin -- that is, that he never had sexual congress with anyone. While that idea suits certain trends in mainstream Catholic doctrine, it flies against the contrary -- and equally popular Catholic belief -- that Jesus had at least one and maybe two half-brothers, the children of Joseph and Mary. I leave such matters for theologians and Bible scholars to thrash out amongst themselve, however, i will note that because my own Sicilian-American father was named Joseph (actually Giuseppe Francesco Manfredi, a.k.a. Joseph "Fred" Manfredi), i tend to think of Saint Joseph as a man fully capable of fathering children, a man who just happened to like flowers.
When petitioning Saint Joseph for job-getting, it is quite common to also petition a second saint, one who is associated with or who is the Patron Saint of one's chosen occupation or field of work. For instance, a person seeking a job as an architect might petition both Saint Joseph and the Patroness of architects, Saint Barbara, while a person seeking employment as a butcher might petition both Saint Joseph for the job and Saint Anthony, who is known among other things as the Patron of butchers. The Lucky W Amulet Archive page on Patron Saints provides that information, for those interested in working with pairs of saints in this manner.
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PRAYER TO SAINT JOSEPH FOR EMPLOYMENT AND JOB-GETTINGDear Saint Joseph, as you were yourself once faced with the responsibility of providing the necessities of life for Jesus and Mary, look down with fatherly compassion upon me in my present need to support my family. Please help me to find gainful employment very soon, so that this heavy burden of concern will be lifted from my heart and I will soon be able to provide for those whom God has entrusted to my care. Blessed St. Joseph, patron of all working people, obtain for me the grace to labor. Help me to be conscientious in my work so that I may give as full a measure as I have received. May I labor in a spirit of thankfulness and joy, ever mindful of all the gifts I have received from God that enable me to perform these tasks. Permit me to work in peace, patience, and moderation, keeping in mind the account I must one day give of time lost and talents unused, so fatal to the work of God. Glorious St. Joseph, may my labors be all for Jesus, all through Mary, and all after your holy example in life and in death. Amen.
GENERAL PRAYER TO SAINT JOSEPH
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The following is a general-purpose prayer to Saint Joseph that can be used when there is need in money matters or for housing, or when death is near. It was transcribed by Sindy Todo:
Oh, Saint Joseph, whose protection is so great, so strong, so prompt before the throne of God, I place in you all my interest and desires.Oh, Saint Joseph, do assist me by your powerful intercession, and obtain for me from your divine Son all spiritual blessings, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, so that, having engaged here below your heavenly power, I may offer my thanksgiving and homage to the most loving of Fathers.
Oh Saint Joseph, I never weary contemplating you, and Jesus asleep in your arms; I dare not approach while he reposes near your heart. Press Him in my name and kiss his fine head for me and ask him to return the kiss when I draw my dying breath.
Saint Joseph, Patron of departing souls, pray for me. Amen.
Related pages of interest:
- Catholic Patron Saints for various occupations and conditions
- Gods and Saints as Lucky Figures
- The Relationship between Luck, Protection, Religion, and Magic
- Order Catholic Holy Cards and Prints from the Lucky Mojo Curio Co.
- Order Catholic Statuary from the Lucky Mojo Curio Co.
- Order Catholic Holy Medals from the Lucky Mojo Curio Co.
Order Saint Joseph Oil from the Lucky Mojo Curio Company 
Order Saint Joseph Incense from the Lucky Mojo Curio Company Order Saint Joseph Bath Crystals from the Lucky Mojo Curio Company Order Saint Joseph Sachet Powders from the Lucky Mojo Curio Company 
Order Saint Joseph Vigil Light Candle, Fixed, from the Lucky Mojo Curio Company Order Saint Joseph Vigil Light Candle Set on the Altar at Missionary Independent Spiritual Church 
Order Saint Joseph Spell Kit from the Lucky Mojo Curio Company
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