Hi, Britt. First off, I must say that it’s good to have the support of your parents as you explore your spiritual nature. Voodoo and Celtic Witchcraft are quite different paths. What drew you to both?

My suggestion to you would be to further investigate the two topics so that you can make an educated decision. As a teenager who may not have resources available, reading as much as you can is probably the best thing you can do. A few books come to mind. Urban Voodoo is a really good primer to Carribean magick for a Western audience. Celtic Wicca: Ancient Wisdom for the 21st Century is also a pretty straight-forward read. Good luck, and feel free to write back and share your progress.

This is a problem I don’t believe can be remedied with an herbal solution. Two hours of bleach with 40 volume developer is very harsh – generally 25-30 minutes is appropriate timing.

Bleaching/going blonde is a two-step process. If your hair is naturally dark to begin with, it will be very brassy upon bleaching. What you need to get is toner; choose a toner with a blue-violet base in your desired color (if you are going for a honey blonde, platinum, etc.) The blue-violet base will neutralize your orangey-yellow. Mix equal parts of toner and 20 volume developer and leave it in for twenty-five minutes. Be sure to follow up with a deep-conditioning treatment like Cholestrol. If you have further questions, consult a professional colorist near you.

The best thing for you right now would be a cleansing ritual. A smudge stick (a bundle of dried sage) works great for this, and most new age and magickal shops carry these. You might even find one at your local health food store. Simply light the smudge stick and gently wave it around yourself visualizing the smoke completely cleansing you of all past negativity. (Do this very carefully so as not to burn yourself, and make sure to not let any sparks fall onto any surfaces that could catch fire!) It is also a good idea to cleanse your entire home with the smudge stick by gently waving the smoke around each room, remembering to visualize all negativity leaving your life and your space. When you are finished, distinguish the smudge stick in a fireproof cauldron or ashtray. If you can’t find a smudge stick, dried sage from the supermarket will work, too. Burn this in a clean natural shell and cleanse in the same manner.

Dried heather flowers also work well for cleansing. Take a small amount and rub between your hands allowing the negativity to flow out of your hands into the flowers, then throw them away or bury them in the back yard.

Burning a white candle alone or in combination with either of these cleansing rituals with the intent of releasing all negative energies from your life is helpful as well.

Lavender essential oil is effective for both protection and purification. You can make your own cleansing bath with a 1/2 cup sea salts and a few drops of lavender essential oil mixed into warm bath water. If you’d like, you could even wear it as a perfume; combine lavender diluted in a carrier oil such as sweet almond oil.

You can try any or all of these, and repeat as necessary when life gets you down, but remember the most important key is that you mentally and emotionally release all attatchment to past hurt and disappointment and allow yourself the freedom to move on.

Thank you taking the time to write in. Do drop a line with your questions and remedies.