Grandmothers Antique Burma Weizza Mercury and similar items

~ Voodoo Priestess Estate ~ Grandmother's Antique Burmese Weizza Mercury Bronze Ganesh Opium Den Weight Poppy Demon Shrine circa 1830 - Gullah Dr. Buzzard's Gift A Master Suite Find ~!~ It has now been nearly twenty-four years ago since we were called to do the estate that had been closed up for seventeen years! The Voodoo Estate! This type of call usually gets us excited as they are a treasure trove. Located here in Florida, there was no electricity or running water so we rigged our own lighting and in we went. If you have ever seen the Adams Family you will have some idea as to what we were greeted with! Then the attorney handling the liquidation gave us some background. The estate had belonged to an alleged powerful Voodoo Priestess/JooJoo Exorcist, grand daughter of a Marie Laveau, and favored daughter of a Marie Glapion. These names meant nothing to us, but the late night talk of Voodoo and exorcism in the old mansion was enough to make us decide to spend the night in a hotel and return in the morning to assess the estate. The rest is history. Our research has shown that this woman was what she claimed and was indeed descended from a long line of well known Vodoun family originating in New Orleans in the early 1800's. We were pretty unnerved by this until we discovered they were also devout Catholics! Although I have to admit this was unlike any Catholic home we have ever been in and some of the items found inside were a little more than disturbing. There was no feeling of dread or unwelcome in the mansion, however there was quite a bit of contraband and other items we can or will not sell here. This is one of a few items from this estate we will be posting this week, so check our other listings! We will, upon the new guardian's request, issue a named Letter of Authenticity with each lot from this estate, complying with the terms set forth to us by the estate's attorney. ~!~ Some Back Story Her Master Suite contained two alcove sitting room shrines, each was dedicated to her mother (Marie Glapion) and grandmother (Marie Laveau) which she and those associated with this estate, considered to be haunted by the mistresses, which her journals frequently allude to. This antique Ganesh weight is one of the thirty-four assorted lead, bronze and iron amulets and opium weights that were used with the named, "Poppy Demon Shrine" shown below. (it has been sold) These were recovered from grandmother's alcove which the letters, journals and inventory of this estate tell us were given to her grandmother by a man they name as Gullah Dr. Buzzard of New Orleans in 1930 who stole the shrine, along with its weights, from a San Francisco opium den he had visited. All were recovered from this alcove and we will be offering them individually and in lots, so please stay tuned, She tells a fascinating tale of this Dr. Buzzard visiting grandmother with these gifts and their tell, as told to her by her mother, Marie Glapion. The owner of the San Francisco opium establishment was a Chinese sorcerer who Dr Buzzard had seen at this shrine, "invoking The Poppy Demon with the little ducks." What he witnessed caused him to covet these items and conceal them in his cloak on the way out, gleeful in the fact that stealing them increased their power. This idea of stolen articles of magic increasing in power is frequently found in many cultures. Dr Buzzard Her journals first mention a South Carolina Sea Islander Root Man named "Dr. Buzzard," in reference to her mother's death bed visit to him in 1872. Her entries make it apparent that there were numerous ?Dr. Buzzard's? that not only she, but her mother and grandmother before her had contact with during their lives, thirty four of them to be exact, but many of these may have been the same man and certainly their sons, but it is the entries from her mother's journals that mention the first of them. Her inventory entries regarding a handful of Asian artifacts her mother also obtained from a Dr. Buzzard indicate he had traveled throughout Asia twice in his lifetime and had made acquaintances in numerous American Chinatowns. Many descendant's of these Dr. Buzzard's are mentioned in her entries, along with their apprentices, many of whom went by the same name. All were assuredly root workers who followed in that original Dr. Buzzard's footsteps, but making them nearly impossible to identify and attribute. Our own research, and a foray into the Islands of the Carolina's revealed these people did, and do exist. We interviewed seven current day (2008) Dr. Buzzard's, and two of them each had three ritual implements and charms they showed us. They described them as being made from the remains of the original Dr. Buzzard. The description of the funeral rights of Dr. Buzzard and the comparable three bone artifacts in our possession compose nine of the twelve repurposed remains of the original Dr. Buzzard. ~!~ The Opium Poppy Demon and its Invocation Her journal entries list, "Poppy Demon Invocation" for use in, "Chasing the Dragon." This is described as a ritual and social practice of soaking a measured (weighed) ball of opium in absinthe, placing it in an offering spoon, then pouring a small amount of absinthe in the spoon to,"saute the ball of dope" before it would be smoked either in a pipe or by heating the spoon and inhaling the smoke through a pipe. Although done socially at their in house lounge, they would also, "Chase the Dragon" in a religious invocation of "The Poppy Demon." Using this shrine with these weights along with polished reflective surfaces, they would materialize apparitions of this demon during, "ceremonial use in calling the demon spirits into this world," claiming they were able to summon what they called it's, "Spirit Guides justifiably described as Poppy Demons." There are numerous journal entries concerning this and their use of opium and absinthe induced meditations, one of which reads; "androgynous energies well suited as in dream work, shielding one from dream attack and nightmares. Used in communication they are as a conduit with their realms and are soothing to the eye and spirit." She also makes numerous entries concerning these sessions attracting, "a good number of life energies and manifestations that will linger in the reflections." Later entries urge caution in making eye contact with unknown apparitions and caution the use of this invocation by "the feint of heart and inexperienced." We take her word for this. Real or imagined, we certainly understand why she and her associates was as feared and respected as they were. ~!~ Antique Burmese Weizza Mercury Bronze Ganesh Opium Den Weight According to her journals, she discontinued use of the shrine in the late 1940's, replacing it with two others for their use. It was then relegated to grandmother's alcove, the exterior of which became storm damaged, most likely during Hurricane Andrew. Although the shrine was damaged, we do not believe it was damaged by the storm. The shrine and aforementioned thirty-four weights are some of the few pieces recovered from this area. There are numerous mentions in their journals and letters, cautioning the use and storage of these artifacts. Apparently they have a habit of acting on their own and creating a creature akin to a Tokoloshe (a dwarf like water spirit). Hence, no photos of them together with the shrine which has already been sold with one of the weights. Her journals and inventory name this one an, "Antique Burmese Weizza Mercury Bronze Ganesh Opium Den Weight" as the title implies. Apparently the proprietor of the den was a Weizza, most likely in exile as they name him in numerous crimes, including murder. They also name him as one of the maker's of some of these weights in his collection. Once again we come to missing or damaged ledgers which told us more of these people and later interactions with them Our own research revealed; Weizza From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, for the most part... A weizza or weikza is an immortal, supernatural wizarding mystic in Buddhism in Burma associated with esoteric and occult practices such as recitation of spells, samatha, mysticism and alchemy. The goal of this practice is to achieve immortality and the state of the Weizza, who awaits the appearance of the future Buddha, Metteya. Weikza practices are less common than merit-making practices or vipassana meditation. During the socialist era from 1962 to 1988, Ne Win banned secret weizza associations, weizza magazines and literature, and portrayals of weizza from films and other media, considering them a threat to his regime. Weizza have made a resurgence since 1988, particularly following the abolition of the national censorship board in 2012. Burmese pagodas often house weizza shrines, where they are venerated for their spiritual purity and their devotion to those in need. Weizza teachers have also amassed hundreds of thousands of followers using social media. Etymology The word weizza comes from the Pali word vijja, which means ?knowledge? or ?wisdom? and is distantly related to the English word "wizard." Weizzas in the Historical Tradition Famous Yogis and Wizards from Myanmar Aside from epigraphs, there are no local Indic or vernacular compositions that have been securely dated to pre-Pagan Burma. However, there are some later attributions of texts that were written during the first millennium. One such example is the Kappala kara, a vijjadhara ("weikza") text said to have been written by the bhikkhu Uttamasiri during the first century CE. The text survives in an 18th-century Pali-Burmese nissaya version (which attributes the text to Uttamasiri in its colophon) compiled by Taungdwin Sayadaw Ña abhidhammala kara. In Myanmar, there are two classes of wizards; the sons and the weizzas. The former are considered a bane to society, while the latter spend their days helping the common folk and undoing the curses brought upon by the sons. The commonly known weizzas known today first appeared during the Konbaung dynasty, when Bo Bo Aung, a monk in Sagaing, discovered manuscripts revealing the secrets of weizza. However, many recognized weizzas today come from before the Konbaung dynasty. This was the last dynasty to rule Burma before colonial rule. Before weizzas, there were the Zawgyi and Yawgi. The Zawgyi were wizards who were written about in Burmese literature, while the Yawgi were Buddhist yogis who lead ascetic lives and wore brown robes. They followed eight to ten precepts of Buddhism, whereas most laymen follow five. Weizzas are divided into four major orders: The Pyada Weizza, who work with mercury, the Than Weizza, who work with iron, the Se Weizza, who specialize in medicine and the In Weizza, who specialize in yantra signs and squares. Among these, the Than and In are considered the most powerful. The Pyada Weizza, or Mercury Wizards, also study alchemy in order to produce gold and silver from more common metals. The Than Weizzas are considered by their followers as masters of not only their subject, but also as medical advisers. Purported Abilities Among their powers, weizzas possess the ability to see past lives, see and hear things that are far away, read minds, teleport, dive into the earth, walk on water, and be in multiple places simultaneously. Powerful practitioners of the weizzas? way are purported to live for centuries, even choosing the time of their next reincarnation. The In Weizza, who work with cabalistic squares, use one's birth date and time to create powerful charms and spells. In The Burman, Sir J. George Scott described some squares and charms so powerful that they could set a house ablaze. Others, engraved in stone and embedded in one's skin, would prevent drowning. Merely scratching an in a house or tree could cause lightning to strike it. Weizza Grimoires Two traditional manuscripts contain rudimentary guidelines on the practices of weizzas: the Bedin and the Deitton. The latter is a book on astrology and cabalistic science. Containing just basic principles of the art of weizzas, the teachings in these texts are often surpassed by the weizza's own individual study and personal advancement. However, these books were once complete, many having been burned by religious zealots in the time of the last Buddha. The remains were spared from the fire by Devadatta, the cousin of Shin Gautama. Devadatta was always plotting against Shin Gautama, so he saved portions of the old science. Thus, this style of learning is looked upon with suspicion by many religious folk. Medical Remedies Weizza prescriptions may be composed of chili powder, cloves, and ginger for fevers to earth-oil infused with seeds, bark, leaves, flowers, roots, and minerals. Weizzas are specially adept with pills and powders, which are carried in bright red phials made of heavily scented bamboo. These ingredients are gathered with attention to the phases of the moon and placement of the constellations. Another potent ingredient in the weizza's cabinet is meteoric stones, which can be gathered within three days of lightning striking a piece of earth and are used as ophthalmic medicine. Weizzas seldom use liquids in their practice of medicine. Medical Philosophies Two schools of thought exist in weizza medicine: The datsayas, whose primary focus is on diets and the beindawsayas, who work with potent drugs In both schools, the human body is divided into four elements (dats): earth (patawi dat), fire (tezaw dat), water (apaw dat), and air (wayaw dat). Some practitioners also include ether (akatha), though this element is disregarded by doctors. Earth: the flesh, bones, hair, intestines, etc. Fire: eating, drinking, chewing, and licking. Water: the fat, blood, bile, spittle, mucus, etc. Air: the six kinds of winds. Modern Perception of Weizzas Weizza following still exists in Myanmar, though the socialist government during the Ne Win era suppressed this ideology. The former government forbade the publication of weizza materials and selling of weizza prints, which are popular in household altars. Even so, weizza followers abound. There exist exclusive groups of weizza devotees called gaing. These groups follow a set of tenets, are headed by a charismatic leader, and center their devotion on one or more weizza saints. A list of Notable Weizzas Bo Bo Aung Bo Min Gaung Kyaikhtisaung Sayadaw Yatkansin Taung Sayadaw Setkya Mintha ~!~ Mercury Bronze Many of those associated with this estate were no strangers to alloys containing mercury. One regional alchemic alloy called mekapat had already been brought to the estate, This is an ancient recipe for material used to make sacred objects. It was made by alloying lead, LekLai, copper, cave minerals, herbs, mercury, silver, gold, etc. or any combination thereof. It is said to be holy material that once hardened into its permanent shape begins a maturing process of supernatural power. Already powerful at birth, it becomes stronger with age and these amulets are well known to protect one from bodily harm or mishaps. ~!~ The Ganesh Weight We believe these weights were made by three associated Weizza, one of which was the opium den owner in San Francisco exile. They were used to weigh precious metals, opium and other ingredients they used in their practices which included spell casting and invocations. This is a rare depiction in the form of an opium weight. It measures approximately 1 7/16 x 1 1/16" x 7/8" and weighs 41.4 grams. Depicted here with a left facing trunk. A Ganesh image with a left facing trunk is the most common and is considered to be more auspicious than one with its trunk facing right. A left-facing trunk is called Vamamukhi and is associated with the moon, which is said to represent the qualities of and bring peace, calm, bliss, purification, prosperity, material gains, purification, reverence to Parvati, family bonding, happiness and success. His right tusk is broken and he bears applied unalome and yant marks on his back, making this weight yant-yun. A common story of how his tusk came to be broken, is that Ganesha's pen broke while he was writing down the Mahabhrata at the dictation or Vyasa. Not wanting to miss a word, He broke off his own tusk to replace the pen. He is often shown holding this broken tusk which symbolizes the sacrifice necessary to acquire wisdom. ~!~ Ganesha Her notes indicate she held numerous candle burnings to, "charge" these charms in particular, which were influenced by her dreams. What she describes is essentially root work and candle burning incorporating Hindu, Buddhist and Christian deities and prayers. She tells us, "His image is everywhere, it is immediately identified, named and called as Ganesha. And it is upon this energy we call." She has some rather interesting thoughts on being able to tap into the energy of all of the prayers given at any one time, to an assortment of deities, but she favored using images of Jesus, Buddha, Guan Yin and Ganesh. She has compiled five journals pertaining to this that date back to her mother. Some of the entries read; "Just as Buddha to the Chinese, there has yet to be a Hindu home bereft of Ganesha. He is worshipped by most castes and believed to grant success, prosperity and protection against adversity." "Working root and candle during festivals lends tremendous power to your magic and mojuba hands. Your hands of magic contain all of the energy from the invocations, conscious and subconsciously uttered during his Festivals. Another of her journal entries reads; "He is in reverence in all Hindu temples, the Shiva temple and temple of Krishna. He is in the Buddhist temple and among the Jain's. The Chinese also know Ganesha and his image, in some name or form is common throughout Indonesia, Mongolia , Afghanistan, Mexico, Brazil, Thailand, Burma, Japan, Cambodia, and Tibet to name a few. Drawing upon this source of energy has resulted in miraculous healing's, an end to strife, and success in love and family matters" ~!~ AUM Here again she notes; "The Aum mantra belongs to him, as Aum is his form in reference of his personification of primal sound. Aum is his form. The Ganapati Atharvashirsa confirms this. As translated by Swami Chinmayananda. 'O Lord Ganapati! You are (the Trinity) Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesa. You are Indra. You are fire [Agni] and air [Vayu]. You are the sun [Surya] and the moon [Chandrama). You are Brahman. You are (the three worlds) Bhuloka [earth], Antariksha-loka [space], and Swargaloka [heaven]. You are Om. (That is to say, You are all this)." "Aum is the sound of creation, the breath of God, the primary word. Lord Ganesha's form is shaped like and represents Aum, the primeval, creative energy. This is the sound symbol of Brahmam, Sivam, the Eternal, the Unchanging, the substratum of existence." "Aum is sacred, and the most powerful universal symbol of the divine presence in Hindu thought. It is the sound which was generated when the world first came into being. The written manifestation of this divine symbol when inverted gives the perfect profile of the god with the elephant head." "Ganesha is the only god associated in the physical sense with the primordial sacred sound AUM, a telling reminder of his supreme position in the Hindu pantheon." "One should always begin prayer ritual by worshiping Ganesha with; 'Vakratunda Mahaakaaya Suryakotee Sama Prabha, Nirvighnam kuru mey Deva, Sarva kaaryeshu Sarvadaa." "Aum gam ganapataye namah', is a mantra from Ganapati Upanishad. One does well to use it before beginning a journey, or endeavor to remove impediments so it may be crowned with success." "Aum vakratundaya hum', is a powerful mantra discussed in the Ganesha Purana. This mantra is used many times in the Ganesha Purana to curb the atrocities of cruel demons and as a healer, used in the treatment of spinal deficiencies. Dedicate 1,008 repetitions of this holy word to straighten and heal such deficiencies." "If some danger or any negative energy is threatening, it maybe avoided with true devotion, practice and the mantra, 'Aum kshipra prasadaya namah', for quick blessing and purification." "A child's mantra that increases memory is 'Aum shri ganeshaya namah" These are just some of the spiritual mantra's associated with Ganesha and there are far too many to publish here. ~!~ Money Draw MoJo Hand She prescribes a series of, "Spirit Bags" or "Mojo Hands" as she alternately refers to what is known as Mojo Bags, of sorts, in Voodoo Root Work. Some of the journal entries in which she refers to their use read; "A flat top box which is known to you on which to sit him and contain one or both of a Money Drawing Mojo Hand when they are not being carried, or fed." "Simple fruit and water offerings to the Buddha in thanks for his blessings, must be renewed daily." "the candles and bags are fixed, this fixing is so much more than some stuff in a bag. It has been party to specific ritual that began with the assemblage of ingredients and grew during the filling of the bags and dressing of the candles. Awakened to life, it now sleeps and awaits you." "To bring it to life and bind this presence to you, simply place a drop of whiskey and a drop of your urine or saliva to each of the bags and dry them with the candle or incense smoke. It is now, as you do this, that you repeat the 23rd. Psalm until the fluid has dried. It is upon this that all hinges." "She goes on to tell us to keep these "Hands fed" this process must be repeated, "to keep the spirit alive." "Here are Mojo Hands for widows who tend to need enhancement of their personal power which is easily achieved through the use of these charm amulets. So they have been prescribed through spelled ritual to bring favor to their endeavors." "These are in short, flannel or market velour, color coded pouches, a staple amulet in many cultures. Yours contain nine magical items. These are your mojuba hands, your hands of magic, MoJo Hands, prayer bags offering homage and petition for use in candle burning magic." These notes are a rare insight, and far too lengthy to publish more here, but we will be more than happy to assist with them to the those, "who embody the spirit of these Mojo Hands." ~!~ We only unwrapped these items for this photo session and no one has attempted to use them since they were recovered from this estate. It is certainly an unusual antique Asian artifact with an extraordinary provenance, that is much nicer then the photographs have been able to depict. ~!~ We have been contacted and visited by a number of people who were interested in the items from this estate since our first batch was listed. Among the buyers have been known psychics and practitioners. More than one, after adorning themselves or handling their purchase, stated "this is a woman of power!" Many of our clients, after receiving items from this estate have reported dream contacts and other unexplained phenomenon. Unusual, authentic Voodoo Priestess Estate piece and at a bargain price! This is truly a rare opportunity to own anything with attributes to this estate. The majority of this estate is now gone. Most of what we had left, and it was considerable, has been split up and sold to a couple of private, foreign collector practitioners and will never be available to the public again. We made the decision to do this as we have had some pretty strange visits from even stranger individuals and there have been enough unexplained phenomenon going on in the warehouse where her things were kept that many of our employees refused to go in there. The pieces offered and sold here are some of the few remaining pieces that will ever be offered to the public. Nice addition to any collection, wardrobe or decor, displays really well. Really doesn't get any better than this. There are 8 photographs below to tell the rest of this tale. Buyer to pay $6.75 for Insured Ground Shipping with Tracking, handling and lagniappe. We Combine Shipping. Rest assured your order will be carefully packed to withstand the onslaught of the most deranged of parcel carriers. International Buyer's, Please email us for a Shipping Quote. Payment is due at listing end. Text and Photos Copyright 2001-2025 bushidobuce, all rights reserved. ~!~ Powered by SixBit's eCommerce Solution