Backwoods Shamanism An Introduction Introducti on to the Old-Time American Folk Magic of Hoodoo, Rootwork and Conjure
By Ray “Doctor “Doctor Hawk” Hess
In dedication dedicati on to my son, Caegan, Caegan, my mother mother,, Tammy Tammy,, and my grandparents Charles and Linda Heskett. May this thi s work bring honor to our family names.
Part 1 In The Beginning...
As with creation itself, all things begin in darkness and void. To understand the ways of the “backwoods shaman” we must first understand his origins. or igins. Here we shall explore the the history the ment mentali ality ty and and the 2
spirituality of the Hoodoo practitioner. It begins on a dark and stormy night, not of the earth but of the soul. Within that deep darkness a faint flicker of light shone through like dying flame of a candle reflecting in a pool of tears. This stubborn little shimmer represented the most primal origins of hope and faith which was held and tended by shamans echoing all the way beck to pre-history. Now, a new shaman shaman was being called call ed to serve s erve.. This little l ittle ligh l ight, t, when nurtu nurtured red by the the hoodoo man, oh how it would shine! What is this “Hoodoo” that you do?
Hoodoo is a distinctly American tradition of folk magic and holistic medicine. Some think it is just a random collection of superstitions, devoid of spirituality spi rituality,, others think it involves i nvolves cavorting cavor ting with wi th demons demons or using dark powers to do harm harm.. This This stigma stigma is unfort unfortu unate because because even today today our our culture culture may well wel l benefit from hoodoo hoodoo for many many reasons. reas ons. Firstly, Fi rstly, Hoodoo brings brings so man many y different different traditions traditions and beliefs togeth together er in a beautif beautifu ully synchronous fashion, encouraging unity of diverse faiths and practices. Secondly, It is a school of “practical magic” which means it addresses day to day concerns of the average person and typically involves tangible substances substances with wi th the the expectation expectation of tangibl tangiblee results. r esults. Unli Unlike ke western wes tern mysticism and “high magick” rituals, which require secret rites of initiation and prohibitively costly tools, hoodoo makes use of easily accessible materials and requires no initiation beyond the call to serve. It is, in essence, a form of independent interfaith ministry. Finally, hoodoo represents a great wealth of wisdom completely distinct to American culture, particularly the south-eastern states, especially the Mississippi delta and Appalachian hills. America is a country of many cultures. A nation of many nations. While it has also been a nation of civil war and separatism the lower classes in rural areas have often banded together regardless color and creed. cree d. Hoodoo is a unique unique system with influen influences ces from Native Native Ameri American, can, African, Dutch, Irish and Romany (pejoratively known as “gypsy”) traditions. Isolated areas like Appalachia and the Louisiana bayous where these these marginal groups came togeth together er developed devel oped self-s s elf-suf ufficient, ficient, close clos e knit knit communities with a strong sense of connection between members. The Hoodoo doctor was a respected person, not unlike the shaman of a tribe. They were respected elders, spiritual advisers and folk magicians. They were also healers, herbalists and midwives. Today, we may think of the practice in term termss of “holistic “holistic medicine” medicine” which seeks to to treat the the mind, mind, body body 3
and spirit as a whole being. As such, a hoodoo doctor may be called on to soothe a sore throat or cure someone's bad luck. Both were legitimate complaints which required real treatment as far as they were concerned. After all, if your crops fail and you return empty handed from too many hunts your family could starve, so “bad luck” could be a rather serious affliction. Hoodoo must not be confused with voodoo. The words are often mistakenly used used interchangeably interchangeably.. In truth, truth, the the word w ord “voodoo” “voodoo ” is i s derived deri ved from Vodou odou which means, roug ro ughly hly,, "way "w ay of the spiri spi rits" ts" and a nd is an amalgamation of various African tribal traditions and ancestor cults, mostly derived from Yoruban and Dahomean cultures. Hoodoo, on the other hand, may be sim si mply descri des cribed bed as a s American folk magic magic and does not techn technica icall lly y have any specific religious affiliations though its methods and worldview tend tend to be b e very v ery sim si milar il ar to Kongo Kongo African Afri can tradition. tradi tion. Voodoo takes takes various vari ous gods and revered ancestors from assorted tribes (predominantly from west Africa) and masks them under the visage of Catholic saints. Hoodoo, on the other hand, has always had a largely protestant Christian following. In fact many practitioners of hoodoo regard the bible as a powerful tome of magic and count count figures figures like li ke Moses among among the the great Hoodoo conjurers of old! ol d! Indeed, Indeed, there there is some some Jew J ewish ish mysticism, mysticism, and some some Native Ameri American can shamanism and even some Eropean witchcraft from Celtic and Germanic traditions. The religious affiliations, just like the magical components, are derived, in my belief, from the core value of hoodoo tradition “Just use what works.” The belief among Hoodooists is that God works through them and that their magic would not work were it not God's will. They tend to be both pious and and hu humble people not believin believi ng their their abilities abil ities mak makee them them particularl particularly y special. The concept is summed up nicely in John 14:12 “Verily, I say unto thee, He that believeth in me, these works and, greater shall he do also...”, in other words, it is the province of every devout Christian to perform miracles in the name of God. That said, good and evil are more left to the individual moral compass in Hoodoo. The belief is that if someone needs smiting smiting,, God wil w illl give you the the power powe r to sm s mite them! them! So, Hoodoo Hoodo o is i s used for everything from healing and protection to cursing and domination. Ascriptions like “black” and “white” refer to segregation of people and have nothing to do with magic to the hoodoo practitioner, whose work has always been decidedly “integrated.” Hoodoo is a largely oral tradition. Many southern natives like myself actually find a lot of books on the subject remedial because we grew up with wi th these these old ol d “superstitions” “s uperstitions” having learned lear ned them them from from our grandparents grandparents 4
and such. One example is augury, the reading of omens in natural phenomena like the behavior of animals. The old folks told me that if the cows are laying down in the field it means its gonna rain. Scientifically preposterous, but but usually usually true, true, by my observation... observation... and and it is hoodoo! hoodoo! Many Many of our our old folk remedies, most of them having now been proven to have medical validity, are also Hoodoo. I remember any time I got stung by a bee my grandma breaking breaking open a cigarette cigarette and and chewing chewing the the tobacco and and putt putting ing the the squishy squishy wad on the affected spot. The tobacco works as a counter irritant and draws the the sting sti nger er out. out. Also, Als o, it's i t's a Hoodoo cure. c ure. Another Another one some may may have have heard of “gypsy cough syrup” is made by sticking onions in a jar of honey and letting it 'set up.' It's a recipe going way back to the old Norse, believe it or not, not, and its i ts a Hoodoo Hood oo cure. There There are hundreds, hundreds, if not thousands, thousands, more more and lots of old folks kept these secrets in “recipe books” which is the hoodoo equivalent of a grimoire or “book of shadows” in modern Wicca. Besides the old recipe books, there are a few other tomes that are used in Hoodoo. I have have already alr eady ment mentioned ioned that the the bible bibl e is i s THE book bo ok of Hoodoo. Apocryphal texts such as The Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses are also used. Another must-have of the Hoodoo library is “Pow-Wows, or the Long Lost Friend” by John George Hohman. It contains folk magic from the Pennsylvania dutch along with with a number of Christian prayers. Both are highly highly recomm recommended to anyone anyone seriously ser iously interested in Hoodoo. Newer books books have been writt wri tten en since these these “classics,” but in my my experience experience th they are hit and miss. It is best to get a firm grounding in the original foundations of the craft and then move on to explore other options so you know how to tell the the diff di fference erence between b etween what w hat may may actuall actually y apply to the the tradition trad ition and what is complete fabrication. Not to mention the fact that simply having those classical Hoodoo texts is believed to surround the owner with an aura of power and protection protection as each is considered a talisman talisman unto itself. itself. If one looks closely enough, especially at the Old Testament, it is not hard to find magic and spells, some passages even contain instructions. Proverbs 7 warns against adulteresses by indicating they are the ones who perfum perfume their their beds with w ith myrrh, aloes and and cinnam cinnamon on.. From this this passag pass agee it might be assumed that such a heady perfume acts as a sort of seduction charm or potion. That is how the old Hoodooists would do it, anyway. The Psalms are considered to be magical spells which, when spoken aloud, would grant the speaker various things from safe travel to love, luck, etc. and a great many books exist devoted to this subject alone. So, first step in the the path of hoodoo, read re ad your bible bibl e and find the the ancient magic magic spell s pellss therein. The The best approach appr oach to Hoodoo Hoodoo is i s to learn lear n by doing. doing. Get the the major major 5
books, books, the the bible, the the sixth sixth and and seventh seventh Books Books of Moses, Moses, “Pow Wows”, Wows”, and maybe a good book boo k on herba herball medicine medici ne like “Back to Eden” by Jethro Kloss Klo ss which has plent pl enty y of Native Native Ameri American can traditional traditio nal remedies. Study Study those those books books day in and day out. out. Go Go to rural rural comm communities and ask the the old timers timers what they know of omens, superstitions, fortune telling or old country remedies and you will be amazed at what you find. I live in the country, in the bottom lands of west Tennessee, and almost everyone around here has a story to tell. Hoodoo is made from this stuff. A good Hoodoo doctor is always alw ays lookin loo king g to expand expand his or her power pow er throug through h expansion expansion of knowl knowledge. edge. The endless search for secrets is one of the primary components of Hoodoo practice. One One of th the most most wonderfu wonderfull thing thingss about Hoodoo is that that it is an art that that can never be mastered. astere d. The Hoodoo conjurer has a number of tools at his/her disposal. Prayers and psalms are among the foremost because they can be memorized and readily deployed whenever needed. The symbols and seals from “Pow Wows” and the Books of Moses are other common tools. Some employ the seals found in another occult classic, “The Black Pullet,” but signs and symbols are not what Hoodoo is best known for. Hoodoo doctors may spend a consider c onsiderable able amoun amountt of time time learning l earning and and mastering the the secrets secr ets of herbs. More advanced Hoodoo doctors will also incorporate stones and animal products. products. In classical classi cal terms, terms, Hoodoo is a system system predominan predominantly tly based in sympathetic and imitative magic. Sympathetic magic works off of the belief that if part of an object is taken it can continue to act on, or represent, the whole. Imitative magic means that making a symbolic gesture, when combined with intent and will, one can effect effect the intended change change on a grander scal s cale. e. An exampl examplee comes to mind of Pennsylvania Dutch origin. When storms were blowing in the practitioner practitioner would take take an axe axe outside, outside, face face the the storm and symbolical symbolically ly “cut” the the wind, w ind, leaving le aving the the axe head buried burie d in i n the the ground. ground. The belief bel ief being be ing that that doing so would w ould “spli “sp lit” t” the the storm s torm and cause it i t to go around around one's property. property. By using various natural items, Hoodooists believe, one can manifest all kinds of things in their lives. The key is in learning the “science” behind it all. One can find some direction in books or “old wives tales,” but the true art of Hoodoo is in the the hoo-doing hoo-doi ng (if (i f you you will wi ll forgive the pun). pun). The artist must learn much from hands-on practice. What it really comes down to is is physically putting your “hands” on various herbs, stones, roots and curios and learning what all of these items have to offer and, likewise, being able to “feel out” the patient and understand their affliction. When doing work for others the hoodoo doctor may have to consider several items 6
which have been used for the same thing because one may not work for the individual in question while the other will. For instance, many herbs have been used for mon money ey drawing drawi ng,, mistletoe, mistletoe, mon money eywort, wort, oakm oakmoss, just to to nam namee a few. Just using all of them and hoping for the best is not Hoodoo. If you gave someone a mojo containing oakmoss and loadstone and they got the money they needed it does not mean that the same mojo will work for the next person asking for the same thing. Once Once firm fir mly grounded grounded in the the traditions trad itions and practices pr actices of hoodoo as handed handed down d own by other other successful workers, w orkers, the the next next step is i s devel d eveloping oping the the skill to perform as described above. This “skill” is seen as no less than the performan performance ce of God's God's will w ill an a nd, as such, such, a form form of ministry ministry.. There There are no “priests” in hoodoo because it is not a religion and has no church per-se. Rather most of us believe that all the world is a temple, and the best place to learn because it is the only one wrought by the hand of God. Every plant and tree and person bears the mark of God's handiwork and, as my grandmother used to say “There can be no greater masterpiece than the art that God creates. It is here for but a moment and then fades only to reveal something else beautiful.” and on this note, let me share with you one religious perspective which, I hope, reveals some of the spirit behind the ministry. On The Living God; A hoodoo man's sermon. se rmon.
There are three ways in which God speaks to all peoples; Creation, Inspi Inspiratio ration, n, and and Wil Will. l. God Created all things, and, as such, the mark of God may be found in everyt ever ythin hing g created. cr eated. God grants Inspiration, that moment of pure knowing that that comes like a flash of lightening from a clear, blue sky. God gives us Will, which often follows inspiration. It is the force by which we accomplish all work wor ks. Noth Nothing could could be created withou withoutt th the inspiration of th the idea and th the will wil l to make it real. Ergo, when we create something, be it a building or a work of art, it i t is nothin nothing g less than than an expres expressio sion n of God in physic physical al form! form! Furthermore, since God is the source of all Inspiration, it must also be by 7
the WILL of God that this expression be made. The message here is that God is an active, LIVING, force which desires to be expressed in many ways and shared with the world. God is not some far-off authoritarian figure, God is present pres ent in our our worl w orld, d, in i n everything everything around around us and everyt ever ythin hing g we do. d o. WE are the vessels through which God seeks expression, but we must allow him to come through. Not because we are more powerful than God, but because it is part of our test in this life to either accept him and submit to his will, or to struggle against him and serve our own material desires. Life must must be free to experience, e xperience, learn l earn and grow. Mistakes are ar e made, endings endings come come withou w ithoutt closure, clos ure, yes, life l ife can ca n be painf pai nful. ul. With With the the pains pai ns come come less l essons, ons, with hardships come innovations. All things have a purpose, even for God. We are not just lumps of clay blessed with breath, we are created in God's image. The mystery here is no real mystery, in fact it is rather obvious. We live as spiritual being always growing, learning, inventing, and, most importantly, progressing. As we progress, so too does God grow and the universe expand. It is this progression that makes life worthwhile and to live li ve eternally e ternally with wi thout out grow growth th or change, change, with wi thout out the the ability abil ity to learn lear n and and experience, withou w ithoutt any outlet outlet for new expressio expres sions ns or creations... crea tions... why w hy,, that would be nothing nothing short short of death de ath and and perhaps per haps the the truest expressio expres sion n of “living “liv ing hell” there could be if one takes the time to fully comprehend it. If one were to take all the words of all the prophets of every religion in the history of the world one would find that they are all surprisingly similar and cohesive, yet it would stil would still l come come no where near a complete expression of the the utter utter vastness of o f God. That is because God is not only only vast but expansive. God is the source of all creation and, as such, must never stop creating lest God stop being God. To wit- each new expression, idea, creation, or concept of the human imagination that is truly “Inspired” must be an expressi expression on of God God in at least some some part because because with wi thou outt God God noth nothing ing could be created, therefore, nothing would exist. It is because of this knowledge, which was revealed to me at a very young age that I must differ from many established religions on the basis of one core belief. Namely, that which states that God begins and ends with the gospel. To relegate all the vastness and expansiveness of God to any single body body- be that that a body of man man,, of stone stone or of words in a bookbook- is nothing nothing short of blasphemy, totemism or idolatry, as one might have it. The reason being that God, as a living entity as well as a creative force, must be capable of expansion and expression. To cease in these acts is to cease to be alive 8
because because life with wi thou outt expan expansion sion and and progressi progression on is pointless. No langu languag agee or word of man, even if passed down by God, can completely encompass all that God is because God is constantly creating, inspiring, willing myriad forms and expressions into existence. Some are wrought by man, some by nature, some by the very stars. We must know that God is expressed in all things because God is the source of all things. We must seek to understand God through the messages found in all creation, as well as through the inspirations we are granted. We must regard all these as the sacred gifts they are and never take them for granted. Even should we differ from one another in our understanding, for we are, none of us, capable of completely unders understan tanding ding God, we must always alwa ys strive stri ve for peace and respect res pect among among us. us. After all, we are all God's God's ch c hildren. I am not a racist, racist , but Africans Afri cans come from fr om Africa A word word on understanding the t he zeitgeist zeitgei st of American American Hoodoo
Let me be blunt, I am a “white man” in as much as I lack the deeper pigment pigment of my my brothers. brothers. I am a descendent descendent of Irish, Roman Romany y and and Native Native American bloodlines more than anything. The black ancestors that most of my family never talked about were not slaves raped by white masters, but legitimately married and well loved in their time. As I have often said “my family has only been considered 'white' since the 1940's and we were never rich enough to own slaves” so, with that, you get some perspective on where I am coming from. In the south, the crux of the civil rights movement, racial relations have always been somewhat tense. The “white guilt” and “reverse racism” (an oxymoron meaning “blacks who hate whites because they assume all whites hate blacks” and an offensive term in itself because racism is racism, period, no matt matter er what color the the perpetrator is.) still ru r un rampan rampantt and, and, as such, people often get misunderstood. This brings me to the title of this section sectio n “I am not a racist, raci st, but Afri Africans cans come from Africa” a brash br ash and brazen statem statemen ent, t, perhaps, perhaps, but but th the un unity of comm common “blackness” “blackness” wh w hich goes goes deeper than skin is part of what makes hoodoo what it is. Moreover, I won't tip toe around terms and go out of my way to be “politically correct” because because this this is not a political political work w ork and and censorship censorship kill killss the the spirit. spiri t. As I see it, African slaves, were African slaves. African Americans are free immigrants from Africa, and not all of them are black. People of African descent who are more than 3 generations removed from someone who got off of a boat or plane from the African continent and, especially, those who do not even know what African country they came from are 9
simply black and this blackness is part of the zeitgeist, the spirit of the people. It is not a derogatory derogatory term term,, I do do not not associate “blackn “blackness” with wi th “evilness” and if Hoodoo is to be consider considered ed (as it is by some) some) to be “folk magic of African descendents” then I would openly say that I freely practice “black “bla ck magic” magic” withou w ithoutt apology apol ogy.. However, How ever, African Afric an descenden desc endents ts do NOT have the the exclusive claim clai m on hoodoo. hoodoo. Descendents of African slaves are not the only ones to be ripped from their homeland, to have their names and cultural identities stripped from them. Just as my Romany ancestors were called “black dutch” as refugees from the holocaust (who were hated, feared and persecuted everywhere they went even to this this day) and some of my my Celtic forebear for ebearss where w here known known as “black Irish” because of their darker features and political leanings (which ultimately lead to their fleeing from the troubles in their homeland only to be enslaved in the the countri countries es they they fled to), I could easil eas ily y claim clai m that that I am “black” in spite spi te of my my complexion complexion which, if you are wondering wonderi ng,, is i s more olive ol ive than than bleached linen linen white. I was born with blonde hair hair and blue blue eyes, eyes, but but my my hair soon darkened and became heavily curled. I look more like a blue eyed Jew than a honky. I am a bastard child of many nations, as is the craft I practice. I am not asham ashamed ed of who and and what I am, am, nor nor do I apologize apologize for for being straight-f straight-forwar orward d about about anyt anyth hing. ing. Decidedly ambigu ambiguou ouss langu language expresses decidedly ambiguous thoughts. Black culture and white culture have always been different. Here in the rural south, black folks tend to be more boisterous than elsewhere. Even among other blacks, if one speaks overly loud or acts out in a crowd they may be called cal led “country “country nigg nigga” a” in i n jest by their kin. These diff di fferences erences are important to understand in the study of hoodoo which is geared more heavily toward black culture and, especially, rural black culture. In their time, the other contributing cultures to hoodoo, the Irish, Scottish, Romany, Jewish, and Native Americans, were all considered “black” in that they were all outcasts. outcasts. Hoodoo is i s magic magic from the the fring fri ngee of Ameri American can culture culture and was bor of the desperation of oppressed minorities. So, the zeitgeist, the “nation spirit” or “culture ghost” of these minorities developed into a singular entity. Today, blacks are developing their culture more independently from the other fringe groups and, so, the zeitgeist has changed, but hoodoo is from a different time and different circumstances. Hoodoo developed during the time between emancipation of slaves and the end of World War Two. As such, the zeitgeist we are concerned with is specific to that time. Hoodoo is alive and well today and is still open to everyone, regardless of racial background. However, understanding the culture from which it derived is extremely important to the understanding of 10
the entire practice. These were all people who found that “freedom” was, in many ways, harder than slavery. You went from being provided at least minimal food and shelter to being thrust into a world that didn't want you and left to fend for yourself. Others left their homeland, traveling thousands of miles because they sought freedom, only to find even more hardship and no way w ay back. back. Financial Financial slavery is still slavery. slavery. It was in the black fire of this despair that hoodoo was forged. It was time to throw out all preconceptions embrace the wisdom of all nations and simply seek results by any means necessary. We retained what we could of our old traditions, but many whom knew them intimately had long since perished. The The mant mantra ra ringing ringing in th the broken hearts of us all was w as “someth “something ing has got has got to to give” and the quest for personal power began. It seems selfish and irreverent to people now, who are comfortable and happy in their mundane lives but, at the time, this power was not sought out of greed but necessity for without it we would have lost what meager existence we were able to scrape out for ourselves and our families. So, we asked around our comm communities unities and those those who could read looked to rare r are and offbeat offbeat books. boo ks. Those Those who were w ere migrants igrants and a nd understood understood other lang l anguag uages es were we re of great help here because many useful books had not been translated yet. The near obsession with secrets and constant search for new magics and formulas became became an integral integral part of hoodoo at this this time. time. We still tend to integrate information from various sources and seek to expand on what we know and how we practice. However, out of respect to the hardships which were endured by our forebears, we try to keep their work in tact and differentiate between what is “traditional” and what is “additional” from our personal quest for power. Because hoodoo was origin ori ginall ally y practiced practice d by protestant pro testant Chri Christians, stians, much much of that that has been retained re tained thoug though h hoodoo hoodoo technicall technically y has has no religious rel igious affiliations. affili ations. It was because everyone had a bible and the bible seemed to be full of spells if you looked at it right, that it became a part of the hoodoo library. Anything that could be used to unlock mysteries and increase power became a sort of “good luck charm” that could benefit us just by having it around by increasing our aura of accum acc umulated ulated power. po wer. Hoodoo workers found other books as literacy increased. Titles steeped in the the ceremon c eremonial ial traditions traditi ons of European “high magic” magic” and a nd freemasonry freemasonry soon came on tthe he scene. However, How ever, as hoodoo folk had little li ttle time time for all that that “pomp” and could scarcel sca rcely y afford afford all that that “fancy stuff” stuff” needed for rituals, they did what poor country folks do best and improvised. Sacred seals which needed to be cast in magical electrum (a mysterious alloy of elemental metals) or embroidered in velvet with silk thread were 11
simply etched out as near as possible on paper and tossed into a mojo hand with other items. There were no wands or circles or special knives used to cut throu through gh the the veil ve il between betwee n realities real ities.. There was w as no summ summoning oning of spirits spir its with hand made bells and exotic incense. We used what we had and made up for the rest with pure will. Hoodoo became adaptive, innovative, and fiery as our our rage r age at our our oppressors oppres sors increased. Today, some regard hoodoo as a novelty and, even if they do have some faith in its efficacy, efficacy, believe bel ieve that that it is i s more faith fait h than the actual work that that bring bri ngss about a bout the the desired desi red changes. changes. As such s uch,, many many distribut distri butors ors will wi ll peddle “alleg “alle ged” goods goods which are noth nothing but but anim animal al bi-product bi- productss and mislabel isl abeled ed herbs meant to to take advantage advantage of the client cli ents' s' ignorance, ignorance, or curiosity curiosi ty,, as the the case ca se may be. Those of us who w ho are authen authentic tic still s till seek out our own components in the backwoods or grow them in our gardens when possible. possibl e. As such such,, “city hoodoo” hoodoo” may may be considerabl considerably y different different from “country hoodoo” which is how I personally practice. If you have access to legitimate suppliers, by all means, use them. Just be aware of the frauds. We are still oppressed to this day, you see, by the financial slavers who would take take advant adv antage age of our desir des iree to im i mprove prov e our lot l ot in life li fe throug through h the the use of o f magic. We would not have traditions, or go to such lengths to acquire what we need for our work, if there were not some truth to the power inherent therein. The ancestor altar
One African tradition found in most of the diaspora traditions and still applicable to hoodoo is the construction and use of the ancestor altar. It is said that hoodoo is a “loose collection of superstitions with no real doctrine of faith” but that is not entirely true. We have faith, we just believe that faith is a personal experience and hoodoo is more of a profession or skill than a religion. We are still quite aware that the powers we invoke through the practice of hoodoo hoodoo are inexorably inexorably tied tied to th the world worl d of Spirit and depen dependen dentt on the will of a Creator. This belief is held by all true practitioners of hoodoo. Furthermore, we are all respectful of our forebears who have crossed the veil between worlds. The obvious reason being we literally could not exist without them and the things they taught us in life helped make us who we are. We do not just “believe” but KNOW that even in death they are with us, that that they they care for us, and can relate r elate to us in ways wa ys that that other other spiritual spi ritual beings beings cannot. cannot. This This gives them them a un unique ability to act as interm intermediari ediaries es between us and th the Spirit and to comm communicate on our our behalf. behalf. Some Some of us us 12
think of them as angels or aspirants to some ascended form in the realms beyon beyond d this this life. li fe. Th This is reflected in the the Vodou relig reli gion where where any of th the dead may one day join the gede the gede who who are not quite lwa (the lwa (the spirits served through through Vodou who are ar e not actual actually ly gods and are ass a ssoci ociated ated with w ith saint sai nts) s) but are more than just “ghosts” or humans. The Celts, the Norse and many, many other pre-Christian cultures revered, and continue to revere, their ancestors. Small household altars are maintained as a place to communicate with them and any other spirits who watch over us. Since there is a historical connection with this practice and nearly every other culture which contributed to the current incarnation of hoodoo I feel compelled to describe it here. There There are no hard hard and fast rules when it comes comes to erecting ere cting your your aaltar, ltar, but but th there are a few guideli guidelin nes; Firstly Fir stly,, your your ancestors (along (al ong with wi th any any other other spiri spi rits ts you choose choose to represent on your altar) deserve respect. They are not “junk” to be crowded in with an assortment of nick-knacks. Your altar should be devoted to spiritual purposes ONLY, not half-heartedly thrown together on the corner o a coffee table tabl e or on back of a vanity behind behind your your make-up make-up and pictu pic tures res of your cat. Remember, everything on the altar is for the spirits, not you. Do not use the altar as a decoration or conversation piece and, likewise, if you need a table for your own spiritual work (a “working altar” I call it), make sure it is separate from the ancestor altar. The furniture you use does not matter much, but it should be of a comfortable height for you to stand, kneel or sit at (depending on what position you you are more more comfort comfortable able in) for for indeterm indeterminat inatee periods of time. time. The idea is to use it as a place of daily meditation, reflection and spiritual communion, so chose the size, shape and location with that in mind. Construct the altar in a low traffic area of the house, but someplace where you won't neglect it, and attend it daily. You will need at least one dish, bowl or cup for offerings and several may be better if you are dealing with multiple spirits at once. Traditional offerings for the spirits in general include water, coffee, liquor or beer, cigarettes/ci cigarettes/cig gars and and grain based foods like l ike cornbread or porridge. por ridge. Dispose of old offerings at a cross-roads or property line and renew them often. Even just a little nibble of whatever meal you prepare that day can show your consideration for the spirits. It is a physical act of welcoming and incorporating them in your daily life and that matters a lot to them. When working with specific ancestors of your own you may offer them things you know they liked in life. You also need representations of those spirits you wish to communicate with. Photographs, favorite objects or jewelry, scraps 13
of clothing, and grave dirt all serve as fine connective mediums. Most like li ke to keep keep a candle to “li “ ligh ghtt the the way” w ay” and to carry carr y the the energy of your your int i ntent entions ions and your your words w ords to the the next next world. wor ld. Do not blow out candles on your your altar. Breath Bre ath contains contains power pow er and blowing blow ing thin things gs has meaning. Better to let candles burn out on their own. Some think it is okay to snuff them, but I don't even do that as this action also has meaning, usually negative. Some will burn incense, resins or herbs or oils at the altar for scents to please the spirits. Scent is also the sense most deeply tied to the memory centers of our brain, so it makes sense to make use of at the ancestor altar. al tar. Just be sure to find suitable bases b ases for anyth anything ing you you may may leave burnin burning g. When a time comes that you need something, use a symbol of some kind to represent your request along with your offering at the time of your devotional service. A few coins for money, a broken bone for healing, a napkin with a lipsti li pstick ck mar mark k for for love l ove... ... Vocali oca lize ze your your need to them as you would confide in them in life. You don't need rhyming incantations and barbarous words of power in hoodoo. hoodoo. These These are your your own kin kin you you are talking to and they want to see you grow, prosper and be happy. That is one of the the beaut bea utiful iful thing thingss about a bout hoodoo, hoodoo, we don't force spir s pirits its to do our bidding, bidding, we simply ask for for help from from those those that that already care about us and, i so doing, remain connected to them even after they have transcended the mortal coil. coi l. Two-headed Doctors and the Devil at the Cross-Roads
Some conjure workers are described in this way because it is believed they they are guided guided by a spirit, spiri t, be it of an angel, angel, djinn or ancestor ancestor as the the individual i ndividual tradition tradi tion migh mightt have it. i t. Such workers are sometimes sometimes mysteri ysteriously ously compell compelled ed to do d o things things in a certain c ertain way w ay or may place plac e great emphasis emphasis on seemingly seemingly tri trivial vial thing thingss at times. times. They They are powerful pow erful conjure workers, but their lives are never easy. This condition is not chosen but is part of an old shaman shamanic ic survival, foun found in African African,, Irish and and Native Native American traditions, carried over into hoodoo. This would be the closest thing to a “priest” to be found in hoodoo. Though, the reader is reminded that there is no hierarchical structure, no congregation and no temple for hoodoo. The relation is made only by the fact that such a worker will face the the gateways of initiation initiati on found found univer universal sal by multiple multiple anthropologists, anthropologists, these these being crisis, crisi s, exile, tribulation tribulation,, revelation and and emergen emergence. ce. The "crisis" is the time when one is "called" by the spirit. It typically manifests as a near death 14
experience or a prolonged period of general strife and misfortune. This comes because the person must be forced to confront their destiny and often they will not be able to see, or fully accept it, until they are forced to seek se ek council council of a spiri spi ritu tual al authority authority.. Once they understand understand what must happen and that it cannot be undone or changed, they enter into exile. This means complete dislocation of the person from all they know and are comfortable in. It is the "liminal space" wherin all familiar structures are questioned, preconceptions fade and the ego dies allowing the self to give way to the spirit. This comes comes with wi th no no small struggle struggle as the the exile exil e typically typical ly means means being bei ng left completely to the harsh realities of the the worl w orld d while w hile facing faci ng the the deepest, dee pest, darkest da rkest facets of the mind. mind. To To have no community, family, or other body to turn to for help with even basic things like food, clothing and shelter. To starve for days with only what you can find to eat and to have no medical attention, much less anyone to even talk to when you are bored or lonely. You lose yourself completely, but one must be lost in order to be found. In time the initiate will truly understand the meaning of "let go and let God" (a favorite phrase of my grandmother's) as I did. With this, the spirit will reveal to them the path and purpose, the deal is struck, and the link between worlds worl ds is permanen permanently tly established as the the initiate initiate dies unto unto th the self and is reborn unto spirit. Thus they re-enter the world as a body with "two heads" one of self and one of spirit. In modern society, this means they maintain a normal life, tending to mundane concerns, while also using their unique power to fulfill a higher purpose. In tribal societies these people are known as shamans and are well taken care of by the tribe but for the hoodoo man/woman, as I have said before, life is hard and if it wasn't, it just wouldn't be hoodoo. The physical act of initiation for the conjure worker often takes place at a crossroads cross roads because it i t phy physically sical ly represents represents the spiritual place in i n which which the the person per son is operating oper ating.. They find find them themsel selves ves in a state s tate of flux where there there are roads all around them, but they have no where to go. Something is keeping them from moving and that is the spirit whom they must meet to be given direction. direc tion. The The spir s pirit it is i s their guide guide and companion companion and and the person pers on must must face the reality real ity that that they they belong to to the spiri spi rit, t, not to to themsel themselves. ves. The The spir s pirit it is is sometimes described as "the devil" but it is clearly understood by practitioners practitioners that that th this is most certainly certainly not not th the christian christian conception conception of Satan Satan or an incarnation of pure pure evil. evil . The confrontation confrontation can be a terri ter rify fying ing one, one, of 15
course, because it involves the initiate being forced to face their own demons or the "shadow self" or "id" as it is described in modern psychology psychology.. This This is, is , however, however, more more than than a mere mere psychopom psychopomp. p. The spirit of the crossroads is known in many traditions and is very real. In hoodoo, aside from “Devil” he is also called “the Dark Man” or “the black man” being understood that this is not a reference to his skin color, which is often deathly pale or albino, but rather to his color of dress and his black hollow eyes. In African diaspora religions he is Papa Legba, Elegua and Exu, and it is only by his leave that the connection between the phy physical and spirit spiri t worlds is made possible. possibl e. Perhaps a more more fitting fitting comparison would be to Met Kalfou (literally “master of crossroads”) or Sassabonsam, spirits who are considered very dangerous guardians of lost ways and forgotten places who also possess the greatest secrets of magic but but bestow bestow them them only only upon upon a few they they deem worthy of mak making ing a deal with wi th.. He is the the Catholic St. Peter who watches w atches the the gate between betwee n heaven heaven and earth ear th,, the the Celtic Cel tic Pwyll Pw yll who w ho was the the first fir st mortal mortal to be adm a dmitted itted to anwnn, anwnn, the underworld, and be allowed to return and the Norse God Odin who gave his own eye for foresight and was crucified like Jesus, wounded by spear, so that he could enter the realm of Hel (freom whence we get our word “hell”) to bring the secrets of magic back to the world of men to help us in our time of need. By whatever whatever name name we w e know know him, him, he is, is , as he has has always alw ays been, the Great Initiator who forges the bond between the mortal mind and the mind o God. Though none of us may truly know that mind, we can become an instrument thereof. For the hoodoo worker, that means having a guiding hand in their work, a voice to whisper to them the secrets of plants and a light to reveal the hearts of men. This power (as is often the case when power is seemingly seemingly great) great) is more burden than than boon as the wonders worked wor ked for others others are seldom sel dom,, if i f ever, recipr re ciprocal ocal.. One migh mightt ask; “Why “Why go to the the trouble of being initiated? Why bother doing this work only to make others happy? If there are no great rewards, why bear the burden?” and the answer is sim si mple. If you you are called, call ed, you must must answ answer. er. It is not choice choice,, it i t is destiny. destiny. I explain these these thing thingss here not to to instill i nstill a desir de siree in i n others others to go to the the crossro cros sroads, ads, but to to inf i nform orm those those who have been bee n called calle d of what w hat they they must expect to do. The time time has long l ong passed pass ed that there there were we re people peopl e com co mmon in every community to guide us in this. I had to figure it out on my own and it took half of my life to do so. I just hope these words will reach others in time to help them along.
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Part 2 Root work
The The use of herbs, herbs, roots, r oots, woods, seeds and and flowers as well w ell as minerals, animal derived items, and other assorted curios is all lumped into one one category category called “rootwork” and and some Hoodoo doctors are called root workers wor kers because they they speciali speci alize ze in this this particular parti cular area of Hoodoo. There There are numerous works in publications devoted entirely to the subject of Hoodoo root work. Herbal medicine is also als o an aspect aspe ct of root work wor k and it is highly highly recomm recommended that an indivi individual dual int i nteres erested ted in this aspec a spectt of Hoodoo make a serious seri ous study of herb herbal alis ism m. The medical edi cal com c omm munity unity has has been be en publishing publishing “PDRs” or “phy “physician sici anss desk references” references” specifically for for herbal medicine for many years and it is a must have for the root workers library. Where Where magical and spiri spi ritu tual al matters are concerned, the effects that that an herb has on the the body is believed beli eved to stem from from the the effect effect it has on the the spirit. spir it. So, by knowi nowin ng what an herb does in th the body we can draw conclusions conclusions about about what magical magical uses to which they they may may lend their their power. pow er. For instan i nstance, ce, if i f an herb works as a purgative, emetic or laxative then it will likely work for spells to get rid of unwanted people or spiritual influences. Hoodoo also works heavily with something called “the doctrine of signatures” which represents the belief that God left us clues about what objects or herbs can be used for what purposes if we only know how to look. If an herb herb or flower flowe r is heart shaped shaped then it should should in i n some some way wa y be related rel ated to matters matters of the the heart, heart, be they they physic physical al health or love-r lo ve-rela elated. ted. If somethin something g looks like li ke an eye eye then it is likely li kely a natural natural ward w ard against the the “evil “e vil eye” which is a curse that befalls a person if someone looks on them with enough enough hate hate and evil in their their heart. Sweet Swe et thing thingss swee s weeten ten affections, affections, sour s our thing thingss turn them them sour or “cut “ cut”” spiri spi ritu tual al inf i nfluences. luences. Hot thing thingss stir s tir discor di scord d or “heat thing thingss up”, while w hile earthy e arthy thing thingss bring br ing wealth and fertility fertili ty or repres rep resent ent the hom homee and fideli fide lity ty.. Minty or “green” “ green” tasting tas ting things things often bring bri ng money while “airy” herbs (those which are highly aromatic or register heavily in the nose) are used for uplifting of spirits and bitter, astringent herbs are used for protection. Once Once you know know how to read the signs signs you will wi ll be b e correct corr ect in determining determining what an herb or root is for. For instance, galangal galangal or “low ohn” ohn” root is a relati r elative ve of ging ginger er and is also als o called call ed red ginger ginger by some. some. It is 17
used in Thai food and has has a strong s trong hot-but-earthy hot-but-ear thy flavor. flav or. It has a stimula stimulant nt effect causing the the blood bloo d to pum pump harder. It is traditionall tra ditionally y chewe chewed d for power to break down barriers barri ers in gen general. eral. It is used in gambling ambling and and court court case cas e charms. Maybe that that just seem see ms obvio obv ious us to me me but, if you you take take the time time to think about it, you will get it, too. Some Some of the traditional traditio nal uses of o f various vari ous animal animal charms charms and a nd other other curios are a little trickier because many of them are derived from tribal knowledge or spiritual traditions with which the reader may not be familiar and that that go go back centuri centuries es.. That is why w hy it is im i mportant por tant to also als o study the the wisdom wi sdom of old by reading about about them them or asking a sking elders. elde rs. Most of the the uses uses of these these item i tems, s, however, are still s till based b ased on the the law of signatu signatures res.. Think Think of each object obje ct as a sym symbol unto unto itself. What What does it resemble? What What shapes shapes do you see? se e? What What does it remind remind you you of? Try Try observi obser ving ng the the animal animal itsel its elf. f. What What does doe s it do? What What do those those actions acti ons sym symbolize bol ize to to you? you? Cultivation Cultiva tion of this this kind of associative thinking is critical to the aspiring root worker. Remember, God grants us the power and has given us the tools to use it and the the skills skill s to learn lea rn the the secrets. sec rets. It is up to us us to seek see k out out the the hidden knowledge knowledge and put it to use. Applying Applying the doctrine doct rine of signatures s ignatures
A fundamental skill in hoodoo rootwork is to be capable of finding out how how to use vari va rious ous ingredients by using the the doctrine of o f sign si gnatu atures res.. I spent many years honing my abilities by venturing into nature and closely observing everything about different plants. It is more than just shapes and colors but how and where it grows, when it bears flower or fruit, what times of year it sprouts or dies back, what plants it grows near, how it smells and tastes and what medicinal benefits, or even poisonous properties it may have. Leave nothing out. All plants, ALL of them, have some place in conjure. Just because it is not listed in a book of “magical herbs” does not mean it is void of spiritual properties. It would be utterly impossible to list every single plant with all of their metaphysical properties. Indexes such as the the one found found in i n this this book serve ser ve as guides guides to help you fam famil iliar iarize ize yourse yourself lf with the various applications of ingredients. Some uses are not immediately apparent and some are found only by trial and error. Rootwork, like any other other scien sci ence, ce, applies the the scientific scientific process proces s as we will w ill see in the the followin followi ng example. Once one has learned what to look for and how to make associations between physical and metaphysical characteristics the entire natural world becomes filled with magic and one is seldom found wanting for ingredients when a need arises. We do not always have the prescribed 18
components for an important piece of work, but necessity is the mother of invention and hoodoo, above all other magics, is one born of necessity. Subject of analysis; Kudzu This vine will one day consume all of the American south, and, believe it i t or not, not, I am hardly kidding kidding.. It was im i mported from from Asia, quickly quickly naturalized, and took over everything in its path. Though it has no natural predators, as it were, the the root and and you youn ng greens are edible by hu humans ans and the mature greens a good fodder for many domestic animals such as pigs, and goats. The flowers are an attractive purple and smell of grape jelly. Some southern counties have annual “kudzu festivals” with food and crafts made from fro m the the plant pl ant in order to encourage encourage local l ocalss to cut it back. The The root r oot can grow to the the size s ize of a man and, and, aside as ide from being a nutritious nutritious veget ve getable able,, is is also being studied as a cure for alcoholism. Taken daily, as a powder, it has been foun found to reduce craving cravings for alcohol alcohol while repairing repai ring liver damage. damage. It may also help prevent heart problems, high blood pressure, and some cancers. Some call kudzu “mile-a-day plant” because it grows at such an alarming rate. Jack's bean stalk could easily have been a kudzu vine and it does, in fact, produce a bean pod, which is the one inedible part of the plant. plant. It is an oddly small small thing thing for th the size of the the plant, plant, and and covered in reddish-brown hairs. In my practice I have found that these can be carried as a curio for perseverance and personal strength, or added to other formulas for “fast growth” with persisting effects as one might desire in money or business form for mulas. Kudzu Kudzu is not “tradi “traditional” tional” in i n conjure, conjure, but is so so abundant abundant in our our region and so unique unique in i n its characteris character istics tics that that there there is no reason reas on not not to use it. As a “new comer” comer” to the the scene, s cene, others may find additional addi tional uses for it i t in time, time, but the the doctrine doc trine of sign si gnatu atures res reveals reve als much. uch. The leaves are three lobed, a sign of the trinity and, thus, divine power. The flowers are purple, the color of royalty, and they grow high and in clusters, symbolizing abundance. The leaves, stems the beans are both hairy, a sign o masculine power po wer or “mars “mars energy” energy” as one migh mightt have it, even ev en more more so since the color of the hairs on the bean pods is red. The vines are woody and strong, more evidence of masculine power. The rate of growth (literally over a foot per day) and its all-consuming nature show it to possess a dominant nature while the size and depth of its root indicate strength. The medicinal edic inal eff e ffects, ects, along a long with the the fact that it is a nutritious nutritious food-stuf food- stuff, f, proves prove s kudzu to be a plant which “cares about humans” even in spite of its aggressive appearance. As such, I would classify kudzu as a fortifying plant which can be used to empower and speed up most works, particularly those 19
of beneficent nature. Beans of all kinds have often been used in money work, so it would stand to reason that kudzu beans would do for this task, especial espec ially ly when taking taking into into consideration consider ation the the proli pr olific fic growth grow th of the the plant. Flowers with sweet scents are common in love work. Being royal purple, and coming from such a massive plant, it is likely that they carry a slight bent bent toward toward dominat domination ion mag magic. ic. It is lik li kely th that kud kudzu zu flowers wou w ould ld do well wel l when thee is call to control one's partner. The link to sobriety and health would seem to indicate it is a plant of hope and restored vitality, so it would be most most appropriate in either either contex contextt of wealth weal th or dominan dominance ce when the the need need was great and prospects seem bleak at best. For this reason, it may also be seen as a “block buster” herb for overcoming obstacles and crossedconditions. More Than Just Magic Magi c
Though hoodoo is largely known for the “mojo” or metaphysical workings it employs, it is also about medicine and ministry. There is a reason that hoodoo workers are called “doctors” after all. In the old days, and in the the out of reach commun communities ities where they they still reside res ide and practice, practi ce, these people were the most accessible source of relief to the ails of their neighbors. neighbors. Most could c ould not afford afford the the cost co st of hospital visits vis its or o r make make the long drive dri ve to see s ee a modern doctor. Often times times it simply s imply was not worth the the effort for many minor complaints, which still needed to be addressed before progressing into into a more more seriou seri ouss problem. Hoodoo doctors doctors helped with these these problems, problems, often often with a little little dose of faith faith and and hope, hope, just just for for good good measure. measure. A visit with your root doctor is a visit with an old friend, a friend who happens to know know a thing thing or two about herbs herbs and the the spir s pirit. it. Some doctors are known known for their their “sigh “si ght” t” which gives them them the the ability abil ity to see beyon beyond d the the phy physical and isolate the the source of a problem even when the the patient patient is unaware. unaware. Oth Others migh mightt have have a special talent for divination, divination, allowing them to guide a person to the path God has set for them. To some, this this seems like li ke “witch “wi tchcraft” craft” but to the the hoodoo worker, w orker, this this is ministry, inistry, because because it all comes comes from the the Holy Source Source and is delivered with w ith a hum humble ble regard to the true origin of all power. It is difficult to convey to the modern, urban-ized mind the different perspective we have out out in the the count country ry.. Thing Thingss are quieter quieter here and and we tend tend to notice subtle things that city folks miss out on. Because of this, I believe, we have a heightened awareness of certain influences and energies and that we are more profoundly moved by these things than those who are continuously bombarded with unnatural influences that come with city life. 20
So, just as our idea of ministry seems witchy and primitive, so too our idea of medicine might come off as seemingly “magical” to others. Remember, in hoodoo work, the treatment of body, mind, or spirit spirit are all just part of standard medicine for us. Quite Quite often, we end up treating all three three sim si multaneously ultaneously because, to us, they they are not separated. Indeed, Indeed, if they were, wer e, that that would be a most seri s erious ous issue is sue in need of intensi intensive ve and im i mmediate edia te treatment! Preparation of natural medicines m edicines
Knowing how to prepare medicine from herbs, roots and bark are part of the S.O.P (standard operating procedures) of a hoodoo doctor. Truthfully, I almost forgot to add this section because this is such basic knowledge I nearly took for for granted granted that the the reader would know know it. Forgive For give my my assumptions if you will, and likewise, if the following seems too remedial, feel free fre e to move along. Infusion Infusi on- this is the method most commonly employed in herbal preparations. It It is comm commonly only kn known as “mak “making ing tea” to to put put it plainly into into perspective. The The purpose purpose of th this meth method od is to draw out vital essences from from a material by the application of heat into a carrier agent, typically water. Sometimes the active ingredient is not soluble in water, so oil or milk may be used. used. Likewise, Likewise, some some constitu constituen ents ts migh mightt be soluble soluble in one one carrier, carri er, but but not the other, and using the right carrier will give you the ingredients you want while leaving leav ing out out the the ones you don't. don't. Prepari Pr eparing ng an infusi infusion on usually usually consists consi sts of bringing the carrier to just shy of boiling and then pouring over the material and allowed to slowly cool. For stronger infusions, the container is covered so that that the the evaporating oils will wi ll cool and precipitat precipi tatee back down into the carrier. Using vitamin E oil after preparation will help keep oil based infu infusions from from spoilin spoili ng. Decoction Decoction- this is similar to infusion, but the point is typically to remove a remove a volatile portion which may be toxic, or too concentrated for safe use. This method is more commonly used with roots and woody substances. The carrier is brought to a full boil and the substance is “cooked” in it. The more volatile elements will evaporate into the air while more stable components will remain in the carrier. Decoctions are a lot less stable than infusi infusions ons and are typica typicall lly y prepared prepar ed at the time time of use. In my experi experience, ence, decoctions seldom keep for more than a few days, maybe a week if refrigerated. 21
Maceration Macerati on- this is the extraction of vital components through alcohol, and yields the most stable and lasting medicine. Grain alcohol, vodka or brandy are most commonly used. It must be strong, no less than 80 proof or 40% alcohol alcohol by volum volumee with high higher er being preferable. Herbs are placed in a tigh tightly tly sealin seali ng contain container er and the the alcohol poured poured over. I typicall typically y use just enough to cover, plus half over, maybe twice if the material is absorbent, like fruit. I leave strong spices for one week, dried herbs for two weeks, woody or fresh herbs for three weeks and fresh fruits for a month or more. Truly, the longer you let them go the stronger they become and the alcohol makes it impossible to spoil. The resulting liquor is strained off and the solid material squeezed out and filtered. This liquid is known as a “mother tincture” and is diluted with water when used. CalcinationCalcination- This is an archaic process proce ss that, that, truthf truthfully ully,, I only use use for one thing, but is worth mention here. Calcination is the application of heat to remove practically all volatile components, leaving behind a dust of the more basic elements. Simply put, it means roasting. To do this with herbs, place them them in a metal metal or glass glass dish di sh and and apply indirect indirect heat. heat. For a small small batch, batch, someth something ing as simple as a candle candle will wi ll suffice. suffice. When When the the herb herb is all al l dried out is should powder quite easily. Another use of calcination, and the one I personally employ, is for hard, animal-based materials such as hooves, bones and antlers. The process for these is different, however. Rather than roasting in a dish, they are hung over vats of boiling water and allowe all owed d to “swea “s weat” t” out their their mucil mucilage. age. This makes makes them much easier easi er to powder for medicine. medicine. I use this this process proces s for egg eggshells to produce produce cascarilla also known as “peace powder” which has many spiritual uses as well as being a fast acting acting antacid antacid when taken taken internally internally.. Drying - the most common way of keeping raw herbs is by drying them. The best method is the “bundle method” which I personally use for nearly all my herbs. Harvest fresh plants, gathering as much of the whole plant as you can. Lay them them all in i n the the same same direction and and gath gather er them them up in handfulls around the bottom end. Tie a piece of twine or string around them tightly, then begin to wind it round all the way to the top. When the plant material ateria l gets gets thin, fold the tips over o ver and start winding w inding back up toward towar d the end where you started. You do not need to wind it too tight, leave room for air to flow through. You should be able to squeeze the bundle without bits falling falli ng out, out, but still see plenty of the the plant materi material al between betwee n your your bindings. Tie the string off at the end and hang them in a cool, dry place where little to 22
no sunli sunligh ghtt will wi ll reach reac h them them.. Do NOT allow al low any direct dir ect contact with wi th sun or you will lose the vital components. When you only want one part of the plant, plant, such as leaves or flowers, flow ers, place them them in a box box and and poke poke holes holes on all sides for air to flow through and shake the box daily until thoroughly dry. Dried herbs are ar e far more potent than than fresh ones, which w hich contain contain more more water, which dilutes the medicinal oils. To wit; dried herbs use one teaspoon per cup of infusi infusion, on, fresh herbs herbs are one tablespoon tables poon per cup of infusio infusion. n. Truly Truly dried herbs should crumble to the touch, and these can be put in jars or bags for later use. It is preferable to keep them as whole as possible, as crushing them will release the oils, as should be immediately evident to the nose. One final note, do not use the bundle or box methods for juicy, succulent herbs like dock, jewelweed, and jimsonweed. They simply putrefy and drip a tobacco-spit looking liquid down the leaves. These must be dried with heat, between 100 and 200 degrees de grees Fahren Fa hrenheit, heit, with wi th some some kind of ventilation allowed. Remember, jimsonweed is poisonous and psychotropic, psychotropic, so please do this this outside outside if you plan to to work with it. atural salve basebase- because it is needed for so many formulas, I thought I would share my own method for making salves that keep well without using any nasty chemicals. Begin by heating your herbs in olive oil using a crock pot, dou double boiler boil er or bain-marie. bain-marie. You You want to watch carefully carefully and and not not “cook” your herbs but heat them gently and slowly for as long as you can to draw out the essences. Strain the herbs from the oil and keep it over a low heat. Add a half teaspoon of vitamin E oil for every 10 ounces or so of olive to help it keep longer. Next add pure beeswax in one inch chunks little by little li ttle and stir until until completel completely y integrated. integrated. Next to to you pot keep keep a large lar ge spoon on ice. Using your stirring spoon drip but a single drop on the back of cold spoon and see if it solidifies. If it does, rub it between your fingers and see how it i t feels. If too too thick and and waxy w axy,, add more oil, oil , if i f too thin, thin, or if it i t runs runs off o ff the the spoon. sp oon. add more wax. w ax. Some basic medicinal m edicinal formulas formul as “Gypsy cough syrup” Though I do not like the pejorative name, the old southern cure for a troublesome cough cough is to take take a whole “onion” and stick it in i n a jar of honey honey for a month and take the resulting liquor by the spoonful. The “onion” here would be more appropriately a leek or shallot as we use a sort of “country onion” which I cannot attest to the specific species of but it is certainly not a supermarket whit, red or yellow onion. Theoretically any would do, but this
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is just what I know. know. The onion we use has flat leaves le aves,, not the the hollow holl ow tubes tubes you find on commercial onions. The bulb is white but no bigger than the palm of th the hand hand and and has has a rather rather sweet, sw eet, almost almost apple-like flavor. flavor. In my ow formula I add a cupfull of elderberries and some monarda to help break the fever. Some Some cloves cl oves would also als o help to soothe any inflamm inflammation ation in the throat. throat. The wonder of this is it is perfectly safe, even for children, and doesn't taste as bad as a s one o ne migh mightt think think.. Since Si nce honey honey is a natural natural preserva pres ervative tive the herbs need not be removed (it will only get stronger) and it will keep indefinitely with wi thout out refrigeration. Drawing salve all the grandmothers in my day kept this stuff handy and used it for just about everything. Since many of the younger folk may have never heard of this, it is called “drawing salve” because it draws out things in the skin, be it a splinter spl inter,, venom from from a sting, sting, or infection. infection. The basic basi c formula formula is sim si mple activated charcoal in a stable salve medium. Most commercial formulas use petroleum petroleum jelly jell y for a base because because it is cheap and and stable, but but my my natural atural alternative above works as well and is what most homemade formulas use. They also used to add menthol and/or camphor to make it smell and add a natural pain killer. Clove and lavender work as well and may be preferable to some scent-wise. Laborer's Linement This is one of my own formulas that works like a charm on overworked muscles. I suppose it would be just as well for someone trying to get pumped at the gym, but I use it after long days of cutting wood, hauling water and the like. Simply infuse the oil of your choice (olive, palm, peanut, mineral, ineral , if i f you you must) must) with wi th dried leaves lea ves of the the swee s weetg tgum um and beauty berry berr y trees. It has a pleasant, subtle spicy scent with no irritating “freeze” or “burn” like commerci commercial al products for the the sam s amee purpose, purpos e, just j ust nice, nice, soothing relief. I have torn muscles, rubbed this on, and gone right back to work many times. Poison ivy and bite bite relief In a basic salve base, jewelweed with ground ivy. Works wonders on many types types of skin irritations irr itations and typically typicall y cures cures poison pois on oak and and ivy i vy with wi thin in 24 hours depending depe nding on how how sensitive you are to it and how soon s oon after exposure you apply the the salve s alve.. Flu relief
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make a tincture of clove, star anise, ginger, elderberry and citrus peels. Add to a glass glass of warm water water with wi th honey oney and and lemon lemon and and take take 3-4 times daily. Supplementation with four thieves vinegar for immunity and carmelite water for fever (both found in formulary) will expedite recovery. Turmeric and black peppercorns for everything The The spicy spi cy yellow yellow root powder that that serves as a base for curries has numerous health benefits from healing the damage caused by peptic ulcers to fighting and preventing cancer, memory loss and obesity. It can also be used for fighting infections caused by fungus, bacteria and viruses as well as inflammation both internal and external. Black pepper has many similar benefits benefits and and increases the the bio-availabili bio-avail ability ty of curcum curcumin, in, th the active chem chemical ical in turm turmeri eric. c. Use them as a tincture tincture internally or in linim li niment entss and a nd salves salv es for external application as for arthritis, cuts and sores. Gen Ge ne ral pur purpose pose salve For cuts, cuts, burns, burns, boils, boil s, chapping, chapping, chafing and and hemorr hemorrhoids hoids com c ombine bine yarrow, plant pl antain ain and mullein mullein in i n a salve sal ve base. ba se. It is gentle gentle enough enough to use on babies for diaper rash ras h but but strong strong enou enough to stop stop bleeding on the the spot, even from fair fairly ly bad woun w ounds. ds. I have also als o used it i t for mouth mouth sores myself because the ingredients are food safe and edible, so you don't have to worry about the kids getting poisoned by it. Powerful slee sle e p tinctur tincturee Insomnia runs in my family, and we get it BAD. Many commercial supplements are available, most contain valerian, which smells like feet and never worked w orked for me anyway. anyway. Melatonin is another another popular one, but since we also suffer from depression from a serrotonin deficiency, melatonin can actually exacerbate our symptoms. One remedy I found to work rather well is a tincture of hops (like those used in beer) with skullcap and passionflower (mayp (maypop) op) leaf. If If cham chamom omile ile and lavender lavender have th the calming calming effect they do on some, make a tea and add a dropperfull of the tincture to it. Part 3 Conjure Divining Divining the will w ill of God
As stated before, all work in hoodoo is considered an extension of God's will wi ll into the the worl w orld d through through the the worker. w orker. We We have no qualms qualms with w ith doing harm when it is a punishment ordained by God. There is no reason to 25
fear bringing someone under submission when their obedience is unto the Lord. The shepherd protects his flock with both rod (a bludgeon to fend of predators) and staff staff (a guide guide and a hook hook to keep keep those those who stray on course) course) as the the good book boo k says. Some would ask “but who are you to decide what is or isn't the will of God?” and the answer is “not but a humble servant” which is why we practice divination. divination. Con Contrary trary to what what some some zealots zealots would have have you you believe, all forms of divination are not strictly forbidden by the bible. Rather it is only those which make supplications to lesser gods. We have already discussed how hoodoo is not strictly christian anyway but even for the majority of rootworkers who are also christians, there is no dispute betwee the practice and their faith. The practitioner of hoodoo is meant to be in constant constant contact with wi th their their higher higher power pow er and sometim sometimes es it behooves be hooves one to have an external representation to help differentiate between true spirit commun communic icatio ation n and int i nter ernal nal monologu onolo gue. e. Most workers today use the familiar tarot deck for their readings. The trumps trumps of o f the the tarot taro t or taken right right out of the the biblica bibl icall book b ook of Revelations Revelati ons so it seems rather appropriate. However, oldtime conjures used more mundane methods more often than not. Growing up I used to hear my grandparents talking about all kinds of signs. Most people are familiar with old sayings like “your ears must be burning” meaning someone is talking about you or superstitions like “when a broom falls you have worn out your welcome” but but when when it comes comes to deciding wheth whether or not to perform perform some some type type of magical agical work, we need direct dir ect answer answers. s. There are two divinitory tools I know of that are connected with oldtime conjure, bones and a nd playing cards, card s, each e ach having various vari ous meth methods ods of use. For bones sets, some use chicken bones while others use those of a possum. possum. Some Some will wil l include include other other curious curious such as seashells or sm s mall keys. keys. With the cards some will use a full poker or bridge deck including both “big” and and “little” jokers wh w hile others will wi ll use a striped stri ped or “piqu “pi quet” et” deck including only the cards 7-10 and the face cards. It is these which we will be addressin addressi ng shortly shortly as th the tarot has been th thorough oroughly covered by numerous authors while relatively little is written about playing cards other than to correlate them with the tarot (which is not exactly how I have come to unders understan tand d them being used used in hoodoo) and practical prac tically ly nothing nothing is written wr itten about bones, Before we get to it, let us talk briefly about how we approach readings in hoodoo. It is not some cheap parlor trick or game for a bit of spooky entertai entertainm nment ent.. We We do d o not do “cold “col d readi r eading ngs” s” or use overly over ly generi genericc terms terms which w hich could could easily easi ly apply appl y to everyone in any situation. When When we write wr ite 26
about the proposed meanings of the signs that come up in divination, we must use use fairly fairl y broad terms terms to convey c onvey an overall over all idea, idea , but in the the actu ac tual al reading we strive to make this concept fit into a given situation in as precise a manner as possible. That is why we first must have a very clear question in mind. If a client wants us to do work to bring back a lover who has gone astray, astray, first fir st we w e must must determine whether whether or not these these people peop le should should even be together. That is a clear and simple “yes or no” and a fine place to start. If the answer is “yes” however, we must then find out what caused them to stray, what they are up to, and how best to approach bringing them back. Domination, souring or sweetening are all viable options (which we will describe in full later) but not all are justified or in keeping with the will of God. For this we will do a more in-depth reading and continue to pursue specific questions until we find the right answer, which is not always (seldom even) the answer we think we we want at the beginning. That is another pitfall in this line of work. Many people will go to several different readers until they get the answer they hope for, some readers will stretch the meanings of the signs they see right in front of them to give those answers and many many who read re ad for them themsel selves ves will wi ll strain strai n to make make their their reading readi ngss fit their desires rather than looking objectively and accepting the obvious. It takes time and practice to develop the skills to do a proper reading. It is for precisely that reason that I recommend to all of my students before they even begin to attempt any sort of conjure or rootwork that they choose a method ethod of divination di vination and start practici pr acticing ng with wi th it every sing si ngle le day. day. I find a “daily forecast” and a small notebook to keep track of both the results of your readings and what actually happened that day can go a long way toward getting a handle on what the various signs actually mean. The next step is to start asking questions, specific but more or less inconsequential ones and allowi all owing ng your your divi d ivinat nations ions to guide guide your your decis d ecisions. ions. Again, noting noting the result, keeping in mind that sometimes even seemingly unfavorable outcomes can be “blessings in disguise” which is why we keep a running ledger to look back on. In time you should get enough information to modify and refine your interpretations enough to apply them to specific circumstances as is our goal. Bone readings
Divination with bones is about as hoodoo as it gets. Likely derived from ancient African tribal practices it is not known how bone reading came to its current incarnations in American hoodoo. Those practiced in Africa 27
are often quite elaborate having many detailed components. In the states, bone bone reading is mu much more quaint quaint and and the the meanin meaning gs or the the signs signs are mainly mainly intuited by the reader. There are two main versions of hoodoo bone reading. One uses a small set of chicken bones, the other a full set of possum or armadillo bones. bones. Thou Thoug gh not all practitioners practitioners do so, those those who hon honor or the the spirits spiri ts in more traditional ways will use the bones of an animal that was sacrificed and prepared as a ritual meal, the better portion of which is offered to the spirits. It is by way of this offering that the bones are made sacred rather than being little more than rubbish scavenged from the waste bin. The chicken bone method makes use of a large bone, a small bone, a long bone, a broken bone and a wish bone. One can immediately see that this method is very broadly defined. The large bone indicates someone's strengths. The small bone, their shortcomings. The long bone represents time and delays. The broken bone signifies problems, strife and broken bonds or promises. promises. The wish bone bone indicates wishes and and blessin blessi ngs. The The bones bones are cast on a surface, surface, usually usually a wide, shallow bowl or shell, which w hich is divided di vided into zones corresponding to different areas of life, mind or spirit as is most relevant to the question. An example of the different zones and their meanings eanings can be seen in i n the the follow fol lowing ing illustration. ill ustration.
Some practitioners will use more bones and be more specific in their selection. For instance they may use a wing bone for travel and a left rib for matters of the heart. This gets to be more like those methods using possum bones. bones. In more recent practice, armadill armadillo o bones bones have come come to be used in th the same way because they are an invasive species which can be hunted at any time of year and most game wardens do not even mind them being hunted 28
with wi thout out a license. lic ense. Both possum and armadillo armadill o are ar e “poor “po or folk food” thoug though hI can personally attest that armadillo tastes much better than possum... but I digress. When reading with possum or armadillo bones, the bones are selected from different parts of the body and the meaning is derived from freeassocia ass ociation tion between body par partt and symboli symbolicc meaning meaning.. For example, example, a thigh thigh or pelvic pelv ic bone may may relate rel ate to matters matters of sex, s ex, sexuali sexuality ty,, fertility fertil ity and and child chil d birth. birth. A tooth tooth may represent eith either aggressi aggression on OR talk/gossip. talk/gossip. Bones Bones from the spine could represent the central pillar of a reading, matters of greater importance, or relative fortitude in a given area depending on the positioning positioning of th the bone. bone. The The skull skull for the the mind, mind, rib for the the heart, heart, breast bone bone for things things that that are protected, leg for travel tra vel and knu knuckle ckle bones for physi physical cal works. Any or all bones may be used provided that the reader can keep up with the meanings behind them. Once the bones have been selected they may be soaked in hydrogen peroxide or left out out in the the sun to be bleached bleached and and dried. It is easiest easi est to to acquire the bones initially if the animal is stewed or slow-roasted so the meat falls fall s free. fre e. Remember Remember not to to waste w aste the meat meat and to share a portion por tion with wi th your spirits, giving thanks to both them and the animal for its sacrifice. You must behave honorably if you want the oracle to speak true. Before casting ca sting the the bones, it is i s good to spend s pend some time time in i n meditation meditation on the question. Prepare a clear reading surface if you are not using a bowl. Cup the bones in your hands and move them over your casting surface in the sign of the crossroads. That is, from top to center, bottom to center, left to center and righ ri ghtt to center. center. Remem Remember ber it is i s not a “cros “c ross” s” made in two movements but a “carrefour” which brings all directions to a central point. Once the sign is made bring the bones to your face and speak your question into them then breath a breath of life over them and cast. The bones are read by first looking at the overall concentration and arrangement which some call a “constellation” because it is interpreted as i one were wer e gazing gazing at stars and nam naming ing their their shapes. s hapes. This constellation constellatio n becomes becomes the the tone tone and and backdrop backdrop of th the reading and and is then then broken down and and further details derived from smaller shapes formed within the constellation, where in relation rel ation to the the casting ca sting surface surface the the land l and and the the meaning meaningss ascr a scribed ibed to those regions and which bones connect with or overlap each other. Bones that “cross” or overlap indicate “crossed conditions” or the influence of one bone bone over anoth another. er. For For instance instance in th the simple simple chicken chicken bone bone meth method od if th the broken bone bone crossed the the big bon bonee it may may indicate indicate a feeling feeling of powerlessness, powerl essness, lack of streng strength th or an illn ill ness. If the the little bone bone crossed the the broken bone bone however however that would mean mean that that troubles troubles were small or trivial 29
and not to be worried about. If many bones cluster in a particular region it means that a great deal of energy is going into that area, which may mean imbalances or neglect in other aspects of life.
Playing card reading
Divination with playing cards may have entered hoodoo through the Romany Romany who were w ere well wel l known known for their their practices prac tices of fortune fortune telling telli ng using a variety of methods. As a nomadic people, they picked up a great deal of knowledge on their travels but seldom had much in the way of material goods beyond what they were able to carry with them. This made cards a great source of entertainment and income on the road being lightweight, common and inexpensive. Tarot has always been very popular but decks were not always available or affordable to the common folk. Furthermore, I have found (like many of my peers) that playing cards tend to be more “people friendly” easily approachable and more direct in their communications than the tarot. Some believe that the poker deck is simply a stripped down tarot deck, having the trumps and knights removed. Those more familiar with the tarot wil w illl simply correlate corre late the meaning meaningss of o f the the cards car ds substituting substituting hearts for cups, diamonds for pentacles or disks, spades for swords and clubs for staves. However, it is likely that the decks were actually developed independently. Gaming with cards was common throughout Europe and the old worl wo rld. d. Different Different decks were used for different different games, games, tarot was used in a number number of different games, games, sometim sometimes es stripped stri pped of certain cer tain cards card s in the the same way that we may remove the jokers for a game of spades, or the 2's-8's for a game game of euchre. Though Though a “strippe “s tripped” d” tarot tar ot deck certainly cer tainly bears some some resemblance to the poker deck does not make them the same any more than stripping paint off a wall makes it a door. There There are some not-sonot-so-subtle subtle differences di fferences between betwe en the the metaphy metaphysi sical cal correspondences in the poker deck that give the cards a whole new voice compared to the tarot. Firstly, the meanings are much more blunt with the poker poker deck. We do not not waste tim timee with flowery lang language and and evasively broad definition definitions. s. The The simplest simplest readings readings with wi th the the poker poker deck can be done done with one card. Ask a question as you shuffle then draw the first card. Red means “yes” and black means “no” simple as that. You want more details? No problem. Clubs mean you have to work on something and that it will likely not come out as you desired, Diamonds means there there will wi ll be som s omee materi material al or mundan mundanee benef be nefit, it, hearts means it wil w illl 30
all be rosy r osy and spades spade s mean just just the opposite! opposi te! No muss, muss, no fuss, fuss, no nonsense. nonsense. That is how divination di vination with wi th playing playing cards goes. To To advance adv ance further we need to delve deeper into the metaphysical principles behind the suits, the numbers and the face cards. Once we are familiar with these we can consider the the speci s pecial al meanings eanings of certain c ertain cards car ds and a nd then then begin to to use them in various layouts to address most any question or gain insights into any aspect of life Hearts Heart s
Diamonds
Clubs
Spades
Water
Fi r e
Air
Earth
Summer
Spring
Fall
Winter
Feelings
Thoughts
Actions
Trials
Phlegmatic
Sanguine
Choleric
Melancholic
Circulatory system
Nervous Nervous system
Muscular system
Skeletal system
Love, Economics, Labor, Troubles, familial and business business career, plans limitations social ventures and and relationships and practical hardships art and material concerns recreation concerns Blessings
Earnings
Spiritual transcendence
Human endeavors
Works
Sorrow s
Transform- Acceptance ative labor of fate
Sometimes Sometimes Sometimes indicate indicate represent wishes or structures, crops an a nd wishful phy physical or productivity productivity.. thinking and, otherwise. Many clubs therefore, Many may also neglect of diamonds indicate the practical may obsession and and indicate and failure mundane. rigidity. to notice the fruits of one's 31
Sometimes represent magical people or works. May indicate the the presence of a spell worker or the need for one.
harvest.
#
Me aning
Spe cial me anings
Beginnings or The ace of spades Aces Beginnings the raw, may indicate a death unformed but but only only when when flank flanked essence of by two other other spade something cards 2's
Vows, ow s, deals dea ls and exchanges
The The two of hearts does not always indicate marriage or love affair, but must be present if th there is one much like the ace of spades and death.
3's
New growth, growth, first fruits or “a small amount” of something
The 3 of hearts does not always, but may indicate pregnancy.
4's
Fixed, 4 of clubs is a place unchanging or outside the home stable things made speci s pecific fic by the the other other cards car ds it combines combines with wi th..
5's
Physical body See the suit and health correspondences for information on which bodily system systemss the the 5 may refer to. 32
6's
As the six pips on the card form a “straight and narrow” six si xes represent repr esent the the path before th the client, a road that cannot be strayed from. Inevitable progression toward a destined end.
A six flanked by two sevens is a clear indicator indicator of crossed cros sed conditions and calls for road opening or block bustin busting g work.
7's
As 6 is a road, The The seven s even of 7 is a “bump” diamonds may be or block along calling the reader's the path which attention to astrology is equally or refer to some inevitable and astrological ascribed by pheno phenom mena. ena. fate.
8's
Mental and In general 8s refer to intellectual the farmstead and concerns, livestock. Productive matters of animals like laying education or hens and milk goats exchanges of are diamonds, diamonds, those those ideas with wi thin in a meant for slaug sl aughter hter group or are spades, working community. animals like mules and horses are clubs and companion animals like dogs are hearts.
9's
Change, 9 of hearts is “the progression or wish wis h” in larger a “great spreads it tells if a num number” ber ” of wish wi sh will come come to 33
som someth ething ing.
pass pass with within the span span of the time addressed by the the reading
r efer to travel travel 10's End of a cycle 10's refer or completion when linked with a 6 of someth s omething ing and the suit will indicate the type or nature thereof. J's
News and children
Also used to represent repr esent unm unmarried arr ied men or women
Q's
Truth and wisdom
Also used to represen represe nt marri married ed or previously married women
K's
Power and and authority
Also used to represen represe nt marri married ed or previously married men
Joker
The “wild Some decks contain a card” an “big joker” and “little element of joker” one one red and the the chaos or other black. Judging something the meaning is easier wholly when both are unexpected. included included since “red is Indicates good and black is limitless bad” as a gen general eral possibility possibi lity and and rule. potential, potential, the the arrival of a fateful stranger or the influence of a spirit.
It should go without saying, but before doing a reading the deck should be thoroughly shuffled. I Like to cut and bridge shuffle (flipping two 34
handfuls of cards into each other by the corners then pushing them together) them 13 times myself, but you can use your own “lucky number” and shuffle any way you please. If you are reading for another person have them cut the deck once shuffled, otherwise lay the pack down and cut the deck yourself. It is important that the deck be cut and the cards be drawn with the left hand for a reading. Readings are done with one, three, or nine cards most often. One card readings are quick and many can be done in a session. These work best when clear and focused questions are presented. Three card readings are the middle iddl e ground ground and probabl pr obably y the the most comm common because they they are still stil l fairly fairl y easy to interpret but give greater detail. In this format the color pattern is noted noted first, fir st, then the the suits s uits and finally the the num numbers, bers , all al l of which are woven wove n together together to form for mulate a meaning. The center card in a three card layout is the focal point of the reading and the cards to either side give it definition. So if the pattern is black black-red it means means th there is a time time of trouble trouble th that soon will wil l pass. If the the suits suits are spade-club-diamond it means the trouble is related to work and money. If it is a 5 of spades it probably means someone was sick. Of clubs means that this caused things at work to be delayed. A 3 of diamonds therefore would probably indicate a new hire or that some productivity will otherwise be increased because someone came to realize a mistake in the sick person's absence leading to positive change in the work place. If the client were to say “well I can't see how that is, I was the sick person and they they fired me!” you you simply say “well “wel l then it is a positive pos itive change change OF workplace instead!” and that's how we do a three card reading. The nine card format is more advanced but follows the same basic concept. The center card remains the central point of the reading but you now read the cards both horizontally and vertically verticall y. Some Some readers reader s also al so count the rows as “past, present and future” but typically this is one reading done done to address one one question question and and all cards are read r ead as a sin si ngle answer with wi th chronology as an afterthought if anything. The middle row and the middle cards card s of the top and bottom rows row s are ar e the most most im i mportant. The The first fir st and last la st cards of the top and bottom rows only serve to clarify the meanings of the first and last cards of the middle row, they are not read diagonally. The overall ration of black to red cards is observed first firs t to set th the tone, tone, positive or negative, negative, for the reading readi ng.. The greatest and least lea st num number of individual indivi dual suits is i s consider c onsidered ed next. next. If they they are mostly black bla ck cards, cards , a mix of clubs and spades, but all the red cards are hearts then it shows that a person has been either indulgent or neglectful of practical concerns. If there are clubs on either side of a ten of hearts it means that playtime is over and it is time to 35
get back to work. If there are spades above and below that ten of hearts it means that troubles troubles have already al ready begu be gun n to manifest. manifest. Further Further details detail s are a re derived deri ved from the the num numbers and relations rel ations between betw een the the rem r emaining aining cards. Mirror Mirr or Magic
Mirrors have been a source of magical fascination since the first hum human contem contemplated plated their their reflection reflec tion in a pool of water. wa ter. The The first fir st mir mirror rorss were made of precious metals and were often possessions of only the elite and upper class. Polished hunks of obsidian were used by Aztec priests to make contact with Tezcatlipoca, a god of powerful magic and necromancy. Ancient Egyptian priests bowls filled with precious water to which they added black ink and oil, carefully poured to form a solid sheet. These they used to divine di vine the futu future re and the the fates of o f Phaeroes. Not all magic mir mirror rorss were black. Some medieval and renaissance age magicians used metals associated with the planets for specific kinds of magic; Copper mirrors for Venus and love, tin for Jupiter and money, lead for Saturn and death. These may also be engraved with magical squares with series of numbers as astrological astrol ogical runes runes to imbue imbue them with wi th the the spir s pirit it of the planetary intell intelligen igence. ce. Hoodoo, as we have seen, is more practical and simplistic. Any old mirror will wil l do so lon l ong g as it fits our our practical pr actical considerations for size and and shape depending on its intended application. Mirrors are used to “reflect” things and, as such, are ideal for return and reversal spells. They are also used in other ways such as to enhance psychic focus and vision through a technique called “scrying” which is the same as using a crystal ball. Mirrors have also been used to send, receive and record information as well as serving as doorways and windows for dealings with spirits from other worlds. These actions are more advanced and rarely seen in common hoodoo practice. Still, Still , there there are ar e those those workers w orkers who do it. Mirrors are magically attuned to lunar energy because the moon reflects the light of the sun. When we look at the moon, we see “moonlight” not sunlight, even though scientifically we know it is in fact the light of the sun. The moon reflecting that light transforms it and this transformation stirs some great mystery in the depths of the mind. Mirrors represent the moon and that that transformative, transformative, reflective reflec tive property prope rty.. We We know know that that we w e are a re just seeing see ing the reflection of light off the things on our side of the mirror, but everything is reversed and somehow otherworldly. This may seem like primitive thinking but remember that “primitive” side of our mind is where magic was first born b orn and where many of the the core co re mysteries thereof thereof still s till exist waiting w aiting to be rediscovered. rediscover ed. All of tho those se primal tho thou ughts ghts and and feeling feelings we have about about 36
the the moon are a part par t of the the spir s pirit it of lun l unar ar magic, and therefore, mirror magic. She is mysteri ysterious, ous, changing changing,, beaut be autiful iful and otherworldl otherwor ldly y. Her ligh li ghtt is soft, her gaze is cold, not like the blinding hot glare of her brother the sun. All the principles of mirror mirror magic agic are hidden within her characteristics. characteristics. To To understand it better, meditate, reflect and receive. Scrying
The best place to begin with mirror magic is the practice of scrying. For the longest time it was considered a simple parlor trick for fortune tellers to fleece the gullible. The exciting new scientific fact is that the practice actually actually increases increases comm communication between right right and and left hemispheres of the brain thus enhancing cognitive function and increasing our ability to process sub-conscious thought. People who practice scrying soon find that that their their dream drea ms becom be comee more vivid vi vid and lucid, their memori emories es increase and their their stress levels l evels redu r educe ce in their their daily lives. lives . From a spiritualist's standpoint, this means enhanced psychic functioning, more comm commonly prophetic dream dre amss and a nd greater greater ability abil ity to perform magic magic in i n spite of o f the pressures of mundane life. Yes, scrying can be can be used for divination, especially by those already gifted with “the sight' but it has benefits for everyone and may help unlock latent skills you didn't know you had. I find that for myself and most people black mirrors are the best place to start. Normal mirrors, crystal balls and water all show too many reflections. The clarity and sharpness of these reflections is not helpful in scryin scr ying. g. Even the the distortion distor tion caused by the the curve of a ball ba ll or runnin running g water are not enough to get the conscious mind out of the way. If anything they force the conscious mind to try harder to process and translate those reflections reflec tions into somethin something g that that makes makes sense, se nse, which w hich is exactly what we are trying to get away from with scrying. A simple simple black blac k mir mirror ror can be made by obtaining a normal normal picture frame with a glass face. Lay this piece of glass on a few sheets of newsprint and clean clea n the the surface s urface with wi th a cotton ball and rubbing alcohol. alc ohol. Making Making sure there are no oil smudges or debris present, spray the glass with a high gloss black enam enamel el spray paint. paint. I find find it best to do this this from some some distance, distance, very slowl sl owly y, to make make sure s ure no bubbles form. form. You You will wi ll have to let le t it dry dr y completel completely y and do several coats before you have a solid black surface. This is one of those cases where patience is definitely rewarded. When the surface is solid sol id and the the paint pai nt is dry dr y carefully cut a felt backing if your your fram fra me did di d not come with one and place the glass back in the frame with the NON-painted side facing out toward you. Place this frame in a plate stand or use the 37
standing legs of a desk top style frame to set your mirror up and you are ready read y to start scryin scr ying. g. You want a dark dar k room with little to no light showing showi ng.. Place Pl ace candles c andles on either side si de of o f your your mir mirror ror and adjust the angle angle of your your mirror mirr or and a nd spacing/placement of the candles so that the frame is surrounded by the glow of candleligh candleli ghtt but the the mirr mirror or itself itsel f shows no reflection. reflectio n. Look Look into the the mirror. Not just at it, but into it. into it. You almost want to look through it through it as if you are focused on the center of the stand behind the mirror rather than the mirror itself. Just gaze, breath and relax, Put out all thoughts and expectations of what may or may not happen and simple gaze into the black void of the mirror. Let your mind wander and trail off, giving no single thought any great deal of attention nor fighting too hard to push them out. Eventually what will happen is your conscious mind will try and create pictures pictures for you you to focu focuss on because it is used to to turnin turning g inform information ation from your eyes into something it can understand. Because there is literally nothing to focus on your conscious mind is left with no information to draw from, so it gives way to the sub-conscious mind which is full of impressions and ideas and quite adept at drawing things out of the intangible. Most wil w illl start s tart off with wi th “static” “s tatic” like li ke that that on a T.V T.V. with wi th no signal, or o r “clouds” which may seem like amorphous, colored blobs. Some people go straight into seeing pictures, some surreal, others more realistic. Sometimes the the im i mages move, move, sometimes sometimes they they don't. Others, Others, still s till will wi ll get impres impressi sions, ons, feelings, even hear voices or smell phantom scents. The point is to remain open and simply allow the impressions to come. You will find that the more you focus on something the quicker it runs away, either that or you will begin begin to to superimpose superimpose conscious conscious thou thoug ghts hts and desires desire s onto onto it. it. Resist th the urge urge and simply let the information flow. You can take the time to try and analyze it later. In time, the impressions will come with their meanings and there will wi ll be no need to mull mull it over, this is your your subcon s ubconsci scious ous mind mind taking taking over and your conscious mind giving way to it. Don't be upset if you don't get results res ults on your your first firs t attempt. attempt. Give it 5-10 5- 10 minut minutes es a day da y and and keep at it. i t. Even if you do not see visions during your sessions, the additional benefits of scrying scrying will still kick in. subliminal message mirror spell
The The very ve ry definition of simplicity simplici ty when it comes to magic magic is the the use of a mirror as a passive projector of recorded energies. Sure, that sounds compli complicated, cated, but bear with wi th me. me. In magic, magic, mirrors mirror s do d o not only reflect, the the see and what they see they remember. It sounds insane, but I have known 38
witches who communicated with each other through their makeup compacts. Mirrors, being aligned with lunar energies, can serve as a psychic link because because it is simply in th their nature nature to to do so. There There is no great great and and my mystical approach to this, it is simply a virtue of the object which is known and utilized by magical folk. To try this experiment you need only find a mirror which is used often by a particular person. Better if it is used almost exclusively by them as it will have more of their energy recorded in it and the message is not likely to get cluttered by other people's energies. All you need to do is steal a moment or two alone in front of the mirror. Gaze intently into the mirror, not just at but through much through much as you would with scrying. You want to gaze at it in such a way that you loose your own reflection. This can be a bit disturbing because it can make your face look like a blob of color or a burning cloud, pay no mind to this, it is just your eyes loosing focus and your conscious mind trying to compensate. Anyway, ust stay focused on your message, any message will do as long as it is clear and focused. Something sweet like “you are beautiful” or fun like “you want cheesecake” wil w illl do fine. Keeping Keepi ng the the im i mage of your your target tar get (the (the person per son the the mirror belongs to) in your mind speak the message aloud into the mirror. Repeat 9 times because 9 is traditionally the number of the moon, and by extension, of the subconscious and change. You may repeat this exercise over a series of days (or nights) but before long you should notice a change in the person or may even hear them repeat your message in some form. Once you have succeeded with this experiment you will see the many practical application appli cationss of it. You can take take any any mirror irr or or reflective surface surface and turn it into your own subliminal message projector. You can use your own mirror to influence your thoughts ant feelings, curing depression or overcoming anxiety for instance. You can also use this trick to remind your family how you feel about them, or get your husband to pick up his dirty laundry! laundry! Advanced variations var iations of this this trick can even ev en put you you in contact with wi th past lives or spirits spi rits of th those who have have passed from this this life. li fe. Th The techn technique is very similar, gazing, repetition of a request (or name) and a limber and receptive mind are all that it requires. Sure you can use magic squares, talismans and specially blended incense if you want to, but I certainly never needed them, they just help to set the scene and create ambiance. The mirrored-box spell for infinite return/reversal
A popular hoodoo trick, likely derived from Romany magic, is the mirror irr or box spell. spel l. You You use use this this for enemies enemies who have been bee n sending out troubling magics against you or just generally giving you a hard time. This 39
spell spel l causes everything everything they they send out, everything everything they they say or do or project proj ect in in any way, to be reflected back at them on an endless loop. That means all their their negativi negativity ty,, all al l their their wicked wi cked thoug thought htss and a nd hatefu hatefull feeling feeli ngss will wi ll build and swarm around them until they are consumed by it or you release them from their self-imposed prison. Some would shy from this kind of spell as it would seem to be vengeful and spiteful but in reality it is probably the best type type of justice j ustice spell sp ell there there is. You see, if the person perso n is not sending sending out out any kind of evil, then there is no evil to bounce back at them. You build the box, but but th they make their their own ow n pun punishmen ishment. t. Pretty Pretty fair I'd say. say. So, to to do this this you will wi ll need a box, mirror, and som s omee perso pe rsonal nal items items of o f your your target tar get.. These make make up the main body of the work. Now, you want to affix the mirror to all sides of the the int i nteri erior or of the the box. You You can have have mirror mirro r piece p iecess professi pr ofessionally onally cut to to fit, use a glass cutter, or just break the damned thing and use the shards. Your safety and your level of desperation are your own concerns, I am just here to describe descr ibe the the spell s pell.. Anyway Anyway,, once you have have the the box all al l mirrored mirr ored up but the the personal items items inside. Blood (try bandag bandages, es, shaving shaving tissue scraps or tampons) tampons) hair hair and nail nail clippi cl ipping ngs, s, worn wor n clothing scraps, scr aps, pictu pic tures res,, whatever you can get. Best of all would be a small doll containing all of the above. Next Next comes comes the the seasoning seasoning. It is not necessary to take take this this step as placin placi ng the the personal items items or doll in i nto th the box already mean meanss the the target target is alone with themselves and surrounded by what they send out. However, if there are specific things you want to accentuate, now is the time to add the appropriate items. For instance, if they burned you on a money deal, cut a penn penny in half half and and stick it in there. there. If they they broke you yourr friend's heart, heart, add a tissue soaked in her tears. If they have been sending curses, add black peppercorns, black mustard ustard and poppy poppy seeds and th the hair hair of a black dog. dog. Adapt and refine as suits your needs then “activate” with a reading from Psalm Psal m 7 verses ver ses 10-16 upon completi completion on of which you you will wi ll shut shut the the box bo x and and seal it by whatever means you have chosen. A box with a latch that can be padlocked is most most satisfy satisfying ing in th this case. Should Should the the afflicted afflicted eventu eventually ally repent you may unseal and/or destroy the box and release them. Container Container spells
Container spells can be made to suit most any purpose where a constant or passive effect is desired. The honey jar is a prime example comm commonly employed employed for reconcilia reco nciliation tion and love work. wor k. Witch Witch bottles, for protection, protection, are anoth another, er, and, and, of course, course, the the all famili familiar ar mojo mojo bag. Wooden boxes boxes are also als o used used as are brass bras s urns urns and any any other other vessel you can think think of. Even voodoo dolls are, arguably, a type of container spell. This family of 40
hoodoo work is so popular because it gives you a tangible focal point whic can be used alone, incorporated i ncorporated into other other work wor k and, and, most importantly importantly,, customized to suit even extremely specific needs when constructed by a practiced han hand. d. There is a general formula for container spells which applies to all sorts. You begin with the main body of the work. What is this to be used for? If there is a specific person or persons involved you will want to begin with their personal effects. If it is to be a passive or ambient sort of spell then you will want to begin with elements specific to the condition it is to be used for. For instance, if it is a protection spell, sharp, menacing things like nails, thorns and shards of broken glass are added. Next comes the part I like to call “the seasoning” because it involves adding elements, often herbs and spices, to enhance and customize the “recipe” or spell. A bit of ginger for heat and damiana for lust, or maybe it is tobacco and urine for control and dominance. I find that it is best to keep things simple at first until you know know just how different di fferent element elementss work wor k togeth together. er. Even the the best be st reci r ecipe pe can c an be ruined by one too many seasonings. Stick with the classics, then modify and embell embellish ish carefully ca refully using fam famil iliar iar ingredi ingredient ents. s. I have had many many a client cli ent come come to me with wi th a spell spel l gone awry awr y because they got over zealous with w ith the the seasoning. Trust me, in spite of what the new age books say, “intent” is NOT all that matters. The final stages are sealing and “activating” the spell. Now, on rare occasion, there are container spells which are meant to be re-opened on occasion. Most cases, however, require a sealed vessel which must never be opened opened un unless you want to release the the spell and end end its effects. effects. The The way it is sealed is mainly a practical matter. You seal jars and bottles with wax, bags bags with wi th string and boxes boxes with wi th melted pine pine resin, a sort of natural atural glue, glue, because because wax tend tendss to flake. flake. You You could, could, however, however, tie a ribbon or yarn around around the box, put pine pitch around the top of a bottle, or simply screw the lid on to a jar and be done with it. The point is only that the vessel is sealed. The “activation” is more of a metaphysical act which is difficult to describe in words. With jars and bottles they are sometimes shaken as if to “wake up” the the magic magic contained contained therein. Often times times this this action is revisi revi sited ted for a set number of days or periodically when the magic needs to be re-awakened. Some will burn a candle on the lid of the container, allowing the wax to drip over and completing completing the the activation a ctivation and seali s ealing ng at once. Obviously Obvi ously,, this would be dangerous on a wooden box or cloth bag which would surely catch fire, and impractical on a brass urn with a domed or pointed lid. Glass bottles bottles can crack under heat, heat, but but a candle candle can be stuck stuck into into the the neck neck of the the bottle, bottle, burned burned down to to the the rim, rim, then then capped off snuff snuffing ing the the candle candle and 41
sealing it shut with the hot, melted wax. Bags, are commonly activated with a “breath of life” as one would do when consecrating bones for use as an oracle. orac le. Cup Cup it i t in your your hands hands and breath life li fe into it, feeling feeli ng the the magic magic flow out of you and through the cloth of the bag. Obviously, this would not work with impermeable containers, so just use your better judgment. witch bottle for protection
The most standard type of container spell, seen all over from old Europe Europe to moder modern n Ameri America ca and even South Ameri America ca and the the Caribbe Car ibbean an Islands is commonly known in the English language as a “witch bottle” because because it was believed beli eved that that “witches” “witches” in th the old-world old-w orld context context of “people who cast evil spells against others” could be blocked and their demon minions trapped by these talismans. You begin with a bottle, any bottle as long as it has a tight fitting cap or cork. Some prefer colored glass, others prefer clear. Traditionally Traditionally the the main main body of the the work involves involves imitative imitative magic for “trapping “trappi ng”” malevolent malevol ent spirits. spir its. So, comm common ingredi ingredient entss may include pieces of fishing net, barbed wire, brambles and thorns, and for an agg aggressive ressi ve edge, nails, blades and and bits of broken glass. Mirror shards are especially effective because of their dual purpose of cutting, by way of their sharp edges, and capturing by virtue of mirror's “recording” capability as we will explore in the following section. Now, not everyone does this, but as I learned lear ned it witch w itch bottles usually contain some some liquid l iquid medium. edium. I honestly honestly cannot say why this why this part is necessary and will not insult the reader with my suppositions. suppositi ons. The fact is no one one ever eve r told tol d me why, why, it i t is just somethin something g we do. The liquid medium may be holy water or oil (you can have your priest do the blessing or do it yourself as we always did) or for a potent edge of dominance, dominance, your your own o wn urine. Fill Fil l the bottle up to the top with wi th liquid so s o that there there is i s as little air as possible. poss ible. You will likely need need to do this this a litt li ttle le at a time because the bottle should be rather packed with solid material and the liquid will need some time to find all of the pockets. If you were going to add any herbs or spices I would introduce them through the liquid medium ie an oil infused with hot pepper. Solid items should either be place in the bottle bottle periodicall peri odically y as you are filling it with the the glass, glass, nails, etc or tied to to the the bottle bottle as part of th the sealing portion of constru construction ction.. As th this is a passive type type of protective talisman there is no “activation” necessary but if you wish it Psalms 5, 91 and 125 are all good choices for recitation as you seal the bottle. bottle.
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hot sauce bottle to chase someone off
If you you have have a particularly partic ularly troublesom troubles omee individual i ndividual that that you would like li ke to get rid of, or a few people you want to create strife between so that they disperse, on old bottle of pepper sauce will do nicely. We always made our own from fresh cayenne peppers soaked in vinegar. We used this stuff on fried fish and taters and it's good for clearing the sinuses or to help with circulation and rheumatism too. Be sure and use a glass bottle with a plastic lid for this operation, best it be one actually made for pepper sauce because this stuff has been known to eat through metal and cheap, thin plastics. If you would rather buy it, Chinese chili oil works good too. To your bottle you add pers p ersonal onal concerns of the person(s) per son(s) you wish wi sh to target. With With the the main body of work completed completed feel feel free to embelli embellish sh with thing thingss like black mustard seed, poppy seed, asafoetida, valerian, sulphur, poke root, and devil's snuff (the brown spore stuff from mature puffball mushrooms comm commonly foun found d in i n fiel fields ds and a nd roadsides roads ides in the the fall) fall ) before sealing seal ing.. Some folks like to add a petition to the bottle, a little scrap of paper on which is written wr itten a specific speci fic request, r equest, naming naming the the target(s) target(s) and including a prayer pr ayer to God and the Powers that be to smite them in their wickedness. With this done, seal the the bottle and give give it a good shake. shake. Close Cl ose your your eeyes yes and continu continuee shaking vigorously, speaking and cursing the name(s) you have placed in the bottle. bottle. Contin Continu ue repetitively until you you find find a rhyth rhythm m. Keep going going.. Shake Shake and and sing your curses until you feel a trance coming over you. Let your head lull and your body convulse, do not fight it, embrace the fatigue. When you feel as if you can go no more, push just a little further then let yourself and the bottle bottle come come to rest. This This shaking shaking trance trance is imperative imperative to a successfu successfull work wor k. Once this is done, a quick shake in passing will be fine to keep the spell working or give it a little nudge. Revisit the shaking trance in a week or so if it seem necessary. You can bury the bottle under their doorstep to keep it working in a passive way or destroy it if you feel it is time to release them. The Spirit Bottle
Popular Popula r am a mong Haitian Hai tian Vodouisants odoui sants spi s piri ritt bottles may be thought thought of like the common myth of the “genie in a bottle” itself derived from Arabic mythical djini(plural djini(plural form of djin). djin). Simply put it aims to create an attractive housi housing ng for an incorporeal incorpor eal spiri spi rit. t. Now, in the the Vodou religion rel igion this this is a sacred sa cred act as the bottles are consecrated to the lwa and constructed by initiates to 43
the tradition. However, hoodoo spiritualists may also make bottles which they use to house ancestral spirits or free-roaming nature spirits and other “lesser” forms. Spirit bottles are not filled, unless they are used to contain offerings to a specific spirit. Generally it is the outside of outside of the bottle that is important, leaving the inside nice and roomy for the spirit to dwell in. Since it is not recommended that one attempt to invoke the lwa to their bottles we will not concern ourselves with vévé or vévé or sacred color schemes. Instead I invite the student student to try and intuitive intuitively ly create cre ate the bottle using colors, color s, symbols symbols and patterns which w hich feel right to them. Chances are there are already feel right spirits around you who would be happy to see you doing work to please them. You may also seek out a sacred or “haunted” place where you can form a bond with a spirit. If you are open to it, you will receive hints in visions, dreams and signs in everyday life to learn what items, symbols and colors your spirit likes. Decorate a bottle with felt cut outs, colored sequins or beads, painted or printed images, or various natural objects tied or glued on. Most spirit bottles end up being completely covered with fabric, paint or string. Some even incorporate a “head” portion into the cork or top making aking the the whole w hole thing thing resemble a sort sor t of doll. doll . The bottle, once com c ompleted, pleted, is placed on the ancestor altar or taken to the sacred place where the practitioner practitioner will wi ll hold an all night night vigil for th the spirit spiri t to to show th their true devotion. If the spirit accepts, the pact is made and the bottle serves as a totem through which to work with your spiritual ally. The bottle must be carefully tended and never opened or broken. Should a time come for the spirit to be released, it must be done in a respectful way which befits the spirit. spiri t. How exactly exactly this this is done done will w ill depend depend on the the spirit spi rit itself. itsel f. honey jar to reconcile with a lover
I have done an awful lot of these and I just want to say right now, before going going any any furth further er and chan chancing cing any anyone one actually actually performing performing this this spell spel l ust exactly what exactly what it does. As I have said many times, if a person is gone from your life, there is usually a good reason. Sometimes misunderstandings happen and mistakes are made, true. Quite often these are lessons meant to prepare you for th the futu future re and when when a lesson goes goes unlearn unlearned ed sometim sometimes es one feels compelled to re-read a chapter in their lives that they should have turned the page on. No matter what you THINK you know or THINK you feel I have found that 99.999% of the time those who do this spell are ignoring a vital lesson. Do not let this discourage you because if it is needed then it is needed. I just want to make perfectly clear that those thoughts of “I NEED NEED him him/her /her back” back” or “but it is MEANT MEANT TO TO BE! BE!!! !! are, more more often often than than 44
not, not, delusions del usions that that goad one into relivi rel iving ng a regrettable r egrettable situat s ituation ion for the sake of a lesson they refused to learn. In short, you cannot, I repeat CAN NOT change change the the nature nature of a perso pe rson n because they were wer e created cr eated in i n God's im i mage, or a portion of it at least, and what they are is the part they play in the grand design desi gn.. In short, it is bigger bigger than than you you and and your your desires desi res.. As such, such, the choice is is only to to revis r evisit it and change change yourself in i n such a way w ay that that is needed to fit together with the other person, or to fully realize what is wrong, why it does not work and what it is about yourself that you are simply unwilling or unable to compromise and then use that knowledge to move on and find someone more in tune with, or complementary to your own spirit. There is no middle road, there is no third option, these are the only two choices so be prepared to mak makee one. one. Now, with th that bit exh exhaustively austively spelled out, out, here here is how you you make ake a honey jar; Take a new jar of pure honey. The more “raw” the better. To this add personal concerns of yourself and the individual you wish to reconcile with wi th.. It is important important to keep these these in balance. bal ance. One for one. Even better if i f they be of the same type ie your hair, their hair, a scrap from your underwear, a scrap from their underwear. If this is not possible, just keep the numbers even. The total number does not matter so long as there is not more of one than the other. Two photos of him and a photo and lock of hair from her her will wi ll not do but a photo photo and a piece piec e of cloth cl othing ing from from him him will. wil l. Okay, once the personal concerns are collected it is time for the written portion. portion. Take Take a piece of parchm parchment ent or a brown paper bag and and tear it so th that you had a scrap s crap with wi th no no cut edges, it i t must must be torn on all sides. si des. Write ri te your your intended's full name 9 times, repeating in lines going down. Turn the paper CLOCKWISE and do the same with your own name over theirs. The result should look something like this
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Note Note that that you yourr own nam namee goes goes ON TOP TOP of th theirs and that that their their nam namee is moving TOWARD you. These elements are vitally important. If your personal items items are very small small and you yourr paper is large l arge enou enoug gh you may place them in the center to make a packet with the following step. Fold the paper from top to bottom (again moving TOWARD yourself), turn it clockwise and fold again in the same manner, repeating this two more times until you have folded toward yourself from each of the four directions. If you were unable to combine all personal items into a packet pile them all up now and wrap the the lot l ot in red thread thread,, yarn or ribbon, r ibbon, winding w inding it round round a num number of times times so that that it holds togeth together er well wel l before tying tying it down with w ith a firm, but but not overly tight knot. Push this down into the honey jar then proceed with your seasoning. For sexual feelings, try ginger and damiana. Many people use cayenne cayenne peppers pepper s for this, this, I have never known known it to work wor k out out well. wel l. Cinnam Cinnamon on is okay for sexual heat too, especially if money is an additional factor (it works for both), but be sure not to use it AND ginger as these may make it “too hot” and result in backfire. Bay leaves are good for triumph and admiration with an additional benefit toward monetary gain making it a good choice for the aforementioned purpose in lieu of say allspice which, again, would add heat and risk backfire. For tender, loving feelings try pink rose petals, or white if you know you made a mistake. Red and white clover flowers work well for this too. If there was a history of abuse toward a woman, add queen anne's lace or black-eyed suzan flowers to protect her. If the woman needs more power and control over the relationship use a whole queen Elizabeth root, or, if the woman was overbearing on a man, use High John the Conqueror. Lavender, caraway and cardamon are good for both heterosexual and homosexual couples. When all is done, screw the lid on 46
tight and commence the shaking trance described above. As soon as you have recovered, anoint a candle and place it directly on the lid of the jar. Use a few drops of wax to make the candle stand if necessary and let it burn all the way down. If you have a talent for it, you can divine clues about the factors bearing on the spell or the progress of it by looking for shapes in the melted wax. Since it often drips all the way down the jar, I suggest putting a plate un under it so as to avoid damag damagee to you yourr tabletop or cloth cloth. Honey Honey jars work more slowly than sugar jars, but have more lasting effects. They will continue to work indefinitely and new candles of different colors or anointed anointed with w ith different oils can be burned to help steer s teer things things in i n different directions as things progress. If the reconciliation is successful and you want to keep the effects fixed bury the jar in your back yard. If you have need to release the spell throw it into running water which flows away from your your house. If this this is not possible, possi ble, bury it at a cem ce metery or sm s mash it at som s omee forgotten crossroads. vinegar jar to sour a relationship
In diametric diametric opposition opposi tion to the the honey jar is the the vineg vi negar ar jar. It is constructed, activated and used in exactly the same way only the componen components ts are ar e different d ifferent.. Obviously Obvi ously we use vineg vi negar ar instead of honey and and our “seasonings” are those used to bring strife, loss and discord rather than sweetn sw eetness ess,, gain and harmon harmony y. I prefer pr efer white w hite vinegar vinegar for this because be cause I like li ke the the flavor flavo r of o f cider and wine wi ne vinegars vinegars and use use them them more more in food and medicine. edic ine. That being said, I have favored my medic medicinal inal “four “four thieve thievess vinegar” (based in apple cider vinegar) for situations in which one or both parties are causing causing “sickness” “sickness” in one one form or anoth another, be it to th themselves emselves or those around them. The name paper is a little tricky with this one. You want to write the names in “mirror writing” from right to left, with backwards letters as if you were looking at it in a mirror. Write the full name of one person 4 tim times es then then turn turn th the paper COUNTE COUNTERCL RCLOCK OCKWI WISE SE a fu full 180° and repeat with the other name. Finish by putting a dashed line between them to represent separation and severed ties. It should appear thusly;
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If working on a single person, or if you only know one name, you may cross cros s the name name with w ith wavy lines li nes to sign si gnify ify their their getting getting lost los t or confused, confused, or cross the name with three X marks to represent crossed conditions. As to the seasonin seas oning, g, try poppy, poppy, mull mullein ein and black bla ck pepper for confusio confusion n and and spir sp iritual itual discord, tobacco for domination, combination of black dog and white cat hair for argument arguments, s, gunpow gunpowder der for general general strife stri fe and “explosive” “explosi ve” hate, hate, scorpions or snake sheds for back-stabbing and double-crossing or poke root and/or a nd/or Epsom salts for purging negat negativi ivity ty.. Activate Activa te with w ith a shak s haking ing trance naming and cursing the names of your targets then anoint and burn black candles candles on the the lid. To To maint maintain ain a constan constantt effect effect bury bury th the jar on you your r ENEMY'S property, never your own. Dispose of/destroy the jar AWAY from your your home home to relea r elease se it. If your your eenem nemies ies have gone gone their separa s eparate te ways, w ays, they are not likely to return even if you destroy the jar. wishing box
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The wishing box is fairly similar to the spirit bottle in construction in that it is once again the outside that outside that matters. The difference is that rather than housing a spirit it is more a means of communication with the spirits. We begin, obviously, with a box. Any kind of box will do, though I am personally fon fond d of the the little wooden ones ones with wi th latches latches you find find at hobby hobby stores. stores . If you have have woodwo woo dworking rking skills skill s then then makin making g your your own ow n is the the best be st way to go. Unfortunately, I do not. Cardboard boxes have been used by some but, as this is really meant to be a permanent fixture, I think something a bit bi t sturdier is worth wor th the the investment investment.. Now, the main main body of work w ork here involves creating a resonant field of spiritual energy around the box until it virtually hums with power. How you do this will largely depend on you, your your spir s pirits its and what meth methods/ ods/item itemss respond r espond best bes t to you. you. Many people peopl e use stones stones or crystals, crystals, others use use sigils si gils or barbarous bar barous words of power written w ritten in magical scripts. Personally, I like runes because I have studied them extensively and become quite adept in their use. I have also used astrological and alchemical symbols, as well as other spiritual and natural images to weave a beautiful spell in the form of artwork. I use a wood burnin burning g pen for mine, mine, but but you you may use paints, paints, fabrics, or whatever suits suits you you.. I suggest that you incorporate things which resonate both with you and your ruling spirits. For instance, you may create a sigil by combining your sun, moon and rising ris ing signs signs to repre r epresent sent the the celestia cel estiall powe p owers rs that that rule you. If that that is too deep. Try using your sun sign and ruling planet combined with your initials. By joining all these symbols into one, you create a personal sigil to represent your own spiritual essence. If you are into numerology, then use your life path number or the number of your name and weave them into your design desi gn by incorporating incorpor ating multiples multiples of thing thingss which corres cor respond pond to those numbers. Do the same with things which represent your honored ancestors or other other spiri spi rits ts that that work wo rk with wi th you. you. Basicall Basica lly y you you want this this box to shout shout out to all who have a vested interest in you and your happiness. After all, the object of this operation is to have your wishes granted and that simply will not happen if you are demanding help from spirits who have nothing to do with you. Once you have finished decorating place the box on your altar surrounded by three candles arranged in a triangle. Asperge (that is a fancy spiritualist term for sprinkle) with holy water or sweet perfumes such as Florida water or bay rum. Pass through the smoke of sacred incense such as frankincense, myrrh and hyssop, temple incense or any other perfumes or herbs which are sacred to your spirits and finish with a dash of sea salt or kosher kosher salt. sal t. With With this this you have incorporated incorpor ated the four four basic basi c elem el ement entss and a nd are now ready to awaken the spirits with breath and word, which basically 49
means you pray out loud. Try not to get too fancy, people always want to make a show but I find it is best to just be clear and straightforward. Remember, when you are talking to your spirits you are talking to family. No need to be all pompous unless that is how you were raised to talk. Call them out by name and ask them to lend their power to this box, that whatever you place inside you want to see returned returned with abun abundance dance and and haste haste because because it is something which you have need of. Make a deal with them that you will give back a portion of whatever whatever th they bring you or otherw otherwise ise do someth something ing in their honor to show your appreciation for their help. For a biblical sealing recite Psalm Psal m 65:4, Psalm Psal m 92:12-13, or The Lord's Lord's Prayer (Matth (Matthew ew 6:9-13) and make the sign of the cross three times over the box in the name of the father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Allow your candles to safely burn out. Do not snuff them or blow them out as this is a sign to the spirits to disperse. Once all is said and done you should keep the box on your altar or in a special speci al place. plac e. To To use it i t you need only find find a symboli symbolicc repres r epresent entation ation of your your need or write a petition and place it in the box. Recite another prayer and light a candle to announce your need to the spirits and await their response. Always be thankful, even if you do not always get what you ask. Sometimes our troubles serve ser ve us better be tter than than our blessi bles sing ngs. s. That being said, I have found found that that the the use of these boxes bo xes is more effective than prayer candles alone. Better still, you can have more than one request running at a time without the fire hazard. I have also used these boxes to consecrate talismans and imbue ewelry ewel ry with spiritu spiri tual al power. pow er.
box spell to have someone think of you fondly
You may begin by ornamenting your box with symbols of love such as hearts, joined j oined ring r ings, s, glyphs for the moon moon and Venu Venuss as a s well w ell as personal pers onal sigils si gils representing repr esenting your your names, names, etc. The main main body of work w ork consists consis ts of placing a photo photo of each of you you in the the box. box. Mak Makee sure th that no no one one else is in either of the photos. Whoever is to be the “active” party of this spell should be placed in th the top of of th the box. box. This This is the the person who who you you want to do th the thinking and the seeking out. The “passive” party, the one waiting to be sought and who likely already has fond feelings for the other, is placed in the bottom. If both are at odds just place the one whom you wish to be more “dominant “dominant”” in i n the the relati r elationsh onship ip on top. A mated mated pair pai r of o f loadston loads tones es helps in in drawing the two together. Be sure to “feed” them some iron shavings from time to time to keep them working. A sprinkling of powdered sugar creates 50
soft, sweet feelings as do a few pink rose petals. Whether for love or not, take a page from the bard, “rosemary for remembrance” will also add a hint of feminine power to the mix where the woman is meant to hold sway. Forget-me-nots should be self explanatory. When a woman needs to have greater control and aims to catch and keep him, place a whole Queen Elizabeth root dressed with her menstrual blood or sexual fluids in the box wrapped in a paper with his name and a petition such as “be mine forever” written on it.. For friendships, throw in some things that remind you of good times together, a ticket stub from a movie you both loved or the corner of a playing playing card from your our poker poker nigh nights. If If it is your your ex, throw throw in i n you your weddin weddi ng band band or one one of th those mem memen entos tos you you know you held on to to for long longer than than you should. Use a trillium root if someone has been messing around with your mate or a jezebel j ezebel root r oot if you are the one doin' the mess messin' in' 'roun ' round. d. Viol Violet et and vervain are also good love herbs. Once you are done seasonin' seal up the box with a simple simple prayer, prayer, makin making g sure to to use use their their full full name name and and include include a clear request regarding your desire then light a pink, red or white candle. Remember to let it safely burn out on its own. Use this box in other love work or revisit on occasion with other prayer and candle vigils. If you manage to get them in bed with you, place the box under the bed and, when they aren't looking, soak a handkerchief in your co-mingled sexual fluids. Place Plac e this in i n the the box later la ter and seal se al with wi th anoth another er prayer to keep them them wanting wanting you. When your work is done, dispose of as usual; bury in your back yard to keep it going or toss in running water to let it go. Mojo Hands
Also known as gris-gris, toby, or, simply “mojos” these simple talism talis mans have long been on onee of the most most popular pop ular of Hoodoo Hoodo o baubles. baubles . Traditionally all mojo bags were made of red flannel but some modern practitioners practitioners use specific colors relatin rel ating g to th the intent intent.. A small small square of cloth is sufficient but sewn and draw-string bags are also used. The bag is filled with various items all of which are meant to work in harmony with one another another (and with w ith the the user) to help draw dr aw the the needed energies to manifest manifest the the desir des ired ed outcome. outcome. As mentioned entioned before, before , but I really real ly cannot cannot stress stres s the point enou enoug gh, some some items items (particularly ston stones, es, man man-m -made ade items items and color componen components) ts) wil w illl work w ork differently from one individual individ ual to another. another. It is up to the the practitioner pr actitioner to figure figure out which ingredi ingredient entss and item i temss to use on a case cas e by case basis. Once the items are selected in brought together the bag is tied or sewn shut, a breath of life is breathed into it. The mojo itself is not just a collection of ingredients, rather those ingredients resonate together to draw 51
in a “lesser spirit” which comes to inhabit the vessel that is the mojo bag. Some people go so far as to name their bags and it is for this reason that some workers recommend any newly acquire bag be carried for a prescribed prescri bed nu number of days days to fam famili iliarize arize th the spirit spiri t and and the the possessor with wi th one another. Because the mojo bag is believed to house a living spirit, it is important important to “feed” them so as to remain on good good term ter ms or o r to release rel ease them them when they are no longer needed. To do this, the bag is simply opened and the contents poured out, preferably at a crossroads or property line. For Gambling Gambling Luck In a green cloth bag place cinquefoil, high john root and a gator gator tooth along with the the ace ac e of spades (the corner piece showing the symbol will wil l do) for luck in cards, a pair of dice for dice games, slot token for slots, or a silver dime or wheat w heat penny penny for general general luck. luck. Use all al l of o f them if you like to play different games. Dress the the bag ba g with whiskey or Hoyts cologn col ognee weekly w eekly while reciting the 65 th psalm. When you play, hold the bag and say the psalm again. For Love Drawing Drawing In a red cloth bag place a cowrie cowri e shell, a raccoon penis bone, catnip, rose petals and and coriander seeds. Dress with w ith drop of semen or menstrual enstrual blood and carry carr y to attract a mate. Sprinkle sugar or whiskey over it to keep it charged. For Protecti Protection/Safe on/Safe Travel In a black cloth bag place ash leaves, mugwort and comfrey root. Tie it up with a St. Christopher medallion and keep it close cl ose while w hile traveling for easy journey journey with wi th no troubles troubles or wear. w ear. Charge it with a few drops of holy water or spring/well water while reciting reci ting the the 22 nd psalm For general domination and influence inf luence 52
In a red flann fla nnel el bag combine combine low l ow john, john, high john, dixie john, five-finger grass (cinqufoil) sweetflag (calamus) rhizome, licorice root, and pipe tobacco. Carry in your front pocket or tucked in your wasteband for seven consecutive days and feed with bay rum weekly, feeding again and and breathin br eathing g your your desir des ires es into it when you want it to help you accomplish something in particular. Psalm 23 and the “Our Father” (Mathew 6:9) are helpful in charging this this amule amulet. t. For enhanced psychism and dreaming dreaming In your mojo bag combine lavender, mugwort, anise seed, jasmine, bay leaf, mullein, dill, a small possum bone and a pinch of camphor for a total of 7 herbs and 9 overall ingredients, both numbers associated with psychic power and the moon. Feed this bag with Florida water and sleep with wi th it under under your your pil p illow low at night night.. cursing mojo Mojo bags are not always used for drawing kind spirits. In a black bag combine black peppercorns black mu mustard seeds, poppy seeds, red pepper flakes, a piece of sulfur and some snake sheds. Feed with four thieves vinegar and plant it in or near your enemy's home/workplace. Jack balls
A simple yet potent talisman made from common items is the jack ball. Little Little more more than than wax and and string, string, man many y claim that that th they are one of th the most powerful and effective hoodoo items they have ever used. Jack balls can be made for most ant purpos purpose, e, but always alw ays tend toward domination, domination, control and influence. They may or may not be made to influence other people, but but also outcom outcomes es and situation situations. s. They They are sometim sometimes es used for for finding things out by acting as a sort of pendulum being “fixed” to the person about which one is inquiring. The origin of the jack ball is unknown, but it 53
seems related re lated to the the African Afri can “ju-ju” “ju-j u” talism talis man made made by combining combining materi materials als into a bizarre sort of bauble which was believed to confer protection or ward off evil spirits. Jack balls are used in one of two ways. As a pendulum, as mentioned above, they can give yes/no answers by the way that they swing when held in the hand with the arm at rest, or they can be held over charts and allowed to point to different letters or symbols exactly as one would divine with any pendu pendulum lum.. The The other other way is to “work” th the jack in a whipping motion swinging it by the tail in a “come to me” sort of movement as it drops from the hand, swings forward from the hip and is caught again in the upturned palm. palm. The The same same jack can be used used in both both of th these ways, but but th they can only only be used to the purpose which they are fixed to by way of the ingredients mixed into the the core. co re. The core is formed of roots, herbs, or other items along with personal effects like hair and nail clippings, soiled clothing, etc. The personal effects are vitally important as it simply would not be a jack ball without them. If you are trying to obtain something like gambling luck, money, business or love then it is your own personal effects which are added. If it is influence over a person then then you you will add there's there's as well, w ell, but but all jack balls are fixed to the user because it is not a passive sort of magic as one would find with some mojo hands or dollies but an active and assertive form of magical influence. The core is molded into a ball of wax then wrapped with red yarn and finally pierced through with a needle to create the tail. Some may wish to experiment experiment with wi th other other colors col ors for diff di fferent erent purposes, purposes , but, traditionally traditio nally,, the yarn is alway alw ayss red. xamples of jack balls ball s for various vari ous purposes. For love- Dress Queen Elizabeth aka orris root with your sexual fluids and sprinkle with “true love powder” adding a hair of the one you desire to the core of your jack ball. Hold it by the tail and, with calm confidence confidence say s ay to it “show “s how me me yes” until until it begins to swi s wing ng in a definite de finite pattern. pattern. Next Next do the the same same for “no” “no” to establish establish you yourr control. control. Once Once you you have have clearly defined your parameters you may then ask questions about your beloved regarding their their feelings, feelings, faithfu faithfulness, lness, etc. etc. If your our beloved should should ever stray you need only work the jack while repeating their name each time you catch the ball in your hand and they will have no choice but to think of you and be drawn dr awn back. bac k. To get what you want- combine High John the conqueror root, 54
tobacco, and a pinch of gunpowder in a cloth dowsed in your own urine. Roll this into a ball of wax and wind with red yarn, always wrapping toward yourself. As a pendulum it will lead you toward your desires and when worked it will draw them to you. This is a very “raw” talisman so you need to be specific, but brief, when reciting your wishes. To draw money or business- crush together alfalfa, sassafras, five finger grass and pine resin with a pinch of dirt from a crossroads. Mix this into your your jack jac k ball core and work wor k it when about town town or minding the the shop. To be more attractive and approachable- combine sugar (powdered if you are very fair, raw r aw sugar sugar if you are medium medium complec complected, ted, brown br own if you are very dark) magnetic sand, catnip and black cat hair in a white cloth dowsed with your sexual fluids and wind into a jack ball to become irresistible to others. To draw spirits to you- Mullein, calamus, licorice, High John root, anise seeds and a pinch of grave dirt combined with your hair or nail clippings in a jack ball will draw in spirits like a vacuum, giving you an aura of power and influence over stray entities in an area. For faith and virtue- if you are turning over a new leaf or simply trying to draw in more positive spiritual blessings try a jack ball made with mustard seed, hyssop, and rue in a cloth soaked in your own tears. Recite the Lord's Prayer as you work the jack. Hoodoo Dolls
Perhaps the the most well wel l known known of Hoodoo tools is the the Voodoo/Hoodoo oodoo/ Hoodoo doll also known as a “poppet” in Europe. Europe. Spell dollies dolli es are ar e such a big part of Hoodoo because they were used in almost all of the different traditions from which Hoodoo is derived. The common misconception is that they were always used for hurting or controlling people. While they certainly could be used for such purposes, where tradition is concerned it is more the exception than than the the rule. r ule. People Peopl e may keep dolls doll s of o f them themsel selves, ves, or of their their children childr en and loved ones in order or der to protect and supplem s upplement ent heali healing ng.. They do not have have too look like li ke the the person pe rson they represent repr esent and indeed they seldom sel dom did. Instead, some personal item would be added to the doll in order to make it work properly. That item may be hair or nail clippings, a bit of blood or a photog photograph, raph, bu but th that is a last resort and and the the least effective effective of all. The most most 55
potent potent personal personal item would be menst menstrual rual blood or semen. semen. Such Such personal things would be hard for any outside party to obtain which is why the dolls were a personal object, not something easily made and used for ill by another. One could acquire a “blank dolly” from a hoodoo shop and then “fix” it by adding personal items but making one of your own is simple and, some say, more effective. The The use of o f spell spel l dollies doll ies is a type of sympathet sympathetic ic magic. That means means that the doll is seen as a representation of the soul of the individual on whom it is based. Having a dolly of your own meant that you could keep yourself from harm by keeping it safe. Should it fall into the wrong hands, though, you could have serious trouble. These dollies had many, many positive uses however. however. By using pins and and needles needles to direct and and focus focus your your intent you can heal effected areas of the body. Hurting is done in much the same way, way, so s o from the the outside looking in one one could co uld scarce sca rce tell the the difference. Most use stick pins with different colored ends to represent the type of work they were doing, ie white for healing, red for love and black for hurting or banishing. Tying one doll to another is a way of binding two souls togeth together er and was once a com co mmon wedding weddi ng tradition. traditi on. Binding Binding a doll dol l with rope or twine in which which a series seri es of knots knots was tied while reciting r eciting a spell spel l might be used to “trap” them or bind their power, turning their spells, words and actions back onto them. Some would say that it is “all in the intent” but there are some subtle differences in method as well and failing to observe these differences in practice does, in fact, cause the spells to go awry. The most traditional dolls are very rustic and do not require a great deal of talent. It is a common misconception that “real voodoo dolls” are made of cloth and stuffed. These are more a type of kitschy folk art sold for tourists. The old way is to make them of sticks, wax or clay, each origin ori ginating ating in a different culture culture but all belonging belonging to the the traditions tra ditions of southern hoodoo. What's more is that not all dolls need be “fixed” to a particular particular person pers on but, but, instead, instead, are used used to hou house se spirits spir its or comm communicate you your r needs to them. There are wishing dolls you place tokens in to represent things you want to come back to you, worry dolls you tell your doubts, fears and woes to, the belief being that they go forth by night to avenge and protect you. ou. Some Some dolls act as a sort of receptacle receptacle or idol, idol , being an amalgam of many items all meant to draw in helpful influences such as fertility, protection, or love. These may be buried in gardens as symbolic sacrifice, posted by doors as guardians, guardians, or placed pl aced under under the the pillow pil low to help help you “dream true.” The way dolls are used depends a lot on their purpose and in what way they are “fixed,” be it to a living person, a spirit or a special need or 56
desire. The simplest way to explain it is to use them just like any other doll, talk to it, “play” with it, put it through the motions of things you want to happen. The more real you make it the more you bring the desired intent into the physical sphere of reality. Love or reunion spells may involve two dolls which have been fixed to the individuals concerned being bei ng brought brought closer clos er and closer together night by night as you burn an anointed candle. Idol type dolls may be kept in a safe place and be “fed” with gifts such as the first fruits of the the harvest, harves t, or an occasional occasi onal shot of whiskey whis key or cigar. Remem Remember ber the doll is not just a doll, it is a vessel. Your prayers and “breath of life” upon construction make it a living analog. The hoodoo conjure part of the work comes from your God given ability to create a being in your image as He did with us. Examples of patterns pat terns for f or Hoodoo dolls doll s
Stick dolly Begin with two sticks, or bundles of sticks. forming a cross shape. The The horizon hori zontal tal bar ba r place p laced d more than than half-w half-way ay up up like l ike in a crucifix. Tie them them together in this position by first knotting the string just above or below the cross cros s bar, b ar, then then wrappi wr apping ng diagonally switching sw itching from one one side s ide to the the other and then knotting it again tightly. Place a bit of hair or a cloth soaked in menstrual blood, semen, sweat or saliva over the crisscross of the string and wrap wr ap it i t again at least le ast three more times before be fore tying the the final knots knots and cutting the string. Next, Next, tak takee a piece of heavy heavy cloth and and fold it in half half to to cover the the lower portion of you yourr stick dolly. dolly. Cut Cut it so that that it is as wide w ide as the the cross bar with w ith about an inch to a half inch to either side. Cut a hole in the center and push it over the top piece. Wrap and tie the lower portion with a string “belt” to form a crude body. Sew a small rectangle with one open end and stuff the bag with wi th Spanish Spanish moss moss or other other filler, using using some some other other personal effect effect if desired, and put it over the top of the dolly. Tie it up to form the head. Finish it up by painting a face and decorating and embellishing as desired. You may want to mark representations of the vital organs on the body to give give you someth something ing to point point you yourr stick pins at. at. If it is to represent a spirit you will want to use colors and symbols associated with that spirit to make it a pleasing plea sing vessel vesse l for them them.. The work wo rk is completed completed by performing performing a mock baptism anointing with holy water/oil and giving it a name, not neglec neglecting ting the the all al l im i mportant “breath of life” li fe” before you are done.
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Clay poppet An ancient European method: form a crude human shape out of clay. Form a hollow inside and fill with various personal effects. Other symbolic items may be added to confer blessings upon the individual it is intended for. Examples include acorns for wealth and fertility, heart charms for love, clover for luck, etc. Seal up the hollow and inscribe the name of the intended into the clay. Place it on a grate over a raging fire and consecrate it in the name of the intended by saying the following three times. “As God created Adam from the clay of the t he earth so too do I create (name) (name) in the name of Jesus, Mary and God Almighty Amen” Allow the dolly to harden over the fire for a day and a night, or as long as is needed. When it is finished, it should be kept someplace secret and no harm will come to the intended. The blessings of the charms and blessin blessi ngs given to it will wil l be with wi th the the inten intended ded for as long long as they they keep the the dolly. If pins and needles need to be used on the dolly they are used before consecrating it by fire. Should the dolly get broken the remedy is for the intended to swallow a tiny bit of the clay after it has been crushed into powder, oth otherwise erwi se the the soul could could wander leading to neg negative ative spiritual effects. Wax effigy The wax doll is much like the clay doll but is made with a more forgiving medium. Rather than hardening in fire you take wax and melt it, mixing in various elements needed to “fix” the doll to your intent, or intended as the case may be. This, I find, is best done AFTER the wax begins begins to to cool, or with wi th pieces picked off of a burnin burning g pillar pill ar candle as it burns burns th through rough the the center center and and leaves soft bits bits of wax along the the sides. The best medium is pure bees wax because, with a little effort, it can be made malleable simply by working it between the hands. Beeswax is softer and easier easi er to push pins through through with wi thout out cracking, cracking, but paraffin para ffin is more durable durabl e and comes in different colors, which some may find desirable. This is perhaps not not th the best choice choice for an idol type type doll as time time and and temperatu temperature re may deteriorate deterior ate it, but b ut it is quite good for reveng re venge, e, banishin banis hing g and and jinx j inx-58
breaking breaking spells because because it can be burned burned or melted melted down. down. It could could also be formed around a wick and used as a candle for a love spell. Just be sure not to overdo it on the herbs and powders as these may cause it to gutter out as it burns.
Candle Burning
Traditionally, candles are believed to carry our prayers up to heaven and serve as a sort of beacon on earth for spirits/angels to take notice. Candles may be dressed/anointed with oils which are easily made by soaking herbs in olive, safflower, jojoba or other natural oils for no less than a month month.. When When you you wish wis h to draw dra w certai ce rtain n energies energie s into your your life li fe you you dress the candles by rubbing TOWARD you, when you are sending energy or banishing negativity you dress AWAY from you. Always dress candles from wick to base in either case turning the candle toward or away from yourself as necessity dictates. Always let a candle burn ALL THE WAY OUT and take safety precautions precautions as needed needed to allow this. this. If a candle candle goes out out DO DO NOT NOT RERELIGHT IT, this is taken as an omen that either God/the spirits are not behind your your work w ork or, less le ss often, often, that there there are ar e outside forces sabotaging you you and and they need to be dealt with first. If you burn a jar candle and it turns black, it means forces are against you. If it becomes clear at the bottom it means they cleared up and no further work is necessary. If it starts clear then becomes black at the the bottom bottom,, the the contrary contrary is true and you need to clear those those crossed cross ed conditions before trying again. Lighting candles regularly simply to honor the spirits will help your relationship with them. Candle color is something I have a bit of a pet peeve about. I will give a basic list, however I must stress the following: USE WHATEVER COLOR SEEMS MOST RIGHT TO YOU FOR YOUR PURPOSE . Do not let this, or any other book tell you what is or is not correct when it comes to color choices for magical purposes. If it does not feel right to you then, for God's sake, don't do it! i t! Becoming Becoming aware of your your personal pers onal connection connection to the the energies around you and working with them with them to influence things in a desired way is the entire point of magic. It is not just about “this equals that” but about understanding the real and tangible connection between all things. White candles can substitute for any purpose in a pinch, especially if there is great need. Taper candles are preferred but, again, any will do when you have no other alternative. In the end, God grants us the power to make changes in our lives. The type and color of candles and the rituals we go 59
throug through h are more for our benefit than than God's. The The spir s pirits its and a nd powers powe rs that that be are sympathetic to the plight of the human condition and will not mind if we have to make substitutions when the need is great. Example of candle color/use color/us e correspondences: Pink - Romance/reconcili Romance/reconciling ng love. Red - Sex and desire White White - Blessing Blue - Serenity Black - Banishing/binding Banishing/ binding evil Purple - Power and dominati domination on Orange - Breaking through barred conditions Yellow - Success Green Green - Money Brown Brown - Legal work Personally, I use white candles for general work, prayers, blessings and road opening. Red candles for block breaking, power, aggressive protection, protection, control/influ control/influen ence, ce, love and and sex. Black candles candles for dominat domination, ion, cursing, passive protection and reversal. Yellow candles, in spite of their common associations, I use for disease and sickness, either to inflict or to appeal to the spirit causing the affliction and remove it. Other issues like money, legal work, peace in the home, etc I see as falling under one of the above categories. categories . For instance if you need need legal help and you are guil guilty ty then then obviously you need control and influence over judge and jury. If you are innocent, you need a white candle to clear your name. If you are out of money and need work you need either a white or red candle to clear your path to employm employment ent but but if you just cant seem to get get ahead ahead because because everyone everyone turns turns you down no no matter matter how qualified you are then then it is possibl poss iblee you have have a spirit plaguing you and so a yellow candle will help to draw out the disease just as it would a physical physical illn ill ness. Spiritual Spirit ual Baths
One of the most common hoodoo prescriptions for clients and workers alike is the spiritual bath. It may be because among those old Chri Christian stian rootworkers roo tworkers many of them them were, and still are, Southern Southern Baptist for the spiritual bath is most certainly rooted in the rights of baptism, rites which actually predate Christianity and have been part of many ancient cults 60
for a very long time. The ancient Greeks had already been practicing baptism, baptism, as had had the the Egy Egyptians ptians and Babylonian Babylonians. s. Wh When John came came out out of the the desert, he was not preaching anything new or unfamiliar. It is likely that he got it from the Essenes who were one of the many ancient Christian fringe cults who followed an Appocryphal gospel and Gnostic path which put heavy emphasis on ritual purity and austerity. Like many versions of early Christianity, the aim was not just to worship Christ, worship Christ, but to become christlike and like and live as he lived. The word “christ” means “the annointed” and ritual bathing is and always has been a means of anointing the body to make it a pure vessel in which to receive the higher powers. Just as the cult of Enki used waters to remove spiritual impurities, the cult of Isis prepared her priests by sym symbolic reenactmen reenactmentt of Osiris' Osiris ' drowning in th the waters of th the Nile, so too do we prepare and pu purify ourselves ourselves in th the blessed waters. w aters. Most people do not know this, but water has always been a sacred thing thing in the the rural southeast southeast from Appalachia to the the Missis Mis sissip sippi. pi. Once Once upon a time there was a booming business for the well-to-do folks of privilege centered around estates which kept artisan wells. They called them “sanitariums” and they were something akin to a combination of modern day spas and celebrity rehab centers. Itineraries were given which included a variety of low-impact physical exercises, mental and emotional relaxation, and all punctuated with a prescribed number of glasses of water from the wells wel lspri pring ngs. s. It was w as comm common belief beli ef that that the the waters w aters had heal healing ing,, rejuvenat re juvenating ing and age-defying age-defying properties. propertie s. Indeed, the mineral mineralss unique unique to each ea ch area would have had many health benefits over the common drinking water of the time, even if one dism di smis issed sed the the beli be lief ef in some metaphy metaphysi sical cal elem ele ment imparted imparted by the land. The astonishing truth of the matter is that water does indeed have memory, and can be programmed by the energetic forces to which it is exposed, including thoughts and emotions. Masaru Emoto garnered much fame/i fame/inf nfam amy y with wi th his his experiments experiments involving i nvolving observation observa tion of ice crystals formed in water samples into which people projected various feelings. True, many have since attempted to debunk the results, but there is certainly a consistent “feel” to the images which anyone having a modicum of sensitivity can immediately sense when looking at the images. I do not believe the the ice crystals need need to be uniform uniform in all reproductions. reproductions. Wh Why would they be when each person will clearly have different reactions and ways of expressing any given emotion or reaction to an idea or memory? What's more is that seedlings, which grow on water, have also shown rather consistent changes in growth and health based upon their exposure to emotion as well. One can even duplicate the experiment at home should they 61
choose. For me, there is i s no doubt that that water wa ter does doe s in i n fact respond to energy. energy. So, it is through the addition of various “charged waters” or raw herbal and/or mineral ingredi ingredient entss that we aim to impart impart a certain certai n energy energy to to our spiritual baths. Such a simple thing most of us do every day can become a powerful rite of empowerment with the simple understanding that there is more to it than is immediately obvious. Ever notice how bathing makes you feel refreshed? Relaxed? Ready to meet the day? Ever come home from an unpleasant day at work or taxing family event just feeling “yucky” and bogg bogged down? Wh What is the the first th thing many any of us us want to do when we feel like that? Take a bath/shower of course! It is actually common knowledge and practice practi ce to this day d ay,, we w e just j ust fail to see s ee the truth truth that that is righ ri ghtt in front of us. Bathing Bathing is not just about physical physical cleanliness, cle anliness, but spiritu spiri tual, al, mental ental and emotional health as well. Hoodoo is a holistic practice and bathing is a holistic experience, so why not get the most out of it by employing other elements elements to tailor tail or your experience experi ence to your your needs of the the time? Here follow some exam examples ples of hoodoo spiri spi ritu tual al baths baths to try yourself. yourself. General General rules for f or spiritual baths When bathing to remove an influence or energy, such as in uncrossing, inx-br inx-breaking eaking and road opening, opening, always alw ays wash was h and towel off working down from head to feet, giving givi ng extra attention to the back bac k of the the neck which is regarded as a major energ e nergy y exchan exchange. ge. Blockages Blockages here are ar e often felt and can cause energy to becom bec omee backed bac ked up in the the body, body, leading to illness and and dis-ease, dis-eas e, or can interrupt interrupt connect connection ion with spiritual forces, leading to a sense of detachment from the divine, spiritual crisis and confusion. It is also recommended that you do something to invite some positive posi tive influence influence as by anointing anointing with wi th spiri spi ritu tual al oils/perfumes, lighting a candle for blessings and thanksgiving, and that you avoid any immediate contact with other people until you have done such a thing because nature abhors a vacuum and your energy field will pick up the first thing it connects with. When bathing to draw spiritual influences or energies such as love, luck, luck, money money and peace, always alw ays air dry and wear light, comfortable clothes after. It is also recommended that you do something lighthearted and mundane after such as listening to happy music or eating a nice meal so as to avoid avoi d int i nterr errupt upting ing the the subtle subtle forces currently in motion. motion. Results are ar e not immediate.
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Prescriptions that involve saving of bath water are best done using two buckets, one to stand in and one to pour the w ater from. Using si ng a large lar ge bowl or cup to to “ladle” “ladl e” the the water over you is also a good idea. When When disposing of the water it must be done at a crossroads, graveyard, or a source of runnin running g water wa ter such as a creek cree k or river riv er which runs runs away from your house. The The best be st way w ay to make make clean-u clea n-up p easy eas y when usi using ng botanicals in spiri spi ritu tual al baths baths is to place them them in a mu muslin sli n or organza organza sack or to to tie th them in cheese cloth. Make sure the bag is large enough to hold the herbs without being packed packed too tigh tight. Han Hang g the the bag over your your faucet faucet so that that the the water runs over ove r and thro throug ugh h the bag. When When the bath is full full,, put the the bag in the water and let it float. I recommend using pure hot water to make a sort o “tea” to steep the herbs in and letting the air cool the water until it is cool enough to get in, this way your water becomes thoroughly infused with the botanicals. I also like to use the bag itself as a sort of sponge, squeezing the water out over my body and inhaling the essences of the herbs. It is also good to use this “herbal sponge” to cleanse the back of the neck as described above. Powerful jinx-rem jinx- removing oving bath Cook a whole poke root in a 2gal stock pot of hot water with the lid on for 30 minutes. Discard the root and add this water to a clean 5gal bucket into which another another 2gal of water w ater and 2 cups of Epsom salts sal ts has been bee n mixed. mixed. Wash with this same this same water for for 7 consecutive days and dispose of it accordingly. asy jinx ji nx removal removal When conditions are less severe, a simple one day bath with a whole poke poke root in the the water has proven sufficient sufficient.. Regu Regular baths baths in Epsom Epsom salts (about once a week) is also a common practice to keep negativity from buildi buildin ng up. Both Both poke poke root and and Epsom salts are purgative purgative if tak taken en internally internally which accounts for their spiritual use. Dual action road opening and blessing bath When it seems you simply can't get ahead, can't find your path or the strength strength to to walk w alk it, simply s imply add Carmelite water w ater to your bath, wash was h the the back ba ck 63
of your your neck, and allow all ow yourse yourself lf to air ai r dry after. after. The main main ingredient is melliss ell issaa or lemon balm and this this herb may may be added adde d to the bath along with some grave gravell root r oot if you do not have have any carmelite water w ater prepared. Simple blessing bath Hyssop is one of the herbs mentioned in the bible and is very popular among among hoodoo practitioners pra ctitioners for general general blessi bles sing ng,, anointing anointing and and spir s piritual itual fortitude. Psychic potency and true-dream true- dreaming ing bath To enhance psychic prowess and invite prophetic or lucid dreams combine bay leaves, star anise, and coffee beans in a spiritual bath. Make sure to wash both the back of your neck and center center of your forehead with the water and to air dry afterwar afterward, d, sleeping sl eeping nude if possible. pos sible. Woman's empowering bath To enhance female powers to get what you want and have influence over men, bathe in waters water s infused infused with wi th juniper juniper berries berr ies,, rosem ros emary ary leaf, orris orri s root, r oot, and and mag magn nolia flowers. an's empowering bath To enhance masculine energy, confer confidence and strength take a bath with high high john the the conqu conqueror eror root, pipe tobacco, yarrow, yarrow, cloves and cedar. Lustful bath from your kitchen cupboard cupboard Not all mag magic ic needs exotic exotic ing ingredients. To To attract attract sexu sexual attention attention or enhance passions infuse the bath water with coffee beans, coriander seeds, cinnamon and vanilla Floral love drawing bath bat h To attract a lasting las ting and faithfu faithfull love combine combine the flowers flower s of red r ed clovers, pink roses, lavender apple and magnolia every night from the new 64
to full moon. oney drawing bath To bring steady money and success in business take a bath with fresh pine needles needles or a wh w hole green pine cone. cone. For added streng strength combine combine with thyme, gravel root and sassafrass. Spice cabinet protective bath To protect pr otect yourse yourself lf and ward w ard off undesira undesirable ble influences influences you need need look l ook no further than your spice rack. Combine marjorum, basil, oregano, sage, fennel and a few black peppercorns in a spiritual bath and air dry to gird yourself in strong spiritual armor against all comers. To bring bri ng peace, harmony and ease Combine Combine red re d sum s umac ac berr be rries ies and groun ground d ivy i vy with wi th a can of beer in your your bath water to cleanse cleanse yourself yourself of troubles troubles and and concerns concerns while equally equally inviting blessings and casting off any bad mojo you may have picked up to cause the affliction. Additional modes of deploy depl oyment ment
Hoodoo cures can be administered in a number of other ways corresponding to the type of work being done. These operations are largely based on old African custom customss and are also foun found in Vodou (voodoo) magical workings. Hoodoo, however, leaves out the traditional African religious traditions, for the most part, and accepts a wider arsenal of magical curios and herbs borrowed from other cultures. There is also a degree of improvisation allowed in hoodoo that would be unheard of in other, other, more more strict stri ct traditions. tradi tions. Truly Truly,, it i t is not so much much “improvisation” “improvis ation” as it is acceptance and experimentation with other methods that may be found in foreign cultures. As I have said repeatedly, it is ultimately about what works. wor ks. Suffice Suffice it i t to say, say, these are ar e som s omee of the traditional traditi onal meth methods ods of deployment of conjure formulas, tricks and cures. A selection of formulas will be given later on but, ultimately, you will have to use what is available to you in the most efficient way you can. Washes- teas can be brewed in quantity and used alone or added to other
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cleaning products for ritual floor wash. These are often used in the home, on the the door do or step or sidewa sid ewalk, lk, dependin depe nding g on the the type of working w orking.. Typicall Typically y they they are used in matters matters involving i nvolving hom homee or business. They can be used to cleanse c leanse and purge unwanted conditions and influences, or to draw something in. The difference being be ing what they they are composed composed of and the the directi di rection on of the the action. a ction. If you you are washing w ashing somethin something g out, out, always alw ays work w ork toward towar d the door or street. If drawing in, do the reverse. Track lay l aying/t ing/takingaking- “poisoning by feet” is one of the most ancient tricks deeply rooted in African traditions. To lay magical “poisons” such as kufwa (goofer dust) or “hot foot powder” in someone's footprints is one method of administeri administering ng such a curse. They can also be deployed de ployed by placing pl acing items items under the doorstep of the intended or making marks (with powders and the like) over where a person has stepped or will step. Commonly some crude symbolism is used here such as “wavy lines” to signify trouble and confusion, spirals for wandering, or X marks (sometimes “stacked” in sign si gnificant ificant num numbers which appear appea r aass hatching hatching)) for “crossi “cro ssing ng”” or cursing. Tracks can also be taken by scooping up the dirt containing the intended's footprint and using it as a base powder or personal link in a secret working on them. Douche- perhaps per haps not the the most popular topic topi c but some some charged waters w aters and magical teas are mixed with vinegar and used as a douche, particularly in sex magic. Dressing- teas and charged waters are used to dress all kinds of objects from candles candles to gris gris. They can also als o be used on clothing or body. body. Spitting Spitti ng- some herbs are chewed and spit on floors or in tracks to impart their influences. This is typically done when one is trying to secretly gain influence or dominance. retties- Some Some item i temss are a re kept, as sout s outhern herners ers say “for pretty p retty”” with w ith or without knowledge of the magical effects they generate. Bundles of herbs hung hung from doors door s or placed plac ed in i n dried arrang arr angem ement ents, s, pomanders pomanders and sachets that scent rooms or clothing from closets or chests, so called “witch bottles” and gazing gazing balls, balls , all al l of these these and more more are examples examples of magical magical items items hidden in plain pla in sigh si ght. t.
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Relate Re lated d Trad Traditions itions
Hoodoo is i s one o ne of many many spiri spi ritu tual al traditions traditi ons to come come out of the the African Afric an Diaspora. Each colonial settlement found other cultures and religious traditions with which to co-mingle. For one reason or another, certain tribal groups seem to have held more sway in different colonies as well. The result has been a wide range of spiritual movements all growing from common roots yet often surprisingly different from one another. It is important to note that it was not only synchretism with the religions of the slave masters but also the interwoven beliefs and practices of native cults in each are which lead to this diversity. The unique blend of oppressi oppre ssion on and subversion, subversi on, the the shat s hattering tering and and forging of bonds bonds between peoples and th the long tale of tragedy tragedy and and trium triumph is the the heart heart and and inherent inherent beauty beauty of th the African African Diaspora. I choose, choose, therefore, therefore, to accentu accentuate th that which which bring us togeth together er rather rather than than tears us us apart. Far too often we find battles raging in communities about these richly historic traditions being “appropriated” by the “wrong people” and I hope I can do some small part to remedy that. There is an appeal to these traditions which resonates re sonates deeply de eply with w ith practicall practi cally y everyone. We We must must rem r emem ember ber to proceed with wi th respect for both both the the history history AND AND th the futu future re of these these traditions. traditions. Rather than “blending” different traditions on your own, I submit to you that there is likely an established tradition out there which fits nicely with your own core cor e beli be liefs efs and still stil l has much much more to teach you. you. I encourage encourage any reader who feels that that hoodoo is i s lacking l acking or not quite quite right for them to seek further information and never stop searching. Find your spiritual home and still always seek to learn more, to understand better and to find common threads through which to form bonds with your fellow human beings. This day and age we are all drawing from numerous bloodlines. Best we do respect to to those those who made made possible possibl e the the miracl miraclee of our existence by seeking harmony and honoring the magic that flows in our common blood and all the spirits carried within it. Obeah and Myal
In the Caribbean islands, particularly in Jamaica, there exists a unique and secretive spiritual movement known as Obeah. Practitioners, called “obeahmen” “obeahmen” were we re once credited cre dited with wi th having having such intim intimate ate knowl knowledge edge of magic and herbalism, particularly in the use and manufacture of poisons, that the the whole w hole movem movement ent was made illegal il legal and, as of o f the the date da te of this this writing wr iting,, remains so. Obeah was believed to be the driving force behind the 67
revolution in Jamaica, yet native inhabitants even today regard it with fearful respect. Perhaps it is due to its association with evil magic and pacts with wi th a demonic demonic entity known known as “Sassabonsam “Sass abonsam”” who w ho supposedly supposedl y inhabits inhabits the the wilds wi lds and terrorizes hapless wanderers, or the the residu resi dual al fear lik li kely imposed by the slave masters of the old days who came to live in dread of its power. It is believed that Obeah is a power that is inherited rather than given and that it is found in the bones and blood of the practitioner. Should someone wish to become and obeahman who has not inherited the power they must seek Sassabonsam himself, but the journey does not end there. If this dangerous spirit of the wildwood should favor you, then several other spirits will also come to test and attune you to receive the power of obeah. The catholic figure of Anima Sola, the lady of solitude who burns forever in purgat purgatory ory,, the the Aftican Aftican folklori folkloricc figure figure of Anan Anansi, si, the the spider, and and other other spirits spir its deeply deepl y connected connected with wi th ancient ancient animism animism and ancestor cults all a ll become intimately familiar to the initiate of obeah through dreams, trials and tribulations. Each contributes a unique power to the initiate and each does so by first breaking a portion of the spirit and psyche to be rebuilt in their own image. It is a process very similar to the more traditional forms of shamanism now only remembered by small societies at the far reaches of the world and vastly different from the romanticized concepts promoted by the modern neopagan movement. Perhaps it is for this reason that obeah remains one of the the most illusive, ill usive, and a nd possibly possi bly the the most important important of the the African Afric an Diasporic Diaspo ric cults. So much has already been lost and so much more may yet be forgotten should we let this mysterious and powerful, if somewhat “spooky” tradition disappear. Due to the criminalization of obeah, another tradition arose called “Myal” “Myal” or sometim sometimes es “myalism” “myalism” which is considered consider ed the beneficent “white magic” counterpa counterpart rt to obeah. obe ah. It may may be that Myal Myal is actuall actually y derived deriv ed from the the ancient priestly pri estly class cl ass from the the Mother Mother Land Land and that obeah is deri d erived ved from the “witchcraft” which was outlawed even then under tribal law. The fact remains that both obeah and myal combine grimoire magic, solomonic sigils and Jewish cabalah in their practice to heal, bring luck, and banish negativi negativity ty.. The difference, if i f indeed there is i s one, o ne, is that that obeah does not shy shy away from work which aims to control or harm because, at its core, it is a weapon to snatch victory from the jaws of most dismal defeat. Because of this the obeahman must undergo the aforementioned trials while the myalman must submit to the mentorship of a priest. Their Their most valuable val uable and unique unique servi se rvice ce of either e ither may may be that of 68
disposing of “duppies” or shadow beings which are made up of all the negativi negativity ty in a person pers on which may may be releas re leased ed upon their their physic physical al death. It is interesting that that the the phenom phenomena ena of “shadow people” peopl e” is i s known all over the the world in practically every culture, yet only in obeah and myalism are they directly addressed or dealt with. There are two main ways of dealing with duppies. One is to create bottles filled with various symbolic and magical items items in i n which to trap the spi spiri rits. ts. The other, other, which w hich is employed for more powerful shadows, shadows, is to have have a practitioner practitioner conjure conjure and “catch” “catch” the the spirit spiri t which they then nail to a tree or post, there to remain until the sunlight comes comes to dissol dis solve ve them as it does doe s the darkness of night. night. Like hoodoo, obeah and myal make use of herbal, animal and mineral components for making various powders, sprays and elixirs to address practically every possible possibl e hum human an concern. concern. Personal Personal items items too, such such as blood, nail nail and hair hair clipping cl ippingss may may come come into into play. play. An obeahm obeahman may even capture a person's shadow and use it to fuel their own power or bestow upon them the sort of dread protection that comes from being fractured in such a way in life. Both obeah and myal can be used to remove illness through either magical ritual or natural natural rem r emedy edy and both can divine the the origins or igins of any affliction through direct communication with the spirits which cause it. Practitioners may enter a trance and remove “thorns” which injure the spirit of the afflicted which they believe can cause physical and mental illness. They may also prescribe powders or tonics just as any folk healer would. They They craft magical magical talism talis mans both as dictated by various vari ous tomes tomes of magic magic as well as sim si mple natural natural objects believed beli eved to house house a spirits spiri ts either either conjured conjured or native to the object's place of origin. This combination of primitive and modern magical practices along with beliefs clearly rooted in some of the world's oldest traditions is what makes obeah and myal so fantastically fascinating. Hexwerk Hexwer k and Trolldom Trolldom
Far from these shores, in northern Europe, there dwells a folk tradition that bears striking similarities to American hoodoo called “trolldom” which roughly translated means something like “the ways of country dwellers” with an implication of “non-christian” practices. Trolldom has been around for ages and is more common in rural communities of Sweden, Finland and Norway, though the practice has slowl sl owly y begun begun to spread spr ead to other other countries countries,, inclu i ncluding ding Ameri America. ca. Elem El ement entss of o f trolldom troll dom include include the use of herbs for magical cures, im i mitative magic using 69
simple tools, and divination with playing cards. Practitioners, called trollkarlen (singu (singular; trollk troll karl), arl) , will w ill sometim sometimes es consort with wi th spirits spiri ts called weights or elves which are believed to be descendants of Adam and Eve which were kept hidden from God and so were cursed to remain hidden or invisible in the world forever after. Stones, wood carvings and even beans are sometimes used to house certain spirits which can then be called upon to help in all manner of human endeavors. One method of obtaining a spirit is to bury the prescribed item (different spirits like different vessels) at a crossro cros sroads ads for a num number of days then return and and dig di g it up. Spells Spell s may be spoken aloud or written as petitions. One unique aspect of trolldom is the use of “runes” in written spells. There is a runic alphabet which was once used for both writing and magic throughout northern Europe but the “runes” used in trolldom are not always part of those alphabets (there are several variations) but rather symbols or elaborate sigils. Back in the U.S there are communities of Dutch who maintain a traditional traditi onal way w ay of life. Though Though most are ar e very ver y strictly Christian Christia n they they also practice a traditional traditional form of folk folk mag magic ic called call ed hex hex or pow wow. w ow. Prayers Prayers are common in this practice as is the use of herbs. Bible magic is very important in this tradition and nearly every spell contains somewhere in it an invocation to God, Jesus, Je sus, Angels Angels or the the Vir Virgin gin Mary Mary.. Its roots roo ts are ar e in in colonial era Christianity where many fringe sects developed with their newfound found religiou reli giouss freedom fre edom.. Many of these these sects incorporated incorpor ated elem el ement entss of mystici ysticism sm,, gnostici gnosticism sm and and apocrypha. ap ocrypha. These people peo ple truly believed belie ved that that faith in God and their devotion de votion to Christ made them them capable of perform perfor ming miracles on their behalf. It was only natural progression that these beliefs should should blend with w ith ancient ancient folk knowl knowledge edge and custom customss to create cre ate a new magic. Hexenmeisters as they are called are most common in the northern states, particular pa rticularly ly Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, but b ut as with wi th all things things in i n the the inf i nformat ormation ion age the practice is becoming more widespread. The most destinctive element element in hex-cr hex-craft aft is the the hex sign, sign, a piece piec e of folk art ar t which, when w hen properl prop erly y crafted, holds talismanic properties. Any person can paint a hex sign, but only a hexenm hexenmeis eister ter can ca n empow empower er it. Stars, Stars , bunches bunches of grapes, grapes , oak leaves le aves and “distlefink “dis tlefink”” or gold finches finches are comm common images images in these sign si gns, s, each e ach having magical significance. Even embellishments like scalloped edges or triangle patterns influence the nature of the enchantment. All elements are carefully selected right down to the color and number and placed in one of several zones of influence. The sign is painted on a round plate of wood, or directly dir ectly on the the exterior of the the barn ba rn or house. house. Once Once “activated” “ activated” by the the hexenmeister and put in place the sign works as a tailor-made blessing on 70
the farm or homestead. Santeria and Brujeria Brujer ia
First and foremost, let it be known that I only use these terms because they are more commonly recognized. I say this because they are actually somewhat derogatory and and feel I must must apologize to devotees d evotees of Rgela of Rgela De Ocha and Ocha and Lucumí Lucumí as as they are properly called. Palo is also referred to as “santeria” where it is practiced. The name was applied as a blanket term for all “backwards” spiritual traditions in Latin countries which synchretized Catholi Catholicis cism m with wi th their their native and a nd folk tradi traditions. tions. Namely Namely it is i s the Catholi Catholicc saint sai ntss who w ho are synchretized synchretized with wi th the the Yoruban Yoruban tribal spiri spi rits ts known known as the the orishas hence orishas hence the name “santeria” meaning “saint worship” essentially. The are more appropriate label would be Orish Oris ha Traditions. Traditions. As in other African Diaspora Religions, the Orisha traditions have but One Supreme Deity known, in this case, as Oludamare. Oludamare. Again, as with w ith most most ATRs this Deity is far too vast and incomprehensible for humans to deal with directly, so it is by way of the Orishas that believers interact with the Divine. Candlelight vigils and prayers are primary means of connection. Many devotees will also keep prayer cards and saint medals about their home, home, work, w ork, vehicles vehicle s and a nd persons pers ons to invoke the the protection pr otection and guidance guidance of their Orisha. The The word w ord “orisha” “ori sha” mean meanss “select “s elect head” as it refers to a spirit spir it which enters the “head” of the individual. Everyone has an Orisha who is with their their soul from the the moment moment of conception. conception. A speciali speci alized zed diviner-pri divi ner-priest est called a Babalawo a Babalawo must must be called upon to determine which Orisha is connected to the person's head. Once This is done a secret ritual may be performed performed which consecrates consecrates the the individual individual to mak makee them them “clean” enou enoug gh to receive the Orisha. From this point on they will be guided by their Spirit and expected to behave in accordance with all responsibilities and taboos that come along with it. Brujeria is also a foul term which translates directly as “witchcraft” and carries with it all the negative implications thereof including demonology, satanic pacts, and doing harm to others just for the fun of it. The The legitim l egitimate ate practice pr actice comm commonly called calle d “brujeria “br ujeria”” among among Spanish speaking communities can be best understood as “Mexican hoodoo” to put it simply. The more appropriate term is Curanderismo which Curanderismo which means “the cure-person's art” or folk healing. Like hoodoo, Curanderismo is a system of holistic medicine edic ine design des igned ed to treat tre at body, body, mind mind and spiri spi ritt by means means of natural natural and supernatural supernatural technologies technologies.. 71
There are specializations within the practice of Curanderismo. Practitioners, known as curanderos/curanderas, who work primarily through prayer and and candles candles are called cal led oracionistas(os) while oracionistas(os) while those who take a more phy physical approach appr oach throug through h massage, chiropractic chiropractic and laying laying on of hand handss are called sobaderos( called sobaderos(as). as). Then Then there are the yer the yerberos( beros(as) as) w work ork primaril primarily y with plant materials. A yerbera yerbera may may administer administer a tea tea or tinctu tincture re for physical physical ailments, or place botanical items in a glass vial with oil or holy water to create a powerful, specialized talisman for spiritual concerns. Some yerberos have a special relationship relationship with a particular plan pl ant, t, or more specifically the spiri the spirit t of of a particular plant, and thus have access to special abilities with plant. These yerberas are known by names according to their plant such as tabaqueros who tabaqueros who work with tobacco and ayahuasqueros who ayahuasqueros who brew the potent potent drug drug ayahuasca from ayahuasca from plants plants like l ike the the sacre s acred d yage vine and others and guide people on profound spiritual healing and cleansing ourneys. ourneys. Many curanderos practice prac tice a com c ombination bination of the the above. ab ove. Vodou and Voodoo
Vodou is the the primarily pr imarily Haitian Haitia n tradi tradition tion of Afri African can Diaspora Diaspor a reli re ligion gion drawing largely from Dahomean tribal practices. Contrary to popular belief, it is i s NOT a polytheis polytheistic tic reli r eligion gion but but recogn reco gnizes izes one suprem s upremee deity dei ty known known as Bondye who Bondye who is beyond the reach of humans and is only honored as the spiritual essence on which all existence is dependent. A great many spirits known as lwa are lwa are honored in private and community rituals of vodouisants as practitioners are known. There are three main groupings of lwa. The rada are rada are “cool” spirits who are considered the most beneficent and gentle. The petwo The petwo are are “hot” spirits who work with explosive energy and may be called call ed upon for thing thingss like l ike domination, domination, control control and vengeance. vengeance. This has lead to them being unfairly labeled as “evil” by some writers. Let me just say that as a religion born out of slavery, it is hard to consider these things in any way evil. evi l. Revolution Rev olution is not pretty. pretty. Pain Pai n and and bloodshed bl oodshed are ar e bound to happen. These spirits embody the spirit of the people and the people remember remember and honor honor BOTH sides si des of their their history. history. The final camp is called call ed the guede guede and and they exist somewhat outside the “hot” and “cold” spectrum. They are basically the spirits of the dead or, more specifically, the honored and forgotten dead. Ancestors are remembered and some may even be considered consider ed ascended. Simply being dead is i s not enoug enough h to become guede. guede. They are lead by a lwa known as Bawon or Baron who is as much their chief as their warden. Because some of the dead are long forgotten or nameles nameless, s, they they can be troublesom troubles omee at times. This is i s why w hy they they are considered consider ed 72
among the ranks of the guede and paid respect, to keep them happy. Baron himself is known for his boisterous and sometimes lewd behavior reminding both the the livin livi ng and and the the dead to enjoy them themselves selves and not not tak takee thing thingss too seriously. However, he can also be stern when there is call for it. Baron is very popular in New Orleans where there has been a thriving practice for a long long time time now now of secret ceremon ceremonies ies and ritual ritual possession possess ion as well as a black market trade in folk magic. This practice is commonly known as voodoo and the spiritual revival of African Traditions has brought it closer cl oser and closer close r to Haitian Hai tian Vodou over the the course of generatio generations. ns. However, many years ago some practitioners would have disagreed, saying that their practice was actually hoodoo. Being that Louisiana was a French settlement and more catholic than protestant the syncretism went in a different direction dire ction than than it did further further north in Tenn Tenness essee ee and Missis Mis sissip sippi. pi. However, Native American traditions would blend into the tradition as well creating some variance from the practice as it is found in Haiti. The resulting hybrid is sometimes known as NoLa tradition or New Orleans Voodo oodoo. o. Ceremonies are held in a special outdoor temple called a peristyle. They They involve drumm drumming, ing, call ca ll-and-r -and-response esponse singing singing of special speci al songs songs and the the drawing of elaborate spiritual symbols known as ve-ve to ve-ve to call in the procession processi on of spirits in accordance accordance with th the secret traditions traditions of th the hou house. se. A priest heads up up the the ceremon ceremonies ies with w ith ranking ranking initiates initiates serving various positions to to assist the the priest in th the condu conduction ction of th the ceremon ceremony y. Devotees Devotees will dance to the point of exhaustian and enter a trance wherein the spirit takes possession of their body. This is known as being “ridden” and the devotees are sometimes called “horses” by extension. During possession the spirit may grant blessings or speak prophecies using the horse's body as a vessel. Some spirits are given offerings to please them while others are cast out by a priest because they may be dangerous. Ceremonies may only be participated in by initiates initiates thou though gh sometim sometimes es minor minor rituals rituals are held in public public view in New Orleans. Palo
Palo is an afro-cuban spiritual tradition based largely in African Kongo tribal beliefs and practices. It was born of the exchange between the African Bantu-speaking groups and the native Taino peoples, not unlike how hoodoo draws dra ws heavily from the the influen influences ces of Native Americans. Many people split spli t Palo into into two two categoriescategories- Palo Christiano Christi ano or or “Christian “Christian Palo” and Palo and Palo Judio w Judio wh hich translates translates as “Jewish “Jewi sh Palo” which really implies implies 73
“unbaptized” ie non-Christian. The later is sometimes assumed to be “evil” because because initiates initiates mak makee pacts with “evil” spirits. spi rits. The The fact is there there are three three main “sects” if you will within Palo which are called “ramas.” Mayombe is the the first fir st and most most conservative conser vative of the the three. According Accor ding to to som s omee this tradition trad ition can only be passed through the ancestral line. Briyumba is where we first begin begin to to see sychretism sychretism in Palo bring bringing in elemen elements ts of Cath Catholocism olocis m and and the the Yoruban religion rel igion of Ifa. Kimbiza Kimbiza or quimbasa quimbasa is the the most syncri syncristic stic of all the ramas, uniting many other schools of African spirituality but still remaining firmly grounded in the Kongo traditions. All of them require covenants and while some houses may find the covenenats of other houses questionable, nont of them should be considered inherently “evil” as there is no such concept in Palo. There is only what agrees with your soul and what disagrees with your soul. Morality is a personal concern derived from God's direct dir ect influence influence on your your own o wn spiri spi rit, t, most most commonly commonly called calle d a conscience. Regardless of which rama one belongs to, the only way into Palo is by initiation which is granted ONLY by a Tata and Tata and Yaya, a priest and priestess. Initiatio Initiations ns are conducted conducted by both togeth together er and each has specific spe cific roles rol es in the the process. The specific rites of initiation initiation are a closely closel y guarded secret but but involve a series of trials which connect the initiate to the ancestral spirits and the suffering inflicted upon them as slaves. Bloodletting is also a part of the initiation and blood offerings are also made to many of the spirits or mpungos served mpungos served in palo. Other offerings may include things like cigars, rum infused infused with wi th hot hot peppers, peppe rs, toasted corn, cor n, coconut, coconut, red wine wi ne or honey, honey, depending on the spirit. Offerings are usually left at a sacred place connected with the particular spirit being served. In addition to the “ascended spirits” or mpungos Palo also regards spirits of nature and the dead. Everything has spiritual power to the palero, which is what initiated practitioners are called. Every stone, tree, plant, river ri ver and moun mountain tain has has is an extension extension of the the Great Gre at Creator called call ed Nzambi Nzambi who is regarded as the raw spiritual force which flows through all things. Every mpungo is an extension of Nzambi as is everything and everyone else regardless of color, creed or religion. When one is initiated or “scratched” as it is sometimes called (a reference to the bloodletting) spiritual force within them is “activated” so to speak and the palero is “born” which is why both tata, father, and yaya, mother, must be present. From this point forward the palero is able to communicate with and “activate” spiritual forces present in nature which is how all magic in Palo is performed. A central point in every Palo house is the nganga or nganga or shrine. This is usually a large pot or cauldron which contains many things. Among the 74
things placed in the nganga there may be earth from sacred places or graveyards, branches cut from sacred trees (which are regarded much as the bones bones of hu humans) ans) and, yes, yes, even actual actual hum human bones. bones. People mistak mistakee these these seemingly seemingly gri grizz zzly ly objects obj ects as evidence evide nce of hum human sacrifice sacr ifice and grave desecration. The fact is Palo has been defamed and demonized for years in effort to stamp out traditional spirituality and, indeed, to rip the very spirit from, the people and strip them of their ancestry. It is no wonder they seem angry! The nganga may look to the casual observer like something that belongs belongs in a witch's witch's hut hut but but it is actually actually an object of great veneration veneration.. It is regarded as a microcosm microcos m, a tiny model of the the univer universe, se, containing containing all the majesty and mystery of creation within it. All its contents are collected with great honor and respect. To do anything else would be blasphemy in the highest, as if to say the universe is built of ugliness and disgrace. In the house the nganga is commonly called a prenda a prenda which which is spanish for “jewel” shedding some light on the level of respect with which the object is treated. Originally paleros of the Mayombe rama would only use the the bones of their their own ancestors, ancestors , but this this has become rather rare r are today. today. The prenda contain containss man many y thing things, s, but but a chief chief compon componen entt is the the muerto a muerto a “ghost” for lack l ack of better descrip desc ription, tion, which is why the the elem el ement ent of hum human an remains remains is so important. important. This This muerto serves muerto serves as the intermediary between the palero and the spirit realm. Also found with each Palo house is the firma fir ma which which is a sort of spiritual calling card similar to the ve-ve in ve-ve in vodou. Every house has their own fir own firma ma and and there is a spiritual science to drawing them which allows communication with the spirits of the house. By way of the prenda the muerto and muerto and the firma the firma the the palero paler o has a means of direct di rect com c omm munica unication tion with the spirit realm. It is not just a religion, but a lineage and a way of life. It is an entire culture and history encapsulated by tradition and allowed to penetrate penetrate every aspect of th the practitioner's practitioner's life, l ife, mak making ing it a deeply involved and, for those whose souls resonate in agreement, rewarding spirutality. Special thanks to Malik Kimbiza, and Chris Baldyga who were kind enough to provide me with a the perspective of a true initiate and priest of the Palo traditions. Closing You may be asking at this point “so, is this stuff for real?” Well I am prompted prompted to to first state state th that old Hoodoo Hoodoo adage adage spoken throug through hout out “voodoo shops,” spiritual supply houses and botanicas th botanicas thee world wor ld over: “There “There are no guarant guarantees.” ees.” That That is just j ust good good horse sense, s ense, reall rea lly y, and a statement statement worthy of meditation. Remember that in Hoodoo it is believed that magic 75
works only when it is in line with the will of God and that no working can be successfu successful if it is not not God's God's will w ill.. Hoodoo conju conjure re may may be thou thoug ght of like a “super “s uper prayer” pr ayer” which w hich brings brings int i nto o harmony harmony mind, body and spiri spi rit. t. To To do so, there there must be earthly ea rthly element elementss (such ( such as plant pl ant,, animal, animal, mineral, ineral , color co lor and shape), mental elements (thought, will, words, intent, psychic energy), and the all important spiri important spiritual tual element. element. Properly performed, hoodoo conjure opens a channel channel to God which w hich penetrates penetrates all levels leve ls of being simultaneou simultaneously. sly. The The piety pi ety of the the person pers on makin making g the the prayer pr ayer comes into play pla y here, here, as well we ll as the justness of the request and character of the one making it. Above all, God's will is the deciding factor and all the herbs and curios in the world cannot overcome that. What must be, will be and what can be changed is changed changed only when the the necessary necess ary conditions are ar e met. met. The power pow er does not come from the conjurer, nor from the materia used materia used to cast the spell. Rather it all al l works wor ks on the the basis bas is of symboli symbolicc lang l anguag uagee and harmoniou harmoniouss energies e nergies put in place by God for us to utilize in our times of need. Rules Rules like li ke “the “the doctrine doc trine of sign si gnatu atures res”” are ar e the basis basi s of that languag language, e, the belief that even an illiterate person could see the symbols place in nature for those who w ho truly sought sought them them.. This “secret “sec ret lang l anguag uage” e” was the the basi ba siss of o f nearly all our medical theories at one time. It was thought that if a plant had some characteristic that reminded one of a particular organ or ailment, it would be a good medicine for it. Seems like ridiculous primitive thinking, yet it is interesting just how often it was proven true. In spite of all the mystici ysticism sm so hotly disput disp uted ed by “rational” people peopl e eth e thnobot nobotanists anists cont c ontinu inuee to be contracted contracted by pharm pharmaceu aceutical tical compan companies ies to research “mag “magical ical formulas” formulas” to find out if they could be used in modern medicine. One tale of particular interest is that of Wade Davis and his experiences in Haiti as recounted in both book and film titled “The “The Serpent and and the the Rainbow,” Rainbow,” which which th this auth author highly recommends. Indeed much of modern medicine is owed to the root doctors and medicine men of old indigenous cultures and much more stands to be learned from them. Sadly, those old ways are dying out at an alarming rate and a nd if we do not work wor k now now to preserve pres erve them them so much much of that that ageless wisdom wis dom will wil l be lost l ost completely completely.. You might say “sure herbal remedies may work but all that sympathetic magic stuff is crap right?” but then again we once thought the earth was flat and gravity was an illusion. Today we have theories about worm wor mholes in space-ti spa ce-tim me and a nd still do not completely unders understan tand d magnet magnetis ism m and bio-elec bio- electric tric fields even thoug though h we know them to be quite q uite real. real . We We have always resisted change and slandered radical ideas, but it is my sincere belief that that if people would take take the the time time to stu study magical agical phenom phenomen enaa seriously we would make all kinds of breakthroughs in understanding the 76
world and our relationship to it. Modern people expend more energy trying to disprove things disprove things while becoming more and more dependent on technology which, itself, is a form of magic. Perhaps it is out of fear, for all the gadgets and gizmos (along with the international industries that produce them) may well become outdated if we would just try to look at things differently for a change. I have ranted many a time about the plight of modern man and the virtues of “organic technology” (which is, in large part, what we now call “magic”) over “synthetic technology” (machines, computers, chemicals, etc.) and I will spare the reader my ire... this time. For now, I implore you, do not just take my word on it. Hoodoo is all about results, results, after after all. all . So just give it a shot and see what happens. If you don't set out to simply prove to yourself that it isn't real real you may just be surprised at what is.
Appendices 1. Lunar correspondences By sign By phase 2. Psalms 3. Ingredients Personal Animal Mineral, resin and man-made Botanical 4. Formulas Smoking and fumigant Waters Powders Oils
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5. Glossary of terms
1 Working By The Moon Astrological Astrologi cal Signs
Sign
Body
Dome stic
Spiritual
Aries
Head, face, brain, teeth, eyes
Barren. Domination, Good for healing or plowin plowi ng and inflicting weeding. emotional pain Harvesting will bring bring longest longest shelf s helf life.
Taurus
Throat, neck, jaws, jaws , tonsils, thyroid
Fruitful. Love, fertility, Transplant acquisition and for strength. visionary work Plant seeds or root crops. Prune to discourage growth.
Gemini
Arms, hands,
Barren. Good for
Public Public relations, knowledge and 78
shoulders, weeding wee ding and and intellect, lungs pruning pruning to eloquen eloq uence ce and discourage confusion growth. Harvest herbs and roots. Cancer
Breast stomach, ribs, womb, diaphragm
Most fruitful. Above ground crops, prune to encourage growth.
Psychic and emotional emotional work, w ork, introspection introspecti on and and meditation
Leo
Heart, Barren. upper Prune to spine, discourage, blood and and cultivate circulatory soil, control control system pests.
Influence, leadership attraction, prosperity prosperi ty,, performing performing arts.
Virgo
Digestive Barren. Till, and and cultivate, nervous compost and systems, destroy intestines weeds and and and and spleen spl een pests.
Education, healing, finding the hidden. Especially powerful for for dreams.
Libra
Kidneys, skin, adrenals, butt buttock ocks, s, lower spine,
Semifruitful. Good for annual flowers and and vines. Pick flowers for longest longest life l ife
Legal matters, peace mak making ing,, creative visualization and manifestation
Scorpio
Sex organs, bladder urinary tract,
Fruitful. Fruitful. Best time for seeds, good good for root crops. Prune
Sexuality sensuality, seduction, secrets, violence.
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colon, prostate
to encourage growth.
Sagitt Sagittariu ariuss Hips Hips thighs, liver, pelvis, sciatic nerve
Semi-barren. Good for garlic and onions. Also good time to harvest for shelf life.
Travel, wish making, affluence, imbuing talismans with energy.
Capric apricor orn n Knees, ees, Semi-barren. joints, joints, Strong but cartilage, unproductive skeletal plants plants but system, ideal for bulbs, bulbs, tubers tubers and and rhizomes.
Business, discipline, grounding., domination, subjugation and killing
Aquariu rius
Ankles, les, calves, circulation to extremities
Higher/collective consciousness, transition, farreachin reac hing g goals goals,, healing, group work.
Pisces
Feet, toes, Fruitful. lymphatic Transplant, system sow seed ideal for root crops.
Barren. Cultivate and and weed. w eed. Harvest for long storage.
Divinat Divi nation, ion, inn i nner er travel, psychic awareness. Loneliness and dread.
Lunar phase correspondences
Phase
Energy type
Favorable workings workings
New
Potential Potential embryonic
Beginnings Beginnings and ending endi ngs, s, thanks giving and releasing of energies from previous working workings. Also malevolent alev olent (banishing, (banishing, 80
crossing, cros sing, binding) binding) workings where maximum energy is required. Wax-ing Growing cresfetal cent
Drawing, Drawing, increase, attraction. Ideal time time for workings where sustained growth (ie money, influen influence, ce, etc.) is desired. desire d. Also ideal for love and attraction when no particular partner partner is sought, but rather a general air of desirablity.
Waxing Aware, half child
Health, happiness, love. All workings which are focused on positive or increasing increas ing energies energies that that requires some sort of equilibrium or balance or which involve involve two people peopl e or poles.
Waxing Budding, Success, ambition, ambition, gibbous adolescent manifestation. All workings where strong energies energies are coupled with wi th a sense of urgency or desire. Full
Fruiting, adult
Protection, prophecy, prophecy, dreams, dreams, pray pr ayers ers or benevolent benevolent workings workings where maximum power is required. requir ed. Thank Thankss giving for past workings.
Waning Seeding, gibbous maturity
Recovery from addiction or long-term malady, any workings where sustained and steady release releas e or dismissal dismissal of energies energies is
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required over time. Waning Wise, half middle age age
Re-sending, reversing, justice. justice. Workin Working gs where it is not harm but balance that is sought. Sending negative negative influences influences back b ack to their source. Also time to pay dues for successful s uccessful or sustained workings.
Waning Releasing, Banishing, repelling crescent old age destruction. Think of it as "gibbous darkness" rath r ather er than waning light. Most powerful tim timee to perform perform works wor ks against enemies enemies when coupled with a sense of urgency. Also ideal idea l tim ti me for letting go of negative influences.
2 Psalms and Their Uses
In addition to the psalms, one might consider keeping their own prayer book for conjure conjure work. To To this this I would recomm recommend end transcription transcription of any any prayers fou found in oth other books books of th the bible that that could could be usefu useful for conjure conjure work wor k (there (there are many). any). Try to look loo k at the the words w ords from a mystic's mystic's or conjurer's perspective. If a verse mentions “snakes” it may be good for drawing draw ing out out poison. pois on. If a verse vers e mentions mentions “eyes” it may may be good for curing eye problem probl emss or granting granting the the gift of “sigh “si ght” t” or psychic psychic awareness. awa reness. Original prayers or variations on traditional traditional ones can be usefu usefull too, as can isolating 82
specific verses from a longer chapter. All of these notes can be kept in your personal prayer prayer book and, and, in time, time, the the book itself will serve you as a talisman and battery of magical energy. The bible is traditionally considered the fir the first st place pl ace to look for conjure work, w ork, mainly mainly because it i t is somethin something g that that everyone would have.It is not forbidden, nor was it ever uncommon to seek inspiration from other sources, even those used by other religions. The literate work wor kers of old wou w ould ld take pride in i n possession of medieval medieval grimoires and texts associated with demons and devils as much as they would those those dealing deal ing with angels. angels. Remember Remember that that hoodoo is about what works not works not about who said it or where it came from. We do not judge, that is God's domain. We only seek to do righteous works in God's name. A person must know their own heart and follow it above all, because God speaks throug through h the the heart. Keep God in i n your your heart and you will wi ll always alw ays be lead to the the righteous path and, if there is every any doubt, try psalm 145. 1- Prevention of premature delivery 2- Safety from from storms storms at a t seas, seas , cure headaches headac hes 3- Cure severe headaches or backache 4 - Change Change unlucky patterns 5- To flush out enemies 6- To turn a curse 7 - Protection from enemies enemies 8 - Successful business transactions 9- To overcome ove rcome obstacles obstacl es and give thank thankss for successful conjure again a gainst st enemies 10 - Used to rid of demons from a person 11 - Protection from evil 12- To stop slander and gossip 13- To open roads 14 - Protection from enemies, slander and mistrust 15- For general success and influence 16 - Change enemies into friends 17 - For a safe travel 18- For protection and to destroy enemies 19 - For a safe childbirth, and for guiding children to a successful life 20 - To avoid persecution and jail from a judge 21- To protect another 22 - For safe travel 23 - Good luck, success, and fortune 24- To reveal new opportunities or bring new customers to business 83
25- For purification after a destructive working 26 - To release rel ease a prisoner from prison 27- To To dispel sorrow 28 - Reconciliation with an enemy 29- To have influence and power over all 30- for healing 31 - Protection from slander 32- To undo magical work when a mistake has been made 33 - For protection of a newborn child (to be recited before and during pregnan pregnancy cy)) 34- Protection from enemies enemies 35 - Protection from lawsuits 36 - Protection from slander 37 - Protection from enemies and slander and gossip 38 & 39 - Protection from slander and the law 40- For fast luck and help 41- For blessings of protection and healing on someone in a protective profession (police, doctor, doctor, etc) 42- To heal depression or other mental/emotional distress 43- For victory in court 44- To seize victory from the jaws of defeat 45 & 46- Used to make peace in the marriage. 45 is spoken over the husband husband and 46 over the the wife w ife while w hile anoin a nointing ting them them with oil. 47 - To be loved and respected by all 48 - To protect from jealousy and envy 49- To curse someone someone who flaunts flaunts their wealth wea lth 50- To bring br ing justice justice and balance 51 - To be cleansed of sin 52 - To reverse hurtful slander and deceitfulness 53 - To quiet enemies enemies and slander sla nder 54 - To revenge the enemies from psalm 53 55- To be rid ri d of wickedness w ickedness from someone someone near you 56 - To help protect the self from committing a sinister act or habit 57 - For success and fortune in all matters 58- To curse someone someone or banish evil influences influences 59- To dispel evil influences and chase the source of them away 60 - For protection of a military person 61 - For blessing a new home 62- Against sleeplessness (v1-8) and to bring balance in maters of prosperity prosperi ty (v 9-12) 84
63- For love 64- For protect pr otection ion 65 - For success and fortune in all matters 66- To have power pow er and influence influence 67- For abundance 68- To cast out evil. Verses 1-3 in particular when using wax dollies. 69 - To be freed of bad habits 70 - For quick help or resolution to pressing matters 71 - To free a prisoner 72- For wisdom and abundance 73-75- To reverse rever se crossed cr ossed conditions conditions 76- To force someone someone to make make good on their their word wor d or collect coll ect on delinqu deli nquent ent debts 77- To bring guidance to the lost 78- For revenge 79- For protect pr otection ion 80- For healing 81- To gain the affections of one who is bound to another 82- To destroy des troy evil influences influences of supernat s upernatural ural or magical nature nature 83- To chase someone someone away aw ay 84- To bless the home or property 85 - To be reconciled with a former friend who has since become ill with you 86- To be delivered from debt 87- To bless a child 88- To curse someone (insert their name in place of personal pronouns) 89 - To expedite healing 91 - To To release releas e a prisoner pri soner 92- To cast out evil and demons in a person 93- For protection when by sea 94 - Protection from enemies enemies 95- To keep someone faithful and curse their nature should they stray 96 - 98 - For peace, joy and happiness in i n the the home home and famil family y mem members bers 99 & 100 To have prayers answered and success in conjure 101- To be free of evil influence. 102- verses 1-17 for healing or money in desperate circumstances. 19-20 for release of a prisoner 103- For domination (particularly from verse 19 on) 104- To bring rain and successful harvest 105- To blight the crops and works of another 85
106- To clear self imposed/inflicted crossed conditions 107- To restore fertility 108 - For successful Business 109 - For revenging an enemy 110- For success and victory 111- To add power to conjure that is still being worked 112 - For luck in money matters such as getting a new job, grant or loan 113- For a happy home 114 - For success in Business 115- To take away an enemy's power (particularly v1-8) 116- To give thanks for healing conjure 117- In thanksgiving for love conjure 118- In thank thanksgiving sgiving for business/pr busi ness/prosper osperity ity conjure 119- as a whole study to unlock the mysteries of conjure
– to to cure unnat unnatural ural ill i llness ness to empower spiritual baths – to – to to heal the eyes for road-opening and unblocking – for – for for spiritual fortitude for victory in legal matters or dealings with – for authority to cure night night terrors terror s – to – to to receive blessin blessi ngs to heal diseases of the organs – to – for for blessings to overcome wrongful persecution – to – to to give thank thankss for victory victor y for for the the above. abo ve. “ri ghtt handed” handed” work, wor k, divine divi ne guidance, guidance, – for “righ
healing, healing,
phy physical labors l abors or afflictions afflictions thereof thereof for spiritual protection or to cast out spirits – for – for for “left handed” work, cursing, subversion, subversi on, or any affliction caused by 86
such work wor k
– for for spiri s piritu tual al cleansing cleansing vi ctory and strength strength – for victory – to to receive guidance in dreams to perform per form healing – to – to to have luck in games of chance for general empowerment and healing – for 120 – against slander 121 – For safe s afe travel travel 122- For peace and prosperity in the home 123- To have cont co ntrol rol over another another 124- In thanksgiving for protection conjure 125- To drive away unwanted people and influences 126 – For a safe pregnancy and safety for children, to protect from Lilith and her ilk 127 – For safety for newborn child and children 128- For safety for for pregnant pregnant woman 129- To To bless a person or place 130- To call for help with unsuccessful conjure 131- To give thanks for blessings of wealth and abundance resulting from conjure 132 – For forgiveness for breaking your word or lying and to prevent from doing so again 133 – To protect friendships and relationships and gain more friends 134 – For students to be successful 135- To return the evil eye and restore luck 136- For lasting love 137- To curse an enemy 138 – To gain love and friendship 139 – To hold onto loving marriage 140 – To reconcile a marriage 141 – To rid the self of fear 142- Cure pains in the thighs 143- Cure Cure tearing pains in i n the the arm ar ms 144- healing of broken arm 145- To ease fears and banish evil spirits 146- Expedite healing of injuries caused by deadly weapons 147- To cure poisoning from animal venom 87
148 & 14914 9- Safety from from fir firee 150- To give thanks for successful conjure. 3 Index of ingredients
Some curios, roots and herbs are used for different purposes in other traditions. The descriptions given here are those most typical to the practice of southern conjure/hoodoo and those I have found efficacious through my own practice. You might find slight variations from one book to the next, even when both are about hoodoo, and that is because this practice is not ust about theories and lists of “alleged” uses. It is about what WORKS, and what works wor ks for som so me practitioners pr actitioners may be sligh sl ightly tly different from from others others from time to time. We tend to find that things work in roughly the same ways in most most cases, cas es, but the the only way to find find out is to test it. There is a reaso r eason n the the old hoodoo grim grimoires oires were called “recipe books” books” because, just like with a cooking recipe, most folks will make personal tweaks here and there until they get it just right. If you are considering pursuing hoodoo work with any seriousness (and if you have read this far I should hope you are) I highly recommend you start yourself such a book immediately. Record everything, down to the last detail, because you never know when one of those little details will be useful in another recipe. In time, you will find yourself studying your own recipes for ideas on how to improve other works. On that note, remember not to neglect the traditional works of those who came to the craft before you. Regardless of your religious leanings, you will find many examples of magic and spells in the bible, as well as other books, if you look with the right kind of eye Personal effects eff ects
The ancient metaphysical principle known as “the law of sympathy” posits that that any any object conn connected to to a greater greater body will wil l continu continuee to influ influen ence ce that body, even when separated from it. Krilian photography would seem to indicate some validity to this belief as it has shown that a leaf, cut in half, will continue to show the “aura” of the separated portion, as does an amputee, when photographed in this way, emit an aura of the missing appendage. It is often dismissed, dismissed , yet is a consistent consi stent phenom phenomena ena with wi th consistent physi physical cal evidence evide nce to support. I suspect many many “magical” “magical” principles could be recorded and and docum documented ented in this this way w ay if approached approached 88
seriously, but, I digress. From times immemorial, shamans and conjure workers of all kinds have util utilized ized repre r epresentat sentations ions of the body they they wish wi sh to influence. influence. The science scie nce may be questionable at this time, but the tradition has been in use longer tha the science. To that end, it has been found that the more “intimate” the representation, the stronger the sympathetic link. Using a combination of objects obje cts can ca n also ampli amplify fy the the connection connection by way w ay of harmonic harmonic resonance. r esonance. In some kinds of work, certain objects may not be practical, so others are used. One example would be using “name paper” folded into a dollar bill and dressed with oil for money conjure. Though this is not the strongest representation of the person, it is ideal for the specified purpose. Likewise, hair would be preferable in knot-tying spells (a European import in which a certain certai n num number ber of knots knots is i s used to bind magical magical intentions) intentions) and strips s trips of clothing might ight serve ser ve well w ell as the the knot-ty knot-tying ing materi material al itself itsel f but nail nail clipping cli ppingss or totems totems simply s imply would not do and name name paper pap er would just crumple. crumple. The use of personal effects binds the energies, represented by the other elements used in the working, directly to the individual. Good or ill have no bearing beari ng on the the preferre pr eferred d form of representation repr esentation,, only practicali practi cality ty.. Mind you, when we say “practical” we are talking about both the physical, utilitarian aspect and the the metaphy metaphysi sical, cal, symboli symbolicc aspect as pect thereof. For instance, work involving sexuality would obviously have a stronger connection connection with wi th undergarm undergarment entss or o r bedcl b edcloth othes es while whil e those involving i nvolving business business migh mightt be better better served by a business business card with wi th a compan company y logo. The later being a ready made “name paper” with “totemic representation” included thereon which happens happens to have a direct di rect conn c onnection ection to the the aspect as pect life you wish to effect through your working. That being said, here follows a list of personal concerns which may be used used to represent a target/client target/client in order of streng strength, th, in th the gen general eral sense. Use your better judgment as to which would be most practi most practical cal (as (as explained explained above) for your working. Any of these can be used to “fix” a spell by solidifying the connection. Once this is done, it can only be undone by destroying the spell object itself. Jar or bottle spells containing charged oils or waters along with personal effects come immediately to mind. Love wor sometimes uses candles (often with names carved on) and the wax may be mixed with w ith sweeteners swe eteners and hair, nail or cloth cutting cuttingss then buri buried ed or hidden. In time, the objects may deteriorate on their own. This is not really a bad thing as all things must eventually end so that transition can take place and progress can be made made possible. possibl e. As such such,, some some times times it is good to to use use components that will release on their own so that you do not have to go looking for it when the time comes. This bit of advice I have never seen in 89
print, print, but but is a lesson I learned th through rough personal practice is that that once once a spell has done its work you MUST release it. Blood and sexual se xual fluids fluids- the strongest of all because blood contains the essence of a person as well as their ancestry and sexual fluids represent the generative forces of the same. Blood can be tricky to acquire. In the case of women, used menstrual pads or tampons are handy. For men, a bandage or tissue used to staunch staunch a shaving cut cut could do. Obviously, Obviously, it is i s best b est if i f this this sacrifice be made voluntarily, but, in some cases where a person is a target but but not not a client, client, it is necessary to to kn know where to look. look. Menstru Menstrual al blood has long been used to inspire fidelity and co-mingled sexual fluids are another way to bind bi nd two people peo ple togeth together. er. The fluids fluids of one party or the other can be used to represent the person's sexual nature allowing the worker to influence their desires. Hair/nails - hair pulled from brushes and combs or locks freely given and clippings from either hair or nails are the next best thing to blood, and far less painful to acquire. These are quite commonly employed in all kinds of work. Worn clothing- someth something ing that that is well w ell soiled soi led is best. Any cloth that that may may contain bodily fluids or skin cells will serve well and the more the better. You do not need the whole garment, but a piece that is filled with the most “juice,” if you will pardon the expression, is preferred. For instance, a cutting from the under arm of a work shirt or from the crotch of the underwear. You are not looking for something that is simply “dirty” but which has been worn for a length of time, ideally during a period of heavy activity or at least an activity related to your working. For instance, if you want to influence someone's dreams, you might choose night clothes. If you want to sweeten sw eeten their their feelings toward towar d you, use use a clippi cl ipping ng from the the clothes worn when you went out together. To bring someone to your door, or to send them away, use the insole of their shoe. Photograph- a pictu pi cture re containing containing only the only the image of the individual and no other. If the picture is from a time or place that has some deep meaning to the the individual, i ndividual, all the the better. Often Often the the photograph photograph also al so serves ser ves as “name “name paper” by writin wri ting g inform information ation on the the back of it, it, which will wil l strength strengthen en the the bond. bond. Pictures Pictures and paper are the the ideal media media for working workings which employ employ charged waters water s such s uch as “four “four thieves vinegar” meant meant to to cause ca use damage damage to a person because because they they will wil l slowly slow ly fade fade and and dissolve dissol ve therein. therein. They They are also
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used in “folding magic” where objects are folded together to bind their energies. Sometimes they are folded into a packet with herbs or powders placed inside. Personal Personal objects object s- belongings or parts of belongings like a favorite necklace or pillow stuffing. A cutting from a bed sheet would be especially good for work w ork involving involv ing intimacy intimacy,, sexu s exuali ality ty or fidelity fidel ity and wedding wed ding rings rings all the the bett be tter er for fidelity fidel ity.. Clean Cle an clothing clothing would be counted counted under under this this category as it i t does not contain contain more more than than traces of bodily bodi ly concerns but is still personal property with a fair amount resonant energy. However, because because laundering laundering can interfere interfere with electrom electromag agn netic charge, charge, anyt anyth hing freshly laundered shou s hould ld be overlooked overl ooked when w hen someth something ing from from the the clos c loset et or around the house could be used instead. A condom from a man's wallet could be used to influence influence him sexuall sexually y as could co uld the the lips l ipstick tick from a woman's purse. The closer the object is to the person and the period of time they spend around it are the determining factors to how effective a representation representation it will be. Name paper- a commonly employed trick when nothing more personal can be obtained. obtained. A slip of paper with wi th the the full name, name, first, middle and last, as well as any nick names or aliases if they are known. The more detailed the better. better. I have actually actually gon gonee as far as including including address and phon phonee nu number where I could and it certainly did not hurt. Business cards often contain much of this information but, as they are “public” concerns they are less effective. On the other hand, a name written by the targeted individual in their own hand, such as on a letter or envelope, can be very effective. Totem ote mic represe ntation- Not in the sense of a “spirit guide” but rather some object which w hich signifies signifies the the individual i ndividual in i n some some sym s ymboli bolicc way w ay.. If a person is a carpenter, carpenter, th then a new new hamm hammer migh mightt be used, used, if th they are called call ed “bear” or “hoss” (old southern for “horse”) then toy or statue of the animal would suffice. This is about as far away as you can get and you will be casting a wide net unless you add something else to make your target more specific. For exam example, ple, som s omee specialty speci alty retailers sell candles candles molded to resem res emble ble man and woman woman for these purposes and they they are typica typicall lly y inscribed with the name of the individual when used unless it is a generic “drawing” sort of work where there is no specified target. Sometimes it is only certain traits are desired and totemic representations are the best way to target an abstract rath r ather er than than an individual.
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Animal Objects Ants - used in i n what what are called call ed “wan “w andering dering spells” wh w hich cause cause a person to wander in mind or body. Captured live and placed over foot tracks or personal effects. effects. Armadillo- their shells make great baskets and bowls which may be used in divination as with bones, stones, nuts etc. Because they are heavily armored their greatest power is obviously that of protection of all kinds and their bones bones and scales may be used used in mojos mojos for that that purpose. purpose. They They are also known for carrying leprosy, so use caution when handling and do not mix fluids. Badger Teeth and Claws - talisman of Germanic tradition to bring luck and potency potency.. Recite th the 23 psalm while handling handling the the charm charm to win at gam games es of chance. Like the gator tooth, these are sometimes “loaded” with herbs, oils, resins, etc. Black Cat- fur or bones of black cats are said to be potent gambling charms. One barbaric ritual which I will not recount here was said to bestow upon upon the the user user the the power of invisi invisibili bility ty and and was popular amon among g more nefarious types. None the less, black cat bones, fur or charms can also be used in cases where subversive activity and stealth are necessary. Black hen- The eggs of black hens are used to jinx or cross enemies, the feathers are used for purification and clearing of crossed conditions. Feathers are hung up or worn as charms to ward off evil and a duster made by bun bundling them them togeth together, er, or a fan fan made from a dried wing w ing,, can both be used to sweep away negative energies from a person or place. Cat's Eye Shell- the shell of the salt water turbo snail. Used as a talisman to ward off the evil eye because of its eye-like appearance. Chicken Foot- charms made of chicken feet, a common waste item, are imbued with powers for protection, spiritual strength, and luck. They are adorned with bits of cloth, beads, feathers etc. that are colored to correspond with the desired intention. Prayers are then said while passing them through smoke of corresponding incense/herbs and they are dressed with corresponding corresponding oils on a regular regular basis.
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Cooter Shell - “Cooter” is a southern term for what is commonly known as the red eared slider, a kind of river turtle common in these parts. Their shells are commonly found lying about. Such shells have been used by Native Native Americans Americans to mak makee rattles, rattles, bowls, bowl s, cups, offerin offering g dishes and and other other objects. They called the land “turtle island” and envisioned the world as setting atop the shell of a giant turtle. Shells may be painted or decorated as charms for protection and holiness. Cowrie Cowrie Shell - used to represent woman because of it's resemblance to the female female genitals genitals.. Also Als o used in i n a form of divination from Africa in which they they are carefully cut so as to open the “belly” side of the shell. There is a fourshell type type of divination di vination throug through h which the the ancestors ancestor s speak s peak and a 16-shell 16- shell type which can only be used by the initiated. Since both are more closely rela re lated ted to the the reli re ligion gion of Vodun and not Hoodoo Hoodo o folk magic magic I will wi ll refrai re frain n from further discussion here. Cowries with gold bands or a greenish hue are used for money spells and cats-eye cowries, which are brown and purple, are used to protect against the evil eye. Dog hair- Some traditions hold that a BLACK dog is the devil's favorite companion. In others, it is a WHITE dog. The fur of a black dog is used to represent the diabolical in various formulas, for good or ill. For example, “black arts oil” is used for working with dark forces while “black destroyer oil” is used to banish them. Both formulas contain black dog hair. Some conjure workers w orkers use strands of dog fur fur to represent repr esent an unf unfaithf aithful ul person pers on and, in these these cases, case s, the dog should should correspo corr espond nd to the the gender of the person. perso n. It can be used used in working workings to bring bring them them back, back, or to incite incite infidelity infidelity.. In Celtic tradition traditi on the the cwn anwnn or anwnn or “hounds of hell” are white dogs with red ears who seek out souls on all hallows eve. On the other hand, some think that this association with malefic forces makes white dogs symbols of luck in much the same manner as the black cat. The logic stemming from the old belief that that witches witches work wor k with th the devil, therefore therefore all thing thingss associated associ ated with the devil are good mojo for those who work magic. Egg Shell - crushed egg shell scattered outside the door is said to keep the law away. Likewise, eggshell can be used in mojo for protection. Eggshell powder called cal led cascarilla is cascarilla is a sacred sacre d object used in rituals rituals of Santeria. Santeria. Gator Foot or Tooth - common waste objects of the bayou where they are hunted for food. Used as talismans for protection, strength, luck and longevity.
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Mud Wasp Nest - Mud wasps are non aggressive cousins of the red wasp. Most southern folks don't mind them. In Hoodoo their nests are sometimes gathered up and made into powders. They represent diligence labor and the home. home. Used in charms charms for successful s uccessful business or, mixed mixed with w ith offensive offensive powders, powders , to stir up strife strife in th the hom homee and and cause cause people to move move away. away. Opossum- bones used in divination. The skull is fragile but can bring luck. Their Their front paws look very ver y much much like li ke hum human an hands hands and work wo rk well we ll in gambl gambling ing moj mojos. os. Personal Effects - hair, nails nails,, sweat, sw eat, blood (especiall (es pecially y men menstru strual al blood) bl ood) and semen are all used to connect an individual to an object or spell. Obviously it is easiest to use your own, but many people take special care not to let any such personal concerns fall into the hands of others who may use them to do harm. Scraps of clothing or pictures or simple paper with the target's name are used when more intimate items cannot be obtained. The further further from the the person perso n it is, is , the less les s poten po tent. t. For example, example, clothing is considered to be better if it has been worn by the person and not washed. Porcupine Quill - may be used as stick pins for dollies or worn in the hair/fashioned into charms for protection Rabbit Foot - the most well known of all Hoodoo fetishes the rabbit foot is used for gambling luck and dressed with corresponding oils. Raccoon Peni Pe niss Bone - this curious fetish has origins in Native American tradition. They are used for love and seduction, dressed with oils and carried in mojo bags. Unlike humans, most animals have a penis bone. The raccoon's is hooked at one end like a cane and it is this hook-like shape that likely lead to its reputation as a love curio capable of “hooking a partner.” Snake - bones, rattle, shed skins. Rattlesnake rattles are talismans for courage and power. Snake vertebrae are fashioned into jewelry which can increase increas e magical magical potency. potency. Snake are, them themsel selves, ves, symbols symbols of sexual potency potency,, rebirth, healing and subversion. subversion. Their Their shed skins skins represent the the death aspect of their life, death, rebirth cycle and so are used in powders for causing trouble and harm. Toad Stone - a curio from European tradition, sometimes called a bezoar . It
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is a sort of stone formed in the organs of some animals which is believed to have all sorts sor ts of magical magical properties prope rties.. Some claim clai m that that the the magical magical stone must must come come from a toad, an a n anim animal al strongly strongly associa ass ociated ted with w ith witches and a nd witchcraft in some cultures. Others say it is the stone of another animal and that it is called “toad stone” because of the color and appearance of it. In Europe it was believed to cure all poisons, grant power over others, make one one invisible invisibl e at will wi ll and and help in conjurin conjuring g spirits. Hoodoos consider it it a general good luck charm. Mineral, Mineral , resin resi n and man-made products. product s. Alum - protection, stops gossip, seizes influences. Ammonia - Cleans, purifies and banishes evil influences. Can create noxious fumes, use with caution. Bay Rum - comm commercial erci al fragrance with wi th strong strong spicy masculi masculine ne notes. notes. Used for personal power. Benzoin – a resin also called styrax w styrax which hich should should not be confused confused with w ith storax w storax which hich comes comes from a different source. Benzoin Benzoin is used in i n perfumes, perfumes, charged oils or burned as incense for luck. Borax - boric acid, a pesticide and laundry laundry booster used used for clearing cl earing away negative influences and running people out. If mixed with alcohol or thrown in fire it makes makes brigh br ightt green flames flames which can have a mood altering alter ing or awe aw e inspiring effect, nice for setting abeyance for rituals. Buffalo Nickel - used as a talisman to keep the law away. The Indian head on the the front serves serv es as a “scout “s cout”” while w hile the buffalo buffalo is i s a symbol symbol of strength strength and and power. Also employed employed as a gen general eral good luck luck charm charm.. Camphor - purification, wards off disease, promotes psychic visions Coffin Nails - characteris characteristic tic flat, rectang rectangular wood nails also used in in roofing. Because of their associations with death they are mostly used in spells to cause harm or to “kill” a relationship. However, a cross made from coffin nails can work as a talisman to ward off evil and to connect one with the spirit realm.
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Copal – black black or white. One of the spiritual resins burned over coals to gai favor of spirits and to enhance spiritual power. White copal is more bright and purifying while black copal is more dark and empowering. The later is sacred to the Aztec God Tezcatlipoca “lord Tezcatlipoca “lord of the smoking mirror” and keeper of all magics. Crossroads dirt- just as grave dirt is used to work with spirits of the dead, crossroads dirt can help when dealing with the living. It should be ritually harvested out of sight of others with an offering of tobacco, whiskey or money given to the the spir s pirit it of the crossro cros sroads ads in fours fours or multiples of four. four. Dirt so harvested may then be used to draw people from all corners to a place of business, business, open roads of opportun opportunity ity or bring back one one who was lost. Dragon's blood- Resin from an exotic tree which exudes a deep red sap used in medicine, dyes and as ritual incense. It is employed in love drawing work as well w ell as driving dr iving away evil spirits spiri ts and and unwant unwanted ed energies. energies. Epsom Salts - magnesium sulphate. Used for cleansing and purification, the base ingredient ingredient for bath bath salts to which which herbs herbs and oils are added for mag magical ical baths. baths. Florida Water - a comm commercial erci al fragrance based mainly on lemon lemon balm favored by old time root workers. Used for blessing and dressing mojos and as a charm for gambling and success Frankincense - one of the biblical holy resins. Used to draw upon holy might for blessing, empowering rituals, summoning spirits, and enhancing mojos, charged waters and oils Graveyard Dirt - dirt which is ritually taken from a grave at night. Fresh graves are preferred prefer red by some some but real magical potency comes comes from taking taking dirt dir t from the the grave of a loved l oved one. Permission Permissi on must must be asked and offerings of money, food or drink are always left in payment whether you knew the person or not. not. Grave Grave dirt is used in rituals rituals for conn connecting ecting with th the spirits spiri ts of the dead when their advice is sought. May be kept near the home altar to maintain a strong link with those those who have passed pas sed on. Like Like salt, sal t, it can ca n do what you tell it to. By mixing mixing grave dirt di rt with w ith other other powders pow ders and herbs you can create what is commonly known as “goofer dust” which is primarily used for causing trouble. I do not feel comfortable betraying the formula for such a powerful tool of ill will. Yes, sometimes a person is trouble and
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needs to be dealt with, but there are better ways. Don't be misled by the name, it comes from an African word for “to kill” which is why I avoid it. However, Howeve r, the the formula formula can be easily easi ly devised devi sed from the the information information I have provided throug through hout out th this text text and and it you you need it th that badly, badly, God will lead l ead you you to the answer. Gunpowder - Adds “fire” and “spark” to mixes and powders, increasing their their speed and efficac efficacy y. Hoyt's Cologne - commercial fragrance, used for gambling charms and luck Kananga Water - a commercial fragrance based mainly on ylang-ylang used to draw positive influence from the other side. Especially pleasing to spirits of the dead/ancestors Loadstone - a naturally magnetic ore used in mojos and oils for drawing in general general.. Place Pl ace in i n a love mojo to draw dra w love, love , money money for for money, oney, etc. Write a person's nam namee on paper and wrap it around around a loadstone loadstone to draw someon someonee specific to you. Charge an oil with a small loadstone and herbs for luck to attract good fortune. Loadstone mojos should be “fed” periodically with iron shavings. Those same shavings, when magnetized, can be used in drawing powders. Lye - an old time protection charm involves “red devil” lye buried at the corners of your property to ward off witches. Like other cleaners and corrosives lye is used in spells to run out evil influences. Myrrh - one of the biblical resins (actually an oil) myrrh has a dark, rich, musky/spicy aroma. It was once used for embalming and so it is sometimes associa ass ociated ted with w ith the the dead de ad and com co mmunicati unications ons with wi th the the other side. s ide. It is used as a perfume or anointing oil in work for sexual love. Combined with other holy resins in takes on a protective and warding role. Mercury Dime - wards off evil influences and affords one luck in games of chance. Oil - blessed oils work the same as blessed waters. They may contain herbs or other objects ju j ust like charged charged waters. w aters. Essential Essential oils can be acquired from some places which are used as perfumes or dressing candles. Making your oils at home may not result in equally fragrant products but they will
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serve the same purpose. Pyrite - money, gambling, luck, success Red Brick Dust - used in charms for protection. Also used to represent a place of business business and and by adding herbs, oils, oil s, powders etc. e tc. With With it one one can draw certain influences to the place. Salt - sodium chloride. Used mainly for blessing and consecration. “Salt does what you tell it to” as a s we w e say s ay.. It is used as a general enh e nhancem ancement ent for for all kinds of spells. Binds together the energies of herbs and minerals. Consecrated salt is used in rituals for protection and to establish sacred space. Some Some prefer to use special salts su s uch as dead sea or kosher kosher salt. s alt. Black salts sal ts are ar e som s ometim etimes es used in jinx ji nxing ing,, cross cr ossing ing and and banishin banis hing. g. Saltpeter - think of it as “fast salt” used in much the same way, for blessing and purification mostly, but with the added quickness of gunpowder. Storax - resin of the sweet gum tree. Used in perfumes, charged oils or burned burned as incense incense for for purification purification and driving away of evil in i nfluen fluences ces while lifting the spirit and bringing a sense of peace. Sulfur - driving out evil, strife, discord, jinxing, crossing, Sweeteners - granulated sugar, powdered sugar, honey, corn syrup and molasses are all used to sweeten a persons affections whether for love, friendship or success in personal dealings. Primarily used in old gypsy “jar spells” which involve taking a glass jar and filling it with all kinds of personal effects effects and and sym symbols represent repr esenting ing the the person and and you yourr inten intention tionss with them. When it is all done the jar is sealed up and kept someplace safe or buried. Turpentine - a dang da ngerous erous chem c hemica icall used in the the most dire of circum cir cumstances stances to remove strong evil influences. It would be dangerous to use as a floor wash, better to use ammonia for that (just be sure the windows are open). Turpentine urpentine is highly highly flamm flammable able and could be used to “burn” or “dissol “dis solve” ve” various effects associated with the individual who does you harm or the affliction itself when the source is unknown. DO THIS WITH GREAT CAUTION
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Two-Dollar Bill - believed by some to be a lucky charm for fortune and, by others others,, a sign of misfor misfortu tune. ne. It has has old associa ass ociations tions with wi th prostitution prostitution and thus thus the true meaning behind it is payment of “lady luck” with a “whore's wages” which could be seen as good or bad. It has been bee n a tradition tradi tion in my my famil family y for several generations enerations to keep keep a two dollar bill behind behind a child's first firs t picture picture to bring them them luck. luck. I have have heard heard it said that that doing doing so insures insures “they “they will wil l never go broke” but there is another side. Other folks say the two-dollar is bad luck and that you need to get rid of it as soon as possible. They say you gotta rip a corner off it before you spend it so it don't come back. I can't say for one or the other. I know that I have been broke, but I also took my two dollar bill out from from behind behind my my picture. picture. Maybe Maybe it is all in i n how you look at it. May Maybe be the the picture over the the bill represents dominance or overcoming bad luck and poverty. poverty. Un Unfortu fortunately, ately, it was never explained explained to to me. me. So, I present what I can for the reader's consideration. Vinegar - the opposite of a sweetener but used in the same ways. As sweeteners strengthen affections and draw people closer, vinegars will sour emotions and cause strife between them. Cider vinegar, distilled white vinegar, red/white wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar may be used by them themsel selves. ves. In conjure, four thieve thievess vineg v inegar ar is comm commonly preferred preferre d because bec ause it contains herbal components that help with the job. Water - water w ater absorbs spiri s piritu tual al powers pow ers sim s imilar ilarly ly to to salt. If you you place water in sun or moon light for a full day/night it will be charged with their associated magical magical properties. The The sun is for worldl w orldly y success success and and active power wh w hile the moon is for spiritu spiri tual al my mysteries and passive power. Herbs, crystals, minerals and stones may also be placed in water to charge it with their their inherent inherent powers. Flower Flow er waters w aters are particularl particularly y favored favored in love spells. Water from natural springs and artisan wells has long been held in high high regard by rural and moun mountain tain folk who believe beli eve it to have curative properties. Holy water water is often used in magical work for for banishing banishing evil or blessin blessi ng, consecrating consecrating and and sanctify sanctifying ing objects or places. Most Hoodoo Hoodoo workers don't care much for the Catholic Church though and choose to consecrate consecra te their their own holy waters water s by b y marking marking the the cross cr oss three three times times and saying prayers over the vessel containing it. Whee at Penn Wh Pe nny y - used as a charm for luck and money. Whiskey - sex, money, used as a dressing for mojos and as a libation to the spiri spi rits. ts. Also Als o used to make make herbal extracts extracts which can then then be drun dr unk k as
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potions. potions. Botanical ingredients i ngredients Alfalfa- as a nutritious foodstuff for both humans and livestock alfalfa has a long history off association with sustainable living. As such, it is used in conjure to keep steady money and never go wanting. Angelica- A whole host of medicinal effects make this herb one of the most revered of all. It can induce menstruation, fend off illness, kill bacteria, relieve rel ieve digestive di gestive and and respiratory respi ratory complai complaint nts, s, cure anem anemia, ia, stimulate stimulate the the appetite and even prolong pr olong male male sexual sexual performance. performance. As the name name im i mplies, pli es, the root is used to invoke angels and angelic influences such as holiness, grace and faithfulness. It promotes healing and brings peace to the home. Anise- not to be confused with STAR anise which some claim is interchangeable interchangeable but, in my my practice, practice , I have found found otherwise. otherwi se. Medicinally Medicinall y it has many many uses such s uch as easing easi ng digestive and respir resp iratory atory complai complaint ntss and helping to balance hormones and increase sex drive. In conjure it is considered especially appealing to the spirits of the dead and is employed in spirit communication and psychism formulas. Apple- commonly associated with the “forbidden fruit” though theories abound as to which fruit truly represents this, if it were an actual fruit at all. Apples are one of the sweetest fruits and not nearly as good for us as old saying would have us believe. Cut an apple in half perpendicular to the stem and you will find a pentagram, sacred symbol of Venus, in the center. For these reasons, all parts of the apple tree are used in love conjure. Ash tree- The wood woo d of this tree was wa s once highly highly prized pri zed for makin making g weapons and, in modern times, is commonly used for sporting equipment, particularl particularly y bats. The The leaves and bark are astringen astringentt and and used used for tan tann ning leather as well wel l as staunchin staunching g hem hemorr orrhag hage. e. European folk magic magic uses ash wands for healing and divination. The winged seeds known as “ash keys” can be used for food like capers and are a curio for love magic. Basil- is a sacred herb in some religions. In medicine it is used for a plethora plethora of ailmen ailments. ts. It It can quickly quickly break a fever, fever, cure cure headaches headaches and muscle aches, a ches, reduce re duce cholesterol, cholester ol, even out blood sug s ugar, ar, reduce red uce the the negative negative phy physiological effects effects of stress, stress, freshen breath and and heal heal mou mouth th sores. It is a “tonic” herb, “good for what ails you” as they say. I hoodoo work it is
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employed much the same way as it medicinally. For home, family, love, luck, etc. it keeps bad energy out and promotes good energy within. Bay- sometimes used as a seasoning for meats and stews, this tree was once held in highest esteem by the Romans as a symbol of honor and godhood. It is rich in vitamins A and C as well as several needed dietary minerals. It is a natural natural insect repell re pellent ent and and anti-inf anti-i nflamm lammatory atory externall externally y, and helps relieve rel ieve symptoms associated with ulcers and indigestion. In conjure work it is used as a general ward and to clear crossed conditions. Some traditional Europe European an uses uses of the the herb include i nclude psychic psychic enhancem enhancement ent and and love l ove spell s pells. s. Bee Balm- A woody, spicy smelling herb with showy red blossoms that attract bees, bees , butterfli butterflies es and hum humm mingbir ingbirds. ds. It is used, as the the name name im i mplies, pli es, in balms balms for the the skin providing both relief reli ef for for irritation irr itation and beautif beautifyin ying g effects. effects. The tea is a stimulating and warming tonic and the dried herb can be used to spice food and is very good on game. It has antiseptic properties as well, making it a good wash for mouth sores and sore throat. In conjure, think of it as the “hot” sister to melissa, aka lemon balm. Where melissa is gentle and pure, pure, bee balm is rough rough and and dirty. dirty. She She has has a comm commanding anding power to her her and tends to “get noticed” drawing all the attention. Use it to spice up a love mix or boost your aura and allure when seeking new lovers and opportunities, or to remind someone what they are missing. Blackberry- Medicinally Medici nally used for fluid retention, retention, gout, gout, and prevent preve ntion ion of cancer and heart disease. In conjure work it is employed to returns curses. Black Eyed Eye d SusanSusan- A bight harvest yellow colored autumn wildflower which has immune-boosting abilities to rival its cousin ecchenacia. It may be used used in conjure conjure to to control control the the hom home. e. Ble Ble ssed sse d ThistleThistle- The proud symbol of Scotland stands tall among the wastes and fields. The leaves and stems are blanketed in tiny spines that pierce the the han hand. d. Noneth Nonetheless eless,, the the plant is edible edibl e when cut and peeled and puts puts one one in mind mind of a nu nutty tty flavored celery. celery. It was once used used to fen fend d off plague plague and and has has been used used in medicine medicine to to treat diarhea and and digestive digestive complaints, as a poultice to staunch wounds and to promote milk flow. It is employed in hoodoo as a consecrating agent to bring in holy influences and protect from threats. threats. Bloodroot- heart shaped leaves envelop small white flowers. They grow in
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damp damp and desolate des olate bogs, pushing pushing them themsel selves ves out of the the soil and following follow ing in a line along their shared root, which, as the name implies, oozes blood red when cut. This herb shows its nature quite clearly. It is and herb of familial love, love , bring br inging ing peace and streng s trength thenin ening g bonds. bonds. Medicinally Medici nally it is i s most valuable as an ingredient in mouth wash or tooth paste because it helps to remove decay and heal gums. It has narcotic and locally paralytic effects in doses over a few milligrams, so internal use should be avoided. Blue Blue Mistf Mistflower lower-- A beautiful “Weed” found often near water and in waste places. Its Latin Latin name ame calls it i t “celestine” “celestine” which brings brings to mind mind the the old proverb “ad astra per aspera” or “to the stars throug through h hards hardships” hips” especially considering the desolate places it likes to spring up. This is an example example of nature nature telling tell ing us us what w hat a plant is used for. This This relative rel ative of the the aster and bonneset is employed as a substitute for “gravel root” which is used in to conjure up jobs and bring in work. The flowers and leaves are also used to bring hope to the hopeless and to “open roads” to new opportunities while casting out shadows of doubt, fear and negative influences. Calamus- also sweet flag this this mars marsh h gras grasss is i s used in domination domination work. wor k. The The rhizome is the most prized part and Native Americans would chew it as a sort of tonic to produce a greater since of well being. The American FDA has classi cla ssified fied it i t as “unsafe” “unsafe” for internal use sigh si ghting ting risk ri sk of kidney kidney damage, damage, seizures, and some cancers. Cardamom- The seeds are a strong flavoring used in cooking and confections. confections. The oils oi ls that that impart the the strong s trong flavor and fragrance fragrance reduce r educe spasm spas ms in i n the the digestive di gestive tract and, a nd, as such s uch,, it i t is an effective effective treatment treatment for for digestive troubles. In love and sex conjure it is used for attracting new partners. partners. Catnip- a comm common and and easy ea sy to grow garden garde n herb herb favored by cats for its musky aroma. It has been used as a mild sedative for humans and, as such, can also help with dream work. Magically it is used for enticing members o the opposite sex. Cedar- Red cedar is something of a “sacred tree” in my family. We have always lived near them and, any time we moved to a new place, would often plant one in the name of our kids. My grandfather did it for me. The shaggy shaggy bark of these trees makes wonderfu w onderfull tender tender for fire fir e starting s tarting and and can
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also be rolled and braided into rope. It has proven antimicrobial, antifung fungal, al, antivi antiviral ral,, im i mmune-bo une-boosting osting and and insect i nsect repell rep elling ing properties proper ties and has been used in folk folk medicine medicine for for a wide wi de variety of oth other application applica tions. s. It is one of the the sacre s acred d “sm “s mudge” udge” herbs of the the Native Ameri Americans cans and is burned burned to drive out evil influences as well as confer a powerful aura of protection. Hoodoos employ it in mojo hands and washes for the same purposes. Celandine - Traditionally celandine was used to remove warts and treat eczema. The tell-tale yellow sap indicated to old herbalist an effect on “yellow bile” by increasing the flow thereof, which has been confirmed. However, it may also be dangerous to the liver in high or frequent doses. In hoodoo it is employed as a general ward against evil. Cinnamon- a warm, rich spice that improves circulation and relieves muscle and joint pains. Because of the way it can “heat up” the body, it is used for similar purposes in conjure. It can speed up money work, strength strengthen en passions pass ions in i n love work, w ork, or “burn out” out” bad influences influences when w hen used with wi th cleansing and and purify puri fying ing herbs herbs and roots. Cinquefoil- otherwise known as “Five finger grass” is a woody vine with a distinctive leaf pattern found in waste places in the south-east. Medicinally it can be used to treat diarrhea, stomatitis, gingivitis and hypertension. It also als o has woun w ound d healing heali ng and imm immune une boosting boo sting capabilities capabil ities.. Such a valuable and versatile plant. So often underfoot and overlooked. In conjure, too, it is employed employed in i n a wide wi de vari va riety ety of workings workings includin i ncluding g gam gambli bling ng,, general general luck and success in business. It is both an herb of acquisition and of warding, carried or placed in the home for protection from all manner of evils. It can also enhance formulas for purification and removal of curses or crossed conditions, helping helpi ng both to destroy the cause and a nd restore restor e your luck. Clove- A comm common cooking cooking spice, spice , especi es peciall ally y for for holiday confection. confection. Clove Clo ve oil is an analgesic and topical anesthetic (numbs and kills pain) and is a wonderful digestive aid that also kills germs and freshens breath. An old Romany (gypsy is a derogatory term) remedy for the evil eye and other crossed condition conditionss wh w hich leave the the bearer saddled with w ith some some evil spirit spiri t or energy is to pierce whole cloves with a needle and light them in the flame o a white w hite candle the wave wav e them in an arc over the the head and shou s houlder lderss of o f the the patient. patient. Wh When they they pop, it indicates indicates and and evil presen pres ence ce still remains. remains. Wh When burned burned throu throug gh with no no sound sound it indicates indicates the the evil has gon gonee and and furth further er measures are taken to insure the patient is freed, healed and sealed against
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its return. Cloves are also employed in conjure work for money. Clover- A prolific weed in lawns and gardens, it is an important fodder for animals and the flowers can be used in tea to aid with feminine concerns. Hoodoo is concerned with more than just the lucky four-leaved mutations, White clover is used to banish and protect from evil while red clover is used in love drawing work. Cocklebur- an obnoxious weed known for it's football shaped seeds which stick to cloth cl othes es and mat mat the the fur of animals animals.. The roots and leaves leave s of o f this this plant are used for removing negative conditions which are blocking happiness and success from home and business. The root is also made into a decoction for use as a sooth s oothing ing liniment liniment for for arthritis and muscle muscle pains p ains and the seeds are a curio employed for success in business and “snagging” customers. Coltsfoot- Once a common pipe herb favored in Celtic countries, it is seldom used in modern herbalism due to possible danger to the liver. In its time, time, it i t was renowned for curing lung lung ailm ail ments ents and a nd respira resp iratory tory complai complaint nts. s. Rootworkers Rootwor kers som s ometim etimes es use coltsfoot col tsfoot to enhance enhance formulas formulas for increasing increas ing psychic psychic abilities abili ties and and for clarity in scrying scrying,, dreaming dreaming and other other such visionary work. Coriander/cumin- Three culinary herbs in one, the leaves are known as cilantro or “Mexican parsley” and the seeds are called “cumin” when ground, ground, or “cori “ coriander” ander” when w hen whole. Medicinally Medicinall y, cumin cumin is known known to help relieve digestive complaints of all kinds. It is believed by some to be an aphrodisiac, which accounts for its use in hoodoo love conjure. Dill- Dill is used in medicine to reduce the risk of cancer, reduce inflammation of the mouth and throat, relieve gas and digestive complaints, and to help prevent bacterial infections. It also has a mild muscle relaxing effect. In native Russia and the Mediterranean it was used to repel witches much as garlic was believed to ward of vampires. In American conjure the seeds are used as a ward against jinxes and to enhance love and luck formulas by keeping off influences that could be blocking you. Dock - Large leaves with frilled edges grow in bunches from the earth. These leaves are tart edible green in the family of rhubarb. That sharp flavor comes from oxalic acid, found in many other plants, and must be reduced by blanching if the greens are to be eaten in quantity. The plant
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sends up tall spikes of yellow flowers which then turn to edible seeds that can be used for flour. The The large l arge taproot taproo t has been used to mak makee a tonic tonic which cleanses the body and purifies the blood. This root, when found to grow with a natural fork, has been employed in doll magic due to its human-like appearance. Because of the large green leaves and lofty golden spikes dock has been used in money conjure and the cleansing effects of the root tea make it especially good for floor or doorstep wash when drawing of money or business is desired. Dogwood- a diminutive tree with pretty white blossoms, pierced at the tips of their four petals, which yield a red, inedible, fruit. It is said that the true cross was made of dogwood and that the pierced petals represent Christ's wounds, their white color, His purity, and the red berries, his blood. The tree is said to have been cursed to never grow large enough to crucify another man. As such, parts of this tree are used in workings geared toward holiness and hope. hope. The The only known known medic medicinal inal value v alue is i s that a decoction decoc tion of the bark yields a strong laxative. Elderberry - The flowers are sweetly scented and are battered and cooked into fritters. The berries are rich in antioxidants and make a good jelly or wine. The hollow shoots of this tree were used in European folk magic for making musical instruments believed to attract spirits and influence the weather. I use a screwdriver or coat hanger to push the soft pith out and carve a fipple, or simply play them as panpipes with satisfactory results. In traditional traditional conjure, the the leaves l eaves and wood w ood are both used as a powerfu pow erfull ward against unwanted unwanted inf i nfluences luences and peopl p eople. e. Fennel- This herb can be grown in the garden and eaten as a vegetable, but, in America, we mostly see the seeds sold as a spice. All parts of the plant contain medicinal compounds that support the immune, digestive and cardiovascular systems. The seeds can be eaten whole or taken as a tea after a rich r ich meal meal to aid digestion and to reduce red uce stomach stomach upset, heartburn, heartburn, and other common issues. In conjure, fennel is an herb of influence employed for a host of purposes from strengthening resolve (especially for women), protecting protecting from prying prying eyes eyes and warding off any troublem troublemak akers, ers, from “evil spirits” spiri ts” to the the law. Fern- The “fiddle heads” of some fern species are a valuable and delectable wild wi ld edible. edi ble. The prolific so called cal led “male “male fern” is not edible but, but, in correct doses, can be used to expel intestinal worms in humans and
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animals animals.. Male ferns and maide maiden n hair hair fern used to repre r epresent sent man man and woman in love mojo. Ferns are also employed as protective talismans. The “seed” or fiddle head of a fern is a traditional European curio to this effect. It was also said to impart impart invisibility invisibil ity,, luck, luck, and to draw faeries, good spirits spir its wh w hich can help improve your luck though, sometimes, through mischievous means. Flax- Seeds are rich in oils that have shown promising results in enhancing brain fu function. nction. Th This is interesting interesting because because it has has been used used in tim times es long past to help help in i ncrease psychic psychic abilities. abi lities. In conjure conjure work, it is used as a ward, wa rd, especially in the case of children. Ginger- Used to treat stomach ailments and aid digestion. Also helps with circulatory cir culatory problem probl ems, s, which w hich is likely l ikely the the root r oot of any sexual sexual enhancing enhancing effects. In conjure, ginger is used to “heat up” love mixtures, adding an element of passion and urgency. Goldenrod- showy yellow flowers flow ers that that bloom bloo m around the the sam s amee time as ragweed and are commonly confused for the culprit of seasonal allergies. Tea of this plant is a tonic for cleaning the kidneys and urinary tract and as a remedy for gout or to purify the blood. Any part of this plant may be employed employed in i n works wor ks for money money and attracting succes successs and happiness. Ground Ivy- also called gill-over-the-ground, tunhoof and jordreva (Swedish) this is a very common plant in yards, ditches and abandoned fields across America. It has a round leaf with scalloped edges, looking somewhat like a little l ittle green doylie growing growi ng along trailing traili ng square-stem square- stemm med vines. It bears bear s tiny purpl purplee flowers flow ers in the the spri s pring ng-sum -summ mer and has a strong s trong,, somewhat minty, herbacious odor when cut or bruised. It was an important part of the the U.S U.S pharm pharmacopoeia acopoeia up un until at least th the mid mid 1800's before being abandoned and forgotten along with so many other important medicinal herbs as the commercial pharmaceutical industry began to rise. Like many other herbs in the mint family it has many medicinal applications such as staunching wounds, soothing the digestive tract and purifying the blood. It makes a refreshing and pleasurable tea to drink any time. I love it sweetened with wi th honey honey and and served s erved over ice. It was once comm commonly used used to clari cla rify fy and and preserve beer an a nd it is by exten extension sion of this this that that we begin begin to to discover its i ts uses uses in hoodoo. It is a “clarifying” and “preserving” herb equally at home in formulas formulas to bring b ring peace of mind, mind, calm cal m troubles between b etween famil families ies and friends, or to convey protection and ward off evil influences.
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Hickory- Prized for its strong wood, it also produces an edible nut, much like a small, smooth walnut, which tastes simply wonderful when roasted over an open fire until the points split open like mussel shells. In conjure work, like most nuts, they are used to represent virility and wealth, particularl particularly y when the the idea is for lasting and and stable results. Likewise, Likewise, the the leaves, leav es, bark and wood w ood may impart impart an air ai r of o f authority authority and and streng s trength th.. Not so much dominatio domination n as influence. Honey locust- A great and terrible tree with enormous, wicked, thorns growing in clusters all along its bark. The wood is particularly strong and resilient, making excellent tools and building material. The blossoms are honey yellow and fragrant. They yield a long, twisted, bean pod that sounds like a rattlesnake when shaken and contain a sweet, edible pulp between the pod and and seed. These These pods are a curio for warding off evil. However, the the thorns (aside from making good fishing hooks) are said to be the very thorns which Christ wore w ore at the the crucifixion cr ucifixion.. They can often often be found found in a perfect per fect cross shape and and these, these, especiall es pecially y, are a powerfu pow erfull protective protective cu c urio. Huckleberry- or “high bush blueberry” is a wild blueberry shrub found in the south. It is simi-evergreen and produces a sweet, dark fruit fall through winter which is high in antioxidants and reduces the effects of aging and risks of some cancers. The leaves are employed for dream visions and luck, especially with money. Hyssop- Another of those “holy herbs” that has a whole host of medicinal uses. In short, hyssop hyssop is essent ess ential ially ly a broad-s broa d-spectrum pectrum antibi antibiotic, otic, killing killi ng all kinds of nasty things that hurt the body and boosting immunity. It is even being researched in the the treatm treatment of HIV HIV. It has also been used used in treatm treatmen entt of common complaints like cough and colic. The medicinal history of it lends to the hoodoo use for purification. Irish Moss- An undervalued “cure all” in medicine, Irish moss is a sort of “super food” containing much needed vitamins and minerals seldom found in the the modern diet. Rich Ric h in Iodine, it works w orks to rid r id the the body bod y of heavy heavy elements elements and, as such is one of the more more effective ways w ays to prevent pre vent cancer. cancer. It has been used in i n tradi traditional tional medicine for com c omplai plaint ntss of o f the the lun l ungs gs and uri urinary nary tract. In conjure, it is used for attracting money. Jewelweed- pretty orange slipper shaped flowers resembling tiny orchids hang from this succulent-stemmed herb along trails in the southern woods.
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Often found right next to the nuisance plants poison oak and ivy, the juice of this herb will literally CURE the the rash caused by those plants. This I can attest to personally pers onally as I use use it often both fresh and as a tincture. tincture. It is not traditional in hoodoo conjure, but is common enough in some areas to be worthy of exploration. It is a species of impatiens which impatiens which could indicate use in “speeding “spe eding up” up” of som s omee kinds of conjure work. w ork. Jimsonweed- a toxic and psychotropic native with an acrid odor. The fruits of this plant are covered in sharp spines and known as a curio called “devil's apple” which is used in malicious workings to hurt and drive people mad. mad. John Root- There is i s an a n old folk fol k hero hero known known as “High John John The The Conqueror Conqueror”” who inspired a number of fictional characters, and was known for his indomitable spirit. It is said that he will possess certain roots that he may be invoked by the the faithful faithful in times times of o f need. There are ar e three roots r oots which w hich bear his name and they are among the most highly revered in all of hoodoo rootwork. Wild ginger/galangal- “ Low Low John” a breath freshening germicide and digestive used to win w in court cases case s and a nd make make enemies enemies yield to you. you. Note that that wild wi ld ginger ginger and galangal galangal are NOT the the sam s amee plant pl ant,, but are still stil l used for the the sam sa me purposes purpos es and both may may be called cal led “Low John” in rootwork. rootw ork. Trilium- “Dixie Trilium- “Dixie John” a pretty swamp plant that that stops bleeding blee ding used used to attract lovers or keep love strong and faithful. Bindweed/jalap Bindweed/j alap- “High “High John” a relative rel ative of o f morning morning glor glory y that that bears bear s a large l arge tuber or taproot. It is a strong s trong laxative and a nd not not to be taken taken internall internally y. It is good, is good, however, howeve r, for overcomin ove rcoming g obstacles obstacle s and to grant general general luck and and success in all things. It is carried as a curio or infused in oil and used for anointing or as a perfume. Juniper- The berries of this tree are best known as the flavoring agent of gin. They have a host medicinal uses. In ointments and rubs it is soothing to muscles and joint joi ntss as well w ell as to the the respir res piratory atory system. system. Internally Internally teas and and extracts extracts are administere administered d for upset stomach, stomach, heartburn, heartburn, bloating bl oating,, to stim s timulate ulate appetite and a nd cleanse the the kidneys kidneys and a nd uri urinary nary tract tract of ston s tones es or infection. infection. They are found in conjure powders, oils and mojo hands for love and sex appeal. Lavender- a humble shrub with an unmistakably strong aroma. Used most widely widel y as a very mild mild sleep aid and relaxant, relaxant, lavender also has antimicrobial qualities. It is employed in conjure for love, both in finding
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new partners and enriching or restoring active relationships. Magnolia- Great white flowers with a heady perfume dot these semievergreen trees making the southern summer all the sweeter. They give birth to a blushing, felted artichoke-like fruit with strongly scented lipstick red seeds bursting forth forth from them them.. The pulp surroun s urrounding ding the the seeds seed s is i s edible edib le and the dried cones are “loaded” with herbs for love and blessings to marriage and relationships. Such amulets can be made quite decorative and “hidden in plain sight” as decorations to the bedroom. Likewise, the leaves are used in incense and mojo bags, in combination with other ingredients, to the same effect. Marjoram- Well known as a culinary spice. Like many plants in the mint family marjoram is used for digestive and respiratory complaints. It has also been used to treat treat dizzin dizziness, ess, mood mood swin swi ngs, migrain migraines es and depression depressi on.. It was once held sacred to Aphrodite and may be employed in love-related workings, workings, particu par ticularl larly y where fidelity and and peace are desired. It is also als o used as a ward w ard against against ill will wil l and bad luck. luck. Maypop- properly known as passionflower, these wonderfully exotic blossoms yield yield and equally equally wonderfu wonderfull and exotic exotic fruit fruit that that I personally anticipate harvesting every year. The dried leaves and flowers are a fairly strong sedative. It is employed for workings to draw love and promote happiness in the home. Melissa- Commonly known as lemon Balm, this mint relative has a notably citrus fragrance that repels pesky insects like mosquitoes. It is also used in beauty beauty products products and perfum perfumery and and is excellent for th the skin as well wel l as for dressing wounds or using as a compress. It has a cleansing effect when used in the bath and draws in new love and positive vibes. Mimosa- fluffy fluffy pink pink flow flowers ers the the sm s mell of rich ri ch perfume perfume on a tree tre e with w ith feathery leaves. The bark of this tree, especially of the roots, contains DMT a chemical known as “the God molecule” with psychotropic properties and has been proven to cure drug addiction. The Chinese know mimosa as “the tree of happiness” and it is employed in workings for beauty and attraction, as well as love and domestic bliss. Mint- A common analgesic (pain killer), cooling agent and breath freshener, as well as remedy for digestive and respiratory complaints and as an
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ingredient in confections and teas. Mints come in a wide variety of flavors and it has a rather large l arge famil family y, with w ith many many relatives rel atives used for oth o ther er types types of conjure. The “cool” varieties of mint are used to put out “fires” caused by evil influences or bad mojo put on you. It has also been employed in money and business drawing work, but this is more likely due to its ability to ward off evil, this allowing goodness to flow in. Mistletoe- A poisonous parasitic plant once noted, by a Roman historian, as sacred sacr ed to the druids. druids . It is most widel w idely y known known for kissing kissi ng under under during the the holiday season. It is an evergreen, so it gives the appearance of a small “spark of life” on the otherwise “dead” looking deciduous trees it hosts on, which are dormant at this time. As such, it was supposedly (according yo Pliney) attributed with the power of immortality. In southern conjure, it is employed employed for overcom overc oming ing... ... not exactly “dominan “dominance” ce” nor is it preci pr ecisel sely ya “ward” but rather adds an element of power similar to that of “John the Conqueror” root to overpower negative influences when added to other ingredients to represent the intent and focus of the working. Mugwort- The leaves lea ves are quite bitter, but are a comm common culi culinary nary seasoning in some parts of the world. The tea or tincture thereof has been used as a tonic tonic to promote general general health and and well w ell being. Poultices of o f mug mugwor wortt can ease itching and irritation from burns or scars. The root has been used in preparations to to combat combat depression and and anx anxiety. iety. Mu Mugwort is a high highly ly prized prized magical herb by European cultures that is said to enhance psychic powers and is used to consecrate devices used for scrying, such as black mirrors and crystal balls. Romans used to wear mugwort in their shoes to ward off fatigue. This may have given rise to its alternative use in safe travel mojos. Mullein- Easy to identify by its large, oval-shaped fuzzy leaves and great spikes of yellow flowers piercing the heavens from roadsides and waste places. Mullei Mullein n is a high highly valuable valuable respiratory respi ratory aid that that heals heals cough coughs and expresses phlegm. It is also known as “witches candles” and has been used to summon spirits and compel others. Mustard- mustard greens are a valuable and nutritious food enjoyed by many in the south. The seeds are the source of the common condiment and also the most widely employed in hoodoo. They come in white (yellow) or black variety. variety. The The white mu mustard seed is a symbol symbol of faith faith,, virtue virtue and and commanding power as illustrated in the bible verse in Luke 17 and is also used for protective work. The black variety is used to cause troubles cause troubles and
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strife, inducing confusion and fear in enemies. Nutmeg- An exotic exotic spice spi ce seen mostly in holi holiday day confections. confections. It can help to treat emotional and mental disorders like stress, anxiety and depression. It also relieves toothache and muscle/joint pain. Whole nutmegs are carried as a curio for gambling luck. They can be “loaded” with other herbs and curios for added potency. Like other exotic spices once “worth its weight in gold” it is considered a good money mojo. Oak- Acorns are the seeds of mighty oaks and have long enjoyed a reputation as a curio for luck, money, strength and virility. They are also edible when hulled and the excess tannin is leached out either by boiling in several changes of water or soaking in water for at least 24 hrs. They may then be roasted with salt/sugar or pounded into flower for baking. The tannins, also found in the leaves and bark, are responsible for the healing power of oak, oak, which quickly quickly staun staunches ches wounds. wounds. Oregano- Anoth Another er mint relative rela tive used in cooking, cooking, this savory sa vory herb treats tre ats sore throat, coughs, indigestion and heartburn as well as having antim antimicr icrobia obiall propertie pro pertiess when used used int i nternall ernally y or externally. externally. In conjure it is used for keeping away trouble, as from the law or other meddlers. Pepper- black, red, white, chili, etc. all of these are used to “heat up” a mixture and are most often employed in “hot footing” which is a kind of trick used to drive people away or get their influences out of your life. Black pepper is more of a cursing agent, for confusion and discord. White pepper is a corn pepper like black pepper, consider consider it i t th the less “angry” “angry” of the two. Red peppers, like cayennes and other chilis, are the “fast acting” variant and whole ones are sometimes used in sexual work as a phallic symbol. symbol. Medicinally Medicinall y they they are used for their disinfectan dis infectantt and circulationcir culationincreasing properties. Perilla- a common “weed” found in the American south with fragrant leaves, square stems, and blossoms in the distinctive spikes seen in most mint relatives. It is known as “shiso” in Japan, and “Chinese basil” elsewhere, and is fairly common in cuisine of many Asian countries. It may be dried and used used as a seasoning seasoning, cooked cooked into into soups, soups, or eaten raw. The The leaves lose much of their pungency after drying. In Chinese medicine it has been used for respiratory ailmen ailments ts and and to realign the the natu natural ral energies energies and correct corr ect im i mbalances bala nces of the mind-body-spi mind-body-spiri ritt connection. connection. The herb may be
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used in hoodoo work w ork to overcom over comee loss l oss and grief, encourage encourage both hum humility il ity and a more positive outlook and remind lovers of all they have to be thankful thankful for. Periwinkle- In carefully administered doses periwinkle can help heal the brain and and increase ment mental al productivity productivity.. It has shown itself to to lower blood bl ood pressure, but but shou should ld be avoided if you you already have have low blood bl ood pressure. Conjure workers have employed it to bless and mend loving relationships. Pine- Pine needle tea has a zesty, refreshing flavor like limes and is rich in vitamins A, E and C making a wonderful tonic. The dried sap/resin is heated and used used as a “natural “natural glue” glue” and a nd burning burning the the resi r esin n as incen i ncense se has a powerful purify purifying ing effect. effect. By By virtue virtue of it being an evergreen tree, parts of it are also als o used in conjure for money, oney, prospe pr osperity rity and long lo ngevity evity.. A perfect, closed cone found on the ground is a lucky charm for the home. Throw it out and get a new one if it begins to open. This may also indicate forces working against you, so a good cleansing may be in order. Plantain- not the banana, but a common “weed” found in lawns throughout the south. It should not be taken for granted medicinally because it is one of the best wound dressings I have ever used, and readily available since it grows practically everywhere. It was once used in charms to ward off fever and is still stil l employed employed in i n deflecting comm common, petty, petty, evils evi ls like li ke jealousy jeal ousy and and theft. Poke Poke weed wee d- the tender tender young young leaves leav es of this this plant have been a staple s taple food for poor folks in rural communities for ages. However, it must be boiled thoroughly in three changes of water to remove toxicity. If not, it is a strong purgat purgative, ive, and that that is what the the root is used used for in hoodoo. It It is employed employed in mixtures for removing “crossed conditions” such are curses etc. Raspberry- The fruit is well known and enjoyed by many, however, it is the leaf with which we concern ourselves. Teas and tinctures of raspberry leaf are used to treat painful or “stopped up” menstruation and to ease in child birth. birth. For this this reason reas on,, it shou should ld be avoided by women women who are pregn pregnant ant or trying to become pregnant. It is also a good antioxidant and is taken as a purify purifying ing tonic tonic for health health and and well-being well -being.. Conjure Conjure workers use use it to keep keep fidelity in relationships. Rose- The red fruits of the wild rose, called rose hips, are high in vitamin C
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and good for the immune system. The fruit of domestic roses never seems to develop fully in my experience. The petals of both wild and domestic roses, however, can be coated with sugar and egg white and candied, or brewed into tea, wine or jelly. In conjure, the are commonly employed in work for love and romance. romance. Rosemary- Used for dyspeptic complaints and as a rub for muscle and joint inflammation. It also has powerful antimicrobial properties and repels insects. Rosemary is high in antioxidants, which reduce the harmful effects of “free radicals radi cals”” thus thus promot p romoting ing health health and reducing the the appearance appear ance of aging. As such, it used in numerous beauty products for its cleansing and age defying properties. For this reason, it is also recommended in ritual baths. Root workers consider rosemary to be a potent ward that promotes peace and enhances feminine power. When burned it clears the mind and purifies the room. A study done by the University of Maryland found that a sachet of rosemary and lavender decreased test taking stress in students and improved concentration. Rue- It is called “herb of grace” because it is the most bitter of all plants and reminds us to be humble and pure. It is a symbol of purity in some cultures and worn by virgin brides. It is also highly aromatic, especially when dried, and was once extensively used in food and drink, albeit quite sparingly. It's yellow flowers remind us of the sun and, like the celestial body, body, it may may be employed employed to to cast out out th the darkness darkness and evil influen influences. ces. Because of its associations with purity, it is also used in lovers' blends and fidelity mojo. In very small amounts, it has the medicinal power to flush out the menses and, as such, has also been used for abortions within the first trimester. Women who are pregnant, nursing, or trying to become pregnant should avoid taking it internally. Sage- One of the the most effective effective and versatile vers atile medicinal edic inal herbs. herbs . It stimulates stimulates apatite, reduces bloating, cools and soothes the skin, muscles and joints, and kills many forms of bacteria, making it powerful in combating infections. It is an excellent cleanser for hair and scalp, even helping to reduce graying of hair and a nd wrink wri nkli ling ng skin! It It is no wonder the native americans coun co unted ted it among the wakan or “holy” herbs. Second only to tobacco. Because a wise person may may be kn known as “an old sage” it is sometim sometimes es employed employed in conjure conjure when wisdom wis dom is required or desired. It is also als o employed employed in reversal work to turn the curse back to the sender.
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Sassafras- Sassafras bark tea has been taken to relieve chronic rheumatism and painful menstruation. The leaves can also steeped in oil or water and used as a rub for muscles, joints and skin. Sassafras should be avoided in large doses or over a prolonged amount of time. In the south, it is ground into powder it is used to thicken soups and stews as a flavorful roux. It is used in conjure for money. Slippery Slippery Elm- The nutritional inner bark of slippery elm can be brewed into teas or added to syrups for the treatment treatment of sore throat throat and cough. cough. It is employed in conjure to stop gossip and bad-talking that damage your reputation. Smartweed- also known as knotweed and water pepper this is an edible plant that that is sometim sometimes es used as a substitu substitute te for for pepper. It It is fou foun nd in conjure conjure as an herb to help with money, especially when it is not so much the flow as the management of funds because it also has an effect on the mind. Snakeroot- many herbs bear this name or some variation thereof. All are used in conjure for protection and warding off of evil influences. Spicebush- a shrubby tree found growing along paths and in the shade of other trees. It bears a bright red fruit that is an old time substitute for allspice, the leaves for bay, and the bark for cinnamon. In conjure, it may be used the same way, as a wild gathered replacement for all the above. We do this this because most of us cann ca nnot ot afford or obtain foreign forei gn and exotic exotic spices, spi ces, and because some some of o f us believe bel ieve that that gatheri gathering ng ingredi ingredient entss from the the wild wi ld (known (known as “wil “w ild-cr d-craftin afting”) g”) makes makes them all the the more poten po tent. t. Staghorn Sumac- Often seen dotting dotting the the highways highways and roadsi road sides des even in urban areas, this spindly tree has distinctive deep red “wooly” berries that rise from the tips of branches like inverted grape bunches. They are an old southern southern favorite favori te for making making “pink lemonade” lemonade” and also als o produce pr oduce a lovely l ovely elly. High in vitamin C they can help boost immunity and, traditionally, cough syrups have been made from them. In conjure they have been used as a last resort when a person is guilty of a crime to get a reduced sentence. Because of the association with deer, the branches, roots and leaves may be used as a hunter's mojo to bring success on the hunt. Star Anise- a relative of the magnolia whose pods are used in Asian cuisine. It has a scent and flavor much like anise but with a slightly more
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cinnamon-like tone. It is high in shikimic acid, which has been used as a flu treatment treatment.. In conjure conjure it i t is used for money money drawing draw ing,, to develop dev elop and improve improve psychic psychic abilities, abili ties, ward off th the evil eye and and attract attract gen general eral lu l uck and and prosperity prosperi ty.. Sweetgum tree- recognized by the seed pods which resemble medieval weapons known as “gumballs” because the resin of this tree is the natural source of flavoring for bubble gum. This resin is also known as benzoin and is comm commonly made made into a tincture tincture for use as an antimicrobi antimicrobial al skin protectant and balm. It is also taken orally to reduce inflammation of the mouth and air passages, heal heal mou mouth th sores, and as an expectoran expectorantt to to break up up and and flush flush out out phlegm phlegm and and mu mucous cous from the the lung lungs. The The infertile infertile seeds (white/y ( white/yellow ellow as opposed to the black and winged) gathered before the cones open are a potent potent source source of shikem shikemic ic acid wh w hich is a powerful powerful anti-flu anti-flu medicine. medicine. The The leaves and bark contain some as well and are also used in preparations (balm or liniment) for aches and pains and are also effective as an insect repellent. In conjure the resin incense, also known as storax or styrax, is used for cleansing and blessing a new home and promoting peace and for home and family. Thyme- Thyme is a common culinary herb found in most spice cabinets. It is surprisingly valuable as a medicine too! Thyme is anti-microbial, soothes muscle spasms, relieves gas, calms the stomach, relieves hoarseness and sore throat, and is a diuretic disinfectant of the urinary tract. Believe it or not, it even fights tooth decay and bad breath! In conjure it is employed as a minor ward that stills the mind. It can help ease distress and usher in prosperity prosperi ty while providing providi ng some some basic protection. protection. Tobacco- a stimulant and irritant used for smoking and as a remedy for bites and stings. Tobacco was the most highly regarded herb in some Native American traditions and was a common form of payment to the shaman for services. In hoodoo it is most commonly employed in workings for influence and control, as in drawing back an errant lover or being picked for a job. In Native American traditions it was believed to unify the mind-bodyspirit connection allowing our prayers and thanks to flow to God and, likewise, for God to flow into us. Verbena- also known as vervain this is one of the sacred herbs of the ancient druids which w hich made made its way w ay into into hoodoo via v ia Europea European n influences. influences. It is believed by some that the lemon-scented variety of this plant was once
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the key ingredient of the traditional “van-van oil” form oil” formula, ula, an all-ar all -aroun ound d anointing and blessing oil used in a plethora of conjure applications. Because the scent fades when added to a carrier oil, workers began using exotic exotic Asian grasses grass es (nam ( namely ely lem le mon gras grass, s, ginger ginger grass and others others)) in i n this this formula formula to the same same effect. The herb herb is still stil l used to add an element element of blessin blessi ng to conjure conjure work in much the the same same way as sweetgrass sweetgrass is i s used in Native Native American American tradition. tradition. In medicine it has has been used used to increase increase the the flow of milk in nursing women, especially combined with fenugreek seed. It can also als o help to balance bala nce out fem feminine inine energies and help with wi th hormon hormonal al imbalances. Violet- We are referring here, not to the exotic African violet, but rather to the the wild wil d or sweet swee t violet viol et which adorns south southern ern lawns and and fields as one of our harolds of spring time and warm weather. Aside from use in waters, vinegars, salads and confections, it has a few medicinal uses. The Cherokees seemed to be quite fond of it, using the leaf and flower as a compres compresss for headaches, the tea for dysentery and and digestive di gestive complaints, the root for skin ailments and water in which the root has soaked as a starter for corn seed to repel insects. The tea of the aerial parts of sweet violet has shown effectiveness in thinning and breaking up of phlegm, making it a good prescription prescri ption for coug cough and cold. Conjure Conjure workers often often employ employ violet in love work. Water locust- a somewhat less daunting relative of the honey locust. She has white flowers that smell positively wonderful and are a great joy in the blooming blooming season because because they they can also be made made into into wines, fritters fritters or other other edible edib le confections. confections. The thorn is much much small smaller er than than her her relative, rel ative, about like that of a rose bush. The wood is very strong and resilient to water, pollution and poor conditions makin making g it an ideal building buildi ng material ateria l in the the marshy areas area s of the the sout s outh. h. It was for this this wood woo d that they they were wer e plant pl anted ed all al l around the the sout s outh, h, including in my my own back yard. The traits of this this tree tell tel l us that she will wi ll lend her favor to those those who are ar e in i n great great need and must must persevere perse vere throug through h dark times. Wormwood- European conjure herb for calling spirits. In medicine it is used, as the name implies, for expelling worms and parasites. It is the second most bitter herb on the planet (next to rue) and the oil is dangerous to the kidneys in large doses. It is best known as the key ingredient in the infamous infamous liqueu li queurr “absinth “abs inthe” e” which contains a host of other other mildly il dly psychoactive psychoactive herbs herbs and spices.
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Yarrow- also known as millifoil and and herb of mars its Latin name means “Achilles' thousand-leaf” and it is an herb most renowned for its wound healing abilities. It has also been used to break fever and to stop minor internal bleeding ble eding issues, iss ues, such as stom s tomach ach ulcers. ulcers . Because of its knight knightly ly history, it is found in conjure for overcoming fears and breaking through obstacles and jinxes. It is sometimes found in psychic and healing mixes as well. My theory is that yarrow, being a “champion” of sorts, can add a little extra “umph” to most any spell, giving a sort of “rallying call” or “battle cry” to the other energies being put to work. 4 Formulary
Most of the following are my own formulas which I have used in my personal practice with sufficient sufficiently ly satisfy satisfying ing results. Some Some are traditional traditional formulas formulas dating da ting “back to Moses” Moses ” as they they say. say. Whil Whilee som s omee of conju co njure re work wor k is “inspired” or guided by God, it is important to be well grounded in tradition before you you start experim experiment enting ing.. Not because it is necessarily necessaril y dang dangerous (though it certainly can be) can be) but because it is arrogant and a hoodoo worker must be humble. Rather than tweaking and “improving” formulas based on personal conjectu conjecture, re, take take the the time time to get get to to kn know wh w hat has has already been established and build upon that knowledge when you have sufficiently mastered it. Learn to keep an open channel to the Divine and let the hand of the Creator guide you more than your own mind. This is the first step to becoming becoming a true true hoodoo hoodoo doctor. doctor. Smoking herbs
Most herbs can be burned on charcoal along with specially blended ritu ri tual al incense to impart their their virtu vir tues es via smoke smoke and aroma. I have have known of some traditional shamans to blow the smoke into or over affected areas of the body to cure them. This is known as “fumigation” and is uncommon anymore, but not unheard of. Other times an herb, or blend of herbs, was smoked as part of a communal ritual to share in a bond between people and Spirit. Such herbs were more seldom psychotropic than some might think. Some herbs are burned in bundles and the smoke is fanned about the patient to cleanse, cle anse, purify and bless bles s them by way of interaction with w ith their their energy field and this this is called cal led “smudgin “smudging” g” and is equally common common when working 117
with spaces and objects as with wi th people. Cedar, sage and sweetgrass
Native Native Americans Americans traditionally traditionally burned burned th these herbs, either either togeth together er or separately, in bundles lit at one end and fanned with sacred feathers. Cedar is the “Brave Warrior” which defends from and chases off evil, Sage is the “Holy Man” who brings healing and wisdom, Sweetgrass is the “Beloved Woman” oman” and confers bles b lessings sings of peace, peac e, love l ove and harmoniou harmoniouss energies. Ve rvain and mistleto istle toee
Those who favor European traditions, specifically those of the druids, will use these in similar fashion to those listed above. Vervain confers blessings and has the virtues of a feminine nature, while mistletoe dispels and conquers conquers and is of a more masculi masculine ne character. Tobacco
This This herb was w as held in highest highest regard by som so me Native Ameri American can groups groups to the point that it has been considered an entheogen (substance which connects the physical self with God) though it is commonly abused today without the slightest consideration for its sacredness. As such, the stigma associated with habitual smoking might make it hard for individuals to use it in their own conjure work without corrupting the energy in some way. Traditionally, tobacco opens a channel between heaven and earth and produces an air of sanctity and community. For this use, pure, organic, unfiltered, unadulterated tobacco is preferred. pr eferred. If it can be acquired in a twist twis t or braid, brai d, all the the better. better. Combined with other herbs, it was once smoked in rituals of the Sioux Indian. The blend is called kinnick kinnick and and I have included the recipe I have personally employed. Basic kinnick kinnick ki nnick Yerba santa Osha root Bear berry leaf Red willow bark Tobacco Combine Combine these in i n whatever amoun amounts ts suit s uit your your personal per sonal tastes. I prefer to somewhat favor favor osha root roo t for its i ts strong flavor and fragrance. fragrance. Crush Cr ush them them 118
as fine as possible with mortar and pestle and blend well. Smoke from a natural pipe, with reverence and respect, when seeking guidance. Other herbs used in smoking, fumigation and incense;
scullcap- mild sedative damiana- mood enhancer/aphrodisiac wormwood- mild psychotropic wild lettuce- mild psychotropic mullein- lung purifier, cool burning flavor enhancer mugwort- mild psychotropic coltsfoot- flavor enhancer hops- mild psychotropic, moderate sedative passion flower flower-- moderate moderate sedative calamus- mood enhancer lavenderlave nder- anxiety anxiety reducing red ucing aromatic asmine- anxiety reducing aromatic catnip- mild sedative tagets- mild pschotropic star of bethlehem- mood enhancer valerian- sedative poppy poppy- sedative yellow loosestrife- anxiety reducer celandine- unknown marjoramarj oram- flavor flavo r enhancer enhancer motherwort- unknown calendula- unknown st.johns st.johns wortwor t- mood enhancer enhancer wood betony- unknown yerba santa- unknown uva ursi- unknown yarrowarrow - mild mild sedative yohimbe- psychotropic chicory- flavor enhancer gotu kola- unknown muira puamapuama- mood enhancer enhancer uniper uniper-- psych p sychotropic otropic (not recommended recommended for int i nternal ernal use, high high doses could kill) willow wil low bark- flavor enhan enhancer cer oak- flavor enhancer enhancer 119
angelica- unknown sweet grass- aromatic aromatic clove- analgesic (reduces burn) flavor enhancer mints- analgesic analgesi c flavor fla vor enhancer enhancer sassafras- flavor enhancer, possible mild psychotropic nutm nutmegeg- flavor flav or enhancer, enhancer, possibl poss iblee psych p sychotropic otropic lemon balm- calming flavor enhancer licoricelicor ice- flavor enhan enhancer cer Waters
“Charged waters” are commonly employed by practitioners of old world and new age magics, but the term can mean different things depending on which witch you ask. New-agers think of them as simple water from a river, spring spr ing,, or rainfall rainfall during during a particular particular season or astrological a strological cycle. The belief is that the water has a sort of “memory” and records energy or intent from the practitioner. In hoodoo, however, “water” is the name given to most formulas which are of liquid base infused with various other ingredi ingredient ents. s. They are used as washes was hes for body bod y and and home, home, worn w orn as perfume, perfume, poured poured in libation to spirits, used used to dress objects or sprinkled sprinkled in tracks/aroun tracks/ar ound d room r oomss to curse or to bless bl ess.. In Obeah they they are comm commonly used used in the form of sprays. Waters can be formulated for myriad purposes, including medicinal, and it is a good idea to make and keep them stashed away for use when needed. They are best kept in tinted glass bottles or jars with good good sealing seal ing lids and stored stored in i n a cool, dark place. Carmelite water
For spiritual cleansing, road opening, “cut-and-clear” work and to invite blessings. 1 qt neutral grain spirits such as vodka or gin ¼ cup mellissa/lemon balm ¼ cup monarda/oswego tea 1 teaspoon angelica root 1 tablespoon spearmint 1 teaspoon whole cloves, lightly crushed Macerate for at least 2 weeks for optimal potency. This is an old world medicinal formula named for the nuns who made it. There are many 120
variations vari ations floating floati ng around but this this one is i s my personal pers onal formula formula which I have updated based base d on modern medic medicinal inal knowledge. knowled ge. It has has many applications applica tions such as curing fever and dispeptic complaints (gas, bloating, upset, etc) as well wel l as having a general general uplifting effect on the the spirit spir it and calm cal ming the the nerves nerves.. Take internall internally y by the the spoonful spoonful as a rem r emedy edy or use as a spray s pray or in baths for spiritu spiri tual al work. w ork. Consumable Florida Water
Made food safe for medicinal benefits while retaining its traditional spiritual uses as a spray, splash or bath additive for purification, to please the spirits and to invite blessings of love, money, joy and peace. The ingredients are listed along with their medicinal uses. Florida Flor ida Water is i s so s o named named for the the legen l egend d that Magellan Magellan searched se arched for the the fountain of youth in Florida. As such, it is meant to be an age defying elixir and has been used historically as a skin toner and cooling body splash. I was sure that this popular commercial toilet water had hidden health benefits benefits which which could could be utilized utilized simply simply by using raw botanicals botanicals rath r ather er than than essential oils and basing them in grain alcohol and distilled water. Food grade rose water w ater and orang orange blossom blos som water serve se rve as a base. They are well known for their abilities to tone and cool the skin and they actually increase increas e the power powe r of o f each other other when used used togeth together. er. To To this we w e add ad d a tincture of the following; Bergamot is apparently the signature in some commercial Florida waters. It's It's prized for it's weigh w eightt loss potential potential because it lowers low ers cholesterol cholesterol and boosts metabolism metabolism.. Apparently Apparently it has has legitimate legitimate anti-depressant anti-depressant abilities along with *lavender and *mint, both cooling and toning to skin as well. Clove came up repeatedly in comparative recipes. It is analgesic, somewhat antibacterial and is an alleged aphrodisiac. It also boosts metabolism. Star anise is spicy, sweet, heavily scented and full of shikemic acid, a renowned flu cure. Citrus peels, with the white, for quercetin content, essential to potent activity activi ty of shikh shikhem emic ic acid. acid .
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Pine. Anticancer, Anticancer, antiaging, antiaging, reduces r educes lipi l ipids, ds, high high in A and and C for general health and feeling well, shikhemic acid, relieves and reduces symptoms of menopause. Cardamom is richly fragrant and helps lower glucose and regulate insulin. It also als o detox de toxifies ifies via the the kidneys, inhibi inhibits ts the growth of some pathogen pathogens, s, relieves flu symptoms, is rich in antioxidents (reduces aging), is renowned in Ayurveda as an antidepressant and is yet another purported aphrodisiac. Angelica or orris root for fixative. Angelica helps regulate hormones. 4 Thieves Vinegar
For protection, protectio n, heali healing ng,, cleansing cl eansing,, wardi w arding ng,, hexing hexing and and banishin ba nishing g 1 qt. cider, red wine or balsamic balsamic vinegar vinegar 6 cloves garlic 4 tsp. red pepper 4 tsp. worm wor mwood 4 tsp. rosemary 4 tsp. hyssop Combine and leave in a dark, cool place for no less than 7 days before use. The waxing moon may help to draw out the potency of the herbs more effectively. effectively. This form for mula is also als o a potent tonic tonic and can be used internally to ward off illness or expedite recovery. I use 1 tablespoon a day when something is going around and will take that 3 times a day if I am already sick. si ck. The The herbs are all powerful pow erful immun immunee boosters boo sters and germ fighters. fighters. Think Think of it as a natural broad-spectrum antibiotic with similar metaphysical uses. War Water
For protection, battle and magical defense. Pure water Nails (NON-galvaniz (NON-galvanized) ed) 5 Thorns of honey locust your own blood Fill Fil l the jar with wi th nail nailss then add water. wa ter. Burn Burn the the locust l ocust thorns thorns and crush cr ush them them 122
then add the ash to the jar. Finally, while concentrating on your intent (battle, enemy, or general protection of home, family, etc.) cut or pierce your skin and add some of your own blood to bind your spirit with the water. Keep in a cool dark place for 1 month and strain off water into bottles. Some would choose to prepare this during a new moon and then strain and bottle at the next new moon.
Water of Mars (War Water 2)
Rain water collected during a thunderstorm Cinnamon Sulfur Dragon's blood Salt Cast iron skillet scrapings On a Tuesday, powder together sulfur, dragon's blood resin and cinnamon using a mortar and pestle. Combine with water, salt and cast-iron skillet scrapings in a jar and store in a cool, dark place. Use to repel magical and psychic psychic attack attacks. s. Write Write the the nam namee of an enem enemy y in the the center center of an inverted inverted (one point down) pentag pentagram ram on paper or back of a small small photo photo and and freeze freeze in a container with this water to render them powerless against you and yours. Aggressive War Water
White vinegar Carbon steel knife knife Salt Heat the the vineg vi negar ar to almost boiling boil ing,, add a fair amoun amountt of salt sal t to it and stir to dissolve. Place the knife in the jar and store someplace out of the way. This will not work with stainless steel knives like modern kitchen knives. Carbon steel is harder and is commonly found in heavy duty knives such as those those used for hunting hunting and combat. combat. This versi ve rsion on is more appropri appro priate ate to cursing and magical warfare. May Wine
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To honor the Fae and the Goddess at May Harvest fresh dandelion heads at midday. Place in a large stock pot and add enough water to cover twice-over. Bring to a boil and cover, then let cool. Strain and squeeze out flowers. Add 5 cups of sugar per gallon of water then then heat heat and stir constantly constantly unt until il sugar sugar dissol dis solves. ves. Allow to cool again unt until il at least blood-warm. Add yeast then cover pot with a damp towel. Leave overnight and check to see fermentation has started. The mix should be bubbling bubbling and froth frothing the the nex nextt mornin morning g. Siphon Siphon into into bottles bottles and stretch stretch balloons over the the tops. Wh When the the balloons deflate deflate siphon into into new new bottles with a sprig of sweet woodruff and cap. Store in cellar and open come Beltain. Bay Rum
for luck, love, sex, and prophetic dreaming. Also Als o good for offeri o ffering ngss to som s omee Voodoo oodo o Lwa. 1pt. Dark Rum 7 bay leaves 7 sprigs spr igs catnip catnip 7 grains sweetgum resin 1 finger-sized finger-si zed stick cinn c innam amon on 25 whole cloves 5 whole allspice berries Crush all dry ingredients togeth together er with wi th morter morter and pestle. Add to rum r um 7 days before the the full full moon moon then then drink beneath beneath her lig li ght for for mag magical ical dream dr eams. s. Strain off liqud and rebottle with a whole bay leaf and two allspice berries for future use. Also used as a dress for lucky mojo hands, to feed fetishes and as a hand wash while gambling. Wild-crafted Bay Rum
1 qt jar of dark liquor leaves, twig twi gs and berries berri es of spicebu spic ebush sh shrubshrub- 12 each Combine Combine ing i ngredi redient entss when w hen the the moon is new and keep in a dark, cool coo l place p lace.. Place the jar in moonlight every night and move at sunrise. Ready for use after it has bathed in the full moon. 124
Spirit water/Ghost water
Anise seeds (French, not the Asian “star” variety, which has a different purpose) purpose) Clear drinking alcohol like vodka or white rum Pure spring or rain water Pour alcohol over anise seeds and lightly crush the seeds in the liquor. Allow to macerate for nine days away from sunlight before straining out the seeds. Combine a bit of the sweet-scented liqueur with water, about 1 shotglass full to a pint. Place on the ancestor altar or on a grave under the light of the full moon and remove before sunrise. Use for bless bl essing ing,, anointing, anointing, consecr consecrating ating and offeri offering ngss (in ( in ancestor rituals, r ituals, seances, etc.) etc.) to draw good spirits spir its to a place or to compel compel evil evi l spirits spi rits to leave. The belief being that the good spirits bound to the water will work for you in a manner similar to using grave dirt. Powders
Powders are primarily used in foot-tracking, a type of old African magic which w hich involves mixing the the powder powd er with wi th the the dirt dir t from a target's footprint and and laying l aying it back bac k in the the track. The conjurer may also trace tra ce sign s ignss in in the the dirt di rt to indicate i ndicate a variety vari ety of conditions conditions they wish wis h to infli inflict ct on the the target and then sprinkle the powder over them in a place where the target will step on or over them them.. Powders Powder s are ar e also al so used for other other purposes, purposes, sachet powders for the body, blowing powders for consecration of sacred space, dusting the home, home, placi pl acing ng in four four ccorners orners of a room r oom for for protection, protectio n, or adding add ing potency potency to container and candle spells. Base powders
Grave dirt- used for protective and consecrating purposes, or for cursing, inxing and killing curses, depending on the source. Grave dirt is ritually harvested from a graveyard and payed for with copper, silver, tobacco or alcohol. I take a metal spade with me and "knock" either on the gate of the graveyard or on a metal cross I take with me and call on the aid and 125
protection protection of Baron Samedi. Samedi. I ann announ ounce my my inten intention tionss and let th the spirits spiri ts guide me to a "good grave" for my purposes. Other sources say simply to take dirt from any fresh grave. I would advise to, at least, consider the person whose whose grave you you take take the the dirt from. from. An ancestor's ancestor's grave, or from from a policeman, policeman, fireman fireman,, etc. will wi ll provide provi de the the best protection, protection, th the grave grave of an evil person, murder victim, executed person or someone who otherwise "died bad" will work best for darker purposes. Since a known grave may not be available, asking for protection and guidance is ideal, and is still a good practice even if there is. Dirt Dauber Nests- because mud wasps, aka "dirt daubers" continually build build their their chimen chimeny y-lik -li ke nests nests from the the groun ground d up up and and from generation eneration to generation, their nests can be used for works involving diligence, productivity productivity and and invocation invocation of ancestral ancestral powers. power s. Used Used "raw" for luck in business business and and hom home, e, or combined combined with other other ingredients ingredients for for controll controlling ing and domination. With sugar, it keeps a lover coming back, with domination herbs like l ike mullein mullein or calam cala mus, it makes makes som so meone your your slave s lave.. Do this in i n the the name of your ancestors and they will add their power to yours. Mixed with water, they make a folk salve for skin inflammation. Red brick dustdust- powdered powder ed red bricks. Also, traditionally, traditionally, red ochre ochre or clays. Used for banishing and warding off evil influences. Also used for veves and sigils. CascarillaCascaril la- powdered pow dered egg shells. Known Known as "peace powder" powder " used used as a body powder as a sort s ort of "spiritu "spiri tual al armor" armor" and and sprinkled sprinkled about the the hom homee to promote promote peace and and serenity therein. therein. Also Also used for for veves and sigils sigils.. Corn starch, rice flour, white flour and corn meal- simple base powders that are essent es sentiall ially y neu neutral tral and used as carrier car riers, s, particu par ticularl larly y for for those powders used to "feed" gris-gris. These have also been used in voodoo rituals for making veves, sacred “calling cards” to the spirit world. Salt- it is said "salt does what w hat you you tell tell it to" and and it is used as a carrier carr ier agent agent for many many purpos purposes. es. It is used by itself as a s a sim si mple consecrating consecrati ng agent. agent. combined with other ingredients for various purposes such as with red pepper and sulfu sulfur for "hot "hot foot foot powder" to to chase chase someon someonee away, away, black pepper and cross-roads cross- roads dirt dir t for for "crossin "crossi ng powder" or a wh w hole chopped snake or shed snake skins for "snake powder" used to remove jinxed or crossed cros sed conditions. The kingsnak kingsnakee is i s prefered prefere d for the the latter l atter use, though though some 126
claim rattlesnake is required while others claim any snake will do. Talc- used mostly as a carrier for purpose oils and fragrances so that they can be dusted on the body or blown, either in four directions for blessing and consecration, or at an enemy for cursing. Sugar- used to "sweaten" love spells and feelings from people. Combined with wi th other other ingredients depending on if it is for attracting or controlling controll ing.. Kufwa powder;
"kil "killi ling ng powder" pow der" AKA "goofer' "goofer'ss dust" for cursing c ursing,, crossi cr ossing ng,, jinx ji nxing ing 1 qt jar Dirt from the grave of wicked person or that of someone who "died bad" (such as by murder, execution or gruesome accident or illness) or a namel nameless ess grave if you haven't the luxury luxury of know knowing ing anyth anything ing about the person. Th The idea is not just to have have dirt from a grave, grave, but but the the energy energy of an angry or violent spirit. 6 tbsp. Asaphoeteda 6 tbsp. Black mustard seed 6 tbsp. Black pepper salt several live snails or slugs optional: dung, dung, snake snake sheds, s heds, snake blood, blood , anvil dust, saltpeter, sal tpeter, sulfur, sulfur, gunpowder, gunpowder, red r ed ants, bone powder, pow der, insect exoskeletons, Devil' Devi l'ss snu s nuff ff (the (the black spores of a matured atured puffball puffball mu mushroom), shroom), mu mullein, llei n, valerian valeri an (aka vandal root), The seed pods of the jimsonweed plant, otherwise known as “Devils' “Devils' apple” Pour salt over snails/slugs and grind into a paste. Allow to dry and then scrape out powder. Add to other ingredients to fill jar. Best performed on a new moon. Scatter over doorsteps, pour in footprints or blow into the face of an enemy that they may lose all luck and joy they have in the world and grave misfortune be upon them. Pour onto their doorstep and then sprinkle a bit at every crossroads between th their house house and the the nearest nearest graveyard graveyard to to “lead them to their grave.” Other ingredients are sulfur, salt peter or gunpowder, which add speed and strife to the curse, or red ants for pain and madness, these uses oppose the slugs in the above recipe which are for 127
slowing, sickening and wasting away of material success. Dung may be used to increase potency, but undesirable to work with. Asaphoeteda is known as “devil' “devi l'ss dung” dung” and is i s used as a substitu s ubstitute. te. Vandal Vandal root r oot causes misfortu is fortune ne and adds an element element of control, especi es peciall ally y in conjunct conjunction ion with w ith mullein mullein which w hich can help to compel spirits to plague the victim. Slag or "Anvil dust" is the black detritu detrituss drawn draw n out out from from forging forging and and can be added to cause weakn weakness and ugliness of a person to show through. Snake sheds or blood are to increase increas e the "poisonin "pois oning" g" effect effect and cause ca use "live "li ve thing thingss in i n you" you" if ingested. The later effect is also caused by crushed insect chitin. Powdered bones introduce the spiritual essence of the creature to the mix. For instance, owl bones bones will wi ll cause hau haun nted dreams dreams and sleepless sleepl ess nigh nights, rat bones bones will wi ll cause loss los s throug through h theft theft or being "ratted out" while also als o indu i nducing cing fear and night nightm mares in those those who are ar e phobic of rats. Kufwa #2
An alternative recipe for a fast and ugly curse may look like this; Base; Grave dirt from the grave of a wicked or angry spirit Black powder pow der (that is, gunpow gunpowder, der, not the the modern smokeless smokeless kind, kind, which w hich contains sulfur, salt peter and charcoal, all cursing and speeding ingredients) Powdered red pepper Powdered rattlesnake skin, tails or heads Powdered Jimsonweed Jimsonweed
Hot Foot Powder
To drive someone away without causing them excessive harm sprinkle this powder in their footprints or on their doorstep. Salt red pepper sulfur additional ingredients; dirt from the grave of a protective spirit, crushed glass, stinging nettles. 128
Confusion powder;
To confuse confuse enemies enemies and keep keep unwanted unwanted people/ peop le/spi spiri rits ts off your your trail tra il.. black mu mustard seed black pepper black salt There is a natural black salt, but many use blessed salt (kosher salt) mixed with iron skillet scrapings to make their own. Warding powder
To set up protective barriers. salt cast iron skillet scrapings red brick br ick dust dust Combine Combine and blend bl end ingredi ingredient entss with w ith mortar mortar and pestle. Place Plac e pinch pi nches es of the the powder in i n the the corners of rooms, rooms, mak makee lines in front front of doors or windowsills, windowsi lls, or make ake protect pr otective ive circles circl es around around represent r epresentation ationss of whatever whatever or whomever you wish to protect. War Powder
For magical combat combat and defense Rusted Rusted nails nails,, railroad rai lroad spikes, or cutting cutting tools (saw blades, sh s hears, etc.) Red Pepper Sulfur Use sand paper to remove and carefully collect powdered rust from metal tools. Combine with equal parts red pepper and sulfur powder. Fiery Wall of Protection powder
Simply combine war powder and warding powder for a powerful protective protective formu formula that that will reveal r eveal and harm harm any anyone one with ill inten intention tions. s. 129
Make a line over thresholds or place a pinch in the corners of a room or property. property. Surroun Surround d a photog photograph, raph, nam namee paper or other other personal concerns concerns in a circle of the powder to keep someone safe from harm. Fiery Wall of Protection #2
Gunpowder Red brick dust A simple and straightforward variation for those who have need of it but may lack other ingredients. True Love Powder
This This is a purely purel y Europe European an recipe reci pe som s ometim etimes es used by southern southern conjure workers to inspire and draw true true love. Elecampane root vervain herb mistletoe berries berr ies Crush well and add to a base of talcum and powdered sugar in a 4:1 ratio favoring talcum. Use as a blowing powder to dress the bedroom or as a sachet to dust the body before setting out. Jinx-B-Gone powder
Use to clear away crossed condition from home and business while drawing in prosperity and peace. salt cocklebur dirt dauber nest Gather fresh cocklebur and crush leaves, stems, seeds and roots together into a pulpy mess. Cover it well with kosher salt and work it again in the mortar and pestle. Spread this out in a thin layer and let the salt desiccate the herb for a few days. Work it over again, adding more salt if it still feels damp. When it seems dry to the touch, sift it through a wire mesh and set aside or discard the large pieces. You should have a nice, fine powder 130
about the color of money. Add to this a small dauber nest and crush it all togeth together er until until well we ll blended and a nd uniform uniform.. Sprink Spr inkle le this this powder pow der around the the home or business, in the corners of rooms, or throw it at specific areas where you think tricks may have been laid or “pockets” of negative energy i you are able to sense them. Oils
Conjure oils are used for dressing candles, mojo bags, jack balls, adding addi ng to spiri spi ritu tual al baths, weari wea ring ng as perfume perfume or anointing anointing yourself yourself or o r your intended. Base oils oils
Jojoba oil- absorbs into into skin and and evaporates quickly quickly Almon Almond d oiloil - absorbs abs orbs easily eas ily and has has a sweetness to it which lends lends itself well w ell to love and comanding blends Safflower oil- lighter than olive oil, safe for body and food Extra Extra virgin vi rgin olive oliv e oiloi l- comm common and and good for skin and hair hair but can cover aromas and feels greasy on skin. it is good for healing and blessing. Sunflowe Sunflowerr oil o il-- Their great size and int i ntimat imatee associ as sociation ation with wi th the the sun makes the sunflower highly attuned to formulas for influence and success. Grape seed oil- a nice green colored oil oi l wh w hich lends itself well to formu formulas for money and abundance. Mineral oil- the base component of baby oil. fine for skin and has a soothing effect but but being bei ng "mineral "mineral"" rath ra ther er than than vegetable, I feel that that it int i nterfere erferess with wi th the energy of some botanical components and do not typically employ it in my own work. One exception is in the rare occasion where a mineral component (such as loadstone, pyrite, sulfur, etc.) is the focus of the formula rather than the botanicals. Some urban workers use mineral oil as a carrier for costly essential oils which they stock because they take up less space in a shop than bags and jars of dried herbs used by traditional, rural workers. Vitamine itamine e- sim si mple, neutral neutral oil good for hair and skin. not too too greasy greas y and 131
can be used as a preservative when using vegetable or plant based oils as a base. Other oils- Coconut, and hemp seed oil are used by some workers, but, to date, I have not personally employed them. Uncrossing Oil;
For clearing away jinxes and crossed conditions. Olive or sunflower oil. Poke root Rue Rue Cedar Place all ingredients in a jar or bottle and allow to sit up in the sun for one month. To use, anoint the body by marking the sign of the cross over the brow, th the heart, heart, th the han hands ds and the the feet in that that order. If If a person's person's natu nature (sexual organs) may have been crossed, or the source of the condition was an ex lover, anoint the the groin groi n area as well, wel l, and do this before be fore marking marking the the feet. Finally, mark the back of the neck and have the patient (or your self) walk wal k away withou w ithoutt looking back unt until il they they reach a lim li minal place p lace,, such s uch as a property line, cross-roads, cross-roads , or river bank. bank. There, There, pray for for God to to take take away your burdens and you will be freed of even the most persistent of curses. Magdalena Oil;
Use to enhance sexual attraction and sensuality of the user while inspiring fidelity in others. spikenard myrrh patchou patchouli li Mix equal parts essential oils in a carrier. If using raw herbs infuse in low heat for 24 hours then strain out solids. Add a few coriander or fennel seeds to the bottle when done.
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Fast Luck Oil;
When quick results are required in matters of money and sex. grapeseed oil cinnamon bark mint leaves pine needles needles ginger ginger root ro ot Infu Infuse se over low heat duri during ng a waxin w axing g moon. moon. Use Use sparing spar ingly ly and always alw ays repay rep ay immediately after obtaining results by way of some selfless or charitable act or will backfire. Van-Van #1
A general general purpose anointing anointing oil This is simply lemon verbena herb in a carrier oil. It has ties to the ancient druids who held vervain (verbena) in high regard. Along with mistletoe and oak it was part of their “holy trinity” of herbs similar to the Sioux affinity for cedar, sage and sweetgrass. It is used for blessing, dressing and anointing, especially in the case of clearing away bad conditions, drawing positive influen influences ces or consecrating consecrating newly ewl y made mag magical ical item i temss such as talism talis mans or mojo hands. hands. Vanvan #2
A New Orleans formula also known as “five Asian grasses” and “Chinese “Chinese wash” wa sh” used for general general increase increas e and expediency expedie ncy or turning turning around luck. ginger grass lemon grass palmarosa palmarosa citronella vetiver Combine essential oils (or raw herbs if you can get them) in jojoba or other neutral carrier. Strengthen with bits of pyrite, flakes of gold, chips of 133
cinnamon bark or, more rarely, a small piece of sulfur in the bottle. The sulfur accentuates the road opening and protective qualities of the oil while adding “heat” or speed to the manifestation of intent. Cinnamon is similar, but but with more emph emphasis asis on mon money ey and and sex Gold and and pyrite pyrite (aka “fool's “fool's gold”) are, rather obviously, for money work. Domination Domination Oils; O ils; Note; “Domination” magic is any working designed to give the worker power to overcome overcome a situation situation,, particularl particularly y when their their will w ill is i s pitted against against that of another. It can also mean having a means of asserting oneself or a self-empowered approach to situations. Domination workings vary in intensity from simply giving the worker an air of confidence to the utter deconstruction of anoth another er person's pers on's free will wi ll.. The language language can be conf co nfusing using and often differs from one worker to the next. So, for clarity's sake, I will give my my definitions definitions to the the terms in regards re gards to conju c onjure re work. wor k.
To COMPELL someone means to turn their eye and mind to you or to something you want them to do. It is the least aggressive and malicious of the the three and typically typicall y works in i n those those situ si tuations ations where w here the target already has the the desir des ired ed int i ntent ention, ion, just has not chosen a specific spec ific path. Anoth Another er way to look at it is as a mild form of domination with no specified target. “Follow me boy” is i s a traditional traditio nal example example of a com co mpelling pell ing formu formula la where the the original or iginal intention intention was to help prostitut pr ostitutes es draw in customers customers.. Modern folks may use it when going out to bars and night clubs to “hook up.” An An all around compelli compelling ng formula; Sweet almon almond d or olive oil ang angelica root vervain/verbena herb cedar wood chips follow foll ow me me boy grape seed oil (for abundance) or sweet almond oil (for sweetening) ang angelica root catnip herb damiana herb 134
fennel fennel seed see d coriander seed Next Next step step up up is COMMANDING which w hich means means to give the the target a direct di rect order which they must follow whether they want to or not. It is more coercive and, therefore, more likely to have negative side effects. In commanding formulas, if the person resists they will have hard luck and troubles until they obey. This may lead them to do what you want, but with contri contrition. tion. Comm Commanding oils are domination domination formulas formulas infused infused with wi th specific intentions such as "law away" or "boss fix" which are rather selfexplanatory. They are not used to enslave a person, just put them in their place or get them them to stop stop causing causing you trouble. trouble. Basic commanding oil; Almond oil Licorice root Sweet flag (calamus) root To the above, add ingredients that suit your desired command such as; For entici enticing ng and attracting peoplepeopl e- catnip For sexuali sexuality ty-- damiana damiana For fidelity fideli ty-- coriander cor iander For law problemsproblems- “low “l ow joh j ohn n” or wild w ild ginger ginger To reverse revers e power poles (as ( as in “boss fix”)- vetiver To obtain obtai n favors- five finger grass For business- pin pi ne CONTROLLING requires a specified target. It is a strong and aggressive kind of domination magic wherein the target is bound to the will of the worker. The target becomes almost worshipful and will continue to do as the worker wishes until the spell is broken. They should do so willingly and enthu enthusia siastica sticall lly y, not realizing real izing they they have have been coerced coer ced until until it inevitably i nevitably ends. Controlling formulas come in varying degrees of intensity from "stay with me" used to keep a mate faithful to "bend over" which is meant to practically enslave enslave anoth another. Th The novel novel names names and range range of perfu perfumes foun found comm commerciall erci ally y seem to to know know no bounds bounds but b ut I prefer a more direct di rect approa a pproach. ch. The following is my own formula designed surround the target and subject them to your will on every level.
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Hoodoo slave oil; Base oil (any kind will do) Licorice icori ce root r oot (to control control people) Calamus root (to control situations) Mull Mullein ein leaf l eaf (to control control any spirits spiri ts surroun s urrounding ding them them)) Poppy seeds (to demoralize and break the spirit) “Fix” this oil by adding personal concerns of your intended such as hair, nail clippings, blood, picture, name paper, etc. and keep the vial with you in a pocket giving it a shake from time to time if they act up. Anoth Another er kind kind of powe p owerr that that migh mightt be considered consider ed “gen “ general eralized ized dom do minance” is what I call INFLUENCE which I do not include as a form of domination magic. Working Workingss which w hich impart impart this powe p owerr aare re sim si milar il ar to what I refer to above as “compelling” but with no specified target or intention. It is for this reason I do not consider it domination, because, in my opinion, there must first be som s ometh ething ing to to dom do minate. High John the the Conqueror oil is a traditional trad itional example of an influence enhancing formula. It tends to simply make things go your way. Potent general influence i nfluence formula; for mula; Sunflower oil High John the Conqueror root chips. A pinch of tobacco snuff A few hairs of a solid s olid black cat Infuse in sunlight for one month. For a “quick fix” use a crock pot on low heat for 24 hours. Crown of success oil; Olive oil Bay leaf Frankincense resin Vetiver etiv er herb Sandalwood Sandalwood chips chips Lingum aloes chips Infu Infuse se in sunli sunligh ghtt or with wi th low heat. Use to overcom over comee obstacles obs tacles and 136
obtain your desires. Anoint the head, hands and heart with the oil while reciting the 112 th psalm ps alm before settin s etting g out out to do your business.
5 Glossary of Hoodoo Terms Condition- a state created by a spell. Commonly seen in reference to malicious work as in "to clear crossed conditions" but it is equally a term for desirous states or influences such as those imparted by magical oils, conversely known as "condition oils" Conjure- another word for hoodoo, used in the sense of the worker or the work done. Curio- any object, natural or man-made, of fascinating or unique appearance appear ance that that may may be used in i n conjure conjure work. wor k. vil Eye- a common form of crossed condition produced by the negative energy transmitted transmitted by the the ill i ll will wi ll of an onlooker or onlookers. It can come from a single confrontation of great intensity or can accumulate over time. Likewise, the sender may be one person or several people. Envy, jealousy, resentment and hatred are often the source of this curse and the effects of it can be extremely varied. Fix - either to dominate someone in some way (as with "boss fix" oil) or to bond bond a mag magical ical formu formula to an individual individual or intent intent (using (using sexual sexual fluids fluids to "fix" a jar spell to a couple). It is the equivalent to the Europe European an witch wi tchcraft craft term "bind" as in i n "binding someone someone to your will wi ll"" or "binding "bi nding something something together" and it is interesting to note the common expressions "in a fix" or "in a bind" both of which which mean mean "to be caught in a difficult situation" as it would seem to follow that the meanings
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go hand in hand. oodoo- anything to do with magic. A practitioner of magic is “a hoodoo” and one who practices professionally for others is a “hoodoo doctor” and to cast as spell on someone is “to hoodoo them” and to be affected by metaphysical forces is “to be hoodooed” nfluence - eeither ither a condition of general generalized ized and unspec unspecified ified dominan dominantt energy imparted by a spell or the the sources so urces of o f a condition as in "repelli "repel ling ng negative negative inf i nfluen luences." ces." In the the later case, the term may refer to real people who may or may not be intentionally causing the condition, or to metaphysical influences such as negative thought patterns or even incorporeal entities or spirits. Job- another name for a spell in hoodoo, especially in the case of professional work such such as “Conjure “Conjure doctor doctor did a job to improve improve my my luck” luck” ay- to put a curse on som so meone, especia esp eciall lly y when putt putting ing down track and path crossing crossi ng spells spell s as in th the phrase phrase “he laid roots for for me.” me.” ojo- a term of unknown origins most commonly referring to a type of talisman consisting of a bag filled with a number of items meant to produce a desired effect and then sealed by sewing or tying shut. Mojo is also used in the the com co mmon vernacular to descr d escribe ibe a perso pe rson's n's radiant ra diant magical magical energy. energy. Someone Someone with w ith great great charm c harm and charism charis ma might might be descri des cribed bed as having “strong mojo” mojo” where someone someone who w ho often often goes goes unnot unnoticed iced or is easily easi ly taken taken advantage advantage of has “weak “w eak mojo” mojo” ature- as in “one's sexual sexual nature” nature” meaning meaning their their fertility fertili ty,, viri vi rili lity ty and and sexual drive. Usually seen in reference to “taking a man's nature” meaning to make him impotent or unable to get an erection with anyone but the intended partner. partner. Th There are also als o spells for restorin res toring g and streng strengthen thening ing someon someone's e's nature. oot work - conjure work using plant and animal components Sighted- to possess a gift of natural psychic prowess. To be “sighted” or “have the sight” does not always refer to clairvoyance (literally “clear seeing” meaning to have psychic visions) but may refer to any number of
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psychic psychic gifts. gifts. Some Some “seers” are ar e simply simply made made to kn know thing thingss by the the grace grace of some higher power and are prompted by no other sensory input. Others may perceive unk unknown th things ings via some some psychic psychic extension extension of th the natu natural ral senses, commonly touch or sensation. It is not unheard of for people to psychically receive rece ive throug through h taste or sm s mell. ell . Furthermore, Furthermore, som so me hoodoo people pe ople may have have a special talent for scrying (crystal or mirror gazing) or reading cards (common playing cards are more traditional to hoodoo than the tarot decks popular popular with w ith Europeans.) Europeans.) and and any any and and all displays dis plays of psychic psychic talent or oracular oracular power is sti is still cal led “sigh “si ght” t” among among hoodoos. ll called
Spirit, Spirit , spurrit, spurri t, ghost, ghost , gast, geist, gei st, haint, hai nt, hag, bugabur, devil, devil, angel, angel , enie- All Al l manner anner of incorporeal incorpor eal entities entities may be encountered encountered in hoodoo work. Benevolent spirits may be called angels, djinn or genie depending on the christian or muslim background of the speaker. Ghost, gast and geist all mean an unquiet or restless remnant of a dead person. Haints and hags essentially equate to “evil witches” and may refer to an evil or unpleasant person, a person who has has someh somehow ow acquired great great infern infernal al powers power s or to a non-phy non-physic sical al being which troubles people pe ople and feeds off of their their energy. energy. Bugaburs are malicious spirits usually found in nature and, especially, dreary drea ry and forgotten forgotten places. plac es. My grandfath grandfather er “captured” one in the the swamps s wamps once and it remains housed in a cypress knee here in the family home as a protective protective totem totem.. Devil is just anoth another er name name for a spirit and and is usually usually malicious, except in the case of the cross-roads initiator who is an imposing, imposing, but not neces necessar saril ily y mali malicious cious figure. figure. Throw- to cast a spell, most commonly a malicious one. Example “I got a hoodoo man to throw a curse on my ol' lady” or “imma throw roots on him to cross his nature” Trick, jinx, hex, vex, cross, hurt - a negative or malicious spell. It should be noted noted th that "hex "hex work" is actually a dutch term for any kind of magical work and is, more or less, yankee yankee hoodoo. Likewise, Likewis e, "to vex" is antiquated/pos antiquated/posh h English English for "to annoy annoy or cause distres di stress" s" and a nd the the term may may follow with wi th "hex "hex"" as being more more of a European/white/yankee term. Southern black folk tend to use language like "she put a hurt on him and tricked his nature so he could love no one else." Being "jinxed" or "crossed" are fairly universal terms used commonly by whites and blacks alike. The phrase "to cross one's path" has a dual meaning in hoodoo as it refers to both the physical act of meeting in passing as well
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as to laying malicious spells in foot tracks. Turn- to send a spell back to to the the one who cast it. it. also called c alled "reversal" "rever sal" Two-Headed - someone who works with an angel, devil or spirit to do conjure, tell fortunes, etc. Work - the act of casting a spell ("working") or and interim period of a spell ("let it work for six days") and sometimes the act of putting components together while charging them with your own spiritual and physical energy ("work them together with a mortar and pestle")
Sources; Most information information herein comes from personal perso nal experience experi ence and first-han firs t-hand d accounts and any resemblance to other works, fictional or otherwise, is purely purely coincident coincidental al or the the result of traditions traditions passed down throug through h history which are bound to be repeated by authors addressing the same, or related subject matter. matter. Some Some inf i nformat ormation ion was w as deri d erived ved from fro m peer researc res earch. h. Among Among those published works used for reference are; oodoo Herb and Root Magic, Magic, Catherine Yronwode Obeah, a sorcer s orcerous ous ossuary, os suary, Noch Nocholaj olaj De Matos Matos Frisvold Fri svold WebMD PDR for herbal medicine, second edition University of Maryland (website) Suggested Reading: oodoo Herb and Root Magic, Magic, Catherine Yronwode The Black Pullet - Anonymous The 6th and 7th Books of Moses - Anonymous
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Pow-Wows or The Long Lost Friend – George Hohman
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