Historical and Contemporary Hoodoo Root Doctors, Practitioners, Fortune Tellers, and Shop Owners

kittymojo · Unread post by **kittymojo** » Thu Feb 06, 2014 5:32 am

Loved the Mary Alicia Owens! Thank you for the link.

Kitty Mojo

Unread post by **jwmcclin** » Thu Feb 06, 2014 7:20 am

lousydowser thanks, I need a good read.

Alexx · Unread post by **Alexx** » Mon Feb 10, 2014 1:47 am

Most of what is known of their journey - includig a decision, halfway, to abandon their terrified children with strangers - has been told by the women to lawyers, friends and the police. …

Unread post by **Miss Phoenix** » Tue Feb 11, 2014 8:56 am

This is really interesting. I am curious to see if there are any reports of this from American sources, as this was written by a UK website. There is a lot of incorrect information and I wonder if that would be true from a more local source who might have more access to valid information?

Unread post by **nagasiva** » Tue Feb 11, 2014 10:03 am

3 complete beef tongues with 18 needles and undercover police drug investigator names on papers were found January 18, 2006, apparently discarded near a school playground (a threat to dogs!). When informed of the fact that this was the remnant of a spell, they were pointed to the Lucky Mojo page on it ("A quick search on http://www.luckymojo.com turned up the hoodoo spell.").

The page was probably the Court Case page in catherine's free online book "Hoodoo in Theory and Practice", here: http://www.luckymojo.com/courtcase.html#beeftongue

The original article was printed in the Portland Tribune on Feb. 3, 2006, written by Jacob Quinn Sanders and repeated by the author here on a blog called 'Headless Body in Topless Bar' ("JQSWorks") with a post called simply 'Hoodoo'.

http://jqsworks.wordpress.com/oregon-stories/hoodoo/

Thank you, Jacqueline Mathers, for finding this blog post and bringing it to the Alumni Fb group.

Terilyn · Unread post by **Terilyn** » Sat Feb 15, 2014 11:05 pm

Hello - I live in the triangle area of North Carolina. I've been looking for an experienced rootworker and have had not success. I only wish I would have had an opportunity to meet Ms. Murphy. Is there anyone who has now taken over her work who is just as effective in the area? I am in dire need of assistance. Thank you for your help!

Unread post by **Miss Aida** » Sun Feb 16, 2014 10:05 pm

Hello, Terilyn,
I am not sure who lives around there.
But, our AIRR members do indeed give magical coaching (if you're looking for a mentor). And they also perform spells).
You might even want to check out their areas. Maybe someone does live near you
http://readersandrootworkers.org.
Take care

Unread post by **Mrs Black Indian** » Mon Feb 17, 2014 8:43 pm

Hi Terilyn,
There is a great store in Greensboro, NC that may be able to help you. The owner is a graduate of Cat's!!! The store is Eclectic By Nature. You can google it. If need be you can PM me for more information. Good luck and blessings.

Havoc1981 · Unread post by **Havoc1981** » Mon Mar 03, 2014 9:10 am

Sara Murphy was my adoptive grandmother (her and my maternal grandmother were born on the same day). I remember her letting me play with her old deck of cards when I was about 13 or so, she had a old desk as her work station in the back of her house. her clients always went through the car port into her waiting room me and mother however always went through the main door on the left side cutting through the kitchen and dining room. I always saw mason jars filled with 50 cent pieces and Epsom salt and other herbs on my way to her work room.

We always went to her mainly because my mom always had root thrown at her from either family members, enemies, or people just wanting to see her do poorly in life, but "mama" (what my mother called Sara) always fixed and sent it back to whoever's doorstep by the time we got back to Fayetteville, NC.

Some of you reading this may have questions about what all she did in her workings and to be honest i couldn't tell you. She would try to teach me but at the time i had no idea what any of it was. I just knew my mother would go visit Sara when her spirit told her she needed to go see her. The thing about Sara is she would always tell people she'll take whatever someone put on you off or she'll open the doors for you for a job or whatever else was needed, but she won't do any hexing on anyone else and if they wanted that they need to go on and find someone else.

I been to Greensboro and seen "T" but I don't think she works anymore. She was gonna give a number to someone she knew that does work but he only does it if he wants to.

I've tried doing the work myself sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. For me, normally it doesn't unless It's in dire straits.

My question to any of yall is do you know anyone in the SC/NC that does work like mama or close to it? I need help, because I got people throwing stuff left and right at my mother and to be honest I want that stuff to stop like right now.

Unread post by **Miss Aida** » Tue Mar 04, 2014 9:33 pm

Hello, Havoc1981,
Please read the posts above yours.
Especially the one directly above yours.
Thanks

Darrinwow · Unread post by **Darrinwow** » Sun Apr 20, 2014 6:01 am

Hello All....

I'm a new member to this forum, but not new to the teachings of miss cat. I have to say that I was one of the folks that believed Appalachian Folk Magic influenced Hoodoo, and luckily after researching the information via HOODOO IN THEORY AND PRACTICE, I see that is historically not the case.

I live in Northern Arkansas, and of course Ozark Folk Magic was established here many years ago, it seems to have since faded into history.

A question to the forum, would Ozark Folk Magic also be influenced by Hoodoo practices, and not the opposite like some believe?

My great-grandfather, James Chadwick, used the Bible to heal folks, and stop bleeding. I'm wondering if he learned other workings from the African American folks that worked the cotton fields, as they were all based in the eastern flat land region of Arkansas. His wife was also 1/2 Cherokee so there is some influence there as well. He died and never passed on his knowledge to any of the family. They are all pretty much right-wing Bible folks and they like to keep his "workings" under the table.

Funny how much we learn if we actually research the History, yes?

Happy Easter!
Darrin

Havoc1981 · Unread post by **Havoc1981** » Wed Jun 04, 2014 8:23 am

Travayne d

Miss Aida wrote:Hello, Havoc1981,
Please read the posts above yours.
Especially the one directly above yours.
Thanks

Trevayne doesn't do work last time I asked her.

Unread post by **catherineyronwode** » Wed Jun 04, 2014 9:49 am

Sorry, this thread is drifting off-topic. The Lucky Mojo Forum is for our clients and customers, to help them se our products. We host historical information for those interested in the study of our shared past, and we do support members of AIRR, but we do not run a tourist information bureau or site for reviews of psychics. Thanks for understanding.

galeb · Unread post by **galeb** » Mon Jul 28, 2014 3:55 pm

I understand that in VooDoo the Invoking of the Gods is a common practice. Is this also done in HooDoo? I have seen no indication of such, in the writing on the site.
If it is not understood what Invoking is, it is calling the Gods, (one of them) to take over your body.
It is also common in Wicca as in calling down the moon. Being possessed by the Goddess.

Unread post by **JayDee** » Mon Jul 28, 2014 5:37 pm

Hoodoo is based on the Christian Tradition and is worked by like 90% protestant church members. Some catholic brothers and sisters also exist and use the saints and many of the catholic prayers. The invoking of gods is not a practice as i am aware in hoodoo. It is not uncommon to work with spirits and to pay for their help, ask for their help etc. Note that Voodoo and Hoodoo are two different practices, unfortunately they get mixed together because 1. African Americans practice both in different parts of the world, 2. they sound the same. Some similarities exist such as use in candles or herbs and stuff but those carry on in most folk traditions that exist in the world. In hoodoo we rely on God to answer our prayer and the spirits of the root to work with our intention.

Unread post by **Miss Aida** » Tue Jul 29, 2014 1:00 pm

Hello, galeb ,
Please be mindful of where you post questions.
This is not the appropriate thread.
As j82 has pointed out, Voodoo and Hoodoo are 2 different practices. We discuss Hoodoo on this forum.
I suggest that you read this webpage that Miss cat has written: http://www.luckymojo.com/hoodoohistory.html
This topic is now being moved to the appropriate subforum
Take care

Unread post by **brian_s** » Wed Jul 30, 2014 6:53 pm

Hello all!

So whenever I am reading through my copy of Hoodoo Herb and Root Magic, I always love looking at the old pictures of different herbs from old suppliers. Over the last year or so, whenever it crosses my mind, I will always try and do a quick google search for the companies featured in these old ads. However, nothing ever comes up in the search! (other than ebay listings of old boxes/paraphernalia)

I was wondering if you all knew anything about these old suppliers; why they went out of business, what other things did they sell, or who their audiences were.

Some examples that come to mind are Murray and Nickell (MFG Co.) and Allaire Woodward and Co.

If anyone has any information on the history of these companies, I would love to learn about them! And Cat, thank you so much for including the old ads in the book! I am a big history buff, so old advertisements and pictures are always so intriguing to me. Hope you all are enjoying your week! :]

-Brian
Raleigh, NC

Unread post by **J-Mo** » Fri Aug 01, 2014 5:00 pm

Hey Brian,

I love the vintage ads as well, there is a ton of information Miss Cat has put up on the history of hoodoo at http://www.luckymojo.com/hoodoohistory.html
including info about some of the vintage companies. Blessings

Unread post by **brian_s** » Fri Aug 01, 2014 7:32 pm

I've read it, but thanks! I was looking for specific information about the companies I've mentioned, Murray and Nickell Mfg. Co. and Allaire Woodward and Co. So strange how they have seemed to disappeared into thin air!

Unread post by **catherineyronwode** » Sat Aug 02, 2014 9:42 am

Brian,

There are two reasons those companies disappeared:

1) The passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 put a lot of pressure on herb vendors to keep their products pure, which was a good thing, but the agency that enforced the law -- the Food and Drug Administration -- seemingly colluded with large pharmaceutical corporations to drive a lot of small-time manufacturers of herbal teas, tonics, and poultices out of business. These intermediary manufactories were the largest customers of the herbal growers. When the Volstead Act ("Prohibition") was passed in 1919, the makers of herbal tonics were completely cut off from supplies of alcohol, which had been deemed a "dangerous additive" in 1906) and this caused a definite shrinkage in the number of such manufactories, depressing the market for raw herbs.

2) At the same time, in the search for standardization of doses (another form of "purity," and not a bad idea), the large pharmaceutical companies began to market the isolated chemicals found in herbs as "active" ingredients. The best known example of this is aspirin, isolated from Willow bark. Some of the refinement was accomplished by using the herbs as raw ingredients (called crude drugs), but increasingly the "white tablets" and "convenient capsules" became purely a product of the synthetic chemical industry, and herbs were not always needed to craft the "active" ingredients. This led the entire herbal medicine industry to crash and burn. One of the few survivors was Parke-Davis, which made a successful transition from herb packager to chemical manufacturing company. The others were simply not so lucky or were not so inclined. By the 1940s, herbal medicine was considered to be quaint, rural, rusticated, and old-fashioned.

Unread post by **catherineyronwode** » Thu Aug 14, 2014 10:58 pm

Thanks for posting this.

Unread post by **catherineyronwode** » Sat Aug 16, 2014 9:32 pm

Darrin,

Stopping bleeding wth a Bible verse, a rhymed enchantment, or a spoken formula is a fairly European class of work, found in Norse trolldom, Germanic folk magic, etc. I would consider it one of the instances in which back Americans incorporated white folk magic rather than the other way around.

I think the real problem wit those who claim that Appalachians / Irish-Americans / Scots-Irish Americans / Ozark folks "influenced hoodoo" or, as some have claimed, "originated hoodoo," is that they really do not know what hoodoo is and how different it is, on the whole, from European folk magic. They see a couple of similarities and assume that hoodoo is just that. Hoodoo is a different way of working, a black American way of working. Hoodoo root doctors have indeed incorporated a number of European and Jewish concepts and spell-families into their work, but the opposite is rarely the case. You will not find very many white Americans actually practicing hoodoo, despite their claims on the internet.

For instance, chewing hot spicy roots and seeds and then either holding them in your mouth or under your tongue while talking (which anthropologists would call a form of ordeal-magic) or spitting out your hot-spicy saliva after chewing them for a target to step in (which anthropologists would call a form of foot-track magic) is not a big deal in Appalachian folk magic, but it is in African American folk magic. Today a person came to this forum and asked about putting Cardamom Seeds in a doll baby. I was non-plussed. You chew them. Cardamom is in the Ginger family, like Little John to Chew and Grains of Paradise Seeds, all of which are also chewed in hoodoo. The querent had no grasp on the larger context of how hoodoo works, and just wanted to use Cardamom Seeds to stuff a love-doll, working in the European tradition. There's nothing wrong with that, but the topic here is hoodoo, and there are other forums where European and European-American folk magic are the central focus of discussion.

Unread post by **catherineyronwode** » Sun Aug 17, 2014 11:00 am

Thanks for this post. The material is of particular interest to those who are trying to bring down to earth the rather fabulous claims of those who have recently invented something called "Ozark Hoodoo," despite the fact that black controbutions to Missouri culture were regionally defined, and took place primarily in the South-eastern "Little Dixie" counties rathar than in the Ozarks.

The newspaper article about "Voodoo or the Fetish faith" is typical of its time. Such articles often, but not always, specifically refer to slaves who had been brought in illegally after the official end of slave importations. They are often embedded in a kind of literary trope or urban legend concerning the unpredictable "African" religious rites of these illegally-acquired foreign-born slaves in which the outcome is a murder. I am not saying that such murders did not occur -- of course they did, as documented in legal papers of the time -- but the cautionary side-story in these accounts was that illegally acquired "pure African" slaves were more dangerous to have around, in many ways, and for many reasons -- one reason being their adherence to the "Fetish religions" of Africa.

Thanks very much for the documentation.

How and when these African religious retentions evolved into hoodoo of the type i am documenting -- 20th century rural and urban black folk magic -- is a contested issue. Just as with the similarly contested issues of how much Germanic folk magic was admixed into Ashkenazi Jewish folk magic and how much Iberian folk magic was admixed into Sephardic Jewish folk magic during the Jewish diaspora in Europe, the question of "what in hoodoo is African?" is fraught with hotly argued issues of identity politics and academic special-pleading that render simple public discussion difficult. Thanks for helping bring the past to light.

galeb · Unread post by **galeb** » Mon Aug 25, 2014 2:14 pm

j82 wrote:Hoodoo is based on the Christian Tradition and is worked by like 90% protestant church members. Some catholic brothers and sisters also exist and use the saints and many of the catholic prayers. The invoking of gods is not a practice as i am aware in hoodoo. It is not uncommon to work with spirits and to pay for their help, ask for their help etc. Note that Voodoo and Hoodoo are two different practices, unfortunately they get mixed together because 1. African Americans practice both in different parts of the world, 2. they sound the same. Some similarities exist such as use in candles or herbs and stuff but those carry on in most folk traditions that exist in the world. In hoodoo we rely on God to answer our prayer and the spirits of the root to work with our intention.

Thank you, I was just curious, being some of the other forms of magic does so, and I knew that prayers to God was used. Thanks for the clarification.
P.S. I am well aware that Hoodoo and Voodoo are two entirely different practices.

liminalSister · Unread post by **liminalSister** » Thu Aug 28, 2014 2:42 pm

Hello Everyone!

I was looking on the forum for this info and I didn't see an answer to this. I know Harry Hyatt used field recording equipment to assist in gathering the source materials for his books. I wonder if any of those wax cylinders still exist? Is anyone in contact with his estate? Wouldn't it be amazing to hear some of the original men and women describing their work? When I bought my volume 4 of the set I seem to recall the seller telling me this copy (still in its shipping box) came from the Hyatt family storage where they had sat unsold during his life (what a shame)

In any case I have always been curious about the original recordings..

Thanks!
Madeleine

Unread post by **catherineyronwode** » Thu Aug 28, 2014 11:07 pm

No, the wax cylinders do not exist. They were expensive, and once each cylinder was transcribed, Mr. Hyatt sent it in to be resurfaced for re-use. This is why he transcribed everything phonetically; he knew the recordings would be wiped out.

He did make a shellac record of one person, a very short clip.

That's it.

Lovemydogs · Unread post by **Lovemydogs** » Wed Sep 17, 2014 6:26 pm

Hello,

I was interested in ordering Hoodoo - Conjuration -
Witchcraft - Rootwork" book
by
HARRY MIDDLETON HYATT but I could not find the link to order that book and I would like to add that book to a list of other materials that I am waiting to purchase.

Could anyone suggest anything?

Thank You.

Unread post by **J-Mo** » Thu Sep 18, 2014 3:45 am

Hello lovemydogs,

To my knowledge, after a decade of selling them, Hyatt's books "Hoodoo - Conjuration -Witchcraft - Rootwork" are no longer carried by Lucky Mojo because the stock left behind at Mr. Hyatt's death was all sold. A limited number of these books were published, so they are rare and costly.

However Lucky Mojo has provided information on Hyatt and his informants. Check out the following links.

http://www.luckymojo.com/hyatt.html

http://www.luckymojo.com/hyattinformants.html

Best regards

Unread post by **Frank Owen** » Fri Sep 19, 2014 12:01 am

Greetings lovemydogs.

The best thing to do, with the Hyatt books, is first, contact your library and see if they can get them on inter-library loan. I did, and actually got one, and they let me have it for 3 months!!
Some libraries will get them as reference materials and you will have to go to the library and take notes.

And finally , a well known online book chain, one you all know, often turns up copies, or even sets of these books. Be forewarned they are EXPENSIVE, but worth tracking down (if the rest are like the vol one which I have for another 3 weeks!

Just keep an eye out, and do not hesitate to try your library's Inter-Library Loan System!

Good Luck!

Frank

Unread post by **catherineyronwode** » Sat Sep 20, 2014 11:34 pm

Interlibrary loan is a great way to get these and other rare books. I also recommend that everyone who is seriously interested in hoodoo read "Folk Beliefs of the Southern Negro" by Newbell Niles Puckkett.

Unread post by **ConjureMan** » Sun Sep 28, 2014 2:03 pm

In interesting news:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/0 ... ird%20News

John Robert Lind Admits To Putting Semen In Co-Worker’s Coffee: Cops

by David Lohr, Senior Crime Reporter, The Huffington Post

09/05/2014 04:41 pm ET
Updated Jan 13, 2015

Unread post by **DocMurphy** » Sun Sep 28, 2014 5:28 pm

He liked her and thought that was a way to get her to notice him? Seriously?...
Dude, that is not how to impress a woman.
Yeesh. Someone send that poor woman some Four Thieves Vinegar.

Keeping my lid on my lattes. LOL.

Doc Murphy
St. Paul, MN

Unread post by **Miss Aida** » Mon Sep 29, 2014 12:43 pm

Doc,

You're funny!! LOL

Unread post by **MissMichaele** » Mon Sep 29, 2014 3:41 pm

Well... it was a trick, but not sneaky.

Seriously, why would anyone drink spoiled cream? Even if it was actually spoiled cream?

Unread post by **catherineyronwode** » Tue Oct 14, 2014 10:23 pm

Here is a good article on the preliminary archaealogical work being down on The Church of the Innocent Blood, formerly under the direction of Mother Catherine Seals, in New Orleans, Louisiana:

http://www.myneworleans.com/New-Orleans ... ritualist/

Dr_TJ Soul · Unread post by **Dr_TJ Soul** » Wed Oct 29, 2014 4:43 pm

Hello all,

I am here looking for more money information. I have a reasonable library, but I dont own any of Harry Hyatt Books. I recently found a deal on a few Harry Hyatt books. I know that most books have a wide variety of information, but I was wondering if there is one Harry Hyatt book with a strong amount of money information.

Thanks
Dr_TJ Soul

Unread post by **ProfessorAmes** » Wed Oct 29, 2014 7:04 pm

Hi Dr_TJ Soul,

The Hyatt books are difficult to obtain, particularly volume 1 and 2 as they were published in a much more limited basis. Interlibrary loan is your best bet to get the books to you.

The structure of the books is not by spell type, but by interview (generally so). So, while gathering the information he recorded whatever type of information they provided. In the later volumes, there was some attempt to index the structure of the book, like a table of contents, but no indexing by spell type or such. There is mention of a final volume 6 to include an index (and I assume cross index by subject) by his assistant Michael Edward Bell. This was never published to my knowledge.

You have to remember that Hyatt was a folklorist, his interest was in capturing the stories and the people involved in the tradition. This was not intended as "how to" book at all.

Hope that helps.

Dr_TJ Soul · Unread post by **Dr_TJ Soul** » Thu Oct 30, 2014 5:16 am

Thank you Professor Ames
I appreciate it.

HicksKicks · Unread post by **HicksKicks** » Thu Jan 29, 2015 2:46 am

thank you for all the links

it really helps me big time

Unread post by **AlyssaH** » Fri Mar 27, 2015 9:27 am

Not sure if this is for the news section, but it's written on a topical comedy site, but it gave me a chuckle & it's Hoodoo related

(Spoiler, it's written from a sceptic's viewpoint.)

http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-bizarre-o ... ck-charms/

5 Famous Lucky Charms That Get More Baffling With Research

By Alice Jane Axness Alice Jane Axness · March 27, 2015

thegoodwitch · Unread post by **thegoodwitch** » Tue Apr 21, 2015 10:09 am

you can find information about valerie boles' burial here. hope this helps!
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cg ... d=44073889

caffeinated24x7 · Unread post by **caffeinated24x7** » Tue Jul 07, 2015 10:47 pm

Interesting article. I live near Dallas and have traveled that road between Dallas and Shreveport many times. Freaky.

Unread post by **catherineyronwode** » Thu Mar 24, 2016 9:00 pm

Released May 14th-15th, 2016

Legends of Incense, Herb, and Oil Magic by Lewis de Claremont, first published in 1936, now, on the 80th anniversary of its publication, restored and re-released to the public as part of the Lucky Mojo Curio Co. Library of Occult Classics.

BOO-GRI-LIHO
Legends of Incense, Herb, and Oil Magic by Lewis de Claremont, ed. cat yronwode
$12.00

You can order right here in the Forum by clicking on the blue Add To Cart button.

LEGENDS OF INCENSE, HERB, AND OIL MAGIC: Esoteric Students' Handbook of Legendary Formulas and Facts
by LEWIS de CLAREMONT

Author of

Secrets of Attraction
The Ten Lost Books of the Prophets
The Master's Course of Lessons in Hypnotism
The Ancient’s Book of Magic; The Ancient’s Book of Formulas
The Seven Keys to Power; The Seven Steps to Power
Legends of Incense, Herb, and Oil Magic
How to Get Your Winning Number
The Home Herb Doctor

Inventor of Hypnopoule

Illustrated by
Charles M. Quinlan

Restored, Revised, and Edited by
Catherine Yronwode

PREFACE 3

INTRODUCTION 6
General Principles 7
Magic As a Definite Religion 8
Magical Secrets of Compounds 8

CHAPTER ONE:
LEGENDS OF OILS 10
Occult and Psychic Anointing 11
Understanding the Trinities 12
How to Anoint 15
How to Dress a Candle 16
Oils Used in Magic 18

CHAPTER TWO:
HOW TO USE OILS 20
Altar Oil 20
Angel Oil 20
Attraction Oil 21
Bat's Blood Brand Oil 21
Bible Bouquet Oil 22
Black Art Oil 23
Buddha Oil 23
Chinese Oil 23
Cleopatra Oil 23
Commanding Oil 24
Compelling Oil 24
Concentration Oil 25
Dove's Blood Brand Oil 25
Exodus Oil 25
Five Circle Oil 26
High Conquering Oil 26
Hindu Grass Oil 27
Indian Guide Oil 27
King Solomon Oil 28
Kyphi Oil 28
Lovers Oil 30
Magnet Oil 30
Mecca Oil 31
Planet and Planetary Oils 31
Power Oil 31
Rose of Crucifixion Oil 32
Spirit Oil 32
Success Oil 33
Temple Oil 33
Ten Commandments Oil 33

CHAPTER THREE:
LEGENDS OF INCENSE 35
Reasons for Using Incense 35
Incense in Divine Worship 35
Incense Used in Magic 37
How to Make Liquid Incense Oil 38
Formulas for Making Incense 38

CHAPTER FOUR:
HOW TO USE INCENSE 40
Abtina Incense 40
Attraction Incense 40
Black Incense 40
Ceremonial Incense 40
Cleopatra Incense 41
Commanding Incense 41
Compelling Incense 41
Lovers Incense 41
Lucky Planet Incense 42
Magnet Incense 42
Mystic Rites Incense 43
Oriental Incense 43
Power Incense 43
Psychic Vision Incense 43
Spirit Guide Incense 44
Success Incense 44
Temple Incense 44

CHAPTER FIVE:
SACHET POWDERS 46
Sachet Powders 46
How to Make Sachet Powders 46

CHAPTER SIX:
WASHES AND BATHS
Baume Tranquille 47
Modern Baume Tranquille 47
Bush, Herb, and Condition Baths 47
White Lavender 47
Red Lavender 47
Chinese Wash 48
Seven Holy Spirit Baths 48

CHAPTER SEVEN:
LEGENDS OF HERBS 50
The Doctrine of Signatures 50
The Tree of Life 50
Herbs of the Classical Gods 51
Poisonsous Botanicals 51
Flowers and Herbs of the Virgin 52
Flowers of the Nativity 53
Herbs of the Crucifixion 55

CHAPTER EIGHT:
HOW TO USE HERBS 58
Adam and Eve Root 58
Alkanet Tree 58
Belladonna 58
Bethel Nut 59
Buckeye 59
Cactus 59
Clover 59
Devil's Shoestring 59
Dragon's Blood 59
Elder 59
Fern 60
Five Finger Grass 62
Frankincense 62
Fungi 62
Good Luck Herbs Mixture 63
Grains of Paradise 63
Graveyard Dust 64
Hawthorn 64
Hellebore 64
Henbane 65
Holy Herb (Yerba Santa) 65
Jack-in-the-Pulpit 65
John the Conqueror. High 65
John the Conqueror, Low 65
John the Conqueror, Southern 65
Juniper 66
Kalmia 66
Life Everlasting 66
Lodestone 66
Loving Herbs Mixture 66
Lucky Hand Root 66
Marjoram 66
Master of the Woods 66
Milkwort 66
Mistletoe 67
Myrrh 67
Myrtle 68
Oriental Gum Resin 68
Periwinkle 68
Poke 68
Queen Elizabeth Root 68
Queen's Root 68
Rattlesnake Master 68
Rosemary 69
Rue 69
Sacred Bark 69
Saint Johns Wort 69
Sandalwood 69
Sang Root 69
Sea Spirit 69
Smellage Root 69
Star Fish 70
Sumbul Root 70
Tonka Beans 70
Waahoo Bark 70
Walnut 70
Wormwood 70

CHAPTER NINE:
LOVE MAGIC 72
Love Powders 72
Classical Love Philtres 72
Classical Aphrodisiacs 73
African Love Beliefs 73
Hindu Love Beliefs 73
Persian Love Beliefs 74
Asian Love Beliefs 74
European Love Beliefs 74
American Love Beliefs 75
Midsummer Herbs for Love 75
Curious Water of Myrtle Flowers 75 Angel Water 76
The Spring Nosegay 76
Hippomanes for Lust 76
Dill for Love 77
Coriander, Violet Valerian 77
Sea Holly (Eryngoes) 77
Making the True Love Powder 77
Ambergris as an Aphrodisiac 78
Amulets for Love 78
To Continue Love Once Obtained 79
To Reduce Love 79
Turtle Dove Powder 80
Water of Magnaminity 80
Famous Love Poisons 81
Truffles for Seduction 81
Mandrake for Lust 82
Knapweed for the Future Husband 82
Basil and Women 83
Dragon’s Blood for a Lost Lover 83
Heliotrope for Fidelity 83
Lemon Peels for Truth in Love 83
Wecker’s Secrets 84
Cubebs, Opium, and Spices 84
The Notary Art of Solomon 85
Alcohol and Sugar for Lust 86
Herbs for Quenching Love 86
Water of Chastity 86
Wax Effigy Doll for Love Revenge 87
Untying and Tying the Knot 87
Three Impossible Tasks of Love 88

CHAPTER TEN:
TALISMAN MAGIC 89
Making Metallic Talismans 89
Table of Affinities 90
Talismanic Secrets 90
Seals from the 6th Book of Moses 91
Seals from the 7th Book of Moses 92
How Talismans Are Used 94

AFTERWORD 95

96 pages, $9.00. on sale to the world!

Unread post by **rev.jordan** » Mon Apr 25, 2016 2:25 am

I will say that the practice is still common among the Lumbee Indians and many black Americans in rural, South-Eastern NC. But my black students have nothing positive to say about "roots" -- it's all the devil's work so far as they're concerned; messages they get in church. A few of them claim to have a family member killed by "roots" -- so either there's a disproportionate amount of negative work in the area, or they've just never heard of the positive side.

They don't go to root doctors to have "roots" lifted, they seek deliverance at church from gifted pastors, ministers, and bishops who can lift a "root".

This is all based on a discussion in class the other day.

Unread post by **Miss Aida** » Mon Apr 25, 2016 7:20 pm

Hello, Obskultus,

This is interesting.

Thank you for sharing this information.

the9minds · Unread post by **the9minds** » Mon Aug 22, 2016 9:38 pm

I am trying to find a comprehensive list, or even compile one of conjure men and women from slavery through the 1950s. I know Aunt Carolyn Dye, Marie Laveau, and that's where it pretty much stops. Thank you so much in advance.

Unread post by **catherineyronwode** » Mon Aug 22, 2016 9:48 pm

the9minds --

That list would be many thousand names long -- and due to the conditions that prevailed, many names will never be known. In my youth, during the 1960s, there were at least twenty professional conjure doctors in the East Bay alone and more than fifty each in Chicago and Atlanta.

Slavery ended in 1865 and your cut-off date is 1950, so that's 85 years. But if you want to go back *during* slavery, which began around 1500, that's 365 years earlier than emancipation. So let's just stick with the 19th and 20th centuries.

Newbell Niles Puckett cited 400 sources in the 1920s. Harry Hyatt interviewed more than 1,600 rootworkers from 1936 though 1940, and although he lost his "names book" that correlated names with interview numbers, we still have the names of dozens of his informants in part or in full.

Okay, so here are a few conjure doctors, all of them working before 1950 (and some working after that as well). The earliest on this list were born around 1830.

Jim Jordon
Allen Vaughn
Myrtle Collins
West Leland
Madame Wiley
Dr. Griffin
Sara Murphy
Dr. Sam
D. Alexander
Rev. Charles P. Colbert
Dr. Jack Kerry
Dr. E. P. Read
Ed Murphy
Sister Powers
Mr. Matthew Murray
George Jackson Dennis
Zippy Tull
Rajah Rabo (Carl Z. Talbot)
Madame Fu-Futtam (Dorothy Hamid)
Joshua Wilson
Madam Pauline
Dr. Buzzard
Robert Bryant
Daddy Snakelegs
Root Doctor Johnson
Aunt Dinah (Chattanooga, Tennessee)
Ethel Waters (Wilmington, NC)
Doctor Paul Bowles
Rev. Arthur C. Foster
Madame Popalouse
Aunt Caroline Dye

So ... that's more than 30 names for you. And the list goes on and on and on.

the9minds · Unread post by **the9minds** » Tue Aug 23, 2016 7:20 pm

Thank you Ms. Yronwode.

Unread post by **Miss Aida** » Tue Aug 23, 2016 8:46 pm

Hello, the9minds,

We all learned something from your question.

Unread post by **catherineyronwode** » Fri Aug 26, 2016 9:57 pm

Hello, the9minds --

I know that i was not be able to answer in full. I have a lot of stuff memorized, but not everything. Good luck in your research.

holyguyver · Unread post by **holyguyver** » Sat Oct 29, 2016 1:18 pm

I am an author who is writing a fictional book which features a main character who is a practitioner of Louisiana Voodoo, but that only factors into the story in one scene, where she is to do a protection spell to protect her family from people with evil intent.

Since I want that scene to be as accurate, authentic, & non-offensive as possible, I was wondering if anyone could give me an example of such a spell; what objects would be used, what words would be spoken, etc.

I thank anyone for their response/help, & if you would like more information about the plot, in order to tailer the spell more to the character's situation, I would be willing to elaborate on the plot. Thank you, & perhaps your answer will also be able to help those who are in need of protecting their loved ones from people with evil intent

.

Unread post by **catherineyronwode** » Sat Oct 29, 2016 2:07 pm

Hello,

This forum is about hoodoo, rootwork, and conjure, NOT Voodoo. The following thread contains information on the kind of spells you are seeking:

spells-to-protect-family-from-bad-famil ... t2235.html

And this thread may help you understand the difference between Voodoo and hoodoo:

hoodoo-religion-voodoo-wicca-santeria-w ... 10231.html

Good luck.

holyguyver · Unread post by **holyguyver** » Sat Oct 29, 2016 7:35 pm

Thank you, I am sorry that my question wasn't an appropriate fit for this forum; the only reason I posted this question at this forum is another author suggested I ask it here, so I did.

I have read the protect family post you link to, but since it is about protecting family from other family members or friends of the family, it doesn't fit my situation, as the character's situation is protecting her family from strangers in a new community they have moved to, a community which is discriminating prejudicially against them; also, as noted, the character practices Louisiana Voodoo. So is there a better forum for my question?

I apologize for asking my question in an incorrect place.

Unread post by **catherineyronwode** » Sun Oct 30, 2016 10:22 am

No problem.

If the type of protection you wish the character in your novel to deploy is more general, try searching through this group of threads instead:

ask-us-for-conjure-help-with-protection ... k-f42.html

You can also use the Forum's search engine and search for key words such as family, entity, criminal, racist, danger, or whatever best suits your scenario.

Good luck.

Unread post by **catherineyronwode** » Tue Feb 14, 2017 7:40 pm

http://fox42kptm.com/news/local/man-cau ... lston-shop

CLICK THE LINK FOR VIDEO, INCLUDING SURVEILLANCE CAMERA FOOTAGE.

Transcript:

Man caught on camera dumping 'symbolic' pile of dirt at Ralston shop

by Steve Saunders

Monday, February 13th 2017

RALSTON, NE (FOX42KPTM) - Candle shop owner Alex Fernandez spent part of the afternoon reviewing his security footage.

"When we came in Sunday to open up, we noticed there was a pile of what looked like sand or dirt on the mat in front of our doorstep and that's not normal,” said Fernandez as he watched the video from Saturday night.

It shows a man dumping something from his bag on the front step of the Hearthside Candle shop in Ralston.

It's something that's left Fernandez stumped.

"We are a meta-physical shop and this was kind of the meta-physical equivalent of leaving a dead fish on someone's doorstep. It's meant as a threat," said Fernandez.

He says that threat could bring bad luck to his business, including a lack of customers.

"The fact that this person would do this and get caught doing it is just pretty stupid," Fernandez.

He says his focus is now to step up security. Since the incident, he has installed a new surveillance camera.

"We went and talked to people today to see if anybody had seen anything, and the community has really rallied behind us since we got here,” said Fernandez.

Unread post by **catherineyronwode** » Sun Mar 19, 2017 10:24 pm

Harry M. Hyatt reports on the news in 1972:

HCWR, Vol II, page 2179

This morning (November 6, 1972) on the 7 o'clock CBS televised news, I saw and
listened to a brief report showing some black people in Beaufort (Biu'fert)
County, S.Car., reviving their African tribal dance. More interesting to me was
the sheriff, 26 years in office, who related some of his experiences with hoodoo.

[This would have been James Edwin McTeer, 1903-1979, Born in Hardeeville, South
Carolina, Ed McTeer was appointed sheriff of Beaufort County, South Carolina on
February 11, 1926 when his father died, leaving an unexpired term in office. He
was sheriff for 37 years.]

Mentioned were one of the Doctor Buzzards (see pp.891-905) and the after-my-time
Doctors Bug and Eagle. The surprising thing said by the sheriff went like this:
years ago few white people believed in this sort of thing, but now more than 60%
of them are believers! More whites than blacks believe in hoodoo!

The Beaufort newspaper reporter then introduced a young white man with a spell.

Finally a psychiatrist in Charleston was asked, "Is there anything true in hoodoo?"
The doctor gave the only possible reply under the circumstances, "If you believe it,
it is true for you."

Amazing was the statement made by the national anchor man, vho opened the interview
by informing us that witchcraft had died out everywhere in the United States except
the Southern States. Where has he been all these years! Even if he has never heard
of FACI and HOODOO, a visit to the nearest paper-back stand or the reading of daily
newspapers would enlighten him.

Here is a convenient place to summarize references to what informants say about
the numbers of people, black and white, who believe in hoodoo and witchcraft:

see title quotation, p.l860, from p.l870;
pp.I-II, INTRO., vol. 1;
white believers, not numbers, p.l909, line 36-43;
p.894, line 34;
p.897, line 24;
and probably other places.

Unread post by **amithyzt** » Sun Aug 06, 2017 8:28 pm

I couldn't stop giggling at the implied jab- 'This is unusual as they get - at least, here in Texas; I don't know about Louisiana.'

Meanwhile, I was HOOKED as soon as the steering wheel "squirmed to life and started pummeling her" ... That's some heavy snizz right there!

Unread post by **catherineyronwode** » Mon Sep 04, 2017 8:27 am

This is a repost of a dialogue between Papa Gee and myself. I am bringing it here because it may be of interest to my students and others who are working with the "Hoodoo - Conjure - Witchcraft - Rootwork" and "Folk-Lore from Adams County Illinois" collections by Harry M. Hayatt.

Papa Gee:

found a 1935 folklore from adams county illinois harry hyatt for $150. Worth buying for that price?
I couldn't stand it. Afraid someone would snatch it up and bought it. Looks in wonderful condition.
have you sold all your other sets of Hyatt books?

Catherine:

$150.00 is a fair price for FACI, 1935. When i bought from the storage shed in which Harry Hyatt's unsold books were kept, i paid $20.00 a copy and sold them for $50.00 a copy and they sold very slowly, as did the 1965 edition of FACI and the 5 volumes of HCWR. It took me about 7 years to sell all the books i acquired (hundreds of them), at $50.00 per volume.

All of Hyatt's stored books entered the marketplace in due time, and i have had none for sale for the past 10 years. After my supply was exhausted, prices rose dramatically as the books became "objects of virtue" in their own right -- unopened tomes that some people sought to possess for reasons of perceived prestige.

I recommend that all professionals and home practitioners read the HCWR books.

In them you will find mostly older, rural tricks (Hyatt's average interview subject was born in the 1880s - 1890s) and although hoodoo drugstore products were in wide use by then (as one can see by reading the earlier "Black and White Magic of Marie Laveau" or "Mules and Men" books by other authors), relatively few tricks made with products were collected by Hyatt as he clearly stated that his mission was to refer back one or two generations. He preferred unschooled and rural informants, and he marked as "N.G." (no good) some interviews with root doctors who purchased from or worked at hoodoo drug stores. This does not make him a bad collector of folklore, but rather one who set himself a carefully delimited set of goals and fulfilled those goals admirably.

Unread post by **catherineyronwode** » Mon Nov 20, 2017 7:45 am

Here's an interesting news story, courtesy of Shelby O'Connelly, who spotted it and posted it to Facebook:

=====

‘Beef Tongue Shut Up Hoodoo Spell’ Doesn’t Block Fraud Charges

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) – A financial adviser and former radio host accused of running a Ponzi scheme has discovered there is no magic way to escape the charges.

An FBI affidavit made public this week says agents searching Dawn J. Bennett’s home recovered instructions for placing three Securities and Exchange Commission attorneys under a “Beef Tongue Shut Up Hoodoo Spell.”

Agents found written instructions for casting spells – and also shelves filled with hundreds of pairs of shoes.

=====

A full account of the findings at the home of Dawn J. Bennett, including multiple freezer spells made with the names of officials from the Securities and Exchange Commission, can be found here:

http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2017/08/ ... doo-spell/

I am always fascinated to see evidences of folk magic in unlikely situations. In this case, it seems that the practitioner was printing out spells from the internet and using them to try to stop the court proceedings against her.

More details on Dawn J. Bennett and on the SEC case, as of 2016, can be found here:

http://www.investmentnews.com/article/2 ... -j-bennett

Folks in Facebook are chuckling, saying that she did "the wrong spell" or that magic is foolish, but i give her an A for effort. She tried. The thing is, if she really is a criminal, she may have been so full of herself that she forgot that God also listens to the prayers of the sorrowful, the injured, and the victims of crimes such as these, and she was not the only one working to win.

My takeaway lesson from this is not that a greedy, narcissistic, rich, white woman used African American hoodoo spells that she found on the internet to try to beat a serious legal charge of financial fraud -- it's that in the Book of Proverbs 15:6-9 there is still great truth:

Proverbs 15

6 In the house of the righteous is much treasure: but in the revenues of the wicked is trouble.

7 The lips of the wise disperse knowledge: but the heart of the foolish doeth not so.

8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.

9 The way of the wicked is an abomination unto the LORD: but he loveth him that followeth after righteousness.

Unread post by **amypeacelove** » Mon Nov 27, 2017 8:53 pm

So interesting that she’s out on a $5 million bond. I love the quote from Proverbs.