Hoodoo, Rootwork And Conjure Sources By Black Authors

A Working Bibliography of Books On Rootwork/Conjure/Hoodoo That Are Actually Authored by Black Folk

 “Wherever there are Africans, or people of African descent, there is magic.”- Faith Mitchell

 My calling to rootwork is ancestral. However, I unfortunately I have yet to encounter elders in my life to apprentice under on this plane of existence.  Coming up, I didn’t know other people who identified themselves as rootworkers/hoodoos/conjurers etc. Being a scholar (among other identities), my entry point into hoodoo began with books, archives, and scholarly journals. As a result, I was able to garner a wealth of information as to what hoodoo is and isn’t, which recipes (old school hoodoos don’t cast ‘spells’) to use for what, to be able to engage in an intangible mentorship with the elders that came before me. All of these things have informed how I move through the world and grow stronger in my practice.

    As a result of a White spiritual hijacking of African Traditional Religions and Africana Magico-Spiritual practices (i.e. hoodoo), the vast majority of the information about hoodoo on and offline has been authored by white people, so much so that they have become the face of hoodoo (similar to white women and yoga). 

    For those of us who are looking to grow and learn from other Black practitioners, here is a working list of books. This list consists solely of non-fiction texts, however, there is a lot to learn from novels as well, perhaps I’ll create a part two some other time. 

Please hit me up if I am missing anything or if you have a personal connection with these texts, I’d love to be in conversation. 

Many of these mentioned texts can be found online for Free.99. 

Also, sorry this is a long ass post. 

My Personal Favorites:

   1. Jambalaya: The Natural Woman’s Book of Personal Charms & Practical Rituals - Luisah Teish

 2.  Of Mules & Men- Zora Neale Hurston

3. Working the Roots: Over 400 Years of Traditional African American Healing

4. Mojo Workin: The Old African American Hoodoo System- Katrina Hazzard-Donald

5. Black Magic: Religion and the African American Conjuring Tradition- Yvonne P. Chireau

6. Secret Doctors: Ethnomedicine of African Americans by Wonda L. Fontenot ( I think this one might be out of print but much of it can be found online via Google Books) 

Honorable Mention: Tell My Horse- Zora Neale Hurston

 Ok, so this is one of my absolute favorite texts though it doesnt discuss American hoodoo. It focuses on Haitian Voodoo and Jamaican Obeah. However, there is a lot that can be learned from this text and how African magico-spiritual practices are indeed “scientific” as opposed to mere superstition. 

Additional texts that I haven’t gotten to reading yet or are simply not in my favorites (no shade, no tea):

7. Hoodoo Medicine: Gullah Herbal Remedies - Faith Mitchell

8. 365 Days of Hoodoo: Daily Rootwork, Mojo and Conjuration- Stephanie Rose Bird

9. Sticks, Stones, Roots & Bones: Hoodoo, Mojo and Conjuring with Herbs- Stephanie Rose Bird

10. A Healing Grove: African Tree Remedies and Rituals for Body and Spirit - Stephanie Rose Bird

11. African American Folk Healing- Stephanie Mitchem

12. Faith, Health, and Healing in African American Life (Religion, Health, and Healing) - Stephanie Mitchem ED. 

13.  God, Dr. Buzzard, and the Bolito Man: A Saltwater Geechee Talks About Life on Sapelo Island, Georgia - Cornelia Walker Bailey

14. Rootwork: Using the Folk Magick of Black America for Love, Money and Success- Tayannah Lee McQuillar

15. Voodoo & Hoodoo: The Craft as Revealed by Traditional Practitioners- Jim Haskins

The Poppy Fairy by Luis Ricardo Falero (1888)

Four of Swords. Art by Jesse Lonergan, from The Unveiled Tarot.

The Degree Theory + My Take on it

Hello guys! I’ve received a lot of questions in regards to the degree theory, and I decided that I should make a post about it. So I’m going to give the basis of the degree theory (note: this is based on research not what I believe) and then I’m going to give my opinions on it based from my own observations. 

TW: Ab*se, s*x, su*cide, m*rder, mentions of d*ath. 

*** If you get paranoid easily, be careful reading this because it discusses some  dark stuff. Remember, these aren’t the be all end all. In the end, we all determine our fate! ***

So first let’s take a look at what each degree symbolizes! 

💋 Degrees 💋

Aries degrees- 1°, 13°, 25°: taking action and control over your life, ab*se, struggles, leadership, battle, beginning, struggling, “fast”, the color red, sports/athletes, the police, and bravery. 

Taurus degrees- 2°, 14°, 26°: wealth, the voice, singing, money, the color green, luxuries, the earth. “The best or top level of something”. 

Gemini degrees- 3°, 15°, 27°: “two”, double, siblings, hands, neighborhood, friends, birds, tea, geometric patterns, documents, communication, electronic devices, books, self-expression, and the color yellow. 

Cancer degrees- 4°, 16°, 28°: mother, home, traditions, loyalty, nurture, crowd, public, water, faith, femininity, emotions, family, the color white and property. 

Leo degrees- 5°, 17°, 29°: strong, bold, royal, leader, attention, life, high school, fun, athletes, creativity, self-expression, strength, gym, mountain, the hill, hair. 

Virgo degrees- 6°, 18°: Health, sickness, hospitals, doctors, routines, pets, to make smaller, diminish, work, and to be of service. 

Libra degrees- 7°, 19°: fairness, law, business, partnerships, beauty, earrings, fashion, charm, music, art, marriage, courtroom, 

Scorpio degrees- 8°, 20°: secrets, death, sex, insurances, taxes, jealousy, pregnancy, manifestation, wealth, to take from others, and borrowing. 

Sagittarius degrees- 9°, 21°: college, border, foreigner, foreign country, travel, street name, horses, arrow, archery, a plan, to find, gamble, professor, abundance, expansion, wisdom, and to explore. 

Capricorn degrees- 10°, 22°: public office, public official, coal, slow, delay, decay, cold, fear, depression, control, the color black, ambition, father, coldness, and public attention. 

Aquarius degrees- 11°, 23°: divorce, surprises, flying, a high place, high tech, engineering, new technology, helping others, friends, organizations, humanitarianism, su*cide, networking, electrician, and electricity. 

Pisces degrees- 12°, 24°: Swimming, water, rain, flood, fog, unclear, secret, hospital, drugs, alcohol, prison, painter, p*rnography, sleeping, shadows, madness, the psyche, lethargy, and our unconscious. 

💋 Stand-out Degrees 💋

0°: Purest form of the sign, i.e. if you have Aquarius Mercury in 0°, you embody that placement. 

2°: From what I’ve gathered about this degree, it’s a very powerful one to have. It is literally the degree of supreme power and are well positioned to accomplish big things. Nikola has claimed that throughout his research, he has found that people with planets, houses, lunar nodes, vertex, the 4 cardinal points (AC, IC, DC, MC), and aspects have all been linked to making remarkable achievements and were highly respected. I have Moon in the 2° so we’ll see what happens…👀

5°: This is the degree of eroticism. It’s connected to beauty, and charm. Many sex symbols like Marilyn Monroe had this in their chart. It can also be a fame indicator as well, as it is a Leo degree. He stated himself that this is one of the best degrees to have as it is all about enjoying life and having fun. I have this degree in Mars, I’m still waiting for the fun to happen

6°: Can indicate a love affair at work if it is on the 5th house cusp. (i.e. your 5th house being in the 6° degree). 

7°: Can indicate affairs while married if it is on the 5th house cusp. scandalous.

11°: So I saw a few different meanings for this degree. One source said it indicates massive wealth, and another said that Aquarius degrees indicate divorce, but Nikola said that 11° is more connected to su*cide. Personally, I know people with this degree, and they’ve never shown an indication that they would do something like that. So take this one with a grain of salt. 

15°: This aspect indicates car accidents. To a more extreme degree it indicates assassination, m*rder or killing. Remember, this manifests differently for everyone. I can’t stress this enough. 

18°: So apparently this aspect is “pure evil”. Before I continue, I personally don’t think it’s this evil and awful degree. It manifests differently for everyone. At its worst, it can indicate rare diseases, tragic accidents, and making someone “evil”. Imo, I think that this degree can indicate difficulties in life, I have it in the 12th and my best friend has it in her sun sign, and we’ve had difficult lives but we haven’t encountered any rare diseases or tragic accidents *knock on wood*. Nor are we evil LMAO. So I wouldn’t worry if you have this degree. As for health issues, I think where you have it can indicate where you’re prone to get health issues. I have it in the 12th house which is the psyche, and I have anxiety and depression. However, this does NOT mean that you’ll get those illnesses and that they’ll be rare or extreme in anyway. Sorry I kinda rambled here. 

20°: Jealousy and/or revenge. Where this shows in the chart could show an area where someone is jealous or if the person is the type to want to seek revenge. 

22°: Again, take this with a grain of salt. Nikola stated that he’s found this degree in the charts of murderers as well as those who have been murdered. Remember that degrees manifest differently for everyone. Donald Trump has this and he’s still here. Like other posts I’ve seen here on Tumblr, I agree that it can refer to more of a figurative death ( @astrroloaries ). It can also refer to destruction, a loved one passing away, and grief. Also, @saintzjenx stated in her post about this degree that it can refer to abandonment. So again, be skeptical with this one. 

23°: This is the degree that’s used more for divorce, now I will say that I’ve seen this degree in the charts of divorced people. However, this won’t apply to everyone, like other degrees we discussed they all manifest differently. 

29°: This degree can indicate clairvoyance and high potential. I discussed this in another post, so I’m going to just copy and paste what I said. “One theory states that the person has clairvoyant potential. Other astrologers has found that it can signal destruction, i.e. Donald Trump has this. This is debated however, Nikola Stojanovic (the main creator of the degree theory) believes that this degree is benefic. It is also said that this degree can symbolize karma from a previous life, and that there’s a lesson that you didn’t learn from a past life and brought it into this life. It is also said that people with this degree challenge the status quo and could be impulsive. Also you might be impulsive when it comes to expressing your feelings and emotions.” 

💋  My Thoughts + How I apply them 💋

Okay, so now that we’ve gotten through each degree, I personally think that the degrees show more of the “themes” in the particular house or planet that it it’s in, rather than assigning personal characteristics. For example, I have my Sun in the 3°, while I have some Gemini influence in my chart, I also am a Gemini in sidereal astrology. So I can’t exactly say that the degree is the reason why I come off as one. However, since the sun is your basic identity and path of life I can say I’ve had these kinds of themes in my life. I’ve struggled a lot with expressing myself and communicating. Also, writing is a big part of my life as I’ve stated that I struggle with saying my feelings, so I tend to write them. Also I love to read, and since Gemini refers to “double”, I am double jointed LMAO. Kind of reaching there. So I like to say that it manifests more as themes, rather than personality traits! Essentially, if your Sun is in a different zodiac degree than your zodiac sign, it wouldn’t make you like that sign, it would give you themes regarding that zodiac sign, like I stated with my own example. 

Same thing can be applied to the houses. My IC is in the 25° which is an Aries degree and I had a very rough childhood. I fought with my parents a lot, and I dealt with my fair share of bullying (technically ab*se in a way). I also used to be very athletic, I would play a bunch of different sports. Also kind of reaching again, but my neighbor when I used to live in my childhood home is a cop (as this degree also rules the police). 

So, for my next degree post I’m going to talk about how to view degrees for each of the houses and planets. Again, these are just my opinions! 

I hope this was informative for everyone, this was kind of a long post, and I spent a lot of time on it. 

JUNGKOOK WHAT THE FUCK

Reblog/ like if you post witchy stuff like…

Note: magick is used as an umbrella term here, it can be sigils, easy spells with little materials, candle spells, crystal spells, essential oil magick, moon magick, divination, tips, etc. as long as it is related to what I’m looking for. ***Also, I am looking to keep the magick white and not aimed at a specific person*** (I don’t hate those who do the other kind of magick as long as it’s within reason, it’s just not for me)

wlw astrology compatibility type-stuff

wlw magick (**sigils mainly** but I’m also looking for magick like simple candle spells, crystal spells, moon magick, tips, etc.)

Sexuality (bisexuality) confidence magick

Anti-homophobia magick, acceptance from others

Other queer witch blogs

Blogs open to (lgbt) sigil requests

Self-confidence wlw magick

General romantic confidence magick

etc.

No hate allowed. Thanks in advance!  🏳️‍🌈

Hello!!! How are you?

I really resonated with your venus trine pluto post. Your aesthetic is just elite ✨

May you please tell me about Pluto in the 5th house?

Thank you in advance!!!

Hello. I'm doing okay and thanks for your words. And sure, I can do that.

Pluto in the 5th house

These natives are endowed with a lot of magnetism and power of seduction. Their mystery is something that makes them irresistible in the eyes of others. Despite being somewhat reserved people, they can be very seductive and can be very skilled at flirting. They are very observant people with the people around them, they like to get to know people deeply before connecting with someone else. These people fear and hate the idea of ​​projecting themselves as immature or easily-fooled people, so their heart and their inner child are things that they will not show so uninhibitedly. They are known for projecting a lot of power and people may think that they have what they want or that it is easy for them to have what they want. High level of sex appeal and a strong sense of self. They know how to defend themselves quite well and will not be afraid to face someone who disrespects them, brave, intrepid and with a lot of inner strength.

There is the possibility that the native does not want to have children or many children, if yes, they will take it very seriously. Children can feel very protected or intimidated by the native, depending on the aspects of Pluto. They are people very dedicated to everything they like or care about, be it their hobbies, their work, their relationships and even their children if they decide to have them. They tend to have a preference for mysterious, intense couples who are willing to give everything to the natives, who fill their lives with emotion, feelings that they have not experienced before and with whom they can have a dramatic, intense and exciting connection.

As a couple they are very interesting, intense and often transform their partner on a large scale. There is something in them that can drive their partner crazy no matter how long they have been together, they also tend to attract people who, even if they have already finished their relationship with the native, continue thinking and wanting to know about the native. They take their relationships very seriously and hate wasting time, so it may take a while for them to open up to people, but this is to see if it's really worth it or not. Despite this intensity, they are very constant and soft people once they give their hearts to the right person. In sexual terms, they are people who enjoy making their partner feel full and happy, they can play hard to get and they like their partner to do it too, the bedroom will never be a boring place with these natives.

~Elysian

Hoodoo, Rootwork and Conjure sources by Black Authors

Because you should only ever be learning your ancestral ways from kinfolk. Here's a compilation of some books, videos and podcast episodes I recommend reading and listening to, on customs, traditions, folk tales, songs, spirits and history. As always, use your own critical thinking and spiritual discernment when approaching these sources as with any others.

Hoodoo in America by Zora Neale Hurston (1931)

Mules and Men by Zora Neale Hurston (1936)

Tell my horse by Zora Neale Hurston (1938)

Let Nobody Turn Us Around: An African American Anthology by Manning Marable and Leith Mullings, editors (2003)

Black Magic: Religion and the African American Conjuring Tradition by Yvonne P. Chireau (2006)

African American Folk Healing by Stephanie Mitchem (2007)

Hoodoo Medicine: Gullah Herbal Remedies by Faith Mitchell (2011)

Mojo Workin': The Old African American Hoodoo System by Katrina Hazzard-Donald (2012)

Rootwork: Using the Folk Magick of Black America for Love, Money and Success by Tayannah Lee McQuillar (2012)

Talking to the Dead: Religion, Music, and Lived Memory among Gullah/Geechee Women by LeRhonda S. Manigault-Bryant (2014)

Working the Roots: Over 400 Years Of Traditional African American Healing by Michele Elizabeth Lee (2017)

Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo" by Zora Neale Hurston (2018)

Jambalaya: The Natural Woman's Book of Personal Charms and Practical Rituals by Luisa Teish (2021)

African American Herbalism: A Practical Guide to Healing Plants and Folk Traditions by Lucretia VanDyke (2022)

These are just some suggestions but there's many many more!! This is by no means a complete list.

I recommend to avoid authors who downplay the importance of black history or straight out deny how blackness is central to hoodoo. The magic, power and ashé is in the culture and bloodline. You can't separate it from the people. I also recommend avoiding or at the very least taking with a huge grain of salt authors with ties to known appropriators and marketeers, and anyone who propagates revisionist history or rather denies historical facts and spreads harmful conspiracy theories. Sadly, that includes some black authors, particularly those who learnt from, and even praise, white appropriators undermining hoodoo and other african and african diasporic traditions. Be careful who you get your information from. Keeping things traditional means honoring real history and truth.

Let me also give you a last but very important reminder: the best teachings you'll ever get are going to come from the mouths of your own blood. Not a book or anything on the internet. They may choose to put certain people and things in your path to help you or point you in the right direction, but each lineage is different and you have to honor your own. Talk to your family members, to the Elders in your community, learn your genealogy, divine before moving forwards, talk to your dead, acknowledge your people and they'll acknowledge you and guide you to where you need to be.

May this be of service and may your ancestors and spirits bless you and yours 🕯️💀