Working With The Spirits Of The Dead (Necromancy)

Small human skull decor, a doll made with genuine coffin woods, graveyard dirt, genuine Dead Man's Bones, and cigar, to be used in a necromantic spellwork.

Life After Death

When discussing necromancy or working with the helpful and uncanny dead, we need to understand our concept of the afterlife. Everyone intending to work with the spirits of the dead needs to do this. Your notion about the afterlife would depend entirely on your religious path, culture, or tradition. It is up to you to seek out your Church doctrines, your family tradition, or your own spiritual discernment. Since only you can formulate the synthesis of your own beliefs, the only advice I can give is to learn more about the spirit world through your own direct experiences with the supernatural and/or to work by the rules and regulations of your own religion or Church. Suppose you belong to a Christian Church in which the concept of Heaven and Hell is institutionalized. In that case, your fellow adherents or the minister will be able to educate you about it.

In my case, I am a Folk Judeo-Christian and Afro-American tradition monotheist and henotheist who believes in the Otherworlds as a series of distinct realms outside of this physical realm or plane. This has dramatically influenced my belief on the subject. It is important to remember that this is my own belief, and it is not my intention to convert people to any religion or impose my spiritual and cosmological views on them. If my description of my concept of life after death offends anyone, I apologize in advance.

I personally believe that we are living in a vast, multiverse place. Different paths have different cosmologies, so your soul and my soul do not go through the same process when we die. I hope that everyone reading this article understands that my view does not apply to everybody and yours to me. Your personal beliefs, expectations, and even fears contribute to what will happen to you after death.

• Go into the Realm of the Dead of a particular path or tradition

I believe that somewhere in the otherworlds are the lands of the dead or ancestors of different paths' cosmologies, and that's where we go when we die. To me, the otherworlds are vast and distinct - inside the realms of the spiritual plane are hundreds of domains of the dead within the otherworlds. So somewhere in the Otherworlds is Heaven and Hell for the Christians; the Irkalla or Kur of Ancient Mesopotamians and Sumerian polytheists; the Aaru and Duat of Ancient Egyptians and Kemetics; the Elysian Fields and Tartarus for the Ancient Greeks and Hellenics; Summerlands for the Wiccans and other Neo-pagans; Guinee of Vodoos; etc.

Personally, I will likely go into Sheol or Gehinnom - the biblical land of the dead.

"Let my prayer come before you, turn your ear to my cry for help! For I am oversupplied with troubles, which have brought me to the brink of She'ol. I am counted among those going down to the pit, like a man who is beyond help, left by myself among the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave -you no longer remember them; they are cut off from your care. You plunged me into the bottom of the pit, into dark places, into the depths. Your wrath lies heavily on me; your waves crashing over me keep me down. (Selah) You separated me from my close friends, made me repulsive to them; I am caged in, with no escape; my eyes grow dim from suffering. I call on you, ADONAI, every day; I spread out my hands to you. Will you perform wonders for the dead? Can the ghosts of the dead rise up and praise you? (Selah)" [Psalms 88:2-10]

If I died, my soul would pass through the gates of the netherworld, leaving articles of clothing and adornment at each entrance, which would serve as toll fees for my passage and keep me from going the wrong path. I call Sheol or Gehinnom' Otherworldly Washing Machine.' Because that's exactly how it would work for me. How my soul would be cleansed in Sheol is similar to how our clothes are taken off and washed in a machine. This is the symbolic meaning of leaving articles of clothing at the gates.

This is like putting myself in my dirty shirt's shoes, so to speak. If I were to be taken off, thrown into boiling hot water, and flung around for half an hour, I might start to feel that the person who owns me doesn't really like me. However, the fact is that it's only after going through a wash cycle that I as a shirt can be used again.

We don't put our dirty clothes in the washing machine to punish them. We put them through what seems like a rough and painful procedure only to make them clean and usable again. The water loosens the dirt, and the force of being swirled around shakes any stain or grease off completely. Far from hurting our clothes, we're doing them a favor by putting them through this process.

So too, with my soul. Every act I do in my lifetime, in my opinion, leaves an imprint on my soul. The positive ones I do brightens and elevate my soul, and every wrongdoing leaves dirt, rust, or stain that needs to be cleaned. If I leave this physical world without fixing the wrongs I've done at the end of my life, my soul will be unable to reach its place of rest on high. I must go through a cycle of deep cleansing. Again, this is not a punishment, as, in Jewish teachings, Sheol had no punishment or reward.

Of course, this whole process can be avoided. If I choose to be reincarnated and make amends with the souls I have hurt, I can leave this world with "clean clothes."

• Remain earthbound

If I die a sudden and traumatic death (accident, murder, or suicide), there's a high chance I'll remain earthbound. This is because I'm still in a state of shock. Based on countless documented stories worldwide since the beginning of man's history, spirits or souls don't automatically get catapulted to the land of the dead at once. Some are still around for a while. This is nothing new, but many people, especially conservative Christians, still have difficulty accepting it. Usually, 'earthbound' means that I'm not here in the physical plane by choice but that I can't move on for whatever reason. Either I'm not aware that I'm already dead, I still have unfinished business that won't let me move on, or I don't know where to go. This is why spirits of the departed can be seen in places where they once lived, worked, played, or were last seen.

• Choose to remain Earthbound

This would happen when I choose not to move on. Perhaps I want to stay and watch over my family; I want to wreak some havoc on the living because of revenge, vengeance, or retribution; or I'm seeking answers and justice. Sometimes being earthbound is a conscious decision, and if your will is strong enough, you can make it happen.

• Become Spirit Guides or Guardian Ancestors

African people brought to America as slaves came from many different ethnic groups with different beliefs and practices, but in almost all of Africa, there is one unifying belief, and that is death is not the end of life; instead, it is a transition that is more appropriately called 'change of life. Africans believe that the departed's soul must exist somewhere in some otherworld. Elders may also choose to remain as an Ancestral spirit. They continue watching over their descendants to ensure that they are safe and grow to be honorable. This pan-African concept is called ancestral veneration.

• Reincarnate

I do believe in reincarnation, but not as the inevitable thing that many people do. I don't think that it happens to everyone, and I don't believe that it's a set, unchangeable process, but it's definitely one of the options out there, and many souls prefer to do it.

I think it's likely that reincarnation is linked to religion and cosmology. I believe some bare souls or spirits will always reincarnate because their faith's purpose is to evolve to the point of enlightenment, perfection, evolution, or ascension. This is a characteristic of transcendental religions, such as Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jewish Kabbalah. So for some people, reincarnation is a set automatic thing that will happen to them once they die. For others, it may not be a part of their afterlife.

Yoruba afterlife also consists of reincarnation, but they believe that a person can only reincarnate from his ancestors and into his descendants. This is why ancestral reverence is important in Yoruba because they think they are not just working with the spirits of the dead but actually remembering and learning from their past. That is the purpose of ancestral veneration in the Ifa religion; learning from the past to avoid committing the same mistakes again.

I believe it is just one of several options - some people do, and some don't.

Where do the souls or spirits choose their path?

One school of thought proposes that when a person dies, his soul and spirit go to another world located in the mental plane, where it is met by ancestors or spirit guides. The guides will show in detail the life he has just left, and they will know the effects his thoughts, emotions, intentions, and works have on other people. From this panoramic review of his life, he will decide whether to go to the land of the dead to learn his lessons, become a guide, helper, and guardian to others, or go back to earth as a new incarnation.

Of course, as I said at the start of this article, this is just my opinion. Therefore, you may accept or reject it.

African Roots of Working With Dead

Now, moving on to our main topic, it is undeniable that much of what we practice in this tradition closely resembles Bantu and Kongo magico-religious practices. In those two aforementioned ethnic groups and even in some other African tribes, working with the dead was rather prevalent during the period of the old kingdoms until the slave trade. It allowed people to admire the fact that some otherworldly or supernatural power may assist them with their problems, show them the right path, and help them make the right decisions.

In Kongo and other parts of Central and Western Africa, the people supported the idea of "nkisi." Ancient Kongo religion emphasized the necessity to work with the spirits of the dead, and the nkisi was one of the possible mediums to rely on. They served as the refuge to the friendly dead and prison to the uncanny deceased still attached to the physical world. Kongo people believed that any kind of exceptional human abilities or powers resulted from an interaction between the living and the dead.

With the help of the ideas and tradition offered by the enslaved Africans from the Kingdom of Kongo, the necromantic practice and the appreciation of the afterlife extended considerably in the New World and spread over the whole South Eastern United States. Nevertheless, while the Kongo cult of the dead origin can be shown to exist in Hoodoo, this does not mean that it was preserved without changing. The African-American practice of working with the dead is now a successful mix of Christianity, West African tradition, and tribal animism, which is so popular among conjure workers.

Kongo origin is not forgotten; its memory is firm in African-American Hoodoo spirit work. However, since the Kongo lineages were broken by the slave trade, Hoodoo spirit work organized itself based on oral tradition between elders and students or teachers and students rather than biological or initiatory affiliation. Thus, magico-religious rites and representations lost their ethnic basis since slaves originated from African regions other than Kongo. Later, Black creoles, mestizos, Whites, and even Asians also became practitioners of Hoodoo.

Working with a deceased person who is generally not a relative of the conjure worker is not actually a Hoodoo invention. For Kongo people, ancestral spirits were not the only spiritual entities one could commune with: they also took into account the "simbi" (wandering dead or local spirits) and, as previously mentioned, the nkisi (objects loaded with spiritual forces).

If researching the Kongo minkisi tradition and its relation to Hoodoo practice interests you, take some time to read also about Palo, Umbanda, Quimbanda, and other African Diasporic religions derived from the Congo. Remember, though, that these are initiatory religions, so studying them will not make you an adherent, and trying to practice them on your own without undergoing the initiatory rites of passage, such as the rayamiento ceremony or oath-taking, might cause danger to your spiritual and secular life.

A Mirror-Box Reversing Spell and Break-Up Spell calls the spirit of the dead to curse and haunt the oppressor of a client.

Working with spirit through spellwork, mainly contained spells, is like creating a nkisi, and this power object can be thought of as a sort of portable grave in which a spirit of the dead is present. Most nkisi required grave dirt from a dead person known for the kind of characteristics and qualities needed for that particular tool. Hence, picking the right grave was very important if they wanted to choose the right spirit for the right job. In Hoodoo, practitioners usually consider the following examples:

• Use the grave dirt of a soldier, policeman, or fireman for security and protection.
• Use the grave dirt of a priest or Church minister for spiritual protection.
• Use the grave dirt of a lawyer or judge to win a court case.
• Use the grave dirt of a police officer to catch a criminal.
• Use the grave dirt of a child to do your bidding.
• Use the grave dirt of a medical doctor to help overcome illness.
• Use the grave dirt of a conjure doctor to help overcome curses and spiritual maladies.
• Use the grave dirt of a thief for mischief.
• Use the grave dirt of a murderer for vengeance and enemy works.
• Use the grave dirt of an ancestor for love domination and family-related concerns.

The abovementioned traditional uses are so well known in the Black community that a graveyard dirt love spell for attraction was explicitly described in the blues song 'Conjured,' by Wynnonie Harris.

CONJURED

by Wynnonie Harris

You said it was love made me stutter when I talk,

But is it love that makes me stagger when I walk?

The Gypsy woman told me, "She's got you conjured, son"

Well, somebody's lyin' -- you are that Gypsy one.

You said I was jealous when I didn't go to work,

You sprinkled my shoes with graveyard dirt,

The Gypsy woman told me, "She's got you conjured, son"

Well, somebody's lyin' -- you are that Gypsy one.

The whiskey you bought me, I was afraid to unscrew it,

The Gypsy woman told me it was embalming fluid

You got a Black Cat Bone and a Buzzard Feather,

A John the Conquer Root and they're all tied together

The Gypsy woman told me, "She's got you conjured, son"

Well, somebody's lyin' -- you are that Gypsy one.

(Repeat last verse and chorus)

However, graveyard dirt is never taken without permission and payment to the dead. The following article about African-American folkways concerning the process of buying the bones and dirt of the dead, entitled Old Southern Graveyard Magic discusses the traditional ritual collection of graveyard materials.

Lover-Return Spell invoked the presence, power, and assistance of the client's deceased grandmother, utilizing her gravestones and favorite crystals she personally owned and used. 

Therefore, a Hoodoo-contained spell that involves graveyard dirt, personal belongings from the dead, or even bones is not different from a Kongo nkisi. Stylistically, though, while the Kongo minkisi had a traditional African appearance - from anthropomorphic to simple bags filled with magical items related to the spirits - the Hoodoo spells and charms are still made up following the same model: a vessel (bags, boxes, bottles, jars, pots, cauldrons) filled with herbs, stones, earth, and even animal and human bones.

Coffin Box Spell with graveyard dirt, mullein leaves, devil's dung, vandal root, sulfur powder, and other curios inside.

Some human remains used in Conjure are:

• Hand or Finger bones - for gambling luck and domination.
• Tooth - for justified revenge, and enemy works to bite your enemy on the ass.
• Skull - for gambling luck, necromancy and enemy works.
• Knee cap - for protection.
• Other bone pieces - for divination and luck. 

Bones of the dead people were and still are considered valuable and powerful curios or charms in the Hoodoo community, despite 400 years of subjugation by and assimilation into European American culture. Actually, some famous manufacturers or shops of African-American cosmetics and spiritual supplies, such as the Lucky Heart Company, sold and are still selling 'Dead Man's Bones' as they are used as an ingredient in lucky and protective mojo hands.

The relationship between the conjure workers and the spirits of the dead depends on the type of spirit he works with. The helpful and friendly spirits are treated with respect and reverence to make them work. In contrast, the uncanny and mischievous spirits deal with dominance and coercion, obliging them to act for the conjure workers. Spirits can be friendly and uncanny depending upon several factors, such as:

• The relationship to the living.
• Manner of death.
• Inherent character and temperament.
• Previous life (including occupation, gender, sexual orientation, religion, race, ethnicity, etc.)

Finally, as you know by now, Hoodoo is not an initiatory religion, so I should emphasize that, despite these African origins, Hoodoo spirit work is still a Folk-Judeo Christian practice, especially in its prayers and liturgy. The majority of conjure workers were Baptists, Pentecostals, Methodists, Catholics, and members of the Spiritual Church who brought the veneration of Native American spirits such as Black Hawk and Gray Eagle and other helpful dead, who, while alive, aided African slaves such as the Crown Prince or John the Conqueror, and Marie Laveau, and also some Church saints.

It's important to remember some reminders if you're planning to work with the dead:

• Protect. Always cleanse yourself after working with the spirits of the dead, meditate or pray with God and your spirit guides before doing any necromantic or mediumistic work, and use or wear any protective objects such as amulets and talismans that are empowered or blessed in the proper ritual.

• Sense. If you're trained within magical and psychic disciplines, try to 'feel' for your personal energies and the presence of any negative entity or energy within or surrounding you. The vibration of psychic leeches and astral nasties differs from the vibration of the spirits of the dead.

• Research and study. Another thing you can do is learn more about the spirit world to protect yourself from its nasty dwellers. For starters, find a mentor or teacher who can guide you so you will learn how to properly do necromantic spellwork and rituals.

• Prepare and engage. Make sure you've gathered the appropriate tools, materials, and ingredients necessary for the work to invoke the presence and assistance of the dead or to dispatch the attaching negative entity or energy if the situation calls for such. If you feel the situation is quite complex and complicated, do not attempt to perform any workings that involve the spirits of the dead. It's also not advisable to perform any spirit work if you're uncomfortable or inexperienced. 

African-American Funeral and Mourning Custom               

The customs have represented an amalgamation of different cultural traditions from African to European Christian and Native American. They are consciously or unconsciously preserved and handed down to subsequent generations.

• Cooking ceremony or "saraka" - large meals are cooked for everyone to consume. A portion is left on the veranda for the departed soul.

• Funeral procession etiquette - mourners walk or drive from the chapel or church to the cemetery in a procession but wait at the gate to ask permission from the ancestors to enter.

• Shouts - after a formal prayer meeting or service, mourners sing and dance around the graves.

• Breaking of vessels - similar to old Filipino custom, breaking dishes, glasses, bottles, or plates released the spirits within the objects and allowed them to join other spirits. 

• Passing children over or under the casket is another essential African-American custom similar to Filipino tradition. It is being done to break the chain of death and protect family members.

• Grave marking - sticks, stone slabs, and wooden markers are placed in tombs. Conchs and seashells of various species and plants like cedars and yuccas can be used too to mark or even outline gravesites.

• Grave decorating - objects related to the dead are placed on burial sites to prevent spirits from wandering in search of their personal articles or belongings.

Grave from the American South covered with domestic items, including a clock, coffee cups, goblets, and pots. (Photo courtesy of Photographic Archive, The Library of Congress.)

How To Use Crystals And Gemstones In Hoodoo?

Unlike most of the other systems of magic, most Hoodoo teachings (oral traditions) you would get from the down-home, old-fashioned conjure workers don't include any mentions of using crystals or gemstones within traditional spells and preparation of magical supplies such as oils, bath crystals, mojo hands, etc., except for minerals such as pyrites and lodestones, and other natural mineral powders, dust, grits and rocks such as salts, alum, saltpeter, and bluestones to name a few. This is because Hoodoo is a region-based folk spirituality and the region where it originated, the South-Eastern United States, is not a significant source of gemstones or crystals. Also, most African-American people many centuries ago didn't have the extensive ability to find and purchase crystals or other semi-precious stones until the 20th century.

Yes, some Hoodoo and African-American spiritual supplies shops carry a fine selection of crystals, not because they are prominent in Hoodoo practices but because they are trying to serve many people with different magical practices. Nevertheless, this is not to say that crystals don't have magical uses or have no use in Hoodoo practice. Conjure adapted some European occult practices within the Judeo-Christian folklore, and this includes the use of gems and myriad stones.

According to one of my mentor with both African-American and Jewish heritage, the use of crystals now in some healing modalities reflect early Hoodoo healing practices; conjure workers in the olden days often used different kinds of stones that they had found and gathered from nature, such as rivers, seas, swamps, crossroads, and forests which they blessed with prayers to ward off evil spirits and disease. Actually, my mentor and some conjure workers prescribe their clients to wear crystal talismans or amulets for curative purposes. The only difference is that old-style trick doctors don't give much thought or attention to the metaphysical properties of the collected stones. But my mentor, as his grandfather taught him, believes that a stone is proven only effective after it has "cured three people, or one person three times."

A Hoodoo approach to crystals and gemstones should still include prayer and traditional African-American practices. Unlike how some Neo-pagans and New Age adherents employ their crystals and gems in their magical workings, using crystal alone in Hoodoo should never usurp traditional occult practices of early rootworkers as the primary tool. "Traditional Hoodoo practitioners can't rely on crystals or gemstones. It's a supplement, not a substitution for herbal, mineral, zoological curios, and even prayers," my mentor said.

So how can one use crystals in Hoodoo practice?

Most conjure workers whom I know incorporate crystals through the preparation of amulets and talismans, which involves designing and fixing pieces of jewelry that integrate gemstones, precious metals, shells, sigils, beads, religious items or medals, and other lucky tokens such as coins and even animal curios for the conditions they are intended to address.

Other two-headed doctors use crystal balls as their tool for divination. Crystal balls became accessible to rootworkers after the Emancipation period, as European grimoire sources made their way into Hoodoo through mail-order houses and other Hoodoo supplies shops.

Quartz crystals are one of the most common ones used as an ingredient in a mojo bag and as a token or curio in a bone reading set. They are also used in spiritual workings during slavery time. Quartz crystals were one of the items archaeologists usually discovered under the floors of slave quarters, along with other Hoodoo trinkets such as coins, shells, roots, pins, buttons, glass beads, broken pieces of a china plate, etc. 

Whiskey

Conjure workers value this sought-after distilled alcoholic beverage as sacred or special water in its own right. It is made from a fermented grain mash of barley, corn, rye, or wheat. Whiskey or Whisky is used in the practice of Hoodoo just like how the Florida Water, Kananga Water, Hoyt's Cologne, and urine are also used in work to cleanse and baptize tools and curios such as candles, shells, stones, roots, bones, sticks, etc. and feed mojo hands, jack balls and lodestones. This practice has its roots from the Guinea Coast of Africa. 

Hoodoo, as we all know it, draws from folk medicine, which used to be the standard medicine many years ago. Whiskey tinctures are part of the old-time Hoodoo curative practice and lasted until this century. There are many recipes for herb-dosed Whiskey, of which the patient or client takes a teaspoon daily. Examples of these alcohol preparations are:

- To increase male nature, put juniper berries in Whiskey.
- To increase female nature, put angelica root in Whiskey.
- For protection, put devil's shoestring root in Whiskey.
- For love-jinx removal, put calamus root in Whiskey.

Graveyard dirt has been used by many Hoodoo practitioners to cause harm or unnatural diseases to one's enemies and also for ancestral work. Traditional ways of paying for graveyard dirt vary from worker to worker, but it is very important to get in touch with the spirit of the dead and make a respectful transaction and payment. To do this, if you have no particular grave in mind to visit, then allow yourself to be spirit-led to the grave that attracts you. When you have chosen a grave, sit down and relax. In your mind, release your fear and any negative thoughts and emotions you are feeling. Envision the spirit from the specified grave approaching you. Treat him with respect. A lighted white candle is always a symbol of the divine. It also symbolizes our prayers and belief that when we pray, God and the Higher Spirits are with us as the light that conquered the darkness.

Talk to the spirit calmly. Try to communicate with him and tell him your purpose that you wish to collect some dirt from his grave. Try to understand his response. Do not take or collect anything until you intuitively feel that he gives you permission. When you are done, recite a blessing as you collect the dirt from the heart of the grave. Thank God, and the Higher Spirits around that help you. Bury three silver coins in the ground and set a glass of Whiskey as payment. Other workers just pour the Whiskey at the foot of the grave and take dirt from the head of the grave.

People also use Whiskey in their baths and other cleansing herbs, liquids, and minerals. Not only is whiskey used for spiritual cleansing, but some people believe it has strong disinfectant properties that can cleanse the skin by removing bacteria and dirt. People mix Whiskey, Rose Water, and fresh juicy aloe leaves in their bathwater to eliminate any negativity caused by the evil tongue.

To make a person feel your love and get his attention, take his unwashed underwear and strain the liquor through it. Then, give it to him to drink or use it in cooking and make him eat the food.

Correspondence By Planets

Sun
Archangel: Michael
Color: Gold, orange, red, yellow
Crystal: Topaz
Day: Sunday
Element: Fire
Herb: Almond, bay, cedar, cinnamon, frankincense, marigold, Saint John’s wort
Kabbalistic Sephirot:Tiferet
Magickal Property: Creativity, fatherhood, leadership, success
Metal: Gold
Sign: Leo

Moon
Archangel: Gabriel
Color: Silver, white
Crystal: Moonstone
Day: Monday
Element: Water
Herb: Coconut, lemon, lily, lotus, jasmine, willow
Kabbalistic Sephirot: Yesod
Magickal Property: Emotions, intuition, motherhood, fertility
Metal: Silver
Tree: Willow
Sign: Cancer

Mercury
Archangel: Raphael
Color: Green, violet
Crystal: Opal
Day: Wednesday
Element: Air, Water
Kabbalistic Sephirot: Hod
Herb: Bergamot, lavender, lemon, marjoram, sandalwood
Magickal Property: Communication, business, travel
Metal: Mercury
Sign: Gemini, Virgo

Venus
Archangel: Haniel
Color: Blue, green
Crystal: Rose Quartz
Day: Friday
Element: Earth, Water
Herb: Apple, cherry, daffodil, hyacinth, rose
Kabbalistic Sephirot: Nezach
Magickal Property: Beauty, partnerships, love, sex
Metal: Copper
Sign: Libra, Taurus

Mars
Archangel: Samael
Color: Red
Crystal: Carnelian
Day: Tuesday
Element: Fire
Herb: Basil, dragon’s blood, ginger, pepper, pine, mint
Kabbalistic Sephirot: Gevurah
Magickal Property: Aggression, conflict, courage, passion, lust
Metal: Iron
Sign: Aries

Ceres
Archangel: ?
Color: ?
Crystal: ?
Day: ?
Element: ?
Herb: ?
Magickal Property: ?
Metal: ?
Sign: ?

Jupiter
Archangel: Zadkiel
Color: Purple, yellow
Crystal: Amethyst
Day: Thursday
Element: Air, Fire
Herb: Anise, cedar, cinquefoil, clove, nutmeg, sage
Kabbalistic Sephirot: Hesed
Magickal Property: Expansion, abundance, education, law
Metal: Tin
Sign: Sagittarius

Saturn
Archangel: Cassiel
Color: Black, blue, brown
Crystal: Sapphire
Day: Saturday
Element: Earth, water
Herb: Comfrey, hemlock, mandrake, morning glory, pansy
Kabbalistic Sephirot: Binah
Magickal Property: Obstacles, restriction, providence, balance, justice, retribution
Metal: Lead
Sign: Capricorn

Uranus
Archangel: Uriel
Color: Blue-green
Crystal: Quartz
Element: Air, Fire, Water
Herb: Clover
Kabbalistic Sephirot: Hokhmah
Magickal Property: Invention, unexpected occurrences
Metal: Uranium
Sign: Aquarius

Neptune
Archangel: Asariel
Color: Light blue
Crystal: Aquamarine
Element: Water
Herb: Lotus, water lily
Kabbalistic Sephirot: Keter
Magickal Property: Art, healing, visions
Metal: Pewter
Sign: Pisces

Pluto
Archangel: Azreal
Color: Black
Crystal: Obsidian
Element: Water
Herb: Dogwood, Foxglove
Kabbalistic Sephirot: Da'at
Magickal Property: Order, sudden change, death
Metal: Chrome
Sign: Scorpio

Can Ritual Baths, Rub-Downs And Any Other Cleansing Rites Be Taken Regularly?

We know what a medical check-up is - a thorough examination, precisely a physical one. I must have received hundreds or even thousands of check-ups in my existence. And I believe everyone would agree that it is important to have regular check-ups to help us obtain the health care that is best for our individual needs. During check-ups, we can mention any complaints or concerns about our health. The doctor will also ask about lifestyle behaviors like smoking, alcohol consumption, diet, sexual health, and exercise. The doctor will also check on our personal and family medical history.

As a spiritual worker, like a medical doctor, I also undertake fundamental steps that are focused on good history-taking with my clients, learning spiritual habits and family backgrounds, as well as to conduct a routine psychic diagnosis and spiritual examination to ensure their improvement and total healing, recovery, and wellness. Conjure doctors are not called doctors for nothing.

Most conjure doctors or root doctors, if not all, strongly support modern medicine. Medical practices are undeniable gifts from God. Relying solely on these physical gifts, however, is risky. It can easily pollute the mind. It is saddening to note that spiritual health is often disregarded, if not ignored. Some people have become fully occupied with anything physical and material, forgetting where these all started.

A root doctor-client relationship starts with the routine check-up through psychic readings and divination, the first interview. This initial encounter is crucial as the doctor gathers information from the client and recommends the best treatment plan to develop a healing process. As in any relationship, most especially for us spiritual practitioners, it's essential to put God at the center. This means we should always relate to God our plans, thoughts, and desires concerning the care of our clients. With God's presence, we would get the best diagnosis, guidance, advice, treatment, and protection, thus giving us more confidence.

Similar to making repentance (known as altar calls in Evangelical Christian Churches and confession in Roman Catholic Church),  five steps could be recommended for our client:

1. Examination of conscience -  a client must recall his behavior and lifestyle: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual.

2. Contrition of sins - recognize and accept possible causes of spiritual maladies, and be sorry for them.

3. Purpose of the amendment - with humility and honesty, assure the doctor that he will give up unhealthy habits or stay away from toxic people that bring spiritual diseases such as jinx, hexes, curses, spirit attachment, or evil tricks.

4. Obedience to God's commandments - strictly follow the doctor's advice and treatment plan. The advice does not just come from the doctor but the Divine. It could be ritual bathing, anointing the head, spellwork, or drinking a prescribed herbal tea.

5. Fulfillment of penance - have regular spiritual check-ups and follow-ups, attend Church services, and participate in charities.

Performing spiritual check-ups and treatment with clients regularly is advisable and illuminating to both parties. The frequency of a rite could be monthly, quarterly, or yearly, whatever suits their situations and meet their needs.

Preparing spinach-water solution for ceremonial head washing with other cleansing items such as incense, citrus-scented cologne, cascarilla powder, coconut oil, shea butter, and a fan made of black rooster tail and raven feathers. 

Solomon's Seal Root

polygonatum biflora, convallaria multiflorum, convallaria polygonatum

Solomon's Seal plant is a woodland perennial commonly found in the Southeastern United States and has native varieties in Europe and Asia. Its name was derived from the circular depressions formed on the rhizomes that resemble the Seal of Solomon or the Star of David. Others say that the cut root resembles the Hebrew alphabet. This imaginative observation made the root of the plant desirable for rootwork.

Due to its association with the wise King Solomon from the Hebrew Bible, people believe that bearers of the root are protected from any kind of evil work and entities. Burning the root with bay leaves and mint leaves could also help one make wise decisions in career, business, legal concerns, and family matters (except in marital choices, though).

Pounded fresh roots could also be applied topically to fade blemishes, bruising, wound scars, and related skin problems. Because of this, some rootworkers use its root in beauty, glamour, attraction, and even lust spells traditionally empowered by biblical passages from Songs of Solomon. Not to mention King Solomon's beauty during his time, as he had acquired seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines, was just irresistible.

To gain respect and favor and draw success and friendship, make a mojo bag containing Solomon's Seal root, devil's shoestring root, dragon's blood resin, frankincense resin, five-finger grass, John the Conqueror root, and Master of the Woods leaves.

Based on traditional applications by Native American tribes, root doctors also use it as an astringent to ease an upset stomach and menstrual discomforts. The root also has other therapeutic properties, such as promoting healthy tissue repair and supporting bone and cartilage health. 

Blackberry Leaves

rubus fruticosus, rubus villosus, rubus canadensis

There are a lot of tales surrounding the appearance of blackberries. According to one tradition, Christ's crown of thorns was made of brambles of berries, and when he died, the berries were turned from red to black. Another Judeo-Christian legend says that Lucifer landed in the thorny shrub of berries when he was banished from the celestial sphere due to his rebellion, and thus he stepped, spat, and cursed them so that they would be ugly. This lore brought an old European custom where people avoid picking blackberries after Michaelmas (October 11) as Lucifer has made them toxic to eat during that day.

Blackberries were considered protective against earthbound spirits and other parasitic spiritual entities. Some Hoodoo practitioners use it to entrap evil spirits by putting nine rusty nails, blackberry leaves, agrimony leaves, and Spanish moss in a bottle, praying over it, and leaving it open as they perform a Spirit Trap ritual.

When making a spirit trap, I draw or lay a spiral symbol on the floor or altar to guide the spirit using chalk or black salt. Next, I place a bottle or jar with the items known to draw and bind spirits in the middle of the spiral. To lure the entity, I first prepare personal items of my client that resonate or have a connection with his problem or issue and place them inside the spiral symbol. Then I recite specific prayers to invoke my guardian spirits and make the possessing spirit comply with my efforts. I entice the spirit to come by giving offerings of liquor and cigar. I puff a cigar smoke in the bottle, pour some liquor in it, and set it on fire when I feel I have seized the spirit. I finish the ritual by putting High John the Conqueror root chips inside the bottle to conquer the possessing spiritual entity. Once the spirit is indeed inside, I chain the bottle up to restrain the spirit and keep it in place. Then I wrap the bottle with black cloth, take it to a cemetery, dig a grave, and bury it.

Its thorny branches that catch on clothing and hair and scratch skin are used in enemy work. One rootworker taught me to prick myself with its thorn and put blood in my destructive spells and curses to make it more powerful.

Ironically, blackberry leaves are a long-time home remedy for treating minor cuts and abrasions. It contains tannins, too - active plant compounds that tighten and tone tissues, so some people use it as an astringent. Aside from that, its tea is good for soothing the throat.

Blackberry leaves have little hooks that are good for ensnaring an enemy or slowing them down. To perform this, get a small black human effigy or a doll representing your enemy, lay it on red cloth, sprinkle blackberry leaves and black salt, then wrap it up and tie it with black thread. Hit the spell bag with the hammer three times, cursing your enemy out loud. Do this for seven days, and once done, take the spell bag to a graveyard, bury it and ask the spirit of the dead to ensnare your enemy and bring justice.

Chicken Feet

Various spp.

Dried chicken feet from various breeds (though the most powerful chicken feet come from black-feathered fowls) are used in the practice of Hoodoo and other folk magical traditions for protection and enemy work. The feet are believed to be a powerful protection against sorcerous practitioners and could be used to magically 'scratch' one's enemy.

The use of chicken feet in African-American folk magic started when our enslaved African ancestors were forced to eat the scraps and leftovers their masters threw away. This includes the chicken feet and other less desirable animal parts such as beef's tongue, chicken neck, pig's tail, feet, bones, and other animal entrails that slaves turned into scrumptious meals to feed their families.

Aside from being an ingredient for their food, they also made it into amulets and powerful curios. Country doctors keep a chicken foot in their house to scratch any evil tricks or rootwork. Other practitioners tie two feet together in an 'X' manner by crossing them and hanging them up to make a witch stay away from them.

Other conjure workers use their feet to hurt their enemies or deprive their enemies or their business unprofitable by scratching their photos or business cards using the claws of their feet.

Some Hoodoo practitioners obtain their chicken feet through animal sacrifices in spiritual rites, while some down-home workers acquire their curios through the natural slaughter of chickens for food.

Spiritual Bathing Rite

Spiritual bath staples include commercial Lavender herbal soap, Rose Water, Florida Water, Bath oils, African Black Soap, Bay Rum, Florida Water Soap, and some flower buds and petals.

Spiritual baths are an essential Hoodoo way to cleanse the mind, spirit, and body and change one's luck from bad to good. Spiritual or ritual baths are as old as humanity and have been featured in many cultures and religions worldwide. We can assume that, as far as Hoodoo is concerned, spiritual baths come from two primary sources: Judeo-Christian ritual bathing or immersion and West Central African spiritual baths.

In Yoruba religion, spiritual washes or baths are done to remove spiritual pollution from one's head or "ori" (the locus of personal destiny) through the utilization of sacred herbs called "ewe" and other organic ingredients. According to my mentor and soon-to-be godparent in Ifa, cleansing one's ori is called "Ori Owun Aweda" (Cleansing the Head). It is a straightforward but powerful ritual that can be done to connect with one's ori while ritually cleansing and feeding it. To perform this, often the head or ori is washed in a specially prepared "omiero" with ingredients specifically divined by a "babalawo." Omiero comes from two Yoruba words: "omi" which means water, and "ero" which means antidote. There are various ways of making omiero. It depends on the purpose, which "Orisha" the omiero is for, and your level of initiation.

For non-initiates, though, simple ingredients are needed to make an omiero for their Ori Owun Aweda. But when omiero and Ori Owun Aweda are created and performed by a babalawo or iyanifa, they often become more elaborate and involved. My partner and I have done this on ourselves several times already, and the effect is still profound. It never fails us to get back closer to our ori. We sometimes become too preoccupied and confounded by issues and pressures; we forget our relationship with our ori, and our head becomes cluttered, hot, and heavy. Ori Owun Aweda helps us have a more transparent and cooler head, which is essential for better planning on improving the situations and conditions around us.

Tearing leaves while singing praise songs to Osanyin (Orisha of plants and herbs). 

In ancient Kongo beliefs, spiritual healing was traditionally operated through purification by water and also employing herbal and mineral ingredients. Spiritual cleansing was usually performed when people were experiencing one of the three kinds of diseases, namely:

• "Bela neka" - typical diseases or medical conditions.
• "Kimbevo kia nza" - non-natural diseases which may cause by unfortunate events, curses and hexes from witches, imbalances between the ancestral or spiritual realm and physical world, and violation of social and ritual taboos
• "Kimbevi kia nzambi" - supernatural maladies or diseases caused by God's will.

For early Kongo people, water or bodies of water were believed to be a living Spirit that purifies the diseased and casts out evil spiritual entities. Water is also synonymous with kaolin clay, "mpemba," in the Kongo language. Court people also used Kaolin clay; they applied it on one's forehead to signify being clean, pure, truthful, and enlightened when one won a trial in a court of law. Hence, both the kaolin and the water symbolize cleanliness and purity.

On the other hand, herbs and minerals were believed to be agents of spirits. Kongo people with spiritual maladies usually turn to traditional healers known as "banganga" for a solution. Upon confirming the diagnosis of the case, the healer would take various herbs from his backyard, bring them up to a boil and allow them to begin releasing their aromas. Once done, he would let it cool and pour the water with herbs over the head of the sick person while standing. According to the Kongo holistic worldview, the superficial contact of the water and herbs that led to the cure was believed to be caused by the spirits inhabiting the water and the herbs.

When our African ancestors were brought to the New World, their methods of ritual spiritual healing involving water, herbs, and minerals through the agency of divine and ancestral spirits were retained. 

Hoodoo Spiritual Baths

As this type of bathing is a ritual, it can be made more effective by giving a meaningful structure. In Hoodoo, three ingredients or, in some cases, three-times-three (nine) ingredients are traditionally added to the bathwater. These add to the sensate experience, but their magical and spiritual properties are also often absorbed through the skin and have specific physical effects such as blood flow and inner bodily heat. Entirely what these additives or ingredients are will depend on the spiritual work.

Epsom salt, Lemongrass soap, and Hyssop leave on a white sheet. Materials to be used in the Purification bath.

There are so many different spiritual bath combinations passed down in African-American families. Still, the basic bath principles below give just a few suggestions of common options for root doctors. The more you learn about minerals, liquids, and herbs used in the Hoodoo tradition, the more you will be able to experiment for specific effects.

Spiritual Bath Principles

1. Minerals 

• Salt (table salt, sea salt, blessed salt, kosher salt, rock salt, Himalayan salt, black salt)
• Epsom salt
• Bath crystals (Salt and Epsom salt mixed together and counted as one ingredient)
• Saltpeter
• Baking soda or washing soda
• Laundry blueing

2. Liquids

• Ammonia solution
• Vinegar
• Essential oils
• Spiritual colognes and toilet waters such as Florida Water, Hoyt's Cologne, Kananga Water, Rose Water, etc.
• Turpentine
• Alcohol such as Ethyl Alcohol
• Liquor and spirits such as Whiskey and Rhum
• Honey
• Scented bath oils
• Milk
• Natural waters include rainwater, spring water, seawater, and Church water.

3. Herbs - almost any magical herbs, flowers, and roots can be used in a bath according to their purpose, but the most common bath herbs are:

• Agrimony - for reversing jinxes
• Boneset - for attracting new opportunities
• Chamomile - to increase luck 
• Cinnamon -  to draw money and luck
• Damiana - to attract new love
• Eucalyptus - to break jinxes and drive off evil entities
• Hyssop - to cleanse a person from sin
• Jasmine - to draw unconditional love
• Lavender - for love drawing
• Lemon Grass - for spiritual cleansing
• Mint - for clarity and tranquility
• Okra - for breaking curses and jinxes
• Parsley - for purification and overall well-being
• Pine needles - to remove mental negativity
• Raspberry leaves - to increase women's attractiveness
• Rue - for protection
• Rosemary - for mental clarity, happiness, and peace
• Rose petals - for love drawing
• Sage - for purification
• Sassafras - for money drawing and for health
• Sugar -  to draw in luck
• Thyme - for money drawing and courage
• Wahoo root bark - for uncrossing and jinx-removal
• Ylang-ylang - for lust and sensual love 

For head washing, we prepare fresh herbs and spices (parsley, lemon fruit, rose petals, cinnamon barks, and cooked rice). 

Preparing dried herbs for a ritual bath.

In the olden days, the whole process of spiritual bath required a lot of time, so the client had to be in the root doctor's home for a full day. Some patients were even asked to stay overnight, while other forms of spiritual bathing could last 3-13 days when the client would live with the root doctor in his house. If the doctor was male and his client was a woman, a family member should accompany her. Bath rites were also usually performed early in the morning, near sunrise.

The ritual procedures in a spiritual bath normally start by brewing the herbs into tea. Any herbs used are probably best contained in a little net bag, muslin cotton bag, or cloth bag. This will allow their properties to flow into the bath and make cleaning up easier when the bath is finished. When water is at a gentle boil, remove heat (drain the liquid, if necessary), then pour the tea into the bathwater while praying. Add any ingredients and combinations you think would be helpful and work for the client.

Block Buster herb tea bag, placed in warm water.

Set two candles on the floor at the sides of the bathroom door. This work style comes from the Spiritual Church Movement and relates to 19th-century African-American customs. It symbolizes walking through a gateway of transformation. Some workers like to burn incense; if you wish to do so, prepare a censer. Another nice touch can be playing relaxing meditation-style music or any spiritual songs. Now, if there is a tub, plug it to catch some water, or if one will use a dipper and a pail, place a large basin. Then ask the client to disrobe and take an ordinary bath first with his own regular soap and shampoo (or traditional spiritual soaps and hair-care products). Before his last rinse, ask him to recite appropriate Psalms as he stands over or inside the basin, then pour the bathwater over his head if the ritual bath is for cleansing and expelling unnatural illness. Instruct him to cross his arms, right over left, and brush down across his body with both hands, starting from his head down to his torso and uncross his hands as he crosses his waist while praying. However, if the bath is for drawing luck, pour the bathwater onto the feet with upward strokes while praying for what is desired.

Let the client relax using a breathing exercise after pouring the water. Tell your client to consciously relax his facial muscles and let the tension dissipate from his shoulders. Release all the stress from the body; down to his arm and through his fingers, down through his chest, his stomach, sex organ, down through his leg, and out from his feet. Again, if the bathing rite is for drawing, ask your client to feel the energy of the water flowing upward through his feet and then circulating throughout his body. Repeat this every time he pours water until a beautiful sense of relaxation comes upon him. This rite will make your client's focus sharper and his will more effective. After that, instruct your client to wrap up himself in a white sheet or white towel (some root doctors ask their clients to cover their hair with a white cloth too).

When finished, tell the client to step out of the bathroom, stand between the candles and step backward three times, saying "In the name of Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit," and say an affirmation like "I am healed," "I am wealthy," "I am cleansed," etc. Do not dry your client with a towel; just let the bathwater dry on him in the air as the candles burn. If your client is dry, spray a cleansing mist or Florida Water all over his body. Other root doctors, though, anoint their client's entire body or portions of it with a condition oil or dust with an appropriate sachet powder instead of spraying a cleansing mist. This is entirely up to you and what you prefer. This act is performed with the same upward or downward gestures you used in the bath, depending on whether the bath was for drawing or for, cleansing, or repelling. Once done, dress your client in fresh, new clothes.

Using a glass bottle or jar, take some captured or used bathwater that now has your client's essence outdoors, dispose of it then walk away without looking back. Hoodoo bath rites, however; since practitioners believe that nothing used in spiritual or magical work is considered waste, incorporate specific methods of disposing of bathwater:

• Throwing bathwater toward a tree, the Sun, or into the crossroads is being done when taking off crossed conditions, removing diseases and spiritual maladies, and killing jinxes.
• Throwing bathwater to the West is traditionally performed if one captures an enemy's bathwater.
• Throwing bathwater into footsteps is being done for domination or when taking off evil tricks caused by foot track magic. 
• Throwing bathwater into the backyard is being done for fidelity and family-related concerns. 

Some root doctors remind their clients to avoid physical contact (except if the bath is a love drawing rite) for at least 24 hours.

In the old times, people were modest, and there were root doctors who bathed their clients and patients hands-on or were just present during the bathing rite giving instructions to the client. Nowadays, root doctors do not attend to their clients when bathing, so it is vital to instruct the clients beforehand, guiding them about the directionality of bathing, pantomiming the necessary gestures, and giving the Psalms to be recited. The recital of Psalms has been covered at length here in this article: Psalms and Jewish Scriptual Magic. You can use them in your bathing rites. In some cases, though the root doctor needs to perform hands-on bathing, the client generally remains clothed in tight white clothing. Shoes and socks are removed. The doctor washes the client's head, arms, hands, and feet only, or sometimes washes or rubs the prepared bathwater onto most of the torso and limbs through the clothing.

Rootworkers also perform spiritual baths for themselves before (money, love, luck drawing) or after  (uncrossing, cleansing, enemy works). Any magical work is carried out using a variety of ingredients. If you are new to Conjure and Rootwork, try any traditional recipe or combination, and make sure to record the ingredients you have used and their effects on you. 

Here are some of the oldest three-ingredient recipes for spiritual bath and wash:

New Orleans Protection Bath

- Blessed salt
- Ammonia
- Vinegar

South East Coast Uncrossing Bath

- Salt
- Vinegar
- Turpentine

3-Herb Cleansing Bath

- Hyssop leaves
- Rue leaves
- Agrimony leaves

3-Mineral Cleansing Bath

- Kosher salt or sea salt
- Epsom salt
- Saltpeter

Love Attraction Bath

- Damiana leaves
- Raspberry leaves
- Honey

Money-Drawing Bath

- Cinnamon chips
- Chamomile flowers
- Florida Water

Blue Cleansing Bath

- Bath salt or Crystal salts (a mixture of table salt and Epsom salt)

- Laundry blueing 

- Florida Water

Blue Cleansing Bath preparation.

Simple Blessing Bath

- Basil
- Hyssop
- Holy water or Church water

Gambler's Lucky Hand Wash and Bath

- Bath crystals

- Mixed sugar and cinnamon powder

- Hoyt's cologne

Madame Collin's Remedy to Restore Male's Nature

- Saltpeter

- Arm and Hammer Baking Soda

- Yellow Mustard powder

Since the 20th century, bath crystals and herbal blends or mixtures have been manufactured in convenient forms for use in spiritual bath rites. Bath crystals are a mixture of mineral salts, namely Epsom salts, and table salt, scented with essential oils and compounded herbs, roots, and flowers. Herb mixtures, on the other hand, are pretty self-explanatory. They are generally sold under names like 7-Herb Bath, 9-Herb Bath, and 13-Herb Bath to draw good luck in love and money, increase power and mastery and remove curses and jinxes, respectively.

Bath crystals with cleansing herbs such as black pepper, hyssop, boldo, and bay leaves. 

Soaps and Hair-Care products may also be utilized in a spiritual bath rite. Not only are spiritual soaps used in Hoodoo cleansing, but they are also popular in Mexican espiritismo, Brujeria, curanderismo, and even some Afro-Caribbean traditions such as Santeria and Candomble. The four major types of spiritual soaps and hair-care products are:

• Commercial soaps with spiritual reputations, such as Florida Water Soap for attracting good fortune, Pacholi Scented Soap for love drawing, African Black soaps for cleansing, Pagoda Special Soap for uncrossing and protection, Black and White Skin Soap for cleansing, C.Y. Gabriel Bleaching Beauty Soap for beauty and attraction, Fan Medicated Soap for uncrossing, Mysore Sandal Soap for serenity and peace, Dr. Kaufmann Medicated Sulfur Soap for cleansing and protection, etc. 
• Spiritual soaps with the name-brand formula of popular condition oils such as Road Opener (Abre Camino), Fast Luck (Suerte Rapido), Go Away Evil (Quita Maldicion), etc., and also soaps bearing names of some Catholic Church and folk saints like San Martin Caballero Soap, San Lazaro Soap, etc. 
• Herbal soaps 
• Traditional hair care for good luck and grooming, such as Lucky Tiger Magic Shampoo for beauty and women attraction, Special Dice Oil for gambling and money-drawing, Three Flowers (Tres Flores) Brilliantine for good luck and happiness, etc.

Tim + Neal Curio Co. Spiritual Cleansing Soap.

Jack Ball

Jack ball is a collection of magical items rolled in candle wax and wrapped in red string or thread. Enough string is often left for it to be suspended. Jack balls are also called jack bags, conjure balls, or luck balls, depending on where and how they are made and what is placed inside them. Jack balls may bring money, luck, love, a job, or protection. They can also be used in divination. Some folks believe that misused jack balls could cause different kinds of trouble.   

The precursors of jack balls are Kongo charms, in which roots and branches are bound or tied with a symbolic number of knots. Its origin can be traced back to a numinous being known as Funza or Mpulu Bunzi in BaKongo mythology. This entity acted as an intermediary between humanity and the Creator God, Nzambi, and released powerful spiritual forces into the earth to aid humans in everyday affairs by distributing different charms. Funza/Mpulu Bunzi was believed to manifest in twisted roots and deformed branches. He taught the first humans the recipes to create particular medicines which could embody and control the powers of various spirits. The story varies by region or tribe, but one anecdote claims that Funza/Mpulu Bunzi spoke to a man named Mukulu in a dream and gave him the ingredients and procedures for harnessing the power of all spiritual forces so that he could pass them down to future generations for healing and law enforcement. Dr. Fu-Kiau Bunseki, one of the great scholars of the African religion and the leading authority on the Bantu-Kongo civilization, explained that: "When you see a twisted root within a charm, you know, like a tornado hidden in an egg, that this charm is very, very strong." This belief in twisted roots, branches, or any plant material concealed and wounded in a physical container such as knotted threads or fabric as sources of great power survived in Hoodoo as jack balls.  

Each conjure doctor has slightly varying methods of making a jack ball, probably stemming from family traditions and regional differences. One of the old-fashioned recipes for a jack ball contains one each of the three roots known as 'John' - High John the Conqueror root, Low John (Little John to Chew) root, and Southern John (Dixie John) root, that is reputed to strengthen one's nature, give power and victory over enemies, rule and dominate friends and foes alike, and protect oneself from harm.

Jack ball and knucklebones.

My teachers from Mississippi and South Carolina told me that in making a jack ball, these roots should be wound around the hair and name paper of the person for whom the ball is made, which is written in his or her own handwriting, preferably on a piece of brown grocery bag paper. In addition to these herbal curios, the ball must also contain chips of Master root, Sampson Snake Root, and magnetic sand. Next, I was taught to melt a white or purple candle and gently press it around the roots (with personal concerns) or roll them into the melted wax to form a ball of wax that resembles the red rubber jack ball or jack stone, as found in the game of Jacks. I know some conjure workers use chewing gum instead of melted wax in making jack balls. As I do this, I pray for my intention and ensure that all the roots are covered in wax. Once done, I dress it with a condition oil and breathe into it as I recite specific prayers or Psalms.

Blessed wax ball.

Wrapping the ball, I was also taught to do this in a specific method. My mentors taught me to first wrap the ball in an 'X' fashion, crisscrossing and winding the thread around the wax ball until it was completely covered. Then I leave a 12-inch long piece of tail. After that, I thread the tail through a large needle and run it through the center of the ball. I pull the needle with the string through until it comes out the opposite end. Lastly, I knot the end of the string thrice to complete the jack ball. Dressing the jack ball with one's own urine (for females) and Whiskey (for males) is a traditional way to feed it.

Now, unlike the ordinary mojo bags, jack balls can be used for divination, and if you let someone borrow them, they could use them to divine your health condition. It is the principle of the pendulum that governs the answer one gets when using it to diagnose one's illness and determine what remedy to prescribe.

But jack balls are not limited to the use mentioned above. I know some rootworkers use their jack balls to determine the sex of an unborn child, whether a particular medicine or food is good for them and what color of dress or shirt to wear for the day. My teacher used his Wisdom jack ball to open a combination lock for his client.

To work, the question asked should be answerable by yes or no. Do not ask an abstract question. They are most valuable when asking questions of fact. Some jack balls made for love and domination can be asked emotional questions, but only a single question at a time should be asked, not complex questions.

Aside from divination, people also use their jack balls to attract or draw something or someone they want. To do this, they hold the jack ball by its tail as they swing it around and around in a clockwise direction while stating their prayers or intentions. For example, if one wishes to draw continuous cash inflow for their business, people say something like: "money comes to me, the money stays with me, money flow to me" over and over again as they swing the jack ball in circles. The uses of the jack balls are limited only by one's imagination. However, one might find that using it can be addicting, so don't overdo it.

The 1950s blues song "The Mojo" by J.B. Lenoir describes a Jack Ball. The manner of its use is given in one verse.

THE MOJO (MOJO BOOGIE)

by J.B. Lenoir

I been to New Orleans, I sure had a wonderful time
I been to New Orleans, I sure had a wonderful time
I was high, high as a Georgia pine

You know, my auntie carried me all down on Rampart Street
I seen everybody I wanted to meet
She said, J.B., son, stop and listen to me,

They got something knock you off of your feet
They got the mojo boogie
Mojo boogie
They got the mojo boogie, begin to slide on down

I thought she was talkin' about over in Algiers
I said, Auntie, please tell me, what did you say?
They got the Louisiana boogie, all them other kind of things,
They even got the thing they call the mojo hand

They got the mojo boogie
Mojo boogie
They got the mojo boogie, begin to slide on down

I got one jack, sure is crazy
My aunt forgot to teach me, just how to operate it
I went to a night club, I was squeezing it tight
I believe that's the cause of them people's start to fight

I had the mojo boogie
Mojo boogie
I had the mojo boogie, begin to slide on down

Am I Gifted For The Work?

According to the Scriptures, there are different spiritual gifts that God chooses to give to certain people. As with all other gifts, not everyone receives these spiritual gifts. Some people have a gift for the work, and some do not.

1 Corinthians 12:4-11 "Now there are many forms of gifts, but the Spirit is one. And there are many forms of ministrations, but Master YHWH is one. And there are many forms of power; but Elohim, who works all in all men, is one. And to each man, there is given a manifestation of the Spirit, that it may help him. To one, by the Spirit, there is given a word of wisdom; and to another, by the same Spirit, there is given a word of knowledge: To another, by the same Spirit, faith: to another, by the same Spirit, gifts of healing: And to another, miracles: and to another, prophecy: and to another, the discerning of spirits: and to another, (diverse) kinds of tongues: and to another, the interpretation of tongues. But all these works that one Spirit; and He distributes to every one according to His will."

The Ruach HaKodesh, or the Holy Ghost, gives gifts and abilities to the church (1 Cor. 12:11).

There is way too much emphasis on being born with spiritual gifts today, especially in the Hoodoo community and some charismatic African-American churches where it is a prerequisite to 'being a spiritual worker.' This is true, and no amount of training can substitute for being born spiritually gifted. However, having spiritual gifts can be faked, so people should be careful.

You will know the fake ones when they say nothing profound; usually some fluff, like, "I, the Lord God, say to you that you need to do this or to do that for you to be healed." We never once heard someone mention that God told the congregation to stop wallowing in religiosity and obey His commands!

Please note that neither the Scriptures nor the Hoodoo tradition says that we have to 'learn' to use our spiritual gifts, as so many insist. When God gives you a gift, you 'simply know' how to do it. For instance, hundreds of Web portals come up when you search on Google: 'schools for prophets' or 'prophetic training' or words to that effect. The same thing happens when you search the internet: 'learn to speak in tongues?' Where in the Scripture suggest we must learn from other humans how to speak in tongues or prophesy? Yes, in Biblical times, some prophecy schools would train exceptionally gifted disciples to develop the spiritual and Kabbalistic science and arts for Divine encounters. But nowadays, these skills can only be honed or developed as we use our gifts, but there is no reason to pay for any workshops or seminars by some 'scholar' whose only goal is to make money from something you are born with - from something God gave you for free!

What exactly are these spiritual gifts or the gifts of the Holy Spirit?

Sadly, though, even though a lot of people try to explain the psychic phenomena, many conservative Christians still view it as crafted for deception. They believe that this so-called psychic gift originates not from their God but from demons.

These Christians never realize that the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit that Paul enumerated in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 are psychic abilities. These are only a few ways the Holy Spirit manifests in a human being. Psychic powers ARE NOT works of the demons or the Devil. Many of these, in fact, have some biblical basis.

Demonic entities have nothing to do with spiritual abilities. In fact, many Christian Hoodoo practitioners believe that demons or any other entities cannot create or bestow, especially to 'mankind.'

Now, if we just analyze each of these gifts of the Spirit, we can easily see that they refer to sure psychic gifts or mental abilities that are neither evil nor Satanic.

• Wisdom refers to one's perception of things that is intuitive and spiritual, not rational and mundane.  A wisdom that a person knows is real even though he has no way to back it up. Wisdom goes beyond reason. It could be the ability of claircognizance.

• Knowledge may refer to knowledge not only of the present but also of either the past (retrocognition), the future (precognition), any other important events, and many other hidden things. This is known as psychic reading. Some physic readers can make accurate readings without any divination tools at all. Others may use bones, crystal balls, tarot cards, tea leaves, runes, and even a Bible. They are merely used by the reader to focus his attention to reach the person's subconscious mind.

• Faith is utilized mainly when gifted people perform spiritual works such as exorcism, deliverance, or depossession. Exorcism refers to the ability or power to cast out malignant and unclean spirits and entities from a person or drive it out of place as a house, office, building, or lot. There are different ways or methods of casting out malignant entities. It depends upon the exorcists' faith and spiritual path. To cast out these negative, dangerous attachments, an exorcist must have a strong will and conviction and not be afraid to face entities that may even physically harm him. Only highly trained and authorized persons should perform an exorcism, which should never be attempted by inexperienced and untrained individuals.

• Healing refers to the ability where the gifted individual becomes merely an instrument through which the spiritual, universal, or divine healing power passes, usually through spirit guides, plant consciousness, nature spirits, ancestral spirits, angels, saints, divinities, and other heavenly beings. In spiritual healing, the power is believed to be entirely outside the healer. There are a lot of so-called spiritual healers all over the world. Still, their practice has become an object of severe criticism due to their decency toward commercialism, and a few have reportedly been caught cheating on their patients. This, however, shouldn't lead us to condemn spiritual healing as a whole. Shamanic healing and faith healing are just two of many types of spiritual healing.

• Working miracles, thaumaturgy, and wonderworking is a spiritual power to make subtle changes in higher realms, producing physical results. Examples of wonderworking are astral projection, bilocation, levitation, materialization, telekinesis, telepathy, etc. Most saints in Hoodoo can work miracles. Famous ancient Christian thaumaturges include St.Anthony of Padua, St.Philomena, St.Gerard Majella, St.Cyprian of Antioch, and St.Patrick.

• Prophecy is the power or ability that could manifest not only in a waking state but also during sleep, in a meditative state, in a hypnotic state, or in a trance. Many people have reported dreams, visions from meditations, or just hearing voices inside their head that warned them of things to come which have actually occurred. Such prophecies usually pertain to forthcoming deaths, wars, disasters like natural calamities, and the sinking of ships. Some people believe that, unlike precognition, prophecy cannot be thwarted as if the events in prophecies are already written in one's life path or destiny.

• Discernment of spirits, to be more exact, is the same third eye, sixth sense, or 'The Clairs' such as clairvoyance, clairsentience, clairaudience, clairolfaction, and clairgustance. This can be defined as the faculty of perceiving with the inner or spiritual senses. Discernment need not involve the use of the physical sense of sight, touch, hearing, smell, and taste. When one perceives immaterial, invisible, and intangible things to the physical senses, he is simply using his inner faculties. Some people can willfully turn their focus and attention from the physical to the spiritual sense. Most people don't have the such willful capacity, but it happens spontaneously.

• Speaking in tongues or glossolalia refers to the ability to speak in a foreign language that's completely unknown to the person. This usually happens during spiritual or religious sessions or seances. But it may also occur on some other social occasions. Usually, the person who speaks in tongues is in a trance and doesn't know what he's talking about. 

• Interpretation of tongues or xenolalia is also made in the trance state. In glossolalia, neither the gifted speaker can interpret the language himself. This is because speaking in tongues is one gift, but the ability to interpret tongues is another, according to St. Paul.

These psychic gifts, as I said, are the endowment of the Holy Spirit, enabling people to perceive personally the Divine, the spirits, and the otherworlds, which is available to help them to become enlightened and reach a balanced state.

These gifts must come from God alone and should be developed through observing mental, emotional, and physical 'cleanliness' in my experience. It shouldn't be developed for its own sake or through some manipulative ways. These gifts don't just appear suddenly – although it has sometimes happened that a person can have some powers after an accident or an intense emotional trauma. However, most Hoodoo practitioners believe that spiritual gifts run in families like any other talent, such as singing, dancing, cooking, or drawing. Some unique healing gifts can only be transmitted to a chosen or volunteering family member at the end of the spiritual worker's life. If there is no suitable family member, the abilities may be given to a gifted child from another family.

Strictly speaking, these nine gifts of the Holy Spirit are abilities that only Jesus Christ and probably the holy saints possessed. But since we are created in the image of God and were given the Holy Spirit to help us resemble our great teacher, spiritual gifts can be seen in our spiritual lives, especially for Christian conjure workers. Nonetheless, these gifts do not immediately develop but require time and dedication. The process of spiritual growth is ultimately mysterious and divine.