Hoyt’s Cologne ~ Filipino Conjure & Rootwork

Originally called Hoyt's German Cologne, it was developed in 1868 by apothecary apprentice Eli Waite Hoyt. The name German was intentionally included just to give a definite title to the product. There was no intention that the cologne came from Germany or bore any resemblance to German colognes and perfumes. The name was only changed to Hoyt's Eau de Cologne during World War II as an attempt to detach the product from its perceived German connection since, during that moment, anything with a German reference was considered to be indecent in America.

Usually described as floral in scent and very strong - its production and distribution became so successful that Hoyt sold his apothecary shop to two current employees, Crowell and Harrison, so that he could devote his full time and energy to producing and selling his cologne.

Around 1871, the company developed the concept of soaking trade cards with cologne and freely distributing the cards both as advertising materials and samples. During the history of Hoyt's cologne, over 50 unique cards were designed and printed.

A fine original example of perfumed trade cards and 19th-century American advertising art.

This marketing strategy was later proven effective as the cologne became all-consuming. Due to this accomplishment, in the 1900s, conjure workers adopted this idea as they advised their clients who resorted to them asking for some tricks in increasing their odds and winning potential in gambling to soak or sprinkle their playing cards, lottery tickets, and bingo cards with Hoyt's cologne before playing to enhance their abilities to draw luck.

Some people, too, had confused Hoyt's Cologne with Hoyle's Playing Cards and the famous card game rule book by Edmund Hoyle. This might be because of the brand names that sound almost similar and the earlier typographic style of Hoyle's Playing Cards, which bore a resemblance to the cologne's name.

Since then, Hoyt's Cologne came to be lucky for gamblers, and people's faith in it extends well beyond gambling as this humble brand of perfume started gaining a reputation for being efficacious in feeding mojo hands, bringing luck in love spells and, even in cleansing. Traditional pharmacies and spiritual supplies shops began carrying Hoyt's Cologne because of this, and it became notable for being a best-seller on the nights when the gambling dens were busy.

I am aware that most conjure workers nowadays have always associated Hoyt's cologne with good luck and gambling, but it was once used as a cleansing cologne. As for everyone's information: Florida Water and other cologne waters were never used in Hoodoo until the heavy immigration and proliferation of Afro-Caribbean practitioners of Santeria and other African traditional religions in the United States. Hoyt's Cologne was the conjure worker's cologne of choice. Though it was never used for cleansing space, it was used to remove jinxes and harmful energies from people and attract good fortune.

Today, folks usually incorporate it in their workings by making a lovely spray, splash, or rub by mixing some roots and herbs into Hoyt's cologne, infusing them with its refreshing citrus and floral scents.

Gamblers are known to rub Hoyt's Cologne on their hands right before they try their luck at the tables! Other people add the cologne to their bathwater before leaving their homes. Some users would even go so far as to pour an entire bottle of Hoyt's Cologne over their heads to gain the motivation and empowerment they need.

It can also be worn like a classic cologne or perfume. It can be used to empower your tools and amulets such as rabbit's foot, wishbone, alligator's tooth, alligator's claw, High John the Conqueror root, nutmeg, buckeye nut, lodestone, and raccoon penis bone.

See, What Our Path Is

Being immensely interested in African diaspora religions and Folk Catholicism, we primarily honor our ancestors, Church saints, angels, folk saints, and Afro-Caribbean spirits such as loas and orishas. If we absolutely have to put a label on ourselves, we prefer the label of “Folk Judeo-Christian” as we live according to the customs and traditions of conjure workers and root doctors from the Deep South and syncretic followers of Christ in various nations of the Caribbean and Latin America.

Our spirituality includes West African-based Caribbean-style tradition as well as Esoteric Christianity and Yoruba religion. Generally, we practice Gullah folk magic popularly known in the Deep South as Hoodoo or Lowcountry Voodoo; the ancient wisdom founded by Orunmila in Ile-Ife called Ifa, and a bit of Lihim na Karunungan (Filipino Esotericism or Philippine Mystery Tradition).

Respect, What Hoodoo Is

Despite visible evidence of Central West African, Islamic/Moorish, Native American, Judeo-Christian, European, and even a few East Indian/Hindu, Chinese, and Latino/Caribbean retentions, influences, and admixtures, this does not mean that Hoodoo is an open and unrestricted system of eclectic magic.

Conjure, and Rootwork is rooted in African-American culture and Folk Protestant Christianity. Any practitioners of Hoodoo who did not grow up within African-American culture should still have a fuller understanding and high regard for its origin.

In the beginning, the early conjure doctors were entirely Black. The students were all Black, the elders were Black, the teaching was Black, and they focused only on Blacks as their audience. But other races were accepted when they had also been brought into the Hoodoo community and learned the tradition. Even so, we should still acknowledge that Hoodoo, Conjure, or Rootwork is not ours but only belongs to the Black community. We are just believers who are grafted into their rich yet humble tradition and, by word and deed, embrace genuine African-American folk spirituality and magic. This is all we can do for all the blessings we received from God and our Black ancestors.

Hoodoo's lack of religious structure and hierarchical authority do not mean that any person or group can appropriate or redefine it. If one cannot respect Hoodoo as it is and for what it is, then please, do not play with it.

Learn, How Conjure Is Worked On

Authentic Conjure is not all about blending and selling oils and casting spells online to make money. Hoodoo has its own spiritual philosophy, theology, and a wide range of African-American folkways, customs, and practices which include, but are not limited to, veneration of the ancestors, Holy Ghost shouting, snake reverence, spirit possession, graveyard conjure, nkisi practices, Black hermeneutics, African-American church traditions, the ring shout, the Kongo cosmogram, ritual water immersions, crossroads magic, making conjure canes, animal sacrifices, Jewish scriptural magic, enemy works, Seekin' ritual, magical incorporation of bodily fluids, etc.

Unfortunately, they are currently missing in marketeered or commercial Hoodoo, as they are being removed, disregarded, or ignored by unknowing merchants who simply want to profit from an African-American spiritual tradition, thus reducing Hoodoo to just a plethora of recipes, spells, and tricks.

Tim and I are completely aware that we are not African-Americans, so we are doing our best to retain and preserve the customs and traditions of the slave ancestors to avoid unnecessary conflict with the larger Black-Belt Hoodoo community and prevent them from labeling us inauthentic outsiders and our practice as mere 'cultural misappropriation.'

Accept, Who We Are

The byproduct of eons of slave history, Black supremacists believe that only people with African or African-American blood are real Hoodoo practitioners and are often inclined to consider themselves as the elite of the Hoodoo community; a place in which they believed that Whites, Latinos, Asians or any other races who do not have Black ancestry do not belong. Black supremacists are prone to be very hostile towards both “outsiders” and those accepting of them, fearing that their promotion and acceptance would dilute or even negate the Black identity of Hoodoo.

Although we do understand why some Blacks hold this stance, since a lot of people nowadays are misappropriating many aspects of Hoodoo and teaching the spiritual path even without proper education and training (for purely monetary purposes), we would, however, want to say that not all non-Black Hoodoo practitioners are the same.

WE respect what Hoodoo is, and we never try to change it, claim it as our own, disregard its history, take unfair advantage of it, speak against the people who preserve it, and mix it with other cultures (like our own) and call it Filipino/Pinoy Hoodoo, Gypsy Hoodoo or Wiccan Hoodoo because there are no such things.