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500 herbs, roots, minerals, and rare zoological curios, 750 traditional spells, tricks, and magical recipes, 50 black and white illustrations
Herbs and Roots, along with a select few mineral and animal curios, are the most important elements in traditional hoodoo. They are used as the basis for all manner of oils, powders, incenses, washes, perfumes, mojo hands, doll-babies, spell bottles, and tricks laid down to be walked over — and for this reason, Southern conjures are called "root doctors" and when folks jinx their enemies they "put roots on them." In fact, "rootwork" is a synonym for hoodoo in much of the country.
This alphabetical list of botanical, mineral, and animal hoodoo curios has been compiled from many sources, both oral and written. The information about modes of use is drawn primarily from the African-American tradition of the American South, but it can be employed by anyone working in a tradition of natural magic, no matter what their ethnic background.
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This book also covers the preparation of famous Voodoo and Santeria oil dressings, bath crystals, incenses, floor washes, cleansing and spiritual baths and the preparation of mojo bags.
I have to highly commend Catherine Yronwode, for such an important book, which in my opinion is a modern classic in the usage of herbal magic. This book belongs in every rootworker, witch, santero, and shamans private collection. I highly recommend this book, and wish I could give it more stars.
Catherine Yronwode, the author, is a woman of frighteningly enormous intelligence. She has studied hoodoo for at least 35 years now in both its historical and current forms. She is profoundly well read in rootwork (and I should add that she's studied it at levels a very rare few magic users of any system ever achieve.)However, the important fact that that earlier reviewer is obviously ignorant of is that Ms. Yronwode has made it a lifelong habit of learning from actual practitioners of the system. She continues to be deeply fascinated by the living, changing art of rootwork and, as she runs her own spiritual supply shop, she has ample opportunity to compare notes with her rootworking clients. It is important to note that she has told me that the majority of her clients are Black, and if that isn't a recommendation then nothing is. Both she and her clients learn from each other continuously. She has an impressive collection of rootwork artifacts spanning most, if not all, of the last hundred years.
This expertise and thoroughness carry over to the book. The book is an encyclopedia of hoodoo herbs, roots, and related items such as lodestones, Florida water, black cat bones, and blueing. The herbs, roots, and animal and insects have their scientific names given so that no confusion can be made. Each entry contains a thorough description of how the item in question is used, and usually gives actual directions for magical use, very often in several different ways. Entries also have important notes (when applicable) such as whether the item is an endangered species, or is toxic or not. No sloppily researched, half invented, slapped together Llewellyn title, this.
This scholarly work is the absolutely genuine article written by an authority in the field with decades of experience. If you're serious about the study of hoodoo this book is a *must*.
This book also covers the preparation of famous Voodoo and Santeria oil dressings, bath crystals, incenses, floor washes, cleansing and spiritual baths and the preparation of mojo bags.
I have to highly commend Catherine Yronwode, for such an important book, which in my opinion is a modern classic in the usage of herbal magic. This book belongs in every rootworker, witch, santero, and shamans private collection. I highly recommend this book, and wish I could give it more stars.
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