Hoodoo, Rootwork, Conjure
Suga’N’Spice, Dirt ‘N’Dice
article credit: Amber Rose (article source: scribd.com) (see bottom of article for more information about Amber Rose) reprinted with permission.
Conditions, Crossing, Uncrossing, Jinxes, Curses- How to Neutralize &
Reverse
Once again
we meet here at the crossroads, I hope my hoodlums and hoodoolicious
hoodlets enjoyed the first part to this section of Magus Opus- it was a
total pleasure in pioneering hoodoo into your hearts and
inquisitiveness. In case you missed the preliminary delicious slice
before this article, we shall ‘bone up’ on what was discussed. The
paramount element of this column was a prologue to hoodoo and the
differentiation between hoodoo & Vodou, the introduction of worldwide
Folk Lore which has become a de rigueur ingredient in hoodoo custom and
tradition and the mention of my own teachers and mentors. As stated
hoodoo is an American term which originated roughly between the mid 18th-19th
century and is a diverse amalgamated folkloric practice introduced into
America by the many migrating cultures from Africa, Santo Domingo,
Europe, the Caribbean and even Eastern countries; an admixture of
knowledge all spun in an elaborate web to form what is considered one of
the most potent and powerful of practices. However, it is important to
know that many other cultures have their own ‘natural’ similarities to
hoodoo. For example, the Balkan Witches administer eggs in their
workings as with the Spanish Bruja, the Strega use urine (Chamber Lye,
Waters, Soul Water) as an ingredient for love teas, potions, spells to
bind a lover & effective curses in compel ruin to their target. The
Mayans, Greek, Egyptians, Sicilian and Nordic sorceresses used vaginal
fluids to anoint idols, talismans, tools and curios for love, protection
and malign purposes. To affirm hoodoo as entirely African x American,
can be regarded as ignorant; nor can it truly be considered as purely
Christian unlike what many other sources in books and the internet will
inform you. Hoodoo can be intergraded into your own practice to augment,
enrich and empower, bringing a new flavour, a new style to ensure
success.
Typically
chants are not used in hoodoo unlike Wicca and Paganism. Instead
affirmations, and simple statements of intention or even selections of
Psalms and section of the Bible: the songs of Solomon, scriptures from
numerous other sources are another excellent foundation for conjuration.
What it all comes down to, it is what ‘you’ are comfortable with. Hoodoo
spells are quite simple in their application, no long drawn out ritual
usually mandatory in other belief systems to perform effectual magick.
Once you have your hoodoo medicine chest stocked, it then only becomes a
matter of your own intuition combined with technique to quickly assemble
some mojo or trick to get the job done. I suggest using a wooden box;
you can sometimes find nice ones in bric-a-brac, second-hand & antique
stores, emporiums and esoteric shops. Remember to thoroughly smoke them
out with a smudge stick of rosemary, bay leaves and lavender or Dragon’s
Blood Incense sticks. Simply fan the smoke over the inside and the
outside of the box. Also leave a white sachet of sea salt or alum in the
box to soak up any negative energy that may be absorbed during usage
(refresh every week including the purging with smoke). You do not have
to run out and buy expensive tools, whatever you find out in nature will
better benefit you than a flash crystal wand that can set you back a
hundred dollars. Feathers, rocks, native barks/resins/leaves/roots-(if
you are not sure on the native uses of trees/plants/flowers/roots
contact me with what you have and I shall provide you with that
information), shells, all types of water (muddy water, rain water, storm
water, river water, sea water etc), animal parts (skins, fur, skulls-
use gloves and treat appropriately- see my blog on Bone Preparation).
Gather anything that catches your eye or that you feel intuitively you
should collect.
I speak to
clients every day about various ‘conditions’ encountered in traditional
Conjure and Rootwork (hoodoo), many are not sure on initial contact
where to begin, where to finish or what the answer is. First, we start
with the ‘condition’ that needs to be treated or if this cannot be
deciphered a reading must be done by a reputable reader who knows a
little about hoodoo and ‘crossed’ conditions (curses), or if you feel
confident enough, you may do this yourself using any form of divination
that ‘you’ are comfortable with: Tarot & Pendulum being the usual
favoured. Before we get too much into ‘conditions’, ‘crossings’ and
‘jinxes’ allow me to define what these terms actually mean.
Condition:
This is what you or the client understands /or thinks the situation is
or where they find themselves. Conditions are not exclusive to
hoodoo—various magickal systems have multiple conditions that they focus
on, and, throughout the world there are a handful of conditions common
to all traditions. These may be treated through prayer, ritual, candle
services, spiritual counselling as well as professional services as the
case may demand or call attention to. Often individuals familiar with
conjure practice will have diagnosed their condition before seeking out
a reader or rootworker- if the situation is not clear use divination.
There is no small category to which ‘conditions’ fall into, they may
range from and certainly not limited to: straying lovers, lust,
addiction, fear, loss of money, sickness, loss of employment/or
business, marriage confliction, relationship problems, gossip & slander,
law matters, behavioural problems in children, nightmares, accidents,
spiritual & psychic attack, haunting & problematic energies in the home
or business... in this article we shall take a look at one of the most
commonly feared conditions... crossings and jinxes.
A
‘crossing’ or ‘jinxing’ is a curse of certain proportions- both are one
and one the same, it depends on your own beliefs and traditions which
term you use or the context it is used in. These can be placed
intentionally or unintentionally by a person. The
curse/jinx/crossing/hex can be limited to a certain area of the target’s
life—the victim may discover their love life inflicted by problems or a
rapid degeneration of money, even loss of property. They can be more
comprehensive and complex to affect every aspect of their target’s life,
like a family curse, or contagious to pass from the target and onto
family members. Curses can be placed by complete strangers who
experience a moment of envy, jealousy, dislike, greed... unfortunately
in many cases we discover that family members and blood relations are
the sources of the ill-intent and ill-workings. Not all people even
realize they have been cursed, and to effectively be able to work
against ‘crossings’ the ‘condition’ itself has to be identified
otherwise any working will be rendered impotent and may only ‘feed’ the
actual crossing which has been already placed making it stronger, thus
harder to remove. Easy remedies to determine ‘crossed conditions’ is
noticing a course of unexplained bad luck, romantic relationships
depleting or arguments arising, health issues, neurosis (anxiety,
tension, pain or stress in your life), psychosis (paranoia, delusion,
bad visions, terrors or unexplained fear), nervousness, feelings if
insecurity, in danger, skittish, negative messages from people who are
close to you, chest pains, headaches, accidents or animals behaving
negatively towards you. In conclusion to this, most of clients have
described a ‘feeling’ of being off, that something is not right. Keep in
mind that not all crossed conditions are bad, but it is how ‘you’ feel
that determines this. Another important fact to remember is that
treating crossed conditions vary greatly, and many are relatively light
and unproblematic to remove...however... some can be quite detrimental,
difficult to be rid off and may call for extensive ritual treatment over
a long period of time.
Crossings
can be placed on a person by numerous methods: Crossing powder/Hot Foot
Powder or Goofer Dust across pathways, doorstep, or sprinkled on items
such as door knobs, car handles (anything with direct contact) or dress
their shoes and socks with these powders. Nails hammered into
footprints. This method is regarded as ‘Foot-track magic’ and is one of
the oldest styles of cursing in many cultures, myths and legends. Be
watchful for strange dusts or markings/patterns where you usually walk,
if you walk to work, school or anywhere, change the route daily (if
possible). Buried or hidden objects such as a bottle spell, mojo bag, or
powders that have been sprinkled, strange artefacts left on doorsteps or
packages in your mail box. Check around your home carrying gloves, a
bottle of holy water, blessed salt water, or an infusion of protective
herbs; investigate digging marks, or mounds around the perimeter of your
property (usually the front yard, under front doorsteps). Study weird
packages, even if it looks like rubbish to you, it could contain herbs,
hairs, roots and other ingredients. These items must be dug up, the area
sprayed with the cleansing water and the object burned. Do not make skin
or body contact with the item, the ashes should be buried far from your
property or take to the sea and discarded. If the item cannot be found,
then an uncrossing spell (e.g. a bath, rub-down, house cleansing and
protections etc) must be done, and repeated 3 or 9 times along with a
reversing spell or counteracting spell to neutralize the curses effects:
giving it to the earth to heal. Curses can also be molasses jars, candle
spells and a whole arsenal of nasty titbits available to the hands of
those who wish to work wicked tricks on people.
The next
major question once the condition is revealed is the treatment. The
answer depends on the severity of the case. This is the method known as
‘uncrossing’. There are three main principles of uncrossing, the first
being the removal of the crossing, healing and protection and
re-focalization. The importance of uncrossing is only common sense,
without the removal of the crossing things will gradually only worsen, a
crossed condition is seen as a spiritual problem than can affect the
target on all levels of the subconscious and conscious. A crossed
condition may also be more of a hindrance of the self, making the client
unable to move on or have any good happen in their life, uncrossing
removes all the obstacles and blockages from preventing that happy and
enriched life. During the processes of removing crossed conditions,
curses, hexes and jinxes- do some soul-searching and inner reflection,
the cure is not only in the exclusion of these conditions but also in
changing your own outlooks, habits and behaviour. Sometimes our answers
are not in what others have placed but more on our own stresses,
anxieties, behaviours & characteristics have brought down upon our self.
Not all curses are placed by others; sometimes we place them on
ourselves without really noticing it, negative energy can be our own
worst enemy and this has to be taken into contemplation.
First
responses and suggestions in banishing crosses and jinxes is spiritual
bathing. Cleansing the home and body with various herbs, water, and in
some cases smoke- this is an honoured way to brighten & freshen the
dwelling & soul , purge and release the negative energy and negative
thoughts from our spaces and bodies. Blessing, cleansing and bathing is
pretty much a universal first recommendation in every case where crossed
conditions inflict a person or dwelling. The beauty of this method is
that it doesn’t encroach on the clients beliefs as many traditional
systems from Buddhism to Wicca- all use methods of cleansing,
spiritual/ritual bathing and blessing to remove harmful entities, curses
and ill. For health issues a blessing ritual designed to increase
strength and vitality may be a benefit, a house blessing for someone
experiencing trouble in or around the home. Protection is an integral
part of dealing with crossed conditions, especially if the person
believed to have inflicted the curse is still alive and wishing them
continued ill-will; protections may have to be persistent for years in
order to combat the negativity being focused in their direction. There
is no simple remedy for this and the client/or you have to consider that
if the curse is removed, what is to stop them from placing another.
Again, the matter of a transpose has the same implication, what is sent
to them can also be reversed back to sender... anyone up for hex tennis?
This is known easily as ‘reversing’, it is
not the same as cursing
since it is the psychological definition of returning the
ill/harm/crossing conditions back to the sender. Then again,
if you believe in karma or
the Wiccan Rede (Harm Thee None)... there can be great ramification and
consequence placed upon you should a reversal be considered when you
work under these spiritual guidelines- right or wrong this
is measured as wishing harm
on another in this milieu. You may consider a nullifying or defusing
spell to direct the energies to the earth, and be healed. Think hard on
your own belief values. Reverse work should be done alongside cleansing
and protective work and never merely on its own.
A Herbal Uncrossing Bath & Cleansing Candle Working
A
traditional remedy for uncrossing, jinx-breaking and purification.
You will
need the following:
Hyssop
Rue Leaves
Basil
Clove
Pine Needles
Verbena
Lemon Zest
Rose Petals
You will also need
2 white offertory candles of natural wax (soy/beeswax/palm not
paraffin).
Anoint with
Uncrossing Oil: I part lemon, ¼ part Bay, 1 part Rose, 1 part Dragon’s
Blood. Burn with Uncrossing Incense: Equal parts Lavender, Rose,
Verbena, Dragon’s Blood and Frankincense upon charcoal (or use any stick
incense of either aromas for the same effect). Burn the incense whilst
you work.
If you believe
enemies have cursed you, look up the 37th Psalm (the famous
Uncrossing Psalm) it begins with “Fret not thyself with evil-doers” If
you feel that your bad condition is a result even in part from your own
bad activities, judgments, actions in the past, look up the 51st
Psalm, where Hyssop is recommended for the purification from sin. If you
are not comfortable with the Psalms, simply write down your request in
your own words that the condition be lifted, removed, defused,
counterbalanced or the one who put it upon you struck down.
The time to begin
preparation is arising before dawn, brew up the herbs in a clean,
sterilized pot and make into an infusion (do not over boil- simply bring
to a gentle boil then remove). Strain the liquid. If you wish to perform
a house blessing after your spiritual bath save some of the water for
use in your house-scrub water. Go to your bathroom, stand in your bath
or shower (must also be clean) Recite the 37th
(jinx-breaking) or the 51st (purification) Psalm or whatever
you feel comfortable in reciting as you pour the water over your head.
Visualizing the affliction being washed down the drain, returning to the
earth to be cleansed and regenerated into positive energy, being
deactivated, returning to sender (whatever your wishes are to have this
condition removed- you must visualize what you want done with it). When
you have finished the spiritual bath, step out of the shower or bath and
light the candles anointed with the Uncrossing Oil. Light the incense
next. Stand between the two candles, allow yourself to dry naturally.
Visualize yourself, clean, reborn, refreshed and renewed. Allow the
smoke to billow around you, removing any remnants that may remain.
Recite your Psalm or words again, remember to speak your words with
passion. Languid
utterance, dispassionate words hold no power: remember to speak from
the spirit and with heart, there is much power in the voice when force
and meaning is applied. After you have recited your passages and wishes
walk away and allow the candles to burn until they extinguish no matter
how long it takes. Dispose of the wax appropriately afterwards, bury in
the earth or dispose of in the ocean.
Spiritually Cleansing Your Dwelling
of crossed Conditions, Jinxes & Negative Energies or Residues
Using the
herbal ‘tea’ infusion instructed as above. This is used to wash down
floors, windows and paying special attention to the entry doorsteps of
the abode. This is believed to greatly improve all bad conditions from
the dwelling and to prevent the condition from returning. The following
recipe should be made and kept on-hand for all various workings,
uncrossing, protection and cleansings.
You will
need the following for Four Thieves Vinegar:
A bottle of Cider
Vinegar or Red Wine Vinegar
Garlic Cloves
9 Cloves
Lavender Flowers
Pinch of Galangal
3 Cinnamon Sticks
9 Bay Leaves
Allow all of the
above to seep in the cider or red wine vinegar between 3 weeks to
several weeks. Top up with more
vinegar to make a sizeable amount (store in a glass jar or bottle and
label with the date) If you do not have the Lavender, Galangal you can
buy the others at any supermarket for an easy penny. Use what you have,
however the garlic, cloves, bay and cinnamon play an important role in
this basic Four Thieves Vinegar recipe for the removal of crossed
conditions, protection and cleansing of malignant energies and entities.
Mix together the
spiritual bath water, Four Thieves Vinegar and the first morning’s
urine. Sweep from the back of the premises to the front. If you have
carpets, you may lightly spritz with Van Van Oil or the Uncrossing Oil
as stated above. Van Van can be simply Lemongrass (slightly mashed
fresh) and added to an Almond Base or to an Almond Base, 6 drops of
Lemongrass Oil, 4 drops of Vanilla Oil, 1 drop of Vetivert Oil: Change
the Lemongrass and Vanilla measurements around if you prefer a Vanilla
smells as opposed to the Lemon. Sweep out the front doorway area while
the floor is still wet. Once you are done with the wash/floor water,
carry whatever remains out of the house and pour it onto the ground away
from your property (do not pour down the drain or flush down the
toilet). To further add potency and to make 100% sure any crossed
condition has been removed; use ‘reddening’ on the front doorstep; an
old practice of using Red Ochre Clay for ritual/sacred purposes, this
can be used for business or protection. Get up before dawn on a Monday
or Friday, without speaking to anyone, wash down your doorstep with
first morning Chamber Lye in a bucket of warm water, sea salt and salt
petre. Scrub the area exceptionally well paying particular attention to
the front step. Sprinkle the red ochre or red-brick dust across the
doorstep while still wet, this allows the reddening to set and it will
not blow away or be easily removed. For business if you own or manage,
mix cinnamon and brown sugar with the red-brick dust, or even place a
line of honey across the doorway and apply red-brick dust. This will not
only aid in protecting finances, business dealings but also sweeten the
prospect of business to you, drawing in customers.
In case you are wondering, why use urine with the exclamation of “Ew gross!”? Well, consider why animals mark their territory? No, I am not stating we should get down with nature, cock a leg/squat and pee all over the place like animals in the hopes our scent will drive off rivals. The conundrum is-- male urine works best for driving off all rivals. Women’s urine; works differently, if the condition is placed down by a male, the female target should not use her urine as a female’s scent is more alluring to the opposite sex, therefore would work as an attractant to the caster’s condition (if male). Female’s urine will only drive off other females. Another misconception on behalf of various rootworkers out there who practice hoodoo and stipulate all urine is effective to drive off crossed conditions. But it isn’t when you take into consideration the innate process of nature and the physical law of attraction. Urine is a compelling ‘natural process’ obtainable by all of us: to utilize against crossed conditions, furthermore in reflection to this, the beautiful paradox of being an infamous ingredient to employ crossed conditions.
Uncrossing
Reversal x Sour Name Candle
You will
need the following:
A jumbo red candle
or large pillar candle
1 kg of soy wax &
2 black candle wax dye tablets
One sour lolly
packet (like warheads or lemon sherbet whizz packet)
Cast off Evil
Reversal Ink: 75ml Red Indian Ink, 2 tsp Dragon’s Blood resin
(powdered), 6 drops of Cinnamon Oil, 6 drops of Clove Oil
Black feather or
Calligraphy pen (especially for ritual use)
Cast off Evil
Reversal Oil: Jojoba oil or Almond oil base, 6 drops Dragon’s Blood oil,
6 drops Cinnamon Oil, 2 drops Clove Oil, 2 drops of Black Pepper Oil
Aluminium Foil
Melt the soy wax
or paraffin if you cannot find soy, (however I discourage from using
paraffin as it is not a natural wax and contains impurities and chemical
compounds) by placing the wax in a heatproof dish over boiling water,
you should ‘never’ directly melt wax onto a direct heat source. Place
the dye tablets into the wax; gently stir until all wax is melted. Turn
off heat and ‘carefully’ roll or dip the red pillar into the wax to
cover the red (without melting the red candle, of course) Write the name
(if you know it) of the person who has crossed you, if you do not know
the name or not comfortable in your own visions of who it was, simply
write ‘return to sender’ with the ink onto the sour paper. If you cannot
locate the above, already have rice paper prepared, soaked in pure lemon
juice (this is the sour focus of the working: to sour their lives and
sour the condition to them and not to you) and left to dry or even bake
in an oven. Fix the name paper writing side down into the black wax.
Continue dipping the candle until the paper is completely covered and no
red wax shows through the black. You may also write their name or the
same ‘return to sender’ or carve the problem onto the candle once it has
dried with a rusty nail. Dress it with the Cast Off Evil Reversal Oil
then apply a small amount of wax to the aluminium foil, fix the reversal
candle to the wax to ensure it does not fall over. Around the candle you
may place broken mirrors painted black, sharp ends facing the candle (if
you want to be particularly devilesque) - this is mimicking invisible
spiritual daggers fixed towards the sender of your condition. Further
mirrors placed around the outside of the candle will block you from
being seen as long as the mirror has never seen your reflection (all
they will see when using divination or intuition is their own
reflection). It is a means of spiritual blinding, like invisibility.
Around the candle you may further add crossing herbs or simply a circle
of salt, to keep them bound to what they originally sent preventing them
from reversing it, the mirrors will direct it straight back, albeit of
retaliation.
Once the working
is completed, wrap the mirrors which surrounded the candle and wax
aluminium parcel in black cloth (again these
must not reflect your image)
then smash with a hammer. Bury in an abandoned place, to the earth or in
a cemetery either 9 am or 9pm at night. You must bestow an
offering of coins, food or wine for the spirits of the wild & earth, or
the Guardian of the cemetery then leave promptly without looking back.
This not only employs the aid of spirits but also is a sign of respect
and reverence.
This concludes the
first part of this section; next article will be on how to neutralize,
defuse crossed conditions and ask the Earth to cleanse and evolve the
curse into a positive result. This method is used by those who believe
reversing and reversal spells are like curses; inflicting harm on
another person(s). This can be done with no harm or backlash of karma
(if you believe in karma) coming back to bite you on the bum! It is the
eco-friendly version of uncrossing. We must remember that protecting
ourselves and loved ones is our right, sometimes being eco-friendly to
those who do not deserve it isn’t the way to combat negative magic...
sometimes people need to be kicked up the ass or beaten about the head
using their own foot. Until next time... see you at the crossroads and
happy hunting to all!
About the Author
Amber~Rose, also known as Ararita/Gypsy Nyx’Rose is an skilled
Rootworker x Strega x Slavic Koldun with at least 20yrs experience in
various aspects of sorcery and the Occult ranging from Balkan traditions
to Gypsy Folklore. Born from a strong lineage of Gypsy heritage on both
sides of her family-- knowledgeable in both the lighter and darker
aspects of ceremonial/ritual magic and principles; using both energies
with dual respect and balance. She
is a professional conjure woman & condition worker who treats her
clients with the utmost respect, care and in total confidentiality.
Tarot, Tasseography, Sciomancy, Pendulum, Black Mirror & Moon Scrying
are her favoured methods of divination including working with the
deceased, ancestral spirits and shadow totems. For all enquiries
gypsy.nyx.rose@gmail.com
or visit http://southernsorcery.blogspot.com/
