The Enduring Power of Hoodoo
A spiritual tradition of resistance, resilience, and empowerment.
What is Hoodoo?
Hoodoo, also known as Rootwork or Conjure, is an African-American spiritual tradition focused on personal empowerment and achieving tangible results in everyday life. It is a system of folk magic, not an organized religion.
Practitioners use knowledge of herbs, roots, minerals, and spirits to create "workings" for protection, love, luck, and justice, rooted in West and Central African spiritual beliefs and adapted for survival in the American South.
Hoodoo vs. Voodoo
Hoodoo (Rootwork)
Folk magic system, informal, individualized, focused on practical results.
Voodoo (Vodou)
Organized religion with a priesthood, communal rituals, and worship of spirits (Lwa).
The Roots of the Work
Hoodoo is a syncretic tradition, weaving together spiritual technologies from across the globe—a testament to the resilience of ancestral knowledge.
West & Central Africa
Bakongo, Fon, Ewe, Yoruba & Islamic concepts.
Indigenous Americas
Local botanical and healing knowledge.
Europe
Folk magic & Christian elements (Bible, Psalms).
HOODOO
The Rootworker's Toolkit
Hoodoo is a practical tradition using a rich *materia medica*. Click on an item below to learn more with AI-powered insights.
High John the Conqueror Root
Success, power, gambling luck, protection.
Five Finger Grass
Success in endeavors done with the hands.
Graveyard Dirt
Spirit work, protection, jinxing.
Red Brick Dust
Protection, neutralizing enemy powders.
Hyssop
Purification, home cleansing, uncrossing.
Patchouli Leaf
Love-drawing, money-drawing, fertility.
Lodestone
Drawing love, money, or luck.
Devil's Shoestring
Protection from gossip, gambling luck, job-getting.
Analyzing the Work
The goals of Hoodoo "workings" reflect the core desires for a better, more secure life, often using talismans like the Mojo Bag—a "prayer in a bag" containing curated items to achieve a specific goal.
Primary Aims of Workings
Anatomy of a Mojo Bag
✨ Find Symbolic Inspiration
Curious about how Hoodoo concepts might relate to a situation? Describe an intention for AI-generated symbolic ideas. This is for reflection, not literal instruction.