Hoodoo's Origins

Approximately over 12 million enslaved Africans from various ethnic groups were transported to the Americas from the 16th to 19th centuries (1514 to 1867) as part of the transatlantic slave trade.[14] The transatlantic slave trade to the United States occurred between 1619 and 1808, and the illegal slave trade in the United States occurred between 1808 and 1860. Between 1619 and 1860 approximately 500,000 enslaved Africans were transported to the United States.[15] The ethnic groups brought to the United States during the years of the slave trade were Kongo, Igbo, Akan, Mandé, Yoruba, Fon, Ewe, and Fulbe, among many others.[16][17] After the arrival of diverse African ethnic groups to the United States, Hoodoo was created by enslaved African Americans for their spiritual survival as a form of resistance against slavery. "Because the African American community did not have the same medical or psychological aids as the European American society, its members were forced to rely on each other for survival." As a result, free and enslaved African Americans relied on Hoodoo for their protection.[18] Diverse African ethnic groups from West and Central Africa all worked on the same plantations. These diverse African ethnic groups in the United States over time merged into one larger ethnic group called African-Americans who are the creators of Hoodoo. The practice of Hoodoo unified enslaved Africans of diverse origin in America. Despite this ethnic diversity on American plantations, West and Central Africans all brought from Africa their own forms of conjure that developed into the practice known as Hoodoo; what united them was their use of conjure for liberation. For example, the practice of the ring shout[19] in Hoodoo unified diverse African ethnic groups on slave plantations. Counterclockwise circle dancing was (and is) practiced in Central and West Africa to communicate with the ancestors and for spirit possession.[20][21] Enslaved Africans in the United States united under the ring shout, and this unity of diverse Africans in America created an African American identity.[22] Moreover, author Tony Kail conducted research in African American communities in Memphis, Tennessee and traced the origins of Hoodoo practices to West and Central Africa. In Memphis, Kail conducted interviews with Black rootworkers and wrote about African American Hoodoo practices and history in his book A Secret History of Memphis Hoodoo. For example, Kail recorded at former slave plantations in the American South, "The beliefs and practices of African traditional religions survived the Middle Passage (the Transatlantic slave trade) and were preserved among the many rootworkers and healers throughout the South. Many of them served as healers, counselors and pharmacists to slaves enduring the hardships of slavery."[23] Sterling Stuckey, a professor of American history who specialized in the study of American slavery and African-American slave culture and history in the United States, asserts that African culture in America developed into a unique African-American spiritual and religious practice that was the foundation for conjure, black theology, and liberation movements. Stuckey provides examples in slave narratives, African-American quilts, Black churches, and the continued cultural practices of African Americans.[24][25]

Hoodoo across the south

In Kings County in Brooklyn, New York at the Lott Farmstead Kongo related artifacts were found on the site. The Kongo related artifacts were a Kongo cosmogram engraved onto ceramics and Nkisi bundles that had cemetery dirt and iron nails left by enslaved African Americans. The iron nails researchers suggests were used to prevent whippings from slaveholders. Also, the Kongo cosmogram engravings were used as a crossroads for spiritual rituals by the enslaved African American population in Kings County. Historians suggests Lott Farmstead was a stop on the Underground Railroad for freedom seekers (runaway slaves). The Kongo cosmogram artifacts were used as a form of spiritual protection against slavery and for enslaved peoples protection during their escape from slavery on the Underground Railroad.[54]
In Darrow, Louisiana at the Ashland-Belle Helene Plantation historians and archeologists unearthed Kongo and West-Central African practices inside slave cabins. Enslaved Africans in Louisiana conjured the spirits of Kongo ancestors and water spirits by using sea shells. Other charms were found in several slave cabins, such as silver coins, beads, polished stones, bones, and were made into necklaces or worn in their pockets for protection. These artifacts provided examples of African rituals at Ashland Plantation. Slaveholders tried to stop African practices among their slaves, but enslaved African Americans disguised their rituals by using American materials and applying an African interpretation to them and hiding the charms in their pockets and making them into necklaces concealing these practices from their slaveholders.[55]
In Talbot County, Maryland at the Wye House plantation where Frederick Douglass was enslaved in his youth, Kongo related artifacts were found. Enslaved African Americans created items to ward off evil spirits by creating a Hoodoo bundle near the entrances to chimneys which was believed to be where spirits enter. The Hoodoo bundle contained pieces of iron and a horse shoe. Enslaved African Americans put eyelets on shoes and boots to trap spirits. Archeologists also found small carved wooden faces. The wooden carvings had two faces carved into them on both sides which was interpreted to mean an African American conjurer who was a two-headed doctor. Two-headed doctors in Hoodoo means a person who can see into the future, and has knowledge about spirits and things unknown.[56] At Levi Jordan Plantation in Brazoria, Texas near the Gulf Coast, researchers suggests the plantation owner Levi Jordan may have transported captive Africans from Cuba back to his plantation in Texas. These captive Africans practiced a Bantu-Kongo religion in Cuba, and researchers excavated Kongo related artifacts at the site. For example, archeologists found in one of the cabins called the "curer's cabin" remains of an nkisi nkondi with iron wedges driven into the figure to activate its spirit. Researchers found a Kongo bilongo which enslaved African Americans created using materials from white porcelain creating a doll figure. In the western section of the cabin they found iron kettles and iron chain fragments. Researchers suggests the western section of the cabin was an altar to the Kongo spirit Zarabanda.[57][58][59] On a plantation in Kentucky called Locust Grove in Jefferson County, archeologists and historians found amulets made by enslaved African Americans that had the Kongo cosmogram engraved onto coins and beads. Blue beads were found among the artifacts, and in African spirituality blue beads attract protection to the wearer. Enslaved African Americans in Kentucky combined Christian practices with traditional African beliefs.[60]

Brooklyn Museum 22.198 Cane / This cane is from the Arts of Africa collection. Bantu-Kongo people in Central Africa and African Americans in the United States crafted similar canes.The word "goofer" in goofer dust has Kongo origins, it comes from the "Kongo word 'Kufwa' which means to die."[61] The mojo bag in Hoodoo has Bantu-Kongo origins. Mojo bags are called "toby" and the word toby derives from the Kongo word tobe.[62] The word mojo also originated from the Kikongo word mooyo. The word mooyo means that natural ingredients have their own indwelling spirit that can be utilized in mojo bags to bring luck and protection.[63] The mojo bag or conjure bag derived from the Bantu-Kongo minkisi. The Nkisi singular, and Minkisi plural, is when a spirit or spirits inhabit an object created by hand from an individual. These objects can be a bag (mojo bag or conjure bag) gourds, shells, and other containers. Various items are placed inside a bag to give it a particular spirit or job to do. Mojo bags and minkisis are filled with graveyard dirt, herbs, roots, and other materials by the spiritual healer called Nganga. The spiritual priests in Central Africa became the rootworkers and Hoodoo doctors in African American communities. In the American South, conjure doctors create mojo bags similar to the Ngangas minkisi bags as both are fed offerings with whiskey.[64] Other examples of Kongo origins of the mojo bag is found in the story of Gullah Jack. Gullah Jack was an African from Angola who carried a conjure bag (mojo bag) onto a slave ship leaving Angola for the United States. In South Carolina, Gullah Jack used the spiritual knowledge he had with him from Angola and made conjure bags for other enslaved people for their spiritual protection.[65][66][67] Other Bantu-Kongo origins in Hoodoo is making a cross mark (Kongo cosmogram) and stand on it and take an oath. This practice is done in Central Africa and in the United States in African American communities. The Kongo cosmogram is also used as a powerful charm of protection when drawn on the ground, the solar emblems or circles at the end and the arrows are not drawn just the cross marks which looks like an X.[68][36]
Other Bantu-Kongo practices present in Hoodoo are the use of conjure canes. Conjure canes in the United States are decorated with specific objects to conjure specific results and conjure spirits. This practice was brought to the United States during the transatlantic slave trade from Central Africa. Several conjure canes are used today in some African American families. In Central Africa among the Bantu-Kongo, ritual healers are called banganga and use ritual staffs (now called conjure canes in Hoodoo). These ritual staffs of the banganga conjure spirits and healing for people. The banganga healers in Central Africa became the conjure doctors and herbal healers in African American communities in the United States.[69][70] The Harn Museum of Art at the University of Florida collaborated with other world museums to compare African American conjure canes with ritual staffs from Central Africa and found similarities between the two, and other aspects of African American culture that originated from Bantu-Kongo people.[71]
Bakongo spiritual protections influenced African American yard decorations. In Central Africa, Bantu-Kongo people decorated their yards and entrances to doorways with baskets and broken shiny items to protect from evil spirits and thieves. This practice is the origin of the bottle tree in Hoodoo. Throughout the American South in African American neighborhoods, there are some houses that have bottle trees and baskets placed at entrances to doorways for spiritual protection against conjure and evil spirits. An African American man in North Carolina buried a jar under the steps with water and string in it for protection. If someone conjured him the string would turn into a snake. The man interviewed called it inkabera.[72]
Bantu-Kongo burial practices by African Americans were found in Florida. Researchers noticed the similarities of grave sites of African Americans in Florida and those of the Bakongo people in Central Africa. Headstones with a T shape were seen in Black cemeteries and at grave sites in the Kongo region. The T shape headstone peculiar to black cemeteries in north Florida during the 1920s through the 1950s corresponds to the lower half of the Kongo cosmogram that symbolizes the realm of the ancestors and spiritual power. In Bantu-Kongo spirituality the spirit realm is in the color white. African Americans decorated the graves of their family members with white items such as white conch seashells. Seashells represent the watery divide located on the horizontal line of the Kongo cosmogram that is a boundary between the realm of the living and the realm of the dead. By placing seashells on graves, African Americans were creating a boundary (barrier) between the recently deceased and them, keeping the spirit in the realm of the dead below the Kongo cosmogram.[73][74] The practice of placing seashells on top of graves in African American cemeteries continued beyond the 1950s, and was found in Archer, Florida. Researchers found other continued Bakongo burial practices in black cemeteries in Florida. In the Kongo region, Bakongo people placed broken objects on top of graves so the recently deceased can travel to the land of the dead. The broken items symbolize the person's connection to the world of the living was broken by their death, and they need to return to the realm of the dead. This practice was found in African American cemeteries in Florida and among the Gullah Geechee people in the Sea Islands in the United States.[75][76] The conjure practices of African Americans in Georgia was influenced by Bakongo and other West African ethnic groups when a slave ship the Wanderer illegally imported 409 enslaved Africans to Jekyll Island, Georgia in 1858.[77]
Historians from Southern Illinois University in the Africana Studies Department documented about 20 title words from the Kikongo language are in the Gullah language. These title words indicate continued African traditions in hoodoo and conjure. The title words are spiritual in meaning. In Central Africa, spiritual priests and spiritual healers are called Nganga. In the South Carolina Lowcountry among Gullah people a male conjurer is called Nganga. Some Kikongo words have a "N" or "M" in the beginning of the word. However, when Bantu-Kongo people were enslaved in South Carolina the letters N and M were dropped from some of the title names. For example, in Central Africa the word to refer to spiritual mothers is Mama Mbondo. In the South Carolina Lowcountry in African American communities the word for a spiritual mother is Mama Bondo. In addition during slavery, it was documented there was a Kikongo speaking slave community in Charleston, South Carolina.[78]
Yale University professor, Dr. Robert Farris Thompson, has done academic research in Africa and in the United States and traced Hoodoo's (African American conjure) origins to Central Africa's Bantu-Kongo people in his book Flash of the Spirit: African & Afro-American Art & Philosophy. Thompson is an African Art historian and found through his study of African Art the origins of African Americans' spiritual practices to certain regions in Africa.[79] Academic historian Albert J. Raboteau in his book, Slave Religion: The "Invisible Institution" in the Antebellum South, traced the origins of Hoodoo (conjure, rootwork) practices in the United States to West and Central Africa. These origins developed a slave culture in the United States that was social, spiritual, and religious.[80]

A Statement From Theodore Beaulieu

As a show creator and author I am deeply happy that I have found a way to bring my spiritual practices with me on this journey to bring Blood Brother Chronicles to the masses. Below are products; books, Gris-gris, powders, oils, etc. that come from my families wisdom as Root workers. Blood brother chronicles is teeming with southern mojo, it feels good to bring a lot of that wisdom from written pages, into your lives. On this page you can find much of the origins of Hoodoo, as well as products I cultivate within the spiritual arts of Hoodoo.  Much of the information has hyperlink notes that will lead back to pages with even more information for further academia-based research, if that is what you'd like.

Please check back often because I am always working with spirit, looking for solutions to help you as best as I can.

Central African influence

The Bantu-Kongo origins in Hoodoo practice are evident. According to academic research, about 40 percent of Africans shipped to the United States during the slave trade came from Central Africa's Kongo region. Emory University created an online database that shows the voyages of the trans-atlantic slave trade. This database shows many slave ships primarily leaving Central Africa.[26][27] Ancient Kongolese spiritual beliefs and practices are present in Hoodoo such as the Kongo cosmogram. The basic form of the Kongo cosmogram is a simple cross (+) with one line. The Kongo cosmogram symbolizes the rising of the sun in the east and the setting of the sun in the west, and represents cosmic energies. The horizontal line in the Kongo cosmogram represents the boundary between the physical world (realm of the living) and the spiritual world (realm of the ancestors). The vertical line of the cosmogram is the path of spiritual power from God at the top traveling to the realm of the dead below where the ancestors reside.[28][29] The cosmogram, or dikenga, however, is not a unitary symbol like a Christian cross or a national flag.[30] The physical world resides at the top of cosmogram and the spiritual (ancestral) world resides at the bottom of the cosmogram. At the horizonal line is a watery divide that separates the two worlds from the physical and spiritual, which the element of water has a role in African American spirituality.[31][32] The Kongo cosmogram cross symbol has a physical form in Hoodoo called the crossroads where Hoodoo rituals are performed to communicate with spirits, and to leave ritual spiritual workings or "spells" to rid of negative energies.[33] The Kongo cosmogram is also called the Bakongo cosmogram and the "Yowa" cross. The crossroads is spiritual (a supernatural crossroads) that symbolizes communication between the worlds of the living and the world of the ancestors that is divided at the horizontal line. Counterclockwise sacred circle dances in Hoodoo are performed to communicate with ancestral spirits using the sign of the Yowa cross.[34][35] Communication with the ancestors is a traditional practice in Hoodoo that was brought to the United States during the slave trade originating among Bantu-Kongo people.[36][37] In Savannah, Georgia in a historic African American church called the First African Baptist Church, the Kongo cosmogram symbol was found in the basement of the church. African Americans punctured holes in the basement floor of the church to make a diamond shaped Kongo cosmogram for prayer and meditation. The church was also a stop on the Underground Railroad. The holes in the floor provided breathable air for escaped slaves hiding in the basement of the church.[38] In an African American church in the Eastern Shore of Virginia, Kongo cosmograms were designed into the window frames of the church. The church was built facing an axis of an east-west direction so the sun rises directly over the church steeple in the east. The burial grounds of the church also show continued African American burial practices of placing mirrorlike objects on top of graves.[39] The Kongo cosmogram sun cycle also influenced how African Americans in Georgia prayed. It was recorded that some African Americans in Georgia prayed at the rising and setting of the sun.[40]
On another plantation in Maryland archeologists unearthed artifacts that showed a blend of Central African and Christian spiritual practices among enslaved people. This was Ezekial's Wheel in the bible that blended with the Central African Kongo cosmogram. The Kongo cosmogram is a cross (+) sometimes enclosed in a circle that resembles the Christian cross. This may explain the connection enslaved Black Americans had with the Christian symbol the cross as it resembled their African symbol. Also, the Kongo cosmogram is evident in hoodoo practice among Black Americans. Archeologists unearthed on a former slave plantation in South Carolina clay bowls made by enslaved Africans that had the Kongo cosmogram engraved onto the clay bowls. These clay bowls were used by African Americans for ritual purposes.[41] The Kongo cosmogram symbolizes the birth, life, death and rebirth cycle of the human soul,[42] and harmony with the universe.[43]

Slave dance and music
The Ring shout in Hoodoo has its origins from the Kongo region with the Kongo cosmogram (Yowa Cross) and ring shouters dance in a counterclockwise direction that follows the pattern of the rising of the sun in the east and the setting of the sun in the west, and the ring shout follows the cyclical nature of life represented in the Kongo cosmogram of birth, life, death, and rebirth.[44][45][46][47] Through counterclockwise circle dancing, ring shouters built up spiritual energy that resulted in the communication with ancestral spirits, and led to spirit possession. Enslaved African Americans performed the counterclockwise circle dance until someone was pulled into the center of the ring by the spiritual vortex at the center. The spiritual vortex at the center of the ring shout was a sacred spiritual realm. The center of the ring shout is where the ancestors and the Holy Spirit reside at the center.[48] The ring shout tradition continues in Georgia with the McIntosh County Shouters.[49]
In 1998, in a historic house in Annapolis, Maryland called the Brice House archeologists unearthed Hoodoo artifacts inside the house that linked to Central Africa's Kongo people. These artifacts are the continued practice of the Kongo's Minkisi and Nkisi culture in the United States brought over by enslaved Africans. For example, archeologists found artifacts used by enslaved African Americans to control spirits by housing spirits inside caches or bundles called Nkisi. These spirits inside objects were placed in secret locations to protect an area or bring harm to slaveholders.[50] The artifacts uncovered at the James Brice House were Kongo cosmogram engravings drawn as crossroads (an X) inside the house. This was done to ward a place from a harsh slaveholder.[51] Nkisi bundles were found in other plantations in Virginia and Maryland. For example, Nkisi bundles were found for the purpose of healing or misfortune. Archeologists found objects believed by the enslaved African American population in Virginia and Maryland to have spiritual power, such as coins, crystals, roots, fingernail clippings, crab claws, beads, iron, bones, and other items that were assembled together inside a bundle to conjure a specific result for either protection or healing. These items were hidden inside enslaved peoples dwellings. These practices were held in secret away from slaveholders.[52]

The beautiful Gris-gris or Conjure bag

Another African origin in Hoodoo is the mojo bag. The mojo bag in Hoodoo has West and Central African origins. The word mojo comes from the West African word mojuba. Mojo bags are called gris-gris bag, toby, conjure bag, and mojo hand.[82] Another West African influence in Hoodoo is Islam. As a result of the transatlantic slave trade, some West African Muslims that practiced Islam were enslaved in the United States. Prior to their arrival to the American South, West African Muslims blended Islamic beliefs with traditional West African spiritual practices. On plantations in the American South enslaved West African Muslims kept some of their traditional Islamic culture. They practiced the Islamic prayers, wore turbans, and the men wore the traditional wide leg pants. Some enslaved West African Muslims practiced Hoodoo. Instead of using Christian prayers in the creation of charms, Islamic prayers were used. Enslaved black Muslim conjure doctors Islamic attire was different from the other slaves, which made them easy to identify and ask for conjure services regarding protection from slaveholders.[83][84] The Mandigo (Mandinka) were the first Muslim ethnic group imported from Sierra Leone in West Africa to the Americas. Mandingo people were known for their powerful conjure bags called gris-gris (later called mojo bags in the United States). Some of the Mandingo people were able to carry their gris-gris bags with them when they boarded slave ships heading to the Americas bringing the practice to the United States. Enslaved people went to enslaved black Muslims for conjure services requesting them to make gris-gris bags (mojo bags) for protection against slavery.[85]
The West African Yoruba origins are evident in Hoodoo. For example, the Yoruba trickster deity called Eshu-Elegba resides at the crossroads, and the Yoruba people leave offerings for Eshu-Elegba at the crossroads. The crossroads has spiritual power in Hoodoo, and rituals are performed at the crossroads, and there is a spirit that resides at the crossroads to leave offerings for. However, the spirit that resides at the crossroads in Hoodoo is not named Eshu-Elegba because many of the African names of deities were lost during slavery; but the belief that a spirit resides at the crossroads and one should provide offerings to it originates from West Africa. The Yoruba crossroad spirit Eshu-Elegba became the man of the crossroads in Hoodoo.[86] Folklorist Newbell Niles Puckett, recorded a number of crossroads rituals in Hoodoo practiced among African-Americans in the South and explained its meaning. Puckett wrote..."Possibly this custom of sacrificing at the crossroads is due to the idea that spirits, like men, travel the highways and would be more likely to hit upon the offering at the crossroads than elsewhere."[87] In addition to leaving offerings and performing rituals at the crossroads, sometimes spiritual work or "spells" are left at the crossroads to remove unwanted energies.[88][89][90]
In Annapolis, Maryland, archeologists uncovered evidence for West African and Central African practices. A Hoodoo spiritual bundle that contained nails, a stone axe and other items was found embedded four feet in the streets of Maryland near the capital. The axe inside the Hoodoo bundle showed a cultural link to the Yoruba people's deity Shango. Shango was (and is) a feared Orisha in Yorubaland, because he is associated with lightning and thunder, and this fear and respect towards thunder and lightning survived in African American communities. Folklorist Puckett wrote..."and thunder denotes an angry creator." Puckett recorded a number of beliefs surrounding the fear and respect for thunder and lightning in the African American community. In Hoodoo objects struck by lightning hold great power. However, the name Shango and other African deity names were lost during slavery. Therefore, the name Shango does not exist in Hoodoo, but just the name the Thunder God. Enslaved and free blacks in New York were known among the whites in the area to take an oath to thunder and lightning. During the 1741 slave conspiracy in New York, African American men took an oath to thunder and lightning.[91][92][93]
Hoodoo also has Vodun origins. For example, a primary ingredient used in goofer dust is snakeskins. Snakes (serpents) are revered in West African spiritual practices, because they represent divinity. The West African Vodun water spirit Mami Wata holds a snake in one hand. This reverence for snakes came to the United States during the slave trade, and in Hoodoo snakeskins are used in the preparation of conjure powders.[94] Puckett explained that the origin of snake reverence in Hoodoo originates from snake (serpent) honoring in West Africa's Vodun tradition.[95] It was documented from a former slave in Missouri that conjurers took dried snakes and frogs and ground them into powders to "Hoodoo people." A conjurer made a powder from a dried snake and a frog and put it in a jar and buried it under the steps of the target's house to "Hoodoo the person." When the targeted individual walked over the jar they had pain in their legs. Snakes in Hoodoo are used for healing, protection, and to curse people.[96] Water spirits, called Simbi, are also revered in Hoodoo which comes from West African and Central African spiritual practices. When Africans were brought to the United States to be enslaved, they blended African spiritual beliefs with Christian baptismal practices. Enslaved Africans prayed to the spirit of the water and not to the Christian God when they baptized church members. Some African Americans prayed to Simbi water spirits during their baptismal services.[97][98]

PRODUCTS

Le Lux

$190.00

A conjuring marvel, this conjuring Spirit is inspired by the beautiful and magnificent Oshun - Osun. A deeply moving spirit, this gris-gris is not one, but TWO gris-gris, each representing a different phase or Pataki ( sacred knowledge or divine personality) of Osun.

The pale yellow represents Oshun when she was deeply powerful, but more humble, a time when this beautiful being had not all the wealth she has been worshiped for thousands of years. Said to have been washing her whites everyday till they turned a pale yellow (Why she LOVES the color yellow) because of daily wear, this deeply moving aspect of Oshun attracted the attention of Yemaja and Olokun. Trying her best to protect the world, Oshun lost all of her wealth and fame, with only one coin to feed her babies, the divine twins. Loosing the coin, the young Orisha begged Yemaja and Olokun for their help as she was only trying her best to help all of humanity. The Gods, deeply moved by Oshun's love her humans, parted the great seas of the world so that Oshun could find her one little coin. Finding her humble treasure, Oshun only took what she felt belonged to her. This moved Yemaja and Olokun to tears, and they forever blessed Oshun with part of their vast wealth, as well as the sweet waters as her eternal home.

The pale yellow conjuring Spirit of Le Lux represents Oshun, with all of endearing love she feels for her dear humankind family, of which she once risked it all.

The second conjure spirit is a rich canary yellow, representing a younger, vastly wealthy, powerful Oshun - the entertainer, seducer, lover of dance and sing, sorceress and vastly powerful mage of the modern world.

Said to be the patron saint of many black celebrities, especially Beyonce, Le Lux takes into consideration all aspects of this eternal mother, her many complicated sides and personalities, issuing forth a duo of conjuring Spirits that bring harmony, deeply felt wisdom, life change, peace and joy.

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The Petite Bénédiction - The Little Gris-gris With BIG Mojo

$95.00

Hey everyone, as many of y'all know, I have been sending out 'petites bénédictions' as a way of giving back to my supporters and those I care about. As always, I am shouting from the mountain tops about spiritual protection as being the FIRST and FOREMOST aspect of your Hoodoo/ Voodoo escoteric art training, especially since so many of you are spiritually inclined. 

The 'petites bénédictions' is a tradition that has been in my family for generations, a way to protect each other. 

1. Keep in mind, the golden serpent can be replaced with one of your own. You will feel when to do so. Etsy is a good source, many are gold filled (try to get pure gold if you can) if not, it is fine. 

2. Keep notes on how the 'petites bénédictions' reacts to your own precious energies. This is time to learn about YOUR OWN ENERGIES and how they react to stimuli.

3. Use the 'petites bénédictions' how ever you like, left or right hand Hoodoo/spiritual paths, that is not the concern of the Great Mother. All she is concerned about is that you are safe on your travels through spiritual learning(s).

4. The 'petites bénédictions' can be blessed any way you like. May I suggest the Holy Bible and Psalms, as that is our tradition but you can use meditation, personal energies,etc.

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Lilly - The Primordial Sacred Goddess

$95.00

Created from the skin of the black spitting cobra, Lilly is a

primordial sacred feminine spirit that means what she goes about to

do. Wether dealing with enemies or friends, this powerful but gentle

spirit eases into a situation, then strikes when it is best.

Always willing to work, this spirit should only be set forth ONE job

at a time. Lilly is a brilliant teacher, allowing you to ease into any

task, spirit or physical, with new insight.

When 'feeding' Lilly, always use dark dry or sweet wine.

******Please keep in mind as of April 1, 2022 there is a 4 week waiting period for this particular spirit bc of suppliers of specific animal skins that are needed in order to create this spirit. Orders will go out ASAP! *****

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Amour Céleste - Heavenly Love

$90.00

Laced with Hibiscus, creating a vibe of love and passion, Egyptian Blue Lotus for soft endearing hope and vibes, as well as over 35 different herbs and roots, Amour Céleste is a Gris-gris that surrounds your soul with love and a pure synergy of oneness. This is the very synergy that makes men and women unforgettable. Wether drawing in a certain lover or attracting someone new, this powerful spirit will make you alluring and deeply desirable.

Experience a radiant passion that leaves you feeling renown and adored.

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L' impératrice - The Empress

$45.00

The L' impératrice - The Empress is an oracle Gris-gris that will help you deeply bind with the archetype of your chosen tarot card deck. This spirit can help you give even more accurate readings because she melds your energy not only with your divination system, but also with the established spiritual archetype. This can only mean more and more downloads from sages and masters of the spirit world. This mojo is cultivated with the delicate Pomelo flower, timeless knowledge and protection from Albizia flower and the divination mojo from the ancient and mysterious Lotus seed hearts and Anise.

This Hoodoo speciality is a must-have for those that love that art of tarot card reading and want to explore tarot as a vast spirit scape of past knowledge and wisdom.

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Papillon Noir - Black Butterfly

$95.00

With an undertone of power that is subtle and comforting, this hand-made

gris-gris has an overtone of mystery and velvet cool sense of mastery.

While most Sacred Serpent gris-gris energies are felt up front,

easily sensed and expressed, the mysterious spirit of the Papillon

Nior feels as if she is soley a patron behind the veil.

And this is her magic, a cunning that allows you a subtle

but distinct view behind the velvet rope of the spirit world,

a knowing that surrounds you as a spiritual being, creating

a confidence and prowess in all that you do.

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Enchanted Joy - Joie Enchantée

$95.00

🌈Enchanted Love🏳️‍🌈✨ is a particular Gris-gris much like Celestial Love, but cut with 4 additional special herbs cultivated to help LGBTQ+ individuals to help with internal love, as well as external love. That means forming a loving bond with yourself, as well as helping you to find love around you.

We live in a world that can be divisively harsh to people that don't necessarily fit into a preset cultural/ sociatal dynamic. 

But that is who we are as Queer people-we're not meant to fit in, but inspire change and growth throughout humanity.

This beautiful Gris-gris makes this process rather easy and much more comfortable, all while surrounding one with a charged energy of attraction and love as well as self love. 

With energetic overtones of protection, a rather smooth energy that grows and embraces you (Mandrake, Blue Vervain and the POWERFUL Valerium root), you're swept into safety and calm.

This is coupled with a second barely felt overtone of euphoric balance and gentle sensuality (Dried fig, Calendula,Peach Blossoms, Sweet Violet,etc.)

The undertone is another protective energetic energy, supplementing your aura (Vetiver and Rue roots) 

Like Celestial Love, this is a beautiful spirit, but with much more spiritual protection for your spirit and person.

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Nukali Spirit

$20.00

Created from a single cowrie shell, filled with herbs and pulverized

natural elements, each of these imbued cowries radiate a power that is

gentle and deeply potent. Already a deeply powerful spiritual totem

that has been apart of Africa for thousands of years, the Nukali

spirit creates a way of which one can work harmoniously with all if

not most spirits.

This hoodoo is apart of very old primordial spiritual practices that

look gathers the wearer in a feeling of protection and openness.

1. Keep notes on how the 'Nukali' reacts to your own precious

energies. This is time to learn about YOUR OWN ENERGIES and how they

react to stimuli.

1. Use the 'Nukali' how ever you like, left or right hand

Hoodoo/spiritual paths, that is not the concern of the Great Mother.

All she is concerned about is that you are safe on your travels

through spiritual learning(s).

3. The 'Nukali' can be blessed any way you like. May I suggest the

Holy Bible and Psalms, as that is our tradition but you can use

meditation, personal energies,etc.

The 'Nukali' is a way to learn about YOU.

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Motivation de le'argent - Money Motivation

$50.00

Part of abundance is action, the part of magic of which we go after
even our most difficult dreams. This is one aspect of manifestation
that can actually be very difficult, especially if your not used to
networking or too frightened or timid to take that BIG leap!

This little spirit is all about money and going after what you want.

Created with such oils as Eucalyptus ( banishing negative thoughts),
Fir needle ( sovereignty over any situation), Tea tree ( banishing
darkness around you) and Lemon oil (a positive frame of mind).

With my family's age old rue of herbs that create spirit around you,
this little dynamo is created to help you make change in the world as
you see fit, creating wealth, happiness and peace as you go.

Just like the red Petite Bénédictions everyone loves so much, your
still protected and guided, this time after a better life and wealth.

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Jezebel Gris-gris

$95.00

The Jezebel spirit is one of the more controversial spirits in the western bible, but as we all know the old and new testament was written by men. many of whom had little respect for the true power of the Sacred Feminine.
The Jezebel Gris-gris is filled with potent feminine powers with deeply powerful herbs, here are a few.  Damiana - Restore vitality and sensual allure.
White Willow Bark - Increase power and intuition. Instrumental in emotional healing.
Deers Tongue - Increase confidence and communication skills. Known to attract new love for these very reasons.

Profoundly moving and protective, this particular spirit teaches us that there is so much more to female power and sensuality. Through the ages, women have been either judged or ostracized because of men's inherent lust or need for their affection. Tainted by toxic male chauvinism stemming far back into antiquity, the power of the woman has always been painted in a hue of mistrust, salaciousness and debauchery. This is where the Jezebel Gris-gris takes over.

Named after Queen Jezebel (died c. 843 BCE) in the book of Kings in the Bible, this venerable woman was the wife of King Ahab.

Because of her influential away of her king as well as her subjects and country, Jezebel  openly defied the monotheaic worship of one God, (Yahweh) instead relating to olds gods and goddesses, especially the age old Tyrian God called Baal- Melkart.

Studying ancient religious rule as well as the new monotheaic religion sweeping that region at that time, Jezebel probably witnessed a distinctive  shift from royal power, to power grabs from high priest that were pushing forth thier new God.

Powerful and formidable, Queen Jezebel probably saw her much older  husband's rule and sovereignty grow small and obsolete. This would not do for a woman that loved and adored her family, as well as the position she was born into. As with all sovereign rulers, Jezebel quickly killed all that opposed her, including many of the new priestly ruling class.

These priest would one day win, as would their  monotheistic God, forever betraying Queen Jezebel as an evil vile woman that dared to wield the power of a man.

The Jezebel Gris-gris teaches all women that cosmic power is their divine right, one many still feel they should not have. But it is this very power that heals the world as well as themselves.

The power and confidence of a Queen, a leader of nations.

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Sacred Serpent Curio Gift Card

$10.00 - $50.00

Surprise someone special with a Gift Card! Gift Cards are delivered to the recipient by email and include instructions on how to redeem them at checkout. Our Gift Cards have no additional processing fees and never expire.

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Blood Blood Brother Chronicles Volume 1

$10.00

Set in 1923 South Carolina, two half brothers take on harrowing racism, mystical spiritual practices as well as discover several mysteries, all while understanding their own mystical powers

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Testimonials

 Hello everyone, I love and adore writing and producing, but Hoodoo, my spiritual path,  is apart of my bloodline. I adore creating my well regarded Gris-gris, little cultivated spirits meant to help improve your life in many ways. Below are just a few of the testimonials I have received.   Blood Brother Chronicles is filled with adventure and passion, teeming with Hoodoo and mystical echoes of ages of wisdom. It has always been my goal to represent the books, the up-coming show with all I have as a Hoodoo spirit conjurer.  Love and natural magic is my life, its what I write about and what I want to present to the world one day. Enjoy the Gris-gris, I hope to develop more and more, ie; fixed spirit candles, spirit oils and powders, and all things Hoodoo. Stay Tuned!
Thank all of yall for your support! Love Ya!

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