The Concept of Success in Hoodoo Magic Spells

Old time hoodoo includes many spells for success. However, a look at their methods can be telling. The black cat bone was said to guarantee success -- yet its original purpose was to make a person invisible, and from there it gained a reputation for 'law keep away', 'power' and 'money' because it made stealing more easy. A traditional formula for success was Jockey Club, a fragrance which seems to have come into use because of its association with racetracks and betting upon them (though some bottles did, admittedly, use a horseshoe as their logo, which probably helped its reputation for luck bringing.) Another old spell for success was to get the finger bone of a noted gambler, so his spirit would help you in catching money.

Clearly the notion of success was not that of wealth gained through wise decisions or careful strategy. "Success" was something more akin to a gamester getting lucky at the table or a thief getting away with his crime; the aim was not longterm stability or prosperity but just the bit of luck needed to get through another week. One's own cunning was of little account. Success was about small advantages presented directly from the hands of Fate.

Nowadays, formulas like Crown of Success are often used for matters like success on a test or with a job interview, and while it may be able to help in such undertakings, understanding the perception of success in hoodoo helps to understand what kind of "success" to expect (it is closer to what we'd typically now call "chance" or "luck.") Your interviewer might become distracted and miss bad answers you give, or grow restless and decide to choose someone for the job after interviewing only you and a couple other candidates instead of the dozens he originally had in mind, thereby improving your odds to win. Your success on the test won't be from the magic "bringing out the best in you" but from coincidences effecting the world around you, like the computer slightly misreading your answer sheet to your advantage or time running out before you could lose any points by filling out a wrong answer.

I myself have been disappointed by success spells in the past, but this was again from not fully understanding at the time what should be expected. Something I've gradually come to learn about hoodoo -- and most folk magic for that matter -- is that it's not meant as an aid to those with big dreams or who want to do or have great things. It's meant to get you through the day to day just a bit more happily.

Paper-in-Shoe Spells

A popular and very traditional hoodoo spell, often used for any situation where you need to control someone with magic , is the namepaper-in-shoe spell. It's very easy: you write the target's name 3, 7, or 9 times on a paper (depending on intent and who's giving instruction) then fold it up, sometimes after dressing it with oils or powders, then put it in your shoe. This "keeps the person underfoot" or "stomps out the trouble" or "puts pressure on them" or any other number of metaphors. I have had this work several times over the years. In one instance, I was working for a very unpleasant boss, on a short-term job. It was the last day, and I only had about 3 hours of work left on the project; and I wanted him to up my pay for the day since it almost wasn't worth the trip across town for the amount he was paying me, for only 3 hours. He was very reluctant. So I wrote his name 3 times on a 5-dollar bill he'd given me, and dusted it...

Ammonia - A Spiritual Cleansing Agent for Magick

Ammonia is a strong cleansing agent in hoodoo magick, both physically and spiritually. In Edwardian times it was advised as an old home remedy for a nerve tonic (see recipe below.) "Household ammonia" or "ammonium hydroxide" is a solution of NH3 in water. Household ammonia ranges in concentration from 5 to 10 weight percent ammonia. The Romans called the ammonium chloride deposits they collected from near the Temple of Amun (Greek Ἄμμων Ammon) in ancient Libya 'sal ammoniacus' (salt of Amun) because of proximity to the nearby temple of Amun, the chief god of ancient Thebes. Salts of ammonia have been known from very early times; thus the term Hammoniacus sal appears in the writings of Pliny, although it is not known whether the term is identical with the more modern sal-ammoniac (ammonium chloride). In the form of sal-ammoniac (nushadir) ammonia was important to the Muslim alchemists as early as the 8th century, first mentioned by the arab chemist...

Spiritual Use of Turpentine in Hoodoo and Witchcraft

I have posted in the past about the use of giving one's bedding a spiritual cleansing from time to time. I recently was laundering my pillows in the same load of laundry as some turpentine-soaked rags, with the result that the pillows emerged from the wash reeking of turpentine. From a magical perspective, this may not be a bad thing. Turpentine is used in old-time hoodoo rituals for purposes such as uncrossing, protection and sometimes as a feed for mojo bags. Its solvent powers and strong odor do indeed suggest a powerful spiritual cleansing agent, and it is still used in some modern day cleaning products on a purely practical level for these same reasons. Old time medicines sometimes included turpentine as a thing to drink, in small doses. A book from the 1850s, The Domestic Medicine Chest , recommends giving it to children in a dose of one teaspoon for killing tapeworm. Relatedly, in old time hoodoo cures for "live things" turpentine might be made into a tea...

Magical Water Recipes - Old Style Hoodoo, Real and Genuine Magic Spells from History

Hoodoo Style Magical Waters for Magic In hoodoo tradition, some of the oldest and most traditional ingredients are natural gathered waters. While cologne and perfume is sometimes classed as a water for conjure purposes, special waters are based on water, sometimes taken from a specific location. They can have additional ingredients added, but the magic is generally held to be in the water itself. They've become a little less common since the rise of commercial hoodoo, perhaps due to manufacturer's tendency to sell any old tap water as "alleged glory water" or whatever it's labeled; and also there is difficulty in shipping liquids like water that aren't inherent in somewhat thicker mixtures like soaps or oils. (For example, a bottle of oil won't evaporate if left out too long.) Here's a list of some traditional hoodoo magical waters and how to make them: Glory Water Glory Water is a recipe I did not include in my Conjure Cookbook , as it's not ...

The Intranquil Spirit

(EDIT: Up to date information about the Intranquil Sprit can be found in my book The Intranquil Spirit , available on Amazon. This post has some incomplete information which is clarified in the book.) The Intranquility spell is, unfortunately, the first resort of many a rejected lover. In some ways it makes sense -- the more unhappy and forlorn one is about a breakup, the better this idea of making the other partner feel just as much so starts to sound. Unfortunately, this spell is often not well suited to a case. The purpose of the standard Intranquility spell is to have the person be tormented by the spirit until they make contact with you, or whomever the spell is being cast for. This means that if a person is already in good contact with their ex OR if they're one of those people who cannot restrain themselves from initiating contact, then this already is probably not the right spell for that case. If you've had an Intranquility spell cast and you make contac...

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