The Spellcaster's Source Hoodoo and Voodoo Witchcraft Blog of Talia Felix

Every now and then someone will tell me they’re a traditional witch — not hoodoo, not ceremonial, not chaos magic or folk practice or anything like that. No, they’ll say, they follow the old ways . And what they mean by that is Wicca. Which is kind of like saying you practice ancient medicine, and then pulling out a bottle of Tylenol. Wicca is not ancient. Not in any historical sense. It is a 20th-century religion that incorporates a few bits of older lore and a lot of Victorian fantasy, welded together with some Margaret Murray and Aleister Crowley, seasoned with folklore-sounding verbiage, and packaged as if it were The Old Religion™. But in truth? It dates to the late 1930s. That’s after cornflakes, after jazz, after the invention of television. This doesn’t mean Wicca is bad. It just means it’s not old. We’re absolutely allowed to like and to practice new things.  There’s also the other small matter of using "Wicca" as a synonym for witchcraft. Because of how language w...

  There is always a fascination among witchcraft practitioners with the art of timing -- the belief that performing a spell at a particular hour or day will give the spell an edge, such as the Planetary Hours and their derivative the Voodoo Hours  used to decide when a magical working will be performed. Naturally, there are also beliefs about the best days to perform spells. This listing comes from a Renaissance era grimoire, but which contains spells that date back to Greco-Roman era. (The book is for sale with the translation The Book of Oberon, though you can read the direct transcription for free via Esoteric Archives. ) This is using standard calendar dates, so 1 is the 1st of the month, 31 is the 31st of the month, etc. Good to begin all manner of things For hate and enchantment against enemies "Right naught" -- don't plan for magical work on this day To enchant and conjure wicked spirits For invisibility, and enchant against enemies For works that regard theft an...

"Voodoo Doll" has come to be the standard term for any kind of magical poppet or doll-baby, and especially those which are intended to bring influence on a specified person. Virtually any kind of material can be used to make these dolls, just as long as the final shape is recognizably humanoid. Some people even like to save themselves time and use store-bought dolls or figurines around which to build their dolls.  Denise Alvarado's book  Voodoo Dolls in Magick and Ritual  has many interesting photos from her collection showing how they can be made.  Doll Babies, or "Voodoo Dolls" as they are more commonly called, have a variety of magical uses. Purposewise, they are used as a stand-in for an actual person on whom a spell is being worked, and are not themselves inherently used for evil. They are generally used in a symbolic way that is representative of the sort of effect the practitioner wishes to produce upon their human target. In previous times, they were ...

A black dress, a pointy hat, buckled shoes. Classic witch outfit. But why is this the classic outfit? One sees speculations in occult books, often times being presented as if this has been the "witch outfit" for thousands of years. Reasons are offered, such as that the conical hat channels energy into the head, or that black clothing is for protection, etc. The facts, however, are a bit more mundane... The depiction of witches in pointy hats and black gowns is a fairly recent way to depict them. Old illustrations from the middle ages through the 17th century usually show witches practicing in the nude, or else wearing whatever kinds of clothing were commonplace at the time. The picture at left, from 1555,  shows the witches in typical middle-class gowns and kerchiefs. Interestingly, some of the men observing the activity seem to be wearing tall pointy hats, and that brings us to the real reason behind this witchy fashion... As can be seen in this image of the art...

Bullying is a problem most commonly thought of as only affecting school-children, though it can impact full grown adults as well. No matter the age, to be a victim of bullying is devastating, especially as a key part of what makes it particularly bullying rather than merely "someone being mean" is the victim's inability to defend themselves effectively. It may be because the bully is a higher-status person than the victim and thereby has the institution (school, office, government, etc.) on their side, or in a purely physical sense the bully might be bigger and stronger and the victim physically less capable in a fight. The bully might even be armed and the victim not.  Beyond the physical and social dimensions, the psychological impact of bullying can be profound and long-lasting. Victims often experience anxiety, depression, and a diminished sense of self-worth. The fear and stress caused by bullying can affect their performance in school or work, their relationships, ...

(This image is what DeepAI thinks "LGBTQ love spell" looks like and I frankly haven't anything to refute it. Kind of reminds me of sigils or veves.) So from time to time, I'm asked "what should I do if I want to perform [some well known hoodoo love spell] but I'm gay?"  The answer, in most cases, is you don't need to do anything differently at all! Gay/lesbian love spells have long been cast in hoodoo tradition, and they use the same formulas and ingredients as other spells. While there are a few love formulas which are especially aimed at gay love spells (and I'll list them at the end of this post) for most spells there is no reason the standard love mixture won't work just as well for a gay spell as a straight one. The reason for this, is that most love formulas in hoodoo will work for both men and women equally -- a woman can use Come to Me on a man or a man can use it on a woman. And so, a man can also use it on a man or a woman on a woma...

We all know the scene from the 1989 film The Little Mermaid : Prince Eric, alone, is playing the flute by the seashore. He glances at Ariel's bedroom and throws the flute into the water, conveying to the audience that he's just about to go and declare his love for her... when suddenly, there appears on the beach another woman -- whom, by her possession of Ariel's voice and the golden seashell necklace, the audience likely recognizes as Ursula the sea witch in disguise. Getting Eric's attention with Ariel's voice, her mystic powers (represented as a tendril of golden fog) infiltrate his head, and he's mind controlled for the next 20 minutes or so into almost marrying Ursula, being saved only when the seashell charm is smashed thus breaking the treacherous mind control magic. And everyone in real life turning to voodoo or hoodoo or witchcraft for help seems to expect that . Fuck me, Amadeus. Yes, and surely with such powers as this, all the slaves from Africa just...

A while back on an occult books group, someone was looking for books in Latin about astral projection. Not any books that mentioned it, mind — books in Latin , presumably older than 18th century, on the topic. And I knew right away: they weren’t going to find it. That’s not because the concept doesn’t exist in older magical literature. You can certainly find accounts of soul flight, dream visions, bilocation, remote spirit-walking, or being “carried forth in ecstasy” — from the Pythagoreans all the way to 19th-century spiritualists. But you’re not going to find the phrase astral projection in Latin. You’re not even going to find it in English until fairly late in the game. That’s because astral projection isn’t an ancient concept. It’s an old idea in a new hat. And the hat, in this case, seems to date from somewhere around the 1880s. Using Google Books’ advanced search, you’ll find that the term barely shows up in print before the 1890s. The earliest reference I’ve been able to confi...

First of all -- we all understand that I'm writing about magic and folk beliefs, not science or medicine, correct? Good. Now onto the article. Magic spells to protect against disease are some of the oldest known occult workings. It is very logical when you remember that, until fairly recently in history, people didn't know what caused diseases, and so they seemed "magical" as anything. There was a lot of assumption that disease was caused by hexes or evil eye. With so much danger lurking, many remedies and protective charms were devised by the old time magicians to guard against disease and illness. One famous charm was the SATOR SQUARE. It is a palindrome written in the Latin language, dating back to Roman times and in use well into the 19th century and, arguably, still in use today as a talismanic charm against misfortune, hexes and disease.  In modern form, you can wear this charm as part of a face mask (itself a protective talisman of sorts) -- You can get the Sat...

Probably 95% of the work I do is some sort of love spell magic. It might be for new love or it might be breakup work to remove a rival. Most typically it is work designed to return a lost lover. Yes, spells to return lost lovers are the single most common request I get. I do not encourage feedback about any of my spells for reasons described on my FAQ . But it happens sometimes that I am hired for love work, and late in the game (too late to go back and undo anything) the client reveals they had withheld information or provided deliberately misleading information about the situation. When this happens I often see any hope for success vanish, because by giving me wrong information they had caused me to use the wrong type of spell. Honesty is Key to Successful Spellcasting Here's the thing about love work: the magic doesn't care about how flattering your retelling of the situation is. Honesty is important. Compare to if a man goes to the medical doctor because he has vomiting...

Acacia - keep away evil Adam and Eve root - good luck, especially in love Adam root (from an Adam and Eve) - to hold a man’s love Alfalfa leaves or seeds - to make money last Allspice – for success, money drawing and for good luck Aloeswood - good fortune, spirit contact Angelica root - protection from harm Anise seed - against evil eye Asafoetida - prevents disease and keeps away police Ash leaves - for luck in love affairs Balm of Gilead buds - reconciliation, protection from jinxes Basil - against evil; for purification, for luck-bringing, and for money drawing Bay Leaves – protection from evil; victory and success Bayberry - money drawing, luck drawing Betel nut - protection and luck Bistort - for good luck Bloodroot - protection, job-getting, luck Blue flag root - money drawing Buckeye root - success in any undertaking Buckeye/Chestnut/Horse chestnut - for good luck and protection Burdock - protection Calendula - make dreams come true, prevent nightmares Cara...

In magic, almost anything can become an omen.  From the speed of a candle's burn to the quantity of wax left behind, everything takes on significance in traditional spellcasting. I should mention here that while certain burn patterns have a "traditional" meaning, I do not actually find all of these to be reliable. In fact, the only thing I've found to have a consistent and reliable meaning of any sort in my own practice, is if a candle goes out prematurely -- that is always inauspicious and indicates the work is really having a hard time coming through. Unless you're dealing with a defective candle, it probably means that it will not come to pass. Some other common phenomena that are used to read omens are: Candle burns clean, with little to no residue or remaining wax . As I was taught, this is desirable and a sign that that spell has taken and that there is nothing "left behind" to create further obstacles or that needs more work. However,...