If you’re familiar with The Hoodwitch, you will probably enjoy this book. It’s a collection that’s part memoir, part spell book, and visual art. The hard copy of the book is preferred so you can enjoy the visual layers and touch the pages.
The Hoodwitch brings an important perspective in the modern witch community.
Taken from an article online, the book is broken down into three parts:
*Blood: uncovers Bri’s roots, with guides on setting boundaries, protection, and honoring the dead.
*Sex: reveals the art of love magic and celebrates the goddess, lust, and femininity, with spells for seduction and reclaiming your power.
*Magic: offers meaningful daily rituals, including those for self-love, peace, beauty, and prosperity.
Personally, I found all of the sections had interesting ideas and practices.
I was previously largely unfamiliar with Hoodoo/conjure and Brujaria folk traditions, which is why I wanted to read this. It’s perhaps a beginners introduction to these ideas, but was great for someone like me. Some may find these practices superstitious or creepy, but I thought they represented a powerful way to set boundaries, and protect yourself.
“Hoodoo, not to be confused with voodoo, is an African American folk tradition—not a religion but a generational spiritual practice that was formed from the blood, sweat, and tears of the African diaspora and the enslaved African people brought to the Americas through the transatlantic slave trade.”
Sex is perhaps my favorite section simply because it seems taboo even today in the witch community, to speak openly about sex magic, and sex positivity is a healing goal worth striving for no matter your spiritual background.
“Witches paved the way for sexual liberation and sexual freedom, and we use sex to perform our most powerful rituals and rites, from initiatory rites to simple seductions for power and fun. We have charged and seduced our way through the centuries, rejecting puritanical beliefs and practices.”
I also appreciate the emphasis on glamour and beauty, something that can be co-opted as vanity in today’s image obsessed society, but is nonetheless a powerful form of psychological magic.
“Glamour is one of the oldest and most powerful forms of magic to me. It is an illusory spell, an undefinable quality that lures and attracts people into your realm without their understanding why. This is an art form: knowing yourself, learning how to play up certain qualities, and embodying them fiercely and unapologetically.”
I wish the book was slightly longer and went into some of the ideas in more detail, but loved the emphasis on visual art.
It’s a great introduction to the Hoodoo and Bruja traditions for fellow beginners. You may find yourself cringing at some of the spells (panty water anyone?), but don’t let that stop you from appreciating the cultural background of these traditions.