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The Candle and the Crossroads: A Book of Appalachian Conjure and Southern RootWork
Learn the ways of magic and healing from the living, oral tradition of Appalachian Conjure in The Candle and the Crossroads. Orion Foxwood offers a primer on the real magic and techniques of Southern root magic, knowledge he learned first-hand growing up in rural Appalachia.
Foxwood explains magical techniques including:
Spirit Sight
Working by the Signs (the ability to synchronize work such as farming, fertility of humans and animals, orcharding)
Conjuring
Faith Healing
Settling the Light (candle magic)
Doctoring the Root (the ability to use herbs, roots, stones, or animal parts--bones, claws, fur, etc. for magic or the clearing, cleansing, and blessing of the spirit of a person, also known as his or her root)
Praying or Dreaming True (Blessings of spirit/God to a person, place, or thing as well as prophetic or predictive dreaming)
Blessing or Cursing
The Candle and the Crossroads shows how to create magic in today’s world with the old ways and traditions of Appalachia.
Foxwood explains magical techniques including:
Spirit Sight
Working by the Signs (the ability to synchronize work such as farming, fertility of humans and animals, orcharding)
Conjuring
Faith Healing
Settling the Light (candle magic)
Doctoring the Root (the ability to use herbs, roots, stones, or animal parts--bones, claws, fur, etc. for magic or the clearing, cleansing, and blessing of the spirit of a person, also known as his or her root)
Praying or Dreaming True (Blessings of spirit/God to a person, place, or thing as well as prophetic or predictive dreaming)
Blessing or Cursing
The Candle and the Crossroads shows how to create magic in today’s world with the old ways and traditions of Appalachia.
256 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
June 23, 2023
I was very disappointed with this book. While the subject of Hoodoo has been made significantly more accessible for casual readers (particularly those coming from a Wiccan tradition), it has lost much in the translation.
The author's previous training in Alexandrian Wicca is clear; and may be quite useful in and of itself, but make no doubt that this is from his own teaching outside of Hoodoo, and the early portions of the book have virtually nothing to do with the Hoodoo path.
In addition, I felt that it was very -- well, I'll be kind and call it misleading -- to include "Appalachian" in the title of this book. If your intent is to preserve a tradition, then you should have a clear idea of where the boundaries of that path lie.
The author's mother was born on the eastern boundary of Appalachia in the Shenandoah valley and; when he quotes her, his mother reflects the synthesis of Hoodoo with a touch of traditional Appalachian Granny magic. But the book only adds a taste of the Appalachian witchcraft tradition, and it's a small taste at that.
While there is some overlap between Appalachian Granny witchcraft and Hoodoo; there are important differences, but you will not find them in this book. And tossing modern NeoPagan Fairy Seership and some Traditional British witchcraft on top of the mix - shake well and put a cherry on top - hardly makes the distinctions any clearer.
Hoodoo has it's own ethics which are very different from Wicca and very far from "Harm none". But the author dances *very* lightly around this, perhaps to keep the potential sales higher.
The author does get down to some Hoodoo in the later part of the book, but by then I was uncomfortable with all the mixed viewpoints and red flags from a practitioner who apparently felt the need to use so much "dressing up" for a tradition that is very basic and close to the bone that I no longer felt comfortable with the book at all.
It would have been more honest to leave the word "Appalachia" out of this book entirely. And if you are looking for a straight long slow sip of good ole' Hoodoo "rum" here, you should be prepared instead for a sassafras flip.
Make no mistake, this is Hoodoo light. Try "Hoodoo - Conjuration - Witchcraft - Rootwork" by Harry Middleton Hyatt if you can lay hands on a copy you can afford. That's the real deal.
Update: The Hyatt book has been reprinted so it is easily (and affordable available). Good news for you Conjure folk out there.
The author's previous training in Alexandrian Wicca is clear; and may be quite useful in and of itself, but make no doubt that this is from his own teaching outside of Hoodoo, and the early portions of the book have virtually nothing to do with the Hoodoo path.
In addition, I felt that it was very -- well, I'll be kind and call it misleading -- to include "Appalachian" in the title of this book. If your intent is to preserve a tradition, then you should have a clear idea of where the boundaries of that path lie.
The author's mother was born on the eastern boundary of Appalachia in the Shenandoah valley and; when he quotes her, his mother reflects the synthesis of Hoodoo with a touch of traditional Appalachian Granny magic. But the book only adds a taste of the Appalachian witchcraft tradition, and it's a small taste at that.
While there is some overlap between Appalachian Granny witchcraft and Hoodoo; there are important differences, but you will not find them in this book. And tossing modern NeoPagan Fairy Seership and some Traditional British witchcraft on top of the mix - shake well and put a cherry on top - hardly makes the distinctions any clearer.
Hoodoo has it's own ethics which are very different from Wicca and very far from "Harm none". But the author dances *very* lightly around this, perhaps to keep the potential sales higher.
The author does get down to some Hoodoo in the later part of the book, but by then I was uncomfortable with all the mixed viewpoints and red flags from a practitioner who apparently felt the need to use so much "dressing up" for a tradition that is very basic and close to the bone that I no longer felt comfortable with the book at all.
It would have been more honest to leave the word "Appalachia" out of this book entirely. And if you are looking for a straight long slow sip of good ole' Hoodoo "rum" here, you should be prepared instead for a sassafras flip.
Make no mistake, this is Hoodoo light. Try "Hoodoo - Conjuration - Witchcraft - Rootwork" by Harry Middleton Hyatt if you can lay hands on a copy you can afford. That's the real deal.
Update: The Hyatt book has been reprinted so it is easily (and affordable available). Good news for you Conjure folk out there.
October 9, 2018
Orion Foxwood is a magickian par excellence. Well versed in Traditional Witchcraft and finally his native Conjure practice from the Appalachian Mountains. He learned conjure growing up in the South. Most of this stuff was practical magic meant to take care of practical concerns. There is no initiations or religious holidays per se and most of whom you work with are spirits. Of course they believe in God, the angels and the Saints you are free to choose to work with your own deities.
Conjure magic is taken from three cultural sources as the south was a mishmash of different cultures . These cultures are the Africans brought over as slaves, Native American practices and European Magic.
Some important philosophical lesson were learned from this tome. First is the important aspects of maintaining a good relation with your own spirit . Many try to get good relationships with other spirits except their own. Know thyself! The next is that is you stepped in something you best clean it off . You cannot go ahead with dirt on your soul. Much like stepping in something real time you track it with you where ever you go. Got to clean off the dirt before you can go forward . Connecting with the ancestors is real big concept in the Conjure traditions. They are the ones will help you.
This book is chock full of philosophy and is loaded with techniques to help you get started with conjure. There is a discussing how to set up your three platform altar. The book has techniques on how to cleanse yourself and your working area. Included is how to contact Daddy Death at the graveyard or contacting the Dark Rider at the crossroads. There are several entities like the Dark Rider, Daddy Death and a few others.
Orion has included instructions on how to work with the Lady of the River to boost your power and get rid of negativity. You. Learn how to tap the root and make your own gri Gris bag. I definitely want to get his next book on conjure. Roll up your sleeves and get down to work. If you ever want to get more information you should check him out when he gives reading and workshops at the Greenman in North Holllywood.
Conjure magic is taken from three cultural sources as the south was a mishmash of different cultures . These cultures are the Africans brought over as slaves, Native American practices and European Magic.
Some important philosophical lesson were learned from this tome. First is the important aspects of maintaining a good relation with your own spirit . Many try to get good relationships with other spirits except their own. Know thyself! The next is that is you stepped in something you best clean it off . You cannot go ahead with dirt on your soul. Much like stepping in something real time you track it with you where ever you go. Got to clean off the dirt before you can go forward . Connecting with the ancestors is real big concept in the Conjure traditions. They are the ones will help you.
This book is chock full of philosophy and is loaded with techniques to help you get started with conjure. There is a discussing how to set up your three platform altar. The book has techniques on how to cleanse yourself and your working area. Included is how to contact Daddy Death at the graveyard or contacting the Dark Rider at the crossroads. There are several entities like the Dark Rider, Daddy Death and a few others.
Orion has included instructions on how to work with the Lady of the River to boost your power and get rid of negativity. You. Learn how to tap the root and make your own gri Gris bag. I definitely want to get his next book on conjure. Roll up your sleeves and get down to work. If you ever want to get more information you should check him out when he gives reading and workshops at the Greenman in North Holllywood.
February 8, 2015
It was like sitting in a Pentecostal church service, listing to a minister, except I was reading the message.
Maybe it's because I've been to a few too many Pentecostal and charismatic churches and masses that I can't appreciate a book like this. I'm extremely surprised at the reviewers' comments in the front of the book. Some of these critics I recognize, and almost all of those I respect. If they were making comments about real Evangelical Protestantism, I seriously doubt that their comments would be that glowing. But this is what this author sounds like...an Evangelical Protestant. The only thing that's missing is the constant reference to the name of Jesus Christ and the Scriptures, and the actual condemnation from book critics, rather than praise, for what he's doing...which is working mainly with spirits. I'm surprised that he's not criticized on one hand by pagans for being too Christian, and on the other hand by New Agers, for being too Satanic.
Yes, the book had its soulful moments, but mostly it's just poetic inspiration. To confuse inspiration for the soulful is a serious cultural mistake. I personally think that in order to know what soulful is, you have to at least grow up in the culture, if not be born in it. You can't just acquire it by making contact with it. And this is what the reviewers of the book did not recognize.
The author is heavy-handed on Protestant-style emphasis on getting inside yourself and working yourself over before you even touch the practical stuff, which he covers very little of towards the end of the book. All the cleanings, purification, and spiritual assessments before you go into the practice of spiritworking; all about getting right with God/spirit/yourself/etc. That's irritating, since my experience with that Christian-style regimen left me with my life on ice. I found myself struggling my way through the book, remembering those fundamentalist days, coming to the conclusion early on that, as the author said, this was not for me. I believe it. By the time I got to the good part of the book, I actually had to stop reading several times in order to fall asleep...no, I'm serious. The spirituality of the book was that overwhelming...it was that boring. It was a tough read. It was heavy on the Pentecostalism and, believe it or not, bordering on New Age.
This book was good in a general way, though. I would recommend it for grounding to people who want to start any kind of general metaphysical practice, but I also think it's too much work for the average person to do on a regular basis all their lives. This is mainly for spiritwalkers, spiritworkers, deathwalkers....whatever they refer to themselves as. After reading this, it's clear to me I totally do not identify myself as a spiritwalker, and that I'd rather practice what I do without disembodied souls, ancestors, gods and goddesses, nature spirits, death riders or any other aware spirits. These guys have wills of their own, and it's already tough enough having to deal with people who live in bodies. I'd rather not complicate my life any more than I have to by attending to extra people demanding my attention. If I totally must talk with them, I will, but if I can do without them, I'd rather practice magic without them. It's probably simpler that way.
I never knew there was a style of folk magic that could be that involved. I didn't think folk magic could be this heavy on the spirituality without becoming a religion of some sort. Well, I do now. And I think I'll stick to the stuff that's not so spiritual.
Maybe it's because I've been to a few too many Pentecostal and charismatic churches and masses that I can't appreciate a book like this. I'm extremely surprised at the reviewers' comments in the front of the book. Some of these critics I recognize, and almost all of those I respect. If they were making comments about real Evangelical Protestantism, I seriously doubt that their comments would be that glowing. But this is what this author sounds like...an Evangelical Protestant. The only thing that's missing is the constant reference to the name of Jesus Christ and the Scriptures, and the actual condemnation from book critics, rather than praise, for what he's doing...which is working mainly with spirits. I'm surprised that he's not criticized on one hand by pagans for being too Christian, and on the other hand by New Agers, for being too Satanic.
Yes, the book had its soulful moments, but mostly it's just poetic inspiration. To confuse inspiration for the soulful is a serious cultural mistake. I personally think that in order to know what soulful is, you have to at least grow up in the culture, if not be born in it. You can't just acquire it by making contact with it. And this is what the reviewers of the book did not recognize.
The author is heavy-handed on Protestant-style emphasis on getting inside yourself and working yourself over before you even touch the practical stuff, which he covers very little of towards the end of the book. All the cleanings, purification, and spiritual assessments before you go into the practice of spiritworking; all about getting right with God/spirit/yourself/etc. That's irritating, since my experience with that Christian-style regimen left me with my life on ice. I found myself struggling my way through the book, remembering those fundamentalist days, coming to the conclusion early on that, as the author said, this was not for me. I believe it. By the time I got to the good part of the book, I actually had to stop reading several times in order to fall asleep...no, I'm serious. The spirituality of the book was that overwhelming...it was that boring. It was a tough read. It was heavy on the Pentecostalism and, believe it or not, bordering on New Age.
This book was good in a general way, though. I would recommend it for grounding to people who want to start any kind of general metaphysical practice, but I also think it's too much work for the average person to do on a regular basis all their lives. This is mainly for spiritwalkers, spiritworkers, deathwalkers....whatever they refer to themselves as. After reading this, it's clear to me I totally do not identify myself as a spiritwalker, and that I'd rather practice what I do without disembodied souls, ancestors, gods and goddesses, nature spirits, death riders or any other aware spirits. These guys have wills of their own, and it's already tough enough having to deal with people who live in bodies. I'd rather not complicate my life any more than I have to by attending to extra people demanding my attention. If I totally must talk with them, I will, but if I can do without them, I'd rather practice magic without them. It's probably simpler that way.
I never knew there was a style of folk magic that could be that involved. I didn't think folk magic could be this heavy on the spirituality without becoming a religion of some sort. Well, I do now. And I think I'll stick to the stuff that's not so spiritual.
February 8, 2015
Please note that my 1 star rating comes from the the fact I bought it thinking it would be about local APPALACHIAN thoughts, customs, practices. I was expecting more about what local appalachian folk would do and possibly why and the origins of it. Instead, it felt like I purchased a book based on the practices of hoodoo workers from the Louisiana area or thereabouts. I know very little about hoodoo/voodoo or this type of practice so I cannot judge really on the accuracy of his writing in regards to that. What the book was reported to be going by the back of it and the title misled me (my fault probably) into thinking it was focused on the Appalachian area of what might be considered folk magic or history/practices/traditions. I guess I would recommend it as a primer for those who are interested in his type of practice or thought system. For me, it was not my cup of tea and I did not feel like I received any knowledge in regards to this area of Appalachia regarding local customs or traditions, much less the history of the lore I was hoping to research on. Any recommendations for that are greatly welcomed.
September 13, 2019
This is one of the most powerful books I have read in recent history on spirituality in general. While yes the book focuses on Rootwork and Conjure as the author knows them, the book is highly spiritually focused. For me even if I don't put all of the information into practice, the components of the book that made me question spirituality and what it means were well worth the investment.
So to begin my review I have to say that even if you don't follow any magical spiritual path as a guide for spirituality any one of any path can get something out of it. I would even recommend this book to Christians who are looking to deepen their personal spirituality and connection to their religion. Everyone on any path in life can get something out of this book. The connection to your own spirit that this book teaches us to develop is important for everyone and everything.
If you are looking for a book on spells you wont find them in this book. There are several workings discussed but actual spell work for money, wealth, love, etc are not really seen in this book. There are magical techniques for baths and creating mojos as well as connecting to spirits in this book. So there is magic with in the book but not necessarily spells for luck, love or mney drawing as most people are familiar with.
The focus on this book is the spiritual component of Hoodoo and Conjure rather than the spells. Too often people want to jump into the spells and workings of magic without the spirit component and thus they miss a huge part of the Southern Conjure traditions. This book provides that spiritual information. It is that focus which sets this book aside from others.
This is one book I am going to be referencing again and again. There are several exercises, meditations, and self questions that I am going to be looking at periodically. There are many things in this book that made me think and start to evaluate my personal path and practices. For this reason I am going to be using this as a reference and guide to develop my own connection to my spirituality and my own personal spirit.
The first chapter in the book is all about the foundation of this practice. Here we learn the authors experiences and his history with the practice as he knows it. This is where we see how his experiences and lessons in life and explains the reasons why he wrote this book. He mentions what the foundations of his personal magical practice are. By knowing this information you can better understand the worldview and practices presented in the rest of the book.
The second chapter is about the starting of finding your paths to the spirit that is you. The core teaching of this book is that humans are spirits as well. We are spirits having a physical existence as humans. In the teachings of this book and worldview if you start to realize this you will not only come into your own power but also start be be more whole yourself. This chapter starts a basic discussion on types of spirits that walk with us as well as types of spiritual paths. After talking about the paths there are also descriptions on how we are called to find our paths including symptoms of the different calls.
The third chapter is short but very important. Here is where we get into the history of the actual practices that formed Southern Conjure as the author knows it. The author mentions slavery and African traditions and their importance in the tradition. Here we see what Conjure really is about and how it survives over the years. There are warnings in this chapter about working with the spirits of Conjure and how powerful they are. There is a quote that illustrates the power and spirirt of Conjure work very well that I am going to share with you here.:
"If you are not willing to cry for, be angry for, pray for, and ask help of its spirits, then stay away from this work. These spirits went through hell when they first came to America in boats of flesh. No one can change this root, and why would we want to?
If you want to find the root that cannot be bound, then then root spirit of conjure is for you. If you want to grow your spirit from a place of truth and spirit power then conjure is for you. If you want to reach deep and pray high, then welcome to this deep well of spirit and spiritual nuturance.
But come through the door blessing and praying for the ancestors that suffered. This builds a bridge of grace to the spirit world and begins to establish the essence and flavor of the spirits that come when you conjure."-Orion Foxwood Conjure and the Crossroads
The rest of the chapter focused on what the Root of conjure and the cultural mixtures that made up his conjure. The author mentions honoring his own Roots and how he works with them. After mentioning the spirits of African, Native American, and European folk practices who settled in that area he goes into the roles that Conjure played in that culture and still continues to play to this day.
The fourth chapter is about the Nature and Power of conjure. Here the author gets into the fact that Conjure does have ties to Christian spirituality and Christian religions. He addresses that many conjures use words like God and Creator and occasionally Maker. Here we see the power in conjure comes from the source of creation and the power to create which resides in our own personal spirit. The author gets into a few types of spirits that are connected to this power. One of them being the God of Christianity and divine beings. The author is specific in that for the reader and seeker that it doesn't have to be the God of Christianity but it is the Source of all creation and all essence which is a spirit of sorts.
This is where we first start to actually get introduced into some of the techniques in this practice. The author goes into several different ways that conjure works with spirit. These include prayer, baths, blessings, healing, and cleansing. After starting the basics on techniques we are introduced to a few of the different types of spirits that are worked with in conjure.
Chapter five was probably my favorite chapter in the book. Its for me really the most important chapter in the book. This is the chapter that focuses on growing our spirit. The author had previously mentioned that working with ones own spirit and knowing ones own spirit was the most important thing in conjure. Here we finally learn to address the spirit and work with our spirit.
The best part of this chapter was the checklist on the attumement to our spirit. Not only does the author give a list of questions and symptoms of disconnect with our spirit but he provides remedies to help fix the situation. For me this was really the way for me to start to see how connected I am to my own spirit and what I can do to fix it. The author does mention that some of those ailments are actual symptoms of health issues (depression, anxiety and other mental health issues) and if you answered yes to many of them that you should seek professional help. For me that disclaimer and statement shows the connection between the mind, the body, and the spirit and how mental health can effect spiritual health.
This section provided me with the most enlightenment. It gave me tools to adjust and start working on my own personal spiritual path and development. One of the reasons I had started to explore Conjure and Rootwork was for a spiritual connection and a way to deepen and develop my spirituality beyond the basic 101 books. Here I have tools to find what I was missing and develop my path. The chapter ends with providing you with the steps to growing in your spirit which is what you need to do after you start the work of attuning to your own spirit.
Chapter six is about maintain spiritual health. The main focus on this chapter is spiritual cleansing and cleaning. The author explains how important is is to cleanse ourselves from the different forces in our lives that can cause spiritual clutter. He told a story of a client that his mother had to illustrate the issue. The author ends with a working for spiritual cleansing. This provides the start of our practical conjure spirit workings.
Chapter seven is about fixing or attracting good spirits to you. Here we learn how actions we take and the way we live our life sends signals to spirit. One of the first lessons in this chapter is that often we focus on our lack of something when we want something then more often than not we are going to be stuck with more of what we do not have. The author then begins to go into how we send images and messages to spirit so we can attract what we actually want.
The author then starts getting information on working on attracting the right spirits. The first real focus is on a prosperity spirit. The author provides a recipe or a ritual working outline to attract a prosperous spirit. One thing this working outlines is that in Conjure everything is spirit and everything has spirit. If you can accept that view and work with it then you are going to work conjure.
After the pot the author talks about maintain the spirit and provides steps and techniques to keep spirit alive. The first part of this practice is the establishment of an altar. The author continues with a ritual working for the altar set up and the consecration of the altar, yourself, and your home. While the workings are not exact they provide you an outline to make the conjure your own. In the end you must be the one to do the work.
Chapter eight was probably my second favorite chapter in the book. One thing I have personally been interested in for years has been working with graveyards and various forms of graveyard magic. This book is the first book I have seen that addresses this practice. Its considered Taboo in many modern magical traditions yet many acknowledge that there is strong power in the graveyard. Finding this chapter thrilled me to the core. It started to lift the veil on these workings.
There is so much in this chapter that covering the techniques and information would be a review in itself. I will say the author provides information on the power of the graveyard works and why we should work with graveyards. He provides information on working with graveyard spirits as well as how to gather graveyard dirt and work with graveyard dirt. The author spends the other half of the chapter talking about working with our ancestors and providing ways to honor them and work with them in our home and life.
Chapter nine is an interesting chapter. It covers ways to enter into the spirit world as well as working with a spirit unique to his tradition and practice. The technique discussed I found most interesting and will most likely try myself was the concept of tapping or knocking. Its essentially like you are knocking on the door to the spirit world like you would a regular door. After tapping and knocking he covers river magic as well as fire and candle access to the spirit world. Here there is a working for river magic specifically outlined.
The last part of the chapter includes a ritual and a poem I am likely to work into ritual work. Here is where the author teaches us about the Dark Ridder and gives us a way to introduce ourselves to him and work with him. The spirit known as the dark rider had been mentioned earlier in the book as a traditional spirit but not much was told about him until now. The author does make it clear that what he shows us is not the full formula for encountering this spirit. The working he provides is an introduction to the spirit and nothing more.
Chapter ten is the final chapter in the book. In some ways it works very much like a conclusion focusing on working the Root or working the spirit which is the force of Conjure and Root work. This is how the chapter starts anyway. It is here we see the final outline of the techniques and practices covered in the book to develop and connect with our spirit. The chapter ends with talking about a few specific plant spirits and with a formula for making a spirit bag.
This book provides several powerful tools for any spiritual tradition. In the end this book illustrates not only the power of Conjure and Southern Rootwork but also the power of working from your own spirit. The author provides an excellent introduction to the spiritual components of Rootwork and Conjure while also providing a few practical workings in the magical sense.
So to begin my review I have to say that even if you don't follow any magical spiritual path as a guide for spirituality any one of any path can get something out of it. I would even recommend this book to Christians who are looking to deepen their personal spirituality and connection to their religion. Everyone on any path in life can get something out of this book. The connection to your own spirit that this book teaches us to develop is important for everyone and everything.
If you are looking for a book on spells you wont find them in this book. There are several workings discussed but actual spell work for money, wealth, love, etc are not really seen in this book. There are magical techniques for baths and creating mojos as well as connecting to spirits in this book. So there is magic with in the book but not necessarily spells for luck, love or mney drawing as most people are familiar with.
The focus on this book is the spiritual component of Hoodoo and Conjure rather than the spells. Too often people want to jump into the spells and workings of magic without the spirit component and thus they miss a huge part of the Southern Conjure traditions. This book provides that spiritual information. It is that focus which sets this book aside from others.
This is one book I am going to be referencing again and again. There are several exercises, meditations, and self questions that I am going to be looking at periodically. There are many things in this book that made me think and start to evaluate my personal path and practices. For this reason I am going to be using this as a reference and guide to develop my own connection to my spirituality and my own personal spirit.
The first chapter in the book is all about the foundation of this practice. Here we learn the authors experiences and his history with the practice as he knows it. This is where we see how his experiences and lessons in life and explains the reasons why he wrote this book. He mentions what the foundations of his personal magical practice are. By knowing this information you can better understand the worldview and practices presented in the rest of the book.
The second chapter is about the starting of finding your paths to the spirit that is you. The core teaching of this book is that humans are spirits as well. We are spirits having a physical existence as humans. In the teachings of this book and worldview if you start to realize this you will not only come into your own power but also start be be more whole yourself. This chapter starts a basic discussion on types of spirits that walk with us as well as types of spiritual paths. After talking about the paths there are also descriptions on how we are called to find our paths including symptoms of the different calls.
The third chapter is short but very important. Here is where we get into the history of the actual practices that formed Southern Conjure as the author knows it. The author mentions slavery and African traditions and their importance in the tradition. Here we see what Conjure really is about and how it survives over the years. There are warnings in this chapter about working with the spirits of Conjure and how powerful they are. There is a quote that illustrates the power and spirirt of Conjure work very well that I am going to share with you here.:
"If you are not willing to cry for, be angry for, pray for, and ask help of its spirits, then stay away from this work. These spirits went through hell when they first came to America in boats of flesh. No one can change this root, and why would we want to?
If you want to find the root that cannot be bound, then then root spirit of conjure is for you. If you want to grow your spirit from a place of truth and spirit power then conjure is for you. If you want to reach deep and pray high, then welcome to this deep well of spirit and spiritual nuturance.
But come through the door blessing and praying for the ancestors that suffered. This builds a bridge of grace to the spirit world and begins to establish the essence and flavor of the spirits that come when you conjure."-Orion Foxwood Conjure and the Crossroads
The rest of the chapter focused on what the Root of conjure and the cultural mixtures that made up his conjure. The author mentions honoring his own Roots and how he works with them. After mentioning the spirits of African, Native American, and European folk practices who settled in that area he goes into the roles that Conjure played in that culture and still continues to play to this day.
The fourth chapter is about the Nature and Power of conjure. Here the author gets into the fact that Conjure does have ties to Christian spirituality and Christian religions. He addresses that many conjures use words like God and Creator and occasionally Maker. Here we see the power in conjure comes from the source of creation and the power to create which resides in our own personal spirit. The author gets into a few types of spirits that are connected to this power. One of them being the God of Christianity and divine beings. The author is specific in that for the reader and seeker that it doesn't have to be the God of Christianity but it is the Source of all creation and all essence which is a spirit of sorts.
This is where we first start to actually get introduced into some of the techniques in this practice. The author goes into several different ways that conjure works with spirit. These include prayer, baths, blessings, healing, and cleansing. After starting the basics on techniques we are introduced to a few of the different types of spirits that are worked with in conjure.
Chapter five was probably my favorite chapter in the book. Its for me really the most important chapter in the book. This is the chapter that focuses on growing our spirit. The author had previously mentioned that working with ones own spirit and knowing ones own spirit was the most important thing in conjure. Here we finally learn to address the spirit and work with our spirit.
The best part of this chapter was the checklist on the attumement to our spirit. Not only does the author give a list of questions and symptoms of disconnect with our spirit but he provides remedies to help fix the situation. For me this was really the way for me to start to see how connected I am to my own spirit and what I can do to fix it. The author does mention that some of those ailments are actual symptoms of health issues (depression, anxiety and other mental health issues) and if you answered yes to many of them that you should seek professional help. For me that disclaimer and statement shows the connection between the mind, the body, and the spirit and how mental health can effect spiritual health.
This section provided me with the most enlightenment. It gave me tools to adjust and start working on my own personal spiritual path and development. One of the reasons I had started to explore Conjure and Rootwork was for a spiritual connection and a way to deepen and develop my spirituality beyond the basic 101 books. Here I have tools to find what I was missing and develop my path. The chapter ends with providing you with the steps to growing in your spirit which is what you need to do after you start the work of attuning to your own spirit.
Chapter six is about maintain spiritual health. The main focus on this chapter is spiritual cleansing and cleaning. The author explains how important is is to cleanse ourselves from the different forces in our lives that can cause spiritual clutter. He told a story of a client that his mother had to illustrate the issue. The author ends with a working for spiritual cleansing. This provides the start of our practical conjure spirit workings.
Chapter seven is about fixing or attracting good spirits to you. Here we learn how actions we take and the way we live our life sends signals to spirit. One of the first lessons in this chapter is that often we focus on our lack of something when we want something then more often than not we are going to be stuck with more of what we do not have. The author then begins to go into how we send images and messages to spirit so we can attract what we actually want.
The author then starts getting information on working on attracting the right spirits. The first real focus is on a prosperity spirit. The author provides a recipe or a ritual working outline to attract a prosperous spirit. One thing this working outlines is that in Conjure everything is spirit and everything has spirit. If you can accept that view and work with it then you are going to work conjure.
After the pot the author talks about maintain the spirit and provides steps and techniques to keep spirit alive. The first part of this practice is the establishment of an altar. The author continues with a ritual working for the altar set up and the consecration of the altar, yourself, and your home. While the workings are not exact they provide you an outline to make the conjure your own. In the end you must be the one to do the work.
Chapter eight was probably my second favorite chapter in the book. One thing I have personally been interested in for years has been working with graveyards and various forms of graveyard magic. This book is the first book I have seen that addresses this practice. Its considered Taboo in many modern magical traditions yet many acknowledge that there is strong power in the graveyard. Finding this chapter thrilled me to the core. It started to lift the veil on these workings.
There is so much in this chapter that covering the techniques and information would be a review in itself. I will say the author provides information on the power of the graveyard works and why we should work with graveyards. He provides information on working with graveyard spirits as well as how to gather graveyard dirt and work with graveyard dirt. The author spends the other half of the chapter talking about working with our ancestors and providing ways to honor them and work with them in our home and life.
Chapter nine is an interesting chapter. It covers ways to enter into the spirit world as well as working with a spirit unique to his tradition and practice. The technique discussed I found most interesting and will most likely try myself was the concept of tapping or knocking. Its essentially like you are knocking on the door to the spirit world like you would a regular door. After tapping and knocking he covers river magic as well as fire and candle access to the spirit world. Here there is a working for river magic specifically outlined.
The last part of the chapter includes a ritual and a poem I am likely to work into ritual work. Here is where the author teaches us about the Dark Ridder and gives us a way to introduce ourselves to him and work with him. The spirit known as the dark rider had been mentioned earlier in the book as a traditional spirit but not much was told about him until now. The author does make it clear that what he shows us is not the full formula for encountering this spirit. The working he provides is an introduction to the spirit and nothing more.
Chapter ten is the final chapter in the book. In some ways it works very much like a conclusion focusing on working the Root or working the spirit which is the force of Conjure and Root work. This is how the chapter starts anyway. It is here we see the final outline of the techniques and practices covered in the book to develop and connect with our spirit. The chapter ends with talking about a few specific plant spirits and with a formula for making a spirit bag.
This book provides several powerful tools for any spiritual tradition. In the end this book illustrates not only the power of Conjure and Southern Rootwork but also the power of working from your own spirit. The author provides an excellent introduction to the spiritual components of Rootwork and Conjure while also providing a few practical workings in the magical sense.
February 27, 2014
Just finished this book tonight, and I have to say that the second half of the book grabbed my attention. The second half of the book is the only reason it received 3 stars from me instead of 2. The author is a very engaging writer; however, in many passages he comes off sounding quite arrogant. I felt like he thinks he is some sort of spiritual guru that has to teach the rest of us dumb sheep the right way to do things with our own souls...NOT! Orion Foxwood also tells us the spirits that we should work with and the ones we shouldn't (i.e. he says Daddy Down-there is a dangerous spirit that only he can work with but we can't, apparently).
So the first good half of this book was all about how we need to increase our spirituality, and how exactly we can do this (according to Orion Foxwood). Admittedly, I skipped about 40 pages of this book because I don't feel like I need someone telling me how to connect with the Divine. I can do that on my own...if I wanted a spiritual lecture or sermon, I'd attend a class or go to a Church service of some sort. The reason I bought this book is because I have a deep interest in American folk magic, specifically Appalachian granny magic and Hoodoo.
That being said, this book is very heavy on the Hoodoo aspect of folk magic and very light on actual Appalachian traditions. While Orion claims to have been raised in the Appalachian mountains, most of his teachings seem quite Wiccan mixed with some Hoodoo rituals and musings.
As a pro - towards the end of this book, I was quite happy to see his instructions became more focused on folk magic (rootwork specifically), including different roots used in rootwork and how to awaken them and feed them, etc.
If you're looking for a book that mixes hoodoo with advice on spirituality, this is the book for you. But I definitely would NOT recommend it to anyone who is seriously looking to learn about Appalachian conjure.
So the first good half of this book was all about how we need to increase our spirituality, and how exactly we can do this (according to Orion Foxwood). Admittedly, I skipped about 40 pages of this book because I don't feel like I need someone telling me how to connect with the Divine. I can do that on my own...if I wanted a spiritual lecture or sermon, I'd attend a class or go to a Church service of some sort. The reason I bought this book is because I have a deep interest in American folk magic, specifically Appalachian granny magic and Hoodoo.
That being said, this book is very heavy on the Hoodoo aspect of folk magic and very light on actual Appalachian traditions. While Orion claims to have been raised in the Appalachian mountains, most of his teachings seem quite Wiccan mixed with some Hoodoo rituals and musings.
As a pro - towards the end of this book, I was quite happy to see his instructions became more focused on folk magic (rootwork specifically), including different roots used in rootwork and how to awaken them and feed them, etc.
If you're looking for a book that mixes hoodoo with advice on spirituality, this is the book for you. But I definitely would NOT recommend it to anyone who is seriously looking to learn about Appalachian conjure.
September 8, 2013
I was quite satisfied with this book, coming from my background of incorporating the many different systems of magic. Hoo Doo and the system of Vodou/Voodoo have been those that interested me on one level, but never wanted to practice on another. In essence, I respect them for what they are. So coming from this standpoint, this book is a nice read and can give you an interesting glimpse into that world.
This book was never meant to be an instructional guide on how to do Hoo Doo, so if you're expecting this to be such then move on because it's more of an introduction with some light spells to start off with. One thing I do respect about Foxwood is that he makes it clear that this book is up front that to do magic work, there is much personal preparation involved which is in spirit and in mind, plus much responsibility at what you're looking to create and to put out there in the Universe. If you're just seeking an "old" and "authentic" spell "recipe" book, then this isn't the book for you. If you truly have the gift of being a magician, then you'll know that no matter what you read, you can come away with some gems of knowledge that will aid you on your quest. However, if you truly want a more direct approach to learning Hoo Doo, then I suggest starting off with Catherine Yronwode and her website www.luckymojo.com. She has tons of information on the subject on her website and even offers a correspondence course, and a book.
This book was never meant to be an instructional guide on how to do Hoo Doo, so if you're expecting this to be such then move on because it's more of an introduction with some light spells to start off with. One thing I do respect about Foxwood is that he makes it clear that this book is up front that to do magic work, there is much personal preparation involved which is in spirit and in mind, plus much responsibility at what you're looking to create and to put out there in the Universe. If you're just seeking an "old" and "authentic" spell "recipe" book, then this isn't the book for you. If you truly have the gift of being a magician, then you'll know that no matter what you read, you can come away with some gems of knowledge that will aid you on your quest. However, if you truly want a more direct approach to learning Hoo Doo, then I suggest starting off with Catherine Yronwode and her website www.luckymojo.com. She has tons of information on the subject on her website and even offers a correspondence course, and a book.
May 12, 2013
I truly am a fan of the author. His writing style conveys a great deal of information in a very informative, yet entertaining, manner. I have read his previous books and were really taken with them. However, I feel that this book has a sense of his enthusiasm for the topic that the previous books did not seem to have present as intensely.
In this book, Foxwood integrated the spiritual traditions that he has been trained in and raised with. He is able to integrate the similarities and form a cohesive practice that is his own. He inspires the reader to do the same with their own unique blend of spiritual flavor.
This book is excellent. I am not certain that I would recommend it to a complete newbie, but for anyone who has an understanding of their own spirituality and are looking to deepen it, I think this is a good book to read.
In this book, Foxwood integrated the spiritual traditions that he has been trained in and raised with. He is able to integrate the similarities and form a cohesive practice that is his own. He inspires the reader to do the same with their own unique blend of spiritual flavor.
This book is excellent. I am not certain that I would recommend it to a complete newbie, but for anyone who has an understanding of their own spirituality and are looking to deepen it, I think this is a good book to read.
May 3, 2014
This was interesting for me in terms of the narrative rather than the actual practices. I found books like the Haitian Vodou Handbook to have far more information on practices or as an example of a primer. So I was disappointed when I chose this book specifically on Southern root-work/Appalachian conjure hoping to find things for unaffiliated practitioners or people interested in folk magic in the context of Southern culture. It seems one has to buy more books for further information. Not quite what I expected.
January 9, 2019
It is well written easy to read voice to the writing, sometimes too easy as my mind would regularly wonder. The first half is rather generic spiritual advice if not down right psychological advice. The end of the book gets into the specific beliefs, spirits, rituals, metaphors, and practices of conjure. I would rate this a 3 or 4 star book but one of the lines hit me hard and brought me to a mildly life changing existential experience so it gets some bonus points for that.
November 2, 2013
This was an interesting look at a lot of old Appalachian customs. It's well written, accessable and not corny. I crusied through it and read the bits that jumped out at me. Overall, good stuff and I'd revisit it.
December 30, 2015
This book is great! I recommend it to everyone interested in Conjure, Root-work, Shamanism, Herbology... well just to everyone! Orion Foxwood is amazing! Check out all of his books & go to one (or more) of his workshops.
By Rowena Whaling, Author
By Rowena Whaling, Author
September 23, 2019
Quite wordy, a guided spiritual journey that never gets to any substance. Most useful to me was an architecture of the unseen aspects of reality, which gave me some useful pegs on which to hang information gleaned elsewhere on religion, mystism, magic, etc.
March 1, 2013
Review Pending
November 12, 2016
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A wonderfully written book. Reminded me how to reconnect to my spirit. Very detailed and is not fear based. Gives honor to the ancestors and the culture.
A wonderfully written book. Reminded me how to reconnect to my spirit. Very detailed and is not fear based. Gives honor to the ancestors and the culture.
September 17, 2013
I can definalety seeing myself going back to this one.
March 30, 2017
There were a great deal of useful insights and practices in this book. That being said it came off a bit preachy. I usually don't mind books where the author's come off as passionate, but the entire book felt as if it were a sermon. I feel that the book is worth reading, but wish that the author had taken a bit of himself out of the work.
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