Katrina Rasbold - Crossroads of Conjure: The Roots and Practices of Granny Magic, Hoodoo, Brujería, and Curanderismo

Llewellyn Publications

Woodbury, Minnesota

Copyright Information

Crossroads of Conjure: The Roots and Practices of Granny Magic, Hoodoo, Brujera, and Curanderismo 2019 by Katrina Rasbold.

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First e-book edition 2019

E-book ISBN: 9780738758244

Cover design by Shira Atakpu

Editing by Annie Burdick

Llewellyn Publications is an imprint of Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data (Pending)

ISBN: 978-0-7387-5786-5

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This book is dedicated to my maternal grandmother, Mary Frances Granny Mitchell, with great thanks for all she taught me and a love and respect that spans the generations and veils that separate us. What I wouldnt give to have her hug me around the neck just one more time.

Acknowledgments

My deepest gratitude goes out to Don Francisco, Don Fuji, Doa Marta, and Doa Queta, whose influences made me the practitioner that I am today.

Additionally, I would like to thank my Hoodoo mentors, Hexeba Theaux and Maya Gray, for their dedication to the craft of Conjure that called us and for the kindness they showed in sharing their wisdom and experience with me.

Above all, this book is dedicated to my husband, Eric Rasbold, who never lost faith in me as a writer and whose tireless translations of Spanish language texts on Brujera and Curanderismo made this book a far better package.

Contents

: Hoodoo

Chapter 1:

Chapter 2:

Chapter 3:

Chapter 4:

Chapter 5:

Chapter 6:

Chapter 7:

: Appalachian Granny Magic

Chapter 8:

Chapter 9:

Chapter 10:

Chapter 11:

Chapter 12:

Chapter 13:

: Brujera and Curanderismo

Chapter 14:

Chapter 15:

Chapter 16:

Chapter 17: Basic Beliefs of Brujera/

Chapter 18:

Chapter 19:

Disclaimer

The information contained in this book derives from historical folk belief and practice. It is not intended to take the place of qualified medical care and no guarantees are implied or extended. The author and publisher are not liable for any injury or other malady resulting from the application of the information contained within this book. Please use common sense if and when attempting these practices and consult a healthcare professional when needed. The folk magic practices discussed in this book may seem simple, but they are normally conveyed through an apprentice relationship with a qualified teacher. If you feel a sincere calling to any of these practices, it is important that you do not attempt the techniques without training. If you are ready, a teacher will come to you. Put your beacon out into the world and trust the process.

Introduction

W hen we think of magical practice, European and Middle Eastern traditions are often what come to mind. The many branches of Wicca, as well as Druidism, satr, and other Neopagan practices have great publicists and now constitute the status quo in conversations about nature-based spirituality.

It is equally tempting to imagine that all magical practices are either Pagan- or Heathen-based, or that they are all reconstructed versions of lost medieval religions. What we may fail to consider is that some of the strongest and most vibrant folk magic cultures, including Hoodoo, Granny Magic, Curanderismo, and Brujera, all covered in this book, are not Pagan at all, and despite having roots in other parts of the world, primarily developed in the United States.

Brujera and Curanderismo across the American Southwest, Hoodoo in the Gulf area and Southeast, and Appalachian Granny Magic throughout the Eastern United States all form a strong, interwoven network of folk magic practices rooted in a syncretized Christian foundation. These practices flourished during a time when they were needed most, enduring to our modern age due to the layering of historic conjuring and healing techniques onto the foundation of the more socially acceptable Christian precepts.

Although Hoodoo is the system one usually refers to when speaking of Conjure as a practice, the New Orleans branch of Hoodoo and Voodoo practice, the Cajun traiteur healers, Appalachian and Ozark folk magic, Native American practices, and the Gullah Geechee of South Carolina are all also technically forms of Conjure. Conjure is a broad term much like Paganism or Christianity in its application, encompassing a large scope of traditions and modalities with unifying commonalities.