HoodooBae

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“Blood Debts is a beguiling family saga, steeped in magic that’s every bit as dark as it is moving.” —Alexis Henderson, author of The Year of the Witching and House of Hunger

WHAT IT’S ABOUT

Legendborn meets Dynasty in Terry J. Benton-Walker’s contemporary fantasy debut, Blood Debts—an “extravaganza from start to finish” (Chloe Gong) with powerful magical families, intergenerational curses, and deadly drama in New Orleans. Available Now.

Thirty years ago, a young woman was murdered, a family was lynched, and New Orleans saw the greatest magical massacre in its history. In the days that followed, a throne was stolen from a queen.

On the anniversary of these brutal events, Clement and Cristina Trudeau—the sixteen-year-old twin heirs to the powerful, magical, dethroned family—are mourning their father and caring for their sick mother. Until, by chance, they discover their mother isn’t sick—she’s cursed. Cursed by someone on the very magic council their family used to rule. Someone who will come for them next.

Cristina, once a talented and dedicated practitioner of Generational magic, has given up magic for good. An ancient spell is what killed their father and she was the one who cast it. For Clement, magic is his lifeline. A distraction from his anger and pain. Even better than the random guys he hooks up with.

My first spiritual community was an otherkin forum (I believe it was otherkin.net? It shut down a while ago). It was run and curated by tired, somewhat-grouchy adults in their 20's, 30's, and 40's.

They were a pretty frigid, humorless bunch. The culture they curated was governed by critical thought, strong discernment, and thorough self-reflection. Forum members who couldn't handle scrutiny didn't stick around.

I learned many important things on this forum. The admin and mods taught me the difference between "identifying with something" and "actually being that something," and would point out the differences between authentic experiences versus wishful thinking / playacting.

They would ask questions that forced you to reflect on your process and methodology, especially if you were still exploring your identity. Nothing was taken at face-value.

I learned about "fluffy bunnies," which taught me there's a difference between reputable teachers and people wishing to rope you in on their MLM scheme.

I read stories about spiritual predators, which taught me the importance of staying alert and prioritizing safety over wishful thinking.

I saw members use logic-based reasoning to come to their spiritual conclusions, which hardened my mind against faith-based reasoning magical thinking.

I learned it didn't pay to fool others. I learned it didn't pay to fool yourself.

Was it a perfect online community? No, of course not. It had a distinct power hierarchy and its own fair share of drama. Nevertheless, it prioritized the education and safety of its members in ways I now realize are very rare.

By the time I joined other forums and spiritual communities, I had enough discernment knowledge to curate the experience I wanted. I didn't know any specific red flags or dogwhistles, but I knew to question anything that felt too fantastical, too performative, or too convenient.

You may have noticed that "valid/invalid" never played a role in my experience with this community.

It's not that validation was withheld—it's that it was irrelevant.

If we were to go back in time and make a post asking, "I experience ABC thing but don't experience XYZ thing, am I still valid?" the reply would be something like, "How would we know? It's your experience, you tell us."

Additionally, this question is seeking confirmation via mutual agreement, rather than confirmation via process, which would have raised a number of concerns: First, community agreement doesn't make something true, and second, this question is an invitation for spiritual predators to shape your mind.

Now, 2008 internet was very different than 2022 internet, and the culture around stranger danger has changed. Additionally, it's not my place to say what the otherkin community and similar should or shouldn't do.

Hoodoo is a closed system that IS NOT for non-Black people.

Hoodoo has deities, but Orisha, Lwa, and Mpungu are not part of Hoodoo. Those deities belong SOLELY to their own respective systems.

A tarot reading, intuitive reading, palm reading, “a feeling”, etc. CAN NOT help you determine which Orisha owns your head. Only an initiated priest of that system, using the specific divination tools of that system, can tell you this. The same goes for Lwa, Mpungu, etc. If you want to know, seek out and PAY a reputable BLACK priest.

Plenty of Hoodoos, myself included, use tarot but tarot IS not part of the Hoodoo system.

The Crossroads is not just some place where you go to dump your empty candle or otherwise dispose of completed spirit work. Spirits live there. Would you want someone dumping their trash at your house without even asking? There’s also plenty of other ways to dispose of works.

Just because deities in different systems are SIMILAR (or you perceive them to be) doesn’t mean they are the SAME, and definitely doesn’t mean they can be engaged with in the same way. Yemoja, La Sirene, and Mami Wata are DIFFERENT spirits (Mami Wata is actually a family of spirits, not a single spirit) that have different protocols for how to engage them. And initiation is required.

Hoodoo has initiations.

The Crossroads Man is NOT Esu or Papa Legba. They are different spirits. What they have in common is being the keepers of Crossroads, of course, but they also have their own individual things that they do and different protocols. See item #6.

High John the Conqueror does not work with non-Black people. If you’re non-Black and think you’re working with him, go ahead and cleanse that trickster spirit out ya house baby 🤣

It’s really common to see modern witchcraft correspondences for the moon phases, but rarely or never for hoodoo. Frequently the full moon is associated with “light magic” and the new moon with “dark magic” using the classic racist terminology we’re all too familiar with. We also live in a world where books on working the roots that are actually written by black authors are a somewhat rare find, and Lucky Mojo is one of the first Google hits for almost every hoodoo-related search you might make. 

So, Spirit Roots presents… the moon phases for root workers! An Africana guide to the lunar cycle. Remember, you don’t have to cast the “right” spell at the “right” time, it’s just a useful boost to follow the moon’s patterns when it feels right to do so or works for your path. Listen to your ancestors, and trust your intuition on it!

WAXING CRESCENT

>>>>> TIME FOR: Fresh start, preparations

- Road opening

- Setting goals & planning spells

- Purchasing/gathering curios & supplies

- Forgiveness & reconciliation

WAXING MOON

>>>>> TIME FOR: Increasing, attracting, new works

- Making mojo bags

- Honey jars & sweetening spells

- Love spells

- Prosperity & financial spells

- Luck spells

FULL MOON

>>>>> TIME FOR: Petitions, significant works, protection

- Big or important spells and rituals

- Dedications, blessings, offerings, prayers, & petitions

- Safe travels spells

- Home protection spells

- Enchanting jewelry, amulets, and tools

WANING MOON

>>>>> TIME FOR: Cleansing, decreasing, undoing

- Spiritual baths

- Floor washes

- Stop gossip

- Breaking up a couple

- Keeping off the law

- Uncrossing & spell reversals

WANING CRESCENT

>>>>> TIME FOR: Banishing, baneful magic

- Crossing & hot foot spells

- Jinxes & curses

- Souring jars

- Banishing spirits, people, or bad habits

- Return to sender spells

NEW MOON

>>>>> TIME FOR: Ancestor work, divination, lucid dreaming

- Communing deeply with ancestors

- Spirit work

- Divination reading

- Lucid dreaming