#bayouhoodoo

Day at the office. #altar #saint #angel #mirrorjar #rootwork #protection #reversing #rootworkersofinstagram #bayouhoodoo #swampconjure #seraphinstation #bigluckyhoodoo #folkcatholicism https://www.instagram.com/p/CWm-SPnLK4N/?utm_medium=tumblr

My Job's Tears plant (Coix lacryma-jobi) is looking like it wants to live after all. Yay! While my mother thinks the pale grayish, shiny "seeds" that you harvest look like ticks 🥴, they're used practically worldwide as beads for jewelry. And in these parts, we like to make rosaries out of them. Some folks call them rosary plants and spiritually, they seem to me to evoke compassion, humility, perseverance, and family and community ties. Along the Gulf Coast, I've seen Job's Tears used for luck, especially money luck and gambling luck, and they're an integral part of a well-known rite for wish-granting. They also happen to be an edible, gluten-free grain. Why everybody who can grow them doesn't is honestly beyond me. #bayouhoodoo #bayouhoodooherbal #jobstears #coixlacrymajobi #moneyluck #botanicalbeads #swampconjure #folkcatholicism #rootwork #rootworkersofinstagram #seraphinstation #bigluckyhoodoo #karmazain https://www.instagram.com/p/CWaHsXoLB6l/?utm_medium=tumblr

Fleabane. This is Erigeron philadelphicus, one of those ubiquitous "weeds" that widely ignored when not being mowed, pulled up, or poisoned by lawn owners all over North America. I don't think it's actually much use against fleas, but I've heard it is genuinely useful against mites, so I might try some in the chicken coop at Seraphin Station this year. It's got a host of medicinal uses, especially for coughs, colds, and minor wounds, though it probably shouldn't be used by pregnant women. Spiritually, use it to ward off pests and pestiferous entities. Definitely don't use it for goals related to love or sex, even if you see some sources attributing it to Venus (which i think is kind of a weird association - I am not feeling that connection). It's supposedly edible but I have no experience with consuming it. #erigeronphiladelphicus #fleabane #bayouhoodoo #bayouhoodooherbal #seraphinstation #karmazain #bigluckyhoodoo #foraging #philadelphiafleabane https://www.instagram.com/p/CpiCLs6Ov-3/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Chicken foot charm aesthetics pt. 2/3: These are examples of more New Orleans-style chicken foot charms. I'd say this is the style people usually picture when the topic comes up. These focus largely on "scratching up" and reversing tricks laid for you (and maybe sending along a little lagniappe by way of the spur for good measure). . . #chickenfoot #bayouhoodoo #bayouhoodooherbal #seraphinstation #haphazardstation #rootworkersofinstagram #swampconjure #folkmagic #amulet #apotropaic #materiamagica #southernhoodoo #bigluckyhoodoo #karmazain #rootwork #conjureart https://www.instagram.com/p/CnFiNH3O635/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

A small portion of a massive smilax rotundifolia root (Greenbrier, round-leaf greenbrier). Technically these are edible, though I think you'd want a much smaller one as something like this would be too tough to eat except by maybe drying and turning it into flour. Thank the Lord I am not that hungry. (Though the young shoots of most smilax species, these included, are edible and actually quite good.) I don't know how many species of smilax there are.. hundreds? At least 5 grow at Seraphin Station, and they have various medicinal and spiritual uses. But this particular type is especially useful for binding, reversing, and revenge work. I'm using this fresh root to carve doll babies because some stupid folks have done some bad shit a little too close to my doorstep, and enough is enough. #smilaxrotundifolia #bayouhoodoo #bayouhoodooherbal #seraphinstation #bigluckyhoodoo #greenbrier #roundleafgreenbrier #gulfcoastgardening #rootworkersofinstagram #rootwork #binding #revenge https://www.instagram.com/p/CmuIfPyP-0V/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima). Almost as great as my originary nemesis, Chinese fucking privet. Definitely warrants long sleeves, gloves, this facial expression, and multiple sharp blades since in addition to sucking in general, this invasive nightmare plant can cause contact dermatitis. It's currently trying to kill my citrus trees. Somebody please tell me they know a way to kill it that doesn't involve 2x/year applicaton of herbicide or some shit. As it is, we have 10 acres of pretty much privet, tree of Heaven, and camphor fighting it out. It's a who's who of the shittiest invasive trees in North America. It's a case study in why you have to *manage forested areas.* It's an uphill battle. It's a serious pain in the ass. #treeofheaven #invasivespecies #nonnative #bayouhoodoo #gulfcoastgardening #ailanthusaltissima https://www.instagram.com/p/Cle3YA3vlei/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Sunbath in toolshed. #localfauna #haphazardstation #seraphinstation #swampwitch #bayouhoodoo #bayouliving #snake #seraphinstation #bigluckyhoodoo #rootworkersofinstagram https://www.instagram.com/p/Ckq9UkDuuNK/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

When you spend months failing to identify this weird little miniature-apple-looking fruit you keep finding in the dirt, far away from any tree that ought to be making apple-looking fruit.... ...of course there's a gall wasp involved 🤣 So I am working on the Lucky Maggot Ball charms, which are the product of gall fly larvae infesting goldenrod stems. But these are so darn cute, I want to make something out of them too even though I haven't heard of any particular folklore around oak apple galls before. I guess I just need to hang out with one for a while and see what it has to say. #oakgalls #bayouhoodoo #bayouhoodooherbal #witchgarden #seraphinstation #bigluckyhoodoo #rootworkersofinstagram #magicalherbs #foraging #plantidentification #oops https://www.instagram.com/p/Cii-XqXPvom/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=