If you hire a rootworker for whatever reason, she or he may ask you what you’ve done to fix your situation.

She may ask if you’ve done spellwork already, or read with other readers. For example, if you’re looking for a job, she may ask how many resumes you send out a day or what want ads you’ve answered.

The point is, you are a partner in your own work even when someone else is doing work for you.

If you’re looking to reconcile with a friend or lover, are you still in contact with the person? If not, you have a lower chance of success. Are you holding grudges or blaming the other person for everything that went wrong? Work on your feelings and keep the fighting out of the situation.

Are you looking to draw a new lover in? Make sure you’re going out to events that interest you. Tell your friends “I’m looking for someone; introduce me to your single friends”. Be willing to put yourself out there.

Are you dealing with nosy or loud neighbors, or dangerous ones? First, ask them politely to stop with the death metal at 3 AM or the loud parties (or whatever it is). Talk to the landlord if you’re renting. Use the practical in addition to doing any shut up or protection work. Also, USE THE POLICE. They’re there for a reason. If nothing else works and you have to call the cops, it will establish a record about your situation so if you have to take it higher (like a court of law) you have documentation.

Remember: we live in the real world as well as the magical one.

For the rest of January, I am offering a special. All one-question email tarot readings are FREE when you make a $10.00 or more US donation to my favorite charity, Partners In Health.

This charity does relief and health work in numerous countries, including Haiti (a country dear to my heart). WE’re working on the honor system here, so if you make a donation, just comment here or email me.

Great books to get you started in learning about Conjure and Hoodoo:

The Holy Bible – Yes, a lot of Hoodoo is tied to Christianity and the Bible. If you’re another religion other than Christian or Jewish, I suggest treating the Bible like a book of magic rather than a religious devotional; there’s a lot of magic in here.

Hoodoo Herb and Root Magic – by catherine yronwode. All around awesome, great herbal reference and the tables in the back that show correspondences to all conditions (like what herb do I use for drawing money?) are worth the price of the book itself.

Conjure in African American Society by Jeffrey Anderson – a great study of the effects of Hoodoo in the Black community.

The rest of my current recommendations are available in my gift shop.

Here’s a quick table of days of the week and how they correspond to magic:

Monday: Good for ancestor work, female mysteries. The Moon’s day.

Tuesday: Mars’ day. Good for domination, controlling and cursing work (second to Saturday).

Wednesday: Mercury’s day. Great for communications, travel,creativity

Thursday: Jupiter’s day. Good for money, health, leadership.

Friday: Venus’ day. Love magic time! Beauty, happiness, and some folks say this is a good day for money magic because a lot of folks get paid on Fridays.

Saturday: Saturn’s day. Cursing day, removal of old patterns, banishing.

Sunday: “The Lord’s Day”. The Sun. Goals, authority and healing. Some workers of Christian religion choose not to work on this day and instead devote it to prayer to God.

Why, I’m glad you asked!

As long as I can remember, I’ve messed around with roots, rocks and other natural things. At our house in Sudbury, MA (where I grew up) I played under the raised porch with old bottles, plants and other materia magica and I pretended I was a wizard.

I did play with Barbies though, and that kept me halfway normal

The first spell I ever recited was from the book _A Swiftly Tilting Planet_ by Madeleine L’Engle:

“At Tara in this fateful hour,
I place all Heaven with its power,
And the sun with its brightness,
And the snow with its whiteness,
And the fire with all the strength it hath,
And the lightning with its rapid wrath,
And the winds with their swiftness along their path,
And the sea with its deepness,
And the rocks with their steepness,
And the earth with its starkness:
All these I place,
By God’s almighty help and grace
Between myself and the powers of darkness!”

As I grew up, I felt a kinship with magical things, unicorns and the idea of wanting to cast spells. It was an escape from the hell of being bullied at school.

In college I met the first Wiccans I ever met. I was a devout Catholic but I wanted to work with magic so badly that I did my best to be a Pagan for years. I tried really hard. I felt happy doing a Pagan path but there was something missing.

I graduated college, worked as a tech writer, went back to school and became a nurse. I found myself working in north Florida at a very large hospital, work I enjoyed.

One day I was accused of doing something I didn’t do: cursing at a staff member in front of a patient. The patient came to my defense. The family of the patient came to my defense. However, the accuser seemed to hold more sway over the administration and I was suspended for a week without pay.

Then I failed my trauma certification test by three points. Three! I’d studied my butt off for that test.

I walked around feeling empty, lost and confused. I’d already started my hoodoo studies a bit, following the Lucky Mojo forum. Finally I got a reading and found out that yea verily, two people had crossed me up.

Then I got mad.

I did the cleansing and uncrossing work recommended, and shortly afterwards my road started opening up, moving me back to Boston.

I started with the Lucky Mojo Hoodoo classes, passed and got the certificate, which is proudly on my altar to this day. I started studying another spiritual path, Haitian Vodou, which has nothing to do with Hoodoo but satisfied my soul to the core. Still does, y’know.

Today I’ve had a small amount of professional success, and I hope to continue improving and learning and gaining clients.

And that’s the story. Let’s see how it continues

Here’s an easy road-opening work you can do for the new year.

You will need:
-A bowl, preferably china or something sturdy, not plastic.

-A pinch of dirt from each corner of a crossroads. Pick a crossroads that is relatively peaceful, not one where a lot of accidents have happened. If the crossroads have a church there, even better.

-A bit of sugar

-A key, a skeleton one if you have it.

-A piece of real money, dollar bill or larger

-Cinnamon

-Lavender (for peace)

-Frankincense (to oomph it up)

Get your bowl washed, in regular soap and water to make sure it’s clean. Dry and place on your altar or workspace, along with the other ingredients.

Write your petition on the bill; if you can get a $20 or larger, even better; you’ll draw more money. Write whatever you want to happen in the new year: money, luck, new love, etc. Sign your name under the Treasurer’s name on the front. Fold it up towards you and put it at the bottom of the bowl.

Mix together your sugar and herbs. Pray your intention into it; you have to put your prayer into the items in order to wake them up to work for you.

Pour the sugar into the bowl, on top of the money. Make sure there’s enough sugar to stand up a key in it; I lean mine against the edge of the bowl.

Pray over your key and bowl; you can use Scripture, or your own words. Pray that all your roads be opened to peace and prosperity. Put the key in the sugar against the bowl, and turn it 180 degrees to the right, like you’re unlocking a door.

Turn the key daily, saying your prayers, until 7 days have passed. Scatter the contents at a crossroads EXCEPT the money, which you can keep under a lodestone or on your altar, to encourage money to keep coming to you. Bury the key in your front yard, with it pointing towards your front door. If you don’t have a front yard, use a potted plant.

Enjoy!