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Original Post:
by: PapaBear on Mar 02, 2018

What are tricks?

Among the African American folkloric practice, Hoodoo has this unique branch of magic where you use powders, roots, herbs, and other items to cause change to their or someome else's surroundings. In order for this trick to manifest it needs to be place somewhere special. This "s pecial" location can be anywhere in the human body, such as rubbing a specific oil on your palm to give a smooth handshake or deployment of some kind of powder in a person's shoe or socks. This does not mean that it always has to be physical contact. Some jobs are done by burying something in someone's front door, like in a potted plant or under a stair case. According how it goes, each time they walk to their door or go up the stairs the trick will start having more power to manifest your spell.

What do I need to lay a trick?

This is a hard question to answer because of how each rootworker is different, but let me give you some basic steps. First off you need a reason why you are doing a working. You don't lay tricks or cast spells for no reason. After you are done with that gather your supplies. A good rootworker works what he/she gots, so don't feel bad if you are limited. Most stuff you need is already in your kitchen cupboard. Here are a few tips to get you started.

  • Got some oil? Red pepper flakes? You got yourself a hot foot oil
  • Have some syrup? What about a paper and pen? Good. All you need now is that old pickle jar you were about to throw away and you got yourself a sweetening jar
  • You want to spice up your relationship, but don't know how? Well you have cinnamon in your reach and rose petals from your backyard, don't ya? Dry the petals and crush them together and that would make a fine love powder
  • Need revenge? Instead of bottling your emotions get some vinegar from your mom's cleaning cleaning closet, a jar, plus a paper a pen and you have yourself a sour jar

Many don't know this, but people who practice hoodoo are animist. But unlike other forms of natural magic we don't charge our roots, powders, herbs, or other products with energy. We believe that power is already there and all we have to do is tell whatever your using what to do. Of course we pray over it, but we don't charge it with power because like I said it already has it.

How to lay a trick

Now, before we move on let's get serious. I am not advocating people to get arrested because they got caught burying a trick in someone's yard in the middle of the night or that awkward moment when the person you are trying to jinx sees you sprinkling powder in his shoe. I am only displaying this thread for people to understand hoodoo better, nor do I want to get judged for my own practices.

Anyway let's get back to business...

You first want to pray over and tell each item that is apart of your trick what to do. Always, when you lay a trick don't look back. You don't want to test faith by doing so. Don't lack trust in your working, be confident. This can also be a sign of regret if you are doing a negative working.

If you are using the jar method, people usually burn candles over them for a period of days. If you have no access to candles, I suggest shaking your jar for those days. Rootworkers of old hardly had any contact with candles, remember that! The type of color of candle would be one that corresponds to the working. Like, pink for love and yellow for happiness. Jars are a lot harder to lay if they are not for yourself. Heed to my warning above. I will post more on different types of jar workings later.

Powders are a lot simpler to lay because you will have less chances getting caught rather than trespassing someone's property to bury something. You can deploy them in someone's shoes, footprinnt or even socks, but that's a whole another shindig called foot-track magic I will get into later. No one will notice some powder under a door mat or perhaps someone's food or drink (PLEASE DON'T POISON NO ONE!!!) .

Another method is to dress your palm with a magical oil that is good for the situation your in. I've seen this in one of my favorite Disney movies when the evil villain from the princess and the frog asked the prince to shake his hand. Its been told that the spell in the oil seeps through the persons hand.

There are hundreds of ways to lay tricks and I am not gonna stick around all day talking about it. I've heard people using herbs in the water to iron your clothes, rubbing candy on your feet, and even letting a dog eat it. Remember to tell your working its job each day and choose ingredients that correspond with it. If you have any more questions just message me and please add more ways to lay tricks down below, I would love to hear them.