Quick Specs
- Author: Stephanie Rose Bird
- Publisher: Llewellyn
- Format: 288-page paperback; 2005 COVR Award Winner
- Best for: Hoodoo practice, rootwork, mojo bag making, African American spiritual traditions
Hoodoo History and Rootwork Practice
Stephanie Rose Bird grew up practicing Hoodoo. Her family’s rootwork tradition traces back through the American South during slavery, to West African origins that Bird documents with the care of a scholar who has also lived the tradition. She traces the roots of Hoodoo, specifically the term “sticks, stones, roots, and bones,” to West Africa and documents the influence of Kongo cosmology, West African herbalism, and the minkisi bundle tradition on Southern conjure practice.
This is a 2005 COVR Award winner. Bird’s scope is comprehensive: she covers the historical origins of Hoodoo from its West African foundation through its American adaptations, then moves into practical application with recipes, formulas, and working guides for mojo bags, spiritual cleansing, candle rituals, love and luck draws, ancestor veneration, and psychic protection.
Mojo Bags, Conjure Hands, and the Working Rootworker’s Reference
The title describes the four categories of ingredients used in a traditional Hoodoo mojo bag: plant material (sticks), minerals (stones), roots, and animal bones. Bird unpacks the logic of each category with botanical specificity and historical grounding. John the Conqueror root, angelica root, Queen Elizabeth root, and Adam and Eve root are all covered in depth, along with guidance on responsible sourcing given that some traditional roots come from protected or endangered species. Bird explicitly names which roots are at risk and offers substitutions.
The book also addresses the ethics and cultural context of Hoodoo practice directly. Bird does not shy away from the fact that Hoodoo was practiced in secret during slavery, that the word “Hoodoo” was rarely spoken openly in African American communities, and that commercialization has distorted much of what the public understands about the tradition. Reading this book alongside a red flannel mojo bag is one way to start with rootwork as a living practice rooted in its cultural history.
How to Use Sticks, Stones, Roots and Bones
How to use this guide effectively across your Hoodoo practice.
- Read the Introduction and Cultural Foundation First
Begin with Bird's introduction, establishing her cultural connection to Hoodoo. Understanding West African roots matters before working formulas.
- Work the Mojo Bag Chapters with Materials in Hand
Work the mojo bag chapters with a red flannel bag in hand. Bird explains what goes inside and why each ingredient matters in Southern conjure. The ingredients follow tradition's logic, not arbitrary or personal preference of the practitioner.
- Return to the Book as a Practitioner's Reference
Use the book as a reference across your practice, returning to chapters as situations arise. Bird covers cleansing, ancestor work, love draws, and psychic protection. This is a guide to revisit regularly, not a text to read once and set aside.
The Tarot Fellow Standard
I carry Sticks, Stones, Roots and Bones because it is a practice guide to hoodoo, mojo bags, and conjure with herbs. Hoodoo is a living tradition, and I offer this book as an entry point, not a substitute for learning from practitioners and community. Explore my full Voodoo, Hoodoo, and Santeria book collection for additional rootwork titles, and browse my Hoodoo and conjure supplies for the bags, herbs, and condition oils that go alongside it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Hoodoo blends West African spirituality, Native American herbalism, and Judeo-Christian ritual in an African American folk tradition. Bird traces her family's practice to the American South during slavery.
Bird covers mojo bags, rootwork, spiritual cleansing, ancestor veneration, candle rituals, love and luck draws, and dream work. The book won the 2005 COVR Award.
Bird writes from direct cultural inheritance. Her family practiced Hoodoo, and she traces the tradition to West Africa.
Sticks, Stones covers Hoodoo history through working recipes. Bird's 365 Days of Hoodoo is a daily companion guide. Both pair well together.
1 review for Sticks, Stones, Roots & Bones by Stephanie Rose Bird — Hoodoo Mojo & Conjure Book