Quick Specs
- Size/Quantity: 226 pages, paperback
- Type: Reference Book
- Best For: Learning Hoodoo and Voodoo history, understanding African American folk magic traditions, building a foundational reference library, contextualizing conjure and root work
An Overview of African American Folk Magic Traditions
I carry this title because it treats Voodoo and Hoodoo with the seriousness that any living cultural tradition deserves. Jim Haskins was a prolific African American author and University of Florida English professor who published more than 100 books on Black history and culture during his lifetime. This one, first published in 1978, has stayed a reference for anyone trying to understand these traditions. It’s drawn from interviews with practitioners and reflects their accounts of these traditions.
The book opens by tracing Voodoo to its origins in West African spiritual systems, following the tradition through the transatlantic slave trade and into Haiti, Louisiana, and broader North America. Hoodoo is framed for what it actually is: a distinct African American folk magic practice rooted in survival, healing, and resistance, shaped over generations by West African, Native American, and European contact. Haskins doesn’t conflate the two, and that distinction matters if you’re going to work with either tradition seriously. You’ll find the historical and cultural framing in the first half of the book, and a substantial catalogue of conjures, gris-gris formulas, and mojo hand recipes in the second. If you want to understand the logic behind a working before you attempt it, that foundation is right here. Browse my Voodoo, Hoodoo, and Santeria books for related titles, or explore the full Voodoo and Hoodoo collection for supplies that pair with this text.
At 226 pages, it’s a compact and readable reference, not an academic treatise. The spell sections are documented as cultural record, presented the way a careful researcher presents living tradition: with context, respect, and enough detail to be genuinely useful. If you’re building a serious Hoodoo library, this belongs in it early.
How to Use This Book
A practical approach to getting the most from this reference text.
- Start with the History
Read Part One first, which traces Voodoo from its West African roots through the Atlantic slave trade and into the Americas. Understanding this origin story grounds everything that follows and keeps you from mistaking folk practice for superstition.
- Study the Spell Repertoire
Work through the spell and conjure sections slowly, noting the logic behind each working. Haskins documents what practitioners actually used, from gris-gris bags to mojo hands, giving you a grounded vocabulary for your own study or practice.
- Cross-Reference with Practice
Use this book alongside living sources, such as experienced practitioners or community elders. Haskins built this text from firsthand interviews, so treat it as a map rather than the final word. Follow up on any tradition that speaks to you.
The Tarot Fellow Standard
I stock this book because Haskins’ sourcing method is exactly what I look for: practitioner interviews, named traditions, and a clear separation between historical record and speculation. The edition I carry is from Original Publications, and the book has been in print across multiple editions since 1978. One thing to note: the book was written in the late 1970s, so some of its framing reflects the language of that era. The core content, the history, the documented workings, the cultural analysis, holds up well. Approach it as an introductory overview and supplement it with more contemporary voices as your study deepens. Hoodoo and Voodoo are living traditions, and I offer this book as an entry point, not a substitute for learning from practitioners and community.
Frequently Asked Questions
Haskins covers both Voodoo, rooted in Haitian and Louisiana Creole spiritual practice, and Hoodoo, the African American folk magic tradition blending West African, Native American, and European influences. Both are distinct systems.
Yes. Haskins writes for a general audience and does not assume prior knowledge. The historical sections build context before introducing spell work, making it a solid starting point for anyone new to either Voodoo or Hoodoo study.
It does. A good portion documents real spells, conjures, gris-gris formulas, and mojo hand recipes drawn from practitioner interviews. These are presented as cultural record, not as instructions divorced from their traditional context.
Jim Haskins (1941 to 2005) was a prolific African American author and English professor who wrote more than 100 books on Black history, culture, and biography. This title, first published in 1978, is one of his most enduring adult reference works.
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