The 1st Annual Bayou City Conjure Community Awards: Statement of Gratitude from Denise Alvarado

Greetings folks!

I wanted to take a moment to thank each and every one of you who voted for me and several of my projects and mutual endeavors with others that resulted in winning awards for the 1st Annual Conjure Community Awards 2012 hosted by Bayou City Conjure Radio. I am so honored for the recognition as Best Visual Artist as this award not only recognizes me, but also my ancestors; specifically, my Mother and Father who both inspired and nurtured by talents from the moment I could hold a pen, paint brush and sewing needle. 

A big surprise was winning the award for Best Blog – this blog, The Art of Conjure. I am not an everyday blogger; I blog when I have time and feel I have something to give and say. This blog simply consists of my thoughts and musings as a conjure woman who likes to share personal experiences in the hopes that it inspires and informs others.

The additional awards of which I am a part include Best Home Business - Crossroads Mojo with Madrina Angelique. The success of our young business is the result of what can happen with true teamwork, a mutual vision, and support and encouragement from countless others who believe in us, our products and our devotional art. Working with Madrina Angelique has been one of the most positive and professional experiences I have had the privilege of participating in. Above all, the Best Home Business Award for Crossroads Mojo is dedicated to Papa Legba, without whom the website would never have come to be.

Finally to win Best Facebook Group - Hoodoo and Conjure Magazine is quite the irony considering our beginnings. Even with the group out of the public eye, the satisfaction I feel for winning this award is immense, to say the least. But this award would not be possible without the blood, sweat, and tears of the writers, contributors, partnerships and all my brilliant fellow conjurers and group members who routinely give to each other and treat each other with respect. You are integral in creating and maintaining the group as a true, supportive, nonjudgmental community. Thank you to Carolina Dean, Madrina Angelique, Alyne Pustanio, Winsom Winsom and all group members who so graciously contribute their time and energy to both the magazine and to keeping the group running in my absence. Even with a few bumps in the road, you never give up. I am honored and humbled by the recognition and acknowledgment of the magazine’s group and our purpose, and most of all for having such loyal friends in my life. This award belongs to all of us.

I extend my congratulations to all of the other winners. Special congratulations go to a couple of Hoodoo and Conjure Magazine contributors whose light shone bright in their own right. Dorothy Morrison as Best Author – you are an inspiration, a witch of integrity and a true friend. Thank you for your life’s work, much of which I was reading long before writing myself. Dragon Ritual Drummers as Best Music Group – thank you for the awesome drums and rhythms, providing us an expression of and connection to the heartbeat of the Spirits. Witchdoctor Utu in particular, I thank you for your support and friendship. Priestess Miriam as Best Community Figure - you and the New Orleans Voodoo Spiritual Temple represent what New Orleans Voodoo should be all about. Well done, my friends!

Finally, many thanks to Bayou City Conjure Radio for giving all of us an opportunity to acknowledge individuals and groups who contribute in a positive way to the conjure community. May 2013 be the best year ever!

Peace and love,

Denise Alvarado

13 Creole Hoodoo Recipes for Le Bon Appétit: Louisiana Money Greens and Magic Money Lamp

Greens of all kinds are popular among Southerners, particularly in rural communities. My grandmother and my mother grew all of greens in their gardens – mustard greens, collard greens, turnip greens... There is nothing like the taste of fresh greens cooked down in ham hock gravy or bacon drippings.

Greens are associated with attracting money; hence, the name money greens. Before making this dish, prepare an olive oil money lamp that you can burn in the kitchen while you are cooking. Olive oil is a great choice for making oil lamps because it doesn’t smoke or smell bad like commercially prepared lamp oils. It is also not combustible so even if you drop a match into the oil, it won't catch fire.

Magic Money Lamp

To make your olive oil money lamp, you will need:

• A small glass jar like a miniature jelly jar
• or small minced garlic jar with a metal lid
• A wick
• Olive oil
• Money herbs, i.e. basil, mint, cinnamon, sassafras
• Money drawing conjure oil
• Petition
• Piece of pyrite
• Personal concerns

1.      Prepare the vessel by washing it with Florida Water or salt water and dress it with Louisiana Van Van Oil. Breathe into the jar and fill it with your breath and say a few words of intention. If you use the Psalms in your work, say the 23rd Psalm.

2.      Write your petition on a small piece of parchment paper and attach it to the wick with a safety pin or straight pin. This part of the wick should be at the bottom of the jar.

3.      Poke a hole in the lid of the jar and pull the wick through it so that about a quarter of an inch of wick is coming out of the top of the lamp.

4.      Place the bottom of the wick with the petition attached in the bottom of the jar.

5.      Add the herbs, pyrite and personal concerns to the jar and cover with olive oil. Do not fill the jar to the top—you have to leave about a quarter of an inch space from the top. Add a few drops of conjure oil. With each ingredient you add offer it to the four directions and say a short prayer or statement telling each ingredient what you want it to do for you.

6.     Place the lid on the lamp and light it. Once your lamp is together, say the 23rd Psalm if you do Psalms or say a heartfelt prayer of your own that asks for what you need and offers gratitude to the powers that be for all that you have. 

Once you have set your lamp, choose one of the following recipes for making your money greens. One is made with ham hocks, and the other with bacon. Either one is absolutely delicious so you can’t go wrong with whichever one you choose. Remember, when you cook greens they will wilt and reduce a lot, so you will have to add more than you may expect if you have never cooked greens before. Another thing is that some folks say greens tend to be bitter. Well, if you pick them when they are young and tender you won’t have to worry about that. Furthermore, it’s a little Creole secret to add a tablespoon of sugar to just about everything and that takes care of any slight hint of bitterness.

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Here are two recipes for money greens - one with ham hocks, and the other with bacon. Either one is absolutely delicious so you can’t go wrong with whichever one you choose.

 

MONEY GREENS WITH HAM HOCKS

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup wheat flour
• 2 cups thinly sliced yellow onions
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 8 cups Chicken Stock
• 3 pounds ham hocks (about 4 medium-size hocks)
• 2 bunches (about 2 1/4 pounds) each of collards, mustard, and turnip greens, thoroughly washed, picked over for blemished leaves, and tough stems removed
• 1 cup spring water

DIRECTIONS

Combine the oil and flour in an 8-quart pot over medium heat and stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. Cook the mixture, stirring constantly, to make a blonde roux, about 8 minutes.

Add the onions, celery, salt, cayenne, bay leaves, garlic, stock, and ham hocks. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer, uncovered, until the hocks are very tender, about 2 hours.

Add the greens, by the handful, until all of them are combined in the mixture. They will wilt. Add the water. Simmer until the greens are very tender and the mixture is thick, about 45 minutes.

Remove the bay leaves and serve warm. Yield: 8 to 10 servings    

MONEY GREENS WITH BACON

Some folks say to barely cook the bacon, but I like to cook it through. Also, I cook some extra crispy for sprinkling on top of each serving.

Ingredients

• 6 strips thick-sliced bacon
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Several dashes hot sauce
• 1/4 cup apple-cider vinegar
• 2 pounds collard greens, stems removed, sliced into 3-inch-wide strips (can substitute kale or chard)
• 1 cup chicken broth (or water)*
• 2 bay leaves

DIRECTIONS

1 Heat a large skillet on medium heat. Cook the bacon in the skillet until it just begins to brown around the edges, stirring occasionally. Add the onions and cook until they have softened and are just starting to brown.

2 Add the garlic, salt, pepper, sugar and hot sauce. Cook until the garlic becomes fragrant, about a minute. Add the vinegar, bring to a simmer, and cook until the amount of liquid is reduced by half, stirring and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

3 Add the collard greens and the chicken broth (or water) and bring to a simmer. Reduce the temp to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the collard greens have wilted and have lost their brightness. Season to taste with hot sauce. Serve with some of the pan juices from the pan. Serves 6 to 8.

*Excerpt from the book 13 Creole Hoodoo Recipes for Le Bon Appétit by Denise Alvarado. All content and images on this blog are copyright 2012 Denise Alvarado, All rights reserved worldwide. Do not reblog or reuse without my permission.

Native American Conjure: Working with an Indian Medicine Bag

A few of my medicine bags

In order to understand how to work a medicine bag, we need to define medicine as it is understood in the Indian worldview. To the Native American, medicine refers to anything mysterious, magical, spiritual and supernatural. It is the roots, stones, sticks, and bones of conjure. The three most powerful forms of Indian medicine are water, tears, and laughter (Gene Thin Elk, personal communication, 1994).

A medicine bag is very much like a mojo bag. They are worn or carried on the person for any number of purposes and often the same bag is used for a multitude of purposes, i.e. protection, healing, dream enhancement, and empowerment. Medicine bags can be made for yourself or for other people, just like a mojo or gris gris bag.

Medicine bags are used somewhat differently than mojo and gris gris bags, however. For example, once a mojo bag or gris gris is made, we don't open it up and mess around with the things inside unless we are taking it apart or recharging it. With your medicine bag, you can take an object out, talk to it and ask it for guidance. Ask it for its medicine. For example, if you are feeling scared or apprehensive about something and you have a bear claw in your medicine bag, you can take the bear claw out of the bag and ask the bear for its medicine or protection, strength, and courage. When you are done, place the claw back in the bag and carry the bag with you as usual.

As you can see from the photographs, medicine bags come in all shapes and sizes. I have quite a few medicine bags, these are but a few. I have a special medicine bag that holds corn pollen and a separate one that hold my tobacco. I have several smaller medicine bags that are held inside a larger medicine bag, and those inside an even larger medicine bag. The different bags contain different medicines that I use frequently and are not to be mixed with other herbs. When I am sitting in the darkness of the sweat lodge for example, I cannot see, but I can feel which bag has my cedar when I want to sprinkle some on the hot elders (stones) inside.

Medicine bags will contain special objects of power or "tokens" given to a person as well as power objects found in the natural environment that speak to the person finding it. Unlike gris gris bags which typically do not have more than 13 items and always an odd number in them, a medicine bag can contain as many items as a person wants. Sometimes people will consciously only keep as many items as a sacred number, but that is not a hard and fast rule. Sacred numbers for Indians are 4 (for the four sacred directions - North, East, South, West) 7 (for the seven sacred directions - North, East, South, West, Father Sky, Mother Earth, and Self),  21 (seven times 3) and 28 (seven times four).

There is a lot of misinformation on the web about Native American spirituality and culture, including misinformation about the basics of a medicine bag. According to one website for example, "A Native American medicine bag doesn't necessarily contain medicine. Instead, in Native American culture, items are placed inside the small bag that holds a spiritual significance to the wearer." This statement was obviously written by someone who doesn't have a clue as to what constitutes Native American medicine. The contents inside the bag ARE the medicine. The medicine comes from the realms of animal, plant, mineral, and human and yes, they hold spiritual significance to the wearer, but they also heal and empower.

"To enhance the supernatural and spiritual abilities of the wearer, healers often use the contents to perform the ritual known as vision quest." Again, a misinformed writer. The Vision Quest ceremony has nothing to do with the contents of your medicine bag. The Vision Quest has everything to do with increasing one's own understanding of self/community/the world and one's relationship to the community and the world (meaning Mother Earth and all of her inhabitants, great and small, four-legged, two-legged, eight-legged or no legs, as well as all of her processes). The Vision Quest or hunblecha is one of the Seven Sacred Rites of the Lakota people. Traditionally, this ceremony is conducted in places considered sacred such as The Black Hills and the Badlands. Bear Butte is a traditional site for hunblecha. Often a person will discover their animal spirit guides during the ceremony, but the contents of a medicine bag are not used to perform the ceremony itself.

The Thunder Beings (Wakinyan) live in the Black Hills according to Lakota tradition. At White Horse Mountain, where I participated in my first vision quest, the ancestors still dance and they can be seen and heard in the stillness of that ceremony.

Anything that speaks to you strongly can go into your medicine bag. Some typical tokens found in medicine bags include:

Plant Kingdom 

• Sage 
• Cedar 
• Sweetgrass 
• Corn 
• Beans 
• Seeds 
• Tobacco 
• Corn pollen 
• Corn meal 
• Roots

Animal Kingdom 

• Bones 
• Teeth 
• Scales 
• Lock of hair or mane 
• Claw or nail 
• Feather 
• Shell

Mineral Kingdom 

• Stone fetish 
• Arrowhead 
• Stones 
• Crystals
• Dirts

Human Kingdom

• Coin 
• Key 
• Photo 
• Bullet

In order to find your medicine, you will have to take regular Nature Walks if you are not the outdoorsy type. Don't just pick up anything, there has to be a strong and clear connection between you and it. You will know when you hold it in your hands and see it. Talk to it and ask it what lessons it has for you. Then, write down any insights you receive in your medicine journal. 

To learn more about Native American concepts and their connection to Southern Rootwork and Hoodoo, check out the course Native American Conjure: Working with Black Hawk & Indian Spirit Guides in Southern Conjure. In addition to learning about how to work with Black Hawk and Indian Spirit guides, this course teaches about Indian medicine, herbalism and curios, provides and Indian conjure formulary, several tutorials and a variety of works. It also discusses working with other Indian Spirits such as Red Hawk, White Eagle, Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha and Sitting Bull. In addition, you will learn about Thunder Medicine and how to make Thunderbolt Powder and hands. I guarantee you will learn things in this course you will not find anywhere else.

*The above article is excerpted from Conjuring Black Hawk by Denise Alvarado.

*All contents of this article including text and photos are copyright 2012 Denise Alvarado, All rights reserved worldwide. Do not copy and reuse without my permission.

San Simón Wishing Spell

 

This work is from my book, The Voodoo Doll Spellbook, which I am very happy to announce is currently being republished with Weiser books next year.

San Simón, also known as Maximón (pronounced Masheemon), is a folk saint venerated in various forms by Mayan people of Western Guatemala. San Simon is referred to as “Champion of the Hopeless” by some folks because of his ability and willingness to work with just about anyone for just about anything. He is able to grant wishes of any kind, if you offer him the right gifts.

San Simón is believed to be a Catholicized form of the pre-Columbian Mayan god Mam (meaning Ancient One). There are many, many forms of San Simón, his evolution coinciding with the influence of European contact and missionaries.[1] Under the influence of Catholicism, he became associated with Judas. According to another theory, he is the deification of one of my ancient ancestors, Pedro de Alvarado. Pedro de Alvarado was a Spanish conquistador who was not only responsible for bringing Catholicism to the indigenous people, he married the daughter of the Aztec King Xicotencotl el Viejo, was responsible for having the first Mixtec children.

As the incarnation of the ancient Mayan god of sexuality, San Simón is said to have slept with all of the wives in a village one day while all of the men were out in the fields. When they returned and discovered what he had done, they were so pissed off they cut off his arms and legs! This story explains why effigies of San Simón are short and stubby with no arms.

Altars to San Simón always have a doll or effigy of some kind representing him along with cloth that is characteristic of the indigenous peoples of South and Central America. People turn to him with requests of good health, family harmony, job security, good crops, and the like. He has what is referred to as a dark side as well, but I like to refer to it as human. He is said to grant requests that have something to do with revenge and success at the expense of others.

In areas where San Simón is venerated, he resides in a different house each year, moving to a new residence on every November first. He is tended to by two people referred to as Cofradia, who take care of him and maintain his altar. He is typically dressed in 18th century garb, reportedly an attempt by the indigenous people to convince the Christians of their successful conversion (not!). He usually has a lit cigarette or cigar in his mouth and wears a black cowboy hat. In some places, he wears dark sunglasses and a bandana. He often has a hole in his mouth where it is poured a drink. The alcohol passes through a tube and into a vessel and reused at a later time.

For this ritual, I will describe how to petition San Simón for a wish. First, you must create an effigy of him, or you can buy a statue if you would prefer (I would be happy to make one for you...email me with your inquiry at planetvoodoo (at) planetvoodoo.com). I think there is something to be said about creating your own effigy because it will be personal and full of your own energy, not some store’s or manufacturer’s and who knows how many other people have may have touched a store bought figure or statue. To create a San Simón doll, find a thick tree branch or tree stump (not so large that you can’t carry it) and carve out a hole in the top. You will be placing some items inside the hole so your San Simon is not empty. Since no one really knows what goes inside San Simon (except for the initiated), we will use items known to be sacred to his tradition. Fill the hole in the stump with rose petals, 40 red beans, 40 black beans, pine resin, and Indian tobacco. Seal the hole by placing another small stump on tope of his body. This will function as his head. If making him out of a stump is beyond your ability, then simply create a doll out of fabric and stuff with then aforementioned items. You will also need Guatemalan fabric and numerous colorful scarves to dress him. If you are really crafty, you can mold a face for him out of clay or paper maché, or carve his face in the stump. Otherwise, you can buy one of those unfinished full face masks available at any craft store, and paint it. Purchase a small black cowboy hat to keep on his head. These little hats can be found at any craft store.

Next, create a special place for San Simón. He should be kept in a corner of the bedroom, preferably on the floor, along with a glass of water, a red candle, corn tortillas, incense (copal) and flowers. You can add textiles from Latin America and folk art pieces to further decorate his altar space.  You may also offer him cigars, cigarettes, coins from several countries, hot sauce, parrot feathers, stones, and Aguardiente. Incense should be burned daily at 12:00 noon sharp and an offering made in the name of the person needing help.

Depending on the nature of your wish, you should use candles in colors that are appropriate for your wish. In his tradition, the colors are as follows:

Red – love, faith, and good will

Green – prosperity and help in business

Blue – luck and work

Pink – health, hope, purity, innocence

Yellow – protection of loved ones

Black – counteract evil and negativity, against enemies, dispel spiritual  

attacks

White – protection for children

San Simon altar candle available at crossroadsmojo.com

Once you have his space set up and the correct color of candle to go with your wish, write down your petition on a piece of paper and set it under the candle. Then, tap on the glass of water three times and say the following prayer:

Oh powerful San Simón, help me with all of my actions and with any dangers that may arise that I may need assistance. If I need help in matters of love, you will draw the one I love closer to me, if it be business, that I will be successful, if it be enemies, that you will help me to overcome them, and to keep hidden troubles away from me. I offer you your cigar, your tortilla, your liquor, and your candles if in return you will keep me safe from any danger I may come across. (State your petition). Amen.[2]

It is customary to keep his altar set up and work with him daily for best results.

See Pieper’s (2002) book Guatemalan Folk Saints for a fabulous and detailed description of San Simon and his evolution throughout history.

[2] Prayer is found on the back of 7 day San Simon candles, reproduced in Pieper’s (2002) book Guatemalan Folk Saints.

Keywords: San Simón, Maximon, Hoodoo, Conjure, Guatemala, Mayan, ritual, candles, prayer

Denise Alvarado www.planetvoodoo.com, www.crossroadsuniversity.com, published author. Sharon Marino apologizes for being a bitch. "I`ll endeavor to remove any and all negative comments I`ve made about Denise and her businesses or work. The truth is that I do admire Denise`s artistic talents, and I`ve always found her to be an intelligent and congenial person. I do not want to feel this kind of anger or pain any longer, and I don`t want to block Denise`s ability to make a living. And so I would urge others to go ahead and order from her. I regret this whole experience and I will do whatever I can to heal the hurt of it." re: rip off report filed earlier this year Denise Alvarado www.planetvoodoo.com, www.crossroadsuniversity.com, published author, Educated? Absolutely! 

Copyright 2012, Denise Alvarado, All rights reserved worldwide.

Hoodoo Charms against Evil and Negativity

To some, the belief in charms is a curious affair. But the widespread and persistent faith in the supernatural is a human tendency – it is a means of explaining the inexplicable as well as a means of organizing our experiences in the world in a way that is meaningful. As long as humans have had the ability for abstract thought they have attributed mystical powers to simple objects, transforming the most insignificant rock into a never-failing amulet.

It is a human experience we all share – being confronted with negative people, places and things. Naturally, we seek to prevent such confrontations and exposures, but nothing short of living in a bubble would alleviate the risks. The making of charms, amulets and talismans as objects of protection is not limited to the uneducated – their use can be found across cultures and across socioeconomic lines. Our grandmothers held the utmost confidence in talismans and fetishes as much as they believed in the tried and true efficacy of their home remedies.

Here are a few Hoodoo charms that have been reported to be effective wards against evil and negativity:

• A Marie Laveaux charm to ward off bad luck consisted of a rabbit’s foot, gold ore (probably pyrite) and a magnet wrapped in a piece of chamois cloth and tied shut. This was carried on the person for protection and repelling negativity.

• A pocket Bible or Book of Psalms held in the bra or a front shirt pocket is said to ward off negativity and evil spirits.

• A bottle fix to repel evil and negativity consists of coarse white sand, large red ants, and 9 nails and pins placed in a bottle and covered with a bit of urine from everyone in the home and placed under the front steps is believed to be effective.

• A knife, bow and arrow, and hatchet placed above the door are said to cut evil.

• To remove a conjure, place 9 needles, 9 brass pins, 9 hairs from the head of the afflicted into a bottle or jar, cover with their urine and close. Set it behind the fireplace and when the bottle bursts, the conjure will be broken.

• White mustard seeds wrapped in a red flannel bag and attached to the back of the front door are believed to prevent negative energy from entering the home.

• Planting holly in the front garden is said to discourage evil spirits from entering the home.

• Spreading red brick dust across thresholds (i.e. doors and windows) is said to prevent evil and negativity from entering.

• Sprinkling grits on the front porch is said to keep bad spirits away.

• Take a sack of salt and draw a cross on it while saying “In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost”. Place the sack under the front porch for an effective ward. Pour some out in the form of a cross on your front porch and moisten with Holy Water for an effective ward.

• Black salt sprinkled on the front steps and then swept away is said to cause any negative energy to likewise be swept away.

And as a little bit of lagniappe, here are a couple of simple works to prevent and reverse curse and negative conjury.

Dragon’s Blood Floor Wash

This floor wash is used to drive away negative energy, banish evil spirits, and eliminate anger directed at you. It also creates a barrier of protection.

••1 cup dragon’s blood powder

••1 cup High John the Conqueror root

••1 cup quinta maldicion herb

••1 cup kosher rock salt

••1 cup espanta muerto herb

••Florida Water 

Start by scrubbing the back of the house, making your way out to the front step to drive away evil spirits, anger, or general negative energy. It is best to start before dawn. Throw the remaining water to the east at or before sunrise.

Curse Reversal Spell

Set a black and white double action reversal candle on a mirror, white side down (butt the white side and carve the black to a point, revealing the wick). Make a circle of powdered crab shells going counterclockwise around the candle. Recite Psalm 48. It is said that your enemy will be seized with fear, terror, and anxiety and will never attempt to harm you again. Place the ritual remains in a brown paper bag and leave at a crossroads.

References 

Alvarado, D. (2011). The Voodoo Hoodoo Spellbook. Weiser Books: San Fransisco.

Morgan, D.L.. (1886) Charms and Charm-Medicines. Catholic World, pp. 322-336.

Copyright 2010-2012 Denise Alvarado, All rights reserved worldwide. Please ask if you would like to repost this article.

About Miller's Mysteries and a Mess of Cobwebs

I have been very busy of late with several big projects which has kept me away from the Conjure Corner forum more than usual. One of those projects was finishing up on the Voodoo Hoodoo Spellbook. Who knew there were to be so many reviews before the final copy is approved? I mean, just when I thought I was done I had to review it yet again. But I am glad that I did as there were those last minute changes that needed to be made. All in all, I am VERY happy with the book and the way it turned out. And I am thrilled to have endorsements from Dorothy Morrison, Ray Buckland, Aaron Leitch, and Christian Day, among others.

My only regret is that I had to cut out a lot of material to make the approved page count. But, I decided that the cut material is every bit as important as what remained, and so I will be publishing that material at some point in the future. The Voodoo Hoodoo Spellbook Volume 2 anyone?

Another of my big projects is the redesign of Doc Miller's hoodoo drugstore website, medicinesandcurios.com. This website is the sister site to Miller's Rexall, which is his main business located in downtown Atlanta. And let me tell you, this has been some project! With over 4000 products I am still adding pictures and descriptions, but we are happy to announce that it is live and awaiting your visit. I am not kidding when I say he has everything you ever wanted and if it is not listed, just call the store and ask and I am sure he can get it for you. You can find the contact info at the site.

Real hoodoo drugstores don't exist like they used to down south or anywhere else for that matter. Especially in New Orleans, we had plenty of them and I remember frequenting the Dixie Drugstore as a kid, but that was many moons ago. I'm talking about real pharmacies that also carry a complete inventory of hoodoo materia medica, not some website that has sprung up on the internet in the past couple of years that calls itself a hoodoo drugstore or puts itself in the class of a hoodoo drugstore. I'm talking about a hoodoo drugstore that has withstood the test of time and that persists from a bygone era. I'm talking about a hoodoo drugstore that is employed by folks from the neighborhood who know what folks from the neighborhood are looking for. And as a bonus, I am talking about a hoodoo drugstore that is owned and operated by one of the nicest people I know.

The hoodoo drugstore is Miller's Rexall, in business since 1965, and the new and improved website is medicinesandcurios.com.

Read an excerpt from Volume 2 of Hoodoo and Conjure Quarterly about Doc Miller and his historic enterprise at our blog, Miller's Mysteries.

Miller's Mysteries: A MESS OF COBWEBS MAKES A BELIEVER OUT OF DOC MILLER...: OVER 45 YEARS AGO, Richard "Doc" Miller was just 12 years old when he started working with his uncle Dr. (Doc) Donald Miller at Miller's Rexall in downtown Atlanta...

 

Copyright 2010-2012 Denise Alvarado, All rights reserved worldwide. Please ask if you would like to repost this article.