10/05/2025
October is Hoodoo Heritage Month, a time to honor, remember, and reclaim the ancestral wisdom of African-descended people in the United States.
Hoodoo is a traditional African American spiritual practice born out of survival, faith, and resistance. It was carried to this land by enslaved Africans who merged their West and Central African spiritual systems with Indigenous and Christian influences, creating a sacred practice deeply tied to both the natural world and the Black church.
Hoodoo is not witchcraft or an open folk magic system. It is a closed, lineage-based tradition that belongs to the descendants of enslaved Africans in America. Its power was forged through prayer, herbal medicine, Psalms, protection work, and ancestral veneration. The Bible was, and still is, one of the most important tools in Hoodoo, not as a symbol of oppression, but as a spiritual weapon of liberation and divine justice.
Many everyday practices still echo Hoodoo’s roots today:
• Placing a broom by the door for protection.
• Sweeping your doorstep from the front to the back to remove negativity.
• Using Florida Water or spiritual baths for cleansing.
• Lighting candles while praying for clarity, love, or healing.
• Carrying a small charm, oil, or root for luck and protection.
Hoodoo is Black.
Hoodoo is resilient.
Hoodoo is sacred.
And this month, we celebrate those who preserved it, practiced it in secret, and passed it down so that we could remember who we are.
Photo Credit: on X
