Hoodoo is not witchcraft.
Hoodoo is not Wicca.
Hoodoo is not sorcery.
Hoodoo is not chaos magick.
But if you’ve spent any time on Reddit or TikTok, you’ve probably seen these practices lumped together, mixed up, or mistaken for one another. Many people genuinely don’t know the difference, and others are practicing one thing while believing they’re practicing another.
After stepping onto Reddit for only a couple of days, I saw firsthand just how much confusion exists around this topic. Many people do not cleanse. They do not protect. They do not divine. They do not consult Spirit. They jump straight into spellwork with tunnel vision and no spiritual hygiene at all.
Yet these same people will ask, “Why didn’t my spell work?” or “Why did things get worse after my working?”
This blog is here to clear the confusion, educate beginners, empower those walking the Hoodoo path, and help you understand exactly why divination, cleansing, and protection are non-negotiables in real rootwork.
Whether you are new to spiritual practice, exploring your ancestral path, or trying to understand the difference between Hoodoo and witchcraft, this guide will take you deeper than surface-level ideas.
And because the Oil of the Week is Rich Bitch Conjure’s Can’t Touch This Hoodoo Protection Oil, you will also learn how to use it to cleanse, shield, reverse, and fortify your spiritual life.
Let’s get into it.
WHAT IS HOODOO REALLY?
Hoodoo is not witchcraft.
Hoodoo is African American folk magic and spiritual practice rooted in:
• African ancestral traditions
• The lived experience of Black people in the American South
• Biblical scripture (especially Psalms)
• Rootwork, roots, herbs, minerals, dirt, curios
• Practical everyday protection
• Wisdom passed down through families, communities, and elders
• Survival
• Protection
• Resistance
• Empowerment
Hoodoo did not originate in Europe.
It did not originate from Wicca or Celtic paganism.
It is not ceremonial magic.
Hoodoo is Black culture.
It is a lifestyle woven into how we pray, cleanse, protect, heal, and manifest.
When you are Hoodoo, magic is not an event. It is not something you pull out only when you want something.
Hoodoo is how we live.
Daily divination.
Regular cleansing.
Protection carried on the body.
Ancestral veneration.
Prayers and Psalms spoken with intention.
Herbs and roots used for purpose, not aesthetics.
This is the difference.
WHAT IS WITCHCRAFT?
Witchcraft is an umbrella term that includes many different practices:
• Wicca
• Paganism
• European folk magic
• Chaos magic
• Intuitive witchcraft
• Eclectic witchcraft
• Ritual magic
Witchcraft varies wildly depending on tradition. For many witches, spellwork is:
• Fluid
• Experimental
• Intuitive
• A tool you pick up when needed
• Often unstructured
• Often influenced by personal preference
Many witches do not divine.
Many witches do not cleanse regularly.
Many witches do not protect unless they feel threatened.
Many witches work freely without consulting any higher power or spiritual guide.
This is not wrong.
It’s simply different.
Witchcraft can be chaotic but effective.
Hoodoo is structured and spiritually disciplined.
THE MOST COMMON FAQs EXPLAINED
1. Is Hoodoo witchcraft?
No. Hoodoo is not witchcraft.
They can share tools, but the systems, origins, and cultural foundations are entirely different.
2. Is Hoodoo sorcery?
No. Hoodoo is a folk tradition rooted in African American history, not sorcery or ceremonial magic.
3. Is Hoodoo and witchcraft the same?
Absolutely not.
This is one of the biggest misconceptions online.
4. Hoodoo is not witchcraft
Correct.
This is why proper education matters.
5. Does witchcraft work?
Yes, if done correctly and with intention.
But witchcraft and Hoodoo operate under different rules and traditions.
6. Is witchcraft legal?
In most countries, yes.
However, this varies depending on local laws.
7. What is the root of witchcraft?
European folk magic, pagan traditions, ceremonial magic, and cultural practices depending on region.
8. Is Hoodoo Voodoo?
No.
Hoodoo is folk magic.
Voodoo (Vodou, Vodun) is a religion.
They are not the same.
9. Is Hoodoo good?
Hoodoo is a neutral system.
It becomes what the practitioner uses it for.
10. Is Hoodoo a word?
Yes.
And it has deep cultural and historical meaning.
11. Is Hoodoo a closed practice?
This question has been up for debate, but the short answer is YES.
**A Note on Ancestry, Access, and Respect in Hoodoo**
Hoodoo is a closed practice.
It is a tradition born out of the lived experience, suffering, resilience, and spiritual genius of African American people. Hoodoo exists because our ancestors had to survive a system designed to erase them. It was created in the shadows of oppression, carried in whispers, protected within families, and passed down through generations as a sacred inheritance.
This is why I am always astonished when I see non-Black people attempting to adopt, claim, or redefine Hoodoo. It feels unimaginable that descendants of those who historically harmed, enslaved, or exploited Black people now feel entitled to the very practices our ancestors used to protect themselves from that harm. It speaks to a larger truth many of us already know:
America loves Black culture but hates Black people.
That contradiction has always existed, and it still exists today. And honestly, it will be part of America’s downfall. You cannot continue to extract from a people without respecting the people. You cannot take the culture, the magic, the creativity, the wisdom, the spirituality, the rhythm, the language, the rituals, and leave the people behind.
But here’s the truth about Rich Bitch Conjure:
I am not in the business of policing ancestry.
I cannot and will not verify lineage.
I cannot gatekeep identities.
I cannot trace bloodlines to determine who buys a product, reads a blog, or learns from me.
What I can do is stand firm in who I am, who my ancestors were, and the cultural foundation my work sits on.
My intention has always been the same:
Let my services reach the right people, at the right time, for the right reasons.
And that is exactly what I pray for every time I create a product, offer a ritual, write a blog, or speak on Hoodoo.
I trust Spirit to handle the rest.
Spirit will guide who finds my work.
Spirit will guide who benefits from it.
Spirit will guide who is aligned and who is not.
Spirit will correct those who misuse what they do not understand.
Spirit will protect the tradition as it always has.
My responsibility is to honor my lineage, teach with integrity, practice with authenticity, and pour into the community that is meant to receive what I offer.
Everything else…
I leave in the hands of God, Spirit, and my ancestors.
-LadyDi
Now, Let's carry on...
THE BIGGEST MISUNDERSTANDING I SAW ON REDDIT
When I posted about the importance of divination, cleansing, and protection, many people got defensive because they assumed I meant:
• Tarot only
• Long drawn-out rituals
• Elaborate ceremonies
But in Hoodoo, divination can be simple. So can cleansing. And protection is daily maintenance, not a dramatic event.
WHAT DIVINATION REALLY MEANS IN HOODOO
Divination simply means consult Spirit.
That may look like:
• A tarot card
• A candle flame
• Smoke reading
• Dreams
• Bone throwing
• A pendulum
• Prayer
• Meditation
• Casting lots
• Opening your Bible or any book and receiving a verse
• Your ancestors whispering guidance
Divination is not extra.
It’s not optional.
It’s how you avoid:
• Wasting time
• Working against yourself
• Working against fate
• Working against your ancestors
• Triggering backlash
• Getting poor results
In Hoodoo, you divine BEFORE the ritual or workings, not after things go wrong.
CLEANSING IN HOODOO: SIMPLE AND EFFECTIVE
Cleansing is not a 3-hour ritual.
It is not a moon ceremony.
It does not require special tools.
In Hoodoo, cleansing can be:
• A shower with prayer (my daily practice)
• A Florida Water wipe down
• Psalm 51
• A floor wash
• A salt scrub
• A quick smoke cleanse
• A spiritual bath
• Wiping your doors with Creolina
• Burning your Rich Bitch Conjure Incense Sticks
• Using cleansing herbs in a bowl under your bed
If you can bathe, pray, wipe, or wash something, you can cleanse.
PROTECTION IN HOODOO: WHY IT'S NON-NEGOTIABLE
Protection is not optional in Hoodoo because Hoodoo came from survival.
Our ancestors did not have the luxury of being unprotected.
So protection is foundational, not something you pull out when you feel unsafe.
Protection can be as simple as:
• Wearing certain roots
• Carrying a mojo bag
• Anointing with oil
• Using salt
• Psalm 91
• Placing a Bible by the front door
• Using Rich Bitch Conjure’s Can’t Touch This Protection Oil
• Burning protection incense
• Praying over yourself and your children daily
Small actions.
Big power.
SPIRITUAL HYGIENE MAKES YOUR MAGIC WORK FASTER
When people skip spiritual hygiene, they sabotage themselves.
Skipping divination is like doing surgery without imaging or diagnosis.
Skipping cleansing is like painting over dirt.
Skipping protection is like leaving your front door open in a storm.
Most people don’t have spell problems.
They have cleansing problems.
They have protection problems.
They have misalignment problems.
When you clean, shield, and confirm before doing work, your results come faster, stronger, and cleaner.
Since the Oil of the Week is Can’t Touch This Protection Oil, here are the best ways to use it:
1. Wear it daily on your wrists and ankles
Creates a shield around your energy.
2. Put a drop behind your knees and neck
Blocks unseen influences.
3. Dress a black candle with it
For protection from seen and unseen forces.
4. Anoint your front door with it
Keeps negativity out of your home.
5. Put a little on the bottom of your shoes
To walk protected everywhere you go.
6. Add it to your mojo bags
Strengthens your spiritual defenses.
7. Wear it when you feel spiritually vulnerable
Protects your aura and softens psychic attacks.
Your spiritual hygiene routine becomes powerful and unshakeable with consistent use.
WHY HOODOO IS A LIFESTYLE, NOT A SPELLKIT
This is the biggest difference between Hoodoo and witchcraft.
Most witches:
• Use magic when needed
• Experiment freely
• Follow personal preference
• Often work without ancestors or Spirit
Most Hoodoos:
• Work daily
• Consult Spirit
• Cleanse regularly
• Protect regularly
• Use Psalms and scripture
• Maintain altars
• Treat rootwork as cultural practice
• Understand the laws, ethics, and consequences
Hoodoo is structured because it comes from lived experience, survival, and ancestral wisdom.
This is why everything I said on Reddit shocked so many people.
We were speaking from two different worlds.
YOUR CRAFT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY
Whether you are Hoodoo, witch, eclectic, spiritual, or exploring your path, one thing remains true:
Your results depend on your discipline.
Divination gives clarity.
Cleansing clears the path.
Protection keeps you safe.
Spirit guides the work.
If you want stronger, faster, cleaner results, follow the foundations.
And if you need a powerful protection tool to start with, this week’s Oil of the Week is:
60% off with code PSALM91
Free shipping on all orders
50% off all other products
Protect your energy, your home, your money, your peace, your life.
Your ancestors did not walk unprotected.
You don’t have to either.
1 comment
Gave me a lot of insight on what our ancestors went through to stay connected to God. I will be making a purchase this week.