Conjure oil

In the American South, conjure was not a hobby but a trade, and the conjure doctor was someone people paid, feared and returned to.

Origin & Traditional Use

Conjure is one of the oldest names for African American folk magick, the same tradition later called hoodoo or rootwork. Conjure oil belongs to the family of named formula oils that grew out of that practice, made to dress candles, roots and petitions so that the work takes hold. It is a general strengthening oil rather than a single-purpose one.

Uses by Tradition

Hoodoo & Rootwork

• Dress a mojo bag with a few drops when you first assemble it, breathing on it and naming its job before you close it.
• Anoint the four corners of a written petition, then fold it toward you to draw your aim in.
• Add a drop to a root, such as a High John or a lodestone, to wake it before it goes to work.

Witchcraft & Folk Magick

• Rub a little into a candle from the middle outward to send intention into the world, or from the ends inward to call something home.
• Mark the sigil or name on a talisman with the oil to bind your words to the object.

Ceremonial & Occult Magick

• Anoint the rim of a ritual lamp or the edge of a written seal before beginning a working.
• Use it to dress the hands before handling consecrated tools, as a sign that the work has begun.

A Simple Working

• Write your goal in a single plain sentence on a square of parchment.
• Anoint each corner of the paper with Conjure oil.
• Take a white or orange chime candle and dress it with the oil from base to wick.
• Fold the paper three times toward you and set the candle on top of it in a fireproof dish.
• Light the candle and speak your goal aloud three times.
• Let the candle burn out completely.
• Keep the paper in your wallet or on your altar until the matter is settled.

Pairs Well With

• High John the Conqueror root, the classic hoodoo root for personal power and mastery.
• Lodestone, to add steady drawing force to a working.
• Orange or white chime candles, quick-burning and suited to everyday work.
• Parchment squares for petitions and name papers.

Lore & History

In the early twentieth century, spiritual-supply houses in cities such as Chicago, Memphis and New Orleans sold named condition oils by mail order, each label promising help with one specific need. Conjure, Master and Power formulas were among the general-purpose oils in those catalogs, sold to rootworkers and ordinary customers alike. The practice of dressing candles, roots and papers with oil is documented in hundreds of interviews collected from Southern practitioners in the 1930s.

What You Receive

Conjure oil, available in 2 dram, 1 oz and 16 oz bottles.