In rootwork, a trick laid against you can be answered, and the answer has its own name: counteracting.
Origin & Traditional Use
To counteract, in hoodoo speech, is to undo work done against you and turn its force aside. Counteracting oil is one of the named formula oils made for that purpose and for clearing a house of unwelcome presences. It is used in house cleansings, on candles and on the body when a person feels something has been put on them.
Uses by Tradition
Hoodoo & Rootwork
- Add a few drops to a floor wash and scrub from the back of the house to the front door, then throw the water out.
- Dress a white or black candle and burn it in each room in turn.
- Anoint door and window frames in a small cross after a cleansing to keep the house clear.
Witchcraft & Folk Magick
- Anoint a witch bottle or a protective jar before sealing it.
- Dress the doorstep and threshold after sweeping out a room.
Demonology & Black Magick
- Dress the boundary of a working space before spirit work, so that anything not invited is moved on.
A Simple Working
- Sweep the house from back to front and out the main door.
- Fill a bucket with warm water and add a pinch of salt and nine drops of Counteracting oil.
- Wash the floors in the same direction, back to front.
- Throw the used water out the front door or at a crossroads.
- Dress a white chime candle with the oil and burn it in the main room.
- Anoint the frame of the front door with a small cross of oil.
- Close the door and do not look back at where the water fell.
Pairs Well With
- Sea salt, for floor washes and cleansing baths.
- Red brick dust, laid across the doorstep as a protective line.
- Rue, an old herb against the evil eye and ill-wishing.
- White chime candles for cleansing rooms one at a time.
Lore & History
Hoodoo has always held that what one worker can lay down, another can take up, and counteracting a trick was among the most common services a rootworker offered. 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. Uncrossing, Jinx Removing and Counteracting formulas were sold side by side as remedies for work done against a customer.
What You Receive
Counteracting oil, available in 2 dram, 1 oz and 16 oz bottles.
Did You Know?
In New Orleans, scrubbing front steps with red brick dust was a long-standing custom to keep evil and enemies from crossing the threshold.
| Weight | N/A |
|---|---|
| Size | 2 dram, 1 oz, 16 oz |
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