Podcast 14 – An Interview with Cat Yronwode

-SHOWNOTES FOR EPISODE 14-


Summary
Today we are truly blessed to have an interview with renowned rootworker and teacher Catherine Yronwode of the Lucky Mojo Co.  Then we briefly discuss Christianity in hoodoo.  Laine tells us about Magical Soap in WitchCraft, and Cory talks about Spiritual Cleansing Baths in Spelled Out.

Play:

Download:  New World Witchery – Episode 14

-Sources-
Some of Cat’s many wonderful sites:
Lucky Mojo – Her main site and online store
Lucky W Amulet Archive – A repository of info on lucky charms
Southern Spirits – Her site on Southern folklore and history
Arcane Archive – An archive of magical lore and practice from around the net
YIPPIE – The Yronwode Institute for the Preservation and Popularization of Indigenous Ethnomagicology
Herb Magic – A site on magical plants and roots
Missionary Independent Spiritual Church – The world’s smallest church, and part of the long tradition of Spiritual Churches in the United States
Association of Independent Readers and Rootworkers (AIRR) – A body of trained, professional rootworkers with experience and accountability
Hoodoo and Rootwork Course – One of the definitive training programs in traditional hoodoo
And, of course, her book Hoodoo Herb & Root Magic is often referenced on the blog and in the show.

Cory also reference’s Draja Mickaharic’s Spiritual Cleansing, a definitive guide on the topic.

Promos & Music
Title music:  “Homebound,” by Jag, from Cypress Grove Blues.  From Magnatune.
Promo 1- Inciting a Riot
Promo 2- Pagan in the Threshold

8 thoughts on “Podcast 14 – An Interview with Cat Yronwode”

  1. Great interview! It was so cool to hear Ms Yronwode talk about her experiences growing up and her take on practicing Hoodoo. I’m also excited to learn she and Dr Kioni are going to be back on the air! I’ve listened to most of their old broadcasts and look forward to more.

    Thanks Cory and Laine!!!

    1. Well thanks Ginger! I’m glad you enjoyed that interview. I was really nervous doing it, but she was just fantastic! And I’m also a fan of the Lucky Mojo Hoodoo Rootwork Hour, so hopefully they’ll be releasing lots of the shows as podcasts over the coming year.

      Thanks for your praise and support!

      All the best,
      -Cory

  2. Since Cat spoke of Hillbillies and White Trash, I know she would agree that traditional Hoodoo is a Black Trash religion, mixed with a tinge of American Indian Trash. Mojo

  3. Wow this lady is amazing! It was such a treat to be able to listen to Cat’s interview. Her memory is just amazing. I liked it when she said that her brain had so much more to download. Can’t wait to see what other wonderful things she’s got in that brain of hers!

    Thanks Cory & Laine (*-*)

    1. A wonderful, thoughtful, and very interesting post! Thanks for sharing that, Saturn!

      You description made me think of an apt (hopefully) metaphor. If you take a particular spiritual or magical system and compare it to a house, then each of the “keys” you mention will open a different room to that house. The more keys you have, the more rooms you can open. If you lack a key, that room remains locked to you. So if you go into the “house” of hoodoo, but intentionally leave certain “keys” behind (being comfortable with Christianity, African-Americans, etc.), then you’re not going to get to see or do much in the house. At best, you’ll get to peep through a keyhole (I mean “you” in a general hypothetical sense, by the way, not you specifically :-). So if you know going into the house that you will not be opening those rooms up, why enter in the first place?

      Hmmm, good things to think about…Thanks Saturn!

      -Cory

  5. Loved the podcast guys!

    Just want to point something out, and Cory, you already know this from being in my class, but hopefully it will give Laine a little peace of mind.

    You DO NOT have to talk to Jesus or be comfortable with Christianity in order to practice SOUTHERN CONJURE. By “Southern Conjure” I’m referring to the folk magic system that would later be better known as Hoodoo as it came up through Louisiana and Mississippi before branching off further north and even west.

    Southern Conjure does deal with spirits, but those spirits are either those of the dead or adaptations of African & Caribbean gods, later hidden by the Catholic saints so that slaves could practice without too much trouble. Many of those blacks, mulattoes, or quadroons who claimed to be Catholic actually weren’t (and forget about being Protestant down there at that time). It was just a guise for them to practice their magic without being killed or beaten for it. This is one of the reasons why New Orleans Voodoo has so much Hoodoo intermixed with it. To the folks down there, they are damn near one and the same thing. And with good reason.

    For the record, I have been practicing Southern Conjure for a long time now. I consider what I do to be legitimate, my magic is effective, all the while striving to uphold the real traditions of the magic of the people I am descended from, & I don’t talk to Jesus or incorporate Christianity into my practice. It CAN be done! 🙂

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