Course Description

Did your life come with a book of formulas and instructions for using them? Formulas for dealing with any life situation, be it physical, mental, or spiritual?

I know mine didn't. I mean, when I was born, I wasn't given some big book of magic formulas to make my life easier. When my grandmother passed away, however, I did receive a large recipe book with lots of scraps of paper with a variety of things written on them. Tips and hints for running a smooth household, home remedies and of course, wonderful recipes for delicious food.
 
In the past, family receipt books were commonplace. These large books were written by ordinary housewives and sometimes men or doctors who were under the assumption they knew how to run a household and advised women accordingly. Called domestic receipt books, they contained everything from how to make candles, to how to cook, and to how to cure livestock from diseases. They also contained home remedies for treating the family for many common illnesses of the day because most people could not afford to go to a doctor. So, it was the mother's place to learn these things and take care of the family. Moms were the family doctor. Within plantation households, slave masters often relied on the herbal curing knowledge of the slave men and women - the rootdoctors - for healing illnesses that were not considered major. In fact, many times the slave remedies were recorded in these receipt books without acknowledging the source of the knowledge.
 
During the 1800s, we see many of these receipt books published for the general public. Domestic receipt books became a primary way of passing down common folk knowledge to subsequent generations. In our Folk Magic Formulary Master Classes, we focus on many herbs with a dual medicinal/magical capacity and teach our students how to harvest, harness, and use them in a variety of formulas to enhance and improve their daily lives.

Course curriculum

All lessons may not be visible.

    1. Housekeeping and Such

    2. Copyright Agreement

    3. How to Access Course Content

    4. How to use this course

    5. Questions?

    6. Before we begin...

    1. Introduction

    2. Supplies List

    3. The Details are in the Ritual

    4. The Doctrine of Signatures

    5. Download: The Doctrine of Signatures

    6. Presentation: Doctrine of Signatures

    7. Whispering Magick

    8. FAQS

    9. Essential Oils versus Fragrance Oils

    10. Descriptions of Base Oils

    11. The ABCs of Folk Magic Perfumery

    12. Herbs and Roots

    13. Common Household Items

    14. Test Your Knowledge

    1. Types of Magickal Oils

    2. Anointing Oils

    3. Aromatherapy Oils

    4. Essential Oils (Aromatic Oils)

    5. Conjure Oils

    6. Handcrafted Herbal Oils

    7. Perfume Oils and Fragrance Oils

    8. Doing Things the Old-Fashioned Way

    9. Methods

    10. Calendula-Infused Oil

    11. Compounding Guidelines

    12. Charging Oils, Powders, Potions, and Incenses

    13. Coloring Oils

    14. Alkanet Root

    15. Annatto Seeds

    16. Mica Pigment Powders

    17. The ABCs of Folk Magic Perfumery

    1. Using a Field Notebook or Receipt Book

    2. Creating Your Receipt Book

    3. Receipt-Books: Leaves from the Family Tree of Knowledge

    4. Curious Conjure Receipts

    1. Making Formulas

    2. Absinthe Conjure Oil (Green Fairy Oil)

    3. How to Make Absinthe Conjure Oil

    4. Absinthe Perfume Oil

    5. Absinthe Recipes

    6. Algiers Fast Luck

    7. Algiers and New Orleans Voodoo

    8. Presentation: Algiers Fast Luck

    9. Assignment: Algiers Fast Luck

    10. fast luck graphic.pdf

    11. Assignment: Algiers Fast Luck

    12. Crown of Success

    13. Crown of Success Conjure Oil

    14. Crown of Success Bath Crystals

    15. Crown of Success Sugar Scrub

    16. Crown of Success Mojo Bag

    17. Four Thieves Vinegar

    18. The History of Four Thieves Vinegar

    19. The Plague Doctor of Marseilles

    20. Formula for Marseilles Vinegar – Four Thieves Vinegar

    21. FOUR THIEVES VINEGAR RECIPE FROM THE VOODOO HOODOO SPELLBOOK

    22. Four Thieves Vinegar: Camphorated Version

    23. Four Thieves Vinegar: Ozarks' Variant

    24. Four Thieves Conjure Oil Blend

    25. Magickal Uses for Four Thieves Vinegar

    26. Florida Water

    27. The Richest of All Perfumes

    28. Formulas for Florida Water

    29. Thirty Ways to Use Florida Water

    30. Kananga Water

    31. Converting Old Pharmaceutical Formulas to Simple Conjure Recipes

    32. Lodestone Oil

    33. Louisiana Van Van

    34. Van Van Formula

    35. Louisiana Van Van Conjure Oil Formula

    36. Louisiana Van Van Bath Crystals

    37. Louisiana Van Van Sugar Scrub

    38. Assignment: Louisiana Van Van

    39. Special Oil #20

    40. Formula for Special Oil #20

    41. Success Oil

    42. Holy Anointing Oil (Oil of Abramelin)

    43. Recipes for Oil of Abramelin

    44. The Use of Motor Oil in Hoodoo and Conjure

    1. Using Conjure Oils in Daily Life

    2. General Guidelines for Using Essential Oils Safely

    3. Anointing Candles with Ritual Oils

    4. Best Oils for Mood Elevation

    5. Dressing the Head

    6. Rubbing Oils

    7. The Rub Down Rite

    8. Compounding Guidelines: A Review

About this course

  • $150.00
  • Community Forum
  • Certificate of Completion
  • Payment Plan Available

FAQS

Answers about this course to help you prepare.

  • What supplies do I need to take this course?

    The basic supplies you need to have on hand to create the formulas include: base oils like olive, almond, or jojoba, essential oils (refer to the lists below), herbs, roots, flowers, funnels, droppers, mortar and pestle, bottles of various sizes, labels, cheesecloth, Motor Oil, distilled water, and Everclear of perfumer’s alcohol.

  • What herbs and oils will I need to participate in this course?

    If you plan on making some of the formulas for the assignments, you will need as many of the following as possible: • sunflower essential oil • orange essential oil or orange rind • allspice • gold glitter • Cinnamon essential oil • Vanilla essential oil • Patchouli essential oil (the darker the better) • Wintergreen essential oil • Nutmeg • High John the Conqueror Root • Flakes of Alkanet root • Lemongrass essential oil • lemongrass herb

  • Are there other oils I should get to be prepared?

    Of the following, you can get as many or as few as you want: • Citronella essential oil • Vetivert essential oil • Palmarosa essential oil • Lemon Verbena essential oil • Geranium essential oil • Patchouli essential Oil • Vanilla essential Oil • Peppermint essential Oil • Wintergreen essential Oil • Sandalwood essential Oil • Orange essential Oil • Rose otto (most folks use rose fragrance oil because the essential oil is so expensive) • Lavender essential Oil

  • Do I have to have all of the herbs and oils to start the course?

    No, you do not have to have any of the oils and herbs suggested if you are just seeking information. If you want to participate in the assignments and get feedback from your instructor, then it is recommended to get what you can from the lists.

Pricing options

Choose from one of our convenient payment plans.

Instructor

Conjure Woman and Master Rootdoctor

Denise Alvarado

Founder/Instructor

Denise Alvarado was born and raised in the unique culture of New Orleans, Louisiana and has studied indigenous healing traditions from a personal and academic perspective for over four decades. Denise is a member of the American Anthropological Association, the Association of Indigenous Anthropologists, and the Association of Latina/o & Latinx Anthropologists. She is the author of Witch Queens, Voodoo Spirits and Hoodoo Saints, The Magic of Marie Laveau, The Conjurer's Guide to St. Expedite, Editor in Chief of Hoodoo & Conjure magazine, Journal of American Rootwork and Gumbo Ya Ya, and over twenty books that focus on folk magic traditions of the American South. Her provocative artwork has been featured on several television shows including National Geographic's Taboo, The Originals, and Blue Bloods. Denise is a rootworker and tradition-keeper, a spiritual artist, and a teacher of Southern indigenous folkways.

More to explore

Feed your head. Conjure your world. Passing down the root, one course at a time.

View more courses