Mother Mystic's Musings

The word conjure comes from the old French word conjurer, meaning to cast a spell, invoke spirits, to bring about by use of magical spells.  Witches, hermetic magicians, and others conjure but of late, the word is mostly associated with southern folk magic.  Today those who refer to themselves as professional Conjurers are more than likely practitioners of Hoodoo, American Folk Magic strongly identified with the South.

There is a slew of information available on the web for those interested in the history of American Hoodoo.  But what of Rootwork?  Rootworkers exist in every nation and continent that herbs and roots grow.  They may not all use the title Rootworker, but in essence, they all work with roots to heal, hurt and bring about change.  Working with roots is more than just taking a root and applying it to one’s body or using it in a charm bag.  WORDS must be said over the root.  This is where the conjuration comes in.  My great grandmother would not have known such fancy words as conjuration but she knew how to speak to the spirit of the root and also to the deity she believed in to ask that her work be blessed.  Are the words the same in every culture, country and continent?  Of course not!  Yet, the end results are.

Rootworkers are people who develop or are born with a special relationship to plants, herbs, roots, trees.  They are able to speak to the spirit of the root or herb and determine its use, pray for its special qualities to be used with success, imbued with perhaps the Spirit of a particular deity, such as Jesus Christ or St. Mary, dependent upon the spirituality of the worker.  They also work with the spirit of the patient or client, engaging their spirit with the spirit of the root.  Does this give them special powers?  I would say no, the power comes from Spirit, the spirit of the root and whatever Spirit is being conjured.  The Rootworker is merely the conduit.