#african american witch

[lionheartapothecaryx]

A Historical Deep Dive into the Founders of Black Womanism & Modern Feminism

Six African American Suffragettes Mainstream History Tried to Forget

These amazing Black American women each advanced the principles of modern feminism and Black womanism by insisting on an intersectional approach to activism. They understood that the struggles of race and gender were intertwined, and that the liberation of Black women was essential. Their writings, speeches, and actions have continued to inspire movements addressing systemic inequities, while affirming the voices of marginalized women who have shaped society. Through their amazing work, they have expanded the scope of womanism and intersectional feminism to include racial justice, making it more inclusive and transformative.

Anna Julia Cooper (1858–1964)

Quote: “The cause of freedom is not the cause of a race or a sect, a party or a class—it is the cause of humankind, the very birthright of humanity.”

Contribution: Anna Julia Cooper was an educator, scholar, and advocate for Black women’s empowerment. Her book A Voice from the South by a Black Woman of the South (1892) is one of the earliest articulations of Black feminist thought. She emphasized the intellectual and cultural contributions of Black women and argued that their liberation was essential to societal progress. Cooper believed education was the key to uplifting African Americans and worked tirelessly to improve opportunities for women and girls, including founding organizations for Black women’s higher education. Her work challenged both racism and sexism, laying the intellectual foundation for modern Black womanism.

Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (1825–1911)

Quote: “We are all bound together in one great bundle of humanity, and society cannot trample on the weakest and feeblest of its members without receiving the curse in its own soul.”

Contribution: Frances Ellen Watkins Harper was a poet, author, and orator whose work intertwined abolitionism, suffrage, and temperance advocacy. A prominent member of the American Equal Rights Association, she fought for universal suffrage, arguing that Black women’s voices were crucial in shaping a just society. Her 1866 speech at the National Woman’s Rights Convention emphasized the need for solidarity among marginalized groups, highlighting the racial disparities within the feminist movement. Harper’s writings, including her novel Iola Leroy, offered early depictions of Black womanhood and resilience, paving the way for Black feminist literature and thought.

Ida B. Wells (1862–1931)

Quote: “The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them.”

Contribution: Ida B. Wells was a fearless journalist, educator, and anti-lynching activist who co-founded the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Her investigative reporting exposed the widespread violence and racism faced by African Americans, particularly lynchings. As a suffragette, Wells insisted on addressing the intersection of race and gender in the fight for women’s voting rights. At the 1913 Women’s Suffrage Parade in Washington, D.C., she famously defied instructions to march in a segregated section and joined the Illinois delegation at the front, demanding recognition for Black women in the feminist movement. Her activism laid the groundwork for modern feminisms inclusion of intersectionality, emphasizing the dual oppressions faced by Black women.

Sojourner Truth (1797–1883)

Quote: “Ain’t I a Woman?”

Contribution: Born into slavery, Sojourner Truth became a powerful voice for abolition, women's rights, and racial justice after gaining her freedom. Her famous 1851 speech, "Ain’t I a Woman?" delivered at a women's rights convention in Akron, Ohio, directly challenged the exclusion of Black women from the feminist narrative. She highlighted the unique struggles of Black women, who faced both racism and sexism, calling out the hypocrisy of a movement that often-centered white women’s experiences. Truth’s legacy lies in her insistence on equality for all, inspiring future generations to confront the intersecting oppressions of race and gender in their advocacy.

Nanny Helen Burroughs (1879–1961)

Quote: “We specialize in the wholly impossible.”

Contribution: Nanny Helen Burroughs was an educator, activist, and founder of the National Training School for Women and Girls in Washington, D.C., which emphasized self-sufficiency and vocational training for African American women. She championed the "Three B's" of her educational philosophy: Bible, bath, and broom, advocating for spiritual, personal, and professional discipline. Burroughs was also a leader in the Women's Convention Auxiliary of the National Baptist Convention, where she pushed for the inclusion of women's voices in church leadership. Her dedication to empowering Black women as agents of social change influenced both the feminist and civil rights movements, promoting a vision of racial and gender equality.

Elizabeth Piper Ensley (1847–1919)

Quote: “The ballot in the hands of a woman means power added to influence.”

Contribution: Elizabeth Piper Ensley was a suffragist and civil rights activist who played a pivotal role in securing women’s suffrage in Colorado in 1893, making it one of the first states to grant women the vote. As a Black woman operating in the predominantly white suffrage movement, Ensley worked to bridge racial and class divides, emphasizing the importance of political power for marginalized groups. She was an active member of the Colorado Non-Partisan Equal Suffrage Association and focused on voter education to ensure that women, especially women of color, could fully participate in the democratic process. Ensley’s legacy highlights the importance of coalition-building in achieving systemic change.

To honor these pioneers, we must continue to amplify Black women's voices, prioritizing intersectionality, and combat systemic inequalities in race, gender, and class.

Modern black womanism and feminist activism can expand upon these little-known founders of woman's rights by continuously working on an addressing the disparities in education, healthcare, and economic opportunities for marginalized communities. Supporting Black Woman-led organizations, fostering inclusive black femme leadership, and embracing allyship will always be vital.

Additionally, when we continuously elevate their contributions in social media or multi-media art through various platforms, and academic curriculum we ensure their legacies continuously inspire future generations. By integrating their principles into feminism and advocating for collective liberation, women and feminine allies can continue their fight for justice, equity, and feminine empowerment, hand forging a society, by blood, sweat, bones and tears where all women can thrive, free from oppression.

[samwisethewitch]

Potentially hot take, but I actually think it's really important for white witches and pagans to learn about black and brown spiritual practices (from practitioners of those traditions choosing to talk about what they're comfortable sharing with outsiders) not in a "I'm going to learn hoodoo!" kind of way but in a "these conversations are how we kill harmful stereotypes and learn how to be a good ally" kind of way.

[spoiledbratblog]

[southernmermaidsgrotto]

Hoodoo, Rootwork and Conjure sources by Black Authors

Because you should only ever be learning your ancestral ways from kinfolk. Here's a compilation of some books, videos and podcast episodes I recommend reading and listening to, on customs, traditions, folk tales, songs, spirits and history. As always, use your own critical thinking and spiritual discernment when approaching these sources as with any others.

Hoodoo in America by Zora Neale Hurston (1931)

Mules and Men by Zora Neale Hurston (1936)

Tell my horse by Zora Neale Hurston (1938)

Let Nobody Turn Us Around: An African American Anthology by Manning Marable and Leith Mullings, editors (2003)

Black Magic: Religion and the African American Conjuring Tradition by Yvonne P. Chireau (2006)

African American Folk Healing by Stephanie Mitchem (2007)

Hoodoo Medicine: Gullah Herbal Remedies by Faith Mitchell (2011)

Mojo Workin': The Old African American Hoodoo System by Katrina Hazzard-Donald (2012)

Rootwork: Using the Folk Magick of Black America for Love, Money and Success by Tayannah Lee McQuillar (2012)

Talking to the Dead: Religion, Music, and Lived Memory among Gullah/Geechee Women by LeRhonda S. Manigault-Bryant (2014)

Working the Roots: Over 400 Years Of Traditional African American Healing by Michele Elizabeth Lee (2017)

Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo" by Zora Neale Hurston (2018)

Jambalaya: The Natural Woman's Book of Personal Charms and Practical Rituals by Luisa Teish (2021)

African American Herbalism: A Practical Guide to Healing Plants and Folk Traditions by Lucretia VanDyke (2022)

These are just some suggestions but there's many many more!! This is by no means a complete list.

I recommend to avoid authors who downplay the importance of black history or straight out deny how blackness is central to hoodoo. The magic, power and ashé is in the culture and bloodline. You can't separate it from the people. I also recommend avoiding or at the very least taking with a huge grain of salt authors with ties to known appropriators and marketeers, and anyone who propagates revisionist history or rather denies historical facts and spreads harmful conspiracy theories. Sadly, that includes some black authors, particularly those who learnt from, and even praise, white appropriators undermining hoodoo and other african and african diasporic traditions. Be careful who you get your information from. Keeping things traditional means honoring real history and truth.

Let me also give you a last but very important reminder: the best teachings you'll ever get are going to come from the mouths of your own blood. Not a book or anything on the internet. They may choose to put certain people and things in your path to help you or point you in the right direction, but each lineage is different and you have to honor your own. Talk to your family members, to the Elders in your community, learn your genealogy, divine before moving forwards, talk to your dead, acknowledge your people and they'll acknowledge you and guide you to where you need to be.

May this be of service and may your ancestors and spirits bless you and yours 🕯️💀

[moonhedgegarden]

✨For black spiritual practitioner here are some tips that can enhance your spiritual journey:

1. Embrace your heritage: Celebrate and honor your ancestral traditions and practices. Incorporate elements from your black culture and heritage into your spiritual path, as they can provide a unique and meaningful perspective.

2. Seek community: Connect with other black spiritual practitioners who share similar beliefs and experiences. Join local or online groups, attend workshops, or participate in cultural events to foster a sense of belonging and support.

3. Educate yourself: Study various spiritual traditions and philosophies to broaden your understanding. Explore African spirituality, such as Ifa, Vodou, or Candomblé, and discover their rich history and teachings. Additionally, you can explore universal spiritual principles that resonate with you.

4. Practice self-care: Engage in self-care practices that nourish your mind, body, and spirit. This can include meditation, yoga, journaling, spending time in nature, or engaging in creative activities that bring you joy and peace.

5. Listen to your intuition: Trust your inner guidance and intuition as you navigate your spiritual path. Connect with your inner wisdom and cultivate a deep sense of self-awareness to guide you in making decisions and choosing spiritual practices that align with your authentic self.

6. Balance tradition and personal growth: While honoring and respecting ancestral traditions, allow space for personal growth and evolution. Explore new ideas, challenge old beliefs, and adapt your spiritual practices as you continue to learn and grow.

7. Cultivate resilience: Recognize and embrace the resilience that has been ingrained in black culture throughout history. Draw strength from the resilience of your ancestors and use it to overcome challenges and setbacks on your spiritual journey. Embrace your inner power, tap into your spiritual practices, and persevere with determination and courage. Remember, your journey is unique and valuable, and your resilience will help you navigate any obstacles that come your way.

[dazzlen-the-clown]

HEY YOU!

Are you religious and respectful??

Are you looking for a community?

Then come join the Xenia Station!

We are an inclusive, system, POC and LBGTQ+ friendly servers for pagans new or old, witchcraft practitioners, as well as luciferians, and satanists, Christians, Aboriginal faiths, Voudou, Hinduism, Buddhists, Jewish, Muslims, Atheists or Omnists who are simply curious, and Christopagans.

We also have channels for non-religious chatter, so you can have varied experiences here!

We are welcoming of other faiths as well, just make a suggestion in our suggestion channel and we’ll add it!

We are almost at 50 members 43/50 members!!

[witches-bitches-fairies-ohmy]

Where the black witches at?

If you are a black practitioner, I'm looking for some engagement and community. Times are hard atm and community is more important than ever. Like, reblog, & comment! I'd love to engage more with those of us on witchblr & beyond about our practices, how we're keeping this work alive & powerful!

[itsstillsweetiebythealtar]

Readings Are Open Again 🫶🏾❤️

Yall girl is unofficially done with grad school and I can now reopen my readings. Below is an informational graphic. Everything you need to know is below ❤️.

If you have any questions, feel free to hit me up on here or text me, whichever one works for you.

Updating the post to add the non-tarot readings also available. Slightly more due to the amount of time these take to complete and write up.

[feminoiredesigns]

Artwork of a beautiful black woman with a black cat. Witchy vibes.

[lionheartapothecaryx]

BIBLIOMANCY: THE PSALMS 📖🔮🕯️


During the many centuries of American history, Black African Americans had contact with various different religions and ethnic cultures ie; multiple Indigenous Tribes, Jews, Appalachians, Dutch, Swedes, Caribbeans, Haitian Kreyols and many more, through the Chattel Transatlantic Trade an land migration. These pivotal interactions are introduced the assimilation of many ritual practices. Hoodoo is a multiculturally mixed practice, with many nuances and intersections. It reflects the attitude and practices of many different generations, cultivated, passed down and preserved. While purists believe in keeping Hoodoo strictly traditional, the realist and preservationists, see Hoodoo as a constantly evolving and cunning art form, always adaptable to the times. Throughout the 1600 - 1900s, multiple different denominations of the Abrahamic faiths were wide spread through the United States influencing Black American folk magic and way of life. 
Bibliomancy was already a common folk practice at and slowly making into the consciousness of Black American folk Magick. 

The first book printed in North America to contain the psalms was The Bay Psalm Book, published in 1640 in Cambridge, Massachusetts by Minister an Planation Owner, Joseph Glover, who was well known for being the pioneer of printing in the English colonies and was one of the co-founders of Harvard University. Without sufficient historical evidence we can only speculate that this is the it’s one possible origins of the usage of the psalms in Black American Folk Magick. Glover was a Rector aka a parish priest for the Church of England and was decently educated. It is highly likely during his studies in England he had access to Jewish Psalm Prayer Books which inspired him to publish one of his own, when he came to America. There were also a small afro-jewish populations and various intersectional social connections with the black community, with the Jewish, Catholic and other various Christian religious denominations that were also clear influences.


The Church was a place of indoctrination but also social relief, community and emotional escapism for Black Americans during these times. Throughout the centuries the Indoctrination of the Church became the only source of solace and safety for Black American mental health & society during ever shifty and dangerous social climates. Deeply imbedding itself into consciousness of the black community, subconsciously and consciously, which we can still see in modern times. 
As the ability to read and write increased within the black community, in addition to the growth of printing more books access to reading the Bible and the Psalms became easier and easier. Now the Psalms were seen as a powerful book of spells in African American folk magick, with a multitude of different uses. Psalms could be scratched in the mud, written on doorways, or just simply spoken or prayed over folks, tools, plant allies, talismans, mojo bags, roots, other items, water, candles and more. The intent could be love, justice, abundance, peace and even hexing. Eventually, this belief trickled down to usage of other verses, from other Bible, an influenced African American communities, all over the country. Each community like their own little tribes, some with similar or different practices and rituals, regionally. 
In practice, The power of the psalms was unmatched, people swore by it by its success rate and still do to this day, which is why the practice has stuck in modern times.

The Psalms were a vehicle of rejuvenation and life, these scriptures were considered living words of power. I’ll go into the sacred mythos behind that, for members of my Patreon, later on this month.


For some Black Americans it’s easy to overlook and even discard the power of bibliomancy especially when they have deep religious trauma when it comes to any Abrahamic faith (Baptist, Catholic, Christian, Cogic etc) which is understandable. These feelings are valid & practicing Hoodoo, means understanding the many intricate nuances of the intersection and history of this folk culture. Others also see the value in Bibliomancy and continue this ancestral practice in modern times, knowing two things can be true at once. There is a great deal of duality in Hoodoo, which is something many of us have come to accept and honor at the same time. Respecting this balance demands a deep sense of self and cultural respect, a discerning eye and great deal of empathy, whether practitioners like it or not.

Using the Psalms is a powerfully easy way to reconnect and heal with ancestral Black American practices and medicine. It’s not a requirement of course, but it’s fun to encourage other black Americans to practice and discover all of its hidden powers. Many African folk practices, were hidden out of survival, requiring a level of covert cunning. Bibliomancy was a clever way hide in plain sight without attracting too much attention. Think of our ancestors as secret agents of truth, justice with a covert strategic mentality that still has important place in modern times. Some magick requires a keen mind, good sense, without calling any attention to itself, teaching us the practice of self control and discipline. This is why the practice of bibliomancy is important, allowing you to tap into this energy and honor your ancestors and yourself.

Examples of Bibliomancy


Psalms 54 - Help In Times Of Need. Mastering Negative Thoughts, Revenge Against Enemies. 
Psalms 60 - Put The Past Behind You. 
Psalms 41 - Help With Money Troubles 
Psalms 23 - Protection, Abundance, Stability & Healing

HAPPY HOODOO HERITAGE MONTH ✨

🕯️🕯️🕯️

[drawing-cards]

Money Magick - Theory of The Importance of Practicality and Setting Realistic Expectations

No matter what path of magick you take on, it is always important to understand how practical your practice is, and what expectations to have when you practice anything dealing with money. It is very easy to get lost in the fantasy of casting money magick and envisioning money coming to you on a silver platter, but that's not how things work. You see guides and manuscripts on how to cast these spells and perform rituals to invite prosperity into your life, but never tell you what to expect.

Money magick has existed throughout time and has been shown in many literary works belonging to iconic people in the community. We see examples of prosperity workings in books like Damon Brands "Magickal Riches" and "Magickal Cashbook", Frater Malaks' "Mystic Grimoire of the Mighty Spells and Rituals", and other literary workings like "The Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses." Each book is filled with respective rituals and incantations to bring you fantastical amounts of money. But things like context, financial standing, expectations, current needs, and mental state are all important when it comes to money magick.

When it comes to context, it is important to understand your location, positionality, and financial standing. If you live in the United States, a highly capitalistic society, the chances of stacks of money coming to you magically are significantly low. When you perform money rituals, the result may manifest as a job opportunity or someone asking you to do a task for them for pay. It could even manifest as a couple of dollars you might find out on the street. This form of magick could aid you in finding a long-term job you want the most or maybe even other freelance opportunities where you could get paid by workload.

Financial standing and mental health work in tandem with this sort of magick. If you don't have good control over your mind, judgment, and impulses, that may actually affect your mental state even further. The gallery of magick teaches this concept called "the lust for results" meaning that the more you think about the ritual you just did and the results you want from it, the less effective the ritual will turn out to be. You might get the supplies to cast many spells and rituals meaning that you may be wasting money on magick instead of saving. This may be more likely to happen when you are not in good financial standing. Being at and below the poverty line destroys you atomically, and even though money magick may sound like a good thing to take up, it may be more harmful to you than beneficial. It's always good to ground yourself and take it slow so you don't hurt yourself and your finances even further. The same could be said about people who are well off financially. There may not be a reason to practice financial magick since they are well off unless a change in jobs is needed or they want to be able to support a different lifestyle, but delusions can come into play for both situations due to expecting money to come to you in a way that is not realistic.

Lastly, your current needs are just as important as everything else. You need to be able to take care of yourself as a person. When there are needs to be taken care of and you are aware of it and have a work plan, financial magick is your best friend! Chances are, you have bills to pay and groceries to get, so asking local spirits, genius spirits, and other spiritual beings to support you financially is a good option, especially if you're dedicating yourself to your work.

If you can do that, avoid lust for results, and think/manifest realistically, money magick will work wonders for you and you can be one of the witches that stands on business. But if you feel like you can't get your spells and rituals to work, don't be worried! Chances are, the magick is taking time to work for you. If you don't believe that, when you get done with a process of your choosing, take your tarot deck, remove the major arcana, and pull 3 cards from the stack. These three cards are going to tell you what you have done, what you should look out for, and what your result may be.

In later posts, I will be doing book reviews on some of the Gallery of Magick books to encourage people to read them and start the occult science journey.

[belledawna]

deuteronomy 28:8 for blessings in business ✨

[miniaturemoonheart]

African American witches who practice's in voodoo, hoodoo, black Magicka 🖤🩶

[gennsoup]

Which is worse, a secret or a lie, and if a secret is hiding enough of the truth that we see a different story, is that not lying too?

Marlon James, Moon Witch, Spider King

[shamarphillips]

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#KingOfEbooks #UrbanFiction #StoryTelling #hoodbooks #PlugLove #blackauthors #blackbooks

[itsstillsweetiebythealtar]

My first blog post is available on my Patreon ❤️

The post as y’all can see it about the Rosenwald schools and their importance to our community. I’ll be uploading some more tonight and of course tomorrow ❤️🙌🏾