The Hoodoo Tarot56 PDF

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The Hoodoo Tarot
78-Card Deck and Book for Rootworkers
TAYANNAH LEE McQUILLAR
Artwork by KATELAN V. FOISY
A divination deck and guidebook rooted in the American Hoodoo tradition
• Includes 78 full-color Tarot cards that depict legendary rootworkers past and present as
well as important Hoodoo archetypes and symbols
• Provides in-depth card meanings for each card in the Major Arcana and the four suits
of the Minor Arcana, including the history of the rootworker or symbol featured, any
associated magical plants, and guidance based on the card’s meaning
• Offers a history of Hoodoo and its complex heritage, including its roots in multiple
African and Native American ethnic groups as well as its European influences
Between the 17th and 19th centuries, many Indigenous Americans and people of African descent inter-
married and socialized more often than is acknowledged by mainstream history books and scholars. These
interactions produced not only a multicultural people but also a body of knowledge that is known today
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as Hoodoo or Rootwork.
Celebrating the complex American Rootwork tradition, The Hoodoo Tarot integrates esoteric and
botanical knowledge from Hoodoo with the divination system of the Tarot. Structured like a traditional
Tarot deck, each of the 78 cards features full-color paintings by magical-realist artist Katelan Foisy and ele-
gantly interprets the classical Tarot imagery through depictions of legendary rootworkers past and present
as well as important Hoodoo symbolism.
In the accompanying guidebook, Tayannah Lee McQuillar provides a history of Hoodoo and its com-
plex heritage, including its roots in multiple African and Indigenous American ethnic groups as well as its
European influences. She explores the traditional forms of divination used by rootworkers, including carto-
mancy, explaining how pairing the Tarot with Hoodoo is a natural fit. For each card in the Major Arcana
and the four suits of the Minor Arcana (sticks, baskets, needles, and knives), McQuillar provides an in-depth
card meaning that draws on both Tarot and Hoodoo tradition. She shares the history of the rootworker or
symbol featured, any associated magical plants, a related scriptural quote, and guidance and advice based on
the card’s meaning. She also offers instructions on card spreads and shares sample card readings.
Offering a divination system rooted in the Indigenous and African experience in North America, The
Hoodoo Tarot provides a hands-on way to honor and explore the magic of Hoodoo for personal growth
and spiritual inspiration.
Tayannah Lee McQuillar is a tarot reader and researcher of religion, esoterica, and mysticism. The
author of several books, including Rootwork: The Folk Magic of Black America, and the divination deck
The Sibyls Oraculum, she lives in New York City. Katelan V. Foisy is an artist, circle leader, and tarot
consultant who has been featured in the New York Times and Elle magazine. Her work has appeared
in exhibits throughout the United States and UK. The illustrator of The Sibyls Oraculum, she lives in
Chicago.
Destiny Books • ISBN 978-1-62055-873-7 • $35.00 (CAN $43.99) • Boxed set, 6 x 9

Includes 160-page book and 78 full-color cards • Rights: World • Divination/Tarot
March 2020
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THE
H OO D OO TAROT
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THE
H OO D OO TAROT
78-Card Deck and
Book for Rootworkers
For Review Only

TAYANNAH LEE M C QUILLAR
Artwork by Katelan V. Foisy
Destiny Books
Rochester, Vermont

Destiny Books
One Park Street
Rochester, Vermont 05767
www.DestinyBooks.com
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Destiny Books is a division of Inner Traditions International
Copyright © 2020 by Tayannah Lee McQuillar and Katelan Foisy
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in

any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission
in writing from the publisher.
Cataloging-in-Publication Data for this title is available from the Library of Congress
ISBN XXX-X-XXXXX-XXX-X (print)
Printed and bound in XXXXX

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Text design by Priscilla Baker and layout by Virginia Scott Bowman

This book was typeset in Garamond Premier Pro with Optima, Headliner No. 45,
Appareo, and Stine Sans used as display typefaces.
To send correspondence to the author of this book, mail a first-class letter to the
author c/o Inner Traditions • Bear & Company, One Park Street, Rochester, VT
05767, and we will forward the communication, or contact the author directly at
TayannahLee@gmail.com and the artist at katelanfoisy@gmail.com.

k
This book is dedicated to my grandmother Gladys

Haigler Smith (1934–2019), without whose stories of
the old South and the ways of our ancestors, this book
would not have been possible. Thank you.
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Contents
INTRODUCTION
A Culture, an Inheritance, and a Rebellion 00
What Is Hoodoo 00
The Origins of Hoodoo 00
Forms of Divination Traditionally Used in Hoodoo 00
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Getting to Know the Hoodoo Tarot 00
Hoodoo Spreads and Sample Readings 00
CARD MEANINGS
The Elders (Major Arcana)
0 The Free Man 00

I Black Herman 00
II Miss Ida 00
III The Big Queen 00
IV John Horse 00
V Bishop C. H. Mason 00
VI Courting 00
VII Railroad Bill 00
VIII Strength 00

IX Dr. Grant 00
X Aunt Caroline 00
XI Dr. Buzzard 00
XII Gullah Jack 00
XIII Ancestors 00
XIV Father Simms 00
XV Miss Robinson 00
XVI The Big House 00
XVII The Grandchildren 00
XVIII Pa 00
XIX Big Mama 00
XX Dem Bones 00
XXI The World 00
The Family (Court Cards)

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Mother of Sticks 00
Father of Sticks 00
Daughter of Sticks 00
Son of Sticks 00
k
Mother of Baskets 00
Father of Baskets 00
Daughter of Baskets 00
Son of Baskets 00
k
Mother of Knives 00
Father of Knives 00
Daughter of Knives 00
Son of Knives 00

k
Mother of Coins 00
Father of Coins 00
Daughter of Coins 00
Son of Coins 00
The Community (Minor Arcana)
Ace of Sticks 00
Two of Sticks 00
Three of Sticks 00
Four of Sticks 00
Five of Sticks 00
Six of Sticks 00
Seven of Sticks 00
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Eight of Sticks
Nine of Sticks
00
00
Ten of Sticks 00
k
Ace of Baskets 00
Two of Baskets 00
Three of Baskets 00
Four of Baskets 00
Five of Baskets 00
Six of Baskets 00
Seven of Baskets 00
Eight of Baskets 00
Nine of Baskets 00
Ten of Baskets 00

k
Ace of Knives 00
Two of Knives 00
Three of Knives 00
Four of Knives 00
Five of Knives 00
Six of Knives 00
Seven of Knives 00
Eight of Knives 00
Nine of Knives 00
Ten of Knives 00
k
Ace of Coins 00
Two of Coins 00
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Three of Coins
Four of Coins
00
00
Five of Coins 00
Six of Coins 00
Seven of Coins 00
Eight of Coins 00
Nine of Coins 00
Ten of Coins 00
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Suggested Reading 00
About the Author 00
About the Illustrator 00
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I N T RO D U C T I O N
A Culture, an Inheritance,
and a Rebellion
WHAT IS HOODOO?
By the time you read this, it will have been almost twenty years since
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Rootwork: The Folk Magic of Black America was published. At the time,
there were very few contemporary books written on the subject of
Hoodoo, but today there are literally dozens of them. The resurgence of
mainstream interest in witchcraft, the occult, and African/Indigenous
spirituality is without a doubt responsible for the proliferation of litera-
ture, workshops, festivals, conferences and social media groups focused
on rootworking.
As a result, there have been a shocking number of people claim-
ing to be practitioners, authorities and/or teachers of this centuries-
old tradition. It is for this reason that I decided it was time for me to
address the topic again, not to berate anyone else, but to clarify a few
things, get more in depth, and correct a huge mistake I made in my first
book. This error was the description of Hoodoo as “folk magic” in an
attempt to assimilate the topic to academic language and standards. But
Hoodoo wasn’t folk magic when it started being described as such by
social scientists, nor is it folk magic now.

2 Introduction
Hoodoo is a culture, an inheritance, with a distinct lineage in

North America.
It is the product of people that faced terrorism and unimaginable
suffering on a daily basis, yet refused to relinquish all of their power
and identity. Hoodoo, in addition to being a body of botanical and eso-
teric knowledge, is also a rebellion against absolute mental and spiritual
domination by Europeans.
That is the essence, the reality of what it is, but there are many
ways one may define its composition. The oft-repeated and most widely
accepted narrative categorizes Hoodoo as a primarily African retention
with Native American and European influences. However, that is only
a theory, and a difficult one to prove at that. The reasons for this are
several:
1. We know little to nothing about the underground religious/spiritual

lives of any racial or ethnic groups in colonial America. Contrary
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to popular belief, the colonists were not the rigid, religious zealots
people think they were. In fact, only approximately 15 percent of
the population before 1760 were members of any church, which is
why officials constantly complained about the unabashed sinners,
vice, and all around loose living in the colonies. Therefore, the only
information that does exist about the religious life of the colony is
based on the 15 percent of people that were willing or able to attend
church. There is even less information available about the spiritual
lives of Africans or Aboriginal Americans, save for a plethora of
generic accusations of heathenry.
2. Some of the elements of rootwork that are classified as African
retentions (such as bone divination, quartered ideographic religious
symbols, medicine bundles, etc.) are ubiquitous to many Indigenous
American cultures as well.
3. Like Black Americans, Hoodoo is not a monolith. The tradition
takes on variations depending on one’s family history and loca-
tion. Commonly, hoodoo knowledge is inherited, so the informa-

tion passed down regarding methodology and philosophy may be

as diverse and complex as the family from which that knowledge
originates.
4. Colonial America was far less segregated and had more interracial/
interethnic couples than many contemporary American cities did
until very recently. Not only were interracial/interethnic marriages
normal, but socializing between people of all nationalities was com-
mon until almost a century after the establishment of Jamestown.
Obviously, with the sharing of bloodlines and dinner tables, there
will also be a considerable amount of sharing information.
5. Hoodoo has never been static. While discussions of mainstream
religions and neo-pagan spirituality address the shifts and changes
that occur within those communities and the external socio-politi-
cal environment that also affect them, rootwork somehow remains
strangely unchanging in the popular imagination.
6. All systems and philosophies are affected by the shifting demo-
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graphics of a nation’s population and consequently, the greater
cultural conversation. For example, the dominant religion in the
seventeenth century was Puritanism, in the eighteenth century
it was Deism/Evangelicalism, and in the nineteenth century it
was Transcendentalism/Unitarianism/Revivalism. All of these
changes are the result of new ideas that arrived in North America
with new immigrants or the well-traveled intelligentsia among the
elites.
For example, if there were more Pamunkey, Irish, and Guinean

people living, working, and loving in an area between 1619–1800, then
a rootworker’s approach may reflect the beliefs, attitudes, and methods
of one or all of these populations, depending on their own personal his-
tory and interactions with these groups.
That being said, this work does not attempt to tell “the truth”
about what Hoodoo is or is not. My objectives are to

4 Introduction
1. Pay homage to practitioners (known and unknown) that saw the

value in their ancestral practices and had the courage to keep the
tradition alive, despite constant persecution and denigration for
doing so.
2. Consider some of the ways in which North America’s interethnic
spiritual and intellectual heritage may have informed rootworkers
of various class or education levels.
3. Show how the history of Black North Americans makes rootwork
specific to their experience alone and is therefore unfairly com-
pared to foreign systems that may appear to be synonymous, such
as Vodou. Vodou, also spelled Voodoo, is a religion whose practitio-
ners in the Western Hemisphere (Haiti, Puerto Rico, Dominican
Republic, Brazil, Louisiana, etc.) were often Catholic. While many
elements are familiar to us all as inhabitants of the Americas, every
country has their own history and unique demographical compo-
sition that informed their systems and practices. Rootworkers are
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united, however, by the Anglo-American Protestant traditions and
those of the indigenous nations of North America.
4. Exhibit the sacred sites, flora, fauna, minerals, and other natural
wonders of the southeastern region of North America.
5. Increase awareness of the fact that there is no separating Black his-
tory from Indigenous history, because the two are often intertwined
by bloodline and/or common experiences (chattel slavery, forced
relocations, land theft, etc.). This is not to mention the long his-
tory of darker and broader-featured Aboriginal populations being
purposely reclassified as “mulatto,” “colored,” or “negro” and detrib-
alized in order to facilitate land theft, Christian conversion, and
overall cultural genocide. In fact, it is still commonplace to attri-
bute elements of Black American culture to Africans or African
retentions, even when based just on a theory or when there is proof
to the contrary.

For instance, soul food ingredients, dishes, and preparation meth-

ods pre-date chattel slavery by thousands of years. For example, grits,
sweet potatoes, cornbread, hushpuppies, poke salad, johnnycakes, climb-
ing beans (green beans), barbecue meats, and fried foods were all part of
the daily diet of eastern American woodland populations.
That is just one example of the erasure of Black America’s indige-
nous North American heritage and lineage, but there are several others.
However, addressing any more would require more in-depth explana-
tions, which would threaten to take me away from the scope of this
book.
THE ORIGIN OF HOODOO

No one knows exactly when what we know today as Hoodoo began, but
it probably started not too long after Indigenous Americans, Africans,
and Europeans came into daily contact with one another during the
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colonial era. All three groups had significant indentured-servant and
enslaved populations that worked, socialized, and intermarried with
one another on a regular basis. Most Europeans during the colonial
era were overwhelmingly Protestant and hailed from England, Ireland,
Scotland, Germany, and the Netherlands.
The majority of the approximately 388,000 African people that
were shipped to North America (including Canada) between the sev-
enteenth and nineteenth centuries came from a variety of ethnic
groups. They were Malagasy, Kongo, Igbo, Maghrebis (Moors), Akan,
Mandé, Hausa, and Fulbe, among many others. There were hundreds
of Indigenous tribes in the southeast alone prior to colonization, the
smaller of whom later joined or were absorbed into larger confederacies,
such as the Creek or the Cherokee. Unbeknownst to many, there were
also other nationalities and ethnic groups that were enslaved, inden-
tured, or voluntarily migrated to North America during the colonial
era as well. There were dark-skinned “coolies” from India and China,

6 Introduction
Pacific Islanders, and Roma people (a.k.a “gypsies”), many of whom

were reclassified and denationalized in official documents by using
descriptors such as white, mulatto, or negro. These groups are also the
ancestors of many, many Black Americans who may have incorporated
their knowledge into Hoodoo, but today have no clue they have this
ancestry. All of the aforementioned peoples from around the world had
their own cosmologies, philosophies, folklore, and remedies.
Thus, some might say that Hoodoo is North America’s only totally
unrestricted repository of esoteric knowledge.
THE FORMS OF DIVINATION

TRADITIONALLY USED IN HOODOO
There are several forms of divination used in Hoodoo.
Cleromancy involves the casting of small objects (such as shells,

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bones, stalks, coins, nuts, stones, dice, sticks, etc.). The casting of
bones specifically may be referred to as scapulimancy or osteo-
mancy. Rootworkers commonly used cat, possum, or chicken
bones as the preferred medium for casting lots. This practice
became known as “throwing the bones.” This divination method
is ubiquitous around the world. Several African ethnic groups that
voluntarily migrated to or were enslaved in North America, such
as the Kongo and the Igbo, were scapulimancers, osteomancers, or
cleromancers. Indigenous American tribes, such as the Labrador
and the Algonquin, also practiced these different forms of divina-
tion. Throwing the bones most likely remained a respectable and
common practice in Hoodoo due to its justification in the Bible.
The casting of lots was totally acceptable among the early proph-
ets and the disciples of Jesus.
Cartomancy is divination by means of interpreting cards.
Traditionally, playing cards were the only cards used by root-
workers because that was what was available to them. However,

for rootworkers, the manner in which the cards were prepared to

be read and the meanings attributed to the cards were different
from mainstream cartomancers. As Hoodoo relies on the ances-
tors and the Holy Spirit, individual rootworkers would have their
own method of conjuring both to ensure that all negative energy
stayed as far away from the querent and themselves as possible.
Natural or Judicial Astrology is the study of the positions and
motions of celestial bodies in the belief that they have an influence
over nature and human affairs. Rootworkers pay serious attention
to lunar phases, solar positions, and sometimes stars before doing
their work. The initiation of certain workings during the wrong
time of day or evening could seriously diminish the effectiveness
of a working. They believe there is a proper time and place to
do everything. In the early twentieth century, some rootwork-
ers began to incorporate the basic elements of tropical astrology
and consult charts, but judicial astrology remained ubiquitous for
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most. The Church taught that the belief in the influence of heav-
enly bodies upon health, fortune, temperament, or actions was
unchristian, but many rootworkers did not care. Primarily, this
was because it was tradition; secondly, it worked for them; and
most importantly, powerful biblical personalities and prophets,
such as Joseph, Daniel, Jeremiah, and Isaiah, adhered to prophe-
cies predicted via natural astrology.
Augury is the deciphering of phenomena (omens) that are believed
to foretell the future, often signifying the advent of change. This
often involved the observation of animal behavior. Hoodoo devel-
oped outdoors, and many of its practitioners were extremely in
tune with nature as land owners and agricultural workers. Many
southerners were still growing their own food until well into the
mid-twentieth century, making people expert horticulturalists,
botanists, and zoologists out of necessity. It was critical to know
when the appropriate times were to plant, till, and reap what one
has sown. It was also equally important to know the behavior of

8 Introduction
the wildlife in one’s area to avoid harm to one’s person, livestock,

or crops. As a result of proximity to the land and cultural associa-
tions with certain animals and their behavior (benefic or malefic),
people paid careful attention to any unusual occurrences as they
could be predictors of change. Whether the augur interpreted cer-
tain phenomena as positive or negative, querents took note and
did workings to try to either repel or increase the effect of what-
ever was coming their way.
Oneiromancy is a form of divination based upon dreams.
Rootworkers paid close attention to symbolism. In fact, it was
common practice for Hoodoo practitioners to make predictions
for themselves and others based on their dreams. As with the
augur, the oneiromancer would make suggestions to secure forth-
coming blessings, or offer remedies to prevent or minimize mis-
fortune if the dream was deemed negative.
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Getting to Know the
Hoodoo Tarot
The structure of The Hoodoo Tarot is based on the extended family

unit, which was the traditional familial structure of the vast majority
of Indigenous peoples.
THE ELDERS, THE FAMILY,

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AND THE COMMUNITY
Just as the Major Arcana is the foundation of the tarot, the Elders are
the foundation of the family. The Elders in Indigenous communities
serve the same purpose as the Majors: to transmit age-old knowledge
and wisdom via the use of complex symbolism and story. Thus, the
Elders are venerated as living libraries from which an unfathomable
amount of data may be accessed regarding a culture’s traditions, history,
and what that people perceives to be their ultimate purpose (as warriors,
artisans, etc.).
The Family is equivalent to the court cards in standard tarot decks.
In this regard, the Family in this deck actually represents the idealized
American nuclear family model, instead of aristocrats and their ser-
vants. However, the Family and court cards share a similar purpose, in
that they both represent specific people or personality types.
The Community relates to the Minor Arcana, as they both reflect
the lessons of the Elders regarding mundane life experiences.

10 Getting to Know the Hoodoo Tarot
THE TOOLS
The tools represented by the suits reflect everyday objects utilized by
all Americans. However, the esoteric significance and aesthetic of these
tools (when applicable), were often specific to people of Indigenous and/
or African descent in general, and at times, rootworkers specifically.
What do the four tools represent?

Sticks–Primal Energy, Power, Passion, Authority
Baskets–Love, Emotions, Healing
Knives–Ideas, Thoughts, Beliefs
Coins–Wealth, Security, Protection
CARD IMAGES, PLANTS, AND BIBLE QUOTES

I carefully considered the meanings and key concepts of each card,
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and then I selected one or two aspects of each to formulate an image.
I shared what I saw with Katelan, the artist, and she made it happen.
I chose plants that were frequently used by rootworkers in the past.
The majority of the plants featured in The Hoodoo Tarot are indige-
nous to the southeastern United States. The ones that are not are still
American, unless otherwise stated. It is suggested that readers seek out
additional information about how the plants are used, and follow their
intuition about how to incorporate the plants into their lives.
The Bible quote for each card was chosen by researching key words
related to each card in a Bible glossary, and then selecting the quotes
that I felt were the most compatible with the message I wanted to con-
vey to the reader.
POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE

COMMUNITY CARDS
For the Community cards, the explanation says that each has a “posi-
tive” and a “negative” side. If the reader is accustomed to reading with
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Getting to Know the Hoodoo Tarot 11
reversed cards, then it is acceptable to read The Hoodoo Tarot reversed

cards as negative in that way.
However, if a reader does not typically interpret the tarot using
reversed cards, then a card is considered negative or positive based on
the goals, needs, and desires of each individual reader. For example,
Bishop C. H. Mason (the Hierophant) is not a negative card, but it sure
becomes one if you ask “Does Kate feel as passionately about me as I
feel about her?”
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Hoodoo Spreads and
Sample Readings
This chapter explores four options for tarot spreads and provides a sam-
ple reading for each spread. There are no specific card layouts tradition-
ally pertaining to Hoodoo, but here are a few simple spreads to answer
questions related to the Hoodoo tradition.
In each case, you first ask your question and then shuffle the cards
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and pull the number of cards shown in the layout. The cards should be
placed in front of you and read from left to right.
Each card position relates to the numbered statements below.
In some cases more detail will be needed and so an additional
“clarifying” card should be drawn.
“SEE ’BOUT YOUR FOLKS”

ANCESTOR SPREAD
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1. General Message from Your Maternal Line Regarding Who You

Are/How You Live
2. General Message from Your Paternal Line Regarding Who You
Are/How You Live
12
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3. What the ancestors in my maternal line want from me

4. What the ancestors in my paternal line want from me
5. The gifts I inherited from my maternal line that I am underutilizing
6. The gifts I inherited from my paternal line that I am underutilizing
7. The ancestor most eager to connect and work with me at this time
8. My relationship with this ancestor
9. What we will achieve if we consistently work together to solve my
problems
“SEE ’BOUT YOUR FOLKS”

ANCESTOR READING
Myra asked: For Review Only

What do I need to do to reconnect with my ancestors?
Myra then shuffled the cards, pulled nine cards, and set them in a row
in front of her. We answered each of the questions based on the card she
pulled. In some cases, more detail was needed about a specific card, as
noted in the answers below, so she pulled an additional “clarifying” card
to help with the explanation.
1. General Message from Your Maternal Line Regarding Who You

Are/How You Live.
Miss Robinson (The Devil), clarified by the Eight of Coins, suggests
that Myra is a workaholic and her mother’s people are concerned that
she is overdoing it. Myra laughed and admitted that this makes sense,
as her maternal line was financially more comfortable in the past and
therefore had much more leisure time. Apparently, the family wealth
dried up with a bad investment in the eighties.
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14 Hoodoo Spreads and Sample Readings
2. General Message from Your Paternal Line Regarding Who You

Are/How You Live
Bishop C. H. Mason (The Hierophant), clarified by the Six of Baskets,
would suggest that Myra’s paternal line wants her to return to the
religious values of her childhood. Myra confirmed that she grew up
Jewish but doesn’t really participate anymore. She feels a bit uncomfort-
able about that but is also enjoying expanding her mind by studying
other paths too. It would appear her paternal line would prefer her to
continue to practice the religion she grew up in.
3. What the ancestors in my maternal line want from me

The Big Queen (The Empress), clarified by the Four of Sticks, would sug-
gest Myra’s ancestors would like her to get married. Myra says she has a
wonderful boyfriend that expresses his desire to wed all the time, but she’s
been putting it off until after she finishes school. She also mentioned that
he has a great job and could make a comfortable life for them. This read-
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ing is telling her not to wait a moment longer to tie the knot.
4. What the ancestors in my paternal line want from me

The Seven of Baskets suggests that Myra’s ancestors are upset because they
don’t feel she is focused, and either has too many options or is not picking
the one they think is best for her. When I pulled a clarification card to
see if their dissatisfaction was in regard to the abandonment of her Jewish
faith, I pulled the Three of Knives, which I take as a definite yes.
5. The gifts I inherited from my maternal line that I am underutilizing

The Son of Baskets suggests that Myra’s maternal line was full of
interesting, creative people. Myra confirmed that both of her maternal
grandparents were musicians that met at a nightclub in the late seven-
ties. She said she used to enjoy playing the piano, but she had to get rid
of it when she moved. Apparently, Myra should find a way to utilize her
inherited talent and fondness for music as a way to bond with her late
grandparents.
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6. The gifts I inherited from my paternal line that I am underutilizing

The Two of Knives, clarified by the Ace of Knives, suggests that Myra’s
paternal ancestors are concerned about her refusal to be decisive in
matters and her failure to properly use her critical thinking skills.
7. The ancestor most eager to connect and work with me at this time
The Five of Baskets, clarified by the Father of Knives, suggests that the
ancestor is either her father or her father figure, whose death was abso-
lutely devastating to her.
8. My relationship with this ancestor

There was no need to pull new cards for this question, because Myra
is convinced that her Uncle Dan was the one communicating with her.
Her father is also deceased, but she said it was definitely not her father
but rather his brother, who she was very close to and who died suddenly
of a heart attack six years ago.
For Review Only

9. What we will achieve if we consistently work together to solve
my problems
The Eight of Knives, clarified by Courting (The Lovers), suggests that
Uncle Dan is going to help her work out her confusion regarding her
spirituality in a pleasant manner. The answer will become clear sooner
rather than later.
HooTar.indd 15 8/12/19 10:45 AM

“DON’T PUT THAT THANG ON ME”

CATCH A TRICK SPREAD
1 2 3 4 5
1. Have I been tricked/hexed/cursed/jinxed?

2. The source of the rootworker’s anger toward me
3. The message to me from the ancestors about the situation
4. The remedy
5. Final Outcome
“DON’T PUT THAT THANG ON ME”

CATCH A TRICK ANCESTOR READING
For Review Only
Seeasia asked:
Has someone put roots (a curse or spell to cause trouble) on me?
Seeasia shuffled the deck, pulled five cards, and placed them in a row in
front of her. We worked our way through the spread, and when needed
Seeasia pulled an additional card to clarify.
1. Have I been tricked/hexed/hursed/jinxed?

John Horse (The Emperor), clarified by Three of Knives, indicates an
authority figure that is hurt and dismayed by whatever transpired with
Seeasia, but not a trick.
HooTar.indd 16 8/12/19 10:45 AM

2. The source of the rootworkers anger toward me

Not applicable here . . . next question
3. The message to me from the ancestors about the situation

The Seven of Knives, clarified by the Six of Knives, suggests to me that
Seeasia may have brought the problem on herself by talking too much,
possibly even gossiping or spreading rumors. She is advised to stop and
move on with her life.
4. The remedy
Dr. Buzzard (Justice) came up. Seeasia is advised to consider how her
actions have affected those around her and how she would feel if the she
were the offended party, and then try to make amends.
5. Final Outcome
The Son of Baskets, clarified by the Five of Pentacles, indicates that
For Review Only

Seeasia will make a heartfelt apology, which the person may have a hard
time accepting. Though she may not be able to salvage her relation-
ship with this person, they are definitely not trying to root or cause her
harm in any way.
HooTar.indd 17 8/12/19 10:45 AM

“THE RIGHT DOC” SPREAD
1 2 3 4 5 6
1. What I am looking for by seeking this teacher’s guidance and

mentorship
2. What I should be looking for in a teacher/mentor at this stage in
my development
3. The teacher’s strengths most beneficial to me
4. The teacher’s weaknesses most detrimental to me
5. The teacher’s attitude toward their students
6. Final Outcome
“THE RIGHT DOC” ANCESTOR READING

For Review Only
Rene asked:
Should I trust the information of the rootworker I’m learning from?
Rene shuffled the deck, pulled six cards, and placed them in a row in
front of her. We then answered her question based on the cards in the
spread, adding clarifying cards when necessary.
1. What I am looking for by seeking this teacher’s guidance and

mentorship
The Ten of Baskets, clarified by the Five of Baskets, suggests that Rene
is actually looking for a family. Rene admitted that she grew up in foster
care and sees the rootworker she’s asking about as an ideal mother.
HooTar.indd 18 8/12/19 10:45 AM

2. What I should be looking for in a teacher/mentor at this stage in

my development
Big Mama (The Sun) indicates that she should learn from someone who
is willing and able to nurture her and develop her gifts. It also indicates
that the person should not be the type that will permit her to cling in an
unhealthy way. She needs a mentor who won’t have a problem with her
eventually finding her own way, because Rene is not the same.
3. The teacher’s strengths most beneficial to me

The Mother of Baskets, clarified by the Six of Coins, indicates that
Rene’s mentor is a kind, highly gifted woman that is willing to help
those in need. Rene said she is very generous and works with clients’
budgets so she doesn’t have to turn anyone away. Rene will benefit from
her big-hearted nature and feel safe in her presence. Because of Rene’s
troubled childhood, it is super important for her to feel emotionally
secure and supported in her dealings with others.
For Review Only

4. The teacher’s weaknesses most detrimental to me
The Free Man (The Fool), clarified by Miss Caroline (The Wheel of
Fortune), may indicate that this teacher won’t be very open-minded to
Rene’s more eclectic ideas. Rene will have to suppress any thoughts or
feelings that her teacher fears are too radical or inappropriate. The men-
tor may even have a problem accepting change in general.
5. The teacher’s attitude toward their students

The Ten of Baskets, clarified by the Four of Coins, may indicate some-
one that considers her students as extended family and is quite posses-
sive of them.
6. Final Outcome
The Four of Knives, clarified by the Ace of Baskets, indicates that this
is a good match for both of them. Rene will just have to make sure that
she remembers that this woman is not her mother, and that she is still
free to make her own decisions.
HooTar.indd 19 8/12/19 10:45 AM

“GONNA CATCH A BIRD”

RELATIONSHIP SPREAD
1 2 3 4 5
1. The root of the problem

2. What I need most
3. What ___________ needs most
4. How we go about making a compromise
5. Final Outcome
“GONNA CATCH A BIRD” RELATIONSHIP

ANCESTOR READING
For Review Only
Jessie asked:
Should I let Ben know I’m interested in being more than friends?
Jessie shuffled the deck, pulled five cards, and placed them in a row
in front of her. She answered her question based on the cards in the
spread. No clarifying cards were necessary for her.
1. The root of the problem

The Ace of Baskets in its negative side indicates that the problem is
with suppressed feelings, being overly emotional, and unrequited love.
Jessie has had romantic feelings for Ben for a while, but she just went
through a bad break-up with her long-term partner and is in a rough
emotional state.
HooTar.indd 20 8/12/19 10:45 AM

2. What I need most

The Nine of Knives in its positive aspect shows that Jessie needs
renewed hope at the end of suffering, recognizing that the worst is over,
and getting help for depression and anxiety. This card also indicates
“letting go.”
3. What ___________ needs most

The Mother of Knives indicates that Ben needs a partner with these
positive attributes: independence, resilience, intelligence, depth, and
very clear boundaries. On the negative side, perfectionism, aggressive-
ness, cold-heartedness, and bitchiness in a partner would be problems for
him! Jessie recognizes that she has a lot of those positive attributes, but
that she should watch out for falling into the other negative qualities.
4. How we go about making a compromise

Eight of Sticks in its positive aspect shows that rapid progress can be
For Review Only

made, leading to whirlwind romance, excitement, and eye-opening expe-
riences. However, in its negative aspect it is wasted energy, p ushiness,
recklessness, unexpected break-ups, hasty decisions, and failure to rec-
ognize warnings. Jessie decides that she needs to be careful about being
too forthright about her feelings too soon with Ben.
5. Final Outcome
Miss Ida indicates that Jessie needs to consult her inner voice and slow
down. Miss Ida, even when by herself, is never alone, and Jessie recog-
nizes this is good advice for her. Jessie will be patient and pay attention
to dreams about when is appropriate to share her feelings with Ben. She
will “let go” (as the Nine of Knives said earlier in the spread) and just
embrace the mystery and honor her own wholeness.
HooTar.indd 21 8/12/19 10:45 AM

For Review Only
HooTar.indd 22 8/12/19 10:45 AM

CARD MEANINGS
For Review Only
HooTar.indd 23 8/12/19 10:45 AM

For Review Only
HooTar.indd 24 8/12/19 10:45 AM

The Elders
For Review
(The Only
Major Arcana)
HooTar.indd 25 8/12/19 10:45 AM

26 Card Meanings
THE FREE MAN

(The Fool)
And you will know the truth, and

the truth will set you free.
John 8:32
Plant: Jimsonweed
The Image
A man is walking away from
the tomb of Joshua John Ward
of Georgetown County, South
Carolina. He was the largest
American slaveholder, dubbed
“the King of the Rice Planters”.
For Review Only The man is carrying a mason jar

filled with dirt. Who is this young man? Did he know Ward person-
ally? Why did he risk being prosecuted for trespassing or witchcraft?
Does he have a purpose at all or is the man just plain crazy?
Freedom. Is it a state of mind? A state of being? Or is it both? The Free

Man doesn’t think about it any more than a fish contemplates water.
The Free Man isn’t “deep” because depth, by definition, prohibits unre-
stricted movement upon the surface. The Free Man was probably deep
prior to the outset of his journey into the unknown, the unfathom-
able, and unpredictable, or he wouldn’t have had the wisdom to know
that the concept of safety is an illusion anyway. The Free Man has seen
many people get beaten by life, or in fact had no life at all, because they
were afraid to take a few risks. He has heard many people say “one day”
regarding their dreams, and heard way too few “todays.”
He has conversed with talented acquaintances that felt more com-
fortable dwelling on abstractions and distractions than investing in
HooTar.indd 26 8/12/19 10:46 AM

The Elders (Major Arcana) 27
their potential. The Free Man is tired of being so deep, so calculating,

so restricted, and so dead.
Meaning
The Free Man is card zero because zero is not a natural number, since
most people normally don’t start counting with zero. Likewise, The
Free Man doesn’t count in situations that demand subservience to con-
ventional wisdom or the status quo.
The Free Man is on a whole other level, because he genuinely feels
that common sense is for common people. He doesn’t think he’s better
than anyone; he has just accepted that new grass doesn’t grow as lusciously
on a beaten path. The Free Man is definitely foolish to most people that
encounter him because he appears to be reckless and immature, but such
assessments are only relevant when gain or loss is the focus. The Free Man
doesn’t exist in the space where those thoughts flourish; he is more inter-
ested in the attainment of wisdom by following his passions and what he
For Review Only
knows to be true, wherever that may ultimately lead.
The Free Man has what every great rootworker has always had: the
courage to follow their calling, despite the possibly dire consequences,
and an unshakeable faith that made that courage possible.
If you receive The Free Man in a reading, consider the following:
What is the best thing that could happen if things go your way?
What is the worst thing that could happen if they don’t? Can you
live without ever knowing?
Have you received an opportunity that you’ve fantasied about, but
are afraid to take?
Where are you headed?
Are you really that deep? Are you really a free spirit? Or are you
just a jerk, or a rebel without a cause?
Have you considered the financial or emotional cost of attaining
that goal?
HooTar.indd 27 8/12/19 10:46 AM

28 Card Meanings
It doesn’t matter if you like surprises or not. They’re on their way.

Are you really as innocent as you profess to be?
Has lingering self-doubt caused your boredom and dissatisfaction?
The new guy/gal/situation isn’t who or what they appear to be.
Maybe you need to loosen up?
Let’s go crazy! Let’s get nuts!
Are you living in the present?
Follow your bliss.
For Review Only
HooTar.indd 28 8/12/19 10:46 AM

BLACK HERMAN
(The Magician)
Truly I tell you, if you have

faith as small as a mustard seed,
you can say to this mountain,
“Move from here to there,” and
it will move. Nothing will be
impossible for you.
Matthew 17:20
Plant: Snakeroot
The Image
Black Herman is dressed in a tux.
He holds a stick to the sky that
For Review Only says “POWER” in one hand, and

is pointing to a Zulu drum peeking out from Virginia snakeroot bushes
with the other hand.
Benjamin Rucker (1892–1934), a.k.a Black Herman, was the most

famous Negro magician in the history of the United States. He adopted
the name Black Herman to pay homage to two fellow Black magicians
he admired, Prince Herman and Alonzo Herman. Black Herman’s
charismatic personality, illusions, and “resurrections” after being buried
alive made him a national sensation. Herman also made a living selling
tonics, mail order occult courses, books, pamphlets, and talismans that
were designed to protect its wearer from white supremacy.
Arguably, one of the most interesting aspects of Benjamin Rucker
was how he used his platform as an entertainer and Hoodoo man to
promote his militant Black Nationalist political beliefs. To further
facilitate his mission, Herman decided to relocate to Harlem in New
York City, which was also ground zero for devout followers of Marcus
HooTar.indd 29 8/12/19 10:46 AM

30 Card Meanings
Garvey. Herman even claimed he was born in “the dark jungles of

Africa” and was an apprentice of Zulu witchdoctors, reflecting both his
acceptance of Pan-Africanist ideology and a knack for clever marketing.
But Black Herman was actually a Virginia native that migrated north
in search of greater opportunities and an escape from terrorism in the
South. He had self-confidence and a strong will to succeed. That was
the magic that made him a legend.
Meaning
When Black Herman appears in a reading, you are being challenged to
make that which you desire manifest. The difference between a dream
and a goal is a plan, so make sure you have a clear one. It is key that you
know exactly why each step is necessary to obtain your objective. If you
do not, you might be tempted to take shortcuts and find yourself cut
short instead.
Competent magicians and Hoodoo practitioners dazzle others with
For Review Only
the results they attain, but the audience and clients rarely, if ever, are
around to witness the amount of preparation that is necessary to accom-
plish a task. The power of creation exists within a focused, methodical
mind that is aware of itself.
If you receive Black Herman in a reading, consider the following:
If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail.

Do you really believe it’s possible, that you can make it happen?
Are your talents and skills being put to good use?
Do your intentions, beliefs, and desires match the life you live?
Stop playing and do what you have to do, even if it’s hard.
How committed are you to him, her, this, or that?
Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
What are you creating/manifesting/permitting right now? Do
you really want that?
HooTar.indd 30 8/12/19 10:46 AM

MISS IDA
(The High Priestess)
Be still and know that I am God.

Psalm 46:10
Plant: Jersey Tea
The Image
A seven-year-old Ida Carter is
standing in the attic, surrounded
by candles. It’s dark, but she’s not
afraid because she’s an old soul
that understands she is never
really alone.
For Review Only

Ida “Seven Sisters” Carter (before
1900–?) was a rootworker from Hogansville, Alabama. There isn’t
much information about Miss Ida, but she told an interviewer that she
was called to rootworking at just seven years old. Miss Ida recalled the
process of her self-initiation, which consisted of burning seven candles
all night while she prayed, starting on the first of May and continuing
for six consecutive nights. Miss Ida repeated this process each May for
seven years, until the Holy Spirit told her she was ready to work for the
community.
Meaning
When Miss Ida appears in a reading, you are being advised to slow
down and consult your inner voice regarding the matter at hand.
Everyone is forced to wait sometimes, but very few know how to do so
while remaining at peace. Miss Ida asks that you stop sighing and tap-
ping your foot as you wait for the light to turn from red to green. Do
you know what might be down the road that could be harmful to you
HooTar.indd 31 8/12/19 10:46 AM

32 Card Meanings
or others if you make a move now, just because you feel like moving?
No, you don’t.
Miss Ida is telling us it’s best to stop that foolishness and do some-
thing constructive in the meantime. Go within.
If you receive Miss Ida in a reading, consider the following:
Trust your intuition.

Let go and let God.
Are you being impatient or forcing the issue unnecessarily?
Pay attention to your dreams and visions.
Everyone has a dark side. Are you aware of how yours works?
Call your mother or mother figure.
Seek and embrace the mysteries.
Does the unknown thrill or frighten you? Why or why not?
For Review Only
HooTar.indd 32 8/12/19 10:46 AM

THE BIG QUEEN

(The Empress)
Prepare the table, watch in the

watchtower, eat, drink: arise, ye
princes, and anoint the shield.
Isaiah 21:5
Plant: Jezebel Root/Louisiana

Iris
The Image
A Carnival Indian Queen smiles
as she displays her Black Hawk
bucket. Black Hawk (1767–1838)
was a leader of the Sauk and Fox
For Review Only Tribe. He was a powerful warrior

that was well-known for his bravery and resisting colonial encroach-
ment on his land and way of life. A Spiritualist leader from the Midwest
named Mother Leafy Anderson petitioned the spirit of Black Hawk for
protection in her temple. Today many Spiritualists and rootworkers, in
Louisiana and beyond, work with Black Hawk to ensure victory against
their enemies.
The tradition of Carnival Indians in New Orleans, as we know them

today, dates back to the early eighteenth century. When enslaved
Africans arrived in Louisiana, many of them sought refuge among the
Indigenous people, and were offered it. As a result, the cultures and
bloodlines mixed, and their descendants still pay homage to the spirit
of love, freedom, friendship, and resistance that brought their ancestors
together. This thereby made the Carnival Indian a symbol of boundless
beauty and invincibility.
Though most Carnival Indians may be considered patriarchal to
HooTar.indd 33 8/12/19 10:46 AM

34 Card Meanings
some, due to the hypervisibility of men and boys, the Big Queens play
an essential role in their tribes. The archetype of the Big Queen is not
only a vision of beauty, with her ornately embellished garments; she is an
artist, a teacher, a peacemaker, and a protector of this sacred tradition.
The Big Queen is everything.
Meaning
When The Big Queen appears in a reading, you are being asked to con-
sider your roots in regards to “mother wit.” What would your ances-
tresses say about whatever is going on in your life? What advice would
they give? How would they handle the situation? The wisdom of our
mothers is a portal to the past. That doesn’t mean that you must do
things exactly as they did or perceive the world exactly as they perceived
it, because that would be impossible. What it does mean is that they
should be given an opportunity to speak to you via your consideration.
This not only connects us with the women in our bloodline, but also
For Review Only
with nature as a whole. The change of the seasons and the cycles of
birth, death, and decay will always be, but it is the space in between that
a Big Queen inhabits. It is the spirit of continuity, and the joy that its
true comprehension brings, that ensures nothing is ever truly lost, even
if it can’t be found for now. Therefore there is always abundance, always
beauty, and always a reason to celebrate.
If you receive The Big Queen in a reading, consider the following:
How do you give and receive pleasure? How do others, and the
world, come into play?
Do I accept abundance into my life? How?
Eat, drink, and be merry!
All that glitters isn’t gold, but it sure is pretty!
Do I accept compliments for my beauty and/or style with grace?
What aspect of your life do you nurture most? What aspect could
use more nurturing?
HooTar.indd 34 8/12/19 10:46 AM

Which family members or friends do I nurture most? Am I

neglecting anyone that deserves my attention?
Do I purposely seek reasons to smile and laugh out loud every
day?
How often do you reflect on the beauty of being alive, and of
being you?
Am I still connected to nature and the Earth, or have I lost my
way?
What do I do on a regular basis to help me restore my sense of
balance in a hectic world?
Go camping, take a walk in the park, and maybe buy a plant or
three.
How does all the knowledge I’ve accumulated, or spiritual work
I’ve done, benefit my family and my community? What is my
legacy?
What does your mother or mother figure have to say about that?
For Review Only
HooTar.indd 35 8/12/19 10:46 AM

36 Card Meanings
JOHN HORSE
(The Emperor)
Where there is no guidance, a

people falls, but in an abundance
of counselors there is safety.
Proverbs 11:14
Plant: Cypress
The Image
John Horse is seated calmly on
his throne. He has a rifle strapped
to him. He’s clutching a knife in
one hand, and the other hand is
balled into a tight fist. He’s ready
For Review Only for anything. However, John’s

most powerful weapon, arguably, is the prophet Abiaka, who is busy
summoning spirits to keep the community safe. Abiaka’s clan totem,
the Black Panther, is poised for a vicious attack against anyone that
dares to challenge them.
John Horse (1812–1882), a.k.a Juan Caballo, was born into slavery in
Florida. Not much is known about his early life, but he became a leader
of the Seminole Indians and participated in the Second Seminole War
which, prior to the war in Vietnam, was the United States Army’s only
non-victory. In addition, in 1849 John Horse led the largest escape of
enslaved people to freedom in U.S. history. He also founded free settle-
ments for the runaways in Oklahoma and Mexico. By the time of his
death, John Horse had fought against the French, the Americans, and
hostile Indians working in conjunction with the colonists. He avoided
slave catchers, three wars, and several assassination attempts. These are
but a few of this warrior’s outstanding accomplishments. He defended
HooTar.indd 36 8/12/19 10:46 AM

free black settlements on three frontiers, and was said to love children,
whiskey, and his noble white steed, American.
The man that has been credited as John Horse’s spiritual guide and
mentor was a Creek medicine man and prophet named Abiaka Hadjo
(1760–1860), a.k.a. Sam Jones. Though Abiaka was not as well known
to the public as John Horse, he was no less important to maintaining
the cohesion of the Seminole people. In fact, without Abiaka’s determi-
nation as a leader, many women, children, and elders would have been
slaughtered. The Seminoles would not have a band in Florida this very
day if it were not for him. Abiaka’s name is translated to “crazy rat-
tlesnake” in English, but the Muscogee (Creek) word abikha is said to
mean “heap at the root”.
In the immortal words of Morpheus from The Matrix:
“Fate, it seems, is not without a sense of irony.”
Meaning
For Review Only
When John Horse appears in a reading, you are being advised to take
charge of whatever is going on in your life. This is not the time for self-
doubt or weakness of any kind, for if you indulge those emotions too long,
you are certain to lose more than you can imagine. The odds may be tough,
but John Horse teaches us that no matter how great the odds are against
you, victory is still achievable. When this card comes up, there is simply
no other course of action but to get organized and then charge full steam
ahead. However, John Horse is also reminding you that even the great-
est warriors require support. He is telling you that you may increase your
chance of winning by having the right spiritual teachers in your corner.
If you receive John Horse in a reading, consider the following:
Effective leadership requires wise counsel and up-to-date

information.
Are you following the right leaders or elders at this stage in your
journey?
HooTar.indd 37 8/12/19 10:46 AM

38 Card Meanings
What does lineage mean to you? Do you know yours?

How do you protect yourself from attack?
Get organized and focus, or prepare for certain defeat.
Does this plan have a solid foundation?
Do you have a problem with authority for its own sake?
The law is on its way.
“The System”
Stick to your regimen for best results.
If you value comfort over security, things are about to get really
uncomfortable.
Stop whining and fight!
Every Indian wants to be the chief.
What does your father/father figure have to say about that?
For Review Only
HooTar.indd 38 8/12/19 10:46 AM

BISHOP C. H. MASON
(The Hierophant)
So whoever knows the right thing

to do and fails to do it, for him it
is sin.
James 4:17
Plant: Cedar, Mustard
The Image
This card combines Bishop
Mason’s iconic photo with an
interpretation of what his spiri-
tual baptism looked like. He said
this about the moment the Holy
For Review Only Spirit visited him:
So when he had gotten me straight on my feet, there came a light

which enveloped my entire being above the brightness of the sun.
When I opened my mouth to say Glory, a flame touched my tongue
which ran down me. My language changed and no word could I
speak in my own tongue. Oh! I was filled with the Glory of the
Lord. My soul was then satisfied. (Mason, The History and Life
Work of Elder C. H. Mason and His Co-Laborers, 30)
Bishop Charles Harrison Mason (1866–1961) was a Pentecostal

Holiness denominational leader and the founder, Chief Apostle, and
first senior bishop of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC), based in
Memphis, Tennessee. By the time of Mason’s death, COGIC had more
than 4,000 churches and 400,000 members in South America, Africa,
Asia, Europe, and the United States. Today, COGIC has 6.5 million
members and 12,000 congregations around the world.
HooTar.indd 39 8/12/19 10:46 AM

40 Card Meanings
One of the most significant events in Bishop Mason’s life was sur-
viving a yellow fever epidemic when he was twelve years old. His recov-
ery was attributed to prayer. Bishop Mason’s mother, Eliza, who was
formerly enslaved, was known in the community as being very powerful
and spiritually gifted.
In the theology of Black American churches, the Holy Spirit was
emphasized and petitioned to intercede in earthly matters, more than
in mainstream churches. Bishop Mason was dedicated to spreading the
word of God, but he didn’t think that women’s voices should be sup-
pressed by the Church, nor did he believe there was anything wrong
with seeing the power in and utilizing roots. After all, rhabdomancy
(divination by means of rod, wand, staff, stick, or arrow) was utilized
by the patriarchs of the Bible.
Meaning
When you receive Bishop C. H. Mason in a reading, you are being
For Review Only
asked to humble yourself and trust the teachers, guides, and elders of
your community. This is no easy task in an age when no one wants to
be told what to do and authorities of all types are subjects of deep sus-
picion or outright hatred. This is especially true if said authorities are
representative of so-called organized religions. While there is excellent
reason to be skeptical of anyone attempting to usurp our agency, we
should not allow paranoia to become so crystallized in our conscious-
ness that we end up throwing the baby out with the bath water.
Bishop C. H. Mason represents the conventional wisdom of any
and all societal institutions, be they universities, places of worship, or
corporations. Basically, this includes any place with rules, guidelines,
rites, and rituals that must be adhered to in order to be considered offi-
cially a member of a community.
The Bishop also represents unspoken rules, as they are often just as
important. For example, a person attending a heavy metal concert in
well-fitted khakis, a button-down shirt with a popped collar, and loaf-
ers would almost instantly be identified as being an outsider. It doesn’t
HooTar.indd 40 8/12/19 10:46 AM

matter if the person in the preppy clothes knows the lyrics to every song
the band performs. So, it is critical to understand that no matter how
free-spirited the individuals at that concert consider themselves to be, a
“WTH” reaction to the preppy dresser is indicative of being still part
of a system.
The Bishop asks that you recognize the importance of group cohe-
sion, cooperation, submission, temperance, and conservatism regarding
the matter at hand. This is mostly likely not the best time to “do you.”
If you receive Bishop C. H. Mason in a reading, consider the following:
Is conformity always good or bad?

The nail that sticks out gets hammered down.
What do you really believe in/have faith in?
Go deeper and explore further.
Do you see the value in your cultural heritage?
For Review Only
Is what is considered orthodoxy, or the proper way to do things,
actually orthodox, or is it improper to your community?
It might be in your best interest to follow the rules this time.
Everyone is a disciple of something, but true discipline is rare.
Are you sure you understand the fine print?
Join us!
Could it be that what is expected of you is good for you?
Be on time for the ritual.
Get back in line!
Teamwork makes the dream work.
Follow the leader.
“Simon says . . . ”
HooTar.indd 41 8/12/19 10:46 AM

42 Card Meanings
COURTING
(The Lovers)
For there are three that testify:

the Spirit and the water and the
blood; and these three agree.
1 John 5:7-8
Plant: Squash Plant Leaves
The Image
A couple is walking down the
road, holding hands. They
are oblivious to the judgment
of the two elders watching
them, because they’re so into
For Review Only each other. It’s clear that the

woman’s grandma isn’t as enthused about the match as his appears
to be.
There used to be a time when people understood the distinction

between dating and courting. Dating was a light-hearted activity that
gave a man and a woman a chance to get to know each other. Not
only was it perfectly fine to “call on” different people, it would be
considered unwise not to keep one’s options open. However, when
the two people decided they want to see each other exclusively, that’s
when the courtship stage began. The goal of courtship was not to
have a companion for years, as is common nowadays; the goal was
marriage. That being the case, courtship was taken very seriously and
had to include the input of family members and close friends to deter-
mine the worth of such an investment. The reason for this is simple:
most people didn’t marry just because they loved each other; they
married for the purpose of social and/or economic upward mobil-
HooTar.indd 42 8/12/19 10:46 AM

ity. It was often more of a business transaction than a testament to

undying love.
Therefore, it only made sense that each partner’s community be
included in the discussion, as it pertained to the propriety and auspi-
ciousness of the match. After all, a poor choice (literally or figuratively)
reflected badly on the entire family by ruining their reputation or caus-
ing their progeny to suffer an unstable or impoverished home. Thus,
merely loving the other was simply not enough, if the family was to con-
sistently improve from one generation to the next. To marry an unap-
proved beau anyway was therefore considered not love at all, but the
epitome of selfishness.
Meaning
Though this card is certainly about love and romance, it doesn’t have
to be. There are many different types of relationships, and unspoken
contracts that keep them together. We are all giving our attention to
For Review Only
someone or something.
When Courting comes up in a reading, it is asking you to appraise
the value of your attachments in terms of your individual longterm
goals. Will continuing to engage with that person, those people, or that
thing help advance you, or your reputation, among the kind of people
you respect or want to do business with? Will their presence help or
harm your efforts to attain the life you visualize?
It’s time to review your ethics and make an honest assessment of the
road you’re choosing. It’s time to make a choice.
If you receive Courting in a reading, consider the following:
What binds you to her, him, this, or that? Is that healthy?

Is that how you really feel, or are you parroting someone else?
Make up your mind!
What is your philosophy of life, and how does that inform this
relationship?
HooTar.indd 43 8/12/19 10:46 AM

44 Card Meanings
What if you commit fully to this?

Is the passion/love/desire reciprocal?
Cute doesn’t last. Are your morals, values, and goals aligned?
Are you both on the same page, or do you have entirely different
books?
The moral to the story is . . .
For Review Only
HooTar.indd 44 8/12/19 10:46 AM

RAILROAD BILL
(The Chariot)
With God we shall do valiantly; it

is he who will tread down our foes.
Psalm 108:13
Plant: Maca
The Image
Railroad Bill is waving at the
people cheering for him in the
distance.
Railroad Bill (?–1896) was a

laborer with no clear past, as his
For Review Only name, place of birth, and many

other details about his life remain a mystery. What we do know is that
the authorities claimed he was a man named Morris Slater, and we
know the hell he put them through.
It all started in 1894, while Bill was employed as a turpentine
worker in Bluff Springs, Florida, when after an altercation, he exchanged
gunshots with a deputy. The cause of the row has been lost to time,
but it was from that day on that he became an outlaw. Bill commit-
ted train robberies and engaged in fatal gun fights with lawmen and
bounty hunters that travelled from all over the country to collect the
substantial bounty on his head. Bill usually rode along the Louisville
and Nashville Railroad (the L&N)in southern Alabama. Naturally, the
daily reports of a negro desperado gunning down white men sold a lot
of newspapers, and it didn’t take long before a folk hero akin to Robin
Hood was born.
According to members of the Black community at the time, Bill used
his spiritual powers as a conjure man to avoid capture by t ransforming
HooTar.indd 45 8/12/19 10:46 AM

46 Card Meanings
himself into a fox to throw dogs off of his trail. He became the per-
sonification of the clever trickster that appears in both Indigenous
American and African folklore. So much so that his legend continued
to grow well into the twentieth century.
There are many songs about Railroad Bill by artists such as Riley
Puckett, Vera Ward Hall, Gid Tanner, Thomas Dorsey, Will Bennett,
Jack Elliot, Bill Williams, Joan Baez and others. In 1981, Bill was resur-
rected and cheered by the working class once again when a musical play
Railroad Bill was produced by NYC’s The Labor Theater, one that was
founded specifically to attract proletariats.
Meaning
When Railroad Bill turns up, you are being encouraged to increase
your efforts to ensure victory. It’s a reminder of the characteristics that
are required to win: confidence, determination, discipline, persistence,
and assertiveness. Now is the time to adopt a take-no-prisoners attitude
For Review Only
towards anybody or anything that attempts to gets in your way. If you
are not aggressive or ambitious by nature, then this card is a warning that
you must toughen up, or risk the loss of what you’ve worked so hard for.
If you receive Railroad Bill in a reading, consider the following:
If you don’t plan to win the game, then why are you playing?
Success is the best revenge.
Get rid of any people or situations that are distracting you from
your mission. NOW.
Only self-confidence and a strong will to survive will get you
through this.
It’s my way or the highway.
What competition?
Know thyself to propel thyself.
It’s called “self ” esteem for a reason. Stop waiting for others to
cheer you on!
HooTar.indd 46 8/12/19 10:46 AM

Domination happens.
I’m allergic to humble pie, so you can have it . . .
What is the victorious outcome you seek?
Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
Yeah, it’s an ego thing . . .
I ain’t sorry.
You can do it, but will you?
For Review Only
HooTar.indd 47 8/12/19 10:46 AM

48 Card Meanings
STRENGTH
May you be strengthened with all

power, according to his glorious
might, for all endurance and
patience with joy.
Colossians 1:11
Plant: Chamomile
The Image
A woman poses with a powerful
puma. She trusts it, and it trusts
her.
The puma, known also as the
For Review Only cougar, the mountain lion, or

the panther, is the second largest cat in North America. It is a cunning
hunter with practically no natural enemies except humans. It is a fit-
ting analogy for our inner strength, which can only be brought to the
brink of extinction by external forces. The fact of the matter is, we are
all strong, or else we wouldn’t be here. If you consider the hundreds
of sperm that competed with us to make it to our mother’s egg, but
failed, then you have no choice but to admit that we all came into the
world winners. The only challenge that we face once we get here is how
to maintain that same determination to win, grow, and transform into
even more powerful, developed beings than we were before.
Meaning
When Strength comes up in a reading, you are being asked to consider
how you will access the inner strength needed to overcome any obsta-
cles in your path. This is not a card of brute force, but one of subtlety,
patience, and endurance. It’s a reminder that you have what it takes to
HooTar.indd 48 8/12/19 10:46 AM

triumph over whatever may be troubling you, if you don’t push too hard
or act a fool. If someone has really pissed you off, it’s critical that you
heed this advice, or you could make a mistake that could make things
worse. It might get you, or someone else, hurt or locked up. Just chill,
and things will work out fine.
If you receive Strength in a reading, consider the following:
Are you strong enough to be compassionate?

Use the power of persuasion to get the results you’re seeking.
She/he is an influencer. Pay attention.
Brute force or bluntness will backfire now. Be careful.
You can get through this difficult time, if you’d just calm down.
If you would want to be forgiven in that situation, then forgive.
Don’t give up! You can do it!
Reject any attempts someone is making to intimidate you.
For Review Only
Stop complaining. There will always be setbacks, no matter what
you’re trying to do. It’s time to get solution based.
Take a chill pill.
HooTar.indd 49 8/12/19 10:46 AM

50 Card Meanings
DR. GRANT
(The Hermit)
But he [Jesus] would withdraw to

desolate places and pray . . .
Luke 5:16
Plant: Duckweed
The Image
Dr. Grant is shown in solitude,
picking herbs and roots in the
swamps of Louisiana.
Dr. Grant was a Protestant con-

jure doctor from New Orleans.
For Review Only Unfortunately, the details of

his life are unknown. By the time Zora Neale Hurston interviewed
Dr. Grant and others in the thirties, many conjure doctors were using
herbs and other supplies from catalogs. Dr. Grant, however, was a proud
“swamper” that preferred to do things the old-fashioned way by gather-
ing what he needed in the wild. Dr. Grant reminded Hurston of a few
critical, but often forgotten, lessons: (1) believe in one’s limitless power,
(2) petition to spirits unequal to man, (3) know more than one way
to get a job done, and (4) acknowledge that no two people or jobs are
alike, because a remedy that works for one person may not work for
another. Dr. Grant was highly sought out for his abilities and in some
cases was paid over a hundred dollars, an exorbitant amount of money
for the time.
Meaning
When Dr. Grant appears in a reading, it may indicate the necessity for
some alone time to recharge. Specifically, it may recommend solitude in
HooTar.indd 50 8/12/19 10:46 AM

nature in order to reflect and listen. This is more important now than
ever, as we are constantly accessible to others via technology. While this
may be convenient, it is also a tremendous burden, as we have little time
to clear our heads and just be without ear buds blasting music in our ears,
a zillion advertisements or logos flashing before our eyes, or social media
alerts pinging for us to engage with the world again. They won’t stop. So
you must make a conscious decision once in a while to make it stop.
Let’s be clear, this card is not about just sitting in the park for a few
minutes looking at pretty trees, flowers, or a squirrel before you get back
online. No, it’s about considering the essence of that tree, those flowers,
and the squirrel, and how you’re connected to them. It’s about perceiv-
ing the interrelationships of all things to the other and the extraction
of power from fundamental reality. For it is from the comprehension of
source that knowledge may be accessed and distilled. Remember, if you
take something from Mother Nature, don’t forget to give something
(biodegradable) to her and her creatures in return.
For Review Only
This card may also indicate that you’re seeking knowledge and
you’re ready to take things to the next level. It’s time to seek guidance
from a worthy teacher.
If you receive Dr. Grant in a reading, consider the following:
Do you understand the importance of alone time?

Maybe it would be better to stay home tonight?
Silence is golden.
Focus on finding out the truth.
Be in the world, not of it.
Pay more attention to your guru or spiritual counselor.
Did you really consider the advice you received about that issue?
It’s okay to take a break from him, her, them, or that in order to
reevaluate things.
Meditate more.
Follow your inner voice.
HooTar.indd 51 8/12/19 10:46 AM

52 Card Meanings
AUNT CAROLINE
(Wheel of Fortune)
There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity
under the heavens.
Ecclesiastes 3:1
Plant: Hickory
The Image
Aunt Caroline is standing in the
doorway of her home in Newport,
surrounded by reporters.
For Review Only

Caroline Dye (1843–1918),
a.k.a Aunt Caroline, was born
into slavery in South Carolina before being relocated, along with
her parents, to Arkansas. After being freed in 1865, she married and
began her work as a cartomancer. Playing cards were her specialty.
Aunt Caroline had been aware of her psychic gifts as a child, and she
quickly earned a reputation as an effective and reliable counselor. Her
clients were racially diverse, and it was not uncommon to see entire
train cars of people disembarking in Newport to seek out her services.
Aunt Caroline was industrious too. She sold meals to the crowds of
people that awaited her, and she invested in land and property with
the money she earned. There is also a legend that she buried a cache
of gold somewhere in the area. After her death, many people tried
to find the treasure but were unsuccessful. Aunt Caroline’s skill and
amazing rags-to-riches story are two reasons why she became a legend.
HooTar.indd 52 8/12/19 10:46 AM

Meaning
When Aunt Caroline appears in a reading, it is an indication that fate is
a factor regarding whatever you are inquiring about. Wrack your brain
about what you or someone else could have done differently, if you like,
but the truth is that everything turned out exactly how it was sup-
posed to. This can be a very hard pill to swallow in an age when people
want to believe their thoughts or choices always dictate outcomes. The
existence of a greater plan is not a welcome concept today, because it
implies vulnerability, which is automatically translated to weakness in
the minds of many.
We are used to images of people casually walking away in slow
motion from explosions, or crashing through windows without a
scratch. We then want to be indestructible, unflappable people too, but
this is not the movies. We know in real life that those characters most
likely would have died in that raging inferno, and the window crasher
would be blinded or cut to ribbons. The audience likes that these things
For Review Only
didn’t occur; they like the implication that the characters escaped or
were cooler than what fate had planned for them.
Aunt Caroline teaches us that this way of thinking is a fantasy.
No one can escape their fate, and incidents are no accidents. She also
teaches us to expect the unexpected.
This card may also be trying to tell you that in order to understand
why things are happening or turned out the way they did, you must
consider the big picture.
If you receive Aunt Caroline in a reading, consider the following:
Have you thought about turning that unexpected incident into

an opportunity?
This was fated.
When one door closes, another one opens.
HooTar.indd 53 8/12/19 10:46 AM

54 Card Meanings
Was it really an accident?

Your luck is about to change.
You don’t like change? Tough shit, it’s about to.
We’re all just players in one big chess game.
Do you really think this is all about you?
Get out of your own way.
Why were you born? Why are you here?
Miracles happen every day.
Do you respect the cycle of life?
How do you feel about getting older?
For Review Only
HooTar.indd 54 8/12/19 10:46 AM

DR. BUZZARD
(Justice)
And I will execute great vengeance

upon them with furious rebukes;
and they shall know that I am
the LORD, when I shall lay my
vengeance upon them.
Ezekial 25:17
Plant: Galangal Root

(Alpinia galanga)
The Image
Dr. Buzzard is standing in front
of a court house, laughing joy-
For Review Only ously after winning a case for a

client. Behind him is Lady Justice, wearing a Kongo witchdoctor mask,
similar to the one his father would have worn in Africa. This symbol-
izes domination and being a law unto oneself. Instead of the sword,
Lady Justice is holding a bouquet of galangal (the technical term for
Chewing John root), because she now works for Dr. Buzzard and that
is his weapon. He is showing you a piece of the root. In the other hand,
where Lady Justice usually holds the scales, there is nothing, because his
way is the only option. Instead, the scales are put to better use collecting
Dr. Buzzard’s cigarette ashes.
Stephen Robinson (1860–1947), a.k.a. Dr. Buzzard, was a famous

rootworker from St. Helena Island, South Carolina. His specialty
was “chewing the root” in court, a practice designed to protect crimi-
nal defendants from guilty verdicts or harsh sentences. This practice
brought Robinson in conflict with J. E. McTeer, sheriff of Beaufort
County. McTeer attempted to charge Robinson with practicing
HooTar.indd 55 8/12/19 10:46 AM

56 Card Meanings
edicine without a license, but failed when his primary witness went
m
into convulsions on the witness stand. McTeer’s subsequent attempts
to convict Robinson failed.
Dr. Buzzard attracted clients, both locally and from around the
country, until his death in early 1947. According to legend, Robinson’s
father was a witchdoctor who had been brought directly to St. Helena
from West Africa. Robinson was said to have wielded enormous spiri-
tual power and was sought out by southerners of all racial and socio-
economic backgrounds.
Meaning
Justice, like everything else, is a social construct that is defined by those in
power. To the majority of Americans, justice is equated with courts, law
enforcement, politicians, or maybe even karma. This is not the case for
rootworkers, as historically, when Black Americans have sought justice, all
they find are “just us,” as the old saying goes. So, if someone had a problem,
For Review Only
they sought out a rootworker to help them solve it. While usually root-
workers believe in God or some other higher power, they do not consider
revenge for a genuinely offensive action to be a bad thing. That’s if they
consider “good” or “bad” at all, since such dualities didn’t traditionally
exist in African or Indigenous culture in quite the same way as European
societies. Therefore, it is not considered immoral to root someone that
hurt you or someone you love. There is no sentient creature on this Earth
that will sacrifice life, food, or the well-being of themselves andtheir fami-
lies without a vicious fight. Nor are there any that will voluntarily suffer
so that the offender or hunter does not. There is no negative karma for
the bull-goring the matador. The rootworker understands this.
If you receive Dr. Buzzard in a reading, consider the following:
What would be a fair way to resolve this conflict?

Did you do something wrong? If no, don’t worry about it. If yes,
then you’re about topay the price.
HooTar.indd 56 8/12/19 10:46 AM

Did someone do something wrong to you? If no, don’t worry

about it. If yes, then they’ve set the wheel of justice in motion
against themselves.
Have you taken responsibility for all of the choices you’ve made?
If something is forgivable, then forgive. If not, now what?
If revenge is taken for an offense, will you regret that you did it
once you’ve calmed down? If so, then chill out and move on.
For Review Only
HooTar.indd 57 8/12/19 10:46 AM

58 Card Meanings
GULLAH JACK
(The Hanged Man)
The heart of man plans his way,

but the LORD establishes his
steps.
Proverbs 16:9
Plant: Hemp
The Image
Gullah Jack has a noose around
his neck, but his face is serene.
He has a Kongo cosmogram as
his third eye.
For Review Only

Gullah Jack (?–1822) was a Bakongo prisoner of war that was sold
into slavery in Zanzibar. He was eventually sent to Charleston, South
Carolina and purchased by a man named Paul Pritchard. Gullah Jack
had a reputation as a powerful rootworker with a particular talent for
making protective amulets. This may have been one of the reasons
Telemaque, a.k.a Denmark Vesey, recruited him to plan a revolt con-
sisting of only African-born men against the colonists. Gullah Jack
instructed the rebels to eat a special diet of corn and peanuts the day
of the attack, and provided them with crab claws as a talisman to keep
them safe. He also threatened to put the root on any other slaves that
spoke of the plan. Unfortunately for the rebels, the plan was betrayed,
and the revolt was suppressed. All of the plotters, including Gullah
Jack, were sentenced to death, but not before Gullah Jack used mysteri-
ous hand gestures, presumably to curse all of their oppressors. Gullah
Jack was hanged on July 2, 1822.
HooTar.indd 58 8/12/19 10:46 AM

Meaning
When Gullah Jack appears in a reading, you are most likely feeling stuck
or severely limited. This card asks that you endure any discomfort, pain,
or humiliation nobly until it’s time to get moving again. In the mean-
time, there is nothing you can do except be patient. This would be an
excellent time to take up a course of study, practice meditation, read
philosophy, and pray.
Ask for the wisdom to know exactly what to do, and how to get it
done once your life is no longer on pause. Whatever you do, don’t try to
resist or force things to proceed prematurely.
This card is a reminder to be man or woman enough to accept any
consequences of your actions. If the current stalemate is the direct result
of your own ignorance or bad choices, then tough shit. Don’t do the
crime, if you can’t do the time. You’ll be free once the necessary lessons
have been learned.
Gullah Jack could also be trying to tell you that, sometimes, the
For Review Only
sacrifice of your own desires for the good of the whole is the right thing
to do.
If you receive Gullah Jack in a reading, consider the following:
Wait!
Pause and reflect.
It’s okay to be vulnerable sometimes.
Accept it. This is just the way it has to be for now.
What will it take for you to just let it go?
It’s okay to change your mind.
If the sacrifice is worth it, then what are you waiting for?
Now it’s time to put the needs of others first. Okay?
HooTar.indd 59 8/12/19 10:46 AM

60 Card Meanings
ANCESTORS
(Death)
The eye [that] mocketh at [his]

father, and despiseth to obey [his]
mother, the ravens of the valley
shall pick it out, and the young
eagles shall eat it.
Proverbs 30:17
Plant: Flower of Stone
The Image
A happy baby is lying in a crib.
Though her form is young, there
is a part of her that is very old.
For Review Only The half of her face that is skel-

etal reflects this eternal connection with the ancestors.
Ancestor veneration is one of the least discussed, but most ubiquitous,

features of human life since time immemorial. Though the aesthetics of
ancestral veneration vary depending on the culture, there are few people
that feel comfortable with their dead just being dead. Instead, humans
have created hundreds of other dimensions for their souls to inhabit,
where they may or may not be accessible to the living. In Hoodoo, we
may have access to any spirit of the dead, if the deceased is willing and
we are skilled enough to make and maintain contact.
It was quite common in both Indigenous American and African
cultures to consult the ancestors via various methods of divination,
channeling, or meditation, for those in the community that had the
skill and the authority to do so. The death of family members was no
excuse to begin excluding them from the affairs of the nation, rites, and
HooTar.indd 60 8/12/19 10:46 AM

rituals, nor from giving their input regarding the major life decisions
of their living relations. In the traditional mind, neither time nor space
could separate us from our kin.
Ancestral veneration, however, is much deeper than lighting candles,
attending special events, or asking questions now and then. Ancestral
veneration, in its most traditional sense, is supposed to inform our
behavior on a daily and continual basis. It’s about knowing, honor-
ing, and defending one’s bloodline. It’s about personifying the most
esteemed values of your foremothers and forefathers, and doing one’s
best to add on positively to your family’s legacy. It’s about reflecting on
and identifying how our parents and grandparents’ actions affected our
lives, and considering how our decisions could affect our great-grand-
children tomorrow.
Meaning
Death is not a subject most Westerners or Western-educated people like
For Review Only
to discuss. It’s an event that will happen to each and every one of us, yet
it is considered morbid, weird, or taboo to spend any time contemplat-
ing it. It cannot be spring, summer, or fall forever. Eventually, the end
must come to make way for something new. Death is just the beginning
of that something. So when The Ancestors card turns up in a reading,
you are being reminded that the only thing that is truly permanent is
impermanence. It’s okay to be sad, it’s okay to mourn, but you must let
go. Life goes on.
If you receive The Ancestors in a reading, consider the following:
Every end is also a new beginning.

The only thing that is constant is change.
Put the past behind you and start over.
Learn how to embrace the unknown.
Do you know who your ancestors are?
HooTar.indd 61 8/12/19 10:46 AM

62 Card Meanings
What does your lineage/ancestral heritage mean to you?

In what ways are you and your ancestors the same? How are you
different?
Do you feel connected to your ancestors? Why or why not?
Do you communicate with and/or venerate your ancestors? If not,
why not? If so, how?
Do genealogy research or create a family tree.
For Review Only
HooTar.indd 62 8/12/19 10:46 AM

FATHER SIMMS
(Temperance)
Who gives the ibis wisdom or gives

the rooster understanding?
Job 38:36
Plant: Peavine
The Image
Father Simms is dressed in the
purple satin robe he liked to work
in. The rooster represents him,
and the two streams of water rep-
resent his baptism as a two-headed
doctor (a Hoodoo that does
For Review Only “good” and “bad” work).
Father George Simms, born Joe Watson and nicknamed “the Frizzly
Rooster,” was a preacher and rootworker from New Orleans. They
called him the Frizzly Rooster because many people kept at least one
chicken in the backyard, for the sole purpose of scratching up any roots
that may have been placed there by an enemy. He had a reputation for
being able to effectively place or lift curses and read anyone. Father
Simms was a bit eccentric, and was comfortable doing “good” or “bad”
workings.
He gave sermons at Myrtle Wreath Hall, and that’s where his most
famous student, Zora Neale Hurston, made his acquaintance. After
weeks of performing superficial tasks without anything being explained
to her, she was initiated by Father Simms, given the name “The Boss
of Candles,” and finally taught the deeper mysteries. It is a common
misconception that rootwork is never an initiatic system, because while
this is the case for many, initiations are not unheard of.
HooTar.indd 63 8/12/19 10:46 AM

64 Card Meanings
Meaning
When Father Simms comes up in a reading, it’s asking you to review
your position regarding your inquiry. If you’ve taken an extreme or one-
sided position, now’s the time to consider things from a more balanced
perspective. Things do not have to be black and white, so don’t force it
to be! If you have been asked to compromise or cooperate, but you feel
resistant to the idea, this card is a good sign that you haven’t considered
all of the aspects of the situation. If you’ve been asked to give someone
an answer, don’t respond until you feel more centered. To do otherwise
may cause deep regret and feelings to be hurt unnecessarily. Try to be
fair.
If you receive Father Simms in a reading, consider the following:
What would be gained by compromising? Is it worth more than

the perceived loss?
For Review Only
Are you being fair?
Sometimes less is more.
Extremists never think they’re extreme.
Peace is priceless.
Focus on healing and recovery.
An alliance is not such a bad idea.
What am I bringing to the pot luck dinner?
Perhaps add something else to the mix.
Other races, religions, and ethnic groups exist. Maybe it’s time to
learn more about other people?
HooTar.indd 64 8/12/19 10:46 AM

MISS ROBINSON
(The Devil)
Now the earth was formless and

empty, darkness was over the
surface of the deep, and the Spirit
of God was hovering over the
waters.
Genesis 1:2
Plant: Belladonna, Hemlock
The Image
Miss Robinson is proudly dis-
playing the funeral program of
Reginald Patrick.
For Review Only

Miss Robinson (?–1952) was a Hoodoo from Orangeburg, South
Carolina. According to the people in her small town, she was a sweet,
law-abiding woman, unless someone crossed her.
One day after church, Miss Robinson saw a few parishioners gath-
ered around a woman named Mrs. Patrick. As Miss Robinson walked
by, Mrs. Patrick said loudly that she didn’t believe rootworkers should
be welcome in the church, and that it was a bunch of made-up non-
sense. Miss Robinson tried her best to ignore her, until she noticed
people started treating her differently. They were making up excuses
for why she couldn’t visit, and her clients started cancelling appoint-
ments. It turned out that Mrs. Patrick was trying her best to destroy
Miss Robinson’s entire life, even though she hardly knew her.
Miss Robinson finally approached Mrs. Patrick after church and
told her to never speak ill about her again, or she would be sorry. Mrs.
Patrick laughed and elbowed her cronies and said that would never hap-
pen, so she might as well go ahead and root her then! Miss Robinson
HooTar.indd 65 8/12/19 10:46 AM

66 Card Meanings
told her that she was made for rootworking, and that if she couldn’t
have what she loved the most, then neither would she. Mrs. Patrick
howled with laughter and walked away with the other ladies, leaving
Miss Robinson standing there furious.
Twenty-nine days later, Mrs. Patrick’s nine-year-old son, Reginald,
died unexpectedly after having a cold. Everyone knew that Reginald
was Mrs. Patrick’s pride and joy. Not only was he her only child, she
couldn’t have any more, so she was absolutely devastated by the loss. As
the mourners filed out of the funeral home, Miss Robinson was seen
smiling as she fanned herself with a memorial program from across the
road. Mrs. Patrick, now totally broken, moved out of town the follow-
ing day.
Meaning
When Miss Robinson appears in a reading, you may be involved in a
negative situation that has the potential to become even more unpleas-
For Review Only
ant, unhealthy, or dangerous. Stop it before things go too far.
This card may also be trying to alert you to the fact that you have
an addiction or obsession involving a person, idea, intoxicant, or object,
which will ultimately hurt you more than you could ever imagine. Get
help if you need it.
If you are engaged in a lifestyle that attracts negative, unbalanced,
or violent people, now is the time to be on high alert.
This card may also be a reminder to stop bullying or being abusive
to others. Stop being so manipulative!
Beware of liars, back-biters, syndicators, and frenemies in your
midst.
This is also a warning against excessive focus on worldly things, bad
news, pain, suffering, and ugliness.
If you receive Miss Robinson in a reading, consider the following:
HooTar.indd 66 8/12/19 10:46 AM

Am I feeling trapped? By whom or what?

Everyone that says they have good intentions, don’t mean it.
Evil is a point of view.
What did I really invite into my life when I said/did that?
Don’t let your mouth write a check your ass can’t cash.
An apology may be necessary.
Maybe I have a problem?
Am I ready, willing, and able to do jail time if I get caught?
Things may not be as good as they seem to be.
He or she may be cheating on you.
Am I purposely choosing to remain ignorant because I don’t want
to face the truth?
Perhaps no one likes to talk to me because I’m often negative/
depressing/expressing doubt.
Why don’t I believe in myself?
Why do I expect the worst possible outcome?
For Review Only
HooTar.indd 67 8/12/19 10:46 AM

68 Card Meanings
THE BIG HOUSE

(The Tower)
But the cormorant and the bittern

shall possess it; the owl also and
the raven shall dwell in it: and
he shall stretch out upon it the
line of confusion, and the stones of
emptiness.
Isaiah 34:11
Plant: Oak
The Image
A woman, looking at a plantation
home with a rose-colored lens, is
For Review Only unable to see the suffering of the

people plummeting from the window. It’s like they don’t even exist.
There is no greater symbol of southern gentility than a majestic planta-

tion home surrounded by lush, Victorian gardens. Every year, millions
of people from all around the world flock to the South for plantation
tours, as their guides prattle on about lemonade, quaint customs, and
corseted balls during what many call a simpler time. What they don’t
tell you is most of those villages and fields were already there and thriv-
ing, prior to the arrival of foreigners. In other words, indigenous people
were literally forced to work on their own land! So, while this “simpler
time” was certainly the reality for hundreds of prosperous slave owners,
it was not for thousands of enslaved people and indentured servants.
For them, the big house was far from beautiful, but was instead an
unpredictable house of horrors.
HooTar.indd 68 8/12/19 10:46 AM

Meaning
When The Big House comes up in a reading, it may be trying to pre-
pare you for a sudden change, and the subsequent trauma that will come
from it. There will be no opportunity to adjust; you will simply have to
deal with things the best way you know how.
If you are not a big embracer of change or you don’t like surprises,
life is about to suck big time, but it doesn’t have to. The best thing to
do when you get the news is to fight the urge to resist or deny whatever
is occurring, and try your best to look on the bright side. If there is no
bright side, or you’re presently unable to see it, then seek support imme-
diately. Reach out to family, friends, and neighbors or call a hotline . . .
talk to someone! It’s important that you have people around now that
can keep you focused and grounded as the winds of change uproots all
that seemed permanent.
If you receive The Big House in a reading, consider the following:

For Review Only
Your plans may be disrupted in a way you can’t imagine.
Is this a breakdown or a breakthrough?
In what way does this change hurt your ego?
Things may actually turn out better in the end.
What or who do you need to help you through this difficult time?
There is a danger of going completely off the rails. Mind your
temper.
And just like that, it’s over. Pick up the pieces and let it go.
How could this experience inspire you to new heights?
Why do you think that idea just came out of the blue?
Perhaps it’s not such a big surprise at all; you just weren’t ready to
see it.
The truth hurts.
HooTar.indd 69 8/12/19 10:46 AM

70 Card Meanings
THE GRANDCHILDREN
(The Star)
Early the next morning Laban

kissed his grandchildren and his
daughters and blessed them. Then
he left and returned home.
Genesis 31:55
Plant: Scarlet Rosemallow
The Image
A grandparent cups a child’s tiny
hands, as the child holds a star-
shaped flower.
For Review Only

Since time immemorial, humans have been fascinated by the stars. Not
only because they’re beautiful, but because they represent our highest
goals, dreams, and aspirations. In Black American families, the star
would be analogous to one’s grandchildren, as the ultimate symbol of
hope. After centuries of terrorism, psychological warfare, enslavement,
and oppressive legislation, every elder prays that their progeny will not
only survive, but will finally be allowed to thrive. They hope that they
will not have to beg or ask permission to exist, and will finally be able
to live their lives on their own terms. It is on the grandchildren that
wishes are earnestly placed.
Meaning
When The Grandchildren appears in a reading, it’s a sign that relief
from any stress, negativity, or despair is on its way. If there is no sign of
hope evident in your life yet, just be patient and you will soon see the
proof that things are looking up. Blessings shall abound!
HooTar.indd 70 8/12/19 10:46 AM

If you receive The Grandchildren in a reading, consider the

following:
Do I regularly count my blessings?

Believing doesn’t require proof.
What can I do to regain hope?
Find a way to become inspired.
Give without seeking anything in return.
What motivates you to get up in the morning and do it all again?
Miracles happen every day. Why can’t they happen to you?
Perhaps it’s time for the old and the young to get together and
enjoy each other’s company.
Blessings are on the way.
It might be time to share some words of wisdom with someone
younger or less mature.
All will turn out right in the end.
For Review Only
HooTar.indd 71 8/12/19 10:46 AM

72 Card Meanings
PA
(The Moon)
And for the precious fruits brought

forth by the sun, and for the
precious things put forth by the
moon.
Deuteronomy 33:14
Plant: Moonflower
The Image
A grandfather and grandson are
sitting on the steps of the front
porch, enjoying each other’s com-
pany. The moon shines brightly
For Review Only above them. Grandpa has his

Prince Hall regalia on, and his grandson is wearing a fez. This card
reflects the fact that Black American men were once the most populous
members of various secret societies and fraternal orders in the United
States.
The word “moon” has its origin in the Anglo-Saxon word mona, and
it was associated with masculinity. In fact, this was also the case for
the ancient Egyptians, Cherokee, Arabs, Mbocobis, Inuits, Teutons,
Latins, and many others. That may come as a surprise for many, as
the moon has been associated with femininity in the western mind for
quite some time. The gendering of objects as one or the other is not
right or wrong, but instead merely reflects a culture’s perspective on the
nature of things. For the majority of matriarchal Black Americans, the
moon may be a fitting symbol for the patriarchs of our bloodline in its
entirety, or for our grandfathers.
The moon is illuminated by the light from the sun, yet there is
HooTar.indd 72 8/12/19 10:46 AM

always a side that remains occult or hidden from view. Similarly, it

is common for people to know much more regarding the inner and
outer lives of the women in their families than they do about the men.
Though the moon appears to shine very brightly sometimes, it only
reflects under 15 percent of the sun’s light. It all depends on where the
moon is on its journey, its phase, and the angles at which the sunlight
hits it. This is analogous to the tendency of men to conceal their feel-
ings, and to their desire to keep some aspects about what they’ve done
or what they do private.
The moon also is known to have a direct impact on the minds of
people and the Earth’s tides. In other words, they essentially set the
mood of the planet. The analogy here is obvious, as men are dominant
in all affairs concerning law and order. It’s also certainly no secret that
the moods of most women are often dictated by what the men in their
lives are doing or not doing. Most people are also more fearful of lunar
associations than solar ones, as it is during the night, when the moon
For Review Only
is out, that we are forced to face the music after we have done some-
thing wrong. Similarly, many of us shuddered at the thought of our
father being told about our naughty behavior and punishing us when
he returned later that evening.
Meaning
When Pa appears in a reading, you are being asked to consider that
you might not know everything there is to know about the situation at
hand. Not only that, but the details are possibly being purposely hidden
from you. Most likely there is no concrete proof you’re being deceived,
but you undoubtedly sense something is wrong.
Pa may also be trying to tell you that, sometimes, you must seek
truths that have been intentionally veiled or obscured by darkness in
order to protect them. Everyone knows the most valuable and precious
items are kept out of reach from casual browsers or lazy thieves that
don’t want to do the work to attain them for themselves. This is why
our money, jewels, and other precious things are kept in boxes, vaults,
HooTar.indd 73 8/12/19 10:46 AM

74 Card Meanings
and other secure, inconspicuous locations, where they will be safe. So it

is with certain knowledge as well.
Another meaning of Pa could be highlighting the necessity to get
treatment for anxieties and depression, or to face your fears. Seek clarity.
If you receive Pa in a reading, consider the following:
You might be being deceived by someone.

You are in danger of delusional thinking.
You know you have some inner demons. Are you ready to face
them?
Whatever or whoever is getting on your nerves has to go. It’s
affecting your health.
Don’t ignore that bad feeling, or you’ll be sorry.
Try not to be such a wimp.
A smile is a frown turned upside down.
For Review Only
This is the dark side of the force.
You’re as fake as a six-dollar bill. Stop it.
Self-deception is ultimately self-destruction.
What’s the meaning of that dream you had?
Try to understand the perspective of the weird or eccentric person
that’s come into your life.
After you clear your head, you’ll be able to find your way again.
Think of ways to express your creativity. There’s healing in that.
Pay attention to signs, visions, and warnings.
HooTar.indd 74 8/12/19 10:46 AM

BIG MAMA
(The Sun)
I am reminded of your sincere

faith, a faith that dwelt first in
your grandmother Lois and your
mother Eunice and now, I am
sure, dwells in you as well.
2 Timothy 1:5
Plant: Sunflower
The Image
Big Mama is holding a plate of
homemade cornbread, with the
sun shining brightly behind her.
For Review Only She wears a skeleton key as a

necklace to symbolize her all-encompassing wisdom.
Big Mama is a term of endearment for the matriarch of one’s family.

It is an acknowledgment of her wisdom, strength, authority, leadership
skills, and ability to nurture multiple generations. Traditionally, all
elders of both genders were to be respected for these qualities, but no
one is bigger than Big Mama. As the caregiver of so many children and
the transmitter of family history, lore, and spirituality, she is the fam-
ily’s jewel and guiding light.
Today, Big Mama’s role in many families is not as prominent as
it used to be before desegregation. As Black Americans increasingly
interacted with ethnic groups that were more youth-oriented and patri-
archal, the ethical, hierarchical, and conceptual foundation of the com-
munity started to shift. Also adding to this alteration of thought was
the movement away from the Church. It was there that the values of
their forebearers were reinforced, celebrated, and discussed. Often, it
HooTar.indd 75 8/12/19 10:46 AM

76 Card Meanings
was your Big Mama (or someone else’s that you knew well or were kin
to) that also held the prestigious title of “Mother of the Church.”
Like the sun, the matriarch is a warm, centralized force, without
whom growth would be impossible.
Meaning
When you receive Big Mama in a reading, you better believe that no
matter how dark it is now, the light is coming and everything is going
to be alright!
Big Mama may also be speaking about being willing and able to
share your glory, your light, and your power with others. This is not the
time to lay low; this is your time to shine.
If you receive Big Mamma in a reading, consider the following:
Do you fear being brilliant or successful?

For Review Only
What is being highlighted?
It’s okay to be the center of attention sometimes.
What does enlightenment mean to you?
Take a personal day from work.
Who are the important players in the situation?
Am I exhibiting a positive attitude?
Reputations matter.
It’s time to celebrate.
Confidence is the best cosmetic.
What do you need to do to look and feel your best?
HooTar.indd 76 8/12/19 10:46 AM

DEM BONES
(Judgment)
Do not judge by appearances, but

judge with right judgment.
John 7:24
Plant: Carolina Buckthorn
The Image
A woman puts her hand over
her mouth in shock at what the
bones on the table reveal to her.
Astragalomancy, meaning divi-

nation using bones or dice,
For Review Only was practiced by Indigenous

American and African people. Divination with bones requires the
reader to associate different meanings with each bone, based on where
and how they land. The bones of chickens and cats were the most
commonly used, but other small and medium-sized animals were also
acceptable. Contrary to popular belief, the choice of which animal to
use was strictly up to each individual rootworker. A set of dem bones
could include not only the remains of an animal, but also other items
such as keys, seashells, and crystals. Like other forms of divination, all
the items in a reader’s set had clear associations, but it’s a reader’s innate
talent that determines accuracy.
Meaning
When Dem Bones appears in a reading, you are being reminded that
it’s time to focus on what you need, rather than what you want. Most
likely, you will have to make some tough choices, but if you’re willing
HooTar.indd 77 8/12/19 10:46 AM

78 Card Meanings
to put your ego aside and do what you have to do, the best possible
outcome is guaranteed.
Dem Bones may be reminding you that people are going to talk
about you no matter what you do. So make sure that you remain in
alignment with your goals, dreams, and aspirations. Acknowledge that
no one escapes judgment, even if the judge is oneself.
Dem bones could also indicate that it is time for a more in-depth
reading concerning a matter of great importance. This reading will pro-
vide relief and solutions to your problems.
If you receive Dem Bones in a reading, consider the following:
It may be time for an honest self-assessment.

What is your reputation? Are you still in alignment with it?
If you want a fresh start, start fresh.
The neutral position is no longer an option.
For Review Only
Do others need to know where you stand on that issue? If so, stop
stalling and tell them!
HooTar.indd 78 8/12/19 10:46 AM

THE GARDEN
(The World)
The LORD will guide you always;

he will satisfy your needs in a sun-
scorched land and will strengthen
your frame. You will be like a
well-watered garden, like a spring
whose waters never fail.
Isaiah 58:11
Plant: Cosmos
The Image
A woman is happily watering her
garden.
For Review Only

Prior to the Industrial Revolution, most Americans were farmers by
trade. It was hard work, but people took great pride in knowing that
the produce that fed and cured their families were grown by their own
hands. For people with more resources, gardening eventually became
a relaxing leisure activity that allowed them to connect with nature
or express themselves creatively. Either way, whether for utilitarian or
recreational purposes, the rule for a successful harvest doesn’t change,
which is this: mind your crops!
Meaning
When The Garden appears in a reading, it’s letting you know that
you’ve successfully taken care of business, and it’s time to reap all the
goodness that you’ve sown. Count your blessings.
If your query relates to gossip or rumors, The Garden could be try-
ing to tell you to mind your own business. It’s reminding you of how
much better the world would be if everyone focused on their own
HooTar.indd 79 8/12/19 10:46 AM

80 Card Meanings
affairs, instead of being concerned about what others are doing and how
they’re doing it.
If you receive The Garden in a reading, consider the following:
In what ways do you heal the world?

Seriously consider the benefits of working there, or joining that
club, etc.
The solution has arrived. There is nothing more to seek.
What makes you feel safe, grounded, and whole?
Don’t wait for anyone else to have a pleasurable experience.
Stop and smell the roses.
Learn the art of being content.
You made it. Now enjoy it.
For Review Only
HooTar.indd 80 8/12/19 10:46 AM

ForThe Family
Review Only
(Court Cards)
HooTar.indd 81 8/12/19 10:46 AM

82 Card Meanings
MOTHER OF STICKS
Plant: Tobacco
The Image
The Mother of Sticks is shown
with a crown of tobacco leaves
that is reminiscent of early
colonial era “Black Virginian”
advertisements. She is wearing
a tartan fastened with a grouse
foot brooch as a good luck
charm. The Mother of Sticks’
pipe is lit by a kite. There are five
types of kites living in the south-
ern United States, and like the
For Review Only Mother of Sticks, these beautiful
raptors are determined to keep moving forward. So much so that they
never take a break. They eat, drink, and even bathe in flight!
Meaning
The Mother of Sticks is one of the most uplifting cards in the deck. On
the positive side, she is optimistic, fiery, confident, courageous, focused,
and powerful. On the negative side, she is malicious, over-bearing, arro-
gant, two-faced, a workaholic, or a major drama queen. In a reading,
if she doesn’t represent a literal person with these qualities, then she
represents these attributes.
HooTar.indd 82 8/12/19 10:46 AM

The Family (Court Cards) 83
FATHER OF STICKS
Plant: Rye
The Image
A highly successful nineteenth
century Hoodoo man named
Dr. James Alexander, a.k.a
Indian Jim, who lived in New
Orleans but was originally from
Mississippi, is depicted as the
Father of Sticks. He was known
for his curing ceremonies that
included the distribution of fruit
covered in burning brandy. He
would also do head washings
For Review Only with the brandy.
Meaning
The Father of Sticks is generally a benefic card. On the positive side, he
is visionary, adventurous, goal-oriented, wise, and trustworthy, with a
“can-do” attitude and natural-born leadership. On the negative side, he
is cowardly, incompetent, immature, impotent, and reckless. In a read-
ing, if he doesn’t represent a literal person with these qualities, then he
HooTar.indd 83 8/12/19 10:46 AM

84 Card Meanings
DAUGHTER OF STICKS
Plant: Fenugreek, Garlic
The Image
The Daughter of Sticks is rearing
up on a horse in order to change
directions. The flock of birds
above seem to indicate that this
is the best course of action.
Meaning
The Daughter of Sticks is all
about getting pumped up to get
the job done and maintaining
that high energy until the very
For Review Only end. On the positive side, she is
passionate, determined, bold, free-spirited, charming, revolutionary,
self-assured, and loves to travel. On the negative side, she is hot-tem-
pered, abusive, overly competitive, insecure, loud, boisterous, jealous,
a show-off, and a habitual procrastinator. In a reading, if she doesn’t
represent a literal person with these qualities, then she represents these
attributes.
HooTar.indd 84 8/12/19 10:46 AM

SON OF STICKS
Plant: Burdock
The Image
The Son of Sticks shows off his
six-fingered left hand as he tri-
umphantly holds up a stick with
his right one. He is not ashamed
of being polydactyl; in fact, he’s
proud of it. Polydactylism, along
with dark Mongolian spots,
webbed fingers and toes, and
being born with a caul over one’s
face, were the physical signs that
indicated a natural talent for
For Review Only rootworking. The Son of Sticks’
ability to do highly effective crossing work (hexes) is evident by the fact
that the extra digit is on his left hand. The left hand has long been asso-
ciated with the deeper mysteries, the devil, or black magic, depending
on who you ask. The salamander and red pigmy rattlesnake symbolizes
the Sons’ power.
Meaning
The Son of Sticks represents youthful vigor. On the positive side, he is
loyal, idealistic, creative, enthusiastic, solution-based, fearless, indepen-
dent, and loves to learn. On the negative side, he is unreliable, pushy,
indecisive, confused, selfish, lazy, or a real downer that always prefers to
discuss and emphasize anything unpleasant. In a reading, if he doesn’t
represent a literal person with these qualities, then he represents these
attributes.
HooTar.indd 85 8/12/19 10:46 AM

86 Card Meanings
MOTHER OF BASKETS
Plant: Wormwood
The Image
Chloe Russell was the first
known author of a Hoodoo
dream book in the early nine-
teenth century, and is depicted
here as the Mother of Baskets.
According to legend, Chloe was
a Fulani woman, born in 1745,
that was abducted from Africa at
age nine and enslaved in Virginia.
After being freed by her captor,
she worked for thirty years as a
For Review Only seer. There are doubts that Chloe
ever existed, but that just adds to the mystery. Planetary magic squares
have been popular with occultists for centuries, and as rootworkers
began to have more access to western occult knowledge, many began to
incorporate them into their work. This one is the square of the moon.
Meaning
The Mother of Baskets represents the archetype of the compassionate
mother. On the positive side, she is empathetic, supportive, psychic,
introspective, spiritual, intuitive, and loving. On the negative side, she
is needy, emotionally unstable, impractical, a crybaby, or a pushover. In
a reading, if she doesn’t represent a literal person with these qualities,
then she represents these attributes.
HooTar.indd 86 8/12/19 10:46 AM

FATHER OF BASKETS
Plant: Violet
The Image
The Father of Baskets sits on a
boat, displaying an abundance of
fish on a string and a basket full
of blue crabs. His boat is deco-
rated with tiny mirrors. Mirrors
and silver, either worn on one’s
person or attached to boats, were
believed to bring good luck to
fishermen.
For Review Only

Meaning
The Father of Baskets represents the archetype of the nurturing father
and provider. On the positive side, he is kind, generous, diplomatic, tol-
erant, reliable, resourceful, honest, and wise. On the negative side, he is
emotionally manipulative, moody, self-destructive, and deceptive. In a
reading, if he doesn’t represent a literal person with these qualities, then
he represents these attributes.
HooTar.indd 87 8/12/19 10:46 AM

88 Card Meanings
DAUGHTER OF
BASKETS
Plant: Baneberry
The Image
Tituba was an enslaved teenager
that was accused of being a witch
in Salem, Massachusetts, and is
depicted here as the Daughter of
Baskets. She was of Arawak heri-
tage, which automatically made
her a suspicious character among
the Puritans. The Daughter of
Baskets carries a basket full of
baneberries and a pot of tea. Salem
For Review Only Harbor is in the background.
Meaning
The Daughter of Baskets is generally the bearer of good news. On the
positive side, she is charming, imaginative, creative, loyal, and has great
communication skills. On the negative side, she is delusional, jealous, a
pathological liar, a con artist, or suppresses her feelings. In a reading, if
she doesn’t represent a literal person with these qualities, then she rep-
resents these attributes.
HooTar.indd 88 8/12/19 10:46 AM

SON OF BASKETS
Plant: Maypop
The Image
The Son of Baskets is depicted
as a little boy collecting maypop
flowers near Cumberland Falls
in Kentucky, called “the Niagra
of the South.” Cumberland Falls
was considered sacred by many
Native Americans. Moonbows, a
rainbow produced by moonlight
instead of sunlight, which are
rare, are common at Cumberland
Falls. It is said that flowers and
For Review Only herbs collected the day after
a moonbow are much more potent, and were sought after by local
rootworkers.
Meaning
The Son of Baskets is the archetype of the idealist. On the positive side,
he is artistic, deep, inquisitive, unafraid of intimacy or commitment,
and has the ability to see the big picture with a great sense of humor.
On the negative side, he is immature, unproductive, undiscerning,
avoids responsibility, and iscompletely detached from reality, a loafer,
or just plain dumb. In a reading, if he doesn’t represent a literal person
with these qualities, then he represents these attributes.
HooTar.indd 89 8/12/19 10:46 AM

90 Card Meanings
MOTHER OF KNIVES
Plant: Rue
The Image
The Mother of Knives is depicted
here as a member of two presti-
gious secret societies: The Grand
United Order of Odd Fellows
and The Order of the Eastern
Star. In addition to the Church,
mutual aid, secret societies, and
fraternal and sororal organiza-
tions were the back bone of Black
American communities between
the eighteenth and twentieth
For Review Only centuries. Unlike women of other
races, Black women were welcome to participate, and were respected as
powerful leaders and influencers of many of these organizations. Here,
the Mother of Knives is a powerful bibliomancer that uses the Bible as
a guide.
Meaning
The Mother of Knives is the archetype of the warrior queen. On the
positive side, she is perceptive, analytical, forthright, witty, independent,
resilient, highly intelligent, deep, and sets clear boundaries. On the neg-
ative side, she is a perfectionist, cold-hearted, aggressive, and bitchy. In
a reading, if she doesn’t represent a literal person with these qualities,
then she represents these attributes.
HooTar.indd 90 8/12/19 10:46 AM

FATHER OF KNIVES
Plant: Slippery Elm
The Image
The Father of Knives is standing
outside of a circle of cornmeal
with a knife stuck in the cen-
ter. There are broken timepieces
in the circle, with the big hands
pointing to the numerical value
of a person’s name. Their time
annoying him is now up.
Meaning
The Father of Knives is the quint-
For Review Only essential dominant male. On the
positive side, he is assertive, intellectual, ethical, analytical, mature, and
a just leader. On the negative side, he is cruel, opinionated, vicious, abu-
sive, stoic, tyrannical, and stubborn. In a reading, if he doesn’t represent
a literal person with these qualities, then he represents these attributes.
HooTar.indd 91 8/12/19 10:46 AM

92 Card Meanings
DAUGHTER OF KNIVES
Plant: Yarrow
The Image
The Daughter of Knives is a
spiritualist that has made con-
tact with a plethora of spirits via
her talking board. She is talented
at what she does, so the mes-
sages come so fast that it’s almost
overwhelming.
Meaning
The Daughter of Knives repre-
sents swift delivery of messages
For Review Only and the accomplishment of goals.
On the positive side, she is logical, quick-witted, action-oriented, well-
informed, direct, philosophical, and always up for a challenge. On the
negative side, she is sarcastic, condescending, rude, impatient, domi-
neering, insensitive, acidic, and pedantic. In a reading, if she doesn’t
attributes.
HooTar.indd 92 8/12/19 10:46 AM

SON OF KNIVES
Plant: Ragweed
The Image
The Son of Knives stands in front
of a church, clasping a switch
blade and a razor as he awaits
the arrival of his opponent. The
winner of this slash fest must face
no retribution from the family of
the wounded or deceased man, as
the battle takes place before the
eyes of God.
Meaning
For Review Only The Son of Knives represents the
tendency to go too hard and provoke others. On the positive side, he is
innovative, gung ho, energetic, vigilant, clever, and persuasive. On the
negative side, he is pushy, aggressive, two-faced, a gossip, a hustler, and
likes to take unnecessary risks and spread rumors and drama. In a read-
ing, if he doesn’t represent a literal person with these qualities, then he
HooTar.indd 93 8/12/19 10:46 AM

94 Card Meanings
MOTHER OF COINS
Plant: Jasmine, Lavender
The Image
The Mother of Coins is lying in
a comfy bed, surrounded by all of
her beloved pets. She places jas-
mine and lavender on her head-
board to calm and soothe herself,
so she can fall into a deeper sleep.
The goal is to receive valuable
messages and insights from her
dreams, so that she may help her-
self and others.
For Review Only

Meaning
The Mother of Coins is all about investing time and energy to improve
one’s quality of life. On the positive side, she is an animal lover, in tune
with nature, caring, practical, resourceful, body-positive, freely expresses
warmth, and keeps her word. On the negative side, she is self-absorbed,
materialistic, a shopaholic, or a gold digger. In a reading, if she doesn’t
attributes.
HooTar.indd 94 8/12/19 10:46 AM

FATHER OF COINS
Plant: Sesame
The Image
The Father of Coins displays a
genie lamp, an incense burner,
and a mason jar oil lamp with a
mystical name of Allah inside to
attract prosperity. Orientalism
was very fashionable during the
nineteenth and early twenti-
eth centuries among the general
populace, but especially among
occultists. While headscarves,
tignons, and turbans were cer-
For Review Only tainly not new to the Black
American population, some rootworkers began to wear more elaborate
Karnak-style turbans to attract customers. It was also during this same
time period that more Black Americans became interested in research-
ing and studying their Islamic, Moorish, East Indian, and Asiatic
heritage.
Meaning
The Father of Coins is the personification of a wealthy, successful busi-
nessman. On the positive side, he is an efficient leader, responsible, dis-
ciplined, reliable, enterprising, lucky, and focused on abundance. On
the negative side, he is classist, a show off, a braggart, makes bad invest-
ments, has gambling problems, will resort to questionable or illegal
activity to “make it,” or is susceptible to get-rich-quick schemes. In a
reading, if he doesn’t represent a literal person with these qualities, then
he represents these attributes.
HooTar.indd 95 8/12/19 10:46 AM

96 Card Meanings
DAUGHTER OF COINS
Plant: Mulberry
The Image
The Daughter of Coins is serv-
ing plates of mac n cheese to
her guests. Rootworkers always
insisted that people eat at least
a little something when they vis-
ited. It is believed that to have
hungry guests in the home is
not only extremely rude, but
also never fails to attract bad
luck.
For Review Only

Meaning
The Daughter of Coins reminds us not to overlook or underestimate
the importance of what may be considered the mundane aspect of our
lives. She is a reminder that it is often the little things that matters
most. On the positive side, she is a hard worker, committed, organized,
honest, values tradition, and always wants to do the right thing. On the
negative side, she is anal-retentive, pessimistic, stubborn, joyless, com-
pulsive, fearful, and a perfectionist. In a reading, if she doesn’t represent
a literal person with these qualities, then she represents these attributes.
HooTar.indd 96 8/12/19 10:46 AM

SON OF COINS
Plant: Honeysuckle
The Image
The Son of Coins holds a farm-
er’s almanac as he consults an
astrology chart hanging on the
wall of his cabin. He meticu-
lously times the planting and
cultivation of every seed, liter-
ally and metaphorically, for best
results. Astrology charts like
this one were more widely avail-
able to rootworkers with the
advent of spiritual supply cata-
For Review Only logs. An example of this may be
seen in the film Carmen Jones, starring Dorothy Dandridge and Harry
Belafonte.
Meaning
The Son of Coins reminds us about the importance of thorough plan-
ning, using all means at your disposal to ensure the most successful
outcome. His motto is “If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail.” On
the positive side, he is grounded, stylish, sets clear and realistic goals,
has faith in himself, values education, and is at home in the body and
a comfort to others,. On the negative side, he is easily overwhelmed,
debt-prone, unfocused, obsessive compulsive, a buzzkill, a chronic day-
dreamer, entertains poverty consciousness, or feels guilty about hav-
ing money, being comfortable, and being privileged. In a reading, if he
doesn’t represent a literal person with these qualities, then he represents
these attributes.
HooTar.indd 97 8/12/19 10:46 AM

For Review Only
HooTar.indd 98 8/12/19 10:46 AM

TheReview
For CommunityOnly
(Minor Arcana)
HooTar.indd 99 8/12/19 10:46 AM

100 Card Meanings
ACE OF STICKS
Plant: Basil
The Image
A hand sticks out of a cloud,
clasping a stick. Below the hand
is Livonia Mound, the largest of
the ten Indian mounds in Pointe
Coupée Parish, Louisiana. There
has been a resurgence of interest
since the 1980s among occultists
in the dozens of Indian mounds
and pyramids all over North
America, but rootworkers have
long recognized them as power
For Review Only centers.
Meaning
Positive: new opportunities, optimism, self-expression, passion, virility,
facing your fears, taking the bull by the horns, conception, self-confi-
dence, travel, good news, being inspired, creative juices flowing, recog-
nizing potential, courage, growth, and the use the force.
Negative: impotence, lack of direction, underemployment, distractions,

anxieties, missed opportunities, self-doubt, low libido, unprotected sex,
delays, boredom, and creative blocks.
HooTar.indd 100 8/12/19 10:46 AM

The Community (Minor Arcana) 101
TWO OF STICKS
Plant: Comfrey
The Image
The man in the card depicts Dr.
Sandy Jenkins, the rootworker
that gave Fredrick Douglas a root
to protect him from being abused
by a sadistic overseer. Douglas
was never bothered by the man
again. Here, Sandy is shown gaz-
ing out at the St. Miles River in
Maryland.
Meaning
For Review Only Positive: partnerships, planning
for the future, speaking your mind, progress, new inventions, ambition,
being unafraid to go against the grain, deciding to travel or move over-
seas, and the power to persuade and influence people.
Negative: cancelled plans, prolonged waiting, deportation, feeling stuck

in a rut, feeling tortured by a sense of mediocrity, fear of change, and
suddenly being removed or replaced.
HooTar.indd 101 8/12/19 10:46 AM

102 Card Meanings
THREE OF STICKS
Plant: Kudzu
The Image
A rootworker is standing at the
peak of Mount Cheaha, the high-
est natural point in Alabama. He
wears a cape of Kudzu leaves for
protection against any malefic
spirits as he contemplates.
Meaning
Positive: improved finances,
travel, exploration, becoming a
leader, seeing the big picture,
For Review Only embarking on a quest, expan-
sion, feeling free and uninhibited, visionary, power moves, reaping the
reward for hard work, and receiving potentially game-changing advice.
Negative: nothing working out as planned, unforeseen obstacles, hidden

adversaries, obsession with past failures, short-term thinking, making
the wrong moves, lack of real effort, not being taken seriously, and lack
of imagination and foresight.
HooTar.indd 102 8/12/19 10:46 AM

FOUR OF STICKS
Plant: Angelica
The Image
A happy couple is planting their
baby’s placenta with angelica
flowers beneath a lush crepe myr-
tle tree, in the hopes of attracting
good fortune to the child.
Meaning
Positive: A cause for celebration,
a special event, relaxation, lay-
ing down roots, feeling blessed,
harmonious interactions, taking
For Review Only things to the next level, letting
your hair down, prosperity, rites of passage, family reunions, freedom,
security, teamwork making the dream work, something wonderful to
look forward to, feeling good about yourself, and dreams coming true.
Negative: conflict, minor delays, family dysfunction, unconstructive

criticism, cancelled plans, instability, division in the community, and
feeling unwelcome.
HooTar.indd 103 8/12/19 10:46 AM

104 Card Meanings
FIVE OF STICKS
Plant: Edelweiss
The Image
A teenager looks cross as four of
her peers talk maliciously behind
her back. She will cross (jinx)
them later.
Meaning
Positive: healthy competition,
diversity, assertiveness, having
faith that you can win, argu
ments that reveal the truth,
martial arts, finding common
For Review Only ground, a battle of wits, debate
club, relief from tension, and breaking the ice.
Negative: unnecessary drama, haters, trolls, failing to stand up for

oneself, lack of competition, minor annoyances, embarrassing or
uncomfortable situations, the devil in the details, grudges, being easily
intimidated, and pretending things are okay when they’re not.
HooTar.indd 104 8/12/19 10:46 AM

SIX OF STICKS
Plant: Goatsrue
The Image
Nat Love (1854–1921), one of
the greatest cowboys of all time,
is seen riding into town as the
people cheer. According to Love’s
autobiography, he was badly
wounded when he was taken cap-
tive by Pima Indians, who even-
tually nursed him back to health
using herbs. The Pimas adopted
him as a member of their tribe,
and he escaped captivity on a
For Review Only horse he named Yellow Dog
Chief. The symbol on Yellow Dog Chief depicted here is called I’itoi
and represents the Pima Indians.
Meaning
Positive: victory, getting promoted, overcoming hardship, receiving
compliments, great news, recognition, having high self-esteem, becom-
ing a VIP, feeling encouraged, being sought out for your expertise, and
being a recognized hero.
Negative: flatterers, frenemies, being pompous, condescending com-

ments, a fall from grace, loss of respect, excessive pride, groupies, need-
ing constant validation from others, humiliating defeat, people that are
desperate for attention, and epic fails.
HooTar.indd 105 8/12/19 10:46 AM

106 Card Meanings
SEVEN OF STICKS
Plant: Elderberry
The Image
According to legend, Uncle
Monday was a witchdoctor from
Africa that was enslaved in South
Carolina. He managed to escape
and sought refuge among the
Seminole. Uncle Monday prom-
ised himself that he would never
let Whites capture him again, so
he asked a Seminole medicine
man to turn him into an alliga-
tor in order to always be able to
For Review Only defend himself. He is said to still
roam the swamps, in either his alligator or human form, blessing or
cursing anyone that crosses his path.
Meaning
Positive: standing your ground, strength in adversity, defending your
beliefs, the final showdown, a fair competition, protests, resisting
authority, protecting what’s rightfully yours, and the ability to summon
inner strength.
Negative: being pushed around, exhaustion, being a doormat, struggling

to survive, the odds being against you, fighting a losing battle, being
scapegoated, feeling overwhelmed, quitting, getting bullied, stubborn-
ness, narrowmindedness, failing to admit when you’re wrong, hidden
enemies, and surrendering.
HooTar.indd 106 8/12/19 10:46 AM

EIGHT OF STICKS
Plant: Poplar
The Image
A Hoodoo woman is peeling
wood from a tree, just struck
by lightning. It is believed that
lightning-struck wood amplifies
the potency of any working.
Meaning
Positive: rapid progress, forward
movement, communication,
finding a resolution, excitement,
whirlwind romances, gaining
For Review Only momentum, receiving a critical
message, eye-opening experiences, being in alignment, ending of delays,
travel by air, and successful journeys.
Negative: a serious emergency, wasted energy, being too pushy, reckless

behavior, transportation faltering, leaping before looking, unexpected
break-ups, extreme frustration, high pressure situations, hasty decisions,
ideas that are way out there, hysteria, and failure to recognize signs and
warnings.
HooTar.indd 107 8/12/19 10:46 AM

108 Card Meanings
NINE OF STICKS
Plant: Pepper
The Image
An oppressed woman has finally
decided that enough is enough.
She protects herself with a mojo
bag, a Bible, and a pistol. The
skull-topped sticks represent the
ancestors that have been waiting
for her to make a move and are
willing to provide assistance.
Meaning
Positive: defending yourself, a
For Review Only test of faith, perseverance, being
prepared, a fight to the death, will power, resilience, guarding your
boundaries, and an attitude of “would rather do than die.”
Negative: a defeatist attitude, paranoia, refusing to compromise, having

no backbone, and getting hurt as a result of trusting the wrong people.
HooTar.indd 108 8/12/19 10:46 AM

TEN OF STICKS
Plant: Bay Starvine

(Schisandra glabra)
The Image
An overburdened old woman
climbs up a hill to eat Schisandra
fruit. It’s not a plant that’s easy to
find, but it is known as a wonder-
ful fatigue fighter and anti-aging
medicine.
Meaning
Positive: loads being lifted, know-
ing when to ask for help, learning
For Review Only to delegate responsibilities, focus-
ing more on self-care, taking a day off.
Negative: stress, feeling burdened, overworking, reaching the breaking

point, having too many responsibilities, inability to say no, swimming
against the tide, cruel supervisors, hard times, struggling to make ends
meet, a martyr’s complex, workaholism, crushing debt, exploitive labor,
a life filled with nothing but obligations, and people that always puts
other’s feelings before their own.
HooTar.indd 109 8/12/19 10:46 AM

110 Card Meanings
ACE OF BASKETS
Plant: Wild Lettuce
The Image
A basket sits atop a lode-
stone, overflowing with water.
Lodestones are used in Hoodoo
to attract love and prosperity.
Meaning
Positive: compassion, emotional
renewal, having a sense of peace,
falling in love, conception, new
relationships, happiness, messages
in water, abundance, empaths,
For Review Only
tual people, and healing old wounds.
intuition, feeling refreshed, spiri-
Negative: suppressed feelings, unrequited love, being overly emotional,

miscarriage, and bad break-ups.
HooTar.indd 110 8/12/19 10:46 AM

TWO OF BASKETS
Plant: Satureja, Queen’s

Delight
The Image
A happy couple pose cheek-to-
cheek. They both have a basket
full of herbs. In the woman’s bas-
ket is a Queen’s Delight root, and
in his is Satureja. Both of these
herbs are associated with keep-
ing one’s partner faithful and
maintaining their interest in the
relationship.
For Review Only

Meaning
Positive: harmonious partnership, reciprocity, warmth, romance, equal-
ity, sharing, reconciliation, best friends, joy, balance, mutual respect,
contentment, serious commitment, emphasizing similarities instead of
differences, and truces.
Negative: distrust, rejection, break-up of a partnership, miscommuni-

cation, inconsiderate behavior, broken contracts, resentment, divorce,
abuse, and incompatibility.
HooTar.indd 111 8/12/19 10:46 AM

112 Card Meanings
THREE OF BASKETS
Plant: Sweetgrass
(Hierochloe odorata)
The Image
Three generations of Gullah
Geechee women enjoy each oth-
er’s company as they weave sweet
grass baskets. Sweetgrass is most
often used as an incense to purify
and consecrate, but is also used as
a medicinal herb to cure throat
inflammation or to add flavor to
food and drinks.
For Review Only

Meaning
Positive: parties, reunion, good fortune, hobbies, plenty, renewed health,
collaborations, spending time with friends, and team players.
Negative: overindulgence, addicts, the party’s over, homebodies, promis-

cuity, ill health, alcoholism, cheaters, lack of friends, and agoraphobes.
HooTar.indd 112 8/12/19 10:46 AM

FOUR OF BASKETS
Plant: Bay
The Image
A young woman is being offered
just one more basket, after rudely
rejecting the other three. The
NG cufflinks belong to Neville
Goddard (1905–1972), who was
one of the most important and
influential New Thought voices
of the twentieth century. The
New Thought movement empha-
sized the power of positive think-
ing and the ability of the mind
For Review Only to manifest whatever the seeker
desired, also referred to as the Law of Attraction. Neville claimed that
his teacher was a turbaned Black man named Abdullah, who tutored
him in scripture, number mysticism, Kabbalah, and Hebrew. New
Thought philosophy was incorporated into many Black American
Spiritualist churches.
Meaning
Positive: revitalization, meditation, introspection, and the end of
stagnation.
Negative: boredom, withdrawal, fatigue, dissatisfaction, apathy, lack

of motivation, cataloging regrets, feeling misunderstood, reclusiveness,
frustration, rejecting assistance, yearning, time for reassessment, pity
parties, depression, cynicism, and self-absorbed individuals.
HooTar.indd 113 8/12/19 10:46 AM

114 Card Meanings
FIVE OF BASKETS
Plant: St. John’s Wort
The Image
Three baskets are shown in
various states of destruction.
Two remain unscathed beneath
debris, despite being bent or
distorted. The two baskets that
survived whatever destroyed
the other three represents our
often-untapped inner power and
strength.
For Review Only

Meaning
Positive: moving on, finally forgiving yourself, renewed hope, seeking
help for emotional problems, recovery, feeling alive again, and letting go
of grief, sorrow, and/or disappointment.
Negative: brooding, mourning, loss, resentment, unwelcome change,

feelings of abandonment, failure, separation, punishment, pessimism,
bitterness, remorse, heartbreaking situations, and traumatic experiences.
HooTar.indd 114 8/12/19 10:46 AM

SIX OF BASKETS
Plant: Sugarcane
The Image
A little boy and a little girl are
standing in a lush sugarcane field
in South Carolina. The little boy
offers his crush a basket, full of
rice and with bits of sugarcane
on top, to win her over. There’s
an old saying down south: “If you
can’t afford to give a gal jewels,
give her sweets so she’ll be sweet
on you!”
For Review Only

Meaning
Positive: rekindling an old flame, getting back together, a clear con-
science, restored harmony, indulging in play, reflecting on the good
old days, growing up, happy childhood memories, and people that have
made their peace with the past.
Negative: unhealthy obsession with the past, homesickness, feeling you

don’t belong in this century, skeletons in the closet coming tumbling
out, clinging to outdated beliefs, utter disgust with the new generation,
childhood abuse, believing the best of everything already occurred, and
stuffy joyless people.
HooTar.indd 115 8/12/19 10:46 AM

116 Card Meanings
SEVEN OF BASKETS
Plant: Hyssop, Eleuthero
The Image
A woman with her head in a
thick cloud has decided it’s time
to get out. So, she decides to take
a spiritual bath using hyssop to
bring back a state of clarity, calm,
and equilibrium.
Meaning
Positive: visionaries, realists,
restored clarity, vision quests,
having multiple options, people
For Review Only with vivid imaginations, and
meditation.
Negative: confusion, lack of focus, living in a dream world, impracti-

cality, muddled thinking, unrealistic expectations, escapism, dissipated
energy, romanticism, hallucinations, having too many choices, castles
made of sand, self-deception, avoiding the issue, inappropriate fantasies,
procrastinators, altered states of perception, and drugs placed in food
and drinks without your knowledge.
HooTar.indd 116 8/12/19 10:46 AM

EIGHT OF BASKETS
Plant: Cactus
The Image
A man is seen walking away
from a house. He is obviously
an unwelcome visitor, as some-
one has placed hot foot powder
on the porch to keep him away.
There are many different recipes
for hot foot powder, but the most
common ones usually always
include pepper, salt and sulfur.
For Review Only

Meaning
Positive: becoming independent, moving on, leaving the past behind,
trying to find oneself, retreat, relocating, abandoning all that you have
outgrown, and seekers of truth.
Negative: Fear of the unknown, unhealthy attachments, making

changes you will regret later, fear of commitment, a flat leaver, fair
weather friends, abandoning responsibilities, and aimless wandering.
HooTar.indd 117 8/12/19 10:46 AM

118 Card Meanings
NINE OF BASKETS
Plant: Marigold
The Image
This card shows an aerial view
of nine baskets, filled with a few
items that represent what most
human beings desire.
Cash and jewels: financial
security and wealth
Books: knowledge
Gator head: protection
Rabbit’s foot: good luck
Old-fashioned biscuits: nour-
ishment and familiarity
For Review Only Bottle of wine: intoxicants
Sunflowers: warmth and good times
Passport: travel
Meaning
Positive: dreams fulfilled, plenty, art appreciation, wishes that come
true, sensuality, rewards, hitting the jackpot, happiness, pampering, the
finer things in life, financial security, prosperity, attaining your heart’s
desire, gratitude, and “making it.”
Negative: materialistic people, greed, lack, people that are never satis-
fied, gluttony, spoiled brats, feeling unfulfilled, narcissists, smugness,
overindulgence, shattered dreams, shallowness, and hedonism.
HooTar.indd 118 8/12/19 10:46 AM

TEN OF BASKETS
Plant: Dandelion
The Image
A happy grill master and his
family enjoy barbecue and moon-
shine infused with dandelion
root. Dandelion root aids with
digestion. They’re gonna need it!
Meaning
Positive: happy families, spiritual
contentment, consensus, harmo-
nious relationships, blessings,
shared values, friends that never
For Review Only let you down, reunions, stabil-
ity, soulmates, comradery, unity, celebrations with loved ones, and ideal
domestic situations.
Negative: family disputes, losing your home, estranged spouses, family

secrets, broken homes, toxic relatives, abusive parents, empty-nest syn-
drome, unhappy childhoods, homesickness, instability, rebellious teens,
and custody battles.
HooTar.indd 119 8/12/19 10:46 AM

120 Card Meanings
ACE OF KNIVES
Plant: Ashwagandha
The Image
A hand clasps an illuminated
dagger, with a chicken foot and
two sclerotic rings from an owl
dangling from it. The chicken
foot symbolizes protection and
the revealing of hidden enemies;
the sclerotic rings symbolize fore-
sight and making wise choices.
Meaning
Positive: facing fears, logic, tri-
For Review Only umph over adversity, objectivity,
intellectuals, mind power, breakthroughs, getting to the point, clarity,
determination, decision-makers, the power of words, seeing through
illusions, analysis, quick-witted people, justice, surgery, critical thinkers,
authority, calling it as you see it, and accepting the truth even when it
hurts.
Negative: inappropriate speech, the thought police, clouded judgement,

psychological operations, self-mutilation, excessive force, inability to
concentrate, domineering people, bullies, memory loss, being indecisive,
getting cursed out, problems with the law, getting cut off, lack of ideas,
and stupid people.
HooTar.indd 120 8/12/19 10:46 AM

TWO OF KNIVES
Plant: Baby’s Breath
The Image
Rootworkers referred to some
people being “four-eyed,” which
was a reference to the ability to
perceive both the physical and
spiritual realms. Here, a four-
eyed woman nervously bites her
lips, because her spiritual eyes
have been gouged out.
Meaning
Positive: a truce, making a firm
For Review Only decision, renewed action, lies
being exposed, saying what you mean and meaning what you say, being
in touch with how you really feel, facing the consequences of past
choices, patiently waiting to see if things work out, anxieties subsisting,
the time to move on, and the crossroads.
Negative: feeling stuck in a rut, tense situations, opposition, feeling

uncertain, stalemate, self-doubt, making hard choices, prolonged wait-
ing, indecision, suppressed feelings, avoiding the real issues, unequal
partnership, suppressed emotions, failure to see things as they really
are, partners that are only partially committed, failure to communicate
effectively, and fence riders.
HooTar.indd 121 8/12/19 10:46 AM

122 Card Meanings
THREE OF KNIVES
Plant: Eucalyptus
The Image
A wounded person lies against a
bottle tree with broken bottles,
as a stray dog urinates on their
loved one’s grave. Triple ouch!
The southern tradition of creat-
ing bottle trees is an Africanism
from the Congo people, who
believed that spirits could reside
in bottles. The idea was to cap-
ture any negative spirits and
allow the sunlight to destroy
For Review Only them at dawn. The crepe myrtle
tree grows throughout the South and was considered sacred by many
rootworkers, because it represents rejuvenation and God’s promise to
the faithful.
Meaning
Positive: pain subsiding, resurrection, people that are determined to
survive, renewed optimism, reconciliation, seeking help for emotional
problems, learning how to cope, accepting an apology only when you’re
ready, improved health, overcoming depression, healing, and the worst
being over.
Negative: heartbreak, emotional trauma, betrayal, rejection, devastating

loss, alienation, serious disrespect, neuroses, grieving, painful endings,
loneliness, sickness, negative self-talk, exile, goodbyes, bad break-ups,
awful news, and unwelcome change.
HooTar.indd 122 8/12/19 10:46 AM

FOUR OF KNIVES
Plant: Licorice Root
The Image
A young man decides to take
a break from the hunt in order
to take rest for a moment. He
knows that the probability of
success is increased by doing so.
The horseshoe he wears around
his neck for luck helps too.
Meaning
Positive: a well-deserved rest,
introversion, prayer, re-centering,
For Review Only relief from stress, finding sanctu-
ary, contemplation, solitude, peace and quiet, recovery, quiet prepara-
tion, meditation, and getting a grip.
Negative: exhaustion, detention, feeling burnt out, enforced isolation,

stagnation, restlessness, and refusal to slow down.
HooTar.indd 123 8/12/19 10:46 AM

124 Card Meanings
FIVE OF KNIVES
Plant: Corn Silk
The Image
A woman shows off a silver coin
hidden beneath her tongue. This
is called putting a bit in your
mouth. It was believed by some
rootworkers that if you had no
choice but to lie in court, you
would be freed of responsibility
for lying after swearing on the
Bible.
For Review Only

Meaning
Positive: making amends, conflict resolved, vindication, overcoming
challenges, vengeance, righteous fury, treachery exposed, being pre-
pared for battle, the end of attacks, fighting back, confronting evil, and
compromise.
Negative: manipulation, revenge, betrayal, exploitation, oneupmanship,

losing face, defeat, intrigue, rudeness, deceit, troublemakers, conflict,
surrender, letting the ends justify the means, illegal gains, liars, humili-
ation, self-sabotage, negative energy, degradation, malicious rumors,
haters, possessiveness, hidden enemies, hurt feelings, intimidation, fren-
emies, and ignoring warnings.
HooTar.indd 124 8/12/19 10:46 AM

SIX OF KNIVES
Plant: Celery
The Image
According to the short version of
the legend, John the Conqueror
was an African prince that
was captured and enslaved in
America. The prince managed to
escape and sailed back to Africa,
leaving his power behind in the
form of the John the Conqueror
root. This is just a legend though;
John the Conqueror root is actu-
ally a native plant of North
For Review Only America.
Meaning
Positive: leaving your troubles behind, moving on, going with the flow,
accepting change, a new attitude, travel, distance learning, letting go of
people/beliefs/situations you’ve outgrown, travelers, rites of passage, a
much-needed change in atmosphere, and relief.
Negative: resistance to change, lethargy, people with a lot of baggage,

procrastinators, being stuck in negative thought patterns, feeling melan-
choly, more troubles ahead, escapism, slow progress, inability to see the
light at the end of the tunnel, and laziness.
HooTar.indd 125 8/12/19 10:46 AM

126 Card Meanings
SEVEN OF KNIVES
Plant: Dogwood
The Image
A housewife is cooking a meal
for her husband, but before she
serves it, she must remove all of
the black cock feathers she placed
in the soup to keep him faith-
ful. It’s a common practice for
women to use menstrual blood
and for men to use semen for the
same purpose.
For Review Only

Meaning
Positive: strategic planning, a sincere apology, constructive criticism,
reparations, confessions, lone wolves, and turning over a new leaf.
Negative: cheaters, thieves, spies, saboteurs, victimization, hidden

agendas, conspiracies, betrayal, deception, con artists, liars, imposters,
sneaking away, users, shameful secrets, dishonorable discharge, unethi-
cal behavior, and people that pretend to be your friend.
HooTar.indd 126 8/12/19 10:46 AM

EIGHT OF KNIVES
Plant: Star Anise
The Image
A man stands in the middle
of the crossroad, with two
knives stuck in the ground at
the entrance of each pathway.
Crossroads are considered power-
ful places, where the physical and
spiritual worlds meet.
Meaning
Positive: believing in yourself
again, empowered thinking, the
For Review Only removal of obstacles, escape from
bondage, acquittal, being productive, a much-needed release, ceasing to
be your own worst enemy, liberating oneself from a victim mentality,
renewed hope, and finding a way out of a predicament.
Negative: Feeling oppressed, self-hate, feeling unable to move, problems

communicating with others, being bound by circumstances, feeling
like others are putting you in a box, fear of the unknown, self-limiting
beliefs, suppressed history, holding yourself back, people with a negative
vibe, and masochists.
HooTar.indd 127 8/12/19 10:46 AM

128 Card Meanings
NINE OF KNIVES
Plant: Lavender
The Image
A screaming skull is surrounded
by nine peaches with knives stuck
through them. This symbolizes
the troubled spirits of the approxi-
mately 20,000 newly emanci-
pated slaves that were placed in
concentration camps in Natchez,
Mississippi. The majority of the
men, women and children died
a slow, agonizing death from dis-
ease or starvation. The camp was
For Review Only located at the bottom of a pit,
where wild peach trees grew. That’s why this place came to be known as
the Devil’s Punchbowl. To this day, no one eats the peaches because they
know the bodies of those tortured people fertilize the soil. It was not the
custom of Indigenous people to eat anything that grew in areas that were
considered beset with negative energy such as this, because the despair
would be internalized by whoever partook of such foods.
Meaning
Positive: renewed hope, the end of suffering, the worst being over, good
news, seeking help for depression and anxieties, and letting go.
Negative: anxieties, stress, despair, sleepless nights, worst fears coming

true, guilt, bereavement, worry, depression, nightmares, being too hard on
yourself, terror, shameful secrets, isolation, hexes, agonizing pain, regrets,
hopelessness, negativity, illness, spite, breakdowns, thoughts of suicide,
seclusion, repeatedly rehashing an unpleasant situation, and crying jags.
HooTar.indd 128 8/12/19 10:46 AM

TEN OF KNIVES
Plant: White Rose
The Image
This card depicts the brutal mur-
der of rootworker and pastor of
The Divine Temple of Healing,
George Webster, in Memphis.
Webster was accused of hexing
a client, which eventually drove
the woman crazy and her son got
revenge by killing him in broad
daylight.
For Review Only

Meaning
Positive: surviving a disaster, being discerning about who you trust,
learning from past mistakes, getting saved at the nick of time, things
still sucking but getting better.
Negative: defeat, martyrdom, the end of a cycle, hitting rock bottom,

distress, relapses, betrayal, negative thinking, hard times, hospice care,
drastic change, badmouthing, chronic pain, deep wounds, refusing to
accept that something is over, and sacrifices.
HooTar.indd 129 8/12/19 10:46 AM

130 Card Meanings
ACE OF COINS
Plant: Pomegranate
The Image
A woman holds up a slice of sweet
potato pie on a serving knife to
offer to her guest. The pie was
baked with a lucky Indian Head
penny, a tiny piece of ragged
cloth, a matchstick, a pea, and a
ring inside. Inspired by the tradi-
tional Irish barmbrock bread, the
coin symbolizes wealth, the cloth
symbolizes poverty, the pea sym-
bolizes not getting married, the
For Review Only matchstick symbolizes domestic
discord, and the ring symbolizes getting married. The guest shown here
not only is receiving the slice with the lucky penny; she has also received
a message in the tea leaves foretelling good fortune ahead.
Meaning
Positive: inheritance, receiving money or gifts, new financial or career
opportunities, productivity, fertility, job offers, abundance, practical
advice, achieving tangible results, blessings, lottery winners, optimism,
money, reward for hard work, improved health, happy new beginnings,
having a support system, manifestation, windfalls, and good omens.
Negative: broke people, bad investments, possessiveness, lack of plan-

ning, greed, excessive spending, stinginess, bankruptcy, materialism,
and misers.
HooTar.indd 130 8/12/19 10:46 AM

TWO OF COINS
Plant: Seaweed
The Image
A juggler rides a unicycle as a
huge tidal wave rises in the back-
ground. He has drawn a circle of
protection around himself in the
sand, in hopes that all will be
well in the end.
Meaning
Positive: a well-balanced life, hav-
ing your priorities in the right
order, splitting responsibilities,
For Review Only reliable partnerships, multitask-
ing, and adaptability.
Negative: failure to prioritize, disorganization, living paycheck-to-pay-

check, carrying someone else’s weight, too many irons in the fire, credit
card debt, and inflexible people.
HooTar.indd 131 8/12/19 10:46 AM

132 Card Meanings
THREE OF COINS
Plant: Vetiver
The Image
A very successful Afro-Romani
rootworker awaits the arrival of a
client. Thousands of gypsies were
reclassified as colored and inter-
married into Negro communities
throughout the South. They were
known to be especially skilled at
breaking hexes and curses. This
woman wears two necklaces to
keep the blessings coming: a
rosary made of black-eyed peas,
For Review Only and a wishbone.
Meaning
Positive: employment, professional growth, internships, high standards,
appreciation for a job well done, beneficial use of talents, exceeding
expectations, promotions, detail-oriented people, upgrades, improve-
ment in social status, being validated by others, degrees or certifications,
collaborations, and goal-oriented people.
Negative: incompetence, missed opportunities, know-it-alls, demotions,

work-related problems, lack of skill, falling short, half-hearted efforts,
and poor work ethic.
HooTar.indd 132 8/12/19 10:46 AM

FOUR OF COINS
Plant: Marigold
The Image
A man uses a dowsing rod to
search for gold. He is using pine
crosses, goose feathers, and brim-
stone as charms to aid him. It
was common for Whites to uti-
lize the aid of rootworkers to
find buried treasure.
Meaning
Positive: financial security, mate-
rial gains, sound investments,
For Review Only inheritance, careful budgeting,
living within one’s means, conservatism, and saving for a rainy day.
Negative: greed, hoarders, selfishness, wastefulness, obsessive coupon-

ing, clingy people, scarcity consciousness, penny pinchers, controlling
personalities, and fear of change.
HooTar.indd 133 8/12/19 10:46 AM

134 Card Meanings
FIVE OF COINS
Plant: Nettle
The Image
A rootworker from Missouri
named Sam Nightingale is shown
giving two down-and-out people
a spiritual cleansing with herbs
and rum. Sam was originally
from Guinea and was well-loved
and respected as a storyteller and
conjurer in Missouri.
Meaning
Positive: hard times coming to an
For Review Only end, a new job after prolonged
unemployment, renewed faith, recovery from financial ruin, improved
luck, feeling welcome, rehabilitation, debt repayment, and a light at the
end of the tunnel.
Negative: unemployment, homelessness, recessions, worry, failure to

seek spiritual guidance, adversity, misery, despair, disgrace, misfortune,
loss, disappointment, miserable luck, being down-and-out, isolation,
lack of faith, and ill health.
HooTar.indd 134 8/12/19 10:46 AM

SIX OF COINS
Plant: Four-leaf clover
The Image
A woman with an itchy left palm
holds a lucky two-dollar bill. It is
believed that an itchy palm is a
predictor of financial gain or loss
in the near future. Which palm
depicts which varies from family
to family and region to region.
Meaning
Positive: charitable giving, gen-
erosity, debt repayment, loans,
For Review Only grants, scholarships, philan-
thropy, financial aid, fairness, receiving money owed, earning extra
money, equality, mentoring, helping others, sugar daddies/mamas, and
those that care about the community.
Negative: getting cut off financially, being left without proper guidance,
extortion, users, gigolos, gold diggers, pimps, gifts with strings attached,
blackmail, con artists, Trojan horses, and show-offs.
HooTar.indd 135 8/12/19 10:46 AM

136 Card Meanings
SEVEN OF COINS
Plant: Hobblebush
The Image
A woman is bending over, pick-
ing up pearls, while the swine
she tried to feed them to walks
away. She is surrounded by hob-
blebushes and wears a necklace
made of devil’s shoestring (the
root of the hobblebush plant) for
protection against harm.
Meaning
Positive: return on investments,
For Review Only slow and steady progress, assess-
ments, waiting for results, long-term thinking, making assessments,
considering the possibilities, finishing what you’ve started, and reflect-
ing on the choices you’ve made.
Negative: feeling like your time has been wasted, fruitless endeavors,
increased work load for the same pay, demoralization, workaholics, giv-
ing up prematurely, dead-end jobs, bills piling up, short-term thinking,
reaping what you have sown, setbacks, and wasted energy.
HooTar.indd 136 8/12/19 10:46 AM

EIGHT OF COINS
Plant: Milkweed
The Image
Island Smith (1877–1953) was
a Creek medicine man from
Oklahoma. He was respected
for his knowledge of traditional
Creek medicines and cures.
Island attributed his gift for heal-
ing to being of both Indigenous
and African heritage, which he
believed made him twice as pow-
erful as a full-blood of either
background. Though a contro-
For Review Only versial concept now, rootworkers
tended to believe that people from certain ethnic or racial backgrounds
had certain skills, abilities, or shortcomings inherent in the blood.
Meaning
Positive: skill development, working hard to attain a goal, craftsman-
ship, job training, apprenticeship, interns, a new job, thorough research,
project development, brainstorming, students, teachers, education, mas-
tering a subject, studying, grinding, and entrepreneurship.
Negative: perfectionism, shortcuts, low-quality merchandise, shoddy

work, incompetent employees, truancy, fake gurus, “all work and no
play makes Jack a dull boy,” people with questionable credentials, and
lack of ambition.
HooTar.indd 137 8/12/19 10:46 AM

138 Card Meanings
NINE OF COINS
Plant: Goldenseal
The Image
A woman lounges at home with
all the trappings of luxury and
refinement. The woman knows
you’re probably jealous of her, so
she dons a dress with a pattern
that protects her from the evil
eye. In case that doesn’t work,
then she has a Sarracenia plant
nearby, which are said to pro-
tect their owners from negative
energy.
For Review Only
Meaning
Positive: self-reliance, well-deserved success, prosperity as a result of
hard work, self-employed people, property owners, inheritance, mate-
rial gain, creature comforts, upscale lifestyles, leisure time spent alone,
luxury, discipline, avoiding the bad part of town, enjoyment of the finer
things in life, people society considers classy, and taking the time to
relax and unwind.
Negative: financial setbacks, hustlers, pretending to care about others

for financial gain, people society considers low class, vulgar behavior,
shopaholics, keeping up with the Joneses, maxing out credit cards, shal-
lowness, unethical social climbers, snobs, and people that are obsessed
with material things and status.
HooTar.indd 138 8/12/19 10:46 AM

TEN OF COINS
Plant: Sarsaparilla
The Image
A happy, affluent family is spend-
ing time together during family
game night. The coins they are
wearing and playing with were
passed down from generation
to generation. Every now and
then, ancient coins from as far
as Greece, Rome, and China are
found throughout the United
States. In Hoodoo, old coins are
considered very lucky.
For Review Only
Meaning
Positive: strong family ties, supportive relatives, ancestors, inheritance,
old money, proud legacies, trust funds, family gatherings, financial sta-
bility, plenty, respecting family traditions, business success, and unex-
pected windfalls.
Negative: broken families, shameful legacies, poverty-stricken families,

nepotism, money problems, affluenza, rejecting one’s heritage, fighting
over money, unconventional behavior that causes family problems, new
money, and pretending to have more money/material things than you
actually do.
HooTar.indd 139 8/12/19 10:46 AM

For Review Only
HooTar.indd 140 8/12/19 10:46 AM

Suggested Reading
AMERICAN CONNECTIONS
Amos, Alcione M. “Black Seminoles: The Gullah Connections.” The Black
Scholar 41, no. 1 (Spring 2011): 32–47.
Berry, Jason. The Spirit of Black Hawk: A Mystery of Africans and Indians.
Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 1995.
For Review Only

Black Indians: An American Story. Documentary. Rich Heape Films, 2004.
Brooks, James F., ed. The Indian-Black Experience in North America.
Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2002.
Coleman, Arica L. That the Blood Stay Pure: African Americans, Native
Americans and the Predicament of Race and Identity in Virginia.
Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2013.
Epstein, Jeremiah F., Donal B. Buchanan, T. V. Buttrey, George F. Carter,
Warren L. Cook, Cyclone Covey, Stephen C. Jett, Thomas A. Lee,
Jr., Balaji Mundkur, Allison C. Paulsen, Hanns J. Prem, Jonathan E.
Reyman, Miguel Rivera Dorado and Norman Totten. “Pre-Columbian
Old World Coins in America: An Examination of the Evidence.”
Current Anthropology 21, no. 1 (February 1980): 1–20.
Forbes, Jack D. Africans and Native Americans: The Language of Race and
the Evolution of Red Black Peoples. Champaign: University of Illinois
Press, 1997
Jenkins, Philip. Dream Catchers: How Mainstream America Discovered
Native Spirituality. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005.
Katz, William Loren. Black Indians. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks, 1986.
141
HooTar.indd 141 8/12/19 10:46 AM

142 Suggested Reading
Marder, William. Indians in the Americas: The Untold Story. San Diego,
Calif.: The Book Tree, 2005.
Pennington, Edgar Legare. “The Reverend Francis Le Jau’s Work among
Indians and Negro Slaves.” The Journal of Southern History 1, no. 4
(Nov. 1935): 442–458.
Tayac, Gabrielle, ed. Indivisible: African-Native American Lives in the
Americas. Washington, D.C.: National Museum of the American
Indian, 2009.
BLACK AMERICAN
RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE
Clemmons, Bishop Ithiel C. Bishop C. H. Mason and the Roots of the Church
of God in Christ. Largo, Md.:Christian Living Books Inc., 2012.
Finley, Stephen, Margarita Simon Guillory, and Hugh R. Page Jr.,
eds. Esotericism in African American Religious Experience. Leiden,
Netherlands: Brill Academic Pub, 2014.
For Review Only

Martin, Darnise C. Beyond Christianity: African Americans in a New
Thought Church. New York: NYU Press, 2005.
Mason, C. H. The History and Life Work of Elder C. H. Mason and His
Co-Laborers. Compiled by Mary Mason. Memphis, Tenn.: Church of
God in Christ, 1987. First published in 1924.
Pinn, Anthony B., general ed., Stephen C. Finley, assoc. ed., and Torin
Alexander et. al, asst. eds. African American Religious Cultures. Denver:
ABC-CLIO, 2009.
BLACK SECRET SOCIETIES

Dunbar, Paul Lawrence. “Hidden In Plain Sight: African American Secret
Societies and Black Freemasonry.” Journal of African American Studies
16, no. 4 (December 2012): 622–37.
Hackett, David G. “The Prince Hall Masons and the African American
Church: The Labors of Grand Master and Bishop James Walker Hood,
1831–1918.” Church History 69, no. 4 (Dec. 2000): 770–802.
HooTar.indd 142 8/12/19 10:46 AM

Suggested Reading 143
HOODOO, CONJURING,
AND FOLK MAGIC
Anderson, Jeffrey E. Conjure in African American Society. Baton Rouge:
Louisiana State University Press, 2005.
Butler, Jon. “Magic, Astrology, and the Early American Religious Heritage,
1600–1760.” American Historical Review 84 (April 1979): 317–46.
Chireau, Yvonne. Black Magic: Religion and the African American Conjuring
Tradition. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2006.
Deslippe, Philip. “The Hindu in Hoodoo: Fake Yogis, Pseudo-Swamis, and the
Manufacture of African American Folk Magic.” Amerasia Journal 40,
no. 1 (2014): 34–56.
Donald, Katrina Hazzard. Mojo Workin: The Old African American Hoodoo
System.
Champaign: University of Illinois Press, 2012.
Hicks, Heather J. “Hoodoo Economics: White Men’s Work and Black Men’s
Magic in Contemporary American Film.” Camera Obscura 53 vol. 18,
For Review Only

no. 2 (2003): 27–55.
Hurston, Zora Neale. “Hoodoo in America.” The Journal of American
Folklore (1931).
Hyatt, Harry Middleton. Hoodoo, Conjuration, Witchcraft, Rootwork. 2 vols.
Racine, Wis.: Western Publishing, 1970.
Kail, Tony. A Secret History of Memphis Hoodoo: Rootworkers, Conjurers &
Spirituals. Charleston, S.C.: The History Press, 2017.
Kail, Tony. “Hoodoo, Conjure and the Search for Treasure in Memphis
Tennessee.” Article on Medium website. Posted December 5, 2016.
McQuillar, Tayannah Lee. Rootwork: The Folk Magic of Black America. New
York: Simon & Shuster, 2003.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Mills, Kenneth, and Anthony Grafton eds. Conversion: Old Worlds and
New. N.p.: BoyE6, 2003.
Molineux, Catherine. “Pleasures of the Smoke: ‘Black Virginians’ in
Georgian London’s Tobacco Shops.” The William and Mary Quarterly
64, no. 2 (April 2007): 327–376.
HooTar.indd 143 8/12/19 10:46 AM

144 Suggested Reading
O’Neall, John Belton, ed. The Negro Law of South Carolina. N.p.: John G.
Bowman, 1848.
INDIGENOUS AMERICANS
National Museum of the American Indian. Do All Indians Live in Tipis?
Washington DC: Smithsonian Institution, 2007.
Rafinesque, C. S. The American Nations, or, Outlines of a National History
of the Ancient and Modern Nations of North and South America, vol 1.
Philadelphia: C.S. Rafinesque, 1836.
Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World. Documentary. Kino Lorber,
2007.
Wright, J. Leitch Jr. The Only Land They Knew: American Indians in the Old
South. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1999.
TAROT AND OCCULT
For Review Only

Horowitz, Mitch. Occult America. New York: Bantam Books, 2009.
Louis, Anthony. Tarot Plain and Simple. Woodbury, Minn.: Llewelyn, 2003.
Russell, Chloe. The Complete Fortune Teller and Dream Book: An Antebellum
Text. Exeter, N.H.: Abel Brown, 1824.
Steiner, Rudolph. The Spirit in the Realm of Plants. Spring Valley, N.Y.:
Mercury Press, 1984.
HooTar.indd 144 8/12/19 10:46 AM

About the Author
For Review Only
TAYANNAH LEE McQUILLAR is a tarot consultant, cultural

anthropologist, and scholar of religion, esoterica, and mysticism. She
has conducted fieldwork in New Orleans and Brazil and is a member
of the Society for the Anthropology of Religion, the Society for the
Anthropology of Consciousness, the American Academy of Religion,
and the New York Classical Club. The author of Rootwork (Simon &
Shuster, 2003), The Sibyls Oraculum (Destiny Books, 2018), and others,
she lives in New York City.
145
HooTar.indd 145 8/12/19 10:46 AM

For Review Only
HooTar.indd 146 8/12/19 10:46 AM

About the Illustrator
For Review Only

KATELAN V. FOISY is an artist, circle leader, and tarot consultant. Her
fine art pieces have been displayed at the Worcester Art Museum, Ohio
History Museum, MODA, WEAM, A&D Gallery, and Last Rights. She
has graced the pages of the Grammy Award programs and the stage of
Cynthia von Buhler’s immersive historical plays Speakeasy Dollhouse and
The Brothers Booth. Katelan has been featured in the New York Times,
Elle magazine, Paper Magazine, GQ Italy, Time Out New York, Witches
& Pagans, and many others for her work as an artist, curator, and occult-
ist. She has written for Motherboard/VICE, Electric Literature, Luna
Luna, ERIS magazine, and Coilhouse, held events with Atlas Obscura,
and lectured at Morbid Anatomy. Her short films have been shown at
Cinémathèque Française as part of the Romani Cinema Avante Garde
Film Sessions. She was called a “female Jack Kerouac” by Taylor Mead
and a “modern-day Francesca Woodman” by Cynthia von Buhler.
147
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For Review Only
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UNCORRECTED PAGE PROOFS
Not For Resale
The Hoodoo Tarot
78-Card Deck and Book for Rootworkers
TAYANNAH LEE McQUILLAR
Artwork by KATELAN V. FOISY
A divination deck and guidebook rooted in the American Hoodoo tradition
• Includes 78 full-color Tarot cards that depict legendary rootworkers past and present as
well as important Hoodoo archetypes and symbols
• Provides in-depth card meanings for each card in the Major Arcana and the four suits
of the Minor Arcana, including the history of the rootworker or symbol featured, any
associated magical plants, and guidance based on the card’s meaning
• Offers a history of Hoodoo and its complex heritage, including its roots in multiple
African and Native American ethnic groups as well as its European influences
Between the 17th and 19th centuries, many Indigenous Americans and people of African descent inter-
married and socialized more often than is acknowledged by mainstream history books and scholars. These
interactions produced not only a multicultural people but also a body of knowledge that is known today
For Review Only

as Hoodoo or Rootwork.
Celebrating the complex American Rootwork tradition, The Hoodoo Tarot integrates esoteric and
botanical knowledge from Hoodoo with the divination system of the Tarot. Structured like a traditional
Tarot deck, each of the 78 cards features full-color paintings by magical-realist artist Katelan Foisy and ele-
gantly interprets the classical Tarot imagery through depictions of legendary rootworkers past and present
as well as important Hoodoo symbolism.
In the accompanying guidebook, Tayannah Lee McQuillar provides a history of Hoodoo and its com-
plex heritage, including its roots in multiple African and Indigenous American ethnic groups as well as its
European influences. She explores the traditional forms of divination used by rootworkers, including carto-
mancy, explaining how pairing the Tarot with Hoodoo is a natural fit. For each card in the Major Arcana
and the four suits of the Minor Arcana (sticks, baskets, needles, and knives), McQuillar provides an in-depth
card meaning that draws on both Tarot and Hoodoo tradition. She shares the history of the rootworker or
symbol featured, any associated magical plants, a related scriptural quote, and guidance and advice based on
the card’s meaning. She also offers instructions on card spreads and shares sample card readings.
Offering a divination system rooted in the Indigenous and African experience in North America, The
Hoodoo Tarot provides a hands-on way to honor and explore the magic of Hoodoo for personal growth
and spiritual inspiration.
Tayannah Lee McQuillar is a tarot reader and researcher of religion, esoterica, and mysticism. The
author of several books, including Rootwork: The Folk Magic of Black America, and the divination deck
The Sibyls Oraculum, she lives in New York City. Katelan V. Foisy is an artist, circle leader, and tarot
consultant who has been featured in the New York Times and Elle magazine. Her work has appeared
in exhibits throughout the United States and UK. The illustrator of The Sibyls Oraculum, she lives in
Chicago.
Destiny Books • ISBN 978-1-62055-873-7 • $35.00 (CAN $43.99) • Boxed set, 6 x 9

Includes 160-page book and 78 full-color cards • Rights: World • Divination/Tarot
March 2020

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Destiny Books • ISBN 978-1-62055-873-7 • $35.00 (CAN $43.99) • Boxed set, 6 x 9

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