Jeudi: Curios

On Tuesday we talked about the uses of tobacco in various magickal systems. One of the herb's uses in hoodoo is as a substitute for the unpredictable curio now known as sulphur but frequently referred to in older texts as brimstone. Sulphur has been, and to some degree probably still is, used for jinxing and uncrossing alike. It is also an original component in the crossing formula known as Goofer Dust.

Sulphur is both toxic and combustible, so using it the way it was originally intended, magickally speaking, is not something I recommend. I'm not big on jinxing either so sulphur isn't in my hoodoo cabinet. Information, however, and historical usage is a different story. Use sulphur at your own risk.

When the intention was to lay a jinx on someone, a simple trick of making an X over their footprint with sulphur was frequently employed. Done with intention, this was believed to bring ill-fortune to the enemy. Some root workers claimed they could even kill a person this way. For the most part, this type of magick is more an issue of belief than supernatural power. The footprint chosen was invariably somewhere that the enemy would see it and, believing in the magick, the person would fall ill, bring trouble on themselves or  sometimes even pick up stakes and move.

The opposite could also be accomplished with a mixture of sulphur and salt. In this case, should a person find evidence of a jinx being put on them, they were to cover the trick with sulphur and salt to nullify the problem.

My favorite use of sulphur in hoodoo is a trick designed to make a friend out of an enemy. The hard part of this working is to obtain something sharp and nonflammable from your enemy. You do not necessarily have to harvest this item - which can be as simple as a tack and as fancy as a pair of scissors; you can ask an acquaintance to obtain it for you. Next, while concentrating on your future friendship with your former enemy, pass the point of the object through the flame of a white candle. Now dip the point in sulphur and then pass it through the flame again to ignite the sulphur. *Do this out of doors if you are indeed using sulphur. As noted, the fumes are toxic; you don't want them in your home.* Wipe the point clean and dress the object with holy water or whiskey. Return the object to the place from which it came exactly as it came to you (either with your own hand or through another). Your enemy will warm to you within the week.

There is a very old voodoo trick involving sulphur, black ink, and some other items that is said to achieve the death of an enemy. I've never tried that, and I'm surely not about to... Bonne chance ~

Header: The Harvest is Past, The Summer is Ended by J.F. Wetherbee via American Gallery