Where Rosemary Flourishes - Rosemary Herb Lore in Hoodoo

hoodoo voodoo rosemary herb for witchcraft

Among unpleasant memories of magical practice is an occasion where I shared the circa 1920 recipe for Van Van I had seen in the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum on a hoodoo forum, and got laughed out of the room because it contained rosemary.

"Rosemary's for female domination!"

This idea has been popularized by Catherine Yronwode, attributing it to stem from a saying "Where rosemary flourishes, the lady rules." (The same are said about sage and parsley.) H.U. Lampe's 1974 book Famous Voodoo Rituals and Spells might be the source of the information, for he writes:

"Where Rosemary Flourishes, The Lady Rules", is an ancient saying. Rosemary is kept under the bed to insure faithfulness. Fore (sic) causing prophetic dreams, Rosemary is dipped into a mixture of vinegar, rum, water, gin, and wine. This is kept near the bed. Before retiring say, "Tibi impero ut quoedam viluero et velim adimpleos et facias."

The saying is originally English. A 1905 magazine offers some suggested reasons behind the saying, and the oldest version of it I've seen is in the originally circa 1860 Language and Sentiment of Flowers, which book remarks on its use in wedding bouquets and funeral wreaths (because it symbolizes or stimulates memory) before going on to remark:

There was a wide spread belief in the efficacy of the herb as a counter charm against witchcraft; the reason, probably, for its use at weddings and burials, and for its presence in the dock of the accused in courts of justice. The Portuguese called it Alicrum or Elfin plant and in Spain it is still worn as an antidote to the evil eye.

That the Spanish preferred it for protection and cleansing is likely the key to the alternative use as an ingredient in hoodoo for purification and luck-drawing purposes (the two being almost the same concept in older hoodoo -- you'll be lucky as long as you're free from curses.)

The early mentions of using rosemary this way tend to turn up from around the New Orleans area (where there was some significant Spanish influence due to Spain governing the area; an experiment called Spanish Louisiana.) Zora Neale Hurston recommends it in a few lucky recipes, such as this one for Fast Scrubbing Essence:

A mixture of thirteen oils. It is burned with incense for fish-fry luck, i.e., business success. it includes:
Essence cinnamon
Essence wintergreen
Essence geranium
Essence bergamot
Essence orange flowers, used also in initiation baths
Essence lavender, used also in initiation baths
Essence anice (sic)
Essence St. Michael
Essence rosemary

Talking of more recent workings, rosemary is used in hispanic magic spells to the extent of being a talismanic herb all of its own. You can buy a scented Rosemary Candle with a prayer to the Rosemary:

Holy Rosemary, ye that possess the divine powers of cleansing, healing, purifying and protecting, help me rid my home, work and family of all spells, jinx, envy and incantations, placed upon them. With your natural protective powers be my shield against my enemies, that no evil shall reach my properties or their surroundings. I have faith in you and in the Lord that you will guard us day and night.

Paper-in-Shoe Spells

A popular and very traditional hoodoo spell, often used for any situation where you need to control someone with magic , is the namepaper-in-shoe spell. It's very easy: you write the target's name 3, 7, or 9 times on a paper (depending on intent and who's giving instruction) then fold it up, sometimes after dressing it with oils or powders, then put it in your shoe. This "keeps the person underfoot" or "stomps out the trouble" or any other number of metaphors. I had this work several times over the years. In one instance, I was working for a very unpleasant boss, on a short-term job. It was the last day, and I only had about 3 hours of work left on the project; and I wanted him to up my pay for the day since it almost wasn't worth the trip across town for the amount he was paying me, for only 3 hours. He was very reluctant. So I wrote his name 3 times on a 5-dollar bill he'd given me, and dusted it with Bend Over powder. He paid me what I ...

The Intranquil Spirit

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13 Herb Bath for Curse Removal

13 Herb Bath for curse removal can be made from from any 13 uncrossing and purification herbs. For example, if I needed to fix a batch of 13 herb bath right now based on what I've got in the house, I could mix bay leaves, rue, mint, rosemary, wood betony, sage, verbena, angelica root, white rose petals, lemongrass, lemon peel, agrimony and arnica, and it would suffice well. Other herbs like hyssop, pine needles, juniper leaves, boldo, eucalyptus leaves, mullein, basil, lavender, or marshmallow leaves would be good to use too. By no means complete, here is a list of just a few herbs said to remove a curse or jinx that you can use to make your own 13 Herbs bath: Agrimony Alkanet Angelica Arnica Basil Bay leaves Black Pepper Blessed Thistle Boldo Cayenne Pepper Chives Eucalyptus Garlic Hyssop John the Conqueror Juniper Lavender Lemon Lemongrass Lime Marshmallow leaves Mint Mullein Onion Pine Rosemary Rue Sage Sandalwood Verbena White Rose Petals ...

Spiritual Use of Turpentine in Hoodoo and Witchcraft

I have posted in the past about the use of giving one's bedding a spiritual cleansing from time to time. I recently was laundering my pillows in the same load of laundry as some turpentine-soaked rags, with the result that the pillows emerged from the wash reeking of turpentine. From a magical perspective, this may not be a bad thing. Turpentine is used in old-time hoodoo rituals for purposes such as uncrossing, protection and sometimes as a feed for mojo bags. Its solvent powers and strong odor do indeed suggest a powerful spiritual cleansing agent, and it is still used in some modern day cleaning products on a purely practical level for these same reasons. Old time medicines sometimes included turpentine as a thing to drink, in small doses. A book from the 1850s, The Domestic Medicine Chest , recommends giving it to children in a dose of one teaspoon for killing tapeworm. Relatedly, in old time hoodoo cures for "live things" turpentine might be made into a tea...

Weirdos and Witchcraft: Why Outcasts Love Hoodoo (and, Perhaps, Why Hoodoo Loves Them Back)

Magic is more than just spells; it’s a testament to the resilience and ingenuity of marginalized communities. It’s a reminder that even in the face of unimaginable hardship, people find ways to assert their agency and maintain their connection to the divine. At the heart of hoodoo is an embrace of the supernatural that aligns with gothic sensibilities, offering a labyrinth of shadowed corridors to explore. From the spectral imagery of crossroads magic to the haunting presence of graveyard dirt in rituals , hoodoo intersects with gothic aesthetics in fascinating ways. Its narratives of defiance and survival resonate deeply with the themes of darkness, mystery, and transformation that permeate alternative cultures. There are countless examples of practitioners turning to the dark, shadowed corners of the world for both protection and revenge . The use of herbs , roots , bones , and other seemingly mundane objects imbues them with supernatural qualities. A glass of water can become a l...

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