Gris Gris Autopsy - What a Commercial Voodoo Gris Gris is Made From

As I explain in The Hand Book, the term gris-gris technically and traditionally refers to a type of written African-Islamic charm, but in modern American practice the word has come to be used synonymously with mojo, conjure-bag, and other types of talismans. Among them are these types of semi-decorative gris-gris which are hung up in or around the home or place of business to work their influence.

I purchased the above gris gris from a commercial supplier several years ago. The instructions on their website proclaims: "This ball is used to improve your business. Hang this ball over the register or where the money is located. Every morning shake the ball and say the prayer to Saint Martin Caballero."

When purchased, some more elaborate instructions were included, along with the St. Martin prayer. It appears I have since discarded my copy, but I recall that the technique involved dressing the ball with oil and an instruction to replace the gris gris every 3 months.

I did faithfully follow the instructions for a time but ultimately I wasn't impressed by the changes I was seeing in my business. When the three months were up I decided not to purchase another. However, I liked the look of the gris gris and so I kept it around for decoration even if it wasn't "working" in a magical sense.

Recent life events mean I'm doing a big overhaul of my workspace, and the decorative gris gris won't fit with my new design. The opportunity thus has come to satisfy a long-held curiosity -- just what is inside the gris gris?

This type of gris-gris is a form of container spell, similar to the old calabash spells that are some of the oldest documented in American hoodoo, as the one described in Conjuration. Bottles, coconuts, clay vessels and other containers are also used for making these. Some modern practitioners say that they should always be made from a material which will be able to biodegrade back into the earth, although it's unclear if this was always considered a requirement in their creation.

Since this gris-gris was reasonably round and came from a commercial supplier, I expected based on its weight and feel that it was probably made from paper mache or even plastic. When I first pulled off the decorative ribbons I was surprised to find that it seemed to be a large nut or seed pod.

A hole had been drilled into the top of the pod and sealed with dark wax. When I pulled it out, I poured out the contents and found this:

This appears to be a mixture of green incense powder, green-dyed lucky rice, and a few pinches of herbs and spices (I could identify what looked like lemongrass and cinnamon pieces, as well as possibly some larger root or wood chunks.) The total quantity of this mixture amounted to perhaps a scant tablespoon.

There was still something large and heavy rattling around within, something too large to shake out through the opening. I had to crack open the rest of the pod with a hammer. A smell like coconut wafted up, revealing the likely identification of what kind of nut pod this was. Inside was a fragrant mass of what was probably the dried innards of the fruit, stained green from years of contact with the incense powder.

Dried, smoothed, whole coconuts like this are sold from a few different suppliers, sometimes labeled for use in Hindu religious practices.

I consider the deconstruction to be a success! This has been a valuable lesson in the construction of modern gri-gris balls.

The Intranquil Spirit

(EDIT: Up to date information about the Intranquil Sprit can be found in my book The Intranquil Spirit , available on Amazon. This post has some incomplete information which is clarified in the book.) The Intranquility spell is, unfortunately, the first resort of many a rejected lover. In some ways it makes sense -- the more unhappy and forlorn one is about a breakup, the better this idea of making the other partner feel just as much so starts to sound. Unfortunately, this spell is often not well suited to a case. The purpose of the standard Intranquility spell is to have the person be tormented by the spirit until they make contact with you, or whomever the spell is being cast for. This means that if a person is already in good contact with their ex OR if they're one of those people who cannot restrain themselves from initiating contact, then this already is probably not the right spell for that case. If you've had an Intranquility spell cast and you make contac...

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 "puts pressure on them" or any other number of metaphors. I have 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...

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 ...

Magical Colors in Hoodoo Witchcraft Tradition

Color is one of the most powerful symbolic tools in magic, allowing practitioners to communicate intent and manipulate energies in a way that feels both natural and intuitive. In hoodoo, color symbolism is often utilized in spells of candle magic , mojo bags , and powders and oils . But hoodoo is far from the only tradition where color matters. Many magical systems, such as European folk magic, ceremonial magic, and even pop-culture new age witchcraft — draw on color associations to shape their workings. In old spells, colored objects were difficult to produce; recipes for making the colored cloths, candles etc. were frequently included as part of the magical instruction. Once artificial dyes became commonplace in the 19th century, the magical practice really brightened up and colors became common additions to spellwork. Red In the oldest African-derived American hoodoo spells, the only commonly mentioned color of importance is red ; it was used to add power to any spell, ...

Perfume, Cologne, and Its Use In Hoodoo

The original recipe for cologne was reputedly given to St. Elizabeth of Hungary by an angel -- the concoction was known as "Hungary Water" and was used primarily as a medicine, rather than just a mere fragrance. Charles Godfrey Leland remarked that it therefore was appropriate hoodoo practitioners would use such a substance for feeding their conjure bags and other talismans. The term cologne actually comes from a later preparation, Cologne Water (named for the German city.) The original Cologne Water is a spirit-citrus perfume launched in 1709 by Giovanni Maria Farina (1685–1766), an Italian perfume maker from Santa Maria Maggiore Valle Vigezzo, Italy. In 1708, Farina wrote to his brother Jean Baptiste: "I have found a fragrance that reminds me of an Italian spring morning, of mountain daffodils and orange blossoms after the rain". He named his fragrance Cologne Water, in honour of his new hometown. The Original Cologne Water composed by Farina was used on...

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