SouthernSpirits.org
Welcome to the MediaWiki portion of SouthernSpirits.org -- a site that collects primary documentary accounts of the practice of hoodoo, also known as conjure and rootwork, the folk magic of African American practitioners.
For Patrons Only
If you came here because you are a Patreon subscriber and you received this URL as one of your "secret" URLS, but you are unfamiliar with the PUBLIC version of the site, i invite you to go to SouthernSpirits.org and check out what is already online. This wiki is not available to the public, only to Patrons, and it hosts advance copies of illustrated articles on Black folklore and magic of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Patreon Articles and the Dates They Were Posted
With this URL you will also have received a second URL by email for one of my weekly articles in a stream i call "Where the Southern Cross the Yellow Dog." Use that second URL to see what interesting histories can be found at this site, written especially for my Patrons and held one year before release to the public.
- Luniolatry by Gerald Massey, posted January 21st, 2021.
- Dr. E. P. Read posted February 7th, 2021. Dr. E. P. Read
- When Hoodoo Was Illegal: Leonard Broudy, Afro-India Co., 1959 posted September 7th, 2021.
- When Hoodoo Was Illegal: Henry B. Gottlieb, Twinz Co., 1956 posted October 7th, 2021.
Where the Southern Cross the Yellow Dog
The name of this series of articles, "Where the Southern Cross the Yellow Dog," comes from the "Yellow Dog Blues," a song written and published as sheet music by W.C. Handy in 1919.
The Southern was (and is) a large railroad system, now merged into the Norfolk and Southern. The Yellow Dog was a small, local railroad, the Yazoo Delta (Y.D., hence Yellow Dog). Where they crossed was in the town of Moorhead, Mississippi, and the crossing was a very dangerous and unexpected 90 degree angle on level ground.
W.C. Handy wrote down the lyrics and a melody fragment he heard a man sing about this crossing while he was waiting in the train station in Tutwiler, Mississippi. Here is the crossing, and some history:
Where the Southern Crosses the Yellow Dog https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOzlVXmRURw
Here is Handy's elaboration on the song he heard:
Yellow Dog Blues (1919) by W.C. Handy
(sight-read by "Sheet Music Singer")
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C10xgW0y3QU
("Sheet Music Singer" is a white man who sings old ragtime and parlour music songs while showing the sheet music and lyrics onscreen. He does this for academic purposes and not as an interpretation or entertainment. It helps to listen to his "straight renditions" of old sheet music so you will recognize how a song was written and then was modified over time when it entered the folk repertoire. In other words, please don't hate on this guy for being a white, academically trained pianist and a moderately adequate singer. He is performing a valuable documentary service.)
Here is a version sung in blues tempo, no longer ragtime:
Bessie Smith - Yellow Dog Blues
(1920s, first verse only)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcrx2-vvwC4
And here is a version sung 40 years after Handy's composition:
Eartha Kitt and Nat King Cole - Yellow Dog Blues
(1958, movie-plot lyrics intro, then second verse only)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmZ5Rvpzer8
The Southern Spirits Web Site
Southern Spirits is one of my nicest, but least-known web sites. Online since 1994, Southern Spirits brings the ghost-voices of our magical past into the modern age. These are our spiritual ancestors speaking -- both as others heard them and as they told the world about themselves. Listen!
The material at Southern Spirits was gathered from a variety of sources, including old books, magazine articles, newspapers, and even fragments extracted from novels and short stories. It is heavily annotated with interpretive and comparative notes, especially distinguishing between narratives told *by* practitioners and narratives *about* them, particularly when the latter are recounted by derogatory or "amused" white observers.
Where the Southern Cross the Yellow Dog
African American Spirituality has taken diverse forms over the years. Much has been written about Black Churches and the African religious traditions of the diaspora. Less, however, is available on the subject of Black magical spirituality, as exemplified in Hoodoo, Conjure, Rootwork, and Candle Burning.
Southern Spirits brings the ghost-voices of our magical past into the modern age. These are our spiritual ancestors speaking -- both as others heard them and as they told the world about themselves. Listen!
The material at this site was gathered from a variety of sources, including old books, magazine articles, newspapers, and even fragments extracted from novels and short stories. It is heavily annotated with interpretive and comparative notes, especially distinguishing between narratives told *by* practitioners and narratives *about* them, particularly when the latter are recounted by derogatory or "amused" white observers.
These texts are intended to function as a factual resource for scholars and students, and to serve as an adjunct to my online books Hoodoo in Theory and Practice and Hoodoo and Blues Lyrics, as well as my in-print book Hoodoo Herb and Root Magic, a Materia Magica of African-American Conjure. They are also recommended reading for students taking my practical Correspondence Course in Hoodoo Rootwork Magic Course.
WARNING: Some material at this web site was written by European-Americans who were describing African-American spirituality as outsiders. Some of these authors were racist or race-derogatory and the conclusions they drew while writing their eye-witness accounts are grossly offensive. However, their texts are included in full because they accurately describe practices and customs of the African-American South during the 19th century (albeit not always with complete understanding) -- and they also serve as a political reminder of how far we have some in our struggle for race equality and respect in the ensuing years. Read with caution and compassion. All pages that are potentially offensive will contain this WARNING NOTICE.
"Where the Southern Cross the Yellow Dog" Private Forum
"Where the Southern Cross the Yellow Dog" is also the name of a Private Patrons-only forum thread at the Lucky Mojo Forum. Find it here:
Private Patreon Forum: "Where the Southern Cross the Yellow Dog"
As a Patron, you have access to our exclusive threads at the Lucky Mojo Forum! Signing up takes a few seconds, and each thread allows you to participate in discussions with me about the ongoing Patreon page publications. To comment on this week's new pages, or any of the previous posts, please go to my private Patreon forum at the web address above.
Public Patreon Forum
If you have any difficulty reaching any of my PRIVATE Patreon forums, you can post a notice and request for help at the PUBLIC Patreon Forum page here:
Public Forum "Support Cat Yronwode on Patreon
This web site, begun in January 2021, is for the use and enjoyment of my Patreon supporters, hence there are no menu and no links to find the pages that are only available to Patrons. In 2022 the pages of this site will slowly open up to the public, one page at a time, but if you want to read this material one year ahead of the rest of the world, you will need to subscribe.
My Patreon Themes and Streams
In order to continue my work as a writer and graphic designer in the fields of magic, folklore, spellcraft, divination, and fortune telling, i am asking loyal readers to support me on Patreon. For a small monthly donation, you will have access to advance copies of web pages and books i am writing, at the rate of one new item per week.
Because my interests are varied and not everyone is interested in all of my projects, you may subscribe for one, two, or four articles per month. The articles will be tagged with the type of material covered. I think of these as "streams" of content, which may mingle and flow together at times.
At present the planned streams are as follows:
"From the Land of Tea: The Material Culture of Tea and Tea Leaf Reading" An adjunct to my tasseomancy site, The Mystic Tea Room. Articles posted: January 7th, 2021.
"Your Wate and Fate: The Material Culture of Fortune Telling" Documenting unusual methods of divination. Articles posted: January 14th, 2021, January 28th, 2021.
"A Hoodoo Hand" Research pages to eventually be added to my free online book "Hoodoo in Theory and Practice"
"The Lucky W Amulet Archive" An illustrated and annotated tour of my collection of lucky charms.
"Where the Southern Cross the Yellow Dog" Annotated historical articles on 19th and 20th century hoodoo, an adjunct to my "Southern Spirits" site. Articles posted: January 21st , 2021.
"Fit to Print" Sample pdf chapters from upcoming books i am writing.
Each new web page or sample pdf is circulated to Patrons as an unpublished galley proof or advance copy. After one year at Patreon, each page will be released to the public, either as an addition to one of my web sites or in the form of a chapter in a published book.
Patrons have access to a Private Patreon sub-forum within the Lucky Mojo Forum, and will be accorded special Red Star Avatar badges at the Forum.
Patreon Tiers and Benefits
Here are the tiers i have devised at Patreon:
"It's All Ephemera with Catherine Yronwode
The Sampler
$2.00 Per Month
- Preview access to ONE new web page per month; the web page release will be held one year before public viewing.
- Access to my Patrons-Only Private Sub-Forum at the Lucky Mojo Forum where we can chat.
- A special Red Star Patron badge at the Public and Private Lucky Mojo Forums.
The Selector
$4.00 Per Month
- Preview access to TWO new web pages per month; the web page release will be held one year before public viewing.
- Access to my Patrons-Only Private Sub-Forum at the Lucky Mojo Forum where we can chat.
- A special Red Star Patron badge at the Public and Private Lucky Mojo Forums.
The Reader
$8.00 Per Month
- Preview access to FOUR new web pages per month; the web page release will be held one year before public viewing.
- Access to my Patrons-Only Private Sub-Forum at the Lucky Mojo Forum where we can chat.
- A special Red Star Patron badge at the Public and Private Lucky Mojo Forums.
The Bibliophile
$24.00 Per Month
- Preview access to FOUR new web pages per month; the web page release will be held one year before public viewing.
- Access to my Patrons-Only Private Sub-Forum at the Lucky Mojo Forum where we can chat.
- A special Red Star Patron badge at the Public and Private Lucky Mojo Forums.
- A signed copy of a 96-page book on folk magic or divination that i have authored, co-authored, or edited.
The Collector
$48.00 Per Month
- Preview access to FOUR new web pages per month; the web page release will be held one year before public viewing.
- Access to my Patrons-Only Private Sub-Forum at the Lucky Mojo Forum where we can chat.
- A special Red Star Patron badge at the Public and Private Lucky Mojo Forums.
- A signed copy of a 96-page book on folk magic or divination that i have authored, co-authored, or edited.
- An envelope containing rare vintage paper or cloth ephemera from my personal collection, with a hand-written card explaining its provenance, significance, and how i came to have duplicate copies so i can send one to you.
The Ephemerist
$64.00 Per Month
- Preview access to FOUR new web pages per month; the web page release will be held one year before public viewing.
- Access to my Patrons-Only Private Sub-Forum at the Lucky Mojo Forum where we can chat.
- A special Red Star Patron badge at the Public and Private Lucky Mojo Forums.
- A signed copy of a 96-page book on folk magic or divination that i have authored, co-authored, or edited.
- An envelope containing rare vintage paper or cloth ephemera from my personal collection, with a hand-written card explaining its provenance, significance, and how i came to have duplicate copies so i can send one to you.
- A lovingly curated box of vintage porcelain, glass, or metal ephemera from my personal collection, with a hand-written card explaining its provenance, significance, and how i came to have duplicate copies so i can send one to you.
With 32 different 96-page books in stock, i can continue to send books to faithful Patrons for not quite three years -- by which time there should be a few more books, extending that offer to a full three years. I have a ton of excess ephemera such as rare old 1930s hoodoo labels, fantastic excess china ware, and God knows what-all that i would love to send to other ephemerists. I often used to make entire store buyouts. So i have enough amazingly cool stuff to send random vintage presents to hundreds of Patrons for the rest of my life.
To sign up, go to my Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/catherineyronwode
To Discuss This Patreon Page
The Patreon Bonus Pages listed above are part of the series titled "Your Wate and Fate." To discuss these with me and the Patron community, please visit our Privae Patreon Forum at
http://forum.luckymojo.com/your-wate-and-fate-t93995.html
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Thank you.
cat yronwode