A collection of sixteen tales about High John the Conqueror, the traditional trickster hero of blacks during and immediately after the time of slavery.

"Maybe, now, we used-to-be black African folks can be of some help to our brothers and sisters who have always been white. You will take another look at us and say that we are still black and, ethnologically speaking, you will be right. But nationally and culturally, we are as white as the next one. We have put our labor and our blood into the common causes for a long time. We have given the rest of the nation song and laughter. Maybe now, in this terrible struggle, we can give something else—the source and soul of our laughter and song. We offer you our hope-bringer, High John de Conquer." Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960) was an influential author of African-American literature and anthropologist, who portrayed racial struggles in the early 20th century American South, and published research on Haitian voodoo. Of Hurston's four novels and more than 50 published short stories, plays, and essays, her most popular is the 1937 novel Their Eyes Were Watching God. Originally published in The American Mercury (1943).

Secret Spells that use the Famous High John the Conqueror root. Hoodoo, Voodoo, and Witchcraft.

Black Magic looks at the origins, meaning, and uses of Conjure—the African American tradition of healing and harming that evolved from African, European, and American elements—from the slavery period to well into the twentieth century. Illuminating a world that is dimly understood by both scholars and the general public, Yvonne P. Chireau describes Conjure and other related traditions, such as Hoodoo and Rootworking, in a beautifully written, richly detailed history that presents the voices and experiences of African Americans and shows how magic has informed their culture. Focusing on the relationship between Conjure and Christianity, Chireau shows how these seemingly contradictory traditions have worked together in a complex and complementary fashion to provide spiritual empowerment for African Americans, both slave and free, living in white America. As she explores the role of Conjure for African Americans and looks at the transformations of Conjure over time, Chireau also rewrites the dichotomy between magic and religion. With its groundbreaking analysis of an often misunderstood tradition, this book adds an important perspective to our understanding of the myriad dimensions of human spirituality.

This collection of 13 stories imagines what the world would be like if the destinies of its most powerful leaders had changed--and with them, the future. Includes "what if" stories by such authors as Michelle West, Ian Watson, and James Morrow. Original.

The Sanctified Church is a collection of Hurston's ground-breaking essays on Afro-American folklore, legend, popular mythology, and, in particular, the unique spiritual character of the Southern Black Christian Church. Along with preserving the customs, music, speech, and humor of rural Black America, The Sanctified Church introduces us to such extraordinary figures as Mother Catherine, matriarchal founder of a highly personal Voodoo Christian sect; Uncle Monday, healer, conjurer, and powerful herb doctor; and High John de Conquer, the trickster/shaman figure of freedom and laughter still honored in parts of rural Black America today. A pioneering ethnographer and folklore scholar, the great Zora Neale Hurston captured the exuberance, vitality and genius of Black culture with a vividness and authority unmatched by any other writer. (Back cover).

Learn how to do powerful, practical magic when you use candles and call on the saints in Reverend Ray T. Malbrough's The Magical Power of the Saints. This book can be your personal guide to help you call on the saints as your spiritual allies. You will learn how to work with seventy-four different saints through the use of "seven-day vigil candles" (saint candles), prayers, psalms, herbal baths, and more. For example, you would call on Saint Benedict (whose candle color is white and day of the week is Saturday) to help end fevers, heal sick animals and more. You might call on Our Lady of Charity (whose candle color is yellow and day of the week is also Saturday) for protection of the home and family, to bring a new lover, or to obtain better finances. But, The Magical Power of the Saints includes much more: Find out which saint can best help you for any situation, along with that saint's specific day of the week and color of candle Learn rituals for fifty-seven different situations—such as attracting good fortune, strengthening your marriage, and improving your business Use divination to discover which ingredients will summon the proper powers to help you in any specific situation Locate passages in the Bible that support the practice of divination Learn how to use prayer to honor your departed ancestors and communicate with them Discover the best way to prepare and use the saint candles Recite the correct Biblical psalm for your specific need Read messages in a candle flame to see if your prayers will be answered The Magical Power of the Saints includes over forty-five illustrations of saints to help you in your work.

Recipient of a 1989 Christian Home & School C.S. Lewis Gold Medal award! Eleanor McFarland and John Wilson join Gaal, the Son of the High Emperor, in a battle to thwart the evil plans of Lord Lunacy. Book Two in John White's Archives of Anthropos. Winner of the 1989 C. S. Lewis Gold Medal from Christian Home & School.