Message from Huldah
I hope your summer has been full of fun and excitement. Here in Alabama, the weather has kept things interesting, from hot, humid days to July’s nearly daily thunderstorms. Now the last dog days of summer are fading, and fall is on its way. September 23rd brings the Fall Equinox and the official start of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere.This fall may feel like a veil lifting, helping people see what has been right in front of them. That is what this season often brings: a reality check. Many will take a closer look at their beliefs, relationships, and priorities and realize what no longer fits. Since reality checks can be uncomfortable, especially around personal and financial matters, some people may try to avoid what they need to face. Do not be one of them. Use this season to find balance between what is real and what is not, and between hope and deception. Strengthen your spiritual connections so they can support you through any needed reality checks without weighing you down. Between now and the end of September, take time to give, bless, and make offerings. These acts can help bring balance as fall and winter unfold, especially when these seasons bring hard truths and difficult decisions. Offer food to nature, give what you can to charity, and find small ways to bless people in need. Speak kind words, show kindness where you can, and if summer has been difficult, consider giving up a little time, comfort, or pleasure as an sacrifice. Visit a nearby waterway and make an offering to the spirit of water. As I told a couple of my students, feeding the spirit of water means feeding the life within it. Offer small, suitable foods for the fish and other creatures, such as diced cucumber, watermelon, corn, or canned green peas. Feeding the life in the water helps honor and please the water spirit. This fall, hold tightly to your ancestors’ hands and let them guide you through whatever comes. Unexpected events and startling truths may rise, as fall and winter often bring surprises. Set a regular time to communicate with your ancestors; you will need their guidance and strength this season.
Watch How Nature Moves This Fall Season
As we move into fall, take a little time to notice what nature may be showing you. You will know something is speaking to you when it catches your attention in a way it normally would not. Even a simple moment can carry meaning. If falling leaves suddenly stand out to you, it may point to a major change in a relationship. Leaves blowing hard in the wind can suggest heated disagreements or differences of opinion rising up. A sudden whirlwind or dust devil may be a sign that your ancestors are trying to get your attention, almost like a doorway opening between the living and the dead. These are just a few examples of how nature can bring messages when we slow down and pay attention.
We Need Fire Spirits This Season of Fall!
This fall, call on the Hoodoo power of fire. Make burning herb or smoke rituals part of your routine. If you have a fire pit, use it to call on fire while casting herbs into the flames. If you live in the city, a candle oil burner may be the better choice. Add your herbs to the oil so you can work safely without setting off alarms. I strongly encourage you to work with these three nature spirits throughout the fall season.
"Auntie" Ginger
Dried ginger root carries a fiery spirit, which is why we use it in Hoodoo to quicken the spirit of our work. Ginger brings a strong spiritual kick, and that kind of energy can help you keep moving through the season with a clear mind and steady spirit. Add dried pieces to mojos and bottle spells to quicken them, or use ginger in smoke rituals to wake the work up.
Sistah Rosemary
Rosemary also carries strong fire energy when burned. It helps keep seasonal decline from turning into stagnation and gives the spirit room to keep moving. Rosemary is also a powerful spiritual cleanser, helping clear away what feels heavy, stuck, or unwanted.
Grandaddy Pine
Pine bark and needles do not start the fire, but they help keep it going. They can also help you move through the changes this season may bring. Try making a small mojo bag with chopped pine needles and bits of pine cone, and wear it as a natural protection amulet during the fall.
Who is the Crash Out King?
What You Need to Know
I truly enjoyed writing the 2027 Hoodoo Almanac. This edition includes more predictions for the Black community, including how the Asian Boycott may unfold and affect 2027. It also looks at tensions between parts of the Black community and immigrant communities, and what that may mean in the year ahead. Beyond the predictions, the almanac opens with root spells, cautions, helpful resources, a sample of cleansing nature spirits, and new additions to Places To Go: Black pilgrimages.
The larger-than-life man on the cover, grinning with a black lizard around his shoulders, is the “Crash Out King.” He represents the spirit that pushes people to react without thinking, smiling as they take the bait and laughing when they crash out. It may feel good in the moment, but crashing out usually costs something in the end. It is not a solution; it is a dead end.
That dead-end theme appears throughout many of the predictions, because it reflects the energy 2027 may bring. It may show up in everyday people, leaders, systems, and institutions alike. Nothing is beyond the reach of the Crash Out King. That is why the rest of 2026 is a good time to build your spiritual power, strength, discernment, and discipline so you do not get pulled into his traps in 2027.
Wear a Dime Around Your Ankle During Fall
Keep your protection strong!
Wearing a dime around the ankle is an old Hoodoo protection practice, and it can be especially helpful during the fall season. A mercury dime tied to a red string helps keep your path clear. The red string quickens the spirit of the dime, bringing blood, fire, and strong defensive energy. In Hoodoo, the right side is often linked to physical strength, while the left side is linked to spiritual strength. Traditionally, the dime is worn on the left ankle to protect the spirit, which can be crossed or affected by negative forces. Since fall can bring decline, reality checks, and loss, this is a good time to shield and strengthen your spiritual power.
Is It True? Did They Really Trademark Yoruba?
I recently saw a couple of videos about foreign companies trademarking the word Yoruba, and people were understandably upset. I was upset too, so I looked into it. I found that Shake-N-Go Fashion, Inc., a hair care company, has a U.S. trademark registration for “YORUBA” for hair-related products. And they are not the only example. In 2021, the British fashion company Timbuktu Global faced strong public backlash after people learned it had registered “Yoruba” with the UK Intellectual Property Office. After online advocacy and pressure led by cultural campaigner Gbemisola Isimi, the company gave up the trademark and transferred ownership.
I remember when Ubuntu from Linux first came out, and I immediately sensed that the name came from African roots. Sure enough, ubuntu comes from the Nguni Bantu languages of Southern Africa, especially Zulu and Xhosa. It has always bothered me that Linux built a global brand around this word and, since 2023, has reportedly made more than $200 million a year from it.
I am not Yoruba, and I am not part of an African Spiritual Tradition, but this still deeply unsettled me. What troubles me is the idea that a company could take the name of a people and culture and turn it into something controlled for corporate use and profit. What puzzled me even more is that governments approved it. To me, it feels like cultural theft and appropriation taken to another level, yet the legal system still allows it. Even the word Hoodoo has been trademarked by several entities in one form or another.
I already understood that our nation, and much of the world, operates like a corpocracy, where corporations hold enormous power over leaders, land, and daily life. But now we are seeing that influence slowly reach into culture and spiritual heritage too. Will there come a day when corporations try to decide how we can use the very traditions that belong to us? I can see the direction this is moving, and sadly, I am not surprised. Across the diaspora, our spiritual and cultural heritage has often been suppressed. That is why preserving our Hoodoo heritage matters so much. Hold close to the ways of our ancestors, and do not let them slip away.
One Big Hoodoo Tip: Beware AI in Hoodoo
More people are starting to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) for divination and Hoodoo learning, so please be careful. AI gathers existing information and uses it to answer questions. In other words, it mostly recycles human-made data. That may be useful for everyday topics, but Hoodoo and spirituality require more than information. Plus, there is the accuracy of information when it comes to Hoodoo. Many of the sources AI pulls Hoodoo information from are not from the black community and have nothing to do with the lineage.
We also cannot ignore how quickly AI is moving into psychic readings, astrology, and other spiritual services online. It is cheap, fast, and does not require human interaction, so it will likely become more common. AI can read playing cards, tarot, runes, the I Ching, and other systems in ways that may seem accurate. But remember, AI is designed to sound helpful, so its answers may feel more personal than they really are.
Here is what AI cannot do: it cannot give true spiritual guidance, intuition, consciousness, or discernment. It cannot truly predict what will happen next. It can only recognize patterns, pull from existing data, and create responses that sound convincing, comforting, or personal.That is where the danger comes in. AI can make people feel understood, but that feeling may not be real guidance. It can repeat fears, feed delusions, and create overreliance, especially for people who are already struggling. Some reports have linked heavy chatbot use with serious psychological episodes, including extreme anxiety and psychosis. That is why spiritual work should not be handed over to a machine.
Practitioners, be careful. Using AI as a divination assistant can weaken your discernment, judgment, critical thinking, and connection to your own inner voice. Even worse, it can dull your intuition and your ability to spiritually hear your ancestors. Over time, that can diminish your spirit, talents, and abilities. Avoid bringing AI into your actual spiritual practices and traditions.Finally, this troubled me most. In my readings, I asked about the goal of AI in psychic and spiritual work, and the message pointed toward control: guiding people into deeper dependence while shaping their thoughts. When I asked about Super Intelligence, the next step beyond AI, the response was connection, imprisonment, and governance. To me, that suggests a future where human thought and spirit may be increasingly managed by outside powers.
I will close with this: I know these words may not go far, but I need to say them. AI will likely be pushed deeper into spiritual spaces because there is money and control behind it. Some people will welcome it, but we need to be careful about opening the door to false spiritual substitutes. Stay grounded, stay discerning, and protect the living spirit of your practice.
CRASHING OUT IN 2027!
2027 Hoodoo Almanac by Huldah Available September 14th.
Hoodoo Books That Teach You Skills
These three books provide you a ton of Hoodoo knowledge and actual skills you can start using immediately. They are well worth the investment and can serve as references throughout your Hoodoo journey. Order your copies today and start learning Hoodoo.
Don't Sleep on Huldah's Almanacs
More than predictions for the year each one have lots of valuable Hoodoo information, root spells, stories and helpful information you can use at any time. The 2027 edition will be coming out this fall. Be sure to collect all of them.