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A sacred circle, a living fire, and voices that won’t shrink to fit the frame. We brought together Mawiyah Kai EL-Jamah Bomani and Sherry Shone “That Hoodoo Lady” to talk about hoodoo as it’s actually lived: messy, embodied, ancestor-led, and unapologetically focused on liberation. The truth about where this work comes from, who it’s for, and why it’s still necessary.
 
 We dig into permission and boundaries with care. Everyone can read to learn history and context; reading becomes a bridge to respect and accountability. Practice, though, is not a marketplace. Hoodoo is born from survival and community defense, not from trends. We unpack how to move from ally to accomplice, how to challenge token panels and soft appropriation, and how to listen to the people who carry the line. Along the way, we explore “reverse engineering” sacred language—reclaiming scripture and spells so they serve freedom, not obedience.
 
 You’ll hear practical, grounded magic you can start today. Begin with a glass of water and your honest words; bless it, pour it to the earth, and let the work travel where it’s needed. Pair that with a mirror ritual that names you as a beautiful ancestor, shifting self-talk from scarcity to sovereignty. We connect these practices to therapy, book lists, and community study, because emotional maturity is part of the craft. If your ritual can’t hold grief, racism, and daily safety, it isn’t practice—it’s décor.
 
 Come sit with us. Learn from the women doing the work before writing the books. If this conversation moved you, subscribe, share it with someone who needs strength today, and leave a review to help others find these teachings. Your words matter—speak them. Your water matters—bless it. Your life matters—live it out loud.

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Bio:
Mawiyah Kai EL-Jamah Bomani, a native of New Orleans, is a distinguished writer and spirit woman. Her work has been featured in notable publications like The Crab Orchard Review, Dark Eros, Essence Magazine, and Chicken Bones: A Literary Journal. She is the author of several plays, including Crows Feet, Bourbon, and Men of the AmonRa Society, and co-writer/director of Brown Blood Black Womb. She received the Southern Black Theatre Festival’s 2012-2013 Playwright of the Year award for her play, Spring Chickens.

In 2008, Mawiyah earned her MFA in Creative Writing from the University of New Orleans. Beyond her writing, she is a respected educator, an 8th Generation Witch, and a Priestess of OYA in the Yoruba spiritual system, addressed as Iyanifa Faniyi Aboyade Omobola Bomani. She is the Editor-in-Chief of Oya N'Soro, an e-zine dedicated to culture and Afrikan Traditional Spirituality.

Mawiyah currently resides in Louisiana, where she conducts Orisa rituals, spiritual consultations, workshops, and divinations. She is working on two new projects: a middle-grade series, The Cool Beans Ghost Hunter Society, which features special needs superheroes, and Dead Man Stew, a poetry collection inspired by Tarot. Mawiyah is also the host of the podcast FishHeadsinRedGravy, which celebrates marginalized people in the esoteric and occult world. She is a recipient of the Critical Mass 8 Literary Award and the KAT Artist Residency. Mawiyah is the author of two books published by Llewellyn Worldwide: Conjuring the Calabash: Empowering Women with Hoodoo Spells and Magick and Hoodoo Saints and Root Warriors: Stories and Magick for Liberation.
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Thank you for supporting Belief, Being, & BEYOND! Your generosity helps sustain a woman-owned small business and an independent podcast dedicated to bringing authentic voices and meaningful conversations into the world. As a Navajo woman, I’m honored to share my perspective and create space for deeper connection, curiosity, and ex