The Practice of a Hoodoo Baptist
The Practice of a Hoodoo Baptist is a storytelling podcast rooted in Black Southern spirituality, hosted by Chelsea VonChaz, a doula, philanthropist, and Southern-born truth-teller. It blends testimony, conjure, ancestral wisdom, and church girl grit as a living spoken reflection of her spiritual path. The series draws on Hoodoo inherited from her great-grandmothers who worked the roots in silence, honoring healing, storytelling, and those who came before. It is not instruction but remembrance and testimony.
Episodes
Hide to Seek w/ The Hungry Medium
A special guest returns! Kat Niambi aka The Hungry Medium returns to do a light catch up. In this conversation Ms. Kat and I explore personal growth, the challenges of caregiving, and the importance of oral traditions in the context of family and spirituality. We also discuss the impact of astrology on our lives, the significance of human connection, and the need for grace in understanding the imp
Reading the Cards, Listening to Spirit: A Practitioner's Work of Knowing
In this episode of The Practice of a Hoodoo Baptist, I sit down with Tatianna Tarot, diviner, intuitive tarot therapist, and Iyalorisa priestess, for a grounded and expansive conversation on what it really means to trust your intuition.The conversation delves into ancestral wisdom, spiritual empowerment, and the significance of divination tools in reclaiming intuition. It also explores the impact
Ethics in Hoodoo w/ Brooke "Bee" Sanders
This episode of The Practice of a Hoodoo Baptist is a grounding conversation about ethics, discernment, and the responsibility that comes with spiritual work. I’m joined by Brooke “Bee” Sanders, founder of Amethyst Corner, a spiritual community rooted in ancestral connection, real healing, and practical tools for those walking their path with intention.The conversation delves into the importance o
Remembering & Returning to Earth Medicine w/ Charlotte James
This episode of The Practice of a Hoodoo Baptist is about that kind of remembering.I’m joined by Charlotte Duerr James—educator, therapeutic coach, and initiated Medicine Woman—for a conversation that moves slowly, intentionally, and with reverence. The conversation delves into the exploration of ancestral wisdom, the use of psychedelics and earth medicines, early psychedelic experiences, Charlott
Embody Your Magic: The Power Within You w/ Aycee Brown
The conversation delves into the exploration of ancestral wisdom and spiritual practices, highlighting the integration of these elements into personal journeys. It also addresses the challenges of navigating spiritual communities and the process of healing, emphasizing the importance of self-awareness and self-trust. Aycee Brown is a psychic medium, astrologer, and spiritual guide known for tellin
Black Women Taught Us: Abolition, Love, and the Politics of Survival
The conversation delves into ancestral wisdom, black feminism, and the intimate history of black feminism. It explores personal experiences, intellectual connections, and the impact of ancestral teachings on identity and community. The discussion also touches on the significance of grief and emotional/spiritual practices in the context of social movement work and abolitionism. The conversation del
Anti-Blackness & The Church w/ Pastuh D. Danyelle Thomas
The conversation delves into the intersection of religion, spirituality, and liberation, highlighting the impact of capitalism and supremacy on religious and spiritual practices. It also explores the implications of AI and technology, the environmental impact of data storage, challenges in nonprofit funding, the role of churches in communities, and the impact of surveillance and technology on pers
Season 2 Premiere: Giving Thanks
The episode begins with an introduction to Season Two, followed by a dedication to the awakening of individuals. It then explores the embrace of ancestral traditions, the burden of being the first believer, the importance of embracing solitude and discernment, connecting with practitioners, navigating the journey of faith, planning for Season Two, and concludes with closing remarks and gratitude.
When The Bible Sits Next To The Jar.
I never had to choose between the Bible and the jar, or prayer and rootwork.Between the cross and the candle. Both live in me. And both lived in the women and men who came before me. The truth is: Hoodoo was never separate from the Black church — it was woven into it.The lie that you can’t hold both? That was taught. That was imposed. That was colonized thinking trying to make us forget how we sur
The Scholar and the Spirit: Why Studying Hoodoo Still Matters
Happy Hoodoo Heritage Month! It’s also my birthday month! Shout out to all of my Libras and Scorpios. In celebration of my favorite time of the year, I’m dedicating these last few episodes of this season of the podcast to the tradition. What happens when you study Hoodoo not as superstition, but as sacred practice — a living, breathing tradition of survival, healing, and power?This week on The Pr
Discernment Is The First Rootwork!
Before there was a candle lit or an oil blended. Before the roots were gathered. There was discernment.That was my great-grandmother Madear’s greatest spiritual gift. She didn’t trust everybody. She didn’t speak on everything. She moved when Spirit told her to move — not a moment sooner.And that’s how she kept herself, her children, and her family covered.In Hoodoo, discernment is rootwork. It’s k
The Practice of a Hoodoo Baptist: An Introduction
I was born into this. Not through books, but through blood.One of my great-grandmothers was an Alabama Creole woman. A descendant of enslaved Black Americans and Native Americans, who practiced what the world tried to demonize: Hoodoo.She lived it with discernment. Quiet power. Protection. Spirit and blood guided her hands. And now, it guides mine.I am an Afro Indigenous woman, because I am both o
Forgiveness, Boundaries & Spiritual Maturity.
Forgiveness is sacred. But it’s not a shortcut. Not a performance. Not a requirement for healing. Some of us were taught to forgive too quickly — out of fear, out of guilt, out of the pressure to be “good.”Especially as Black women.Especially in the church. Especially when we were never given space to grieve what was taken.But here’s the truth: I didn’t forgive you for you. I did it for my spirit.
Ancestors Speak — Dreams, Signs, and Spiritual Visitations
In this very special episode, I’m joined by my partner, Nore Davis. Grief can be hard, especially when you experience multiples losses in a short period of time. Nore shares how he navigates grief through his new understanding of ancestral veneration.The ancestors don’t stop speaking just because they’ve crossed over. If anything — they finally have room to speak louder. Through dreams, signs, and
The Work of the Doula Is Rootwork Too!
I’ve been a full spectrum doula for over a year now. I’ve been a doula concentrating on menstruation since the inception of my charity’s programming. Every time I show up as a doula, I’m practicing rootwork. I’m not just holding space for periods, fertility, or birth — I’m standing at a spiritual threshold.The womb has been undervalued and underestimated for too long. Where new life enters. Where
Working with Plants, Roots & the Land.
Before I had language for “rootwork,” I had land. I had fresh mint by my great-grandmother’s steps. I had mason jars filled with leaves I wasn’t supposed to touch. I had herbs steeped into tea that tasted like prayer. I wasn’t taught by books. I was taught by the Earth. And the Earth never needed to explain herself.In Hoodoo, plants are not props. They’re not ingredients. They’re not trendy.They’r
We Been Belonging — Black Creeks & the Right to Remember
I identify as Afro Indigenous. Specifically I am a Black Creek. My Great Grandmother, Claretha Williams-Lynum taught me that I’m a child of the Natives of this land as well as Africa, and that being both made me unique, and it was nothing to be ashamed of. After 46 years of exclusion, the Muscogee Nation’s Supreme Court ruled that Black Creeks are citizens. Descendants of Creek freedmen, like myse
OYA at the Crossroads: Mawiyah Kai EL-Jamah Bomani on Hoodoo, Writing, and Liberation
There are certain conversations that feel like ceremony—where words, laughter, and memory become offerings. This one with Mawiyah Kai EL-Jamah Bomani is exactly that.A New Orleans native, award-winning playwright, priestess of OYA, and 8th-generation witch, Mawiyah carries both fire and tenderness in her voice. She joins me on The Practice of a Hoodoo Baptist to talk about what it means to live as
Haint Stories and Holy Ghosts: When the Spirit World Comes Knocking.
In this soul-stirring episode of The Practice of a Hoodoo Baptist, spiritual activist and land steward Kat Niambi (aka The Hungry Medium) takes us to the edge of the seen and unseen.We talk haints, holy ghosts, and the spirits that show up when the veil thins—and how Black folks have always known the difference between a haunting and a homecoming.In this episode:— Growing up with spirits: Kat’s ea
You Can’t Practice What You Don’t Live
Rootwork is not a costume. It’s not a candle collection. It’s not a feed full of rituals you don’t actually follow. You can’t practice what you don’t live. And you shouldn’t.Because Hoodoo isn’t about looking powerful — it’s about being in alignment.I don’t do this for aesthetics. I do this because my spirit needs covering. Because my ancestors walk with me. Because my great-grandmother, Ma’dear,
Black Girlhood as Sacred Text
There are voices that don’t just speak — they shift the room.This week on The Practice of a Hoodoo Baptist, I sit down with EbonyJanice, Hip Hop Womanist scholar and author of All the Black Girls Are Activists. For those that may not know, EbonyJanice is a dynamic lecturer, transformational speaker, and Womanist scholar committed to decolonizing authority and centering Black women’s freedom dreams
Divination for Liberation: Prophecy as a political act in Black resistance
Growing up, many of us were told prophecy belonged to the Bible, to men in pulpits, or to faraway “chosen ones.” But what if I told you prophecy has always lived in us—passed through the mouths of grandmothers, whispered in dreams, traced in the stars, shuffled in tarot decks, and carried in our bones?This week on The Practice of a Hoodoo Baptist, I’m sitting down with Dayna Lynn Nuckolls—The Peop
Hoodoo Ain’t Evil.
They’ve called it evil for centuries. But the only evil was how they tried to separate us from it. Hoodoo is not evil, it’s not the devil, and t’s not something to be feared. It’s survival. It’s a way of being. My great-grandparents, especially my maternal great-grandmother practiced Hoodoo with discernment and protection. They were not conjuring demons — they were protecting the family from a wor
Mojos in Our Bag: Black Women’s Magic Across Generations
What’s in your mojo bag?! You know about mojo bags right?It’s not limited to just a gris gris bag or pouch made of flannel. Mojo bag represents the personal magic you have. The magic of Black women has been felt and reached globally for centuries.In this episode of The Practice of a Hoodoo Baptist podcast, I chat with Dr. Lindsey Stewart to explore the rich tapestry of Black women's spirituality,
Practices of Ancestor Veneration for Grief.
Someone incredibly special to me recently passed away tragically. It’s still shocking. I’m taking my time to mourn and process. Grief has a way of reshaping us. It takes us apart, piece by piece, until all that’s left is what’s most true. In this episode of The Practice of a Hoodoo Baptist, I sit down with my partner, comedian and creative spirit Nore Davis to talk about grief, ancestors, and the
Spiritual Baths, Cleansing, and Everyday Protection.
Protection is a practice. Not every spell starts with a flame. Before I speak, I honor the ones who spoke before me.Before I write, I call on the ones who wrote in spirit.May these words carry their wisdom, their warnings, their protection.May what needs to be heard, be heard.May what needs to be held, be held.Not every spell starts with a flame. Sometimes it starts with a bath. With salt, with pr
What Makes a Hoodoo Baptist?
Before I ever called it hoodoo, I called it faith.Before I knew it was conjure, I knew it was prayer.Before I had words for it, I had my granny’s hands, my mama’s oil, and a God who never needed a building to show up.Before I learned rootwork, I watched my grandma rub oil on our foreheads and sing the blood of Jesus into our skin.This ain’t new. It’s remembered.In this episode of The Practice of a
Black Girls and the Bible Belt.
I was raised in the church. Not just on Sundays — but in the culture.In the clothes. In the fear. In the expectations stitched into every sermon and skirt hem. Black girls raised in the Bible Belt know what it means to carry shame before we even understand our own bodies.We were taught to be nice — not discerning. To be obedient — not intuitive. To be godly — but never powerful.The rules were loud
Remembering Blood: Menopause, Memory, and Ancestral Wisdom
Have you had the “M” talk? You know, that talk. About menopause!In this conversation with Omisade Burney-Scott, I have the opportunity to explore the intersections of ancestral wisdom, spirituality, and the experiences of Black women, Black bodies navigating menopause. Omisade shares her ancestral led journey into advocacy for reproductive justice and the importance of community support in underst
Faith Unbound: Reimagining Belief with Kristian A. Smith
What happens when faith refuses to stay in the narrow pews it was handed, and instead begins to stretch, breathe, and move in the rhythm of liberation?This week on The Practice of a Hoodoo Baptist, I sit down with Kristian A. Smith — pastor, public theologian, and the voice behind Holy Smokes: Cigars and Spirituality. Kristian is a thought leader who challenges us to rethink the boundaries of beli
When the Tongue is a Wand: The role of writing and prayer in survival
Growing up in the Yoruba tradition, Dr. Ayoka Wiles learned early that words are never just words—they’re power, protection, and prophecy.Dr. Ayoka Wiles is a scholar, spiritual practitioner, and author of I Hear Olofi’s Song: A Collection of Yoruba Spiritual Prayers for Egun and Orisa—a heart-deep offering of ancestral prayers. With a PhD in Public Policy and two decades in nonprofit and arts lea
Menstruation and Mojo!
Say it with me: Menstruation. Periods!They taught us to hide it. To be ashamed of it. To treat it like something dirty, something to pray away. We don’t talk about this enough. About how spiritual menstruation really is.How the body sheds what’s no longer needed—and how that’s likely a holy act.How the womb speaks in cramps and cravings, in silence and blood.But the truth is — blood is sacred. Men
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