A mojo is the staple talisman in the Hoodoo Tradition, but it appears in other magickal traditions as well.  It is characterized as a flannel bag, usually red, containing one or more magickal items.  Although most “Southern Style” mojos are made of red flannel, some magickal practitioners favor the color symbolism employed in candle magick and will match the color of the mojo bag to their goal

What goes into a mojo bag is determined by your goal, and what your find effective or traditional to use to achieve that goal.  Generally, there are at least three items in a simple mojo and many people try to ensure that the total ingredients comes to an odd number---3,5,7,9,11,13 and never more than 13---however, this is not a hard and fast rule.

Each practitioner has his or her own methods of preparing and fixing mojo bags, however there are certain elements in the process that are considered universal. The ritual for preparing and fixing a mojo bag is usually performed in either a work-space or an altar and will often be accompanied by the burning of candles and incense.

To successfully make and empower a mojo bag, mark a candle with your goal and impale it with nine pins, reasserting your desire with the insertion of each pin. Remember, the ninth pin goes through the wick.  Light some incense and then light your candle.  The mojo bag is filled with each ingredient (herbs, curio, seal, petition, personal concerns, etc...) accompanied by positive prayers and instructions for each ingredient.  For example, if you are creating a mojo to draw a male lover to you and you are using dried Lavender, you may say something like: "Lavender which draws men, draw a compatible man to me. In Jesus' name. Amen."

When all the ingredients have been placed in the bag, it is tied shut in a specific way according to tradition. Rather than two separate pieces of string pulled from opposite ends, the drawstring in a mojo bag is one single piece of string that goes through the mojo bag.  The two ends usually come knotted together near the end to prevent them from slipping back inside the tube part of the bag. Before you tie your bag, you must unknot the two ends or cut the string just below the knot. Pull the drawstring tight closing the mojo bag and  then tie the loose drawstrings into a knot holding the bag shut. The two ends are then knotted together again as before, wrapped around the bag once and tucked underneath itself. 

Part of activating or waking up, a mojo bag includes smoking and feeding the bag accompanied by the recitation of prayers/petitions. Like conditions oils, the incense you use typically corresponds to your goal. Mojo bags are smoked because the act of smoking the mojo bag is believed to awaken the spirit of the bag and brings it to life.
In some instances, spiritual workers follow God's example in Genesis 2:7 and literally breathe life into their mojo bag by blowing their own breathe into the bag, and then tying it shut. I've also heard some workers instruct others to light a match and drop it into the bag, symbolizing the spark of life, however this is not my practice. As the mojo bag is smoked, it is often accompanied by either an extemporaneous prayer or a bible verse, typically the 23rd Psalm. As you pray, your thoughts should be focused on your goal. 

Mojo bags are believed to be the physical manifestation of a spiritual entity and therefore alive. All living beings require sustenance to live and mojo bags are no different. The act of feeding your mojo keeps it alive and strong to work for you and help bring about your goal. To feed your mojo bag, simply place a drop of condition oil, or whiskey on the bag. After the mojo bag is fed, it is left in the light of the blessed candle until it burns out.

Once your mojo is fixed, it should be carried on you for the first week and you should sleep with it near you at night. It should also be fed each day for a total of seven days and at the same time it was originally fixed, if possible. After the first week, you may continue to carry it on you during the day, or you may put it away in a secret place.

After the first week, feed the mojo once a week for four weeks on the same day of the week that it was made. After that month, it should then be fed once a month when the moon is new.Once properly made and empowered, you should carry your mojo on you below the waist and sleep with it under your pillow. Once a week, dress the mojo with oil again. Never let another person touch your mojo or it will be rendered useless. Some people feel that a mojo’s power generally last for a year, and should be buried after that time while others feel that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.  If your mojo is still working for you don’t’ dispose of it, but if the cloth wears out sew it all up into a new cloth. 

If your mojo stops working for you, empty its contents on a tabletop. Inspect any hard items such as dried roots, coins, shells, lodestones, etc for damage. Set the undamaged hard items aside and place the damaged item back in the mojo bag with the soft items.  If a seal or petition is still working set it aside as well, but if it is work, illegible, or needs

 Naming Your Mojo Bag 


A properly prepared and fixed mojo bag is believed to be a living being, your spiritual ally, and as such it should have a name just like all other living beings. You can either name your mojo yourself, or it may communicate its name to you during the processes of making the mojo bag. Once you know the name of your mojo bag, use that name when addressing the bag communicating your needs or asking for its assistance.

 Maintaining Your Mojo Bag

You should never allow another person to see or touch your mojo bag as it is believed that it will kill the power of the bag. If this occurs, you have two choices. They are:

1. Bury the entire bag with honor. 
2. Open the mojo bag and set any undamaged hard items aside such as roots, lodestones, coins, etc... Discard any items that are damaged or worn. Wash the re-usable items with Whiskey or Hoyt's Cologne and use them to make a new mojo bag. 

Over time, a mojo bag can become worn and may need to become refreshed. This is traditionally done around the Fall Equinox and entails taking the mojo bag apart, saving hard curios, replacing leafy/dried herbs. The contents are then reassembled into a new mojo bag accompanied by prayer and followed by smoking and feeding the mojo