The Hoodoo Tarot Workbook: Rootwork, Rituals, and Divination

The Hoodoo Tarot Workbook is an excellent accompanying resource to its namesake, the 78-card deck that has singlehandedly raised consciousness about the depth and vastness of Black American spiritual beliefs rooted in Indigenous knowledge in the Americas, Africa, and the Caribbean. While the book enclosed with the tarot deck offers insights into card spreads and interpreting their meanings, the workbook further explains the knowledge and rituals behind rootwork, hoodoo, and divination practices. Author Tayannah Lee McQuillar shares the intermingling of Christianity and Indigenous spirituality throughout the centuries to create a nature-based religious perspective.

McQuillar guides her readers through a brave and exciting learning trajectory incorporating ancestral and cultural knowledge systems. I read the book from the viewpoint of a decolonizing Filipino-American with a solid upbringing in Christian values. The author aligns Biblical principles to hoodoo morality and ethics, anchored in love and respect. McQuillar shares notable historical facts about Black Americans’ custodianship of lands in the South. She makes the case for connecting spiritual beliefs and practices to the natural world and devotes a significant portion of the book to herbs, plants, and flowers featured in the cards. If you still need to own the deck, reading this workbook will inspire you to experience the magic of The Hoodoo Tarot.