Two-Headed Astrology
Hoodoo & Rootwork: A Conjunction of Beliefs and Practices
Conjunction- in an astrological chart a conjunction is where two planets or points unite and blend their energies together.
From an early age, I was always fascinated with magic. I was especially drawn to the Tarot (sun quintile neptune) after seeing Jane Seymour in the 1973 motion picture Live and Let Die. I received my first deck, the Rider-Waite, in 1991 when my favorite Aunt bought it for me at a Waldenbooks in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Through my interest in the tarot, I discovered Wicca and Witchcraft and with it many of the subjects associated with witchcraft --- including Astrology.
I began studying astrology about the same time as the tarot with the purchase of the book The Only Astrology Book You'll Ever Need by Joanne Martine Woolfolk. However, I would get frustrated with astrology and put the books away for a time only to take it up again later. I would repeat this cycle over and over again for many years studying and practicing a little bit longer and getting a little further along with my studies each time.
Over the years, I became proficient in other forms of divination such as the Tarot, Bone Reading, the Runes and the use of Playing Cards (neptune sextile pluto; mercury conjunct pluto). During the same time I identified as Wiccan for many years before going back to the folk-magic of the South, known as Hoodoo, and also became a professional Rootworker (neptune sextile pluto).
However, at the end of 2016 I decided that it was time to either become more serious in my study of astrology or walk away from it forever. In 2017, I began studying and practicing astrology on a consistent basis. This included the following:
- Studying my own natal chart
- Studying daily planetary transits
- Studying my monthly Lunar Returns
- Studying my Solar Return
- Studying yearly Progressions and Transits
- Reading books and Writing Articles
- Sharing what I learned across Social Media
- Collecting keywords for planets, signs, and houses
- Joined Astrology related groups on Social Media
- Purchasing astrological readings from professional astrologers
- Doing free astrological readings for friends and associates.
- Studying past charts (such as my Saturn or Venus returns)
- Learning how Mercury Retrograde affected me (astrologically)
Uranus (the planet of sudden change) entered my 6th House (the house dealing with both health and work) in 2011. About that same time I switched careers and went from having a very physically active job to working behind a desk in an office. During this time, I gained a lot of weight. Uranus spends about 7 years in each sign and when it entered the last 5 degrees of Aries around 2018, I was diagnosed with High Blood Pressure and was ordered by my doctor to lose weight.
I was prescribed lisinopril for my HBP and was put on the Keto Diet. I had to give up traditional foods and recipes that I have eaten all my life and learn new, healthy ones. I also started walking for exercise. I started out barley being able to do 3000 steps a day. I now walk between 15K and 20K steps a day. This was a huge adjustment for me but I was able to lose 50 pounds and my blood pressure is now in the healthy range.
However, I found that between my day job, my rootwork practice, and the changes that losing weight and maintaining a healthy diet entailed was too much for me and I had less and less time just for myself. At the beginning of 2019, I performed my yearly tarot reading which suggested that my theme for the year would be harmony and that I would spend the year trying to find more balance and harmony in my life. My charts seemed to support this so I decided to step away from my Rootwork practice in order to devote more time to continuing my weight loss journey, pursuing my own interest, as well as to focus on my writing projects and generally have more time to myself.
With mercury trine jupiter in my natal chart, reading and writing has always been something that I enjoyed; and with my sun in virgo, editing is right up my alley! Before the age of the internet, I practiced daily journaling by taking an event that happen to me that day, a person I met, or a new idea or concept that I learned and wrote about the experience in a magical way. I even tried my hand at writing magical fiction (natal mercury in the 12th house). Part of my efforts to bring more harmony in my life and nurturing my own spirit is the creation of this blog where I will satisfy my mercury in the 12th house by writing about my two loves which are astrology and rootwork blending and combining both the beliefs and practices of these arts and sciences.
Carolina Dean
Jan. 2019
