"Conjure or rootwork is a tool. It's a way to make things happen, not a religion or a belief system. Most of it has to do with the principle of like-to-like," she says settling into what seems to be a natural patter. "You want something good to happen, something sweet, you make a honey jar. You want someone to get away from you, you get the dust from their footprint and mix it with chilis to give 'em a hotfoot."

"There are folks who do bad things with it and some think that it's fine, 'cause it's just the worker acting as a conduit for the client's wishes, but I'm not so sure. People aren't tools."