When I was sixteen years old, I was told by a youth minister I had a crush on that I needed to learn how to “talk sweet.” If you’re from the South, you know what I mean: that sickly sweet baby talk that some Christian churches impose on women to make them more submissive.
When I came home from church and used that sickly sweet baby talk, my brothers laughed so hard they fell off the couch. My dad set down his newspaper and looked at me as if I were having a stroke.
My stepmother; a proud woman whose parents were Depression Era sharecroppers, was not amused. She pulled me aside and told me not to talk like that again. Then she pointed at my brothers, who were still laughing and mocking me. “Men don’t respect women when you do that. Whenever you speak to someone, speak with authority.”
This is what I love most about Container Conjure. Author Starr Casas is a woman who speaks with authority. Her words, like conjure itself, are not for the faint of heart. You can’t be timid and do this kind of work, because conjure demands discernment and respect. The worker must speak with authority because Conjure is an old, old magic. It’s primal and powerful, sexy and scary. It’s the ancient soul that speaks of ancestors and saints and spirits that walk among us. It’s the very essence of humanity.
The book is about containers. But it’s also a book on discernment, caution, wisdom, and prayer. The containers are often mundane, such as jars and bottles, but other containers are more intriguing; such as packets, animal parts, and eggs.
She explains how these items are used, and what to do with them once the work is finished. There is a small section on Catholic prayers, as well as prayers to certain saints. She adds a small herbal, and an excellent section on hotfooting an enemy. She is also very thorough in cautioning the reader about this type of work, because hotfooting someone can cause some severe backlash.
I liked her section on blue bottles, but wish she had added the bottle tree as well. It’s an old Southern custom, and one of my favorites. It’s a colorful and effective way to drive out negative energy.
Less common containers include eggs, which is another work that I like to do. Animal parts, like deer legs and beef tongue, are also discussed. If you’re as squeamish as I am about sewing up a petition inside a beef tongue, a jar filled with gag root, something personal of the target’s and Louisiana Hot Sauce, extra spicy, loaded with your rage and intention, works just as well at stopping gossip. Just remember to shake it often.
There is a section on lamps that has sparked my interest, and have added that to my fall curriculum. There are several interesting workings for making and using lamps, shells, fish, and of course dollies.
There is so much information packed into this book that it’s impossible to add it all to this brief review, so I’ll say this: If you’re seriously interested in conjure, Starr Casas’ books are the place to be.
~review by Patricia Snodgrass
Author: Starr Casas
Weiser Books, 2026
pp. 228, pp $19.95
