In this deeply enriching episode of How to Be Magical, host Nikki Buchanan sits down with Gerard Miller—hoodoo practitioner, herbalist, doula, and textile artist—for a conversation that bridges ancestral wisdom, plant medicine, and the liberatory power of queer spirituality.
Gerard, a Baltimore-born, Seattle-based rootworker, shares their journey of returning to Chesapeake Bay conjure traditions after exploring Vodou, Ifá, and other diasporic paths. "We got spirits at home," their ancestors told them—a reminder that healing lies in the land, plants, and practices of their own lineage. From foraging Pacific Northwest herbs like devil’s club and salmonberry to adapting Igbo and Yoruba cosmologies, Gerard reveals how Black Southern hoodoo thrives through reinvention.
The discussion unfolds like a communal kitchen table chat, blending practical magic with profound insights:
Herbalism as Survival: Tips on garlic’s medicinal power (let it sit 10 minutes after chopping!), okra water for childbirth, and why white sage isn’t universal.
Queer Ancestral Liberation: Stories of gender-fluid orishas like Logunedé and Igbo traditions of "female husbands," challenging colonial binaries.
Craft as Resistance: The resurgence of Black quilting, broom-making, and basket-weaving as spiritual acts.
Nature as Nervous System Care: Why forest bathing isn’t a trend—it’s how humans are meant to live.
Gerard also critiques the hypocrisy of "conservative" values in spiritual spaces ("Why take morality lessons from a system that enslaved us?") and offers resources like Working the Roots by Michele E. Lee for those reclaiming herbalism.
This episode is a call to remember: Spirit work has always existed beyond binaries, and liberation grows where we tend it—whether in the soil, the stitches of a quilt, or the stories we refuse to let die.
To support the podcast, consider subscribing to The Boneyard on Substack for as little as $8 a month! For in-depth articles and commentary on afro-disasporic traditions, additional resources, and show notes: soulthings.substack.com
---
Follow Gerard Miller & Altared Roots
www.altaredroots.com
Altared Roots Bookshop
IG: @altared.roots
FB: Altared Roots
