High John Floor Sweep, 1 Lb

Clears the house and leaves power behind. A High John floor sweep is used in Hoodoo to sweep stagnation, bad luck, and unwanted influence out the door while laying down the strength and success of High John the Conqueror root in its place.

Sprinkle, wait, sweep. Floor sweeps are dry powders, not washes: you scatter a light dusting over the floor, let it sit a while, and sweep it toward and out the front door. No mopping and no water, which makes it the simplest form of house work in the tradition.

Working-practitioner quantity. A pound of High John floor sweep covers many full-house sweeps, which suits the rootworker who clears client homes, the practitioner with a weekly rhythm, and the shop that repacks into 4 oz jars. Store it sealed and dry; a damp powder will not scatter.

This is a 1 lb bag of High John floor sweep, a dry Hoodoo sweeping powder.

• Weight: 1 lb (16 oz)
• Shipping weight: about 2.2 lb packaged (per AzureGreen)
• Form: dry sweeping powder
• Key root: High John the Conqueror (Ipomoea jalapa), per the current listing
• Distributed by AzureGreen
• Use: floors only; not for the body, not for consumption

The current listing describes this as a High John the Conqueror root powder blend; the remaining ingredients are not printed on our page and can be confirmed with Plentiful Earth. Keep the powder off food surfaces and out of reach of children and pets, and sweep it up fully before anyone walks barefoot.

High John the Conqueror is the most famous root in Hoodoo. Named for a folk hero of the enslaved South, a trickster who could not be broken, the root (Ipomoea jalapa) is carried for strength, mastery, luck, and getting the upper hand. Zora Neale Hurston wrote of High John as the spirit of laughter and survival that traveled with African people into bondage, and the root carries that reputation in every mojo bag, oil, and powder that bears the name.

Floor sweeps are one of the everyday forms of Hoodoo house work, alongside floor washes and sprinkling powders. The logic is direction: what you want gone goes out the front door, and what you want to keep stays behind. A High John sweep is worked when the house feels stuck, after an argument, before a job hunt, or simply on Saturday morning as part of keeping the home in order.

Hoodoo is African American folk magic, not Vodou, and it is best learned from practitioners within the tradition. Sweeping the floor is a fine way to begin.

A High John floor sweep is used by sprinkling the powder over the floor, letting it sit, and sweeping it out the front door.

1. Start at the back. Working from the room farthest from the front door, scatter a light dusting of powder across the floor, into corners and along thresholds where energy settles.
2. Let it sit. Leave the powder for a while, an hour or overnight, and say out loud what you are sweeping out and what you are asking High John to bring in.
3. Sweep toward the front door. Move room by room, always toward the entrance, and sweep the powder out over the threshold or into a dustpan to carry outside.
4. Dispose of it off the property: a crossroads or the outside trash, as the tradition holds.
5. Repeat on a Saturday for clearing or a Thursday for luck, or whenever the house tells you it is time.

High John floor sweep pairs with the oil, candle, bath, and book of the same root, plus a proper broom for the work.

• High John the Conqueror Oil by Espiritu, 16 oz: the working-quantity oil for dressing candles and door frames after the sweep.
• John the Conqueror Green Jar Candle: light it once the floor is clear so High John's power stays in the house for a week.
• John the Conqueror Aromatic Bath Herb, 1.25 oz: sweep the house, then bathe yourself in the same root.
• Celtic Black and Green Broom, 21 Inches: a broom kept for ritual sweeping only, never for ordinary dirt.
• High John the Conqueror Charms & Rituals by Donna Rose: a short, practical book on working the root beyond the floor.

What is a floor sweep and how is it different from a floor wash?

A floor sweep is a dry powder you sprinkle over the floor and sweep out the front door; a floor wash is a liquid you mop with. Both are Hoodoo house-cleansing methods, but a sweep needs no water and suits carpet and wood. Many practitioners sweep first, then wash, when doing a full clearing.

Which direction do I sweep?

Sweep toward and out the front door. In Hoodoo, what you want gone leaves through the front, so start in the back rooms and work forward, gathering the powder as you go. Sweeping toward the back door, or in circles, is not the traditional pattern for clearing a home of what you want out.

What is High John the Conqueror?

High John the Conqueror is a root (Ipomoea jalapa) and the Hoodoo folk hero it is named for, a trickster who could not be broken. The root is carried and worked for strength, mastery, luck, and gaining the upper hand. In a floor sweep it leaves that power in the house after the clearing is done.

Who is the 1 lb bag for?

The 1 lb bag is for working practitioners: rootworkers who sweep client homes, readers who keep a weekly house practice, and shop owners who repack into smaller jars. If you sweep once a season, the 4 oz container is the better fit; if floor work is part of your regular practice, this is the size to keep.

Can I use this sweep on carpet?

Yes, a dry floor sweep works on carpet, wood, and tile, which is one reason people choose a sweep over a wash. Sprinkle lightly, let it sit, then sweep or vacuum toward the front door and empty the vacuum outside your property. Keep pets and small children off the floor until you are done.

How should I store a pound of floor sweep?

Keep it sealed, dry, and away from the kitchen. Floor sweeps are dry powders, and a damp powder clumps and will not scatter, so decant a small jar for weekly use and keep the main bag closed. Stored this way, a pound stays loose and ready through a long season of client work.