High John Floor Sweep, 4 oz

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.

A month of room sweeps. Four ounces is enough for one full-house sweep or several single-room sweeps, which suits a regular household practice, a move into a new place, or a first try at floor work.

This is a 4 oz container of High John floor sweep, a dry Hoodoo sweeping powder.

• Weight: 4 oz
• Shipping weight: about 9.6 oz packaged (per AzureGreen)
• Supplied by AzureGreen
• Form: dry sweeping powder
• Key root: High John the Conqueror (Ipomoea jalapa), per the current listing
• 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 root, oil, candle, and incense of the same formula, and a rue wash to finish the clearing.

• High John the Conqueror Root, 1 oz: the whole root itself, to carry in a pocket or mojo bag after the house is swept.
• High John the Conqueror Oil, 4 Dram: dress the door frame and your candle once the floor is clear.
• John the Conqueror Green Jar Candle: light it after the sweep so High John's power stays in the house for a week.
• High John Powder Incense, 1 oz: burn a pinch while the powder sits on the floor.
• Rue (Ruda) Wash, 8 oz: mop with rue after a sweep when the house needs a full clearing.

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.

Do I need to use the whole 4 oz at once?

No. A light dusting is all a room needs; four ounces covers a full-house sweep or several single-room sweeps over a month. Use a little at a time and keep the container closed between sweeps so the powder stays dry and scatters cleanly when you need it next.

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.

Is High John floor sweep for protection or for luck?

Both, in the way Hoodoo understands them. The sweep clears what is stuck or unwelcome, which is protective, and High John's character is strength and good fortune, which is luck. If you want a purely protective clearing, pair it with a rue wash; for money, follow with a green candle.