From the Back of the Mirror: "Quicksilver," Tinfoil, and the Shimmer of Sorcery in African-American Vernacular Magic

The esoteric pharmacopeia of Hoodoo or Conjure is replete with aesthetic elements intended to introduce shining, glittering, or reflective surfaces into ritual performance. Polished silver dimes, tinfoil cigarette papers, liquid mercury, and the silver shavings from the backs of mirrors (the latter three examples known colloquially as "quicksilver" in the vocabulary of Conjure) are all employed toward a wide array of pragmatic ends, from cursing an enemy, to winning at gambling, detecting hostile sorcery to keeping the law away from a bootlegging business. Through analysis of key examples drawn primarily from Harry M. Hyatt's Hoodoo, Conjuration, Witchcraft, and Rootwork, this article explores these aesthetic inclinations as they manifest in vernacular belief and ritual practice.