Lala Inuti Ahari’s neatly coiffed sister locs, pearly smile and gleaming brown skin are a stark contrast from the evil countenance typically attributed to witches.
The ironic juxtaposition isn’t lost on her.
“When I tell people I’m a witch, they say things like Oh, I’m scared of you. Why? I’m nothing to fear. I’m just like you.”
Ahari, a hoodoo priestess practiced in master manifestation and spiritual coaching, says she has always appreciated life’s dualities. Before focusing full-time on running her company The Conjure, she worked in finance for 17 years, juggling her day job with her root work by night. Ahari shared she was first introduced to the spiritual arts by way of her late grandmother, an Ohio-based free spirit.
“She is somebody that I do go to a lot,” Ahari tells ESSENCE. She describes her other grandmother as very Christian, and a gateway to her understanding of the religion’s core tenets.
This early exposure to both worlds allowed Ahari to understand the parallels between Hoodoo and Christianity, and how Black Americans’ indoctrination cultivated a culture of misconceptions. As Dawn Araujo-Hawkins points out, African diasporic practices were suppressed underground by the white church generations ago, but the melding of the two have always been obvious to Ahari.
“A conjure and a prayer are one and the same,” Ahari tells ESSENCE. “Affirmations, manifestations and incantations are all [interchangeable].”
Today, Black young adults recognize the connection and are documenting their efforts to reclaim the practices on social media, and brands have noticed.
As The Atlantic highlighted, Coach, Refinery29, and Smashbox has collaborated with witch-centered influencers. Witchy trinkets, crystals, and manifestation kits are all booming businesses. A savvy businesswoman, Ahari recognized this and tapped in.
In 2018, she left her position in mortgage banking to focus on building The Conjure, which caught on like wildfire after she began sharing her once private rituals on social media that she’d done on her own for years. People watched, and her content helped her amass a loyal following which turned into paying clients seeking spiritual guidance. This soon begat guidance a product line of candles, body care, and spiritual water, all items Ahari says she personally blessed.
“When they are received the work is already completed for you,” she says. “That’s why I have so many reviews and success, because it’s authentic energy work.”
Between the spiritual coaching and merchandise sales, Ahari says she’s amassed more than $24 million in less than five years, and unsurprisingly, she foresaw the success long ago.
“I walk in my belief of abundance,” she begins, “and I teach others how to do the same. But make no mistake, I’m a very hard worker. Anything I asked for, I prepared my mind to take on the actions required to make it happen. My purpose is to help people’s hearts, minds and life outcomes align. Your spirit knows what you’re capable of. You simply have to listen.”