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    Pagan Portals - Hoodoo: Folk Magic
    Pagan Portals - Hoodoo: Folk Magic
    Pagan Portals - Hoodoo: Folk Magic
    Ebook117 pages1 hour

    Pagan Portals - Hoodoo: Folk Magic

    By Rachel Patterson

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    Pagan Portals – Hoodoo is an introduction to the magical art, detailing what Hoodoo is and how to work with it as well as offering recipes and other ideas. The book details the author’s personal experiences with Hoodoo, deities, beliefs and the magical practices along with information on various Hoodoo crafts - bottle spells, foot track magic, crossroads magic, powders, spiritual washes and much more.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherJohn Hunt Publishing
    Release dateAug 1, 2013
    ISBN9781782790198
    Pagan Portals - Hoodoo: Folk Magic
    Author

    Rachel Patterson

    Rachel Patterson, also known as the "Kitchen Witch," is a High Priestess of the Kitchen Witch Coven and an Elder at the online Kitchen Witch School of Natural Witchcraft. She's the author of twenty books on Witchcraft, including Curative Magic and A Witch for Every Season. She is a regular contributor to Pagan Dawn magazine and Witchcraft & Wicca magazine as well as websites Patheos Pagan and Witches & Pagans. Rachel was added to the Watkins 'Spiritual 100 List' for 2023. She lives in Hampshire, England. Visit her at www.RachelPatterson.co.uk.

    Read more from Rachel Patterson

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    Reviews for Pagan Portals - Hoodoo

    3.5/5

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    • 4/5
      Thanks really helpful book for me to start learning hoodoo

    Book preview

    Pagan Portals - Hoodoo - Rachel Patterson

    www.kitchenwitchuk.blogspot.co.uk

    Introduction

    Now, I am not a born and bred hereditary Hoodoo root worker living in Georgia or New Orleans (I hope to come back in another lifetime as one though…), but I have studied Hoodoo in great detail. I work with Hoodoo magic all the time and have incorporated it into my witchcraft. I have great respect for the practice of Hoodoo and all the practitioners who use it.

    What I hope to do in this book is provide an introduction to this amazing and fascinating magical practice.

    This is MY interpretation of Hoodoo and how I work with it within the Craft. I have tried to make it as accurate as possible and have drawn on many sources as well as my own experiences. I have included many original recipes for oils, powders, incenses etc and have tried to be as traditional as possible with the ingredients for the well known ones, but other recipes included here are my own blends and therefore may not be so traditional.

    My intention is for this book to honour the art of Hoodoo and all those who practise it.

    Chapter 1

    What is Hoodoo?

    Hoodoo in the form that we know it can be traced back to the early 19th Century, and possibly earlier. Hoodoo is the American name for African American folk magic.

    Many religions sprang from the African traditions, such as Yoruba, Santeria, Vodoun and Candomblé. Hoodoo came out of those beliefs and is the magical practice, not an actual religion. It is definitely not Voodoo, as it is commonly called by mistake. Voodoo, or Vodou, is a Haitian African religion, while Vodoun is West African.

    Hoodoo as we recognise it was established during the times of slavery in America using the native plants and items available to the people at the time and probably taking a little knowledge from the Native Americans too, with definitely some European folk magic thrown in to the mix as well. I do believe a good amount of the Hoodoo magical practices were brought by slaves; they didn’t arrive as slaves with no beliefs or practices at all!

    A lot of the slaves at the time were forced to follow the Catholic religion. What they did was to incorporate the saints, deities and rituals into their own religion. Santeria is a good example of this, although they also included the darker side of magic such as curses and hexes as well.

    If you take a look into the blues music from the times of slavery you will find a huge amount of references to Hoodoo in the lyrics.

    Hoodoo is a practice of magic which is based on surviving and the need for things such as healing using herbs, plants, roots, stones, minerals and the like, combined with chants, rituals and handmade items. It is based around a main framework of intents – love, success, luck, happiness, health and wealth. It is also a form of magic that works with one’s own personal power.

    However, I suspect that those practitioners of Hoodoo in America rarely call it by a name, it is just what they do, what they grew up doing, what their mothers and grandmothers did. Hoodoo is often referred to by other names such as ‘conjure’ or ‘root work’ in fact a practitioner of this magical practice is often called a root worker or conjurer and sometimes referred to as a Hoodoo Doctor.

    Like a lot of magical practices, Hoodoo uses the magical properties of natural items including traditional herbs, roots and minerals, but it also makes use of animal parts and bodily fluids. (No, don’t worry you won’t have to bash any wild animals, but you will be able to use bones from your Sunday lunch roast chicken or, if you aren’t too squeamish, road kill!)

    The practice includes such things as jinxing, foot track magic, crossroads magic and laying tricks. Foot track magic works with the essence of the person by using their footprints. Crossroads magic works by leaving magical items at a crossroads (no surprise there!) or a place where two roads intersect. Crossroads are magical places and always have been. Probably the most well known item for a Hoodoo practitioner to use is a mojo bag, but in Hoodoo the use of candles, incense, oils, powders, talismans and spiritual washes is also common.

    Originally those who worked with Hoodoo would probably have used whatever they could get their hands on, using lamps and plain white candles for spell work, dressing them only with blessed olive oil and using basic items and ingredients that they had to hand.

    At some point in the history of Hoodoo, which my research seems to suggest having been about the time of the American Civil War, people started to ‘market’ oils, coloured candles and vinegars; giving them the fantastic names that we now associate with Hoodoo products. But as with most magical practices my advice would be, use what seems right to you and use what you have to hand and what your intuition and instinct tell you is right. You don’t need to splash out huge amounts of cash on branded products; you can make most things you need yourself. If you do purchase items from a shop or online I would just suggest you check out their credentials first and what ingredients they use; there are some wonderful retailers out there, but there are some bad ones too.

    Come take a walk with me through the magical art of Hoodoo…

    Chapter 2

    Root Work

    Root work is another name for Hoodoo; its practitioners are often referred to as root workers. It refers to the understanding of herbs and nature and, in particular, the belief that the root of a plant holds its power and spirit; plant roots being an important part of Hoodoo magical practice.

    What is Used?

    The practice of Hoodoo uses many things, some natural items that the Earth provides and some that are not so natural! Basically, a Hoodoo practitioner will use what they have to hand. If they have natural items such as twigs and bones they will use them, but if they need to they will also use items such as bleach and ammonia.

    Ashe

    Ashe is the magical element, the spirit, the power that is inside all natural things – stones, herbs, bones etc. Even when we speak a chant the words contains ashe. It is a power.

    Graveyard Dirt

    Don’t be afraid of going into a graveyard, they are usually beautiful, peaceful and spiritual places.

    Graveyard dirt is used a lot in Hoodoo. It is a connection to the dead and a link to our ancestors. To obtain it there is an accepted process of events. First you must connect with

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