The information contained here is the master key, which unlocks the door to higher dimensions of peace, protection, victory, happiness, success, honor, riches, power, holistic health cure and wellness, and cure of all killer diseases including financial restorations.
You will find information on coming teaching on developing a sacred space, and should you choose to work with an athame, wand or chalice, you can use representations that are quite clearly associated with the idea behind the magic. You might wish to carry such things with you for use on your travels, which means that you can set up an altar anywhere, both out of doors and inside, according to your own beliefs. You might also use the material roll as your altar cloth.
YOU WILL NEED: Material such as linen, velvet, or felt to make your traveling roll
Broad elastic or material to hold your tools in place
A needle or small paper knife to represent an athame
Small piece of wooden dowelling or a straight twig to represent a wand
Very small tumbler or oyster shell as a chalice
Coin or dog tag with a pentagram etched on it
Suitable lucky charms or cake decorations as representations of your deities
Birthday cake candles
Four small containers, e.g. vials or empty spice jars, for your chosen incense or herbs, salt, water and anointing oil
Matches
Crystals or tumbled stones as a cardinal point markers (green, yellow, red, and blue stones work well)
METHOD: ✤ Make yourself a traveling roll from the material so you can keep your tools together safely. This is similar to the type of carrier in which a carpenter keeps his tools. The elastic will keep them securely in place.
✤ You can also include anything else that you feel is important to your rituals.
✤ Dedicate your objects with an appropriate form of words. You might say:
O Great Mother,
As I travel over your forests, fields, and watery ways,
Bless and empower this pouch with its symbols of your power.
Verdant God,
Have me use them wisely and well,
So that together we manifest your authority.
May it always be with me
So that, wherever I am, so also are both of you.
These traveling tools are now dedicated to the use anywhere, at any time, and under any conditions.
Often they can be used unobtrusively without anyone needing to know what you are doing.
Wand
The wand should be no longer than the forearm and is often made from sacred wood. Since the wand is a very personal object, it should be chosen carefully and equally carefully attuned to your energies. It cannot be used magically until it has been consecrated.
You will not need to use all of your tools all of the time and you should develop for yourself some way of storing them so that they retain their potency. You can do this by perhaps keeping them on your altar or in your sacred space. Use a specially dedicated box or other container or, if you know they are not likely to be interfered with, simply wrapped in black silk or velvet. Treat your tools with respect and they will serve you well.
▪ Religion is not just one, there are many. ▪ Spirituality is one.
▪ Religion is for those who sleep. ▪ Spirituality is for those who are awake.
▪ Religion is for those who need someone to tell them what to do and want to be guided. ▪ Spirituality is for those who pay attention to their inner voice.
▪ Religion has a set of dogmatic rules. ▪ Spirituality invites us to reason about everything, to question everything.
▪ Religion threatens and frightens. ▪ Spirituality gives inner peace.
▪ Religion speaks of sin and guilt. ▪ Spirituality says, “Learn from an error”.
▪ Religion represses everything false. ▪ Spirituality transcends everything, it brings you closer to your truth!
▪ Religion speaks of a God; It is not God. ▪ Spirituality is everything and therefore, it is in God.
▪ Religion invents. ▪Spirituality finds.
▪ Religion does not tolerate any question. ▪Spirituality questions everything.
▪ Religion is human. It is an organization with rules made by men. ▪ Spirituality is Divine, without human rules.
▪ Religion is the cause of divisions. ▪Spirituality unites.
▪ Religion is looking for you to believe. ▪ Spirituality you have to look for it to believe.
▪ Religion follows the concepts of a sacred book. ▪ Spirituality seeks the sacred in all books.
▪ Religion feeds on fear. ▪ Spirituality feeds on trust and faith.
▪ Religion lives in thought. ▪ Spirituality lives in Inner Consciousness.
▪ Religion deals with performing rituals. ▪ Spirituality has to do with the Inner Self.
▪ Religion feeds the ego. ▪ Spirituality drives us to transcend beyond.
▪ Religion makes us renounce the world to follow a God. ▪ Spirituality makes us live in God, without renouncing our existing lives.
▪ Religion is a cult. ▪ Spirituality is inner meditation.
▪ Religion fills us with dreams of glory in paradise. ▪ Spirituality makes us live the glory and paradise on earth.
▪ Religion lives in the past and the future. ▪ Spirituality lives in the present.
“New Orleans is now and has ever been the hoodoo capital of America. Great names in rites that vie with those of Hayti in deeds that, keep alive the powers of Africa Hoodoo, or Voodoo, as pronounced by the whites, is burning with flame in America with all the intensity of a suppressed religion… The way we tell it, hoodoo started way back there before everything. Six days of magic spells and mighty words and the world with its elements above and below was made. And now God is leaning back taking a seventh day she. When the eighth day comes around. He’ll start to make new again.” (From Mules and Men, by Zora Neale-Hurston)
New Orleans Voodoo, also known as Creole Voodoo, originated from the ancestral religions of the African Diaspora and is one of many incarnations of African-based religions rooted in the West African Dahomean Vodou tradition and the Central African traditions found in Haitian Vodou. It became syncretized with the Catholic religion as a result of the massive forced migrations and displacements of the slave trade. Slave owners forbade the Africans from practicing Vodou under penalty of death and, in areas controlled by Catholics, forced many of them to convert to Catholicism. The result was a creolization of the names and aspects of the Voodoo spirits to those of the Christian saints who most closely resembled their particular areas of expertise or power. Under the guise of Catholicism, Voodoo as a religion survived.
New Orleans Voodoo is known for several unique characteristics, such as Voodoo dolls, gris-gris, and zombies. The use of Voodoo dolls in New Orleans reportedly peaked during the reign of the infamous Marie Laveau, the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans. Voodoo dolls are created as gris-gris (pronounced gree), a form of talismanic magick. The word gris means grey, denoting that which lies between black and white. Gris Gris is both a noun and a verb, referring to a ritually prepared object such as a doll or a small cloth bag filled with magickal ingredients, as well as the act of working the gris-gris (i.e. spell or charm). Traditionally, Voodoo dolls are created to represent a deity or to house a spirit. Although they are most commonly depicted as objects of revenge, most practitioners of Voodoo make a concerted effort to disassociate from the malevolent use of Voodoo dolls. Approximately 90% of the use of Voodoo dolls in New Orleans is centered on healing, finding true love, and spiritual guidance. In New Orleans, Voodoo dolls are largely sold as souvenirs, curios, and novelty items.
The belief in zombies is an exceptional aspect of New Orleans Voodoo. A zombie is a dead person that has been revived after having been buried. After the resurrection, the zombie remains in the control of others, having no will of their own. In truth, a zombie is a living person who has never died; rather, it is a person who is under the influence of powerful drugs administered by an evil sorcerer. Although many people believe in zombies, few have ever seen one, although there are a few recorded instances of persons who have claimed to be zombies.
The term voodoo hoodoo is commonly used by Louisiana locals to describe the unique brand of New Orleans Creole Voodoo. Practitioners are not confused by the term voodoo hoodoo and I rather suspect that the two terms melded together over time as a result of the colloquial use of the word hoodoo by Southern African Americans and the word voodoo by white people to describe the same thing. Some hoodoo practitioners integrate elements of Voodoo, and some do not. Hoodoo is not Voodoo, and Voodoo is not hoodoo. They are different; yet, complementary. When I was a young child in New Orleans, I remember the distinction being made between Voodoo and hoodoo with hoodoo being the one that incorporates both right and left-handed works. A person who was a hoodoo was more feared in terms of what they could “do to you” than was a voodooist. Voodoo was the religion; hoodoo was the magick. Yet, there is an overlap of the two much of the time. Throughout this website, I use the terms interchangeably, about the blend of the two in New Orleans Voodoo.
New Orleans Voodoo hoodoo is distinguishable from other forms of Voodoo due to several other unique characteristics. For example, New Orleans Voodoo evolved to embrace aspects of Spiritualism in the nineteenth century. The New Orleans “Spiritual” religion is a blend of Spiritualism, Voodoo, Catholicism, and Pentecostalism. It is unique among African- American “Spiritual” religions in its use of “Spirit Guides” in worship services and in the forms of ritual possession that its adherents practice. The voodoo-influenced “Spiritual Churches” that survive in New Orleans are the result of a mingling of these and other spiritual practices.
Voodoo is a religion, while hoodoo is a magickal system. The word voodoo means “spirit of God.” Voodoo believers accept the existence of one god, below which are the powerful spirits often referred to as Loa. These powerful spirits are responsible for the daily matters in life in the areas of family, love, money, happiness, wealth, and revenge. Contrary to popular belief, however, Voodoo is first and foremost about healing. The loa are petitioned in rituals and spellwork frequently, but not always.
Hoodoo, on the other hand, is southern African American folk magic. The goal of the hoodoo is to tap into supernatural forces to improve daily life by gaining power in areas such as luck, money, love, divination, revenge, health, employment, and necromancy. As in many other folk religious, magical, and medical practices, extensive use is made of herbs, minerals, parts of animals’ bodies, an individual’s possessions, and bodily fluids, especially menstrual blood, urine, and semen. Contact with ancestors or other spirits of the dead is an important practice within the conjure tradition, and the recitation of Psalms from the Bible is also considered magically effective in hoodoo.
The word hoodoo is used in a multitude of ways. For example, it is used as a noun to refer to the system of magic (“hoodoo”), as well as the practitioner (“he’s a hoodoo man”). It is also used as a verb (“he done hoodooed her”), and an adjective (“that’s a hoodoo trick”). Popular names for hoodoo in the black community include “conjuration,” “conjure,” “witchcraft,” “rootwork,” and “tricking” (which has nothing to do with prostitution!). Many blues musicians have referred to hoodoo in their songs.
Popular examples include “Louisiana Hoodoo Blues” by Ma Rainey, “Hoodoo Lady Blues” by Arthur Crudup, and “Hoodoo Man Blues” by Junior Wells. In addition to the expected terms hoodoo and mojo, other conjure words in blues songs include jinx, goofer dust, nation sack, black cat bone, and graveyard dirt.
A hallmark of New Orleans Voodoo hoodoo is the borrowing of material from European and African folklore, Kabalistic influences, ancestor worship, Native American herbalism, Catholicism, and strong elements of Christian and Jewish mysticism, such as the use of various seals and sigils. The Bible is considered a talisman in and of itself, as well as a primary source of magical lore. The Psalms and the saints are key aspects of hoodoo practice.
At the core of hoodoo are African folkloric practices such as crossing and uncrossing, using spiritual baths and washes, laying tricks, creating gris- gris bags, crossroads magic, and foot track magic. Knowledge of these terms is essential in the practice of New Orleans Voodoo. I will briefly describe each of these terms in the following sections.
In New Orleans, anyone can practice Voodoo. There is no formal religious initiation rite, no rigid orthodoxy, and there are no standard ways to worship. Voodoo is a fluid, adaptable, syncretic, and inclusive spiritual and religious practice that embraces the hearts of all people, no matter their race, creed, or origin. The loa, spirits, or mysteries, all terms used to describe the divine archetypal spiritual forces of Voodoo, are ever-changing, manifesting in infinite ways according to the filter of a given culture and geographic location.
Because New Orleans was a major port where multiple cultures converged, the influences on New Orleans Voodoo are very diverse and different. For example, there are Cuban-inspired Santeros, Haitian-initiated Mambos and Hougans, Obean rootworkers from the West Indian islands (i.e. Belize, the Bahamas, Dominican Republic), followers of the Spiritualists Churches, Hoodoos who incorporate spells and superstitions, and followers of the Yoruba tradition of Nigeria. New Orleans Voodoo is also influenced by Native American spirituality and herbalism. For example, the famous Indian Chief Black Hawk is considered a Voodoo Saint and is often included in ritual work.
While New Orleans Voodoo is largely influenced by the Vodou religion of Haiti, it is not the same. Sound confusing? I suppose it can be. I have made every attempt to present the information here so that you can easily put into practice what you read, should you desire to do so. Once you know the basics of Voodoo and Hoodoo, you can then begin to work intuitively by creating your charms, spells, and magic.
The Voodoo Hoodoo is meant to provide authentic formulas that are Southern in origin. My influences are Louisiana (New Orleans in particular) and Mississippi in origin and this work reflects those influences. It is not meant to be a complete course, as African-based folk magic is much larger than in New Orleans. And, I doubt much of what it means to be a hoodoo can be accomplished through reading and coursework alone. Voodoo and hoodoo as it is experienced in New Orleans is a living, breathing culture. However, I have provided some of the basic information to get you started. It is up to you to put it into practice… or not.
The following sections introduce some key concepts that I consider to be essential to the practice of Voodoo Hoodoo. You should have a working knowledge of this information before working the candles or attempting any charms or works, so take your time and read it carefully.
Oral tradition is the cornerstone of indigenous knowledge. It is how our ancestors pass on their wisdom and ways of life so that we may benefit and carry them to generations to come. Today, much oral tradition is finding its way to print and paper. This work represents one effort to preserve the wisdom of our ancestors by writing it down so that it can be enjoyed by all who care to read about it.
While I have written down much of what has been taught to me, I have not written down those teachings that were asked to be held in confidence out of respect for tradition. Some things are meant only to be committed to memory, and so in the heart and mind, they will stay.
Voodoo is a highly complex religion, and hoodoo is a highly complex spiritual practice. I have written this website according to my personal experience and understanding, and may or may not reflect the opinions of other practitioners of New Orleans Voodoo. The knowledge that I have acquired over the years is the culmination of growing up in New Orleans absorbing the culture, lifelong learning from family, teachers, and other practitioners, consulting sacred texts, folklore literature, and what speaks to me through Divine channels.
This was written for the individual Voodoo practitioner and is not consistent with the rites of initiation into Haitian Vodou or any other formal religion. It is meant to provide a basic understanding of the nature and properties of the ingredients and practices of New Orleans Voodoo as I understand and interpret them.
Sometimes people seek to “become” priestesses and priests, mambos, houngans, etc.; other times the loadseeksk us out. I was given “the gift” as a small child; the spirits sought me out. I was introduced to the mysteries at the age of 5 or 6 by my auntie on the Mississippi Bayou. As a young boy, I went to Catholic Church, and catechism, and was confirmed.
At 16, I was initiated at the Hare Krishna temple in New Orleans. I am an ordained Reverend from the Universal Life Church Monastery and have had the privilege of going through several rites of passage in the Native American tradition that qualifies me to perform various ceremonial activities. I am also a formally trained psychologist who has worked in the helping profession for 15 years.
I have a broad and deep understanding of many spiritual paths and consider myself a lifelong student of the Universe, with much yet to learn. The many paths I have traveled reflect my journey to connect with the ancestors of my Creole ethnicity. I want to make clear, however, that I am not an initiated Mambo in the Haitian Vodou tradition, nor am I a Madre in the Santeria tradition.
You will find after following this website that such titles are not necessary to practice the brand of Creole Voodoo that is unique to New Orleans.
I hope that you find this website informational, educational, and most of all, inspirational. It is dedicated to all of those who suffered to keep the traditions alive, to those who carry on the traditions so that they may continue to live, and to those who have yet to come who will find their lives enriched by them.
Esoteric & Mystical World Of Spiritual Power 