Hoodoo. Folk Magic (Pagan Portals)
Rachel Patterson
Moon Books, 2013. 92 p. ISBN 978-1-78279-020-4
www.moon-books.net
“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.”
This booklet provides a survey of techniques and objects used for magical intentions. For instance oils, washes, incense, powders; mojo bags, bottle spells and candle magic. Recipes are given for specific purposes such as cleansing, prosperity, or to refresh the spirit. At first sight many of these techniques are familiar for the European reader, but the ‘Cold Box Spells’ were new to me: “Your own fridge or freezer can be utilised for binding spells, to stop someone doing something, to stop a situation, or to literally freeze someone in their tracks. They can also be used for stopping gossip.”
Certainly special for Hoodoo are the chapters on famous people in Hoodoo, Hoodoo deities and spirits and on religions in which this kind of magical practice is used.
