Mirella Williamson - HOODOO: 4 BOOKS IN 1 Hoodoo for Beginners + Spell Book + Herbal Magic + Candle Magic | A Complete Introductory Guide To Traditional Folk Magic

H oodoo is a form of popular magic developed among the African American population in the South of the United States. It has a strong syncretic character as it includes African, European and Native American elements.

Often practitioners of hoodoo magic are called rootworkers or root doctors, although rootworking (magic work with herbs and roots) is only one aspect, however important, of this magic system.

Historically most hoodoo practitioners have been African-American although there have been examples of important white root doctors. Hoodoo was in fact born among the black slaves of the southeastern United States and its presence is historically documented in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and Illinois. Today, hoodoo practitioners can be found in all areas of the United States where there is a strong African-American component, especially in the large cities of the West Coast and North East.

Hoodoo is not a religion nor is it a magical system linked to a specific religious tradition and often its practitioners belong religiously to Christianity. The hoodoo doctors of the past were often itinerant and moved from city to city offering their services; others stopped on a permanent basis and opened stores dedicated to selling the wide range of products used in this magic system. Hoodoo is not a magic system reserved only for initiates and some basic procedures and superstitions are now part of the folklore tradition in the African American socio-cultural contexts and more generally in the southern United States.

Among the various magic systems from which hoodoo has drawn there is also the European and Euro-American magic tradition, which has exerted its influence on the hoodoo system through its grimoires, in particular the grimoire "Sixth and Seventh Book of Moses", a European grimoire that claims to be based on the Jewish Kabbalah although it has actually few points of contact with the true Kabbalistic doctrine. It contains a vast number of symbols, seals and passages in Hebrew related to Moses' ability to work wonders. Although this book bears the name of Moses as author, the first copy we know of dates back to the mid-nineteenth century. Hoodoo practitioners generally do not follow the rituals displayed in this grimoire, but make extensive use of the symbols and markings in it.

Another text that has exerted some influence on hoodoo is "Pow Wows or Long Lost Friend" by John George Hohman, a collection of spells first published in 1820 and based on the popular magic practices of the Pennsylvania Dutch. This book was introduced to the hoodoo community through mail order catalogs of magical items (a tradition that continues to this day both in its classical form and through online commerce) in the early 1900s and has since become a classic hoodoo reference. Hohman's spells are in fact imbued with prayers and Christian symbolism, which made them very easy to integrate into the hoodoo system. In addition, the book stated that it was in itself a protective amulet for those who carried it, similar to the Bible's hoodoo concept as a talisman.

The hoodoo worldview is generally strongly Christian, with a particular influence from the Old Testament. This is particularly evident in the belief in divine providence and "retributive justice" administered by God. In the world of hoodoo God is seen as the hoodoo doctor par excellence and even biblical figures become examples and masters: the Bible therefore becomes a leading source for practices and spells, as well as being used as a talisman.

Moses in particular is seen as one of the most powerful hoodoo masters, by virtue of the prodigies he performed in Egypt in relation to the biblical episode of the twelve plagues. This vision of Moses is at the origin of the introduction in the classical canon of the hoodoo reference texts of the lost books of Moses.

In hoodoo the Bible is seen not only as a sacred text, but also as the largest book of spells in the world. Important for example is the magical use of biblical psalms. The Bible is also in itself a powerful talisman and it is common to take it with you for protection or leave it open on a specific passage pointing in a given direction for a certain number of days.

The purpose of hoodoo is to give access to supernatural forces in order to improve the various aspects of everyday life such as luck, money, love, work, health, revenge. In hoodoo is made extensive use of herbs and stones and traditional ingredients of spells are also fragments of animal bones, personal items and body fluids (menstrual blood, urine and semen). Very common practices in the hoodoo magic system are contact with the spirits of the dead (including those of the ancestors) and the magical use of roots. The goal of hoodoo is therefore to improve everyday life with almost medical purposes through the action of supernatural forces acting for example on love, health, in everyday life or work. In hoodoo are used parts of animals, body parts of people such as blood, nails, hair, urine, then there are objects such as candles, incense, oil, powders used in potions.