Maintaining tradition while individualizing your path...

[Darkest Eve]

Hoodoo and Vodou tend to be very traditional practices... meaning that certain things have to be done a certain way in order to acheive the desired results... that being said, how do you maintain the traditional practices while also putting in your own individual flair?

Or, do you simply stick to the "tried and true" traditional methods through and through?

Do you have any recommendations for someone new to these practices to help them personalize this particular path?

[Teresa]

In Voodoo each person in the house has a particular job that is unique to them. The Mama and the Papa will do divination etc to help the initiate determine their talents to add to the house. They will also do some kind of interview to get to know you better which will also give clues to your areas of expertise.


In Hoodoo You follow the basics of sympathetic magic but you can use your imagination and work with what you have one hand. Cat Yronwode has a wonderful 52 week course that she offers. I would suggest anyone interested in Hoodoo to take that course. You will come away with a wealth of knowledge and also you will have access to a discussion board and a yahoo chat group to ask questions and get support etc.

[aranarose]

I've found Hoodoo to be very, very, very flexible. Maybe throw one more very in there :lol:

It's about what works. You'll find books and lists of correspondences that have been tried and tested over time by many, many, many people, and they are on the lists because they work. That doesn't mean nothing else works, nor do you necessarily have to follow the formulas exactly. This can be seen in the fact that you'll find several versions of the same formula with slight changes.

One thing that I find to be key in Hoodoo is using what you have easy access to. Certain herbs that you'll find mentioned don't grow up here where I live, so if I want them, I have to get them by mail order. But I've found it even better to find local substitutions, because they contain the energy of the area that you are in, they feel more at home, and for whatever reason seem to work better because of that.

Cat Yronwode's book and website is an amazing resource. Definitely, definitely recommend it.

In the back of Hoodoo Herb and Root Magic, she's got a list of herbs, roots, and curios categorized by what they can be used for. While the purpose of a root or herb is important, just as important is the number of items in a bag, trick, etc. I was taught that if I can't get the item called for, substitute something that has a similar purpose. So let's suppose a love spell calls for Tonka Beans, but I'm all out, and to get some would take a week or more by mail order. I could use Vanilla Beans instead, which I can pick up at the local health food store. They have similar purpose, and both have a lovely sweet smell (though I like Tonkas more :) )

Personalization is important, because the more connected to a trick you are, the more powerful it will be. At least in my experience.

[Lajmar]

I'm pretty much an herb witch more than anything and have found that more traditional ( I suppose would be the right word) European wortcunning methods and lore tend to overlap with my Hoodoo herbal practices, even though I initially tried to keep them separate. Part of me ascribes this to the use of the Doctrine of Signatures and the fact that I tend to work more with the folkloric aspects of European herbalism, which like Hoodoo itself, isn't all pretty tinkerbells and sparkly glitter as some more modern interpretations make them.:bigredgri

[plumedsnake]

I think that as you develop your ashe and learn the way it works then you will automatically start to do things your own way anyway.

[aranarose]

Hoodoo greatly lends itself to personalization, because the old rootworkers used what was available. It pulls from so many backgrounds: Afro-Caribbean, Native American, European. It's truly American magic, because it's melting pot magic.

[Artiste-LiLi]

Hoodoo greatly lends itself to personalization, because the old rootworkers used what was available. It pulls from so many backgrounds: Afro-Caribbean, Native American, European. It's truly American magic, because it's melting pot magic.


Absolutely! As does "PowWow" (not to be confused with a gathering of Native American peoples known by the same name) and the Appalachian Mountain Magical Tradition.