Lucky Hoodoo Reiki

By Stewart Farquharson



There is a school of folk magic
called Hoodoo and it comes from
the Caribbean and New Orleans.
When people were brought over
from Africa to work the new
island plantations of sugarcane and
cotton, they brought a view of the
world that said the Ancestors
Spirits would help people here on earth, provided you knew the
magical way to talk with them. And that plants, stones and animals
held their own magic.

If you go into a hoodoo store called a
botanica you will see strange candles
with pictures of catholic saints. These
are burned to bring aid. Saints were
used by the slaves to conceal the true
names and pictures of their own African
spirits. So for example you may see
Saint Patrick (who is rumoured to have
driven the snakes out of Ireland) used to
represent Damballa the snake spirit.

The important Spirits are:

Legba who is the messenger of the gods and allows people to
speak with them. He is honored first in ceremonies. He walks with
a cane and is seen as an old man. He is the Master of the Cross-
roads.

Ogun, or Ogou, who is seen as a strong farmer with an iron
machete and brings strength and courage, and romance with the
ladies. He is also the divine blacksmith and works with fire and
iron.

Oshun who is a pretty young maiden and brings beauty, romance
and friendship. She is also called Erzuli. Sometimes she gets her
heart broken and her veves may show a heart pierced by a
dagger. She has more matronly aspect named Erzuli Danto.

Damballah and Ayida Wedo, the serpent couple. They bring peace,
self-control and rain for the crops. They like pools and trees.
They are always kind.



Loko, the herb doctor of the forest. People hang straw bags in
the trees in his honor. He is a teacher. His symbol is the
butterfly.

Ghede who is the death and good luck trickster. He loves to dance
and make lewd jokes at ceremonies, and drink and smoke. He
wears dark glasses and a top-hat at times. He tells all the gossip.
His simple younger brother is the peasant farmboy Zaka. A more
sober form of Ghede is Baron Samedi (Baron Saturday) with his
wife Brigitte, rulers of the cemetery.

Ayizan is a sort of auntie who looks after the young initiates,
especially women, and keeps their secrets. She is mistress of the
marketplace and doorways. The palm-frond is her symbol and in
Africa people who want to see spirits wear leaves or beads over
their eyes. Sobo looks after male initiates.

Shango, a remembrance of an actual African chief, has become a
warrior and strength spirit. He is famous for his passions,
thunder and the color red. Dislikes the dead.

Agwe, La Sirene, Simbi of the Waters:
Agwe has the sailboat as his symbol, and La Sirene has the
mermaid. They are of the ocean. Simbi is a freshwater spirit of
rivers and magic spells. He also helps with diseases, perhaps
because he can cause them. Remember in Africa canoe travel
along rivers was far easier than jungle crossings, so diseases
spread along a river not a road. Sadly, the ocean became more
important as slave ships crossed it to the New World.

In Cuba the devotion to these ancestral spirits is called Santeria,
the worship of the saints. And so the names on the candles and
soaps will be different but the powers are similar.

Elegua is Legba, Obatala is Damballa, Yemaya is La Sirene, Ogun
and Oshun and Shango are the same, Oya is a storm goddess close
to Brigitte, Babaluaye is Simbi, and Ochossi is Loko.



















The veve of Lega The veve of a Ghede

Veves are found in botanica shops too, usually inside a charm bag,
or gris-gris as it is called. With them will be a magical root, some
symbols of luck, love, health or money, and perhaps fragrant oils
and spices. A veve is a special diagram that attracts a spirit.

On the shelves you will see glass jars with dry roots. A famous
root is called High John the Conqueror. It brings luck, strength,
romantic attractions and breaks hexes. Another is called a Lucky
Hand root because it looks like five fingers.



five finger root High John Conqueror root

Oils are made from secret recipes and have lovely and quaint
names such as Van-Van, Has-No-Hanna, Three Jacks and A King,
Essence Bend Over, 4 Thieves Vinegar, and Fast Luck.



Spices and powders are mixed with alcohol and water
to make floor-wash which can bring good luck to a
business, or protect a house from evil-wishers.


Followers of a spirit usually wear a bead necklace in special colors
to show their loyalty and affection. These resemble the beads
thrown from the parades at Mardi Gras time.




By looking at a persons necklace you can tell which Power he or
she is following with devotion.


Drums are very important to this
African practice because
worshippers dance during the
service. They fall into moveable
trances as the spirits mount them
to react with the audience.

Gourd rattles can control unruly
spirits and bells punctuate the
songs.


Cowrie sea shells are used to tell
the future in readings. They are
scattered by a seer upon the
ground.

In Santeria statues of Elegua use
these as eyes.




And yes,
sometimes a
figurine is pierced
by thorns to make
calamities go away.

So how does this all relate to reiki? Well, we can attune to the
healing energy in herbs and the oracle of seashells simply enough.

We can soothe the ancestors and accept any helpful advice they
have to give us.

We can make ethereal reiki bundles of actual minerals, herbs,
drawings, and oils to give as ethereal gris-gris.

We can make ethereal floor-wash with our reiki knowledge to
clean up a rooms energy.

And we can become at ease with all this and mentally shake our
gourd rattle and warn away mischievous entities with the
authority of our hands and hearts.

To attune to this energy just say I now accept the attunement
to (name of energy) given me by (name of Teacher).

To attune a person, just draw in the energy strongly and then
send it in an energy ball to your student, with the intention that
he or she be attuned in a healthy way.

Love and light,
Stewart