That old black magic…..

Oh, there is voodoo in your words,

and your wrists tell jingle-jangle

of shiny metal bangles,

of gold and silver

found in sun-shy caves.

Out of the gaze

of your dark cemetery eyes,

shooting stars come my way,

I glow in their blinding shine.

Your voodoo lips

disturb my sleep,

your hair is caught

in the fingers

of my fantasies

and I am

dangling dangerously

deep in the swamps

of your love.

Despite what you may think, Voodoo is not magic, but a religion. Much as the Christian faith has different denominations, Voodoo too has spread across the globe and become adapted into different cultures. What we are most familiar with is Louisiana Voodoo. It is a cultural form of the Voodoo religions which historically developed within the French, Spanish, and Creole speaking African-American population of the deep South. They became syncretized with the Catholic religion and Francophone culture of South Louisiana as a result of the slave trade during the 18th & 19th centuries. Louisiana Voodoo is often confused with – but is not completely separable from – Haitian Voodou, Cuban Santeria and southeastern U.S. hoodoo. It differs from Haitian Vodou in its emphasis upon gris-gris, voodoo queens, use of “Hoodoo” occult paraphernalia and Li Grande Zombi (snake deity).

Hoodoo is a form of folk magic, also known as conjure. It incorporates practices from West African Voodun and Native America traditions, as well as some European magic practices, or grimoires. While folk practices like hoodoo are trans-cultural phenomena, what is particularly innovative in this tradition is the “remarkably efficacious use of biblical figures” in its practices and in the lives of its practitioners. Hoodoo in itself is the practice of magic.

Gris-gris, also spelled grigri, is aHoodoo amulet that protects the wearer from evil or brings luck. This use of the word Gris-Gris usually describes a small cloth bag worn on the person. Inside is placed a mixture of one or more of the following: herbs, oils, stones, bones, hair, nails, grave dirt, or other personal items. Originally gris-gris were probably dolls or images of the gods. Recreationally, it refers to any implements that aid in the act of making love.

Hoodoo Love Spell

 I got bones in my pocketsand they rattle when I walk

I got bones in my pockets

and they clatter when I talk

I got bones in my pockets

I shake them all around

I got bones in my pockets

I pull them out and throw them down

I got good bones for some

bad bones for others

depending on how I read them

be advised

I got bones in my pockets

~ T. Sheridan