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 Crossroads.
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 person’s 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 room’s 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
