The south is a very mysterious place. One of the most mysterious aspects of all might just be the folklore and religion of the region. Beyond the legends and myths that everyone has heard told as an exciting bedtime story, there is a darker undercurrent within the South. Let me introduce you to old southern hoodoo.
Would you like to know what the religion of the south represents? The thought of spirituality in the south brings visions of small one room churches, old hymnals and loud preachers. But that is not all that southern spirituality represents. There is a hidden side to the deep south that elevates gods and demons to a whole other level. It’s a little old thing called Southern hoodoo.
Hoodoo brings a chill to the bone when mentioned among certain crowds. Yet, when mentioned within another group of people, the word is common place. It depends mainly on whether those who believe benefit from the practice or are victims of this very effectual spiritual weapon. So, what is Hoodoo, you might ask. Hoodooo is not a religion at all, to be honest. This set of practices has originated from generations of altering African Voodoo rituals to fit individual interests. Not only is hoodoo a hybrid ritual, it has become a belief system in its own rights. So, don’t think that hoodoo is not effective, because southern locals and others beg to differ.
One of the most popular rituals in hoodoo is placing Mandrake root at all entrances to your domain. This belief is so powerful that many people actually swear by its effectiveness saying that acquaintances that once were able to enter their home, have turned away frightened. Other times, many people who have tried this trick have said that they have been able to leave their doors open without any incident of home invasion. Now this would make anyone scratch their head in wonder! Could it be true? Could Southern hoodoo have such powerful influence or amazing power in its own rights?
There are also other ways of keeping homes safe from robbery or violent invaders when using the practice of Hoodoo. One other tradition is the spreading of devil’s dust (red brick dust) along the surface of entryways. This has also been found to be a very effective way of keeping the home safe. While this is much messier than the use of Mandrake, it is easier to attain sometimes when living in the deep and open country of the south. Why can it be that finding the tools of such a popular belief be so hard to attain?
Just because there are many voodoo and hoodoo practitioners in the south, doesn’t mean there are numerous Magic supply stores in the area. The thing with hoodoo and other such spiritual practices is that it is hidden most of the time. The south is also known for being the bible belt and so most residents either live with practical religion or hide their true beliefs. With this being said, supply stores for such spiritual practices such as Wicca or South American based Santeria, for instance, are usually only found by word of mouth. Sometimes these ‘taboo’ places are located in the back of other stores like small family owned supermarkets and even operated from the family home-the latter being the most common.
If anyone visits the south, they can feel it. The eyes of the mysterious and powerful hoodoo witches and practitioners will be sizing up the newcomer. The night will be filled with sounds that just might not be identifiable. These sounds are said to be the souls of those who have been cursed to their strange fates; or maybe those who wish to be vindicated from some wrong doing. The south is a very mysterious place, indeed. It is one that can never be forgotten once its charmed talons have taken hold and introduced you to its special form of spirituality: old Southern hoodoo.