If you were wondering what is inside Hoodoo and Conjure Quarterly Issue #2, this blog will answer that question. It is over 50 pages longer than the premiere issue and chock full of good and interesting information. I hope you have a minute or two because we have a lot to cover including our new contributors and some fabulous new artwork to go with their incredible articles.
REGULAR FEATURES
For those of you interested in the Native American influence on Hoodoo and conjure, I have written an article Indian Spirit Hoodoo that discusses some of the various Native American herbs and curios that can be found in New Orleans Hoodoo.
Indian Spirit Hoodoo by Denise Alvarado
Appalachian Hoodoo practitioner Byron Ballard, also known as Asheville’s Village Witch, reminds us of the benefits of DIY Hoodoo in her article Homegrown and Homemade: How to Grow a Botannica in Your Backyard.
Homegrown and Homemade by H. Byron Ballard
A fascinating look into the journey of Doc Miller and his legendary Hoodoo Drugstore is presented in Issue #2. Who knew that it would be a mess of cobwebs that would make a believer out of Doc Miller?
Doc Miller’s 21st Century Hoodoo Drugstore by Denise Alvarado
CHARMS AND FORMULARY
Of course we have a nice selection of charms and formularies for those applied folk magic practitioners out there. The illustrious Dorothy Morrison brings us her Sex Magic Formulary with artwork by our new artist Inga Kimberly Brown.
Sex Magic Formulary by Dorothy Morrison
For our readers interested in GLBTQ issues in the ATRs, Chiron Armand brings us his article The Lavender Passage. Armand is a magickal practitioner for almost a decade, he is an initiate in the Unnamed Path shamanic tradition.
The Lavender Passage by Chiron Armand
NEW FEATURES
We have a new column brought to you by Koz Mraz called Myth, Magick, and Motorcycle and he takes us along his journey to Joshua Tree. You may be interested in knowing that it is Koz’s band Studio Voodoo that provides the music for our video trailer.
Another of our new feature columns is our Featured Saint. Matthew Venus kicks off this new column with an article about Saint Anthony of Padua. Venus tells of how he came to know Saint Anthony, shares a table of associations, a couple of prayers and invaluable historical information about this ever-popular saint.
Saint Anthony of Padua by Matthew Venus
CONJURE ARTIST PROFILE
Contributed by Alyne Pustanio is our featured conjure artist profile on The Slow Poisoner (alias Andrew Goldfarb). According to Pustanio, Andrew Goldfarb “is a one man surrealistic-rock-and-roll- band from San Francisco. He strums a guitar shaped like a dying swan and sings about swamp women, weeping willows, furtive rituals, cosmic paranoia, creeping fungi, forgotten diseases and witches in the woods. He keeps time by thumping on a kick drum rigged with sleigh bells, and while performing displays elaborately painted signs that bear the title of each song being sung…” (Pustanio, 2011, p. 109).
The Slow Poisoner by Alyne Pustanio
INTERNATIONAL CONJURE
And as the infomercials say “But wait, that’s not all!” We also have a couple of new contributors that offer their experiences with conjure from an international perspective. Witchdoctor Utu gives us a unique glimpse into working with Mama Moses (Harriet Tubman) and the ancestral spirits of the underground railroad in Canada. Utu discusses the historical background of Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad and shares with the reader how to build a cairn to honor Mama Moses and the ancestors. He is the founder of the Dragon Ritual Drummers, the Niagara Voodoo Shrine, and is a member and drummer for the New Orleans Voodoo Spiritual Temple.
Mama Moses and the Conjure Tradition of the Underground Railroad by Witchdoctor Utu
And then we are proud to have African-born Winsom Winsom from Belize, a very wise woman I am honored to call my friend and soul sister. Yes, that is her real name and it means “Covering of the Ocean.” She shares with us her experiences with the death rites of Belize. Winsom holds multiple initiations including initiation into the West African fetish healing tradition and initiation in Matanzas, Cuba as a Priestess into Santeria. Winsom studied and worked with healers such as Sobonfu Some, and Malidome Patrice Some and has taken part in Rituals in New Orleans Priestess Miriam and others. According to Winsom, “I continue to bring about the synchronization of my art and spirituality and believe “true power originates internal spiritual enlightenment, and that we must use this power to reach our higher selves: creating harmony”. Yeah, now that’s what I’m talking about!
Cry a Bucket of Tears for My Daughter by Winsom Winsom
Continuing with our international contributors, we have with us Doktor Snake, legendary bluesman, cult author, and Voodoo conjurer from England. He shares with us the story of how his Hoodoo mentor Earl Marlowe first taught him How to Your Soul to the Devil at the Crossroads. Doktor Snake also wrote the kick-ass forward for my new book the Voodoo Hoodoo Spellbook.
How to Sell Your Soul to the Devil at the Crossroads by Doktor Snake
FOLKLORE
No magazine about Hoodoo, conjure and the indigenous traditions would be true to the cause without the inclusion of folklore. Oral tradition is the cornerstone of indigenous knowledge. It is the means by which our ancestors pass on their wisdom and ways of life so that we may benefit and carry them to generations to come (Alvarado, 2011). Following this train of thought, we have included not only the article by Doktor Snake, How to Sell Your Soul to the Devil at the Crossroads, we also bring to you How Br’er Rabbit Lost his Foot or The Rabbit in Magic and Folklore by Matthew Venus and the Plate Eye by Carolina Dean.
How Br'er Rabbit Lost His Foot or The Rabbit in Magic and Folklore by Matthew Venus
Of course, our resident New Orleans folklorist and my homegirl Alyne Pustanio presents a fabulous article on The Gree Gree Men: Voodoo Doctors of New Orleans as only she can tell it.
The Gree Gree Men of New Orleans by Alyne Pustanio
TUTORIALS
We have gotten some very good feedback about the tutorials we offered in the first issue and so we have continued to meet the needs of our readers by providing some very unique tutorials in this issue, as well. For example, Aaron Leitch, author of Secrets of the Magickal Grimoires, and The Angelical Language: Vols.I and II brings us an Offering Ritual for Archangel Iophiel where he not only tells how to petition this angel for assistance but also provides a tutorial for making Jupiter Cakes.
Among my personal contributions to this issue of Hoodoo and Conjure Quarterly is the very New Orleans Voodoo tradition of How to Make Red Brick Dust that follows my Curio Spotlight on Red Brick Dust.
How to Make Red Brick Dust
I also provide a tutorial for making Ant bed Conjure Dolls to go with my article on Mississppi Death Conjure or Killing Hurts. Don’t let the title scare you off - this is a class of works that goes way back in the Hoodoo tradition before Hoodoo even arrived on these shores. There are also a couple of video tutorials that go along with the article and tutorial that can be found on our YouTube channel hoodooconjurejournal.
Part 1 of Mississippi Death Conjure is based on a class of hoodoo spells referred to as “death conjure” or “killing hurts”. Part 1 illustrates the creation of two conjure doll babies and their preparation for the ant bed spell.
Part 2 of Mississippi Death Conjure documents the “Ant Bed Spell”, based on a class of hoodoo spells referred to as “death conjure” or “killing hurts”. Part 1 illustrated the creation of two conjure doll babies and their preparation for the ant bed spell.
Now, its no secret that I am a lover of doll conjure, having authored two books that focus exclusively on that subject, Voodoo Dolls in Magick and Ritual and The Voodoo Doll Spellbook. Another of our contributors is also a well-versed doll conjurer in his own right, Carolina Dean. Between the two of us, you can be sure to find something on doll conjure in every issue of Hoodoo and Conjure Quarterly. Dean gives us a slightly more palatable tutorial than mine in his article Spirit Dolls. He tells how to prepare the doll, how to call a spirit into the doll and how to work with it for any practical magical purpose.
Spirit Dolls by Carolina Dean
Then we have for you another type of fetish tutorial brought to you by Madrina Angelique. This is How to Make a Business Elegba specifically for the layperson. For those who may need a little help with their businesses and finances, try making one of these powerful fetishes and see what happens.
Making Elegba by Madrina Angelique
ARTWORK
Finally, if you thought the artwork was off the hook in the premier issue, wait til you see this issue! The screenshots I have posted for this blog gives you a good idea of what to expect but there is so much more I am NOT showing and that you will only find in the magazine itself. I have created some powerful pieces to complement our contributor’s articles, and Karen Miranda Augustine has provided us with her take on Pomba Gira while Ricky Pustanio gives us his interpretation of the gree gree men. We also have two new artists, Inga Kimberly Brown and the Slow poisoner, aka Andrew Goldfarb. And we cannot forget the fantastic photography provided for us in every issue by Matthew Venus. I’m telling y’all, you won’t want to miss this issue!
There is much more to this issue than I have presented here, but this will give those of you who have yet to see the magazine a good preview of what you will find within its pages. No go forth and get your own copy of Hoodoo and Conjure Quarterly #2, the magazine that looks, feels, and reads like a book!
I can’t wait to read it! I bought a subscription long ago. Will I receive this issue automatically, or do I need to order it?
Posted by Melissa Alexander | January 16, 2012, 9:19 pmi can’t wait to get my quaterly this weekend.
Posted by Nicole | January 16, 2012, 11:52 pmOk – good concept , and great art…but- ANYONE from New Orleans- of any race, belief system, etc. knows what ” Gris Gris ” is..People interested in vodoun ,voodoo,”hoodoo” ( although that terminology and belief system is from african roots to african- american “fixing” and hexing/cursing implications and beliefs that span from the South Carolina Low Country to Southern Mississppi..Not New Orleans! The ” Voodoo” of New Orleans Louisiana popularised as early as the Colonial Period and spanning from Mobile Alabama- the site of the first French Settlement populated with other than soldiers and all males as well as being the first importation point of African slaves from Dahomey and Senegal.These Southeastern Colonial period settlements pre-dated the creolization of Vodoun once Haitian French became part of the cultural evolution in New Orleans.Contributed by the exiled Europeans that arrived in the New World by way of Cuba after 1st loosing their Carribean plantation culture to the Haitian Revolution led by Toussaint L’Overture, near the turn of the 19th century along with lands and land grants from Louis XVII ,King of France ( and Habsburg Holy Roman Emperor : read, defender of catholicism !) – and arriving until as late as c.1798.
Those European Croles were the same people that were being exploited by Marie laVeau and her descendents well into the mid-ninteenth century more out of economic gain than a traditional belief system in the case of ” the Widow Paris” – but their time exposed to vodoun traditions in the carribean was a seamless stretch into customs, “voodoo” and a synergy of catholicism and vodoun in the New World! So together with Free Men ( and women) of Colour and a large African ( service) population,a thriving economy and the ‘ Golden Days’ of French Creole culture in the deep south (even though open sewerage adds a touch of glamour to the drunk and debauched New Orleans of history !) moreover,New Orleans as its epicenter, voodoo as it has come to be known was really dissemenated by writers such as Robert Tallant in the 1940′s and capitalised on since then.
The arrival of Sally Ann Glassman ( of Maine) to New Orleans in the 1980′s coincided with a resurgence of “real ” haitian based vodoun ouangans becoming popularised again and accepted since these practioners weren’t using it to hex, or curse, rather they are riding the wave of earth religions/paganism’s recurrance or upsurge worldwide beyond the academics of shamanism that also gained a broader audience as the newly harvested fodder for cultural anthropology and cultural geography departments in academia simultaneously! A sort of spontaneous generation of archetypal religions edging in on the heels of alternative lifestyle’s new found acceptance globally as the decline of organised religions peaks within a context of the sixties generation’s continuing to expand personal and societal consciousnesses
.In the 60′s and 70′s there was a very closed voodoo community and practice in new Orleans.In fact only 3 stores in the city had a waiting room for the voodooiene’s counsel- with chairs always full of people waiting their turn with their 5 bucks in hand for a reading or healing or to have something removed or put on themselves or someone else..Equally important was the purchase of the gris gris ingredients necessary to make whatever ” it ” was work..By the 80′s there was santeria and botanicas popping up.Former native “Luisah Teish” now of San Fransisco touring the country bringing “New Orleans Voodoo” to yuppies from coast to coast ( at 350 bucks per weekend workshop ) and 4 organised ouangans operating in the city as bona fide 501 (c) 3 organizations..Voodoo has returned on a perhaps larger scale than the .historical and folklore-related remnants of whisperings of a bygone time.Still the almost immortal Laveaus’ and BeBe`s tombs in St.Louis No. 1 cemetary on the edge of the Vieux Carre is a big tourism draw – high on the must see sites, while constant among believers since their interrments and the time when africans danced along what is now Bayou St,.John on their day off from labouring ( that is after attending Mass in the morning to make appearances and to keep their kids in the catholic schools in one’s neighborhood!!)..
Hoodoo on the other hand is entirely a different thing. Relegated to african american slave descendants and following a clear line that began on the Carolina Coast with Gullah and Geechee people,that were more likened to root doctoring than vodoun.Also the white Atlantic Mercantile protestants were having no part of “hoodoo” because of the class lines, and strict code of behaviour that exists to date in Charleston and the sea islands regarding race relations.In New Orleans the catholic commonality meant that “upper class” whites did foray into the experience of and benefits that voodoo promised ( for a price).So lines were blurred- not to say that true voodoo ritual was a “performance” by believers for the whites that participated , but that they were “welcomed” to participate and become part of the trance state the drums evoked regardless of race or ethnicity.Even when slave owners danced with their properties, in terms of human lives, New Orleans “voodoo” was open to anyone sincere about the experience and it was known to everyone where ceremonies were held.The tradition on the east coast with the Gullah was very closed, secreted and more subject to atrocities if discovered or identified – particularly as a leader of something like the ouangan..
So..while I support your efforts to provide media on these subjects I just wish that there was a bit more factual information, correct spellings, and autenticality both on the part of the contributors and editor(s).On the other hand voodoo – at least the kind you are propogating is experience based and often wholly misinformed as it gets mainstreamed into the culture of paganism in the USA. as such, it is irreproachable! But I have some knowledge of the editor that contradicts the picture painted so-to-speak thus, I emplore you to get the facts behind the information or just make the publication an ecclectic survey of things related to voodoo in popular culture and for entertainment..as long as you are making money at it!!!!
Posted by ariroark | May 5, 2012, 1:51 amThank you for your comments. I am not sure what you are alluding to in terms of “knowledge of the editor”, if you are speaking about me, I grew up in New Orleans during the 60s and 70s and have talked about how different it was then…that is was not out in the open as it is now. It was kept in secret save for the couple of places you mentioned that were really geared towards tourism. In fact, the magazine addresses some of thew issues you speak of, and the contributors write about their experiences and traditions as it relates to Hoodoo and/or conjure. I write about New orleans based on my experience being born and raised and having lived there over 30 years, combined with academic research on the subject. I disagree that everyone knows about gris gris…this simply isn’t true. I have met and spoken to New Orleanians who did not know what it was…their lives simply did not intersect with the term or practice. In fact my ex-sister in law was one such person. Have you read the magazine? Just wondering…you may find it to be different than what you seem to think it is. In my article on gris gris in the first issue, I write about the African roots of New Orleans Voodoo and gris gris and my information comes from reputable sources (Hall, 1992, Hanger, 1997 are but two of many). What makes the magazine unique is that all of our writers are practitioners…not all of New Orleans Voodoo or Hoodoo, but in related traditions. Alyne Pustanio and myself are the two New Orleans natives who write about the New Orleans Voodoo and Hoodoo experience.
What the magazine is not, is an eclectic survey of voodoo in popular culture, nor is it simply for entertainment. We provide well researched articles as well as folklore and present it in a manner that is interesting and yes, some of the articles are entertaining…it is not a purely academic journal and is written for popular audience. And as far as making money? I have yet to make any money from it so that myth needs to really die out fast. In fact it has cost me a lot of money to produce, but it was my way of helping preserve some of the cultural heritage of my hometown and help revitalize interest and hopefully business for New Orleanians.
Posted by Denise Alvarado | May 5, 2012, 5:34 am