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    itneverends's Avatar
    itneverends Posts: 42, Reputation: -2
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    #1

    Oct 11, 2008, 04:03 AM
    Need some opinions.
    Well I am really interested in hoodoo... and don't know where to start all this stuff... any can any one give any guide lines for practicing it?
    ScottGem's Avatar
    ScottGem Posts: 64,966, Reputation: 6056
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    #2

    Oct 11, 2008, 05:09 AM

    Have you tried here:
    Hoodoo: An Ancient African & Afro-diaspora Tradition
    itneverends's Avatar
    itneverends Posts: 42, Reputation: -2
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    #3

    Oct 11, 2008, 12:20 PM

    Well I have read it... and I am also well aware of what it is!. but the question is how to start practiciting it!
    Alder's Avatar
    Alder Posts: 342, Reputation: 71
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    #4

    Oct 13, 2008, 12:23 PM

    I can't speak to Hoodoo specifically, but I can answer with regard to traditional teachings in general:

    In most cultures, the appropriate way is to go to an authentic elder who practices that tradition and honestly express why you are interested. In many traditions, if you are not part of that culture or ethnicity, they will probably turn you away, perhaps many times. It can take a long time to prove your sincerity and commitment, and be accepted or adopted into that pathway.

    That's a long, hard road and not always successful, but it's better than getting stuck following (or becoming) a "plastic shaman."
    itneverends's Avatar
    itneverends Posts: 42, Reputation: -2
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    #5

    Oct 14, 2008, 12:19 PM

    But I don't think I can find anyone here who is well known of the art.
    Alder's Avatar
    Alder Posts: 342, Reputation: 71
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    #6

    Oct 15, 2008, 01:28 PM

    Magic is tied to land. If this particular thing speaks so strongly to your soul that you can't stand not diving into it, you'll have to go there. Sometimes it is like that. Most times a spiritual person feels a connection to the traditions of his or her own ancestors. Sometimes a person finds that some completely different culture feels like home. Maybe it's a past life thing, who knows. Whatever the reason, sometimes it's a genuine, soul-level affinity. And it's just a matter of convincing the people of that culture that you are really one of them, even if you look like a gabacho or gaijin or whatever name they have for outsiders. ;)
    itneverends's Avatar
    itneverends Posts: 42, Reputation: -2
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    #7

    Oct 16, 2008, 01:43 PM

    But the thing is.. I have experienced a lot of weird things in my life... so there kind of things are like naturally linked to me... (what ever it is)
    Alder's Avatar
    Alder Posts: 342, Reputation: 71
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    #8

    Oct 21, 2008, 01:29 PM

    There are some general spiritual elements that pop up in different traditions all over the world. Joseph Campbell is probably the most famous of the people that have studied this phenomenon. Another widely known person, particularly in regard to shamanic practices, is Michael Harner, author of Way of the Shaman. His concept is that there is a kind of core shamanism which pre-dates history and pre-dates all the modern existing cultures. It is the basic set of practices that are used all over the world for the simple reason that they work. And the experiences shaman describe when they return from their journeys likewise have distinct common elements, regardless of whether they are from South Dakota or Central Australia or West Africa or the Steppes of Asia. Anthropologists try to explain that common experience with theories about archetypal programming and brain structure. But the simplest explanation is that these people are all going to a real place that really exists, and they all describe it similarly because they are all having a genuine experience.

    So there is the core or universal practice, and then there is the cultural overlay that each different culture puts on it. The overlay belongs to a particular culture, and should only be practiced by an authentic member of the culture or one who is accepted/adopted by the elders of that culture. But the core practice is open to everyone. It is the birthright of all humans. No matter what your ethnicity, your ancestors practiced this stuff within the last couple thousand years (if not more recently) and have been practicing it for hundreds of thousands of years. It's in the "public domain," and anyone can do it.

    That applies not merely to shamanism (which is a fairly slippery and broad concept in its own right) but to meditation, any kind of ritual magick, spirituality in general. There is the core world-wide stuff, and the cultural specifics. So if you just have this absolute gut compulsion that your destiny is to be initiated into the Hoodoo specific cultural tradition, then honor that and look for a way to make it happen. But maybe you can find ways to feed your soul by sticking to the generally available stuff.

    In my book, you can learn the most not from any human source but from the true source material of magic and spirit: The winds and waters, stones and animals and trees and plants of our world. Just going out into nature and learning to listen and understand the speech of the life all around you can teach you more than anything. Learning to be patient, learning to be silent, you open up to what the Goddess can offer.

    One book I would recommend for you is The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. This is a good book about creativity and authenticity in general. It contains a series of exercises to help you define for yourself what you want, and to declare it to the Universe. The premise of the book is that once you do that, the Universe falls all over itself to give you the tools you need.

    One tool you could ask the Universe to give you is a spirit guide. Lots of ways for that to happen. But it makes everything easier to have a wise, absolutely trustworthy companion around to answer your questions and point you in the right direction.

    Final thought: "Right direction" is a term of art, here. The Goddess is like the Queen of Hearts in Wonderland--if you ask Her to help you find the true path, she just laughs and says, "They're all my path!" Which is comforting; no matter where you go, you can't get lost.

    So happy wanderings, and Blessings of the Lady to you.

    Alder
    itneverends's Avatar
    itneverends Posts: 42, Reputation: -2
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    #9

    Oct 23, 2008, 04:32 AM
    Well yeah I am aware of some of the stuff,I am into channeling and have far exceeding the beginning steps and I really appreciated that you shared your perceptions with me,but I was talking about the practical magic and stuff... and I don't think I am capable of doing that all by myself...

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