Hoodoo is a closed system that IS NOT for non-Black people.

Hoodoo has deities, but Orisha, Lwa, and Mpungu are not part of Hoodoo. Those deities belong SOLELY to their own respective systems.

A tarot reading, intuitive reading, palm reading, “a feeling”, etc. CAN NOT help you determine which Orisha owns your head. Only an initiated priest of that system, using the specific divination tools of that system, can tell you this. The same goes for Lwa, Mpungu, etc. If you want to know, seek out and PAY a reputable BLACK priest.

Plenty of Hoodoos, myself included, use tarot but tarot IS not part of the Hoodoo system.

The Crossroads is not just some place where you go to dump your empty candle or otherwise dispose of completed spirit work. Spirits live there. Would you want someone dumping their trash at your house without even asking? There’s also plenty of other ways to dispose of works.

Just because deities in different systems are SIMILAR (or you perceive them to be) doesn’t mean they are the SAME, and definitely doesn’t mean they can be engaged with in the same way. Yemoja, La Sirene, and Mami Wata are DIFFERENT spirits (Mami Wata is actually a family of spirits, not a single spirit) that have different protocols for how to engage them. And initiation is required.

Hoodoo has initiations.

The Crossroads Man is NOT Esu or Papa Legba. They are different spirits. What they have in common is being the keepers of Crossroads, of course, but they also have their own individual things that they do and different protocols. See item #6.

High John the Conqueror does not work with non-Black people. If you’re non-Black and think you’re working with him, go ahead and cleanse that trickster spirit out ya house baby 🤣

We don’t always need a million herbs or candles or a long ritual. Sometimes (most times) we just need to call our spirits to us and pray.

1. “May I do what is best for me with ease.”

2. “Send me elders/mentors/friends/colleagues that are meant for my highest good and in alignment with my destiny.”

3. “May my roads be open, and my mind be wise.”

Trust is a HUGE part of Hoodoo practice.

Trusting your Ancestors.

Trusting your gifts.

Trusting the lessons your Ancestors send, and that you are right where you need to be.

What’s the point of connecting with your dead people if you’re not going to trust them? Why even pray? The old folks used to say, “You can’t pray and worry at the same time.” This isn’t to say that worry, anxiety, and fear won’t present. They will. Lord knows I get scared all the time. But I’ve learned the hard way that in order for things to move in my favor, my faith must be bigger than my fear.

And what I love about my Ancestors is that they give me EVIDENCE, every time. So now, when I am scared, troubled, anxious, etc., I can be reminded, “Didn’t we take care of you before? Why would we stop now?” And it’s true.

When I had no food or money, they provided.

When I had no spiritual elders, they sent them.

When I was close to death, they saved me.

Times get hard in life, that’s a fact. But don’t pray and worry. Pray like you expect a shift in your favor. Pray like you KNOW it’s coming. Even if you’re screaming and crying and laying on floor, have faith.