Voodoo is mainly thought of as a Caribbean spiritual path, but over the last century it has spread worldwide. When I lived in Mexico in the 1970’s there was a thriving strain of Voodoo that had combined with the local Aztec-based spiritual path. The Witches Market (Mercado de Brujaria), also called Mercado de Sonora, near the centre of Mexico City carried many different products associated with this system of spirituality. From “Good Luck aerosols” to the more traditional herbs and animal products that most people might associate with the type of Voodoo that is seen in films and TV dramas. This is because most of the Voodoo in the Americas has become blended with the local spiritual paths, plus folk magick from the European continent brought by settlers.

The Voodoo seen in most dramas tends to be based on Louisiana Voodoo which has a great deal of folk magick integrated within it. Most prominent of these is the use of the Grisgris bag which is a Voodoo talisman used to aid in various endeavours or for protection One of the most basic is the crossed chicken bone amulet comprised of two chicken wing bones tied together with red thread to form an equal armed cross. The bones themselves are often taken from a fresh chicken carcass usually before it is cooked, although I have known them taken from a cooked bird if no other source is available.

The bones are then blessed via whatever system is used by the practitioner, along with the thread if appropriate, before being tied into the form of an equal armed cross. This is then worn over the heart under the clothes, as with any amulet, until the bones feel ‘full’ or ‘heavy’, when the whole thing is disposed of by throwing into running water, or being buried at a crossroads. Then a new amulet is constructed.

Grigri bags are carried for talismanic purposes including success, luck, and love. Although considered by many in the USA to be typically “Voodoo” in origin they have their roots in European Magick. The clues are that the correspondences are the ones used by European Pagans, including the colours, symbols added to it, and the way the items in the bag add up to an odd number. Numerologically speaking the latter is used to advance and attract things magickally, while adding an even number of items to a spell is to ‘set’ or solidify a position or event as it is. Some practitioners do, however, use the Kogo (Congo region of Africa) system for casting a circle and the associations that go with it.

In this system the circle is cast from the Southern Quarter anticlockwise. The associations are South=Earth (usually symbolised in Voodoo by graveyard dirt), East=Fire, North=Air and intellect and West = Water. The interaction between the four quarters is perceived as the crossroads- central to many Voodoo and African belief systems as it represents the division of the Earth Plane from the Spiritual one. The meeting point in the middle of the circle is considered to be the most sacred spot within it and this is where the Grigri bag is placed when being blessed/empowered. The circle itself represents the idea that life is continuous rather than linear with a distinct beginning at birth, and end at death. Interestingly the belief in reincarnation is found in spiritual practices in several different parts of the African Continent.

Another phenomenon of Voodoo in the USA is that of Voodoo celebrities. Perhaps the most famous was the “Voodoo Queen” was Marie Laveau who lived in New Orleans from 1794 until 1881. Her mother was a follower of Voodoo in its religious form, while her father came from Haiti in one of the waves of immigration escaping from the religion’s persecution in that country, and the island of Hispaniola as a whole. Their wedding certificate is still kept in the St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans and is now part of the tourism that has grown up around Marie. She had a daughter, also called Marie and there seems to have been some crossover in their place in history. Marie Laveau The Second (yes, that really was her name!) made the rituals much more theatrical and allowed public access rather than just limiting it to believers. Particularly the St John’s festival on the 23 June which is the Voodoo celebration of the Summer Solstice. This was held on the Bayou St. John within the city limits of New Orleans and crowds were supposed to have attended and contributed significant amounts of money to do so.

After her death in 1881 the first Marie’s reputation grew, aided by the journalist Robert Tallant who used her as a character in a number of historical novels. A rumour also arose that if you wanted a wish granted by her spirit you carved an ‘X’ in her tomb- reputed to be at plot 347 Saint Louis Cemetery No. 1 – turn around three times, knock on the tomb, and yell out your wish. Then if it was granted, come back, circle your "X," and leave Laveau an offering. This has become a lot more difficult to do from March this year due to vandalism resulting in the need for extensive renovation of that tomb and surrounding ones. Now you cannot access that area without a guide, and any damage is considered a federal crime and an act of disrespect to the dead.

Of course this is just a brief overview of some of the styles of Voodoo found in the US. As you travel across the south west, particularly the 827,000 square miles covered by the former Louisiana Purchase. Voodoo becomes subsumed in other traditions, particularly those of European origin. These include Hoodoo, which is heavily influenced by Continental herbal magick and Craft. Hexcraft, that is basically German and Saxon magick, and a lot of other systems that incorporate some aspects of Voodoo which are only perceptible by people who know what to look for. If you work with any of these systems, now or in the future, then being aware of these subtle influences will enable you to make more effective use of them and fine-tune your practice.