Many people link hoodoo with other traditions and religions from the African linage. They are not the same and neither did they stem from the same background. Hoodoo came from a protestant background, unlike Voodoo, which was catholic. They also blended different things that surrounded them. You can not say that somone who was born and raised in the ghetto and another in a big fancy mansion that they will end up growing to be same kind of person, because you cant. Same thing with Hoodoo and voodoo. The africans who formed voodoo had saints to hide there spirits which were the lwa. Where as for the the africans who formed hoodoo had no saints, so most of there spirits were lost within time. To add to that the africans that made voodoo had way more tribes than those of who made hoodoo. So there was more influence. On a secoundary note the tribes that built voodoo were able to interact with each other, while the others were not aloud to unless they were in church.
Also hoodoo is not just a magical practice, but a tradition of its own right. You can not take out God out of hoodoo or it isnt hoodoo. Hoodoo was built on christian beliefs and taking that out for some new age thing will cause it not to be hoodoo. Hoodoo has a history of working with the christian Godhead and ignoring that will not make your practicegenuine. Sure catholics can practice Hoodoo, like myself, but in my own opinion that dosnt change much of the practices of what traditional workers do.
Hoodoo works with spriits. If you are afraid of spirits or even the dead, maybe hoodoo is the path for you. Ancestor veneration is practice in hoodoo,especially to africans, because of the turmoil and pain the ancestors been through during the slave days and is considerd respectful. In Hoodoo everything has a spirit, so dont always feel alone when you need help with something.
There are so many things a practioner of hoodoo can buy these days for there workings, but back then people worked with what they had. Dont be fooled thinking you need a certain type of root or some of herb to do this and that because back then people didnt had that kind of money to afford that stuff.
A lot of authentic knowledge on healing is lost in this day of age with hoodoo because many people can afford doctors these days. But back then hoodoo was for the poor. Even white people came the there local hoodoo doctor to get healed from sickness and injuries because even they couldnt afford health care.
This is what I mean that hoodoo is more than a magical practice. it has its very own seperate history with other magical and religions traditions. Please understand that this is what Hoodoo is based off of and it is not some kind of thing you can morph. I hopes this helped some people.
