r/HoodooBitches

recently got things for an alter and plan to try and connect and bond with ancestors. before i do this is there anything i should i do before and after for protection?

Since a return to sender a couple of months ago, I have come across many cats or raccoons with glowing eyes in the middle of the road or staring at me on a particular stump near my home. Once right after the return, and again last night, a black cat ran up very close to me and a family member as we were exiting our cars, and would not go away for a few minutes.

Since green moths have been a reoccurring theme for me, I interpret the occurrence as something being sent to watch over me after the spell. I am not sure what to make of the intrusion of the black cat though. Also, I realized I am located at a three-way crossroad, which is traditionally associated with Hecate. Hecate is associated with black cats, although that would not be exactly associated with my traditional lineage.

Is this sort of thing a common response to a return to sender/cord removal? Is there any significance to black cats at crossroads as well?

Met a woman 6 years ago, i was drawn to she looked ethereal, but she had a boyfriend so i never pursued her. A year later we met online and she was single, i felt like it was a divine calling lol we started talking, hit it off blah blah blah. We had everything in common she was like my female counterpart. Around the time of my birthday, 4 months after we started dating, she gave me a present, it was like a statue/figure of two skeletons hugging she wrote our initials on their heads and "para siempre" on the base of the figure, and a bracelet around the entire thing.
We ended up splitting 2 weeks later Imao. The past 5 years shes been the only ex i think of, i see her face when i look at certain women, and worst of all Ive been dreaming about her, more frequently lately. Ive been very capable of moving on with all of my exes, even the ones ive dated for years, but not this girl ive dated for a couple months. Not familiar with witchcraft/voodoo/ brujeria.

New to who do in looking to start to build a relationship with my ancestors and show them some love and respect. I get overwhelmed with things that require a lot of steps or ingredients/items. my goal is to start up with something very very simple maybe 1 to 2 steps or one or two items that I can build off of slowly.

What are some very very simple ways to start an altar/build a relationship with my ancestors?

okay, I have none to talk to about this. Recently I came across a TikTok talking about how we as black people are always wondering why our oppressors aren't being punished for what they done and the reason why they aren't is bc we are praying to their God and not our God, ancestors and the universe. This has been sticking to me since I am a firm believer of a higher power but not the one that is created by the church to give a false representation of God. Anyways, I've been trying to get back into my roots more and trying to do research about Hoodoo. I am opened to any suggestions that could help me please and thank you.

I've been a Hoodoo for at least two years now. I officially began my journey in 2024, after turning away from Christianity permanently and been constantly doing what I can to learn more about our spiritual practice and the fundamentals of connecting with my ancestors, and listening to spirit. I feel like much of my workings I'm not doing right or the rootworking tradition of Hoodoo is not a part of my spiritual gifts. I divined with my ancestors about this, and I gathered that either it's not a part of my gifts for right now, or they wish for me to continue to prioritize connecting with bloodline via genealogy. I feel like my spiritual gifts predominantly lie among my creative talents, being a griot for my family, and a dreamer, according to another Hoodoo I've been chatting with. What thoughts does anyone have?

Gente eu posso usar dinvidade pra me ajudar no corta e limpa ?e qual posso usar

I’ve just started studying Hoodoo, and I recently got to the part about ancestor altars. However, I don’t really have a space where I could keep one. My family is also pretty uncomfortable with these kinds of practices, so having a permanent altar wouldn’t really be possible for me.

It seems like a lot of ppl that are not African American or descendants of slaves want to practice hoodoo or don’t understand that hoodoo is only for African Americans to practice. Like Why wouldn’t you want to practice what aligns with your race, ethnicity or family lineage ?😭

To start, I’m a black AA woman from Mississippi (family from the delta) whose ancestors as recent as great grandparents were sharecroppers. My whole life I’ve always had extremely vivid dreams, and the past few years I’ve had dreams that have come true. (I dreamt that a cousin who was shot would start walking again and he did a few days later, I dreamt about a cousin being pregnant and she said she wasn’t but her sister was, only for me to find out a year later that she really was pregnant but unfortunately miscarried, so they both were. *I have no blood relation to her sister*) So, sometimes they’re about serious things and sometimes about small silly things like predicting a tv show. (One of my favorite characters hasn’t shown up so far this season and I dreamt about her showing up last night. Sure enough, she made an appearance on today’s episode) I’ve also noticed that all my life whenever I enter someone’s life, things seem to fall apart in a way or be revealed once our relationship is over or a bridge has been burnt. (ex. a couple I knew invited me to stay with them while I was having a hard time in my life, they proceeded to treat me like crap, and the next month after I was gone their marriage fell apart, and so did their children’s marriages as well. this is only one example). Another thing I’ve noticed is my power of tongue/thought, I’m not sure what to call it. But I remember one of my great grandmothers had spent years in the hospital almost none stop when I was a child and I thought to myself that I wanted her to go ahead and pass so she wouldn’t suffer anymore while the rest of my family was praying for her to get better. She died the next week. I’ve been afraid of my thoughts ever since tbh. I try not to think too negatively about things.

I’m also a very closed off person. Ever since I was a child I’ve been ostracized wherever I go when all I try to do is be kind to people and it seems I can never keep a friend for too long. It feels like every person who comes into my life turns into a lesson.

All this leads me to now, my other great grandmother passed away last year and we have a lot of black superstitions in my family which I’ve recently learned are connected to Hoodoo (not putting your purse on the ground, hand itching means money is coming, keeping a couple dollars to keep hants off of you, dreaming about fish). So I know there’s something there. Which leads to the problem.

The problem is that my family is deeply deeply religious (Christian). And despite all of the roots that seem to be in my family, I know asking about it would get me scolded and bless oil thrown at me. I’ve only heard the practice mentioned in passing as something negative so I feel that at some point our Hoodoo lineage was brainwashed/beat out of us. I want to connect and have no ideas how to on my own. And I’d love some clarity on what’s going on with my dreams and stuff. I just need some direction.

Hello all. I am still very new to Hoodoo. On my way home, I must’ve broken a statue of the Yoruba pantheon without realizing because when I opened up my bag, I saw Ogun and Obatala were broken off. What are your recommendations for what I do now? I already said some prayers, but I never even blessed the statue. Can I repair it and still use it or should I do a burial? Any other solutions?

Thank you all so much.

Hi! First of all, what is the difference between hoodoo and voodoo because I always hear people use them interchangeably but I’ve been hearing them used separately a lot more. Also, I know it’s mostly a closed practice (I’m white) but i’ve also always been drawn to new orleans but for the witchy reasons, my family is mexican so maybe we settled there at one point and someone practiced magic, other parts of my family have lived in california and Georgia for generations and I did have a spiritual encounter with my great grandmother who I firmly believe was a witch. I was wondering if I could use some things that are rooted in hoodoo to research other types of magic and possibly mix them to connect with my ancestors? I’ve done that before but i didn’t realize it was hoodoo and I don’t want to offend anybody or any spirits, or could I just put it out into the spirit realm and talk to anyone who wants to work with me on my journey. (please don’t give me hate, I’m just asking)

Edit: Hi again! I just want to clarify a few things, I'm a hereditary eclectic witch and before I knew what Orishas were (I just thought they were water spirits) I did ask Lakshmi and Oshun if they would be open to working with me, and they both said yes. what I meant to ask originally was asking was "can I apply knowledge from hoodoo practitioners to my own practice in my own way" as in, can I observe how you connect with ancestors, compare it to other forms of witchcraft, and find the differences and similarities and utilize the parts that are not strictly hoodoo and are used in European and Hispanic cultures and find what parts are similar and use the similar Celtic, French, Portuguese, and Mexican ones because that is my ancestry. I have been researching, but I have been coming up with mixed answers, it is easier to ask people who actually practice. I really am just trying to learn.

i've been deepening my practice and i'm genuinely curious how many people here blend hoodoo with other traditions. tarot, astrology, ancestral work, herbalism, whatever it is.

do you keep them separate or do they inform each other for you? would love to hear how people move between different practices.

I know some people are against love spells and I understand that so please keep that comment to yourself. I’m talking to this guy and while I was at his place I was able to obtain his shirt since he let me wear it. I wanna know if having his shirt will be strong enough to use or will I might need to get his hair instead? And if you guys know any spells that would help a lot 🩷!