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Traditionally, Hoodoo is born in the USA around the 19th century, though due to its nature it's hard to date – in essence, it's as old as humanity, and is formed mainly by the mixture of:
Catholicism: worship of Catholic deities/saints, often syncretized from the forced baptism of black slaves. Also, use of several books of the Bible as spell books. Use of churches as sacred places.
African Religions: worship of the Yoruba (Santería) and the Ewe (Voodoo) deities, practices of spellcasting, spiritism and rituals. Cult to the Orishas, the Lwa and the Spirits of the Dead.
Native American Shamanism: cult to Nature and its animal and plant totems, use of local herbal medicines and entheogens, shamanistic practices.
Hoodoo is not a religion, it is a practice. It can be crafted by Witches of all paths, as any deity can be worshiped under this form of Witchcraft. It has never been hierarchic and it has never formed a church, though big communities can be born around particular practitioners. Anyone who belongs to any other religion can be a Hoodooist without leaving it, as Hoodoo does not interfere with personal beliefs; for Hoodoo, results is what matters.
Above all, Hoodoo is practical. It is focused on folk magick practices that work together to achieve a purpose, and not on the worship of particular deities, as each practitioner builds his/her personal pantheon as preferred. On a Hoodoo altar, you can find a statue of the Virgin Mary, next to an African Shango, next to representation of a fairy guardian spirit. Of course there are cults that have reached more fame while others remain local, but in the end Hoodoo is the epitome of Eclecticism – if it works, it works, no matter where it comes from. In the essence of the Hoodoo practise, medieval grimoires and oral lore walk hand in hand, along with the using of the books of Psalms from the Bible, which is actually one of the most used spellbooks in Hoodoo. I personally do not use any Catholic imagery or spells in my work, but I have known many practitioners that use it successfully.
Hoodoo is, as you can see, an incredibly wide term, as there is one Hoodoo for every practitioner. In my personal way of working with it, I incorporate a lot of the works of local herbal healers and my love for Afro-Caribbean cults, but also my knowledge of renaissance Witchcraft, Dianic Witchcraft and even Buddhism. In reality, Hoodoo is just folk magic, and a Hoodoo Witch makes potions and remedies, gives advice to those worried, reads oracles to see the future and tries to live a Sacred Existence... just as any other Witch. Why did I choose it as my personal definition? Because it's beyond definition, beyond religion. Because you have to create it to be able to experience it; because it is the practice of Magick in itself, free from all ties.
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Carolina Gonzalez - The Hoodoo Shop Blog - Shop
Thanks a lot to everyone who nominated this post and made it a winner of the Topic Of The Week contest!!! I am very honoured to have been chosen by you after being only for two weeks as a contributor here. You guys have made my day!
Re: What Is Hoodoo? 
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