Presently, over 7.7 billion people live on our planet. Each region has its own culture, way of life, and religion. Spirituality is a part of nearly everyone’s life, no matter which higher being they believe in. From within the depths of the Amazon Forest or the plains of the Indus, each civilization tends to explore and find something more significant than life that they connect with.
Origins of Hoodoo
After years of enslavement and prosecution, the enslaved African Americans of North America formed Hoodoo. A set of spiritual practices, traditions, and beliefs with roots in ancient African religious practices, Hoodoo is not a religion in itself. Not considered magic, the spiritual practice is sought to provide calm in troubling times, with its work to do more with healing and protection than harming others.
Mirrors in Hoodoo
Although Hoodoo uses various objects as a part of the traditions and rituals, there is a keen interest in shiny objects. The shiny objects function as an embodiment of spirits. They work metonymically or metaphorically and on occasion as both in Hoodoo rituals.
The use of mirrors in Hoodoo traditions is the silver on its back. Referred to as Quicksilver, the metal is scrapped off the mirror and used in many rituals. One such practice is when using the shifting properties of a mirror against the permanent properties of a photograph. When confronted with an enemy, Hoodoo practitioners are known to shoot at a photo of their enemy with bullets laced with the Quicksilver. This results in a slow and unexpected death of the targeted person.
Hoodoo traditions may seem dangerous; however, it is essential to understand their history. No doubt, people have engaged with them for dark purposes. Still, the actuality of its practice is for the healing and safety of the African American race against those who mean to hurt them.
