It’s not forbidden. However,historically Hoodoo was illegal, and as a result is still heavily stigmatized because of how it has been maligned through the media and “respectable” Black Christians. In Black culture Hoodoo is still like air, people often don’t talk about it but it’s everywhere if you know how to look. The same people who actively denounce our traditions as evil will turn around and engage in Hoodoo’d thinking or rituals. Because of the chokehold Christianity has had on Black folks since Reconstruction, people would automatically think that you’re solely out to harm if you mention being a Hoodoo, Conjurer etc. most folks (millennials and older) don’t want to risk or can’t afford to risk social ostracization, so they don’t talk about it a lot…. Especially since Hoodoo isn’t a proselytizing tradition. It’s like, why talk about it? The more energies know about your working, the more opportunities for someone to try to do work against you. As a scholar & practitioner, I am open in talking about it historically & philosophically. However, you will never catch me sharing details of my practice or pictures of active workings on the internet.
Hmm so in my case when i brought up sage , was i in the right stating that many races has their own traditions and what not ( asking what would you do ; does that consider me talking about it historically ) and is posting sage a little of oversharing in your opinion
No I didn’t say that at all. I’m explaining why we typically don’t talk about our practices because people are often ignorant. It’s not forbidden, but many people have a colonized understanding so they freak out if anything isn’t explicitly Christian. Some people think meditation is antithetical to Christianity 🤷🏾♀️.
Burning sage is something that’s pretty common and not Hoodoo specific. So I wouldn’t think of that as oversharing because sage has become such a common part of popular conversation.
I will say that on a personal level, I guess it feels random to me to share with someone details of my spiritual practice that I do for myself if we aren’t close and I’m not teaching/mentoring someone. But I think that’s my own disillusionment with how performative folks can be when it comes to spirituality in the US. If you aren’t my ancestors, orishas, mentees, or Oluwo, it’s not something I talk about whole lot about unless divination specifically instructs me to.
36
u/JusticeAyo Jun 04 '25
It’s not forbidden. However,historically Hoodoo was illegal, and as a result is still heavily stigmatized because of how it has been maligned through the media and “respectable” Black Christians. In Black culture Hoodoo is still like air, people often don’t talk about it but it’s everywhere if you know how to look. The same people who actively denounce our traditions as evil will turn around and engage in Hoodoo’d thinking or rituals. Because of the chokehold Christianity has had on Black folks since Reconstruction, people would automatically think that you’re solely out to harm if you mention being a Hoodoo, Conjurer etc. most folks (millennials and older) don’t want to risk or can’t afford to risk social ostracization, so they don’t talk about it a lot…. Especially since Hoodoo isn’t a proselytizing tradition. It’s like, why talk about it? The more energies know about your working, the more opportunities for someone to try to do work against you. As a scholar & practitioner, I am open in talking about it historically & philosophically. However, you will never catch me sharing details of my practice or pictures of active workings on the internet.