Anointing oil - Anointing oil is sacred oil, blessed and charged and specially formulated for the purposes of sanctifying or elevating sacred objects or people in the service of a higher purpose.

Candomblé - Candomblé means 'dance in honor of the gods' and music and dance are an important part of Candomblé ceremonies. Candomblé originated with African slaves in Brazil. It is a mixture of traditional Fon, Bantu, and Yoruba beliefs blended with a generous portion of Catholicism. Catholic saints that bore a resemblance to African deities and ancestor spirits were worshiped since slaves were persecuted for the worship of non-Christian deities. The African slaves also fraternized with the indigenous population of Brazil. The commingling of indigenous beliefs enforced the belief in ancestor worship.

dressing oil - Dressing oil is a specially prepared oil applied to spell and ritual objects before using them to sanctify, charge and prepare them for use or after assembling them to charge and activate them. This is called "dressing" or "fixing" the object.

Hoodoo - Hoodoo is a word that in a general colloquial context may refer to witchcraft or spellcasting in general, for example, someone may refer to witchcraft as hoodoo or say that someone who has been bewitched has been "hoodooed". However, in a more specific context, Hoodoo refers to African American folk magick tradition that evolved from a blending of the Central and Western African cultures from which many natives were taken for the American slave trade and the European Christian lore of their American masters to produce a uniquely African American folk magick tradition.

Mojo Bag - A mojo bag is a small bag containing herbs, stones, runes or other magical items and charged and/or prayed over to serve as an amulet or talisman for luck or protection in Hoodoo tradition.

Santeria - Santeria means “The Way of the Saints”. It is an African-Hispanic hybrid religion which originated in the Caribbean. Best known for it’s Latin rhythms, devotee possession and animal sacrifices, it is considered to be a ‘syncretic’ or hybrid religion because it originated out of a blending of the culture of the Yoruba peoples brought there as slaves and Catholicism. The Yoruba people are from Nigeria, Benin and Togo on the west coast of the African Continent. These peoples were also sent as slaves to South America where they also gave birth to the traditions known as Lucumi, Candomble, and Umbanda. The religion is similar in appearance to Voodoo because it also is a blend of African traditions with Catholicism. However, Santeria has a particularly Caribbean flavor.

Voodoo - Voodoo or Vodou is a syncretic African American magico-religion with such variety that it is very difficult for sociologists to study. It has its roots in West African Vodun spirituality imported to the Southern United States along with the West African people kidnapped from their home continent and sold here as slaves. For many, their native religion was forbidden by their new masters and some were encouraged to adhere to the Christian faith instead. Some embraced Christianity and blended it with their native beliefs while others continued to practice their native religion while dressing it up in Christian disguise for the benefit of their captors. This led to a blending of two faiths that, because many slave communities were strictly isolated from others, was unique to the area in which it occurred while still holding true to its core. Thus, Haitian Voodoo and New Orleans Voodoo have some differences from one another but still also very similar, especially to the casual observer. In New Orleans the loa may be called orisha.


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