"New Orleans Voodoo and Hoodoo have a uniquely sumptuous flavor all their own. Denise Alvarado captures that flavor perfectly in The Voodoo Hoodoo Spellbook because she has long been immersed in its magic and culture. The spells she presents are steeped in the wisdom of the river, the bayous, and the roots and plants that folk practitioners have used for centuries. As the famed New Orleans Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau did before her, Denise creates a path to these traditions for all who seek to discover them. Explore everything from the pantheons of Voodoo to their corresponding saints and the prayers to call them; learn about the roots, herbs, oils, and other ingredients that practitioners use; and employ voodoo dolls, gris gris, and other powerful spirit tools that can help you work the magic!"
"Hoodoo and the conjure arts are at the center of a growing spiritual movement, as Western seekers redefine their relationship to religion and the occult. The self-help phase of the occult revival—epitomized by the New Age and Neopaganism for the last halfcentury—is quickly giving way to nutsandbolts, handson practical magick that gets things done. You could not ask for a better introduction to Voodoo, hoodoo, gris gris or conjure than Denise Alvarado's The Voodoo Hoodoo Spellbook. The author grew up in New Orleans and Mississippi, and learned the art directly from the source. She is also an anthropologist with a firm grasp on the African Diaspora and its relationship to her home town. This book contains everything from history to folklore, Loas to Orishas, saints and psalms, oils, powders, inks, washes, gris gris, talismans, candles, and conjure spells for every imaginable need. Whether your interest in Voodoo and hoodoo are academic or you want to learn to lay a few tricks, The Voodoo Hoodoo Spellbook is the best place to start."
"Born and raised in New Orleans, Denise Alvarado learned her craft at a very early age from members of her family, and later from various teachers and mentors. Over the past several decades she has not only made a scholarly study of various forms of magick and healing, as an anthropologist and psychologist, but she has also practiced these traditions at length, becoming a respected spiritualworker, consultant, and writer in her own right. Written in a simple, easytounderstand style, The Voodoo Hoodoo Spellbook is overflowing with valuable information pertaining to the theory and practice of authentic Voodoo hoodoo. In addition to a brief historical overview of these practices in New Orleans, here you will find spells, rituals, formulas, and prayers for virtually any conceivable purpose along with correspondence charts arranged by use or purpose for easy reference that will assist you in crafting your own spells and formulas. In short, this book contains everything you need to know in order to practice successful magick in the Voodoo Hoodoo tradition. This is a book that you will return to again and again."
"A triumph of painstaking and meticulous research. Esteemed author Denise Alvarado, herself raised in New Orleans, has studied mysticism and practiced Voodoo Hoodoo and indigenous healing traditions for over three decades. She is an academic anthropologist, cultural psychologist, writer, artist, spiritual adviser, and consultant. The Voodoo Hoodoo Spellbook is the culmination of the author's decades of practical experience in authentic Voodoo rituals. Wonderfully readable, The Voodoo Hoodoo Spellbook will prove a necessary companion to both beginner and experienced practitioner alike. A brilliant and allencompassing work and an invaluable source of recorded oral tradition."
"Denise Alvarado's The Voodoo Hoodoo Spellbook is a work of considerable value to anyone interested in the workings of magic as performed in the New Orleans area of Louisiana. It is not a tourist-tempting hodgepodge of phony recipes but a serious compilation of authentic rituals, spells, and instructions gathered by a 'root worker' who grew up in the area. As background to the meat of this work, Ms. Alvarado includes a history of this particular folk magic and of its practitioners. Whatever the spell or charm you need, you are certain to find it here…and it will be effective! Along with her words, enjoy Denise's beautiful artwork."
"Presented in a downtoearth, easy to understand style--and jampacked with a wealth of practical information--The Voodoo Hoodoo Spellbook is, without a doubt, a practitioner's fondest dream come true. No magical workspace is complete without it!" -Dorothy Morrison, author of Utterly Wicked and Everyday Magic
"Born and raised in New Orleans, Denise Alvarado learned her craft at a very early age from members of her family, and later from various teachers and mentors. Over the past several decades she has not only made a scholarly study of various forms of magick and healing, as an anthropologist and psychologist, but she has also practiced these traditions at length, becoming a respected spiritual-worker, consultant, and writer in her own right. Written in a simple, easy-to-understand style, The Voodoo Hoodoo Spellbook is overflowing with valuable information pertaining to the theory and practice of authentic Voodoo hoodoo. In addition to a brief historical overview of these practices in New Orleans, here you will find spells, rituals, formulas, and prayers for virtually any conceivable purpose along with correspondence charts arranged by use or purpose for easy reference that will assist you in crafting your own spells and formulas. In short, this book contains everything you need to know in order to practice successful magick in the Voodoo Hoodoo tradition. This is a book that you will return to again and again." -Carolina Dean, author, associate editor and contributor to Hoodoo and Conjure Quarterly
"A triumph of painstaking and meticulous research. Esteemed author Denise Alvarado, herself raised in New Orleans, has studied mysticism and practiced Voodoo Hoodoo and indigenous healing traditions for over three decades. She is an academic anthropologist, cultural psychologist, writer, artist, spiritual adviser, and consultant. The Voodoo Hoodoo Spellbook is the culmination of the author's decades of practical experience in authentic Voodoo rituals. Wonderfully readable, The Voodoo Hoodoo Spellbook will prove a necessary companion to both beginner and experienced practitioner alike. A brilliant and all-encompassing work and an invaluable source of recorded oral tradition." -Dr. Ann Nyland, author/translator of Complete Books of Enoch
"Presented in a down-to-earth, easy to understand style--and jam-packed with a wealth of practical information--The Voodoo Hoodoo Spellbook is, without a doubt, a practitioner's fondest dream come true. No magical workspace is complete without it!" -Dorothy Morrison, author of Utterly Wicked and Everyday Magic
"Hoodoo and the conjure arts are at the center of a growing spiritual movement, as Western seekers redefine their relationship to religion and the occult. The self-help phase of the occult revival--epitomized by the New Age and Neopaganism for the last half-century--is quickly giving way to nuts-and-bolts, hands-on practical magick that gets things done. You could not ask for a better introduction to Voodoo, hoodoo, gris gris or conjure than Denise Alvarado's The Voodoo Hoodoo Spellbook. The author grew up in New Orleans and Mississippi, and learned the art directly from the source. She is also an anthropologist with a firm grasp on the African Diaspora and its relationship to her home town. This book contains everything from history to folklore, Loas to Orishas, saints and psalms, oils, powders, inks, washes, gris gris, talismans, candles, and conjure spells for every imaginable need. Whether your interest in Voodoo and hoodoo are academic or you want to learn to lay a few tricks, The Voodoo Hoodoo Spellbook is the best place to start." -Aaron Leitch, author of Secrets of the Magickal Grimoire
"Denise Alvarado's The Voodoo Hoodoo Spellbook is a work of considerable value to anyone interested in the workings of magic as performed in the New Orleans area of Louisiana. It is not a tourist-tempting hodgepodge of phony recipes but a serious compilation of authentic rituals, spells, and instructions gathered by a 'root worker' who grew up in the area. As background to the meat of this work, Ms. Alvarado includes a history of this particular folk magic and of its practitioners. Whatever the spell or charm you need, you are certain to find it here...and it will be effective! Along with her words, enjoy Denise's beautiful artwork." -Raymond Buckland, Buckland's Book of Gypsy Magic
"New Orleans Voodoo and Hoodoo have a uniquely sumptuous flavor all their own. Denise Alvarado captures that flavor perfectly in The Voodoo Hoodoo Spellbook because she has long been immersed in its magic and culture. The spells she presents are steeped in the wisdom of the river, the bayous, and the roots and plants that folk practitioners have used for centuries. As the famed New Orleans Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau did before her, Denise creates a path to these traditions for all who seek to discover them. Explore everything from the pantheons of Voodoo to their corresponding saints and the prayers to call them; learn about the roots, herbs, oils, and other ingredients that practitioners use; and employ voodoo dolls, gris gris, and other powerful spirit tools that can help you work the magic!" --Christian Day, author of The Witches' Book of the Dead
A formally trained anthropologist and practicing clinical psychologist, Alvarado (Exu, Divine Trickster and Master Magician) shares her lifelong experience as a student and practitioner of New Orleans-style voodoo in this sweeping book as she seeks to provide a clearheaded look into one of America's most misunderstood magical traditions. The first few chapters describe how the historical intermingling of French culture with the cultures of African slaves and Native American tribes, plus a healthy dose of enforced Catholicism, created the cultural soup in New Orleans that culminated in what Alvarado calls "voodoo hoodoo." Further chapters illuminate the beliefs and practices surrounding the complex cosmology of gods, saints, and spirit forces; coherently outline the difference between the religion of voodoo and the magical practices of hoodoo; and explain the use of gris-gris, spells, charms, and totems. The remaining chapters are an extensive compilation of spells, workings, and rituals. VERDICT Occultists will delight in the extremely generous and thorough hoodoo grimoire, materia medica, correspondence charts, and gris-gris formulary. Students of African American history and culture, Southern history buffs, and cultural anthropologists will also find this a fascinating and well-documented read.—Janet Tapper, Univ. of Western States Lib., Portland, OR
