Hi from Vestapol

[Vestapol]

Hi, everyone. My name is Doug and I use Vestapol as my nom de Hoodoo . I came to Hoodoo through childhood passion for the Blues and African-American folklore in general. "Vestapol" is a slang term for a particular Blues guitar tuning and represents my connection to Mississippi Delta history and lore.

My main interests are:

1) the use of paganisms within Christian religions and mainstream USA culture;

2) common principles and universal rituals (such as god eating) across cultures and faith systems;

3) the persistence of West African lore & art in USA culture.

My Hoodoo practice is personal and modest. I'm not even an informal consultant to friends. I've had my good energy Mojo Hand since my pilgrimage to the Delta in 1992. It has a pinch of soil from under Muddy Waters' cabin; a pinch of soil from Robert Johnson's Morgan City gravesite; and a John the Conqueror root selected for me by a Hoodoo Doctor who oiled and blessed it for me before I tied the bag, never to be opened again.

I pray to the higher powers & ancestors and I attend services for all religions, but mainly Unitarian fellowship. I'm not disciplined yet as far as following formal procedures or rituals. But I'm open to enhancing my intuitive sense and spiritual power. That's why I'm here.

Cheers,

Vestapol

[catherineyronwode]

Hello, Doug --

Welcome to the Forum! There is a lot of information in this part of our site, and there are many other web pages that are part of my online book "Hoodoo in Theory and Practice" as well as my "Blues Lyrics and Hoodoo" sub-site that will address some of your interests. Regarding your three priary interests:

1) In the formal sense of the word "pagan" meaning non-Christian European religions -- you will indeed find some Gaelic /Celtic / Germanic inclusions in hoodoo. Most of these are Scots-Irish. If by "pagan" you mean all non-Christian religions from around the world that have been incorporated into hoodoo, you will find a few more admixtures -- primarily Jewish and Native American.

2) Universality is not going to be a strong topic here, because this is an area devoted to African American folk magic, so the fact that any given ritual or rite may have analogues in other cultures will not be our invitation to promote Jungianism.

3) Hoodoo is not as strong on West African lore and art as outsiders and newcomers think. The primary African sources are Central African. There are certain cross-cultural concepts shared among the people of adjacent regions in Africa, such as veneration of the dead, but although you will see evidences of veneration of the dead in hoodoo, it will not be a specifically West African inclusion, but rather evidence of the retention of a fairly widespread African belief.

If you are interested in the music of the Delta, you ought to purchase our new CD, "cat yronwode's Hoodoo Jukebox." It's a treasure-trove of fun stuff. The lyrics to the songs are available at my "Blues Lyrics and Hoodoo site.

Full playlist here:
Hoodoo Jukebox - Conjure Toolbox
http://www.luckymojo.com/hoodoojukeboxc ... olbox.html

BOO-CDR-HJCT
Hoodoo Jukebox - Conjure Toolbox, 2-CD Set
$12.00





You can order right here in the Forum by clicking on the blue Add To Cart button.

[Vestapol]

Thanks, Catherine. I really appreciate your grounding in the anthropological and folklore research. It's rare to find someone spiritual who's scientific too...

Fantastic collection, the Hoodoo Jukebox. How can I not add that to my collection? I noticed you have Johnny Shines on there. I was his jammin buddy and sort of a "lead boy" for a while in Tuscaloosa after his stroke. He couldn't walk very well and I'd take him to Blues shows and he'd reconnect with old friends who'd honor him from the stage.

The roots of Hoodoo...do I understand you right?...that Hoodoo tradition is more central Africa than West? I've understood the roots came with stolen West Africans enslaved on Southeastern plantations. Did the West Africans get the traditions from Central African cultures, then?

Cheers,

Doug

[jwmcclin]

Welcome to the forum Doug. I see you received greatest welcome of all...miss cat.

[Vestapol]

Hi, and thanks for your welcome, jwmcclin. This website and forum is an exciting discovery.

Cheers,

Doug

[aura]

Hi Doug and welcome to the Forum! Given your both scientific and spiritual interest, you'd probably really enjoy the Hoodoo Rootwork and Correspondence Course. You can read more about it here: http://www.luckymojo.com/mojocourse.html

Blessings,
Aura

[MissMichaele]

Welcome to the forum, Doug -- I'm going to google "Vestapol" now.

Miss Michaele

[Mama Micki]

Hi, Doug. I hope we can answer any questions you have.

[catherineyronwode]

Doug,

A comparison of African American folklore with the folklore of various regions of Africa shows more similarities to Central African (specifically Bantu/Kongo) languages and customs than to Western African (Yoruba/Ewe/Fon) languages and cultures. Both can be found, as can traces from other areas in Africa, but the course of slavery ran from East to West (the earliest slaves were actually from Ethiopia) and the bulk of those shipped to the USA were not from West Africa. However, you also need to focus on the AMERICAN part of the term African American. Slaves could bring no herbs or roots with them, hence studied Native American and European (imported) botanical magic. My course delves into this at length, as does my book "Hoodoo Herb and Root Magic."

So neat that you knew Johnny Shines.

Michaele,

Look up Elizabeth Cotton. I knew her. She spelled it Vastopol, as in Sebastopol, a little town here in Sonoma County, California.

[Vestapol]

Doug,

A comparison of African American folklore with the folklore of various regions of Africa shows more similarities to Central African (specifically Bantu/Kongo) languages and customs than to Western African (Yoruba/Ewe/Fon) languages and cultures. Both can be found, as can traces from other areas in Africa, but the course of slavery ran from East to West (the earliest slaves were actually from Ethiopia) and the bulk of those shipped to the USA were not from West Africa. However, you also need to focus on the AMERICAN part of the term African American. Slaves could bring no herbs or roots with them, hence studied Native American and European (imported) botanical magic. My course delves into this at length, as does my book "Hoodoo Herb and Root Magic."

So neat that you knew Johnny Shines.

Michaele,

Look up Elizabeth Cotton. I knew her. She spelled it Vastopol, as in Sebastopol, a little town here in Sonoma County, California.

Thanks for that good info, Catherine. And you knew Libba Cotton...very cool, and I'd love to hear your stories.

Regarding African origins, it makes sense...West Africans may have been more the "traders" who sold slaves to white slave traders, but many of those slaves may have been stolen from central or even Eastern African tribes? Is this the connection? Most of the Georgia-Carolinas Sea Islands slaves came from Sierra Leone...amazing to learn that many slaves came all the way from Ethiopia! I'd love to get a reference for this...anyone have that?

Cheers,

Doug

[catherineyronwode]

For more on Ethipia's role in the slave trade, use search terms like < Arab slave trade Ethiopia > or < Ethiopian slave trade 1500s > and < East Africa slave trade > -- you are looking for historical records from the 1500s - 1600s.

[jwmcclin]

Welcome to the forum.

[Vestapol]

Thanks, jwmcclin, Michaele, Micki, Aura, cat, and all for your warm welcomes.

I've had a chance after several weeks here now to explore in more depth some threads and links. I keep discovering substance, surprises, and pithy syntheses. This Forum is so impressive, balancing good scholarship with nurture for living folk process. I'm truly delighted to discover your important work here.

Cheers,

Vestapol (Doug)