Vodun vs Voodoo.Some scholars use the spellings Vodoun or Vodun, while in French the spellings vaudou or vaudoux also appear. The spelling Voodoo, once common, is now generally avoided by practitioners and scholars when referring to the Haitian religion. Vodun is an ancient religion practiced by some 30 million people in the West African nations of Benin, Togo and Ghana. With its countless deities, animal sacrifice and spirit possession, voodoo — as it’s known to the rest of the world — is one of the most misunderstood religions on the globe. Voodoo was bolstered when followers fleeing Haiti after the 1791 slave revolt moved to New Orleans and grew as many free people of color made its practice an important part of their culture. Voodoo queens and kings were spiritual and political figures of power in 1800s New Orleans. What part of Africa did voodoo come from?!Difference Between Hoodoo and Voodoo!where did voodoo come from! After dabbling in various spiritual practices, I discovered Hoodoo and it changed my life. It provided a connection to my spiritual self that I hadn’t found in mainstream witchcraft and gave me the tools to directly handle the issues that come up in my life— money, relationship stress, even landlords. Hoodoo doesn’t have the barriers that many magical practices have—there’s just the work, and how you use it is up to you. Hoodoo grounds me and helps me find peace in troubling times. And when have times been more troubling than in 2020? Hoodoo isn’t new, nor is it a catchall term for a variety of practices—which is how pop culture tends to portray it. Surprise! Hoodoo is actually its own practice with its own rules and history. In fact, the practice isn’t even called “spells,” but “work” or “chores.” It’s also been appropriated by many people—so a lot of misinformation is floating around online. Hoodoo, at its core, is an African American tradition. It was created by enslaved people from various spiritual practices that they adapted to the land they found themselves in. Hoodoo is also known by other names, mainly conjure or root work. People who practice Hoodoo work with a number of tools, such as candles, curios, and, of course, roots and herbs. Ancestor veneration is particularly important. Movies often show Hoodoo as dark and harmful, but most of the work we do is concerned with healing.
