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Voodoo & Hoodoo

This religion and practice is found to be a frightening thing among most typical Americans, who know close to nothing about it. It is often placed under the category of magic, and considered to have practices that are ridiculous and absurd. The thing that scares people the most perhaps, is that voodoo and hoodoo spells can be placed upon anyone who is unfortunate enough to come across its path, even the non-believers. The book ‘Voodoo and Hoodoo’ by Jim Haskins explains the deep African religions and how voodoo and hoodoo came about, dating centuries ago along with the explanation of how voodoo works and the tricks and magic of medicine men and voodoo/hoodoo believers.
The start of this magical religion dates back centuries ago to Africa, where primitive societies practiced their familiar rituals and traditions. The difference today is that “religion and magic are completely separated from each other in modern societies, but in primitive cultures religion and magic are deeply impeded in nearly every aspect of daily life” (Haskins, 29). This means that modern society has completely estranged magic from any part of religion, yet in primitive cultures, the idea of magic and religion go hand in hand and are used on a daily basis.
“The interaction among all things, this view of the world as a force field, is the basis of the religion and the magic of a primitive society” (Haskins, 29). This force field is within the pyramidal foundation that most primitive African tribes are built on. At the top of this religious pyramid sits the Supreme Being at the tip, not referred to as God but as the Supreme Being that rules above all. Descending below this Supreme Being were deities, or holy or divine beings, in which their responsibilities were to make sure that the world of man and nature was smooth, and therefore they “manifested themselves as the gods of rivers and mountains, fire and iron, and of war and peace” (Haskins,...