Customer Reviews

Complete Book of Voodoo

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is not a book about the Religion of Vodu but rather about the Conjure Workers who practiced their art in the South.

Pelton's material comes from a wide variety of sources primarily old journals and magazines relating to the South and from the late 1800's. In his companion volume, "Voodoo Charms & Talismans", has an extensive Bibliography giving details of where he obtained this information from.

The Vevers (aka Veves) are different and unique. This is not so unusual as one may think since Voodoo Magic as a practice and more specifically Conjure work is more inclusive rather than exclusive. One does not need to read Nora Zeal Hurston to learn that Mr. Pelton gained a lot of this information from a wide variety of soures.

The herbal information is also culled from a wide variety of sources. Some practitioners have reported that it didn't quite jive with other "reliable" sources the trouble with that is there aren't any true 'reliable sources' because Conjure work is about as independently performed as it comes. Most Conjure workers learned their skills from a teacher and not all of them had access to libraries because many could not read.

Chapters I've found useful are:

2,3 - How to Make A Voodoo Doll & Doll Sorcery
4 - Candle Sorcery
13 - Court Room Sorcery
18 - Cabalistic Diagrams and How to Use Them
19 - Voodoo Candle Magic
22 - Herb & Plant Sorcery

This is a fine collection of material and is worth studying if for nothing as another source of material on the art of Conjure & RootWork. I rate this 4 out of 5 stars for completeness and worthwhile subject matter.

Important: Remember this material is dated and written in a time when civil rights were just becoming popular. This is NOT a politically correct book! Be forewarned. The material is usable, practical and offers you more of an inside look into the practice of RootWork-Conjure Sorcery.

I agree with the other reviewer who wrote in and also want to express that this is a book of conjure / hoodoo, not Voodoo. I would imagine that the word Voodoo was used when this book was first published as a sales tactic, nothing more. The author seems to have a firm grasp of southern style conjure. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a great collection of recipes and workings of this type.

The only reason why I am rating this book is because I got a copy of it from a friend who was from Chicago when I was going to school. He basically kept the book because his mother was throwing away everything that she had that dealt with Rootwork and Hoodoo. Within the pages was a torn out advertisement of a pack of cigarettes, which according to my friend, was being used to help a gentleman quit smoking. When I asked him why she was throwing out the book, he told me that she said in her later years, that she was giving her life to God. He explained to me, as she told him, that all of the work she had done basically made her see a lot of things (spirits) and it was the Church that helped give her some sense of solace and peace.

Since that time, I have met a lot of other older practitioners that have shared similar sentiments. I have even met Paleros that have felt the same way. After my induction into this tradition I came to understand that Rootwork/Hoodoo is a strongly Kongo influenced tradition and like other Kongo influenced practices there has to be a balance, which is why in the Cuban tradition initiates of Palo later make Ocha into Santeria. It is the same reason why Marie LaVeau the great famed Voodoo/Hoodoo Queen was a practicing Catholic by day.

This is the reason why I hate books like this one because they only tell one side of the picture regarding our spiritual tradition, which can be horrifying for the unprepared. I can't fault the author too much because he was simply writing and responding to the craze at the time. Do the formulas and recipes work that have been written inside no doubt, proof of the cigarette advertisement, but some of things written about are just pure fantasy that only real practitioners would be able to determine. I say that because there is no actual work within the pages of the book that talk about helping a person to quit smoking, which means my friends mother was truly a chef that that had the wisdom to make adaptations. A novice would know any of this and think it is all about doing spells.

So be warned. Hope this was helpful.

I don't even know where to start.

Robert Pelton wrote this based on white guilt and wishful thinking.

He makes gross generalizations, lies outright about the "American" treatment of slaves (saying "Punishment for violation of rules was not nearly so harsh as it had previously been under the old order"--old meaning during French/Spanish rule of a single geographic area of the Southern US, as if Louisiana were the only state to host slavery. ).

He inaccuately claims that cannibalism was a common voodoo practice "in many areas of the world."

Really. Don't waste your money or your time. Avoid this offensive book and read Zora Neale Hurston if you'd like to learn something about voodoo history and practice.

The illustrations of supposed veves is a joke. Really. The veve for Papa Legba in this book is a stick figure. Not kidding.

I would have given this book negative stars but that option was not available.