Where art, psychology and mythology collide

The Ritual Art & Writings of Denise Alvarado

.: Free Sacred Texts

The following are links to FREE sacred texts that are in the public domain. These texts will guide and inform those who are seriously interested in the origin of the Voodoo religion. The West African area, in particular, is important because this is where the majority of slaves departed for the New World. Hence large elements of West African, particularly Yoruba, religion (blended with Catholicism) can be found in religions such as Vodun (also known as Voodoo) (Haiti), Candomblè (Brazil) and Santeria (Caribbean).

MYTHS AND LEGENDS of the Bantu

ALICE WERNER

[1933]

This book covers the Bantu of South Africa as a whole.

WOMAN'S MYSTERIES OF A PRIMITIVE PEOPLE

The Ibibios of Southern Nigeria

by D. AMAURY TALBOT

[1915]

This is an ethnography of the Ibibio, a Nigerian tribe. Written by a pioneering English woman in the early 20th Century, this book focuses on the ritual life of women. Despite the naïve colonialist attitude, it presents a female perspective which was seldom seen in the ethnographic literature of the period.

FETICHISM IN WEST AFRICA

by REV. ROBERT HAMILL NASSAU

Charles Scribners Son

[1904]

Myths of Ífè

By John Wyndham

[London, 1921]

{Reduced to HTML by Christopher M. Weimer, Dec. 2002}

This short book is a translation of some of the myths of the Yoruba people of Nigeria. It is a history of the creation of the world, the gods, and humanity, and the early days of the sacred city of Ífè, the traditional center of Yoruba culture. The text was recited to the author/translator by the high priests of Ífè, and the book is still cited in some books on traditional Yoruba religion and thought today. It has undeservedly become quite rare, as it can be considered a minor classic in the field.

Yoruba Legends

by M. I. Ogumefu, B.A.

[London, 1929]

YORUBA-SPEAKING PEOPLES of the

Slave Coast of West Africa

by A. B. ELLIS

[1894]

Drums and Shadows

Georgia Writer's Project

Work Projects Administration

Mary Granger, District Supervisor

[1940, copyright not renewed]

This book focuses on a set of beliefs and magical practices (some of which are today known as 'Hoodoo'), including root doctoring, the existence of spirits, talismans, lucky and unlucky acts and omens and more. The interviewer also investigates the use of drums and dancing during celebrations, funeral and baptism rituals, food taboos, and other aspects of folklore and ethnology.

Here are two books relating to Haitian Voodoo (Vodun). They were written by an outsider to the religion who was ultimately unable to penetrate its inner mysteries; however both of these books has strengths as historical and ethnographic background on the topic:

VOODOOS AND OBEAHS Phases of West India Witchcraft

BY

JOSEPH J. WILLIAMS, S.J.

[1932, Copyright lapsed by non-renewal]

This is required reading if you want to understand the background of Haitian and Jamaican Vodun, and the profound influence of imperialism, slavery and racism on its development.

PSYCHIC PHENOMENA OF JAMAICA

By JOSEPH J. WILLIAMS, S.J.

NEW YORK [1934]

RIG VEDA AMERICANUS

SACRED SONGS OF THE ANCIENT MEXICANS, WITH A GLOSS IN NAHUATL.

BY

DANIEL G. BRINTON

[1890]

The Myths of Mexico and Peru By Lewis Spence (1913)

MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE

By James Mooney

From Nineteenth Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology 1897-98, Part I. [1900]

Scanned at www.sacred-texts.com, January-February 2001

COSMOGONIC MYTHS

The Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees.

By JAMES MOONEY.

[1891]

This is an ethnographic description of Cherokee shamanistic practice. Based on several manuscripts written by Cherokee shamans of the 19th Century, this includes the actual text of the rituals to treat various diseases, information on herbs used, love spells, hunting rituals, weather spells, as well as a spell for victory in the Ball game.

Navaho Myths, Prayers, and Songs

By Washington Matthews

UCPAAE 5:2 [1906]

THE PICTORIAL KEY TO THE TAROT

By Arthur Edward Waite

Illustrations By Pamela Colman Smith.

[1911]

This is the essential Tarot reference by the designer of the best known Tarot deck.

The Tarot of the Bohemians

By Papus

[Gérard Encausse, (b. 1865 d. 1916)]

Translated by A. P Morton

[1892]

This is a detailed study of the esoteric roots of the Tarot.

The Tarot

By S. L. MacGregor Mathers

[1888]

This is a short essay on the Tarot, by a prominent occultist of the 19th Century. Mathers also wrote

The Kabbalah Unveiled.

The Symbolism of the Tarot

by P D. Ouspensky

[1913]

An evocative inner journey through the Major Arcana of the Tarot.

.: New Projects

Hoodoo & Conjure Quarterly

The first magazine for today's rootworker

Hoodoo & Conjure Quarterly magazine shares historical and contemporary information about the conjure arts, including magico-religious practices, spiritual traditions, folk magic, hoodoo, and religions with their roots in the African Diaspora and indigenous herbology. We know you’re looking for a fresh, new source about hoodoo and conjure. Our sources come from a culmination of growing up in New Orleans absorbing the culture, lifelong learning from family, teachers, and other practitioners, sacred texts, folklore literature, and what speaks to us through Divine channels. When you read a copy of Hoodoo &Conjure Quarterly™, you can be confident that what you read is the real thing. Whether you are a beginner who is just intrigued by the notion of folk magic, want to pick up some techniques for your trick bag, want to learn about the African -derived and indigenous spiritual traditions, or want to keep up with the social world of today’s root worker, Hoodoo & Conjure Quarterly™ delivers!

Visit Planet Voodoo for details.

The Voodoo Doll Spellbook:

A Complete Compendium of Ancient & Contemporary Spells & Rituals by Denise Alvarado

How would you like to open Marie Laveau's trick bag of Voodoo Doll spells? The Great and Powerful Voodoo Queen of New Orleans, Marie Laveau, was known to create little dolls and place them on the doorsteps of enemies, or use them to win court cases, or to unite lovers. She had a veritable trick bag of brilliant methods for gaining the knowledge he needed for her spells to be effective. One ploy was to surreptitiously place a Voodoo doll near the front door of her victims, more often than not the house-servants of well-known New Orleans families. When the Voodoo doll was discovered, the victim was convinced they had been hexed by someone other than Marie, and would run to the Bosswoman (as Marie was known by the locals) for help. Marie would agree to render the doll harmless if the victim agreed to act as her spy and provide her with information about the affairs of the prominent family where the victim worked. Now that is one hell of a magickal manipulation!

Inside this book you will find countless secret spells that help you to bind your enemies, banish naysayers, bend people to do your will, and win court cases. Learn how to break up a couple, destroy all of your problems, get a job, cure sickness, call forth spirits, win in games of chance and attain success. Inside, you will find spells to make yourself irresistible, find a lover, make your lover faithful, and spice up your sex life. And that is just the tip of the iceberg.

Visit Planet Voodoo for details.

Books by Denise Alvarado

Revised: 04/06/11 03:26:08 -0500.