B.B. King's Daughters Claim Father Was Murdered

Two of B.B. King's daughters have come forward claiming their father was murdered, more specifically poisoned or administered drugs to cause him to die.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/26/entertainment/bb-king-death-allegation/

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Bell, Book And Candle Is Open In Las Vegas

Readers may remember the book, The Magic Candle: Facts and Fundamentals of Ritual Candle Burning by Charmaine Dey. It's a great book and should definitely be in the library of any person who practices candle magic. The name Charmaine Dey is a pseudonym. The author's real name is June Zabawsky. She was a former stripper/dancer who settled down with her husband in Las Vegas and opened an occult shop there. Zabawsky had been taught some hoodoo by hanging out at the Bichon Drugstore, a place that sold hoodoo spiritual paraphernalia, in Houston, TX, when younger. She then took this knowledge and combined it with the newly formed Wicca and created a hybrid system of magical practice. She was also friends with Sybil Leek. Though June Zabawsky passed away in 1983, her book, The Magic Candle, continues to be a classic. The Zabawsky occult shop, Bell Book And Candle, is seemingly still open. I assumed that it closed after June's death. Or maybe it was bought by a new owner? I'm not sure. If you are in the Las Vegas area, check it out.

http://lasvegasbbc.com/index2.ivnu

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Cult Of Santa Muerte, Folk Religion, Spread By And Empowered By Women

A look at the roll of women in the development and spread of the cult of Santa Muerte and other folk religious practices.

http://www.christiancentury.org/article/2015-05/folk-religions-thrive-womens-spirit

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Santa Muerte Statue In Middle Of Road Prompts Bomb Squad To Take Action

One of the most silliest things I've read in a while. Someone put a statue of Santa Muerte in the middle of the road in San Benito, TX. So what do the authorities do? They send out the bomb squad, of course!

http://www.valleycentral.com/news/story.aspx?id=1201347

http://www.valleycentral.com/news/story.aspx?id=1201803

My take is that this was likely a magical act or spell. Note that it is a white-robed Santa Muerte, which is for protection and blessing. Could this statue have been placed there as a simple "road opening" spell?

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Penny Dreadful

I'm not sure if my readers are fans of this show but I like it. It's definitely unique. I love all the different characters, from vampires, witches, werewolves, Frankenstein's monsters, and even Dorian Gray.

Last night's episode featured Patti Lupone as a "good" witch. It was a great episode. She explains to the character Vanessa that the difference between the good and evil practitioners, called day-walkers and night-comers, are that the evil practitioners sell their soul to Satan. Patti Lupone's character reveals that Vanessa is in fact a day-walker, and she adds that she is the most powerful day-walker she has ever come across.

In one scene, Patti Lupone's character is taking Vanessa on a walk in the forest to gather herbs. She picks some comfrey leaf and asks Vanessa if she knows what it's used for. Vanessa answers that it's used for safety in travel.

If you haven't seen the show yet then I would highly recommend it.

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I'm Back!

Just letting readers and clients know that I'm back from vacation. I went to Mexico for the first time (Tijuana) and loved it. I flew into San Diego and totally fell in love with the city. It was a great experience.

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Att: Readers, Clients & Potential Clients

I am going on vacation and will be out of the country. I will not be blogging, answering emails, or taking on new clients while on vacation. If you email me during the time I am on vacation I will not be able to reply to it until I return. If you leave a comment on one of my blog entries I will not be able to approve it for display until I return. I expect to return in about 1-2 weeks. When I get back I will notify my readers, clients and potential clients via a blog entry announcing my return.

God Bless,

-Doc

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Dorothea's Second Money Work Testimony!

Dorothea emailed me again. Seem the money work isn't done working yet!



Sent: Friday, May 01, 2015 at 1:58 PM
From: xxxx
To: MySecretHoodoo@mail.com
Subject: Money Testimony

Hello Doc,

I have another testimony.  My daughter received an additional college grant this week.  The grant covers the past due tuition. Her tuition was paid in full.  She asked me for a car.  So now I can use the extra money from my Federal tax refund to buy her a car.  The blessings just keep coming.  Thanks again.


Sent from my Virgin Mobile phone.

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Can I Throw Remains From A Work In The Trash?

Somebody emailed this question to me yesterday and though I don't advertise that I'm here to answer your questions I thought I would address this in a blog entry.

Is it okay to throw away the remains of a spell or work you just did? Most would say no. However, I would answer that it depends on the work. Traditionally, remains were treated in a specific fashion, buried, taken the crossroads, taken to a cemetery, thrown in a river, etc. However, those are not the only ways in which one can dispose of spell remains.

I would strongly suggest that one consider the symbolism of throwing something away in the trash. To do so symbolizes the item is worthless, used up, spoiled, has outlived it's purpose, is no good or is ruined. Now how would incorporating that symbolism by throwing away the remains of a spell effect it? Should you throw away the remains of a love spell? What about a money spell? Of course the answer is no. However, when you are doing enemy work the incorporation of throwing the remains away can fit nicely into your scheme. Let me give you a few hints:

1. If you are hot footing or banishing someone, throw the remains away. As they are carried off to the dump so shall he person be carried off.

2. If you are breaking up a couple, throw away the remains that involve one of the parties so that as it is carried off to the dump that said person be carried off while the other person remains.

3. If you are banishing or crossing someone up throw the remains of the spell out in the wilderness where they are forced to remain alone and isolated from society. This would be really good if you want to cast them into depression or drive them mad.

4. If you want to cross someone up to be hated not only can you use various "hate" spiritual supplies but you can also dispose of the remains in the trash while stating that the person is utter trash, refuse and shall be treated as such by society.

5. If you want to cross someone up take the remains directly to the landfill or dump and "tie the person down" there. Think along the lines of rail road spikes, incorporating anchor imagery or holding them down with a heavy rock. Make sure to state that this is the person's new home, that their life was, is, and shall ever be garbage.  The spirit of the dump is decomposition, that is of breaking things down and rotting. So they won't be able to create or make anything out of their life.

Note: You can use an illegal dump in the same manner. Also, if you are going to throw away spell remains as part of enemy work, do not leave the trash in your house! Either immediately take out the trash or take it to a public trash can or trash bin. You don't want that mess in your house.

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Dorothea's Money Work Experience

This is Dorothea, fake name for anonymity. Dorothea hired me for some money-drawing work and was pleased with the results.


Sent: Wednesday, April 29, 2015 at 4:40 PM
From: xxxx
To: DocConjure <MySecretHoodoo@mail.com>
Subject: Re: Request Money Work -Military Disability Claim

Hello Doc,
I have a great testimony.  I met my accountant today to sign my tax papers. Two weeks ago she told me my refund would be about $900 for Federal refund and $300 for my State refund.  Today I was told she had made a mistake, and my new refund for Federal is $3900 and the new State refund is $500. Well,  I have to pay college tuition for my daughter.  The amount due is $3700.  What a wonderful blessing!!  I now have the money for her tuition.  You did Money Work for me just last week.  Thank you and God Bless.

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Stop me if you've heard this before: If you can't afford to win, you shouldn't play (probably the best gambling advice you'll ever get!)

I'm not posting here very often these days, simply because I have said all I have to say about progressive betting over and over again, and even someone afflicted with acute blogghorhea has to get tired eventually!

Still and all, just lately I have had several e-mails from readers initially praising Target betting principles to the skies, then suddenly going quiet.

I can't help but assume that in spite of my repeated warnings that winning consistently takes a great deal of money on top of discipline, confidence and courage, they tried to beat the house with an inadequate bankroll.

The great trap for most gamblers, I have learned over many, many years at this, is that they want to make too much money too fast, propelled by the notion that somehow all the arithmetic that governs games of chance will not apply to them.

The truth is that sometimes, with a positive expectation ranging from less than 1.0% at blackjack to more than 5.0% at double-zero roulette and other carnival games, even the house suffers an occasional shellacking, and it's player greed, not percentage points, that eventually sucks their money back into the cashier's cage.

I'm often asked how much it takes to beat house games, and the best answer I can ever give is that it depends, much as I'd like to come up with a definitive number.

All any of us can do is to stay away from games of chance if we can't pull together a bankroll of at least 5,000 times our minimum bet, and even then, we have to stick strictly with the betting rules and hope that we can keep building our arsenal so that failure becomes a diminishing threat.

Yes, it's a lot of money, and quite possibly people with that much in their pockets are too smart to risk losing it.

But there is not a business proposition anywhere, opening a casino included, that does not require an initial investment far greater than the anticipated return.

In time, a wise investment will pay back the initial outlay and the gravy train will keep chugging down the tracks.  But time and money are two essential ingredients that most gamblers either can't or won't stir into the mix.

A few months back, I was with a guy in Las Vegas who was headed for a craps table with a $50 minimum, and he asked me to refresh his memory on the rules of Target 3-Play, which is about as simple and effective a strategy as you will ever find.

It took maybe half a minute to run through it again: After an opening loss in a new series, bet at least 3x your first bet, then double it if there's a second loss; after three losses, drop back to your minimum, and stay there until there's a win; after the win, bet your loss to date plus one unit per round, and be prepared to double the bet just twice before retreating to the minimum. So, three losses, drop back...how hard can that be?

Great! said he...then I watched him lose almost $2,000 without once following the Target rules.

When I asked him what went wrong, he told me he couldn't remember the strategy in the heat of the game because it was too complicated.

I'm blogging again today because I suspect a lot of people are just like my friend in Las Vegas, and suffer a sudden brain seizure the moment the going gets tough.  And that, of course, is exactly when discipline and confidence (and sometimes lots of CASH) are most important.

What progressive betting is all about is managing our money so that over time, we consistently win more when we win than we lose when we lose.

That's essential, because we can be certain that in the long run, we will lose more bets than we win.  The house advantage will see to that.

Using 3x as the second bet increase (I prefer 5x, but never mind that for now), we might see a sequence of rounds that goes -1, -3, -6, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, +1, -27, +54 giving the house an overall edge of -8/12 or 66%, indicating a probable loss of our action of about 66 units.

Instead, we lost 10 bets for a total of 43 units and won two bets worth 55 units, giving us an overall win of +12/98 = +12.2%
It's not always that simple, obviously.

Then again, a few scribbles on the back of an envelope will confirm that -1, +3 = +2 and -1, +1 (how most people bet) = 0.

I think we can all agree that breaking even is not a long-term winning strategy.

The way the numbers work is that about half of all decisions in these games are followed by an opposite decision, about half of those (roughly 25%) are followed by a same decision, and half of those see a third consecutive same outcome.

So, WWWL or LLLW, WWL or LLW and WL or LW collectively account for more than 85% of all rounds in any house game.

That arithmetic in turn gives the house just a 15% probability that it will see more than three consecutive wins.

Target needs two consecutive wins to recover prior losses in a downturn...and that's a 25% probability.

Sure, 4 to 1 is a long shot.  But because we apply damage control in response to a negative trend, we're able to keep our losses under control until the next turnaround opportunity presents itself.

Each time we fail, bets are recalibrated to ensure that next time we are given a chance of recovery, we will have exactly the right amount of money on the table.

Timing is everything in gambling, as it is in life, and if all we ever do is recover in two bets what it took us three bets to lose, we won't be "making a contribution" to the house's groaning coffers.

Most gamblers are random bettors, so they have little hope of a quick recovery once bad timing has dumped them into a deep hole, and the harder they struggle, the deeper they sink.

In contrast, we know that two wins in a row will always save our bacon.

Meanwhile, every time the chips pile high in the betting circle, our chances of winning are just a little less than 50-50.

All I can say to readers who have run out of money before turnaround came is that it is senseless to take on a Sherman tank with a pea-shooter (although given today's news about Russia's $200m update of a weapon that has been obsolete for more than 50 years, maybe I should substitute Armata for Sherman?).

The best way to build confidence in Target is practice, practice and more practice against games that won't cost you a cent.

I recommend the demo games offered by Pinnacle Sports, not because we can graduate to real money (they won't let us) but because they are in my opinion the straightest simulations available anywhere on the 'Net.

And don't pay any attention to lectures by professional shills like the Wizard of Odds who insist that no betting strategy can win in the long run.

Mike Shackleford's page should be retitled "The Half-Truth About Betting Systems" because his billion-bet sims limit betting spread to 1-6 and are in any event divorced from reality because of what I call an inertia assumption.

Here's how it works: If you keep betting like a robot through even the worst losing streaks you have ever seen, you will eventually crash and burn the way the casinos and their shills require.

Mr. Shackleford and his casino-sponsored peers like to deride the whole concept of progressive betting by saying that its supporters just keep increasing their bet values until they score a win, making any "proof" they offer meaningless.

But the Wiz and his pals have no problem creating "proofs" that require a player to be inert and insensible for millions upon millions of bets!

If, however, you act like a real human being and apply educated damage control according to a strict betting strategy, you will ride out the rough spots through thousands of rounds and stay ahead of the game indefinitely.

Here's a screenshot from a single iteration of a verifiable random sim which does not rely on a suicidal half-wit to behave as no real person ever would.

Instead, it features a much smarter player who follows the Target 3-Play algorithm and defies the "laws" of mythematics that are so enthusiastically supported by casinos and their hirelings!

Common sense and consistency really do work wonders together.

For instance, the "Zumma 1,000" baccarat data set available to all on the Internet hits Player with a -1.6% overall negative expectation, but Target 3-Play returns a +5.2% "player edge" after the equivalent of more than 1,000 hours of play.

Scary exposure?  Yes.  Occasional very large bets?  Yup.  Spreads wider than the Wizard's weedy 1 to 6?  Hell, yes!

But the point is that according to experts like the Wiz, no strategy can hope to stay ahead against a data set as large as 85,000 rounds.

Oops.

In reality (also known as Las Vegas), it is possible to bet as little as $5 and as much as $25,000 a pop without special dispensation, but not at the same table.

Table limits are irrelevant to a strategy player, because if the next bet is too high for the current location, the odds of winning are unaffected by suspending play and moving to a higher rent proposition.

Sometimes, winning can put a serious strain on shoe leather, but even if a recovery stretches into hours or days rather than minutes, it's always better than losing.

If this is your first visit to this blog, you would be smart not to believe a word I tell you until you have spent several hours testing and learning the Target strategy against games that won't bankrupt you.

Target 3-Play has a win progression, too: +1, +2, +4, +4, +4, +4, -4, (15).

Against baccarat, I recommend doubling any bet under 100 units in response to a tie. I like to triple after a 7,7 tie and double-double after a natural tie, but just ask Mike Shackleford: I'm a crazy person.

At blackjack, double after a push up to 100u, and do the same at roulette (single-zero only!) after a zero or any middle-line number, win or lose. Bet black or red or any of the other even-money propositions, and don't hop between them (stay on black or red, odd or even, first or last).

At craps, bet only on the field when 6,6 pays 3x (avoid the game otherwise) and double up to 100u whenever the shooter sevens out.

The point of all these double-ups is to improve the recovery profit without getting greedy.

Greed bankrupts more gamblers than free booze or sheer stupidity, so be grateful that the Target rules don't just tell you when to bit big, but when to bank your profits and fall back to a minimum wager.

You will quickly learn that having no decisions to make is a huge relief.

I'm talking about betting, obviously, since blackjack is the only relatively safe game in the house that permits the player to alter his hand after placing his bet and before the dealer's hand is exposed.

Forget Pai-Gow Poker and 3-Card Poker along with Let-It-Ride and other game variations that essentially hand the house your head on a platter!

As for baccarat, avoid bets on Banker, because the so-called "5 percent" commission can easily clean you out (as in +95, -100, +95, -100, +95, -100 = -15 instead of break-even).

I hear squeals of protest whenever I say that, but it's the truth. Yes, Banker wins more often than Player, but the commission rip-off makes it the worst of the two bets in the long run.

In any two-choice situation, back the same one every time.

Think of a two-mole game of whack-a-mole and you have to concede that if you position your mallet between the two holes and wait for one or other of the moles to pop up, you're sure to miss more often than if you're poised over the same hole every time.

Give it a try next time you're at a fairground!

Good luck...at the tables (forget those pesky moles and make a little money instead).


(3-Play is a streamlined version of the progressive strategy that has been described here since March of 2009 and has been available to all since 1997.  At craps/field and roulette, it's not necessary to fall back to a minimum bet after three losses: you can simply suspend betting entirely until what would have been a win comes along, then dive back in with the appropriate bet.  At baccarat, you can sometimes sit out without leaving the table, and if you are at a baccarat or blackjack layout where the table minimum is higher than your own chosen minimum, you can either fall back to the smallest bet allowed, or quit the game and resume when you are in compliance with both the Target and the house rules.  Remember, your profit prospects are unaffected by stops, skips and switches.  Most gamblers believe they have to ride out a losing streak in order to benefit from an off-setting swing their way.  They're wrong.)


_ An important reminder: The only person likely to make money out of this blog is you, Dear Reader. There's nothing to buy, ever, and your soul is safe (from me, at least). Test my ideas and use them or don't. It's up to you. One more piece of friendly advice: If you are inclined to use target betting with real money against online "casinos" such as Bodog/Bovada, spend a few minutes and save a lot of money by reading this.

_

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The Crossroads Spirit Is Not An African Spirit - CASE CLOSED!

Once upon a time a certain web site on hoodoo online had a page titled, "The Black Man At the Crossroads", where the author claimed that this said entity was in fact an African spirit, similar to Papa Legba, Eshu, and other crossroad deities or spirit. The author posted several interviews with informants from Harry Middleton Hyatt's work that mentioned this "Black Man". The author stated that the term "Black Man" did not reference the man being African American, but rather referencing the color of the clothing he wore.

The concept of the crossroad spirit in hoodoo being of African origin stems from the false equation of hoodoo with Voodoo or the claim that hoodoo is just Voodoo stripped of it's religious connotations. These were errors that arose in white academia in the late 1800s and early 1900s and for the most part still remain in place to this day. The author of the web page I addressed above is in my opinion guilty of carrying over this false belief with regard to this issue. In reality there is neither no indication nor evidence that the crossroad spirit in hoodoo is of African origin.

Let's take a look at the Hyatt material:

SERVE THE DEVIL
331. Ah had a man tuh tell me jest exactly how yo' do dat. In mah time of gamblin' why ah studied all dat fo' luck, you know. If yo' wants tuh sell yoreself to de devil, yo' has to swear by man an' by lan' da' chew SERVE THE DEVIL don't want nuthin' but jes' whut chew has in dis world, an' nuthin' aftah death an' nuthin' tuh do with God. In all yore works, "Ah'm goin' work for de devil an don't nevah wants tuh pray." Den, yo' have to take a oath on dat. Yo' understand? An' when yo' take dat oath dat chew don't want nuthin' but of de world, an' yo' go serve de devil all yore life, an' then won't pray none, 'cause yo' ain't gon'a serve God none, why den de devil takes yo' a sinner. Den yo' kin do any kinda devilment dat chew want - yo' kin come outa jail at twelve a'clock at night; yo' kin shake de jail an' de do' will come open. [Waycross, Ga., (1200-9), 1802:3.]


So who does this black informant say the crossroads spirit is? Is there any hint of anything African in that passage? Let's look at another one.


332. Heard a ole man speak about dat - say ev'ry Sunday mornin' you go to de fork of de road an' you curse God an' you dance an' den you prays. You jes' prays to de devil and you curse God. An' you go out dere ev'ry .. Sunday mornin' an' dance an' jes' pray to de devil an' curse de Lord, an' de devil will put ev'rything into your way that you can get an' make it easier for you. You jes' tell the Lord that you take your soul out of His hands an' you put it into de devil's hands, an' you know, de Lord will quit answering your prayers then an' you see He'll jes' turn your soul right over to de devil. [Charleston, S. Car., (500), 544: 4. ]


So who is the crossroads spirit? Note that you have to curse God to work with the spirit. Let's look at some more passages.


333. You go to the fork of the road on Sunday morning before day, go there for nine times in succession before the sun rise and make a special wish, a special desire, and whatever you want to do, if it's to be a aunjure or to be a bad person, then the devil comes there. First comes a red rooster and then after that the devil sends something else in the shape of a bear. And after that he comes himself and takes hold upon your hands and tells you to go on in the world and do anything that chew want to do. [Elizabeth City, N. Car., (182), 400:12.]

334. Well, dat's a small matter. You go to de fork of de road and jest like you is a rich man and I want a job from you or something like dat - wanta git you mah way so I could manage you, see, I'd go to de fork of de road about four o'clock in de morning. I'd git on mah knee and turn my face to de sunrise, you see, and I would say mah prayers and I would axe de Lawd to do what I want to be done, see; and I would turn around to de sundown, you understand, and den I'll axe satan. See , I'll beg de devil - beg 'em both, see; but I'll serve de Lord first and then I'll turn around to de sundown and beg de devil. Well, I'll axe 'em fer just what I want. Well, after I done dat I'll turn mah face acposs de wopZd - see, perhaps I might turn my face to th e east - might be to the west, see - might be to the north and to the south, see - but I'll turn my face and I'll axe de Lord twice and I'll axe de devil twice, see. Well, after you done axe de devil, you done sign up with 'im see, fer a certain length of time - and you sign it wit de devil fer a certain length of time well, you'll have good luck for dat length of time, see - and everything will work your way for that same length of time you beg for. (Well, what happens when that time is up?) Naw, you jest fall in bad luck - dat's all I kin tell you. Everything will be just laid on you, that's all - can't git nothing going or coming. [Charleston. S. Car., (511) , 575:6.]

335. Well, I've never tried that fer this reason. I have the understandin' that whenever you go to a crossroad to learn anything fer any purpose, you have then put God behind you an' the devil in front of you. You will have made absolutely , you know, a conversion with him - you've sold your soul outright to him for seven years. An' then I have the understandin' that you could go there at one o'clock in the night, right in the crossroads an' you turn your face to the west, your back to the east, your right to the north an' your left to the south, an' you shall call this man who pretend to do anything that you desires. This devil will come or send someone directly to you. The reason I tell you that, I know that's positive. The reason I tell you that is because I tried it one time when I wanted to learn to play music on de guitar, an' pretty soon I found out that it was true - why, I throwed de guitar right down an' I walked off an' left 'im. So that break the tie [the compact between him and devil]. [Charleston, S. Car., (514 = Doctop Glover), 596:1.]

336. I've heard that if they would go to a forked road and stand straddle of that forked road, there is something he would say, and after he would say that he done sold himself to th e devil. For seven years he could do anything he wanted to do. When them seven years run out you would have to do that over again. You do that around twelve o 'clock at night. You go three nights. [Hampton, Va., (31), Ed.]

337. I've heard about dat but I don' know if it be true. But one thing about it - you have to visit the four forks of the road for nine mornings. On de ninth morning that you visit dere, you'll find de devil. He 'll meet you at de four forks of de road and yo' and him'll git together, and then you' ll have a good wras'lin' [wrestling match] and he'll ast you what you want. And you'll tell him that you want the wopZd's gifts for twenty years or thirty years - just how long you want 'em. Now, when de time runs out, dat's when de devil's coming for you. Well, when he comes for you, you might stoop down and cut off a piece of your shoe sole and hand to him, and he'll tell you that you got de world again and you kin go, and you sure enough got him if you kin stand to face him. And you do anything that you want to do, wras' lin', fightin' - anything of the kind. (I see - but you have to fight him out there at the crossroad?) Yes sir, fight him dere - then he turn you loose and tell you it is all right, go for yourself. [A few minutes later my informant added a musical note.] Go out to de four forks of de road for nine mornings and he'll play something play the guitar, playa banjo. He'll visit de devil out dere for nine mornings and he'll give you de wopld's gifts. Just ask [for] anything - a gold-finding hand - or you kin play all de music you want, nobody kin beat you playing. [Norfolk, Va. , (466), 461:5 main text & 462:8 note - by Doatop Paul Bowles. ]

338. I know a man, he was a woodcutter, that sold hisself to de devil to do whatever he wanted - right around here. Every Sunday morning for nine mornings, early in the morning, he met him at nine forks of the road - it's [the road with nine forks] right around here - and shake hands with him. The devil appears each morning. And the last morning he gives him a hand for whatever he wants to do wit it. This here man I'm telling you about fooled him. When he come after him, he gave him a shoe sole. Instead of giving him his soul he gave him his shoe sole. [Mt. Vernon (near Princess Anne) , Md. , (134) , by hand; no electricity. ]

339. They says, after - twelve, at exactly twelve 'clock on Friday night, you go to a crossroads, any crossroads, and there you are to kneel and say you make vow to stay wit de devil and do whatever he wants yo' to do - hell, raise destruction - what not - from now until long as yo' live - and that' s the vow to de devil. Has to do dat to de crossroads. And to overcome this and to change, why you have to go right back to the same crossroads and make a vow to reform. (That's all you have to do is to make the vow there - nothing else - face any particular direction?) They say you turn your face to the east. [Jacksonville, Fla. , (556) ,693:4. ]

Okay, I could go on and on with this. There's actually about 10 more pages of material that I could post here. In Hyatt's material there is not one hint of the crossroad spirit being an African spirit. So who is the "Black Man", the "Crossroad Spirit"? It is none other than the Devil himself.

What Hyatt recorded was European witch lore that had been adopted by black people. According to European witch lore, the Devil appears as a man with dark skin and dressed in black clothing. He is called "The Black Man". You can meet the devil at the crossroads, in the forest or in out of the way places. He sometimes even appears on horseback. You enter into a pact with him for special powers, to be either a witch or werewolf, and you sell your soul to him in exchange for said powers. What Hyatt was recording was lore on how to sell your soul to the devil to become a witch or else gain whatever it is you desire. Below are some references to the Black Man in witch lore.

-During the Salem Witch Trials, the accusers claimed that a specter of a "Black Man" was whispering things in the ears of accused witches. When George Burroughs recited the Lord's Prayer, something a witch wasn't supposed to be able to do, right before being hanged, witnesses (probably the same accusers) claimed they saw a black man lean into him and tell him something.

-During the Bideford Witch Trials, Temperance Loyd was arrested and charged with witchcraft, with the claims that she cursed illness on another woman and consorted with the devil who took on the form of a large, black man.

- In the book, The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne believes the "A" she must wear to have been the "mark" (of the devil) given to her by the "Black Man". Hester was also asked to come dance in the forest with the Black Man, an invitation to become a witch. Hester answered that if it wasn't for her daughter, Pearl, that she would gladly go. The Scarlet Letter was of course written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, a descendant of a notorious Salem hanging judge.

-In 1651, in Estonia, an 18 year-old man named Hans was tried for being a werewolf. At trial he confessed that a "man in black" gave him the power to transform into a wolf. He was found guilty of witchcraft and executed.

- In 1521, Pierre Burgot and Michel Verdum were put on trial as accused werewolves. Both men confessed that they encountered three "black dressed horsemen". One of the horsemen offered them money and protection of their sheep herd if they would obey him as lord, renounce God, and do his bidding.

- In 1603, one Jean Grenier was accused of being a werewolf. He claimed that another boy took him to meet the "lord of the forest" who appeared as a "black man on a horse". At his second meeting with this "lord of the forest", Grenier surrendered himself to him, was given a mark or brand as well as a magical wolf pelt and ointment to use to be able to transform into a werewolf. He was found to be mentally deficient and was sentenced to life in a monetary where he died 7 years later.

So you see, the "Black Man", the crossroads spirit, as documented in Hyatt's work, is none other than the same "Black Man" documented in European witch folklore. The Black Man/Crossroads Spirit is none other than Satan. These beliefs were taught to the slaves and were adopted by them.

Hoodoo is not an ATR. There's no evidence that the spirit of the crossroads in hoodoo is the remnant of an African spirit. We don't work with pagan spirits in hoodoo. So please be well advised that if you go to work with the crossroads spirit or sell yourself to the crossroads spirit, that you are working with the Devil. Don't be fooled or deceived otherwise. Honestly, I have no problem with people working with the Devil if that's what they want to do. If you are going to work with the crossroads spirit then enter it with full knowledge of who you are trying to reach, communicate with and work with.

I have a treat for you. This is a woodcut from the early 1600s. I may be mistaken but I believe it comes from the book, A Discovery of Witches by Thomas Potts (1613). Here we have a witch meeting up with the "Black Man", who is accompanied by his black dog.

Finally, I would like to touch on a few more things.

The Black Man was also sometimes described as an Indian (Native American). The key thing to understand is the name is a reference to having dark skin and wearing dark clothing. This belief most likely originates with black being a color associated by Europeans with evil.

The Black Man/Crossroads Spirit is sometimes offered a rooster. The bird is sacrificed at the crossroads. This has led people to believe he is an African spirit as many African crossroads spirits accept roosters or chickens as sacrifices. However, the sacrifice of a rooster is actually one of the method of becoming a witch. The method of becoming a witch by sacrificing a rooster to the Devil is popular in Ozark folklore. In the rite you take a black rooster (note the color) to a stream that flows an opposite direction than what is normal, cut it's throat and then dribble the blood into the water. As the rooster bleeds out the person invokes the Devil and asks him to teach him/her to be a quarter as wise as he is.

You can gather and use crossroads dirt and not work with the Devil.

You can dispose of items at the crossroads and not work with the Devil.

You can do other works with the crossroads without working with the Devil.

Do not offer pennies to the crossroads spirit. That practice comes from ATRs and it has infected hoodoo. In many ATRs the crossroads spirit likes pennies. Just remember we don't work with the spirits of ATRs in hoodoo. (I to am guilty of this because I was taught this. However, I now know this is incorrect and is not a part of hoodoo.)

If you want to go to the crossroads and sell your soul to the Devil for whatever you wish, knock yourself out. However, please educate yourself thoroughly on the subject and make sure everything you do or say is exactly as you intended.

So there you have it. The "Black Man", the "Crossroads Spirit" is none other than the Devil. Don't let people fool you. This information is coming straight from the mouths of black people. There's no reason to doubt what they said. We don't need modern day white people to try to reinterpret what they said. We don't need ATR members to come crashing into hoodoo claiming that the "Black Man" is Papa Legba, Eshu, or whatever spirit they wish to claim. We know from the black practitioners themselves that this entity is the Devil.

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