This is a bit weird,9/11 we had a heart shape of mushrooms in our yard..almost dark ~ the next day, I went to take a picture
they were gone

Mushrooms do not stay long.

To get a good photo, you would have to do what I did.

Lay flat out on a dustbin liner, cause the ground would be wet.

Then take your pic. on the same level as the mushrooms or Toadstools.

(Life is full of coincidences)

Could it been an animal came by and ate them?

If they were Toadstools they would be poisonous
also many Mushrooms.

Mushrooms sprout up rapidly and develope at a great pace.

I do not know if any animal can eat them.

Interesting Fungi.

A circle can gradually increase and get larger due to spores.

it was very pretty while it lasted they were about 4inches in diameter ,white, about six inches apart and they formed a heart .

Snakes Alive
They were MONSTERS
You sure there were no Fairies sitting on them.

OR homosexual males

haha didn't see any homosexual's LOL they were big..umm the mushrooms, that is.. I looked it up and they seem to follow a water path,the mushroom's LOL.. will do some more research..

wish it had not been so dark,so I could have taken a picture.

umhumm and I am not exactly a Brenda Starr :)(funny papers)

Right Gypsy

I think I know the name of your Mushrrooms.

AGARICUS CAMPESTRIO also known as the field mushroom.

You must have Horses in your yard.

Cause they grow on Dung or decaying matter.

They are very tasty.

http://www.wildmushroomsonline.co.uk/Identifying-Edible-Mushrooms-The-Field-Mushroom/index.php

wow Candy that sounds like magic mushrooms, you can eat them ok and get loaded as a goose,they are a favorite for those who want to go on the magic mystery trip.

gypsy wrote:haha didn't see any homosexual's LOL they were big..umm the mushrooms, that is.. I looked it up and they seem to follow a water path,the mushroom's LOL.. will do some more research..

wish it had not been so dark,so I could have taken a picture.

umhumm and I am not exactly a Brenda Starr :)(funny papers)

no Dung there now,Candy, but it use to be pasture, and there were horses grazing there ,that has been many years ago..also there is a underground spring, that runs into the pond, I think that is why there were mushrooms growing it is bog like ..

Candy My grandson is an expert on mushrooms, he studies a lot on this subject,he is 16, he like me, loves anything to do with Botanical/botany

he is doing some research on this..will get back to me when he does the study.

Well Gypsy

Tell him to keep away from Magic Mushrooms or
he might start seeing things.

I bet they partake of them during Voodoo rituals.

haha,,Candy I believe you have hit on a truth ,about voodoo!

maybe that explains the zombie unrealistic views of these voodoo worshipers~

Now Candy, Voodoo is harmless... most of the time...lol

Most of the time she says.

I have seen them on Tele in a Trance

and then falling back into some ones arms.

A bit dangerous that if no-one is their to catch em.

Ohhh that is just made for TV the real fun is to be at a real ritual, demons flying about , biting off chicken heads and drinking the blood, casting spells upon those who fall in your ill favor. The simplest things can do the most damage. Fascinating to experience.

Louisiana Voodoo
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"New Orleans Voodoo" redirects here. For US Arena Football League team, see New Orleans VooDoo.
Not to be confused with Hoodoo (folk magic) or Haitian Vodou.

Louisiana Voodoo, also known as New Orleans Voodoo, describes a set of religious practices which originated from the traditions of the African diaspora. It is a cultural form of the Afro-American religions which developed within the French, Spanish, and Creole speaking African American population of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is one of many incarnations of African-based religions rooted in West African Dahomeyan Vodun. They became syncretized with the Catholicism and Francophone culture of south Louisiana as a result of the slave trade. Louisiana Voodoo is often confused with—but is not completely separable from—Haitian Vodou and southern Hoodoo. It differs from Vodou in its emphasis upon Gris-gris, voodoo queens, use of Hoodoo occult paraphernalia, and Li Grand Zombi (snake deity). It was through Louisiana Voodoo that such terms as gris-gris (a Wolof term) and voodoo dolls were introduced into the American lexicon.
Contents



History
African influences
Gris-gris

Voodoo was brought to the French colony Louisiana from Africa and from the Haitian exiles after the Haitian revolution. From 1719 to 1731, the majority of African Captives came directly from what is now Benin, West Africa, bringing with them their cultural practices, language, and religious beliefs rooted in spirit and ancestor worship. Their knowledge of herbs, poisons, and the ritual creation of charms and amulets, intended to protect oneself or harm others, became key elements of Louisiana Voodoo.[1]

The slave community quickly acquired a strong presence in Louisiana. The colony was not a stable society when slaves arrived, which allowed African culture to maintain a prominent position in the slave community. (160) According to a census of 1731-1732, the ratio of African slaves to European settlers was over two to one.[1] The ownership of slaves was concentrated into the hands of only a few of the white settlers, facilitating the preservation of African culture.[1] Unlike other areas of active slave trade, there was little separation in Louisiana between families, culture, and languages.[1] The Embargo Act of 1808 ended all slave imports to Louisiana.[2] Authorities promoted the growth of the slave population by prohibiting by law the separation of families. Parents were sold together with their children under fourteen years of age.[1] The high mortality of the slave trade brought its survivors together with a sense of solidarity.(160) The absence of fragmentation in the slave community, along with the kinship system produced by the bond created by the difficulties of slavery, resulted in a “coherent, functional, well integrated, autonomous, and self confident slave community.”[1]) As a result African culture and spirituality did not die out, but rather thrived in French Creole culture.

The practice of making and wearing charms and amulets for protection, healing, or the harm of others was a key aspect to early Louisiana Voodoo.[1] The ouanga, a charm used to poison an enemy, contained the poisonous roots of the figure maudit tree, brought from Africa and preserved in the West Indies. The ground up root was combined with other elements such as bones, nails, roots, holy water, holy candles, holy incense, holy bread, or crucifixes. The administrator of the ritual frequently evoked protection from Jehova, the Christian God, and Jesus Christ. This openness of African belief allowed for the adoption of Catholic practices into Louisiana Voodoo.[1]

Another component of Louisiana Voodoo brought from Africa was the worship of ancestors and the subsequent emphasis on respect for elders. For this reason, the rate of survival among elderly slaves was high, further “Africanizing Louisiana Creole culture.”[1]
Voodoo queens

During the 19th century, Voodoo queens became central figures to Voodoo in the United States. Voodoo queens presided over ceremonial meetings and ritual dances. They also earned an income by administrating charms, amulets, and magical powders guaranteed to cure ailments, grant desires, and confound or destroy one’s enemies.[3]

Most noted for her achievements as voodoo Queen of New Orleans in the 1830s was Marie Laveau. Once the news of her powers spread, she overthrew the other voodoo queens of New Orleans. She acted as an oracle, conducted private rituals behind her cottage on St. Ann Street of the New Orleans French Quarter, performed exorcisms, and offered sacrifices to spirits. Also a devout Catholic, Marie encouraged her followers to attend Catholic Mass. The influence of her Catholic beliefs further facilitated the adoption of Catholic practices into the Voodoo belief system.[4] Today, she is remembered for her skill and compassion for the less fortunate, and her spirit is considered one of the central figures of Louisiana Voodoo.[2]
Tomb of Marie Laveau

Today, thousands visit the tomb of Marie Laveau to ask favors. Across the street from the cemetery, offerings of pound cake are left to the statue of Saint Expedite; these offerings are believed to expedite the favors asked of Marie Laveau. Saint Expedite represents the spirit standing between life and death. The chapel where the statue stands was once used only for holding funerals.[2]

Marie Laveau continues to be a central figure of Louisiana Voodoo and of New Orleans culture. Gamblers shout her name when throwing dice, and multiple tales of sightings of the Voodoo queen have been told. Her grave has more visitors than the grave of Elvis Presley. Although she is not yet officially considered a saint, there is a strong movement to have her canonized.[2]
Commercialization

During the 1930s, true Voodoo went underground when New Orleans became a tourist destination. Voodoo acquired an exotic, Hollywood image in the 1932 film White Zombie. The misconception developed that the principal elements of Voodoo are hexing and sticking pins into dolls. Visiting tourists asked favors of voodoo practitioners, who made it a point never to refuse one who asked for help. Exhausted by fame, voodoo became an underground religion. At this time, those in search of a fortune took up the “business of superstitions,” charging money, as true voodoo followers never did, for fake potions, powders, and gris-gris.[citation needed]


The main focus of Louisiana Voodoo today is to serve others and influence the outcome of life events through the connection with nature, spirits, and ancestors. True rituals are held "behind closed doors" as a showy ritual would be considered disrespectful to the spirits. Voodoo methods include readings, spiritual baths, specially devised diets, prayer, and personal ceremony. Voodoo is often used to cure anxiety, addictions, depression, loneliness, and other ailments. It seeks to help the hungry, the poor, and the sick as Marie Laveau once did.[2]
Louisiana Voodoo and Christianity

As a result of the fusion of Francophone culture and voodoo in Louisiana, many Voodoo spirits became associated with the Christian saints that presided over the same domain. Although Voodoo and Catholic practices are radically different, however both saints and spirits act as mediators with the Virgin Mary and Legba presiding over specific activities. Early followers of Voodoo in the United States adopted the image of the Catholic Saints to their spirits.[5]

Other Catholic practices adopted into Louisiana Voodoo include reciting the Hail Mary and the Lord’s Prayer.[4]
Voodoo superstitions and spells

Many superstitions also related to the practice of Hoodoo developed within the Voodoo tradition in Louisiana. While these superstitions are not central to the Voodoo faith, their appearance is partly a result of Voodoo tradition in New Orleans and have since influenced it significantly.

A lock of a girl's hair brings good luck.
If you lay a broom across the doorway at night, a witch can't come in and hurt you.
Having a woman visit you the first thing on Monday mornings is bad luck for the rest of the week.
Don't borrow or lend salt because that is bad luck.
If you sweep trash out of the house after dark you will sweep away your luck.
Don't shake a tablecloth outside after dark or someone in your family will die.
To stop a Voodoo spell being placed upon you, acquire some bristles from a pig cooked at a Voodoo ritual, tie the bristles into a bundle and carry them on you at all times.
If a woman sprinkles some salt from her house to yours, it will give you bad luck until you clean the salt away and put pepper over your door sill.
If a woman wants her husband to stay away from other woman, she can do so by putting a little of her blood in his coffee, and he will never quit her.
If a woman's husband dies and you don't want her to marry again, cut all of her husband's shoes all in little pieces, just as soon as he is dead, and she will never marry again.
You can give someone a headache by taking and turning their picture upside down.
You can harm a person in whatever way you want to by getting a lock of his hair and burning some and throwing the rest away.
You can make a farmer's well go dry by putting some soda in the well for one week, each day; then drawing a bucket of water out and throwing it in the river to make the well go dry. [6]

In Voodoo spells, the "cure-all" was very popular among followers. The cure-all was a Voodoo spell that could solve all problems. There were different recipes in Voodoo spells for cure-all; one recipe was to mix jimson weed (Warning: due to the toxicity of Jimson Weed, it is not advised for unskilled practitioners to create) with sulfur and honey. The mixture was placed in a glass, which was rubbed against a black cat, and then the mixture was slowly sipped.[6]

The Voodoo doll is a form of gris-gris, and an example of sympathetic magic. Contrary to popular belief, Voodoo dolls are usually used to bless instead of curse. The purpose of sticking pins in the doll is not to cause pain in the person the doll is associated with, but rather to pin a picture of a person or a name to the doll, which traditionally represents a spirit. The gris-gris is then performed from one of four categories: love; power and domination; luck and finance; and uncrossing.[7]
Voodoo and Spiritualism

The hallmark of the New Orleans Spiritual Churches is the honoring of the Native American spirit named Black Hawk, who lived in Illinois and Wisconsin, not in Africa, or Haiti.[8] Furthermore, the names of some individual churches in the denomination—such as Divine Israel—bring to mind typical Black Baptist church names more than Catholic ones.

The New Orleans Spiritual religion is a blend of Spiritualism, Voodoo, Catholicism, and Pentecostalism; the Voodoo-influenced "Spiritual Churches" that survive in New Orleans are the result of a mingling of these and other spiritual practices. It is unique among African-American "Spiritual" religions in its use of "Spirit Guides" in worship services and in the forms of ritual possession that its adherents practice.[9]
Voodoo today
New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum

Today, Voodoo is a major tourist attraction to the city of New Orleans. Shops selling charms, gris-gris, candles, and powders cater to both tourists and practitioners.[10] The New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum houses numerous artifacts and provides daily tours of the museum, the St. Louis Cemetery, and the New Orleans French Quarter.[11] The museum also provides spiritual services including matrimony blessings, marriage ceremonies, consultations, and other rituals. Voodoo ceremonies have been held against contemporary problems facing New Orleans, such as crack cocaine abuse, burglaries, prostitution and assaults.[1

I am still reading this article...very interesting.

Voodoo is awesome in sight and culture, very close to me are active rituals at an abandoned Catholic Church . They come from deep in the bayou and dance and do rituals several times a year but most noted in June and October.

Candy Cottingham wrote:I am still reading this article...very interesting.

yes it is Candy, an interesting read,a lot of people don't know what voodoo consists of. I thought the post was a good explanation.

Check out the book Voodoo and Hoodoo is has been banned from public school libraries here very informative and includes tons of rituals and potions. In case you haven't noticed Voodoo follows very closely with the Catholic religion in worship of Saints, this is how the early slaves got by with the practice, the slave owners thought they were worshiping formal religion.

Don't know about you Candy but My article was enough inside look,and info.I have no more interest in voodoo,how about you? heehee I made a rhyme..

Don't be afraid of what you don't understand, the most dangerous thing is fear itself.

the only thing I fear?? is Satan,I believe voodoo is Devil worship.

You haven't read enough to understand the concept, I guess you think the devil is gonna jump out the ground and grab you, he and the god theory go hand and hand.