Spirits
In this section were gonna be hearing all about spirit. Here's the work that's told secondhand by a nephew who's uncle had a conjure bag made by fellow from down south. This bag was made so the uncle wouldn't be afraid of spirits will. The nephew says they went to the graveyard to get some dust and they had to get a rabbit’s foot or something. They took the graveyard dirt and the rabbits foot to the worker so the worker could put it together. The instructions were to where the little bag at his waist. They called the bag a Mojo or Toby.
21-two spirits good and bad
I'm doing this because this is the story and as a young worker I learned by hearing stories so I think it's important that the stories be kept. And I find this very interesting so this is what the informant has to say a good spirit leaves the body of that's why the body becomes helpless. The body goes then to decomposition because the spirit has left. The spirit still lives because the spirit doesn't die this informant says that the spirit goes to the immediate loved ones on our. It goes there to look over them and to hover around them.
The informant says they are continually surrounded by the spirits of their loved ones. They go on to say that they believe the spirit stays with them until they are reincarnated. That is a good spirit.
The evil spirit is abroad in the world, those are the spirits who didn't live their lives right. These spirits are still doing work or they could be frightened they could even be bringing disorder. If the spirit is reincarnated than most of the time is seen in childhood and these folks choose the evil way of life.
When man was created he was created in the image of God. Space when he fell that is in the Garden of Eden; he was then redeem and since that time was given a free well. It's his choice if he does right or wrong. This is where the good or evil spirit comes in.
23- This informant talks about what parts of the body represent personal concerns. This is what they have to say in hoodoo a part can equal a whole every part of your body can be worked whatever represents you. It could be hair, breath, bathwater, clothing, your name, or photograph. All these things can substitute for your spirit. Let's look at some of the works given.
25 this informant says that you can write a person's name on a piece of paper and throw that paper overboard in the River and it will cause them to jump in the River.
26 this informant is going to give a little work they say get a little box at the inbox and in this box you can add their toenails, fingernails, cayenne pepper, war water, and devil dust. You add all this to the tin box and you buried it. This is to make them draw up. He asked where do you get the devil dust and the informant says from the drugstore.
34 this informant Tells how "to catch a spirit". This informant says that you can catch anybody spirit through their voice while they're talking you to split the stopper in a bottle. I assume their voice will be stuck in the bottle.
39 this informant this informant says that if they get your chamber lye and call your name the input the stopper is the bottle that your spirit will be stopped up in the bottle.
41 this informant says that they heard from someone that you can draw all a picture of a person and name that picture after that person that person spirit to you. Once the spirit comes you can blow it in a bottle and stop it up.
42 this one is very interesting it comes from Waycross Georgia. I was taught as a young worker that can breathe on something brings it to life. This informant says that you can blow your breath into a glass three times called the targets name fill the glass with water and give it to the target to drink. This is done to gain influence over the target.
43 this informant tells how a woman's man left her. She gathered up his foot track and wrapped it in a silk cloth. She then used that packet as a doorstop and the man kept coming back. They go on to say that when the woman moved she left the packet there the new folks that moved in kept The packet as a doorstop it said that the fella always came back looking for his woman.
44 this informant says that you can catch someone shadow {spirit} by placing nine peas in a bottle of Hoyt's cologne. The way you do this is you walk beside them and when you get a chance you open a bottle and let their shadow following the bottle then you close the bottle really quick. The informant is ask what you do with it after you collect their spirit and they say you can do whatever you want to do with that person.
48 this informant talks about how it feels if there is a spirit around. They say you get a creepy feeling you feel like something is on the it also makes you very restless.
51 this informant is asked the same question and they say that you get a peculiar feeling, sometimes hot flashes come over you are you just feel like your hair is standing on me. This informant says that they had felt the sensations themselves. They say that the folks say that you feel these things when spirits are passing by.
52 this informant gives you some useful advice; if you feel his spirit around the then light a candle and incense. This will make everything nice and airy after a while.
Whirlwind
145 this informant goes into a little more detail this informant says that if you see a whirlwind coming that you have to stop it. When asked how do you stop it the informant says that you use a sifter. You hold the sifter up and you start turning it. This will stop the whirlwind.
Even as a young girl I heard stories of sifter's being placed under your bed to stop spirits from coming to you at night.
146 this informant says that the devil is in the whirlwind. They go on to say that it could also be old witches who sold their self at the crossroads to the devil and have died. When they come back they come back as a whirlwind.
147 this informant says that when you see a whirlwind you throw salt into and it will come back where you live no more. When asked why wouldn't you wanted to come back to your home the informant says because it's your enemies.
150 when this informant is ask about the whirlwind they say that they heard that you can whistle into it and it will stop. When asked if they had ever tried it they said no it was something they heard.
153 this informant says that the whirlwind is a sign that goes over occurred when it's going to run. In brackets I see a spirit cannot cross water because this is an ordinary whirlwind but after it crosses the water it is possible for a spirit to ride in the whirlwind.
161 this informant says that if you see all whirlwind in your yard then that means there is going to be fussing in your home. They go on to say that they could start fussing in the front yard and move on somewhere else but it will definitely start in their yard.
166 this informant says that sometimes they say the whirlwind brings confusion they say it also sometimes brings death. They go on to say that they've also heard that it causes fussing and fighting. They say that it's some old devil or something like that maybe a bad person or evil spirit.
168 this informant says that it's the devil in his chair and he does wicked things; they go on to say that if you can get some of the dust it will always keep your wives in your arms. If you take some of that dust and use sprinklered around someone's house is going to cause confusion. They go on to say that that dust will break the peace in any home.
169 this informant says that the whirlwind is the devil and if you keep some of that dust in your pocket you can conquer anybody.
170 I'm not sure that all of these folks knew they were being recorded. Because after this interview I see in parentheses a note from Hyatt "this woman who was just in here almost ran me crazy fanning herself with the newspaper; the room is so hot she was flapping a battered newspaper near my concealed microphone". From this statement it would make me believe because he used the words himself concealed which he means hidden that may be some of these folks didn't know they were being recorded.
I think we now all know what whirlwind is and how it affects us when we see one. I'm moving on out of this section.