Personal Concerns

6 May 2018
 
Perhaps you have heard of Personal Concerns. It’s that little bit of extra something added to a spell or working to “aim” the direction of the work. For example, if I were to make a mojo bag for you, something to bring you love or luck or money, we would want to aim that magic towards you. We would want the luck, money or love to come to you, not somebody standing next to you. So, we would add a little of you to the bag. Something that carries your DNA is the way I tell it. So, a little bit of your blood, sweat, tears, finger nail clippings, foot scrapings, spit etc.…
Rootworker Carolina Dean defines Personal Concerns as: “A term used to describe anything that is associated with a person’s physical body either having once been a part of it or having intimate contact to the body. Examples of personal concerns include blood, semen, hair, clothing, one’s signature, photograph, etc…”
Now this adding of personal concerns is not used in every working. But, I would not make a mojo bag or a doll baby without it. You can also add personal concerns to candles, petition papers and even honey jars or sour jars.
Which brings us to…
Photographs and signatures. I was taught that a Hoodoo Practitioner or Root Doctor should never allow another to have their photograph or an example of handwriting, in particular, their signature.
The reason behind this is, these items are extensions of you. They are unique to you. No one else signs their name like you, or has your handwriting. No one else looks like you (unless of course you are a multiple; twin, triplet etc.) So, if I wanted to make a sour jar to work magic to make you confused or troubled or to have your relationships or business sour, chances are good I couldn’t just ask you for some spit. I would need to get a personal concern from you to aim the magic so, what’s a witch to do? Well, it is probably fairly easy for me to get your handwriting or a picture of you (especially in this age of Facebook.) Then I could add this “personal concern” to the sour jar.
It took me five years for my teacher, Ms. B., to trust me enough to allow me to take her picture. I try not to let my photo be taken. I don’t know that there is anyone who would want to do “hard work” (a phrase meaning malevolent or malicious magic) aimed at me. But you never know. There are days when I think about bottling my husband. No, I am not really worried about someone working magic against me, but why take chances, I could have pissed someone off. I follow this “no photo” rule more out of respect for my teacher and the old ways.
However, I have been thinking about that more and more. Should I hold to the old ways or does that make me “stuck?”
At 62, I kind of feel I can forge my own path, but I don’t want to throw the baby out with the bath water.
What do you think, should magic workers allow their photos to be taken? How can one produce helpful videos if you can’t allow your face on camera? Would you hold to the old ways even though it gets in the way of your Social Media?
Let me know what your thoughts are on the matter.