Florida Water is an Eau de Cologne or Cologne Water. It is known for its refreshing citrus smell with undercurrents of spicy and floral essential oils such as cloves and lavender in a water-alcohol base. It is the most popular perfume in the world, and it's named after the fabled 'Fountain of Youth,' which is purported to be located in Florida, as well as the 'flowery' nature of the scent.
Florida Water was first introduced in the United States in 1808 by the New York City perfumer Robert I. Murray. Although Florida Water has water in its name, it should be noted that its base ingredient is alcohol - unlike such products as Willow Water, Rose Water, Orris Water, and Orange Water, which are made from distilled water with added botanical fragrances. It is sold in botanicas and even in some pharmacies and is said to cure headaches, soothe fever and relieve muscle pains. Its strong magical and healing properties have made it a staple in Hoodoo and other Afro-American traditions. It is one of the commercial perfumes or toilet waters, along with Kananga Water and Hoyt's Cologne which is widely used among conjure practitioners. Nevertheless, Florida Water was never used in Hoodoo until Santeria's heavy immigration of Afro-Caribbean practitioners got in on the scene.
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Kwong Sang Hong Two Girls Florida Water.
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Popular brands of Florida Water are Murray & Lanman Florida Water Cologne and Kwong Sang Hong Two Girls Florida Water.
Florida Water is not just used for healing; there are many spiritual and magical ways to use it. This list is just essential. Practitioners around the world have their own unique uses for Florida Water.
- Cleansing floor wash - Add Florida Water to your cleansing solution to add extra blessings of protection and good fortune.
- A foot bath or foot wash - Take a small stainless basin, add warm water and a splash of Florida Water and dip the feet for spiritual cleansing.
- Head wash - Place a cap full of it with your shampoo or hair conditioner to bless your head.
- Ritual or spiritual bath – Draw yourself a bath, add a dash of Florida Water, a handful of blessed salt, and 3 drops of Van Van, Uncrossing, or Jinx Killer oils.
- Laundry rinse – Add a dash of Florida Water to your fabric softener or final laundry rinse to bless and protect your clothes from cursing dust and powders.
- Libation - Use Florida Water in the cemetery or ancestral shrine to honor the ancestors or at the crossroads to open your path for opportunities.
- Spray or mist - Use it as a mist by mixing spring water and drops of selected essential oil and spraying it around your place to clear the air of any static and interference to allow for a peaceful and harmonious environment.
- Blessing - Sprinkle and wipe down all items on your altar with Florida Water to cleanse them of any negative energy and bless them to receive messages from the spirits and ancestors.
- Scrying - Scent bowls of blessed water for ink scrying, set out for spirit communication.
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| A scented bowl of water for scrying. |
Here are some well-known formulas of Florida Water one may use to make his own cologne:
FLORIDA WATER #1
- 3 oz of oil of bergamot
- 1 oz of oil of lavender
- 1 oz of oil of lemon
- 1 1/4 drachms of oil of cloves
- 2 1/2 drachms of oil of cinnamon
- 1/2 drachms of oil of neroli
- 6 oz of the essence of jasmine
- 2 oz of the essence of musk
- 8 pints of alcohol
-1 pint of rose water
Mix and, if cloudy, filter through magnesium carbonate.
Source: "Fortunes in Formulas For Home, Farm, and Workshop" edited by Garner D. Hiscox, M.E. and Prof. T. O'Conner Sloane, A.B., A.M., Em., Ph.D. (The Norman B. Henley Publishing Company, 1937)
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| Murray and Lanman Florida Water Soap and Cologne. |
FLORIDA WATER #2
- oil of bergamot 3 fluid ounces
- oil of lemon 1 fluid ounce
- oil of ylang-ylang 1 fluid ounce
- oil of lavender 1/2 fluid ounce
- oil of cinnamon 20 drops
- oil of cloves 12 drops
- oil of neroli 10 drops
- alcohol 1 gallon
- rose water (or distilled water plus light rose scent) 1 pint
Source: catherine yronwode from Lucky Mojo Curio Co.
See, What Our Path Is
Being immensely interested in African diaspora religions and Folk Catholicism, we primarily honor our ancestors, Church saints, angels, folk saints, and Afro-Caribbean spirits such as loas and orishas. If we absolutely have to put a label on ourselves, we prefer the label of “Folk Judeo-Christian” as we live according to the customs and traditions of conjure workers and root doctors from the Deep South and syncretic followers of Christ in various nations of the Caribbean and Latin America.
Our spirituality includes West African-based Caribbean-style tradition as well as Esoteric Christianity and Yoruba religion. Generally, we practice Gullah folk magic popularly known in the Deep South as Hoodoo or Lowcountry Voodoo; the ancient wisdom founded by Orunmila in Ile-Ife called Ifa, and a bit of Lihim na Karunungan (Filipino Esotericism or Philippine Mystery Tradition).
Respect, What Hoodoo Is
Despite visible evidence of Central West African, Islamic/Moorish, Native American, Judeo-Christian, European, and even a few East Indian/Hindu, Chinese, and Latino/Caribbean retentions, influences, and admixtures, this does not mean that Hoodoo is an open and unrestricted system of eclectic magic.
Conjure, and Rootwork is rooted in African-American culture and Folk Protestant Christianity. Any practitioners of Hoodoo who did not grow up within African-American culture should still have a fuller understanding and high regard for its origin.
In the beginning, the early conjure doctors were entirely Black. The students were all Black, the elders were Black, the teaching was Black, and they focused only on Blacks as their audience. But other races were accepted when they had also been brought into the Hoodoo community and learned the tradition. Even so, we should still acknowledge that Hoodoo, Conjure, or Rootwork is not ours but only belongs to the Black community. We are just believers who are grafted into their rich yet humble tradition and, by word and deed, embrace genuine African-American folk spirituality and magic. This is all we can do for all the blessings we received from God and our Black ancestors.
Hoodoo's lack of religious structure and hierarchical authority do not mean that any person or group can appropriate or redefine it. If one cannot respect Hoodoo as it is and for what it is, then please, do not play with it.
Learn, How Conjure Is Worked On
Authentic Conjure is not all about blending and selling oils and casting spells online to make money. Hoodoo has its own spiritual philosophy, theology, and a wide range of African-American folkways, customs, and practices which include, but are not limited to, veneration of the ancestors, Holy Ghost shouting, snake reverence, spirit possession, graveyard conjure, nkisi practices, Black hermeneutics, African-American church traditions, the ring shout, the Kongo cosmogram, ritual water immersions, crossroads magic, making conjure canes, animal sacrifices, Jewish scriptural magic, enemy works, Seekin' ritual, magical incorporation of bodily fluids, etc.
Unfortunately, they are currently missing in marketeered or commercial Hoodoo, as they are being removed, disregarded, or ignored by unknowing merchants who simply want to profit from an African-American spiritual tradition, thus reducing Hoodoo to just a plethora of recipes, spells, and tricks.
Tim and I are completely aware that we are not African-Americans, so we are doing our best to retain and preserve the customs and traditions of the slave ancestors to avoid unnecessary conflict with the larger Black-Belt Hoodoo community and prevent them from labeling us inauthentic outsiders and our practice as mere 'cultural misappropriation.'
Accept, Who We Are
The byproduct of eons of slave history, Black supremacists believe that only people with African or African-American blood are real Hoodoo practitioners and are often inclined to consider themselves as the elite of the Hoodoo community; a place in which they believed that Whites, Latinos, Asians or any other races who do not have Black ancestry do not belong. Black supremacists are prone to be very hostile towards both “outsiders” and those accepting of them, fearing that their promotion and acceptance would dilute or even negate the Black identity of Hoodoo.
Although we do understand why some Blacks hold this stance, since a lot of people nowadays are misappropriating many aspects of Hoodoo and teaching the spiritual path even without proper education and training (for purely monetary purposes), we would, however, want to say that not all non-Black Hoodoo practitioners are the same.
WE respect what Hoodoo is, and we never try to change it, claim it as our own, disregard its history, take unfair advantage of it, speak against the people who preserve it, and mix it with other cultures (like our own) and call it Filipino/Pinoy Hoodoo, Gypsy Hoodoo or Wiccan Hoodoo because there are no such things.
