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| Abre Camino Eupatorium villosum |
Where Does Road Opener Come From?
Road Opener as a magical blend originates from afro-caribbean traditional religions and their magical systems. The name Road Opener is actually a direct translation of the Spanish name Abre Camino. Abre Camino means "opens roads" or "road opener." It describes the magical purpose of the blend quite succinctly; it clears obstacles and allows you to have open roads to success and attainment of your goals. What most rootworkers don't know, is that while Road Opener (Abre Camino) is a name that describes the function of the magical blend it is also the folk name of an herb! Abre Camino is the folk name for Eupatorium villosum, a shrubby bush found in the tropics.
What is Abre Camino (Road Opener)?
Abre Camino (Eupatorium villosum) is commonly found throughout the Caribbean and in near-tropical climates like southern Florida. Its introduction into magical products comes from the Afro-Cuban religions of Santería (Lukumí) and Palo Monte where the plant is used extensively in magical preparations and religious rituals. While the stems and branches of the plant (whole and powdered) are more typically used in the religion of Palo Monte, the leaves of the plant are used in Santería.
So now that you know what Abre Camino is, and where it comes from, you can logically deduce that real Road Opener products need to have real Abre Camino herb within them While there are many Road Opener oils and baths out being sold out there, not many of them have actual Abre Camino herb within them. Dr. E. Products prides itself on including a piece of Abre Camino wood within every bottle of Road Opener Oil, and Abre Camino shavings within our Road Opener Herb Bath. We firmly believe in the power of plant spirits to assist the rootworker in the work she or he does. Without the presence of that herb in the blend, it's just another "cleansing" product like Van Van or Uncrossing - but it's not real Road Opener.
Crossroad Road Opener Herb Baths
There are many ways to use Road Opener Herb Bath. Here's one way to remove obstacles and open your roads to opportunity. First take one packet of Dr. E. Products' Road Opener Herb Bath and pour it into a large coffee cup. Pour boiling water over it and allow it to steep for about 10 minutes. Strain the herbs out and if you'd like you can sprinkle them on the earth outside your front door. Get a large basin or bowl and fill it with bath temperature water. Add the cup of herbal infusion to the bowl of water - this is now your magical bath.
Take your bowl into the bathroom and place two small white candles on either side of the bathtub. You're going to need a way to collect some of the used bathwater that comes off of you during your bath, so either plug the tub or place a second empty bowl inside the tub to catch any leftover bath that runs off of you. Light your candles, disrobe and take your bath into the tub. Pray to God in whatever way you are most comfortable - you can even pray to the orisha Elegguá and ask for his help in opening your roads, removing any blockages you may have toward goodness in your life, and to make your journey easy. Pour the bath over your head and make sure some of it runs off into that bowl you're standing over. Pour the bath completely over your body making sure even your back and feet get a good washing. Wipe any excess bath off of you and step out of the tub.
Lightly towel dry but do not remove all of the moisture from your skin. Let the last bits dry on you to keep the influence of the herbs on you. Dress in white clothes head to toe (for best results - or at least the lightest clothing you can find). Collect some of your used bathwater in a cup and take it to a four way crossroad. Now to be clear, because there seems to be some confusion about this, you need a crossroad where 2 roads intersect in a + shape. (That's it, please don't over think or overcomplicate the idea of a crossroad as many have done in the past.)
Road Opener Candle Spell
There are also many ways to use Road Opener Oil but here's a great easy way to use it. First you'll make a name paper. Take 4" x 4" piece of paper and write "Open Roads" on it stacked 3 times. Turn the paper 1/4 turn clockwise and write your name across it stacked 3 times. Dab a bit of Road Opener Oil on the four corners and center of the paper and set it aside.
Light the candle and take a moment to gaze into the candle flame and picture all of the goals you would like to accomplish in life as if you already had them. Once you've pictured all of your goals and desires, say "Amen" and let the candle burn all the way down. Once the candle is done burning you can interpret the way the wax drippings are shaped for signs as to the success of your spell. (this is a very subjective and interpretive art - please don't ask for help in interpreting your own results) You can finish up by taking the wax remains, the name paper and the herbs, wrapped up in a bit of brown paper and leave it in trash receptacle near a crossroad (where two roads intersect in a "+" shape). Walk away and don't look back. Your roads will be open and clear.
7 comments:
Thanks for this very informative post.
Do not forget the Siguaraya, son of Xango!
And a question, considering that herbs to open roads come from the ATR, how it was done (in hoodoo) before these herbs were used? I mean, there was a time that these herbs were unknown by hoodoo practitioners.
@ geomante,
Good question. I did a blog on this some time back. The truth is that "road opener" is not a part of hoodoo/rootwork/conjure. It's a recent terminology. In the past people use terms like "Open doors", "open the way", etc. L.M. Tea, the commenter above knows this as we've communicated on it.
You can google, "The Demoniacal No Such Thing As Road Opener", to read my blog entry on it.
In hoodoo/rootwork/conjure, we use uncrossing or block buster in place of "road opener".
Clarification,
Ooops, after reading what I wrote I think I may have come off differently as I intended. You can still use road opener, that's perfectly fine. It's just that it's new and not a part of "old-school" hoodoo/rootwork/conjure.
got it Doc!
thanks!
No, I totally agree with you. Road Opener does not have it's original roots in Hoodoo. That's what I said in my article. It comes from Afro-Cuban magic and made its way into Hoodoo from the south through the interaction between Latin American Botanicas and Southern Hoodoo supply shops, as well as commercial suppliers like Indio Products (ugh). Invariably, magical workers of every tradition will grab what works and run with it.
You are correct - the original Hoodoo approach was Uncrossing, and then later "Block Busting" which was just a variation on Uncrossing or Van Van. That's fine, I just wanted to clarify to people that Abre Camino is REQUIRED in a blend for it to truly be a Road Opener product, and most of them out there don't have it.
@ Dr. E,
Totally agree. I too think that it was companies like Indio (now Wisdom) and similar companies that catered to multiple traditions that introduced it.
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