Egg Limpias and Regional Differences
There are a variety of ways to read an egg. A fellow worker reminded me recently that the traditional hoodoo method of egg reading involves rolling an egg from a black hen across a person’s body while reading Psalm 51 and then throwing an egg against a tree to see if it looks clean or normal.
In Texas, we read the signs of the egg the curanderismo way, in which we do an egg limpia and then read the signs of the egg by breaking it into a glass of water. Since an egg picks up the energies of the person being cleansed, the cracked egg in water will reveal patterns, images, and various spikes that the worker can read to determine what kind of junk (if any) was picked up off the person.
In Texas, hoodoo is very influenced by the presence of Hispanic folk magic as well as the more traditional African based hoodoo methods. There is a lot of crossover. When people talk about regional differences, this is the kind of thing they mean. Hoodoo is not the same everywhere. There are family variations and cultural variations. If a person needs an egg reading, it does not matter what kind of egg it is. In curanderismo, a white grocery store egg can be used.
It’s like using the phases of the moon to time your workings. You *can* do that if you have the luxury of time, but if you don’t, throw moon phases out the window and get your working done! Same with a cleansing and an egg reading. A cleansing and egg reading may not be able to wait until you can get a hold of a black hen’s egg, but the likelihood that you have a white grocery store egg right there in your fridge is extremely high. (As a side note, if you are going to use the egg from the fridge, let it sit out for a while to bring it up to room temperature).
Those who promote one tried, true, authentic way to get something done forget that there are varieties and flavors in hoodoo. It is not one great mono-practice. People are influenced by their environment, which varies greatly across the United States. You use what the locality and the culture offer you.
Further Reading: http://www.ancestralapothecary.com/blog/2009/11/05/a-day-of-limpias/
Curanderismo http://texas-hoodoo.com/curanderismo/index.html
See Also Egg Limpias and Regional Differences (part 2)