Personal concerns are anything that carries the DNA of a person such as hair, nails, blood, urine, semen, sweat, clothing and anything else you might be able to get your hands on (although you might not want to get your hands on any of it). Personal concerns are used for a variety of reasons in hoodoo work. Unlike other forms of magic, they aren't just used as a sympathetic connection, their use is much more varied and direct.
I won't be going into any workings using personal concerns for two reasons: I believe that working with these items are very powerful and I don't want to give inexperienced people ammo in a blog post and I do plan on writing a book which will go into great detail about my work.....so I'll save that information for another day. Think of this as an "idea guide" for your personal work.
Before we get into this, we will be talking about bodily fluids so if that makes you squeamish then this blog post isn't for you and maybe this work isn't for you. Hoodoo isn't pretty or clean, it doesn't worry about how it looks as long as it gets the job done. So roll up your sleeves and let's dive in!
Blood-
I'm going to start with blood because it's probably the most well known and controversial personal concern used in hoodoo. Blood is the strongest connection you can have with an individual because it is literally the life force that runs through our veins. I have found that when I am able to use a target's blood it has quick and immediate results. Blood isn't just used to create a connection, it can also "feed" items like dolls or Gris-Gris imparting life and power to the item.The process of forming a connection is completely different than the process of feeding so please be mindful of which one you're trying to accomplish. There are mixed opinions about using a small drop of your own blood to feed an item. My advice is if you're new to using bodily fluids in your work don't use your own blood, it can create unhealthy connections that you might not be able to foresee. If you are experienced than use your wisdom to decided if it's the right thing for a working. A little hint, the bigger the spirit, the less likely I am to give it my own blood. Please be safe when procuring someone else's blood or using your own. Gloves are a good idea.
Hair-
My favorite way to use a targets hair is on the head of a doll. What better way to connect them to the puppet. Hair can be used in the place of blood when trying to establish a link although it cannot be used to "feed" an item or impart life to it. Depending on how much hair you're able to get will determine the workings you're able to do. If you have a lock of long hair you can braid protections into it or use it to bind your target. Small strands of hair can be buried with other ingredients for specific effects. Because of its string-like nature hair can be used by cutting it, knotting it or sewing it into a piece of clothing. I like hair because it's usually easier to get than blood. You can clip it away without your target feeling a thing or perhaps they just have it laying around in a brush or comb.
Nails-
The use of fingernails are a lot less common than other personal concerns because a good worker is going to challenge themselves to get the good stuff (blood) and if you're not going to use blood then using hair will work. I've stuffed puppets with fingernails and I've used it when that was the easiest thing for me to obtain from a target. You can grind the nails up and use them as a powder to go in specifically made oils, bags or jars.
Urine-
Urine is probably one of the most overlooked personal concerns because it is bodily waste it's seen as "nastier" that other clippings or cuts. Urine is very versatile and extremely convenient since we can all produce it. I suggest only using your own urine, please don't go hunting in restrooms for your targets urine...You can use this personal concern for domination and protection depending on how you apply it. The best way to think about urine is like a dog marking its territory. Marking territory can be done to dominate an area or to warn others not to cross a line. I've carried little bottles filled with a mixture of calamus root, lighting struck wood and my own urine to sprinkle in a location where competition will happen and I hope to dominate. It creates a type of fear in your competitor making it easier to win over them. You can apply this mixture to doorways for protection and incorporate into workings as a liquid ingredient. This is a good example of how personal concerns in hoodoo can be applied in different ways than other forms of working magic. The urine isn't necessarily used to form a sympathetic connection as it's used directly to influence.
Pictures, Names, Date of Birth-
When you become one of my clients and we talk about work for or against a target one of the first things I'm going to request is a picture, name and date of birth of the person we're working on. For me, this is always a given in work towards someone else unless you have direct access to that person. When it comes to throwing/casting good or bad it's extremely important for my aim to be true. Pictures, names and dates of birth do not contain DNA so it can be argued that they are not personal concerns. Instead, you can think of them as a type of offshoot still directly related. These are the spiritual address of a person. Even with blood, hair or other personal concerns we want to be damn sure that we have the right person and that our spirits know exactly what's going on. These basic three can be effective without personal concerns at all. Thanks to social media name, date of birth and pictures can be very easy to find. Good workers find creative ways to hide or distort that information for obvious reasons.
Before you begin working in this way I want to stress that you need to be as careful as you can as not to hurt yourself or expose yourself to anything that could be dangerous to your health. Don't be sloppy in your gathering and make sure that above all else YOU ARE NOT SEEN. DO NOT TALK about this work with anyone. You'll make yourself look like a damn fool going around collecting blood and hair. This work is kept hidden for good reason. Happy hunting!
#GetYourConjureOn