Riffs and Rituals: A Musician’s Deep Dive into the Magic of Mojo

@mfarinato 65

3 months ago

Musicforlife 🎶

Well, strap in folks, 'cause I'm about to take you on a wild ride through the magic of "mojo". Now, I ain't talkin' about that Austin Powers kinda mojo. Nah, this is the real deal, the kind of mojo that's been passed down through generations, steeped in culture and personal beliefs.

picture of my little altar

You see, I'm a musician, and I got this deep belief in spirituality. I ain't buyin' that idea of an empty universe made solely of humans. Nah, I know there's more to it. There are different dimensions in this universe, different universes even. I know about the law of entanglement, and I'm sure that once my "mojo" is charged with my desire to find enlightenment in music, it's gonna work. Why? 'Cause I ain't doin' it for the greenbacks or the fame. I'm doin' it for the pure joy of playin' the ideas I got in my head.

The first mojo I made was for my first guitar, which I named Lulu. The mojo is made with a chicken bone, a piece of wood, and feathers

Now, my "mojo" ain't just some abstract concept. It's real, tangible. I spend time collectin' objects that catch my eye on my walks. I place all these objects on a little dusty "altar" with a black mini carpet. It's full of all sorts of knick-knacks, but mainly feathers. These feathers, they're what I use to build and charge "good vibrations" into my instruments. My guitar, my flute, they're translators of my emotions into a kind of angelic or demonic language.

this is the one i made for my "flute"

Growin' up, I was the odd one out in my family. I was the only "black" guy, super-skinny, curly hair, and dark complexion. Now, in a normal family, that wouldn't be a problem. But we're talkin' about a southern family in the 60s. My folks, they needed to instill fear in us to keep control. So, when I was a bit of a "problem", my momma used to tell me, "Look, if you keep doin' it, I'll take you back to your family of gypsies. They'll be happy to have you there!"

This is the mojo for Lene, my Dobro, which I named after my daughter who passed away due to pollution in 2010.

That scared the bejeezus out of me. I carried that fear with me until a few years ago when a DNA test revealed that I actually am a real gypsy. So, I realized that I got that little sparkle in my genes, that unique trait that enables my soul to build my "mojo".

San Diego Lol GIF by San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance

So, there you have it, folks. That's my story, my journey with "mojo". It's a reminder that we all got the power to shape our destiny, to harness our talents, and to create our own magic. And remember, your "mojo" ain't just about what you got, it's about what you do with it.

MAKE LOVE NOT WAR

Let's take a little stroll down memory lane and see how "mojo" has been strummin' its tune in the music scene.

A Little History of Mojo in Music

The term "mojo" has been hummin' in the music scene for quite some time, especially in the blues, rock, and jazz genres. It's often used to signify a personal sense of confidence, charm, or talent. But the term really took off when it started appearing in song lyrics.

One of the earliest and most famous examples is "Got My Mojo Working," a blues song written by Preston "Red" Foster and first recorded by R&B singer Ann Cole in 1956. This song describes several amulets or talismans, called mojo, which are associated with hoodoo, an early African-American folk-magic belief system.