The Diary of a Rootwork Student: Reader/Rootworker of the Month: Lou Florez *Contest Time*

http://www.readersandrootworkers.org/index.php?title=Lou_Florez

It's that time again! The coveted "Reader/Rootworker of the Month" edition of this blog.
This month's featured Reader/Rootworker is none other than Lou Florez!

This month being the month of Christmas (sorry to offend those that do not celebrate it), as a gift to my loyal readers, and new, I am going to be holding a contest on Facebook for a chance to win a Free Reading with Lou!
No Purchase Necessary... you just have to "share" my December blog posting (the very one you are reading right now) on your Facebook account and let me know you did by writing "shared" on the posting to be entered.
The winner will be announced on Dec. 15th, 2012

Now onto my "Lou Lou"

I first met Lou at the 2012 Hoodoo Rootwork Weekend Workshops given by the Missionary Independent Spiritual Church where he was setting up his elaborate altar to Santisima Muerte, whom he was also giving a class that I attended. I was immediately drawn to his soft gentle nature, and of course who could resist that sweet Texas accent :)

He will be at the 2013 Workshops giving readings and teaching some classes... Stop by and get aquainted with this incredible southern gentleman :)

*Lou writing out the petitions to be placed on the candles to be set at the Missionary Independent Spiritual Church*

Little did I know that in him I would find a Reader, but an amazing ally too! The reason I say this is that I came to Lou right after I was let go from a very lucrative job and I just fell apart. I was in a very dark place in my life and Lou was my "Spiritual Prozac". He talked me down from that "ledge" that I was determined to jump off of and drown myself in a self imposed "pity party".

His kindness and his cards provided me with comfort for me to pick myself up and carry on about getting another job.

He treats his clients like family, and truly wants them to succeed in life. Whatever path that may be.
Not only does he give readings from a deck of cards that "chose him" by falling on his head from a bookshelf when he was 15 years old (love that little factoid), he does some amazing rootwork, AND he offers classes online! He is a very diverse individual :)
His rates are incredibly reasonable for how "priceless" I consider him to be. And he is also a member of AIRR so you can rest assured you are getting a quality reading from an ethical person.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you: Lou Florez!

http://missionaryindependent.org/workshops.html

What kinds of readings do you perform?

Through years of study and apprenticeship I have become well versed in numerous forms of divination. My goal as a diviner is to create a synergistic match between the spiritual needs of the client and the unique gifts that these oracles bring to the table. My specialties include: Tarot, Mediumship, Obi, Dillogun, Scrying, Candle and Wax Divination, Bibliomancy, Tea Leaf Reading, Numerology, Dream & Sign Interpretation, Psychometry, Throwing Bones, Rune interpretation, Pendulum divining, and Egg readings.

What styles do you find most popular?

Tarot is the most widely requested of the spiritual readings I offer. I feel this is because it accesses the divination process through the pictorial representation of the many forms and aspects of one’s life, and consciousness. The cards are meant to evoke through the senses, the raw experiences and emotions present in the client’s life. It also provides insight and clarity into future possibilities and outcomes for the client. I use the Tarot to divine prescriptive rites which are rituals used to help create or manifest the aims and aspirations of my clients.

Lou's Day of the Dead Altar

Mediumship is another highly requested service, because as a channel, I am able to communicate with my client’s spiritual court and loved ones who have crossed over. Often a person’s guides and loved ones have messages that they want conveyed. During the course of the reading these insights are given to help support and comfort the client through their evolutionary journey.

Dillogun and Obi readings round out my most popular styles of divination, and they are used to directly communicate with the Orisha, who are seen as enlightened representatives of the Divine and support the evolution of our lives. They speak to the conditions surrounding the client’s situation, and how best maneuver in order to reach their full potential.

www.bookeo.com/louflorez

Who was or were your divination teacher or teachers?

One of my first teachers in Hoodoo, and metaphysics is Mariah Prosper, who co-owned Scorpio Herbs in Dallas, Texas, during the 90s. I studied under her and her partner at the time. She gave me a foundation in Tarot and in formulating prescriptive rites.

Cat Yronwode is an instructor and a monumental influence in my life. She has transformed the way I view and work with the Tarot.

I am an initiated priest in the IFA Tradition and I learned Dillogun, Obi, and mediumship through my godmother Iyanifa Ifalade, of Ile Ori Ogbe Egun, in Denver, Co. She continues to train and guide my studies and is my own spiritual guide and teacher.

Do you prescribe spiritual supplies for the people you read for?

As part of my spiritual counsel I suggest prescriptive rites, rituals, and supplies that can be used to help support or catalyze the change the client wants to make.

Do you teach spells or do magical coaching with clients who come to you for readings?

Yes. I believe magical coaching is an important part of Hoodoo because it empowers our clients to be self-reliant. It helps them take a proactive stance in their overall health.

*Lou is one of the people that "Read" the candles that are set at the Missionary Independent Spiritual Church*
http://missionaryindependent.org/candle-services.html

How and when did you first hear about hoodoo rootwork?

Growing up in Texas I encountered folk magic at a very young age. It seemed to be part of the environment itself. There was always a remedy for what ailed you. It didn’t matter if it was physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual! It was not until my late teens, though, that I became familiar with “Hoodoo” as a term for what I was learning.

Who was or were your rootwork teacher or teachers?

My first teacher was my mother, who sparked my curiosity, teaching me how to listen to the world around me. The list is really long but just to name a few, Cat Yronwode, Mariah Prosper, Sharon S, Elders in Sabine Parish & New Orleans, LA.

How long have you been professionally practicing divination, psychic reading, hoodoo rootwork, or conjure doctoring for clients?

I have been a professional reader for seventeen years and a conjure/ rootdoctor for thirteen.

http://www.readersandrootworkers.org/index.php?title=Lou_Florez

What are specialties as a rootdoctor?

My specialties include love work, attraction, money & prosperity, curse removal, healing, protection and blessing work.

Do you have any moral or religious limitations on the kind of magic spells you will perform for others? If so, what are they?

I believe that curse work has to be justifiable and should be used only as a last resort.

Do you work according to the precepts of a particular religion, and if so, which one?

I am an IFA priest. I also have had a long-standing relationship with Catholicism and the Saints.

How long do you think I should have to wait before people can see results from your spell casting or altar work?

I find that timing varies from client to client. Generally speaking, there are divinatory signs within a week but can it take as much as ten days.

*Lou's Santisima Muerte Altar*

What could I be doing at home in to improve the chances that my aims and goals will be achieved?

I was taught that there are three forms of Will, which, when aligned, allow you to create the world you desire. They are, Good Will, or the ability to communicate effectively what you want in the world, Disciplined Will, or the ability to physically go out into the world and enact the change you want to see, and then there is Skillful Will, or the ability to create the most poignant change using what is inherently around you. Each one of these forms can be worked, simultaneously with rootwork and prayers, to build the success of the client.

*Lou personalizing a candle with a customers own photo to be attached to their candle*

What advice would you give someone who is just starting out in Conjure?

Engage Hoodoo as you would any discipline or art by actually doing it. Develop a consistent personal practice that both feeds, and supports your life on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. After all, we can read about Hoodoo, but what makes it effective is the actual practice of it.

http://missionaryindependent.org/candle-services.html

To schedule a reading with Lou: www.bookeo.com/louflorez

For Candle Services: http://missionaryindependent.org/candle-services.html

*The Sugar Skulls I learned how to make at the Working with Santisima Muerte class given by Lou Florez
at the 2012 Hoodoo Rootwork Workshop given by the Missionary Independent Spiritual Church*

Christmas is just around the corner, and what better way of celebrating than getting a reading?

Give a gift of a reading from Lou Florez, let him share his gift of knowledge and "sight" with you!

Best of luck to the winner of this contest!