We’ve all heard of voodoo as a form of tribal magic, and most of it is depicted in very scattered ways (evil, good, or otherwise). From the text 30-Second Religion it says that “some voodoo practitioners complain about the lurid way in which the religion is depicted in pop culture as a form of ‘black magic'” and that many see themselves as Roman Catholics. The religion itself is vastly spiritual and involves plenty of magic, and specific spirits for spirits in every aspect of day-to-day life. The spells involved are all-encompassing on terms of use, but here the voodoo doll will be discussed (even though, despite popular belief, the doll is hardly used).
The Origins
The origins of voodoo are varying and specifically unknown, but the most accepted roots are in West Africa. It had also been said the roots lie within animism (typical tribal paganism, really.), and ancestral worship (again, typical in many indigenous religions). The modern form comes from the Slave Trade in the 1700s, and when the Haitians expelled the French in the Haitian Revolution. Many emigrated to Louisiana and brought their slaves with them and, naturally, adapted into the mix already in New Orleans. Of course, Haitian voodoo is different from New Orleans voodoo (of which these are the major denominations). In comparison, hoodoo (as mentioned in the title) is not a faith or religion, it is just a form of West African folk magic.
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The Voodoo Doll
Voodoo dolls have many uses, and most of them are stereotypically used in revenge and black magic, but this could not be farther from the truth. Benjamin Radford’s article in Live Science stated that the concept of voodoo dolls had little to do with actual beliefs and black magic.
Despite what was stated above, this part will discuss how to make a doll of a person mostly used in revenge rituals. Voodoo dolls typically become made in the image of a person in effigy (or a crude construction of something). This doll can be used in an assortment of rituals and spells for either getting your cold revenge or even make someone love you.
Now first and foremost, gather two sticks. One stick should be six inches in length, and a second one should be three to four inches. Also gather a good amount of Spanish moss (or craft grass, but the moss is preferred for an “added” spirituality to the situation).
- Place the shorter stick like arms and proceed to wrap the doll in the moss. It should look decently like a person.
- Tear up and use fabrics to secure the moss, leaving tufts of it in the open at the ends and neck.
- Use a photograph or your craftiness to make the face look like the desired person.
- Dress the doll as the person would. Fabrics they have worn boost the effects.
- Use hair and other samples from the person to make the doll more realistic.
With the doll done, it can be used for any sort of thing. Stab it for therapeutic reasons, burn it, set up an altar, and so on. Shoot for the stars.
- 30-Second Religion, Edited by Russel Re Manning. Metro Books: New York, 2011.
- Benjamin Radford. “Voodoo Facts about Misunderstood Religion.” LiveScience. Last modified October 30, 2013. www.livescience.com/40803-voodoo-facts.html
- “How to Make a Voodoo Doll of Someone.” Voodoo Magic. Last Modified August 21, 2010. www.mysteryvoodoo.blogspot.com/2010/08-how-to-make-voodoo-doll-of-someone.html
- “The Origins of Voodoo, the Misunderstood Religion.” Ancient Origins. Last Modified April 21, 2015. www.ancient-origins.net/history-ancient-traditions/origins-voodoo-misunderstood-religion-002935
