Ask Voodoomama

Where to Start with the Voodoo?

2011-06-14T18:18:00.000-07:00

Question for today: Where does one begin with the Voodoo? Spells? Oils? Candles?

This is a very good question. So many people think of Voodoo as simply a system of magick, which is truly tragic. It is so much more than magic. As I have said before, it is a way of life for those who believe.

The preconception of Voodoo as simply a system of magic is understandable given the manner in which it is protrayed in popular media as well as on many websites. The focus is typically on what "it" can do for you and how quickly and effectively "it:" can do it. Alternately, the focus is on what a person can do with "it" to change people, places, and things.

Sure, there is a lot that can be done with "it". But first, it is a good idea to know what "it" is, dontcha think?

For those of you who already know, bear with me. This post addresses those who are not in the know.

When I speak of Voodoo, I speak from the tradition in which I am familiar, and that is New Orleans Voodoo. This is the tradition into which I was born, and all of my responses to questions are couched within this context.

Voodoo is a religion first; though, the religion does include a magickal tradition. Voodoo is a way of interacting with the world; it is a tradition based on healing and walking in harmony with the forces of nature - earth, wind, fire, and water. It is a tradition in which we acknowledge the interrelatedness of all things, and we acknowledge the world of the Visible as well as the Invisible. We acknowledge our relationships with self, family and community, and with our ancestors past, and our ancestors yet to come.

So where is the magick?

Well, I never recommend starting with the magick, because the magick is irrelevant if there is no relationship with our ancestors. If you are just starting out, forget the candles, the oils, and the spells. I recommend a person starts with the ancestors.

The ancestors are not just my ancestors...those with whom I am related by virtue of blood. The ancestors include all of those who have gone on before us - universal, archetypal, yours, mine, and ours.

Answer to today's question: You start with your ancestors. Make an ancestral altar and develop a relationship with them. The rest will be shown to you.

To learn how to create an ancestral altar and the basics of ancestor reverence, join Planet Voodoo's Conjure Corner where you can find all of that information and much, much more.

Can I Change the Past with a Voodoo Doll or Magic?

2011-06-12T20:17:00.000-07:00

Every once in awhile (okay more than once in awhile) I am asked a question about changing something that has happened in the past. Some of those requests I can understand; for example, when someone would like to change the fact that they were abused. This is just evidence that the person is in a lot of emotional distress and in need of support from a professional, not a voodoo doll. As effective a spellcaster as I am, I am not that good. But boy if I were, I would change the world.

However, there are some things people ask for that is just evidence of a person who does not want to take personal responsibility for the choices or actions that have made in the past. Even if I could change those situations I wouldn't because sometimes we need to face the music, as it were, in order to never repeat the mistake again.

So here is a question I was asked recently and my response to the question:

Question

I recently failed college and was suspended as a result. I need my grades changed in my university's system and make everyone forget that I was ever flunked and then make my university think they made a mistake then reinstate me as a student. I need to change it so I made a 3.7 each semester.

Answer

Unfortunately, I think your request is unrealistic. Magick isn’t magic like the kind you see in Bewitched or Harry Potter, it is an art that works in tandem with Universal forces to manipulate situations to a desired end. However, that desired end needs to be realistic. What you are wanting is to change the past and something that has already happened and that can’t be done. Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying to you and is just ripping you off, so think long and hard about hopping from spellcaster to spellcaster until you find someone who says what you want to hear.

Surely there is another course of action you can take, albeit a harder one. Sometimes, it is necessary to face things head on and do what you need to do to change it, instead of wishing upon a star.

Now, I know this person is going to go to another spellcaster and ask the same question and that other spellcaster will take a lot of money from this person and do a spell for them. And, it won't work. The person will not only have a lot of anxiety about their situation, they will also be out of a lot of money.

I could have easily preyed upon this person's vulnerability, but that is not how I operate. Unfortunately, not everyone shares the same ethics as I do.

What does arms and legs tied up on a voodoo doll mean?

2011-06-03T12:54:00.000-07:00

Question of the day: What does arms and legs tied up on a voodoo doll mean?

a. The doll is tied up at the moment and can't see you
b. Someone had nothing better to do than to tie up a doll
c. The doll's creator is into S&M

See the answer at WikiAnswers

How NOT to Ask Voodoo Mama a Question

2011-05-18T20:25:00.000-07:00

It's been quite awhile since I have posted anything on this blog simply because my attentions have been elsewhere. This doesn't mean I haven't been asked any questions, that's for sure. In fact, every day someone is asking something, and depending on the question and the amount of extra time I have (which frankly is zero at this point in time and has been that way for a LONG time) I may or may not answer.

My question for today's discussion is: Are you serious?

Let me explain something...I have over 10,000 combined subscribers for my email lists and newsletters. The reason I started my first email list is because I receive hundreds of emails every day, many of which are similar questions. This gives me a good idea of the kind of information people are seeking. So, I write several blogs and created several email lists that are specific to certain things people want to know. That way, I don't have to answer every email with the same answer which is extremely time consuming and is essentially providing consultation services for free. I do not work for free. I bet you don't either! But you may be surprised at the number of people who seem to think I do nothing all day long but sit on my computer shooting emails back and forth with folks. Uhh, no.

Here is a question I recently got that I didn't bother to answer:

Please help me turn into a thong so I can be next to my wife.

Altogether now (please everyone join in with me)... Are you serious?!!!

Now that is an example of the kind of question I will not answer and if I have to explain why, well, I just don't know what to say about that.

Here is another question I get quite frequently (phrased in several different ways), which is both a bit creepy and disturbing:

Do you do death spells?
Can you tell me how to kill someone?
How do I make someone die?

Okay, are you ready? Altogether now...Are you serious?!!!

Now asking me to help you turn into a thong and asking me to kill someone for you (really?) or to tell you how to kill someone (REALLY?) are just two types of questions for which I can guarantee you will not receive a response. So please, don't bother...REALLY.

And then there are folks who have a sense of entitlement. Like, because they ask a question I SHOULD answer...just because.

Sometimes I will answer, just because, if I have time. Most of the time I answer if the email is from a customer. In fact, I always try to answer customer emails. If I don't, it is because a) my ADD has gotten the best of me and has me off doing something else, or b) the email has been buried under a hundred others and I just didn't see it. That's why I tell folks they can reach me at my forum on Conjure Corner, or try me on Facebook. I don't have as many emails there and I am more likely to catch it. My really smart customers will email me, then FB me and tell me they emailed me, and sometimes even message me at Conjure Corner. That doesn't bother me at all and in fact I appreciate the effort. Those emails I answer.

But, back to the emails with an air of entitlement. Emails from folks who demand answers from me...just because. Not because they are a friend and I am ignoring them (don't do that and if I did they would have a right to demand an answer from me, but then if they are friend they would likely call me and ask WTF); not because they are a customer and their order is late (they too deserve an answer). Certainly, their demand is not because I told them I would provide consultation services for free (uhh, no, I have paid and continue to pay huge sums of money paying for my degrees...this means I get paid for my time). Joining one of my newsletters or email lists does not mean free consultation services are included. Really, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that one out.

But some people...well, for example, I recently got this question (three times) from someone:

First email: CONTACT AND HELP Do you have a news letter????? and how do I get revenge on someone.
This person attempts to intimidate me and...

Obviously this person know s I have a newsletter because they email me from the newsletter sign-up page. Uhh, no time to help you seek revenge especially when another part of the email states all landlord cares about is rent and of course he's black. What does that mean? NEXT...

Second email: YOUR NO ANSWER AND SO NO HELP Do you have a news letter????? and how do I get revenge on someone. This person attempts to intimidate me and ...all landlord cares about is rent and of course he's black.

THANK YOU,
FOR NO HELP
xx

Is it any wonder I don't answer this email? Altogether now...Are you serious?!!!

Third email: HELP Do you have a news letter????? and how do I get revenge on someone. This person attempts to intimidate me and ...all landlord cares about is rent and of course he's black.

Okay, now he's pissing me off. So I respond, most assuredly not the response he is seeking. Still, I give him a little information.

Yes, I have several newsletters. But that doesn’t mean I am available for personal consultation at a whim and frankly, you have come across as demanding and a bit rude, which is why I haven’t responded.

Depending on which newsletter you are subscribed to, there are several of these kinds of spells that will come through your email. That is the reason I have the newsletters, because I simply cannot answer every email I get as I get hundreds.

Take a look at this page on my website and this should give you a few ideas:
http://www.planetvoodoo.com/voodoo-doll-curses.htm
blessings,
Denise

Was I too easy on him? Yeah, I think I was. But I didn't want to engage this person so as to get more emails from him. I bet he emails me back...damn, my mistake. I should have just tossed him in the junk pile. Next time...

Is it Possible to Die from a Voodoo Doll Curse?

2010-06-24T17:03:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not, this is a question I get relatively frequently: Can I die from a Voodoo curse? I have addressed this in other posts, but I found this recent article from the American Psychiatric Association that addresses this issue, believe it or not.

Psychiatric News March 19, 2010
Volume 45 Number 6 Page 17
© American Psychiatric Association

Annual Meeting

Voodoo Adherents Invite Visitors Into Their World
by Joan Arehart-Treichel

If you'd like to explore the other side—the spiritual or paranormal side—of New Orleans, focus on Voodoo, an ancient African religion still alive in the city.

New Orleans holds a particular fascination for people who are interested in spiritual beliefs and the paranormal. Indeed, New Orleans is supposed to have more than its share of spirits and hauntings. But still something else gives New Orleans an edge over other American cities as far entry to “the other side” is concerned. It is a belief in, and a practice of, voodoo.

“Voodoo” means “spirit” or “mystery.” It was brought to New Orleans during the early 18th century by slaves who came from what is now Benin in West Africa. Voodoo adherents believe in the existence of one god, below which powerful spirits operate and exert influence on daily life events concerning family, love, money, happiness, and revenge.

During the 19th century, Voodoo queens became central figures in New Orleans. The most revered was Marie Laveau. She acted as an oracle, conducted rituals, performed exorcisms, and offered sacrifices to spirits from behind her cottage on St. Anne Street in the French Quarter.

How many New Orleans residents still believe in and practice Voodoo is unknown. But the major focus of New Orleans Voodoo practice today seems to be on serving others and favorably influencing life events by connecting with spirits or ancestors. Methods used to do so include readings, spiritual baths, special diets, prayer, and personal ceremonies.

The practice of Voodoo is a major tourist attraction in New Orleans. There are shops selling voodoo candles, charms, dolls, oils, and powders. The New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum, located in the French Quarter for 38 years, gives visitors a lot of fascinating information about Voodoo, as well as a feel for it.

The museum traces New Orleans Voodoo back to ancient Africa, where the 7,000-year-old religion began, and describes its Native-American, European, and Haitian influences. In the museum visitors can hear the sounds of Voodoo's ritual drumming and chanting and view historic Voodoo artifacts, some belonging to Laveau. There is an altar that presents skulls and bones to ancestors and asks for their guidance and protection. The museum also offers visitors a walking tour to St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, where Laveau is buried, as well as private ritual services such as psychic readings, Voodoo weddings, special blessings, or hex removals.

Voodoo should especially captivate visitors to APA's annual meeting because of its possible influence on people's mental and physical health.

During the early 20th century, for example, Harvard neurologist Walter Cannon, M.D., made some seminal discoveries about human physiology. For instance, he originated the concept of the “fight or flight” response. But Cannon also collected anecdotes from around the world about people who had died after being “cursed.” He published these findings in a 1942 paper titled “Voodoo Death.” And in this paper he put forth the hypothesis “that 'voodoo' death may be real, and that it may be explained as due to shocking emotional stress—to obvious or repressed terror.”

Then in the June 2005 Psychosomatic Medicine, Richard Lane, M.D., Ph.D., a professor of psychiatry at the University of Arizona, and colleagues reported study findings that supported Cannon's hypothesis. Lane's study included 25 survivors of cardiac arrest who showed no evidence of coronary heart disease. The study also included a comparison group of 25 heart attack survivors with documented coronary heart disease. Subjects were interviewed to learn how much emotional stress they had experienced during the 24 hours preceding their cardiac arrest or heart attack. Results for the cardiac arrest and heart attack groups were compared. Significantly more of the cardiac arrest group than the heart attack group had experienced moderate or severe emotional stress during the period evaluated, suggesting that strong emotions in the absence of underlying coronary heart disease—say, fear induced by a voodoo curse—might be able to stop the heart and cause death.

Indeed, “in Walter Cannon's famous study of 'voodoo death,' sudden death occurred within 24 to 48 hours of a curse being inflicted,” Lane and his colleagues noted in their paper. “[Yet] autopsies were not performed to determine whether those victims had preexisting heart disease. [But] in the current study... structural heart disease that could cause sudden death was absent ... [yet cardiac arrest still occurred].”

Many people dismiss voodoo as a cult or superstition. Others, however, truly believe in its powers. So why don't you visit the New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum and draw your own conclusions?

How can a Voodoo Doll be an Heirloom Doll?

2009-06-18T10:56:00.000-07:00

What a great question this is! It goes against all of the stereotypes of Hollywood and popular culture to think of a Voodoo doll as an heirloom. But, indeed they have been passed down as heirlooms among the oldest of family lineages in New Orleans.

Heirloom dolls are designed for a specific purpose and serve to keep certain traditions alive within the family. Dolls handed down in this way tend to accumulate generational energy and are often quite powerful. These dolls were decorated with charms and baubles of sentimental value for good luck and protection. Subsequent generations continued to add their own personal items so the dolls end up with quite the ancestral history.

It is also not uncommon for fertility Voodoo dolls to be given to women in the family who are hoping to conceive,or given to couples trying to have a second child. These dolls were made of cloth and cut like conjoined twins, sort of like paper dolls joined at the hands or hips. The twin dolls were given to the first child with the hopes of drawing a brother or sister into the family. Then there were the handcrafted Devil baby dolls passed down from generation to generation to keep the Devil baby spirit away.

Another type of heirloom doll is the Voodoo doll that represents a
long-standing hostility between two particular families. These dolls are kept in a secure place by members of subsequent generations, and with each generation, additional protective talismans are added to ensure peace and protection from the rival family.

Read more in Voodoo Dolls in Magick and Ritual.

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Is there anything a Voodoo Doll Can't do?

2008-10-02T15:47:00.000-07:00

Question: I have seen many other sites dealing with voodoo dolls and their uses my question is this is there anything a voodoo doll can't do aside from bringing a loved one back from the dead?

Answer: Well, if we look at Voodoo dolls for what they are supposed to do, which is to function as focusing tools in ritual and meditation, and to act as conduits for connecting with the divine, then I would say that their limitations pretty much reflect our limitations. If you can imagine it, you can make a voodoo doll to help manifest it.

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How do you get rid of a cursed Voodoo doll?

2008-09-14T21:26:00.000-07:00

If you feel that you are in possession of a negative Voodoo doll, there are two basic ways to properly dispose of it. The first way is to put it in a white cloth and sprinkle it generously with sea salt. You can then take it to a river or stream or deep in the woods with an offering of fruit and some coins and ask the spirits of the water or the trees to transform the negative energy through the power of the earth. Walk away without looking back and when you arrive home, light a 7-day protection candle and take a bath with cleansing herbs, including sea salt.

Here's a purification bath you can take after getting rid of a negative Voodoo doll:

White Bath for Purification

This is good for when you feel spiritually dirty, feel the need to cleanse your aura, need spiritual revitalization, or for cold and flu symptoms.

First, light a white or blue candle and burn either coconut or blessings incense. Add the following to your bath water:

2 to 4 cups of evaporated milk or powdered milk
2 to 4 tablespoons of anise

Wash with sea salt.

Another way to dispose of a cursed Voodoo doll is to place the doll in a clean white cloth on a Saturday. Dig a hole in the earth on sacred ground if possible, far away from your home. Place the cloth wrapped doll in the hole and burn it. Then, cover the ashes which remain with Holy Water and cover the hole over with the dirt. The earth will recycle that negative energy very quickly and turn it into positivity and blessings. When you return home, bathe very well, adding some Holy Water or May Water to your bath.

If you do not have access to the items necessary to safely dispose of your cursed Voodoo doll, you may order a Cursed Voodoo Doll Disposal Kit from Planet Voodoo, or take advantage of our Cursed Voodoo Doll Disposal Service.

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Can You Like, Kill a Person with a Voodoo Doll?

2008-08-06T06:01:00.000-07:00

Murder, torture, abuse, maim, dismember...these are some of the words commonly associated with Voodoo dolls in the popular culture. People turn to the extreme to get even, gain control over, torture, and even kill their enemies. But before I answer this burning question, let's look at the process of torturing an enemy with a Voodoo doll.

So, what is torture by Voodoo doll?

1. the inflicting of severe pain by sticking pins in the groin area to force information or confession, get revenge, etc.

2. any method by which such pain is inflicted, such as binding, burying alive, or cutting and dismembering

3. any severe physical or mental pain, agony, and anguish caused by crushing the head of a Voodoo doll that resembles or represents an intended victim

4. a cause of such pain or agony, such as fire (burning a voodoo doll), knives (stabbing a voodoo doll), scissors (cutting a voodoo doll), or brute force (beating a voodoo doll)

5. physical abuse of such severity that it results in the ultimate Voodoo death.

Seriously, it never ceases to amaze me the questions that I receive about Voodoo dolls. Believe it or not, people want to know, "can you like, kill a person with a voodoo doll?"

I have this video on YouTube called How to Make a Voodoo Doll, and this question has appeared there on a number of occasions. Here are some of the responses to that question:

"I think you only go to hell when you abuse the doll & kill people"

"omfg dudes think about wat ur saying killing someone with a doll i mean come on how can u do that with just an doll?"

"how do you make it work...i want to to make it but not kill people!!! i just wanna teach them a lesson e.g. when you poke the pin in their heart you draw (i think) their love but it can cause a heart attack...I'M NOT A MURDERER PLEASE HELP ME!!!"

"i want to make a voodoo doll but i dont wahant to kill somewan onistly is this tru duse it work and if it dose do you know how to use it safly"

"does this work?? and how do u make a person love u without physically harming them?? I heard that a blue pin in the heart makes them love you, but it can bring a heart attack. I dont want to kill him. I just want him to love me like before....Please reply!!"

First, can I just ask, are people really this flippin' illiterate? I mean, omfg lol wtf?

Now that I have that off my chest, I can answer the question.

Then again, do I really have time for this?

Well let's see, in the Pirates of the Carribean game, voodoo dolls can kill. You can obtain a pirate voodoo doll by "completing a quest to release a spirit from a shard of a relic of Tia Dalma's. This quest will involve you to kill any enemy at every island and main port save those of the Privateering islands" (http://piratesonline.wikia.com/wiki/Voodoo_doll).

And, in a game called Blood, you can create a Voodoo doll weapon that allows you to send your victims screaming in pain to their ultimate demise.

In fact, I am certain that there are countless games now that allow you to create and kill with Voodoo dolls.

But I don't think that is what the question is about. There are people who seriously want to know if you can kill someone with a Voodoo doll...like, for real.

Hmm, there is the Santa Clara County murder case involving Damon Wells aka Son of the Devil.

Apparently, Damon experimented with voodoo and devil worship, and would frequently talk about demons and black magic at home and at high school. He claimed to hear the devil's voice and claimed he could read other peoples thoughts. He made several voodoo dolls which he would use to hurt people, one of which depicted a bully from school. His school mates tended to avoid him, except this bully, an older boy in the 12th grade, who would delight in teasing him.

According to investigative records, years later Damon sought revenge against this particular tormentor. He took the bully's picture from their high school yearbook, created a special voodoo doll, and repeatedly cast spells and called upon the Devil to destroy him. Coincidentally this bully is reported to have stabbed and killed his pregnant wife, finally turning the knife upon himself. He claimed to have been possessed by the devil.

Is this story true? I haven't a clue. I found it here in case you want to read the whole article.

Then, there is the case of the whole population of Taiwan looking to Voodoo dolls to topple their president Chen Shui-bian in 2006. reportedly, 7000 Shui-bian Voodoo dolls were snatched up in a matter of hours at an anti Shui-bian rally.

I guess Taiwan is not the only country/province/state/region in China (I'm not sure what the politically correct term is at this point so I thought I would cover all of my bases) to resort to Voodoo dolls to topple their presidents. I mean, look at the popular George W Voodoo dolls, Osama Bin Laden Voodoo Dolls, Tony Blair, Bill Clinton...the list is endless. Oh, and let's not forget the Saddam Hussein Voodoo doll; I guess that one worked.

For years people have believed they can hurt or kill others with Voodoo dolls. Just recently, for example, the city commissioner of Deltona, Florida found a voodoo doll complete with pins and her face attached to it, next to her mailbox this weekend. Apparently, someone is not too happy with the state of affairs there. Check out the story below.

So, can you like, kill someone with a Voodoo doll? For this question, I will let you be the judge.

Is a voodoo doll like a person so you can like...hurt someone?

2008-07-08T09:54:00.000-07:00

Interesting question, and one of the most commonly asked. Voodoo dolls in the New Orleans Voodoo tradition are meant to be used as focusing tools in ritual and meditation. However, because of the portrayal in popular media of Voodoo dolls are something to stick pins into in order to put a hex on someone, it has unfortunately become a common practice by those who are not true followers of Voodoo to use them in this way. Some people believe that you can affect a person in any way you want following the principles of sympathetic magic. Sympathetic magic suggests that you can influence a situation or person by imitating that which you desire. So, in theory, if you "harm" a Voodoo doll that was created to represent a specific person, then you will also harm the person that the doll represents.

There is a strong psychological component to sticking a pin in a Voodoo doll. It can actually be quite therapeutic for the one doing the sticking. If you are the intended target, just the suggestion of someone hexing you with a Voodoo doll is enough to create a self-fulfilling prophecy. In other words, if you believe things will go wrong, they will. Indeed, Voodoo magic is faith based, which means you have to believe in order for it to work. However, the idea that you can influence things to come simply by thinking about them has been challenged.

For example, several years ago, a team of psychologists at Harvard took "several dozen college-aged men and women, a fake Voodoo doll and an obnoxious man wearing a "Stupid people shouldn't breed" t-shirt...Each test subject and the confederate were ushered into the lab and seated at a table in front of a handmade twig-and-cloth Voodoo doll...For background, the experimenter told the pair they would be partners in a study of "physical health symptoms that result from psychological factors...in the context of Haitian Voodoo'" (Morin, 2006). Both partners were given a scholarly article on Voodoo deaths to read." The twist was that one of the participants was a confederate and instructed to act in an annoying fashion in the presence of the other participant. The other participant, coined the "witchdoctor" because of the role he was to play, did not know that the other participant was a confederate.

"The confederate dressed and behaved normally with half of the participants -- and very badly with the other half. He arrived late wearing the obnoxious T-shirt, and muttered, "What's the big deal?" when the experimenter said she was beginning to get worried. He tossed an extra copy of a consent form toward the trash can, but missed and left it on the floor" (Morin, 2006).

The confederate (victim) wrote his name on a piece of paper and pinned it to the voodoo doll. Both participants were then asked if they had any of 26 physical symptoms, including runny nose, sore muscles, and headache. The victim stated he had no symptoms, a statement overheard by the witchdoctor.

"The witch doctor was then left alone and instructed to think "concrete thoughts" about the victim. The researchers assumed that those participants exposed to the confederate in his offensive guise were more likely to harbor "evil thoughts" about their victim--an assumption that was later borne out when they asked them if they had thought badly about their ill-mannered partner. When the victim was brought back into the room, the witch doctor, again acting on instructions, stuck five pins into the Voodoo doll. The victim was again once again asked if he had any ailments. This time, he complained that he had a headache.

The witch doctor-participants were escorted from the room and completed a questionnaire asking whether they felt responsible for the victim's headache, whether they believed they had actually caused them harm and whether they actually had caused the headache. "The participants led to generate evil thoughts about their victim were more likely than the neutral-thinking participants to believe that they caused his headache" the researchers reported.

In fact, test subjects who had thought bad things about the creepy victim were, on average, twice as likely to feel they were at least partially responsible for causing the headache than those who had neutral thoughts, they found. "These feelings of responsibility were apparent on each of the individual items in the composite," they reported, indicating that evil-thinking participants were more likely to feel that they had caused the symptoms, that their practice of Voodoo caused the headache, and that they had tried to harm the victim" (Morin, 2006).

Check out this video. It is related to the present discussion and demonstrates the power of suggestion. Atheist, sceptic & mentalist Derren Brown challenges the beliefs of a New Age believer with the use of a Voodoo Doll.

Reference

Morin, R. (2006). Who do that Voodoo at Harvard? Pew Research Center Publications. Retrieved: http://pewresearch.org/pubs/66/who-do-that-voodoo-at-harvard

Is Burning a Voodoo doll bad?

2008-07-07T09:37:00.000-07:00

Well, that all depends on where you burn it. One rule of thumb is that if you ever have an object that you believe has negative energy attached to it, you should dispose of it away from you home…the farther the better. If you don’t do that, you essentially plant or attach the energy to your self and/or your home.

If you have burned a Voodoo doll that you believe was sent to harm you on your personal property, you can dig up some of the ground where it was burned, and gather as much of the ashes that you can. Put everything in a white cloth and sprinkle it generously with sea salt. Take it far from your home into the woods somewhere or some other remote location and bury it along with an offering of some fruit. Bury all of it together. Ask the deity of your choice to take the energy and transform it through the power of the earth, and ask deity to remove any negative residual from your home. Walk away without looking back and when you get home, take a purification bath and light a white candle or 7 day protection candle if you can get one. You can make a purification bath by adding sea salt, Epsom salts, and a handful of juniper or cedar leaves to your bath water, and by asking your Higher Power for protection.

Visit the forum at PlanetVoodoo.tv and discuss.

What does a Cursed Voodoo Doll Look Like?

2008-07-07T00:01:00.000-07:00

You have found an unusual looking doll on your doorstep or in your parking garage at work. You get a creepy feeling just looking at it. Come to think of it, you have had a streak of bad luck lately. Was this doll put there for you to find? Is someone sending you a message on the downlow?

A person who wants to lay a trick on you can use any type of doll they wish. It does not have to be the stereotypical ugly Voodoo doll with some of your personal effects attached to it. Sometimes, it can be as innocent looking as a sweet baby doll that is the object of any little girl's affection.

For example, above is a picture of a Voodoo doll believed to be put in the path of someone at their place of employment. It was strategically placed in the parking lot facing the individual's car. This looks like one of those Brat dolls you can find in any department store. But how would you know it is carrying a curse?

Well, the first clue is rather obvious - her face is painted black. This is a good indication that it is a tool in someone's ritual work. I mean, they don't come with their faces painted black, do they?

Secondly, she has no feet. This is another indication that this doll may have been intentionally tampered with in an attempt to lay a curse on someone. Painting the face black and removing the feet are both consistent with the general principle of using shocking imagery to psych out an intended target. Also, what is done to the doll can be viewed as a metaphor for what is intended for the victim. For example, removing the feet is consistent with restraining and rendering a person immobile.

The doll on the left is another example of a doll that is believed to have been used as a cursed Voodoo doll. In this case, the doll bride was used to represent the daughter-in-law of the the son of the person casting the spell. At first glance, she seems like a beautiful baby doll. But upon closer examination while removing the veil, it became evident that her hair had been clipped off.

Why the hair was clipped off can only be surmised. A healthy head of hair is symbolic of health and youth. Perhaps the perpetrator was jealous of the targeted individual. Maybe she wanted to make her ugly, unhealthy, or remove her femininity. Or maybe she just wanted her hair to fall out. Either one of these are good guesses.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what the focus of a hex or curse is when it comes to Voodoo dolls. This type of magic is extremely metaphorical. Let's take the second doll here as an example. Historically, hair is linked to power, punishment and status. Head shaving was done in concentration camps as a form of punishment and humiliation, and shaving the hair off of a woman has been practiced as a form of punishment for women with long hair, especially. Remember the story of Samson and Delilah? Samson foolishly tells Delilah that the source of his strength is his hair. So what does she do? She tells her servants to shave his hair off. Not only does this make him lose his strength and power, it is a direct violation of an order from God. So God no longer protects him, he is captured buy the Philistines, blinded with hot pokers, and imprisoned. Now that is brutal! But the argument could be made that he deserved it. After all, he was apparently a raging murderous maniac who was no less brutal to dozens of people.

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