Choosing the Right Voodoo Doll

If you choose to purchase a Voodoo doll as opposed to making one yourself, there are a few to be aware of.  The most important things to remember when selecting a Voodoo doll for purchase are provided below. 

Guidelines for Selection

• Pick a doll that you really like. Whether you are attracted to the doll, appreciate the art form, or a combination of the two, make sure it speaks to you.

• Next, consider what it is made out. If made of elements indigenous to the region from which it originates, then you are looking at one sign of authenticity. If it has plastic arms and legs or has a tag marked made in China, for example, then chances are you are looking at an imported, mass produced doll.

• Third, ask the following questions: What does the doll represent? Is it a loa? A general purpose doll? What do you need it for? A collection? Personal use?

• And, who made the doll? Do you want one that has been blessed? An authentic New Orleans Voodoo doll will be created by a practitioner of the healing arts. Sometimes they are created by artists who are not practitioners; not necessarily a bad thing, as there are many talented mystical artists. It really depends on what you want the doll to do for you - it is a matter of preference.

• Finally, how much do you want to spend? High quality Voodoo dolls will start at about $35.00 and upwards to several hundred dollars. The more talented the artist and well -known the practitioner, the more the doll will cost.

When choosing your own unique voodoo doll, be mindful of the purpose the doll will fulfill when it comes to take up residence in your home or workplace. Voodoo dolls are highly personal objects and thrive when they are given a personal connection to their keeper as well as their keeper’s family and friends. So long as the object of your doll is rooted in positive, focused energy, it can enjoy many years as a member of your family. Dolls that are made and/or chosen for darker purposes, however, should be kept solitary and away from other family members or friends and handled as little as possible.

Many of the Voodoo dolls that are created today are inspired by the cosmologies of countless cultures and thus, their stories are from antiquity. For some people, it is the mythology attached to the Voodoo doll that draws them in. For others, it is the expression on their face. Other people pay attention to the purpose of the doll; that is, what it was made to do and how it can assist them in some way. Whatever your reason, make sure it feels right to you. Your gut will never steer you wrong. This is the best advice I can give to anyone concerned about buying the right Voodoo doll.

What is New Orleans Voodoo Hoodoo?

The term voodoo hoodoo is commonly used by Louisiana locals to describe our unique brand of New Orleans Creole Voodoo. It refers to a blending of religious and magickal elements. There is the tendency for many people to separate Voodoo the religion from hoodoo the magick. However, this separation did not occur in New Orleans as it did in other areas of the country. The so-called magick is part of the religion; the charms are medicine and spiritual tools that hold the inherent healing mechanisms of the traditional religion and culture. Voodoo in New Orleans is a way of life for those who believe. A fellow New Orleans native and contemporary gris gris man Dr. John explains it this way:

In New Orleans, in religion, as in food or race or music, you can’t separate nothing from nothing. Everything mingles each into the other – Catholic saint worship with gris gris spirits, evangelical tent meetings with spiritual church ceremonies – until nothing is purely itself but becomes part of one fonky gumbo. That is why it is important to understand that in New Orleans the idea of voodoo – or as we call it gris gris – is less a distinct religion than a way of life. (Rebennack & Rummel, 1994, p. 159).

From the Voodoo Hoodoo Spellbook (Revised edition) by Denise Alvarado

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