Please
note that the following article has been plagiarized
countless times on the internet by unscrupulous people and
by folks who are simply ignorant of copyright laws. The
rampant theft without attribution has become so pervasive
that I have been accused of plagiarizing my own article!
Rest assured, the article is mine, I wrote it and rewrote
it, and the tutorial and photos are mine. It was the first
"How to Make a Voodoo Doll" tutorial to be posted on the
internet, so its been around foryears. Do not contact
me to call me a plagiarizer, and if you would like to use
the article, just ask. All I would like is credit as author.
Just add the following right after the title:
Copyright 2011 Denise Alvarado, All rights reserved.
Now, without further adieu, read below for the original How to Make a
Voodoo Doll Tutorial.
How to Make a Voodoo Doll Out of Anything:
Episode
1: Barnyard Ju Ju
This is the first in a series of videos by Planet Voodoo on how to
make a Voodoo doll out of absolutely anything. In this episode,
Voodoo Mama takes you on a hunt for junk in some barns and show you
how to make a guardian Ju Ju using all salvaged items. It's Voodoo
Gone Green, y'all. Music courtesy of
Studio Voodoo.
How to Make a Voodoo Doll
Trippy little movie conjured up by Planet Voodoo
showing how to make your very own New Orleans-style Voodoo Hoodoo
doll. Featuring music by
Studio Voodoo.
How to Make a Voodoo Doll
Copyright 2005-2011 Denise Alvarado, All rights reserved.
Making Voodoo dolls can be
a lot of fun. It is an activity that elicits laughter and is food for some great
and potentially therapeutic conversation among family and friends. Invariably,
the stereotypical reasons as to why people make Voodoo dolls comes up, and you
have an opportunity to discuss who pissed you off, hurt you, and who deserves a
good hexing. What a great forum for a self-help group!
One of the first things to consider for this activity
is what type of Voodoo doll you want to make. As you can see from
perusing this website, there are countless types of spirits and purposes
to inspire the creative process. Here, I will present instructions for
making an all-purpose Voodoo doll.
The following instructions are based on the traditional
manner of constructing Voodoo dolls as done in New Orleans. Keep in mind that
there are as many ways of making Voodoo dolls as are people making them!
Nonetheless, here are a few basic guidelines to get you started.
WARNING! I ASSUME NO RESPONSIBILITY
FOR ANY ILLNESS, UNFORTUNATE EVENTS, DEPRESSION, CONFUSION, BAD LUCK, OR DEATH
THAT MAY OCCUR AS A RESULT OF ANY ACTIVITY ASSOCIATED WITH THE MAKING OR USE OF
YOUR VOODOO DOLL.
This information is provided as entertainment only.
scrap fabric cut in 2 inch
strips, 2 to 3 feet long (color of your choice)
yarn that complements or
contrasts fabric
string, hemp cord, or waxed
thread
2 beads
or buttons to use as eyes
needle and thread in a color
to match or contrast your fabric
tacky glue (Goop is one
of my favorite glues to use)
7 pins with heads in the
following colors: red, blue, green, purple, yellow, black, white
STEP TWO: ASSEMBLE
Make a cross shape with your two sticks. Tie them together with
your string. Hemp cord or waxed thread is better than regular string as they
tend to be stronger.
STEP THREE: WRAP THE MOSS
Take the Spanish moss and wrap it around the sticks, starting at
the middle for reinforcement, and going up around the head, down to one arm,
back across to the other arm, back to the middle, and down to the bottom. If
possible, use moss that is connected together in a big enough piece to
cover the sticks without breaking it apart. The idea is to wrap the doll in one
continuous motion. I find that the result is often times a stronger doll.
If you break the moss apart and have to use more than one continuous piece, that
is okay. However, you may have to wrap string around the moss to keep it from
falling off. If you wrap tight enough, you shouldn't have to use string over the
moss.
STEP FOUR: ADD FABRIC
Take your fabric strips and wrap around the moss and sticks. Make
sure to leave some of the moss showing, such as on the head (for hair), at the
ends of the arms, and at the bottom. Secure with tacky glue. You may want to
reinforce with a couple of stitches with your needle and thread. Add your
contrasting fabric, yarn, and/or ribbon.
STEP FIVE: MAKE A FACE
Take your beads or buttons and attach them with the needle and
thread for eyes, or glue 2 black eyed peas to the face for eyes. Add a button or
bead for the mouth. I used a plastic flower for the mouth of this one. Stick
some feathers in the top of your voodoo doll's head.
STEP SIX: ADD 7 PINS
Add the seven pins and now your Voodoo doll is complete!
Symbolism of the 7 pin
colors:
yellow - success
white - positive
red - power
purple - spirituality
green - money
blue - love
black - repelling negative
energy
Here are some more examples of how to make a Voodoo doll:
The Voodoo
Doll Spellbook: A
Compendium of Ancient and Contemporary Spells &Rituals
by Denise Alvarado
The
Voodoo Doll Spellbook is the direct follow up to Denise
Alvarado’s
Voodoo Dolls in Magick and Ritual and promises to be the
first in several volumes. Whereas the former delved into the
history and types of dolls, the latter contains over 180
spells and rituals from various magickal disciplines
including Hoodoo, Voodoo, Wicca, Paganism, and Ceremonial
Magic.
Though these spells come from various traditions, they all
have one thing in common, that is, the construction and use
of dolls used in the casting of spells. The author gives
detailed instructions on how to construct various types of
dolls (poppets, effigies, waxen images, etc…) as well as how
to use them to achieve various goals. The spells themselves
are organized by purpose in an A to Z format for easy
reference.
In addition to the spells, Alvarado has gone a step further
and included various formulas for oils, and powders such as
Lost and Away Powder and Bend Over Oil among others which
some practitioners may be familiar with and which are
utilized in the casting of spells. The inclusion of these
formulas alone is well worth the price of the book.
Throughout the Voodoo Doll Spellbook there are several
photographs and illustrations of various voodoo dolls in the
author’s collection which add to the mystique of this
powerful tool of magick!
Although the author has included some basic information on
the theory behind how magic works, I suggest you refer to
Alvardo’s previous work Voodoo Dolls in Magick and Ritual if
you wish to delve into the history of voodoo dolls. The
Voodoo Doll Spellbook is a practical, hands-on grimoire on
the art of casting spells using various types of dolls. Here
you will find everything you need to construct a doll in
order to cast a spell for virtually any practical goal. This
is a reference that you will return to again and again.
