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How to Use a Voodoo doll

Introduction

Banishing and defeating your enemies

Karmically Correct "Enemy Be Gone".

use as a focusing tool

can you feel the love?

Use as a therapeutic tool

when is hexing appropriate?

How to Voodoo with Voodoo dolls

free voodoo doll spells

Voodoo doll magick

 

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/001229.html

 

Introduction

 

What is your desire? Ancient spells for luck, love, or fortune? Placing a curse on your enemy? Bringing back a lost love? Hexing your foe? Oh, the possibilities!

 

Thanks to Hollywood and general ignorance, the most popular misconception about Voodoo dolls is that they are made to exact revenge against enemies. Just type in Voodoo doll in any search engine and you are guaranteed to come up with countless sites that promise to sell you a Voodoo doll with instructions for hexing someone, casting a revenge spell, or placing a curse on your enemy. These dolls come complete with pins for inflicting illness or harm upon someone and complete justification for doing so. One site I found stated "Witchcraft spells, hexes and voodoo curses are meant to enhance your life and assist you in many situations…", and equated Voodoo with the "dark side of  this magical spiritual world" and working with Voodoo dolls as "the Black Arts". The justification used for hexing someone is that it is okay if someone has hurt you through no fault of your own, and that you are not wishing more harm upon that person than was inflicted upon you. It is assumed that you are protected from any type of karmic backlash because this "fair use" of the Voodoo doll is not contrary to any Universal laws.
 

Folks, there are several things wrong with this type of thinking and advertising. First of all, it is inaccurate on so many levels. Most practitioners of magick and Voodoo, for example, do not use pins in Voodoo dolls - at least not for exacting revenge. When pins are used, they are used as focusing tools to direct healing energy into a particular area of the doll. Secondly, Voodoo is not a form of the Black Arts. Voodoo is a legitimate religion that largely originated in Africa and melded with elements of European folk magic and Indigenous herbology and beliefs to become what it is today. Most aspects of Voodoo are positive and it is used to guide its followers in matters of daily living, as most religions do. Voodoo was brought to the Americas through slavery and the colonization process. It's condemnation and inaccurate representation is as much the result of racism as slavery is.

Next, any tool used for magickal purposes can be charged to possess positive or negative vibrations through ceremony or meditation periodically in association with phases of the moon. In this way, the tool becomes alive and something to be respected. If misused, you will feel the karmic effects through conflicts, accidents, depression, or bad luck for example. This is why it is extremely important to exercise caution when using your Voodoo doll. Voodoo dolls can be used for dark purposes; however, this is never a good idea. There IS karmic backlash associated with using Voodoo dolls with the intent of hurting someone else. That is why all of the reputable practitioners and their associated sites indicate their dolls are blessed to carry only positive energy and light with them. You would be wise to follow suit.


Because Voodoo dolls can absorb energies from people who have used them, it is a good idea to never use someone else's Voodoo dolls or any other magickal tool, for that matter. Common sense applies here: you wouldn't wear someone else's underwear, right? In the same way you shouldn't work with someone else's Voodoo dolls. If you have been given a Voodoo doll and you sense it carries negativity, the folks at Voodoo Authentica sum up well what you should do:

"Spiritual work should be approached with the same common sense that pertains to the rest of life. You wouldn't eat off of someone else's fork, so don't do magic with someone else's tools. If you feel that you are in possession of a negative Voodoo doll, the best thing to do 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 take this energy and transform it 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."

BTW, sea salt is a staple for cleansing any ritual item and restoring it to a pure state. You can also fumigate or smudge things with sage or cedar and achieve the same results.

To learn more about this topic, I recommend Luisah Teish's Book, Jambalaya: The Natural Woman's Book of Personal Charms and Practical Rituals.

Okay, so on with the fun stuff. What do we do with Voodoo dolls, and how do we do it?

Banishing and Defeating Your Enemies 

Banishing rituals are done to rid yourself of someone who is threatening you or pestering you. For these types of situations, you can appeal to Ogun or Chango, or for women victims of domestic violence, appeal to Erzulie Dantor.

A simple ritual for Chango.
Chango is the deity of fire, thunder, power, wars, and lightening. He is also the symbol for sensual pleasure. Chango is the Voodoo deity that can help you gain power over others, defeat your enemies, and victory over all difficulties.

To use Chango, you should construct an altar for him. He prefers to be on a fireplace mantel, or on your business desk. His altar should be constructed using the following elements:

Patron saint: St. Barbara, St. Jerome
Day and number: Friday, 6
Country and owned places: Trinidad, sky, trees
Cloth and Bead colors: Red and white
Favorite animals and objects: Horses, rams, turtles, pheasants, machete, wood, double axe
Favorite food: apples, yams, corn, and peppers
Planet: Sun and Mars
Place in the house: Fireplace, business desk
Ritual greeting: Kaguo, Kabiosile

Use Chango as a focusing tool for the purpose you seek. First, light a white candle. Concentrate on the outcome you wish to occur and ask Chango for assistance in creating this change. Make an offering for three days following your request. Appropriate offerings for Chango include any of his favorite foods, animals, and objects.

Chango Voodoo doll
 


Karmically Correct "Enemy Be Gone".

This is a ritual that is conducted to remove someone from their environment, or to make a friend of them. Either way, the enemy is gone and the practitioner remains spiritually correct. You can find these spells at http://www.mysticvoodoo.com/authentic_voodoo_spells.htm

 

By far the most common use of a Voodoo doll is their use as focusing tools. Typically, you appeal to the loa that your doll represents, light a candle in the appropriate color of the loa, and make offerings to the loa. For very doll that I sell, I include directions for how to do this. For example, to use Papa Legba Voodoo doll as a focusing tool you would light a red or black candle (his favorite colors), and greet him with his ritual greeting, "Odu Legba, Papa Legba, open door your children await. Open the door Papa Legba, your children await. On my way back, I will return the favor." You can then tell him your wishes and offer him some of his favorite things in three (his favorite number). Things he likes are candy, corn, rum, and cigars.

General Purpose Voodoo doll

Can You Feel the Love? 

Yes, Voodoo dolls are excellent for use in cases of attracting love or improving sex. Get a Voodoo doll in the likeness of Oshun or Erzulie Freda. These are the Santeria and Voodoo Goddesses of love.

The following ritual invokes the spirit of Oshun. Oshun is the Santeria goddess of love, art, and dance. Her greatest attribute is her ability to provide the emotions a solid foundation upon which to reside and grow.

Ideally, you will begin at your altar. It is advisable to have altar candles (yellow, green, or pink) and spiritual incense burning (cinnamon) at the time of use. To begin, you will need to ask Papa Legba to open the gates to the spirit world so that you can ask Oshun for a favor. To do so, recite the following three times:

Odu Legba, Papa Legba, open the door, Your children are waiting. Papa Legba, open the door, your children await.

You can now use your Voodoo doll as a focusing tool for creating the change you seek. Oshun is particularly useful for improving love, happiness, and emotional strength. Concentrate on the outcome you wish to occur and greet Oshun with the appropriate ritual greeting: Ori Ye Ye O.
You may now ask Oshun for assistance in creating the change you seek. You may write a petition if you wish. Make an offering for three days following your request. Appropriate offerings include lighting a special candle, placing a small plate of food from your dinner on her altar, or flowers. Oshun is particularly fond of cinnamon, honey, oranges, pumpkins, gold, mirrors, and French pastries. Her favorite colors are yellow, green, and coral, her favorite day is Thursday, and her favorite number is the number 5. Be creative!

When you are finished, place Oshun in your kitchen or in the bedroom as these are the best places in the home for her.

Oshun Voodoo doll

Use as a Therapeutic Tool

 

To use as a therapeutic tool.

Voodoo dolls can be used therapeutically to express anger or hurt about another person. The intent must be very clear here; using a Voodoo doll therapeutically means processing your feelings about someone or some event in your life. The feelings expressed must be yours and the desired end is a transformation of your hurtful and destructive feelings into wisdom or something constructive. I offer a PERP HEX KIT for $19.99 that is designed to help empower victims of sexual abuse. It involves a rather complicated invocation to Manman Brigitte and is not appropriate to describe it here.

Ma'man Brigit

When is hexing Appropriate? 

Okay, so there are people in this world whom we would all love to hex and are deserving of massive cursing...like child rapists and my ex-husband, for example (who happens to be..). Is it ever okay to wish excruciating pain and dismemberment on these types of people? Well, yes and no. But, rather than go into it here, I would really encourage you to read what Louisa Teish has to say about it as I could not say it any better than she.

For a great read on when hexing is appropriate, check out Jambalaya: The Natural Woman's Book of Personal Charms and Practical Rituals

How to Voodoo with Voodoo dolls

Voodoo doll magick

free voodoo doll spells

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