Learn a simple Voodoo how to, all about Voodoo roots and history up to modern times as well as Voodoo dolls, spells, and the whole sacred meaning of it all.
Everywhere you look online on Google, it seems there is some celebrity “The Voodoo Man” or woman swearing they can sell you charms, spells, or things like wax Voodoo dolls and other blessed objects that will make your every desire come true, but Voodoo is not quite that. Reading “Voodoo for Dummies” won’t make you a proficient practitioner of Voodoo, and some Voodoo guy can’t sell you one spell to make all your dreams come true.
In this article we will explore:
- What is Voodoo?
- Voodoo History
- Voodoo vs Hoodoo
- Famous Voodoo Women
- Famous Voodoo Men
- Voodoo Spells of Power
- What Voodoo Isn’t
So, if Voodoo isn’t what the mainstream would lead us to believe, just what is it? What are Voodoo roots and its history, and just how many people practice it today? Is Voodoo just a bunch of curses and ways to “Voodoo My Ex” for revenge, or is there a sacred side to it? How can you learn and practice Voodoo, and how can someone get started? Join Mysticsense as we explore what Voodoo is, what it isn’t, and how to practice it.
What is Voodoo?
Voodoo is not a system set up to curse your enemies or attain magical powers simply to cast a spell that works. It is a religion that is a fusion of African indigenous, American Indian, and Catholic traditions. It includes Louisiana Voodoo, Low Country Hoodoo, Haitian, Cuban, Dominican Voodoo, and African Diaspora faiths including Candomble and Tambor de Mina of Brazil. There are no exact Voodoo numbers indicating precisely how many people worldwide practice it, but it is considered a group of minority indigenous faiths that mainstream religion constantly seeks to convert. However, National Geographic is quoted as saying that about 60,000,000 people around the world practice some sect of Voodoo!
Like any religion, Voodoo has clergy persons, initiations, rituals, and their holy people oversee rites of passages like the blessings of newborns, visitation and blessing of the sick, prayer services, liturgies to give thanks, fellowship gatherings for the faithful, funerary rites, and communication with the dead. Voodoo beliefs embrace belief in communication with the ancestors, and that they watch over the living even after death. Besides individual ancestors, spirits known as the loa or lwa can be consulted for help and guidance, and while they believe in a great god, that god is not seen as being as accessible as ancestors and the loa are.
A very powerful belief in Voodoo is that spirits can “ride” or possess human beings in order to communicate with or bless the living. Rituals to get an individual ridden by a spirit are done for healing as well as simply spending time with the people who call them. This is entirely different from the “demonic possessions” horror films show, and a possession ceremony with the loa is to help people, not to feed some malevolent spirit. One Priestess in Haiti was good enough to allow filmmakers to come to her practices and see her possession by spirits to help the people who had been devastated by earthquake damage. In the video, ecstatic dance, drama with swords, and community love can be seen. Voodoo is not exactly like most mainstream faiths, but the Priestess can be seen doing Catholic prayer doing the sign of the cross. It is explained why they wear white and how they summon the spirits.
For those who practice Voodoo, it is not about curses, quick spells, or demanding favors from spirits. It is about connecting with people, the spirits, the creator, and healing. Voodoo for this Priestess can be summed up in what she said, “ There is a proverb that says ‘ Where there is life, there is hope.’ I have to give them hope because hope gives them life.” That short film can be seen here: (54) Meet the Vodou Priestess Summoning Healing Spirits in Post-Earthquake Haiti - YouTube
Voodoo History
What is the history of Voodoo, since it is basically a fusion of different traditions, and where did it all come from? Some insist it is completely from America, and Voodoo Louisiana is the true roots of it all, but history tells a different story. Voodoo would never have become what it is today had it not been for African indigenous traditions. Voodoo has a long history and each region where it is practiced has its own story, so it will not be possible to list the entire history of all the different groups practicing a tradition that falls under the umbrella of Voodoo religions. However, a simple history of how it came from Africa to one part of the American South will be provided.
The religious communities of New Orleans were very influenced by the traditional African religions when slavery was brought into the city in the early eighteenth century. At that time, the city was basically Catholic, and the two religions blended over time. This happened because the slaves were not permitted to outwardly practice religion their way. It was not enough they had bene enslaved, but religion was also dictated to them. Praying to the saints was done instead of speaking to the loa, however, certain loa were considered to be the equivalent of certain saints. St. Lazarus, for example, could be called upon to speak with Papa Legba.
Despite the fact the white slave owners believed they could completely strip their slaves of their religion, Voodoo developed anyways. Slaves were not forced to work on Sundays, and they would have their worship services then. Instead of a regular Catholic service, they would have drumming, dancing, and one place set aside for this was called Congo Square. White people would assemble to watch what they considered to be more of a show, but it was actual worship. By the early 1800’s, slave owners were afraid of slave uprisings, so they banned gatherings of slaves. Despite this, Voodoo still flourished.
The slaves who were kidnapped and brought to Louisiana mostly came from parts of Senegal, Dahomey, and the Kongo. Not surprisingly, as the sugar plantations required an immense workforce to be productive, the amount of slaves to whites sometimes were two to one, and often, slaves were mostly kept together, and were thus able to keep aspects of their cultural traditions more intact than some of the slaves in other regions of the Americas were.
Further developing Louisiana Voodoo was an influx of people who fled Haiti after the Haitian Revolution, some of whom were practitioners of Haitian Voodoo. This Voodoo was a blend of Catholicism, and the indigenous Fon and Yoruban religions. In 1809, about 10,000 of these people had come to Louisiana, and greatly influenced the people who were already practicing the Voodoo based on the traditions from Dahomey, the Kongo, and Senegal. Voodoo was so powerful in the slave communities that by the 1870’s through the 1890’s, white people sought to suppress Voodoo, and claimed black women used Voodoo gatherings as opportunity to enchant white men. Despite these allegations, Voodoo was as strong as ever, and Voodoo Priests and Priestesses were even able to set up shops and start charging admission fees for non-initiates to attend their gatherings.
By the early 1900’s attempts to chronicle the history and roots of Louisiana Voodoo began, and during the Civil Rights Movement, people began to highlight the contributions of Voodoo to the black community. In the 1970’s, Voodoo museums, walking tours, and festivals popped up. Today, businesses thrive, and Voodoo is openly practiced all over Louisiana and other places. Many Christian groups denounce Voodoo as evil and demonic, actively seeking to convert Voduns to their own religions, but despite all the efforts of white people and members of some Christian groups to destroy Voodoo entirely, it is thriving today, and it appears it grows stronger every year.
Voodoo vs Hoodoo
There is a word, “Hoodoo” that is very similar to Voodoo, but what is the difference? What are Hoodoo spells for love as opposed to Voodoo ones? Hoodoo is referred to as the applied magical practices of Voodoo. Other people state Hoodoo itself is a folk religion that is a mix of Catholicism, Ewe, and Fon religions. The Hoodoo Society online says: “ Hoodoo in the Chesapeake has particular influences from Igbo, ethnicities in Senegal & Gambia, and BaKongo traditions (as well as other traditions). Virginia brings much of the Igbo influences, Maryland brings much of the Senegambian influences, and Kongo influences are in both states. As many families have moved around the Chesapeake area (that includes Maryland, Virginia, DC, parts of Delaware, northern part of North Carolina, and the eastern part of West Virginia) the particular tradition of Chesapeake Hoodoo has flourished. Chesapeake Hoodoo (also known as Tidewater Hoodoo) shares some sacred familiarity to Low Country (Gullah/Geechee) Hoodoo, in addition to links with Obeah in Jamaica & Barbados. Odinani/Odinala (Igbo) is this region’s mother religion, with the father religion being that of Senegalese, Gambian, and Kongo traditions broadly.” So, Hoodoo has different influences and is in different parts of the American South than Voodoo. Gullah people are in the Lowcountry regions in Georgia, Florida, the Carolinas, and the Sea Islands. Their region was fairly isolated as well, so many African traditions have been retained by African Americans there.
Who is the Most famous Voodoo Person?
It’s difficult to say who the very most famous Voodoo people in the Americas have been, but for certain four prominent leaders lead illustrious lives and did much for their communities. The Voodoo Queen of New Orleans, Marie Laveau, Julia Brown, the Voodoo Priestess of Manchac Swamp, Dr. John, the original Voodoo King, and Dutty Boukman are four who stand out.
Famous Voodoo Women
Marie Laveau
One of the most famous Voodoo Queens of New Orleans was Marie Catherine Laveau. She was born September 9, 1801 and lived until June 15, 1881. She was born a free woman in New Orleans in the French Quarter, and not only ran a highly successful beauty parlor, but was also an herbalist and midwife as well as a prominent priestess of Voodoo. She worked as a psychic, giving advice on family issues, finance, and was so successful as a psychic advisor, it was rumored that she paid informants to gather information about her clients so she could appear psychic when she actually was not.
All naysaying aside, Marie’s fame grew, and she sold charms, and blessed bags called gris gris bags that were said to be one hundred percent effective. Marie’s blessed items she sold were said to effectively harm enemies, grant healing, keep cheating lovers faithful, and even help people have babies, increase wealth, and grant anything you wished to come true. In The Birth of New Orleans’ Voodoo Queen, a Long-Held Mystery Resolved, Ina J, Fandrich wrote:
“ Everybody in trouble of any sort seems to have sought her help- women and men, black and white, enslaved and free, the rich and famous and the poor and unknown alike. Rumors have it that all of the city’s leading politicians, wealthy planters, lawyers, and businessmen consulted with her secretly before making any major decision, as everyone in the Crescent City appears to have been convinced that whatever the Voodoo Queen predicted would unfailingly come true.”
It is said she died peacefully at home at the age of seventy-nine, but even in death, she continues to have power. There are two reputed sites of where she is said to be buried, and believers show up with either gifts, asking her help to grant their wishes, or draw an x on her crypt, and do some ritual movements before calling out their wishes. It is believed by many she was a living saint who continues to watch over and help people to this day.
Julia Brown
Another powerful Voodoo woman is Julia Brown, known as a Voodoo Priestess of Manchac Swamp. She was born in 1845, and worked as a Voodoo Priestess in New Orleans, but one day moved to a place called Frenier in the midst of the Manchac Swamp. Julia acted as a healer for the people there. The houses were set several blocks apart from one another, and there were no roads or paved streets there, and no cars. Her healing and midwifery was said to be so good, people recovered from whatever she treated them for.
Other people today said she was just somebody who owned some land and liked to sit on her porch and play guitar and sing. One other account states she was so respected and feared that when she died over eight hundred people came from all parts to pay their respects at her funeral. The accounts of her death vary. Some say she died two or three days before a hurricane swept through and killed all but two people living in her small town. Others said she pretended that she would die, and everybody would die with her and it was the hurricane that killed her. We may never know the whole story, but one thing is for certain, legends come from truth, and Julia Brown had power then, and her memory is powerful now.
Famous Voodoo MenFamous Voodoo Men
Dr. John
Dr. John was known as the Original New Orleans Voodoo King, and he was actually the one who taught Marie Laveau. His name was Jean Montanee, and he ended up amassing enough wealth that he bought slaves of his own. He said he was born in Senegal and was a prince before he was kidnapped and became a slave in Cuba. He said his master loved him so much, he freed him and he at first took a job as a cook on a ship but then took a job working with cotton. Early on it was noticed that he not only spoke with great authority and was a natural born leader, but that he had psychic abilities as well.
He was also well versed in Voodoo from his homeland, and people recognized his abilities as a psychic, a life coach and counselor, and also somebody who could sell things that brought great magic. He also practiced as a folk healer, and people swore by his remedies as well as his magic. He did earn quite a lot of money as a Voodoo Priest and magic worker, but he also did a lot of work for free and was known for his generosity. He actually outlived his student, Marie Laveau by four years, dying at the age of 82.
Dutty Boukman
Another powerful Voodoo priest was Dutty Boukman who was a leader in the Haitian Revolution and also a Voodoo priest. He was born in Senegal in 1767 and died in 1791, at the young age of twenty-four. He was kidnapped from home and forced into slavery in Jamaica, and eventually ended up in Haiti. It is said he was one of the people who started the 1791 slave revolt that led to the Haitian Revolution, and he was killed just a few months after it all started. His power was so great, the French displayed his severed head on a stake to prove he was not invincible.
It is argued that he could not have had the background he claimed and there is much debate as to whether he could read or not. His name Boukman meant book man, and some say he was called that because of reading skills. A lot of people, regardless of race, could not read in the 1700’s however. Dutty and his Priestess presided over a Voodoo gathering, one of many where people met to decide on revolting against those who enslaved them, and he was quoted as saying:
“This God who made the sun, who brings us light from above, who raises the sea, and who makes the storm rumble. That God is there, do you understand? Hiding in a cloud, He watches us, he sees all that the whites do! The God of the whites pushes them to crime, but he wants us to do good deeds. But the God who is so good orders us to vengeance. He will direct our hands, and give us help. Throw away the image of the God of the whites who thirsts for our tears. Listen to the liberty that speaks in all our hearts.”
His background is irrelevant considering his legacy and this slave uprising was the biggest one since the one Spartacus led almost two thousand years earlier. This uprising he and others started led to the independence of Haiti, and the abolition of slavery there. A truly powerful priest indeed!
Voodoo Spells of Power
A lot of local shops or online vendors will sell you supplies to do basic spellwork and say it’s Voodoo practice. Indeed, Voodoo teaches how to use magic, but you can get magical resources from any magical tradition. Some basic spellwork can be done using easy techniques with readily available materials that some people are aware of, Voodoo uses, but plenty of other magical traditions do too.
How to Do “Voodoo” with Hair
Using hair, fingernail clipping, or even dried skin from somebody is done to create a magical bond with them and other materials you are using to make a spell work. This is one of the principles of what is called sympathetic magic. It is believed that whatever happens to something that was once connected to somebody will likewise happen to them because even though the object is separated from them, the magical connection remains. Thus, in historic times, ladies would make keepsakes out of their own hair for their sweethearts to send to them to let them know they belonged to them when they were away from one another. If he had her hair, he had her near him forever! You can work protective magic over the people you love using their hair or anything else that was a part of them.
How to do a “Voodoo” Doll
Another way to do protective magic is to work it on an image of the person you seek to protect. A photograph of them or a doll you have made in their image is one way to do this. If you are being stalked or harassed by somebody, you can make a “voodoo doll” or poppet in their image, and bind it and send it far away from you. This will create the energy of getting them away from you while you work on getting away from them. Of course, doing something to a poppet or photograph won’t necessarily get results all on its own. However, sending the energy off to ensure this can be a part of making your desired outcome happen.
“Voodoo” Chants
Some people use chants for various purposes, and a lot of people do this in meditation or as a part of affirmations. Some people don’t feel a benefit from chants, but the sounds of the music plus the meditating state of mind chanting puts you in will relax the mind enough to help make magic happen. Plus, words are magic- and the more you say something to yourself, the more you believe it. So, chant “I can” every day before you get started on a goal you feel intimidated by. Say it again and again every time you feel like giving up, and soon your “I can” chant will change to a single statement of “I did!”
“Voodoo” to get Your Ex Back
The ugly truth is, spellwork to get your ex back is the wrong way to go about it. It is said that love spells serve only to coerce people to do things against their will, and if you put a spell on somebody to make them get back with you when they don’t want to, you don’t actually love them, you want them, and that is not the same thing. Love spells are said to wear off faster than you would expect them to also, so if you really want to have a long-term relationship with somebody, put aside your magical tools, and sit down and talk out your problems. Regardless of whatever problems have happened, if we are meant to be with somebody who we love, we can tough out the bad times, make things better, and stay together.
What Voodoo Isn’t
Despite what you read in books or are told at shops, you aren’t a practicing Vodun just because you sling a spell they state is written by those who practice Voodoo. Voodoo is not something you borrow techniques from at will, cherry picking aspects of it for the sake of getting some magical result. You can indeed use materials those who are Vodun sell you and teach you, but to truly practice Voodoo, you should initiate and dedicate yourself to the faith for life. Don’t fall into the trap of being somebody who says you practice Voodoo, shamanism, Native American religion, or any other tradition you are not a member of, or you risk misappropriating cultural practice.
Magic is magic, and a lot of people, regardless of religion or ancestry, know how to practice it and can teach you things they know. Remember that most magical traditions use herbs, crystals, believe in the power of colors and numbers and significance of sacred places and objects. Many of them use incense and candles, and many believe in the power of communicating with spirits and ancestors. So, you don’t have to initiate into Voodoo to believe in the power of these sacred things. Whatever your magical tradition is, may you walk it with purpose all the days of your life, and may your magic have much power for you. So be it.
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