Download Article
What do you do with a voodoo doll? We've got all the answers
Download Article
Voodoo dolls get a bad rap. Thanks to horror movies, many people think they’re primarily used to torture people. However, voodoo dolls can also be used for good! We’re going to tell you everything you need to know to make a voodoo doll represent someone—whether you made the doll or bought it. Additionally, we’ll explain how to use your voodoo doll to create positive changes or to get a little revenge.
Things You Should Know
- Make your doll represent someone by attaching their photo, a lock of hair, a piece of their clothing, or their name.
- Stick pins into your doll to represent your intentions and what you want to happen to this person—which could be yourself or someone else.
- Place your voodoo doll on a personal altar and light a candle.
- Ask the voodoo spirits, called Loas, to help you with your voodoo doll, or petition your ancestors for help.
Steps
-
Envision the person you want to affect. Make a voodoo doll to represent yourself or someone else. Voodoo largely depends on your connection with voodoo spirits, so you need to have a clear picture in mind of who the voodoo doll will represent. Think about this person as you assemble your voodoo doll, and repeat their name in your mind. [1] X Research source
- If you’re not crafty, buy a premade voodoo doll .
-
Use a picture to personalize the voodoo doll. Start with a full-body photo of the person you want to represent. Cut out the person’s picture, trace it on a piece of felt, then fold the felt over to create 2 sides. Once you cut out the felt, use a needle and thread to sew the picture to the felt backing. Before you close the final few stitches, fill the doll with stuffing. Complete the stitching to finish your doll.
- As another option, make a paper voodoo doll by gluing a printed out photo to a piece of paper. Use cotton balls, paper scraps, or a paper towel as stuffing.
Advertisement -
Add a personal object to your voodoo doll. Maybe you’ve already made a voodoo doll or purchased a premade doll. To represent the person you’re targeting, use something you got from the person. With a pin, attach something like a piece of hair, a piece of their clothing, or a paper with their handwriting. You could even just use their name. [2] X Research source
- Make sure whatever you use came from the person you want the doll to represent. Otherwise, your voodoo doll might not work.
-
Cleanse your voodoo doll of energy. The materials you use to create your voodoo doll have lingering energy. Start with a clean slate by neutralizing the energy attached to your voodoo doll. You have several options for cleansing your doll, like covering it with incense or sage or rinsing it with salt water. As another option, leave it out in the sunlight or moonlight for several hours. [3] X Research source
- If you don’t cleanse your voodoo doll, lingering energy from other people will mess up or misdirect your voodoo spell.
Advertisement
-
Concentrate on your desires. First, meditate for a few minutes to clear your mind of distracting thoughts. While holding your voodoo doll, focus on the desired effect you hope it will bring. Set an intention for your doll, such as: [4] X Research source
- Healing
- Fertility
- Love
- Success
- Money
- Growth
- Power
- Protection
-
Insert colored pins to represent your desires. Traditionally, there are 7 colored pins you can use on a voodoo doll. Pick the colored pin that matches the intention you have for your doll. Here are the colors you can use and their meanings: [5] X Research source
- Yellow: success and confidence
- Green: growth and money
- White: positivity and healing
- Red: love and power
- Purple: spirituality and wisdom
- Blue: peace and love
- Black: repelling negative energies
-
Petition the spiritual beings of Voodoo, called Loas. The Loas (also called Lwas) aren’t gods—they’re spirits who act as intermediaries between people and God. [6] X Research source To appeal to the Loas, set up an altar and place your voodoo doll on it. Then, light a candle and offer a small sacrifice to the Loas, like a snack, drink, or flower. [7] X Research source
- You could also appeal to your ancestors to help you. In voodoo, your deceased ancestors can bring about change in your life and provide you with other types of aid. [8] X Research source
- Your altar can be any flat surface. Items you can put on the altar could include a candle, incense, a bowl of salt water, crystals, and a representation of your chosen deity or your ancestors.
Advertisement
-
Insert colored pins with an intention to harm. In voodoo, pins can be used for good or evil. For instance, a red pin can help you gain power in your life or get power over someone else. Pick the colored pin that matches your intention, and really focus on what you want as you insert it into the voodoo doll’s head.
- To control someone, insert a red pin in their head.
- To block someone, you might use a black pin.
-
Appeal to a spirit to act on your behalf. Place your voodoo doll on an altar, then light a candle. Ask the Loas or one of your ancestors to harm this person on your behalf. Then, offer a sacrifice, like food, a drink, coins, or a crystal. [9] X Research source
- After you sacrifice something, bury it in the earth or leave it on your altar if it’s nonperishable. Never use the item for your own benefit, since it’s a sacrifice.
- You don’t need to sacrifice living beings to do voodoo. Sacrifices are often things like money or food.
-
Use pins, rope, and water to release your rage on the doll. You’ve probably seen the classic movie depiction of a voodoo doll with pins and needles stuck all over it. If that’s your jam, unleash your rage by sticking pins into the doll, tying a rope around it, submerging it in water, or anything else that makes you happy. As you do it, imagine these things affecting the person you’re targeting. [10] X Research source
- Stabbing a voodoo doll can actually make you feel better, even if harm doesn’t come to the other person. [11] X Trustworthy Source PubMed Central Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health Go to source
- Make sure you clear the doll of all previous energies. If the doll is in any way associated with someone else, they may experience the harm as well and you wouldn't want that!
- Most experienced practitioners of Voodoo suggest only to use your doll for good, because as the saying goes "what goes around comes around."
Advertisement
Community Q&A
Search
-
QuestionIf I want to create a voodoo doll for myself to improve my life, is it proper to use locks of my own hair and pieces of my own clothing?Community AnswerYes, but to ensure it doesn't fall into the wrong hands, keep yours in a locked box and only use it in private.
-
QuestionHow do I know that it worked?Community AnswerCheck on the person daily and look for signs correlating to what pins you used, if you used any pins. For example, if you used a blue pin, check if the person has any news from their love life.
-
QuestionHow many voodoo dolls can a person have?Community AnswerA person can have however many voodoo dolls he or she wants. The amount of voodoo dolls one has will have no effect on the magic.
Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
Advertisement
Video
Tips
- The voodoo doll is used to represent the spirit of a specific person. You can address the voodoo doll as if you are talking to that person, requesting a change in attitude and influencing the person to act in accordance with your wishes and your desires.Thanks
- In New Orleans Voodoo, many have their dolls blessed by an experienced practitioner in order to contact the spirits more directly.Thanks
- Much of voodoo is about connecting with the universe and the spirits. If you doubt their power or aren't able to focus on the connection, your voodoo doll will likely not work.Thanks
Submit a Tip
All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
Advertisement
Warnings
- Remember, if you plan to use your voodoo doll for evil, you may experience karmic backlash, so exercise with caution!Thanks
- If Voodoo dolls are misused, karmic effects such as conflicts, accidents, depression, bad luck, etc. can happen to you.Thanks
- Because voodoo dolls can absorb energy from people who have used them, it is a good idea to never use someone else's voodoo doll.Thanks
Advertisement
Things You'll Need
- A voodoo doll
- Something from the person the doll represents (a lock of hair, clothing, etc.)
- Colored pins
- A candle
- An altar
References
- ↑ https://www.louisiana-voodoo-rituals.com/voodoo-doll-to-control-someone/
- ↑ https://www.brown.edu/Departments/Joukowsky_Institute/courses/13things/7393.html
- ↑ https://www.skillsetmag.com/how-to-make-a-voodoo-doll/
- ↑ https://www.louisiana-voodoo-rituals.com/voodoo-doll-to-control-someone/
- ↑ https://www.skillsetmag.com/how-to-make-a-voodoo-doll/
- ↑ http://faculty.webster.edu/corbetre/haiti/voodoo/overview.htm
- ↑ https://www.skillsetmag.com/how-to-make-a-voodoo-doll/
- ↑ http://faculty.webster.edu/corbetre/haiti/voodoo/overview.htm
- ↑ https://www.brown.edu/Departments/Joukowsky_Institute/courses/13things/7403.html
About This Article
Article Summary
X
To use a voodoo doll, start by making a small doll to represent a specific person. There are a couple ways to do this. One is to print out a photo of the person and sew it onto the front of a stuffed fabric figure. You can also create a simple doll out of cloth, yarn, or any other material of your choice, then incorporate an item belonging to the person, such as a lock of their hair or a small piece of their clothing. Before using the doll, clear its energy. The easiest way to do this is to simply lay your hand over the doll and focus your energy and thoughts on making it pure and new. You can also try more traditional techniques, like washing the doll in salt water or purifying it with sage smoke. Voodoo practitioners believe that you can channel positive energy through a voodoo doll to help the person that the doll represents. To do this, try holding the doll while you concentrate on your wishes for the person, such as prosperity, happiness, or good health. You can also prick the doll with different pins representing your desires. For instance, a blue pin represents love, so sticking a blue pin into the doll’s heart would indicate your wish for the person to find love. Voodoo dolls can also be used to invoke harm. For example, if you want to gain control over a person, prick the doll’s head with a red pin while focusing on the type of power you want to have over them. Whether you decide to use your voodoo doll for good or bad, reinforce your actions on the doll by praying to the spirits, or Loa, of Voodoo and lighting a candle in their honor. To learn how to make your own homemade voodoo doll, read on.
Did this summary help you?
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 1,181,726 times.
Reader Success Stories
- "I found this to be clear easy to read and informative. This is my first time with voodoo dolls and I have hope it helps my daughters find true love as they are great human beings but so far no luck finding that special person to share their lives with." ..." more
Advertisement
90%
of readers found this article helpful
.
Click a star to add your vote
% of people told us that this article helped them.
"I found this to be clear easy to read and informative. This is my first time with voodoo dolls and I have hope it helps my daughters find true love as they are great human beings but so far no luck finding that special person to share their lives with."
..."
more
"I would like to make a doll to help me with the continuous years of hardship and bad luck, to help me purify my life and bring a little good luck and happiness."
..."
more
"This article was organized in such a way that by the time I had another question, as I scrolled it was answered! This article gave me a ton of info!"
..."
more
"The article was good. It's just that my mom won't allow me to do it, she thinks it's black magic."
"I wanted to know how to torture the doll so someone else can feel the pain."
