Voodoo dolls: The facts and the fiction behind it

Besides mojo bags and zombies, voodoo dolls are among some of the most iconic items from the African derived religion of Haitian Voodou. But despite not being a major part of the religion voodoo dolls have conjured the image of control and domination against ones adversities, delivering them punishment by supernatural means. But what really are voodoo dolls and what's truth versus the common misconceptions behind this staple conjure item?

As I've mentioned voodoo dolls come from the religion of Voodou which comes from a mixture of traditional west and central African practices. When these enslaved people where taken out of Africa and brought into the new world they where exposed to new practices from Europe and the Americas, eventually blending some of these elements into their practices and shaping the modern form of the religion as we know it today. There is no standard method of creating a voodoo doll, as it highly depends on the material you have on hand- so your doll could be formed from clay, bones, corn husks, with more elaborate dolls being made with cloth and stuffed with spanish moss or cotton.

But voodoo dolls are not exclusive to the religion of Voodou specifically, with the presence of small figures and dolls being found globally across different folk practices and religions. Some of the earliest examples have been documented as far back as ancient Mesopotamia but they have also been found in the Americas, Europe, and even China. This practice of placing correspondences on objects or actions towards a certain outcome is known as sympathetic magick, and this is apparent in the case of poppet magick as a whole. A person could construct an effigy to mirror the likeness of the person they wish to influence or affect, often times also placing within these objects taglocks of the person so that the object may embody the one being worked on. These taglocks could range from simple written names to even physical ones like pictures, clothing, bodily fluids, hair, nails, and even blood. Once the seperate parts and items have been married into a single vessel, this object is now believe to possess the body, mind, and soul of the person. This is the general concept of how ya poppet is formed, but depending on the purpose at hand different taglocks could be used in exchange for others; placing dollar bills and coins within the fetish doll could be used to generate material wealth or herbs associated with love are believed to attract that energy.

But why specifically are voodoo dolls so enshrouded with fear and superstition? Well I mainly like to attest this to Hollywood portrayals of the practice and racial discrimination towards its practitioners. Some of the earliest accounts we have on Voodoo dolls come from the lenses of western audiences seeking to scare the market with exotic fetishes and incantations from the Caribbean, which depicted the religion as a destructive and violent parallel to christianity. Notable examples of this include White Zombie, Dr. Terror's house of horrors, American Horror story, Dolls of Voodoo, and even Disney's the Princess and the Frog.

However over the years many practitioners of the religion have spoken against this prejudice and today we’ll cover some ways Voodoo dolls can be used for the modern practitioner. First and foremost it’s all about intention- whatever energy you put into this empty curio will be the energy you should expect to come back. Like I’ve mentioned before like attracts like, so if you place the tag locks that best connect with your manifestation or goal then feed it to the Voodoo doll to enhance the outcome!

• Money voodoo doll: Use a green voodoo doll and stuff inside it dollar bills, coins, lodestones, money attracting crystals (citrine, green aventurine, etc.), money attracting herbs (five finger grass, cinnamon, chamomile, etc.), and anoint it with our 5x money oil on its hands and feet to walk into opportunities to find money and grab it!

  
  

• Protection voodoo doll: Use a black, red, or white voodoo doll and stuff inside of it protection amulets (pentacles, St.Michael charms, crosses, etc.), an evil eye, protection stones (obsidian, red jasper, etc.), protective herbs (mint, betony, devils shoestring, etc.), and anoint it with our protection oil on its head, arms, heart, and legs to fight off evil. Don’t forget to anoint it’s back too!

  
  

• Love surrounds you voodoo doll: Use a pink or green voodoo doll and stuff inside of it some love powder, love stones (rose quartz, rhodonite, etc.) love attracting herbs (patchouli, rose, licorice root, etc.), and anoint it with our 5x love oil on its heart and feet to walk into those opportunities to find love!

• Cleansing voodoo doll: Get a white voodoo doll and stuff inside it some salt, cleansing powder, some cleansing herbs (hyssop, lemon verbena, etc.), and anoint it with our 5x cleansing oil and spray it with Florida water. If what you wish to remove is alcohol addiction then also stuff it with eucalyptus and anoint the belly with 4 thieves vinegar.

  
  

• Power back voodoo doll: Get a yellow or purple voodoo doll, power enhancing stones (carnelian, fire agate, etc.), uplifting herbs (orange peel, master of the woods, calendula, etc.), and anoint it with our uplift, strength, and power oils.

  
  

With any of these dolls you can choose to place a tag lock of yourself (like your finger nails, hair, spit, or even a picture.) but what I like to do is to anoint it with my zodiac oil which we carry all 12 of here! Breath on its mouth to tell the doll its purpose and to awaken it, afterwards keep your doll in a safe area away from others. If at some point you’re finished using the doll then go ahead and dismantle it by removing its contents and covering it with a white cloth, afterwards you’ll want to bury it somewhere far from your home to put it to rest.

I hope this article changed your opinion in some way about the doll and if you want to learn more about this topic then please stop by to our up coming class next week on 11/22/25. Call or text us for more information and we’ll love to see you there!