You've surely heard the terrifying folklore surrounding the practice of voodoo, but admit it – you totally want to try it anyway. Maybe you want to make a real voodoo doll because you're in love with a person who won't give you the time of day (it's more effective than Tinder, that's for sure). Or maybe you want to get back at some nasty online bullies who won't quit.
But beware - though voodoo may be effective, it can also get you in a lot of trouble. Short of selling your soul to the Devil (an obvious perquisite to casting any sort of ancient hex), some people have actually been arrested after committing heinous crimes with the help of voodoo magic. The last thing you'd want to do is get stuck in a jail cell for the rest of your life, and then be forced to live out your afterlife in the Devil's rather humid (and torturous) quarters.
Keeping in mind the risks, most voodoo is actually practiced for good – whether it's for healing, love, or good luck. You don't need to study up on the occult to cast a spell either – it's actually pretty simple. So, if you're wondering how to make a real voodoo doll, just follow the steps below (but be careful what you wish for).
To create an authentic, New Orleans-style voodoo doll, first you'll need to collect your materials. The purpose your voodoo doll is going to serve really affects what you're going to use. Commonly corn husks, paper, twigs, clay, and cloth are used to make a doll. Then, it's stuffed with either moss or craft stuffing.
To choose, pick whatever material you feel a connection to. Let your spirit guide you - but know that some things represent certain powers that others do not.
Collect An Item From The Person You Want The Doll To Represent
Those who practice voodoo believe in sympathetic magic, meaning that a person transfers their energy into the inanimate objects they come in contact with. To create a link between your voodoo doll and the person you wish to cast a spell on, you're going to have to collect an item from that person.
Objects such as clothing or a lock of a hair hold major power, but you can also use anything that the person has touched.
This voodoo doll has to look and feel exactly like the person you want it to represent – including its very basic anatomy. You'll need to create a t-shaped skeleton by binding two sticks together with twine.
Natural materials make for a more authentic doll, but if you can't find wood or branches, pencils will do. Then choose which stick serves as the head and feet and which is the arms.
Next, you'll need to stuff the doll like you would a stuffed animal. To do this, wrap the skeleton with feathers, cotton, shredded cloth, or paper. For an uber-authentic voodoo doll, opt for Spanish moss. The more natural the materials, the better.
You're going to need a large piece of material to cover your voodoo doll with. This is often fabric, but you can use a corn husk or similar organic materials as well. The color of the fabric you choose also affects your spell. If you're casting a money and good luck spell, opt for green. Yellow is for success, and pinks and reds are for love and romance. If you want to win a court case, you should choose a brown fabric, and if you want protection and peace, opt for white.
Natural fibers like hemp or muslin bring general good luck and fortune. But if you're casting an evil spell, avoid those. For casting a hex, you should always opt for a piece of the person's clothing.
Once you've wrapped the fabric around your doll's stuffing and skeleton, use twine or ribbon to create the torso, head, feet, and arms. Then draw on the face, but make it look as much like the person you're casting a spell on as possible.
The more it actually looks like the person, the more effective your spell will be. If they have blue eyes, opt for blue buttons as eyes. If they have brown hair, choose brown yarn for hair.
