Is There Morality in Voodoo?

[frisbee]

I've had an interest in this religion off and on over the years, and am now finding myself wanting to learn more. I haven't found a lot of reliable articles or websites, but am still searching.

My main question arises with respect to the Voodoo notion of cursing and harming, and whether there is a moral contrsaint in Voodoo similar to the Rede and the Three-Fold Law. I don't see indications that such a thing exists.

I'm considering the possibility of integrating certain Voodoo/Hoodoo practices into my own spirituality. But again, I need to learn more, and Voodoo is scarcely mentioned in most books on Neo-paganism I've read.

Any information would be appreciated.

[Twisted_Pixie]

My cats name is Voodoo =D

[Greymalkin]

Voodoo, or 'Voudoun' as it is actually called, is a strand of Afro-Caribean spirituality along with Hoodoo, Santeria and Macumba.
Practicioners of these crafts are never happy with their lot in life and see it as their task to improve things through the use of magick and conjure, using their own morality as a guide.

The Gods of Voudoun are call the 'Loa' and are actually seen more as spirit rather than 'god'.

Practicioners of Voudoun don't usually concern themselves with things like 'good' or 'evil' and see their magickal work as something that just 'needs to be done'.

They don't concentrate too much on life after death or with their own souls as the improvement of their earthly life is the most important thing to them, and notions of karma or retribution is almost alien to them.

To learn any Afro-Caribean spirtuality from books alone is practically impossible as very little reliable information has been written about it. The best way to learn about it (as with all pagan spiritual paths) is through an established practicioner.

[frisbee]

The fact that Voudoun has several variations in spelling is somewhat confusing, and the first time I saw it spelled as above, I had to think a minute before it clicked.

I'm particularly drawn to Vodou dolls, and understand they can be used for other purposes besides cursing, including healing, attracting money, love, etc., depending on the color of the doll. I've seen recipes for mojo bags in Wiccan spellbooks, so apparently we Witches do borrow from Vodou from time to time. Whatever I personally borrow from Vodou would be in compliance with the Rede, as I just don't like the idea of hurting folks for my own gain. I see enough of that already in the world.

Thanks for the info. )O(

[[Guardian Wolf]]

There are three main branches of Voodoo. There is Voodoo, Vodun and Vodou, they are both different and easily confused by people who haven't properly studied them. In Vodou, there is one god and he is Bondye and you pray to the lesser entities or spirits. Their most important spirits are Papa Legba, Erzulie Freda and Simbi.

Voodoo however is more based off Catholicism. In fact, before I went full warlock, I was a Roman Catholic. The Voodoo priests do catholic baptisms and pray to the mother Mary. They believe there is heaven and earth. The earth is ruled by man and heaven by god. Then there is an in between, a spirit world with spirits that can aid or harm you.

The third is Vodun, it is practiced in West Africa and I have not studied it, so I will not speak on it.

There are several other regional forms, however I will not be sidetracked by those for the sake of this discussion.

Now there is something about Voodoo and its forms that you must understand. Voodoo isn't like what you see on TV, it is a religion that believes in healing and helping those who cannot help themselves. There are curses and hexes, but no mainstream practitioner is going to use them, including me. I have hexed one person in the three years or so I have been practicing, it wasn't a good thing to do, but my teacher over looked it, because frankly it needed to be done (and yes, my curse did work).

Greymalkin is right, you cannot learn Voodoo or any of its forms from just books. I have been under the wing of a Voodoo practitioner for over three years now, and I am still learning something new almost daily. The books have also gotten a lot of it wrong.

[Greymalkin]

Maybe I'm wrong but I read somewhere that the traditional 'voodoo doll' isn't originally from Voodoo at all, it's originally from european Witchcraft and has been incorporated into voodoo.

I could be wrong of course.

[[Guardian Wolf]]

Maybe I'm wrong but I read somewhere that the traditional 'voodoo doll' isn't originally from Voodoo at all, it's originally from european Witchcraft and has been incorporated into voodoo.

I could be wrong of course.

That is true. Voodoo dolls is something made up by entertainers. We do our work with Gris-Gris bags, song and dance.

[Greymalkin]

Voodoo dolls is something made up by entertainers.

I don't know if that is true. Evidence of dolls (fith-faths, fetches) have been found all over Britain that go back hundreds of years.

[[Guardian Wolf]]

Voodoo dolls is something made up by entertainers.

I don't know if that is true. Evidence of dolls (fith-faths, fetches) have been found all over Britain that go back hundreds of years.

Sorry, as far as the Voodoo doll and its association with Voodoo.

[frisbee]

I appreciate the information. I've learned some new things today, and have found this an interesting discussion.

[Shadowmancer]

Actually, fetish magic goes back thousands of years. Most people tend to think of it being like the movies....where dolls are stuck with pins, etc. There are several references to fetish magic in ancient texts, translated into English, etc. I studied them for my college classes.

Curses do indeed work. All that need be done is that an image of the person to be cursed be constructed, using some personal article of theirs, ideally hair, nails, blood, etc. Then the doll is baptized in the person's name. From there, you can indeed stick it with pins. If you dip its head in water, the person will go insane. Bind it with red thread and the person will be helpless. And if you hang the doll by the neck for a week from a red thread, the person will die within a year. After having inflicted your damage on the fetish or doll, it should be buried in a graveyard or a place with a high sulfur content.

Remember that the point of most ritual is to focus your energies and powers on the task at hand. In very primitive magic, the ritual was performed with a chunk of wax or hardened earth, or even a bundle of dried grass or husks. Does cursing someone bring the evil back on the curser? I don't think it's in my realm to judge that. I do know that the one curse I performed in the above manner worked perfectly. My abusive father (who killed my mother) spent a year in an insane asylum and then died of a heart attack. His physical six months before that revealed the heart of an ox. It most definitely works. I wouldn't recommend it to most.

[Ayla_faza]

Voodoo dolls as we know them are known as different things all over the world. Most socities have witches who can curse and bend people, but more often than not its done with clothes of theirs in the middle east, in african socities it seems to be more hair, nails etc and the way the figures are produced is more often put of wax than material, and of course you certainly don't need a doll to curse someone, or even an item of theirs with enough spirit behind you need very little information and results can be very effective

A good introduction to the basics of voodoo is Sticks, stones, roots and bones.

[[Guardian Wolf]]

Actually, fetish magic goes back thousands of years. Most people tend to think of it being like the movies....where dolls are stuck with pins, etc. There are several references to fetish magic in ancient texts, translated into English, etc. I studied them for my college classes.

Curses do indeed work. All that need be done is that an image of the person to be cursed be constructed, using some personal article of theirs, ideally hair, nails, blood, etc. Then the doll is baptized in the person's name. From there, you can indeed stick it with pins. If you dip its head in water, the person will go insane. Bind it with red thread and the person will be helpless. And if you hang the doll by the neck for a week from a red thread, the person will die within a year. After having inflicted your damage on the fetish or doll, it should be buried in a graveyard or a place with a high sulfur content.

Remember that the point of most ritual is to focus your energies and powers on the task at hand. In very primitive magic, the ritual was performed with a chunk of wax or hardened earth, or even a bundle of dried grass or husks. Does cursing someone bring the evil back on the curser? I don't think it's in my realm to judge that. I do know that the one curse I performed in the above manner worked perfectly. My abusive father (who killed my mother) spent a year in an insane asylum and then died of a heart attack. His physical six months before that revealed the heart of an ox. It most definitely works. I wouldn't recommend it to most.

Not in Voodoo which is what we are talking about. In Voodoo the primary task is to invoke the spirits to bless, curse and use their powers on your behalf. The idea of using Voodoo dolls is very new and was mostly taken from the media and other things like that.

[star12]

that's interesting, I've heard that voodoo was very powerful, but I didn't know you could use it to bless, etc, like use it for good things as well. If i wanted someone to bless me or my career, how would I know if the person doing the voodoo is real and not scamming?

[Y0m]

Even though this topic is a little old, it will still get views. So I'm strongly cautioning against doing magic to harm anyone and do not play with this stuff!

It ruined my life for a while. I lost 2 jobs, my apartment became infested with mice, and I was constently bothered by spirits. I became so physically weak I would sleep all day and still feel tired.

Please don't do magic for bad, and do not play with this stuff. I wasn't trying to do anything bad and I still was cursed. You have been warned.


Much love,
Y0m