Voyage Into Voodoo
There are more misconceptions about Voodoo than any self
respecting shaman might want to shake their rattle at ...
 Let
us start our brief tourist trip to Voodoo here - the word Voodoo is
an Americanized misspelling of original African source words
relating to God, and Spirit. Voodoo is actually a religion in its
own right, with a complete pantheon of gods and spirits known as
loas and orishas under one Creator.
What is particularly interesting about Voodoo is its origins.
When Africans were brought to North America, they brought their
childhood religions with them; but there were many different
variants which became not mixed up, but distilled in a very
interesting way. One might say that only those spirits survived and
entered into what is now the Voodoo pantheon which were agreed upon,
acceptable and recognisable to all concerned.
Later on, Christianity became entwined into the unfolding, living
religion of Voodoo or Santaria and in this way, it ended up
with those components that were found to be most useful and user
friendly to those who practised it.
At the heart of Voodoo magic lies the idea that spirits will help
a practitioner achieve their outcomes. It is not the practitioner or
priest working alone, but in conjunction with these deities
and supported by ancestral spirits. Notably one loa, Papa Legba,
the guardian to the gates between the worlds, is addressed to
open the door so that the practitioner may enter the spirit world,
and there enlist the help of the correct entity for the problem in
hand.
Like shamanism, Voodoo concerns itself with all aspects of human
existence, from healing to enquiry, from justice to revenge, and
from finding love to finding material support in the world.
 And
here we come to the very infamous "Voodoo dolls". Unlike the general
portrayal in horror movies, the first purpose of Voodoo dolls is to
represent a spirit or deity, so that the practitioner may be able to
contact that deity and acquire their assistance. This is no
different than praying to the statues found in temples across the ages, and
including depictions and altars to Christian angels, saints and martyrs.
However, and probably originally driven by the sheer poverty of
those who practised the religion of Voodoo, instead of big marble
sculptures provided by the ruling classes, the home made Voodoo dolls are a
far more intimate and direct connection to the helpful spirits,
making the relationship between a Voodoo practitioner and their loas
and orishas deeply personal in nature.
One might say that Voodoo dolls are deliberately raw and primal,
for here there is no attempt made to "recreate the deity". Instead,
the objective in making the voodoo doll is to create a portal, a
link which helps a human being concentrate and make the connection
with the spirit.
Thus the construction of a Voodoo doll is not a
question of prettiness or artistic merit but one of intent; it is
also one that does not exclude those who lack the skills to fashion
works from marble, or the money to pay for it.
Voodoo dolls with pins do exist, and of course, a blank doll may
be dedicated to represent a connection to another person as well as
to a spirit; however, cursing and injuring an enemy is just one item
on a very long list of uses for Voodoo dolls.
The pins, traditionally seven in number and colour coded to
represent various intentions, are physical representations of
intention energy the practitioner is placing on the target. So, for
example, if a physical healing needs to take place in the stomach
region, a pin of a specific colour may be inserted there by the
practitioner to bring about the healing and dispel any negative
energy which may reside there. The flipside of this is that one may
use the intention like a laser to harm, rather than heal; this is
nothing but the truth and acknowledged in Voodoo. It is up to a
practitioner how they deal with their own conduct relating to these
matters, for it is they who will always pay the ultimate price in
the end.
 When
people first come across the Voodoo pantheon, they are often shocked
because it includes spirits that are not at first glance altogether
pretty, or even friendly. Especially Christian based traditions seem
to have organised their pantheon in such a way that there may be
"good" archangels, saints and martyrs, but all the "bad" ones are
lumped together amorphously into one big scary "Satan" construct.
This could be said to be a device to stop people from being able to
contact these other spirits and gain their assistance in seeking
progress, personal power and essentially, FREEDOM.
The truth is that life contains many components, and not all are
rose coloured. Not all animals and creatures in this world are cute
or cuddly, but without them, the ecology wouldn't work at all and
they are not just a necessary evil, but in fact an essential part of
creation itself. The older pantheons across the world used to
reflect this simple fact, and Voodoo, with its roots going so far
back into the history of humanity, has brought this forward to
today.
There is an elegance, honesty and simplicity about Voodoo that
speaks to the parts of us who don't sit back and fold their arms in
scepticism, think and talk everything to death in a very practical
sense. There are many lessons to be found in this unique religion
that deserve to be met with fascination and interest, not least of
all the directness, vibrancy and love of life that is expressed here
for those who might like to explore it further.
Starfields
March 2007
Voyage Into Voodoo, Part 2:
Venus by Starfields
Making My First Voodoo Doll ....
 I
truly can't know just how and why it was that I found myself wanting
to make some poppets in late February of 2007. It's one of those
things once you give over a certain level of decision making to your
energy mind that unexpected behaviours start creeping in, and it is
often so that at least at the beginning, you have absolutely NO IDEA
as to why you might want to do that.
I am pretty sure that there are many people out there who get
such strange urges and ideas just the same as I do, but I guess the
difference is that when I get these, I do something about it. I call
this
"following the white rabbit all the way to the light", because
to start with, you really do not know where something will lead -
BUT if you do follow along with the strange idea, the fascination,
the enquiry, and you keep on going bravely, don't talk yourself out
of it and just play it out to its conclusion, you will get a PRIZE
at some point.
A breakthrough insight, a reality principle revealed, a personal
development taking place, a healing sometimes - it varies. But
there's always a prize and it's usually a surprise, as well.
So it was with the poppet making.
The first little poppet I made out of string one night; then I
went on to make
poppets from clingfilm. When I had about five of them, I started
wondering what to do with these poppets. As a part of this
wondering, voodoo dolls came to mind and I decided to look into
Voodoo a little further. I found a fascinating website that spoke to
me and spent three nights there, becoming familiar with the idea of
gods and spirits, and how to enlist their aid in projects and
endeavours.
Whilst I was doing this, I also became aware that over the years,
I had certainly started to build up a pantheon of my own - a
personal pantheon of entities I'd met along the way and to whom I
had a resonance. Many of these bore a striking resemblance to the
spirits from the voodoo pantheon, which is very raw and primal
compared to the more "evolved versions", such as the Greek, Roman
and Egyptian pantheons. I must say though that I had never thought
of making what is in essence, a statue *to* a spirit in order to
have a more personal relationship with it.
The idea intrigued me, and I decided to have a go at making my
own voodoo doll.
 I
chose a god/spirit/entity that I have been evoking quite a bit for
various reasons for the past couple of years, namely Venus. Now "my
personal Venus" is not quite what one might generally think of it
terms of Venus, as most people have a picture of a nude woman coming
out of a shell in mind when you mention that word. Mine is closer to
the idea of the star but still, it is there and that's what wanted
to have me try and make a portal in the shape of a human figure - a
voodoo doll.
I started by making the template doll and as it unfolded, it
wanted to be definitely female, with breasts, hips, buttocks and a
stomach too. This doll was also larger than what I normally make and
designed to stand up for itself.
Now began the process of "dressing" the doll - the act of
personalising it both to Venus, in a way, and to me, so that the
bridge can be made through the doll. And what a fascinating process
that was, indeed. A very three dimensional endeavour that had me
choosing colours and shapes, evoking ideas, and finding reversals
within myself, places where I would be uncertain or lose track of
what I was doing. I had particular problems with getting it straight
in my head, and keeping it straight, that I wasn't making a work of
art designed to DEPICT Venus, but instead, a simple tool that should
help me make a bridging contact with that energy, that essence.
I had to keep reminding myself of traditional voodoo dolls, which
are often nothing more than a bag of herbs with crude eyes drawn
upon it, and a few relevant coloured ribbons wrapped around, or a
couple of sticks and a bit of spanish moss, for that matter.
I wasn't "re-creating" Venus, I was just *contacting that
energy*. As I managed to resolve my various reversals on the topic
and keep that thought in mind, I found a great sense of relief and a
renewed passion to make a good job of this, and also a very
childlike JOY in the processes involved.
In a very meditative state where time just slipped away, I did
the practical work necessary, guided as one is in the "Art
Solutions" process absolutely by feedback from within as to what was
right, and what was not. As the light began to fade on that day, my
Venus was complete.
 And
here she is, my first ever voodoo doll.
I am quite surprised by many aspects of her, none of which were
"thought out consciously", they just needed to have happened.
She is very regal and glamorous, but also very quiet. More
radiant than I thought, and although I wanted to heap jewels upon
her, she only wears one nightblue gem and a necklace of five white
diamonds, with a big star diamond in the head piece. She also wears
a dagger in her belt; or you could call it a small sword, silver set
with abalone.
There are clearly things about her that I don't know yet, but I
would like to, very much indeed.
This is certainly a most fascinating thing to do.
Whilst I was making the doll, I often had a sense of tapping into
a very, VERY old thing, something that people have been doing for as
long as they've been people; a very basic religious thing that
touches parts of me that are far away, and awakens them.
Very difficult to describe but most interesting.
And I've got a Goddess in the house! Or, should we be more
correct about this, a portal to a Goddess.
I look forward to whatever may come next, and wherever the white
rabbit will go as it runs and twists and turns. So far, this has
been a most unusual delightful trip, very unexpected, very
intriguing and nourishing, in a strange and quite exciting way.
Starfields
March 2007 |
