How to Make a
Spirit Doll
In the
Sat. March 17th,12:00
pm to 3:00 pm
Instructor
Denise Alvarado
This highly
experiential workshop will take you step by step through the process of
creating your very own powerful and authentic spirit doll in the New Orleans
Voodoo conjure art tradition. A brief history of spirit dolls and an
introduction to New Orleans Voodoo will be provided. You will learn how to consecrate your Voodoo spirit
dolls and make them ready for ritual and meditative use in front of an
authentic Voodoo altar. You will also learn a simple spell to use with your
spirit doll.
Dress
comfortably and bring two sturdy natural sticks (no dowels or purchased
fabricated sticks) that measure 6 to 8 inches and 4 to 5 inches respectively.
These sticks form the foundation of the spirit dolls to be made and should be
chosen with care and intention. All other materials will be provided. Please
note that participants must be 18 years of age or older to participate.
The cost for
this workshop is $50.00. Sign up now! Class is limited to 12 participants.
Class is held at
Whispering Winds
1st Ave. NW
Rapids
(319)366-3600
Questions? Email
me: Voodoomama@mysticvoodoo.com
If one were to do a Google search for the term conjure art, not much would
be revealed. Oh, there is plenty about “conjure” itself, and use of the word as a synonym for “create”, “summon”, “call up”, invoke” or “stir up” is very popular. Of course, art is
everywhere and needs no explanation. But what is “conjure art”, exactly?
Well, I could just point you to the Mystic Voodoo website so you can see for yourself. But, there you will see only the end product of the process of what I call
“conjure art”. It does little to help you understand the nature of the process
of creating sacred art.
So, let’s start with the basics. To define “conjure”, we turn to a Google
search for definitions on the web:
- raise:
summon into action or bring into existence, often as if by magic;
“raise the specter of unemployment”; “he conjured wild
birds in the air”; “call down the spirits from the
mountain” - bid:
ask for or request earnestly; “The prophet bid all people to become
good persons” - conspire:
engage in plotting or enter into a conspiracy, swear together; “They
conspired to overthrow the government”
wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn - To
summon entities from the spirit realm into the physical plane.
www.spiritonline.com/dictionary/c.html
1. transitive and intransitive
verb invoke supposed supernatural forces: to call upon or order a supposed
supernatural force or being by reciting a spell… He was struck dumb by the very
demons he was conjuring. 2. transitive verb: to influence with spell: to change
or influence something by reciting a spell or invocation
www.cprs.info/definitions.htm
“The word “conjure” — as in “conjure work” (casting spells)
and “conjure woman” (a female herbalist-magician) — is an old
alternative to hoodoo,
thus a conjure hand is a hoodoo bag, one made by a conjure doctor or two-headed doctor.” http://www.luckymojo.com
the traditional New Orleans fashion out of Spanish moss and sticks, and then
they dictate to me who they will become. At least some of the time. Other
times, I know who they are when I see just a stick. I hand sculpt their faces
out of polymer clay and then paint them.
But there is a process to this. The first thing I do before I begin my artistic conjuring, is I get centered. I spend a few moments in silent thought and prayer and open up to the loas, orishas, and the Universal Divinity. I annoint myself and my hands with sacred annointing oils so that all I touch in the process of creating is also annointed. Then, I allow the Spirits to channel through me, to become who they want to be in this physical plane. I allow the energy flow to dictate who will be made. Will it be Papa Legba? Oya? Shango? Or will it be a Hoodoo Root doctor? A Masa spirit? Exu? Serket?
Perhaps I have an order for a particular deity, such as Ochosi.
Ochosi is the Santeria Orisha that
represents the forces of nature and justice. He is the patron of
prisoners and the accused. Ochosi is a great magician and
seer; as well as a warrior, hunter and fisherman.
He symbolizes balance, judgement, and reason. Ochosi’s colors are blue and
orange, or blue and yellow, and his numbers are three and
seven. His power symbol is a bow and arrow. He is described as a beautiful, wild hunter who wears skins. For more information, check out http://www.mysticvoodoo.com/ochosi.htm.
These are some of the things I know about Ochosi. I meditate on him and gather materials that will exemplify his nature. I choose two sticks that speak to me as He. I then begin to create him as a Voodoo doll. The process is more often than not a smooth one. But, if I am rushed, or if I attempt to control the process, I begin to spin my wheels and things just don’t seem to work out. I end up having to redo things and put it aside for awhile, until I am able to let go of the control. Then things become seamless again. It never fails to happen this way.
