The Voodoo Doll Spellbook: A Compendium of Ancient and Contemporary Spells & Rituals

by Denise Alvarado

From the author of Voodoo Dolls in Magick and Ritual, Alvarado’s collection of spells and folklore captures perfectly the drama and mystery of humankind’s relationship with magickal dolls throughout history. With contributions by Doktor Snake and Carolina Dean, the triumphs and hardships of daily life are in the rituals, words, and formulas, set against the spiritual backdrop of ancient Greece, Malay, Mexico, Africa, Europe, the Deep South and New Orleans. Whether you are a practitioner of the occult or simply a lover of folklore, you will find this book provocative, alluring, informative and entertaining. How would you like to open Marie Laveau's trick bag of Voodoo Doll spells? The Great and Powerful Voodoo Queen of New Orleans, Marie Laveau, was known to create little dolls and place them on the doorsteps of enemies, or use them to win court cases, or to unite lovers. She had a veritable goldmine of brilliant methods for gaining the knowledge she needed for her spells to be effective. One ploy was to surreptitiously place a Voodoo doll near the front door of her victims, more often than not the house-servants of well-known New Orleans families. When the Voodoo doll was discovered, the victim was convinced they had been hexed by someone other than Marie, and would run to Mam'zelle for help. Marie would render the doll harmless if the victim agreed to act as her spy and provide her with information about the affairs of the prominent family where the victim worked. Now that is one hell of a magickal manipulation!Doktor Snake, author of the cult classic the Voodoo Spellbook, tells how to make money with a Voodoo doll and how to protect yourself with a Voodoo doll. Pagan author Carolina Dean provides a nifty spell for tripping up a thief.Inside this book you will find countless secret spells that help you to bind your enemies, banish naysayers, bend people to do your will, and win court cases. For the first time anywhere, you will learn the secret for how to make a Get Even Gris Gris Doll to even the score. Learn how to break up a couple, destroy all of your problems, get a job, cure sickness, call forth spirits, win in games of chance and attain success. Inside, you will find spells to make yourself irresistible, find a lover, make your lover faithful, and spice up your sex life. And that is just the tip of the iceberg.How would you like to know how to make your wishes come true? Or find true love? Catch a thief? Keep your dog or cat from wandering off? Break a curse? Or drive someone crazy?Many of the spells in this book are based on ancient recipes and rituals that are found in the anthropological literature and archeological records, such as spells from ancient Egypt, Chaldea, Greece, Africa, and Europe. Other spells are based on spells found in ancient sacred texts, and many are from the grimoires of the author herself, shared for the first time in the Voodoo Doll Spellbook. A logical follow up to the author’s previous work, Voodoo Dolls in Magick and Ritual, the Voodoo Doll Spellbook picks up where the former leaves off, providing you with information never before revealed for improving any area of your life using one of the oldest tools of humankind - the Voodoo doll.

Genres: Witchcraft, Occult, Nonfiction, Spirituality

242 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2010

About the author

Independent scholar, ritual artist and prolific author of Southern folk magic, spiritual traditions and culture. I create art and describe my life experiences as a Creole woman growing up in the Hoodoo capitol of the World, New Orleans, Louisiana. That said, my life experiences are by no means limited to New Orleans as I have been all over the world and currently call Arizona my home.

Please visit my website: Creole Moon

Reviews

[Carolina Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclaimer- I wouldn't feel right publishing this review without disclosing that I contributed one spell to this work, which the author found in my blog and thought would make an excellent contribution to this book.



The Voodoo Doll Spellbook is the direct follow up to Denise Alvarado’s Voodoo Dolls in Magick and Ritual and promises to be the first in several volumes. Whereas the former delved into the history and types of dolls, the latter contains over 180 spells and rituals from various magickal disciplines including Hoodoo, Voodoo, Wicca, Paganism, and Ceremonial Magic.


Though these spells come from various traditions, they all have one thing in common, that is, the construction and use of dolls used in the casting of spells. The author gives detailed instructions on how to construct various types of dolls (poppets, effigies, waxen images, etc…) as well as how to use them to achieve various goals. The spells themselves are organized by purpose in an A to Z format for easy reference.

In addition to the spells, Alvarado has gone a step further and included various formulas for oils, and powders such as Lost and Away Powder and Bend Over Oil among others which some practitioners may be familiar with and which are utilized in the casting of spells. The inclusion of these formulas alone is well worth the price of the book. Throughout the Voodoo Doll Spellbook there are several photographs and illustrations of various voodoo dolls in the author’s collection which add to the mystique of this powerful tool of magick!

Although the author has included some basic information on the theory behind how magic works, I suggest you refer to Alvardo’s previous work Voodoo Dolls in Magick and Ritual if you wish to delve into the history of voodoo dolls. The Voodoo Doll Spellbook is a practical, hands-on grimoire on the art of casting spells using various types of dolls. Here you will find everything you need to construct a doll in order to cast a spell for virtually any practical goal. This is a reference that you will return to again and again.

[Lilith Dorsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Voodoo Doll Spellbook was written by Denise Alvarado, with foreword by Dorothy Morrison ( a dear friend who also ironically wrote the foreword for my book.) I have the utmost respect for Ms. Alvarado and I have long enjoyed her artwork and her writings. I eagerly looked forward to hearing what she was going to write about this problematic topic.
“Voodoo Dolls,” are the stuff of Hollywood legend. In the book Ms. Alvarado makes this clear from the very start saying ” Hollywood and the media are not the only ones to blame…. the presentation of the evil Voodoo doll began with the enslavement of African people and subsequent attempts to dehumanize them.” New Orleans Voodoo has long been the target of such demonization on many levels. This book helps to challenge that.

[WriteKnight · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0 of 5 stars – Nice, Interesting Collection for the Uninitiated.
(I'm excited to have won this as a Goodreads First Read – so thanks, Red Wheel/Weiser!)

I’m intrigued by voodoo and magic (being from Mississippi, frequent partier in New Orleans, and a big fan of American Horror Story: Coven); and as an amateur myself, I read more for curiosity and cultural interest. This did not disappoint me in giving me good spells and background that tickled my fancy.

To me it seems that Denise Alvarado was very knowledgeable about the topic, organizing the book well and clearly spelling out the spells. Although the “Voodoo” of the main title represents only about half of the book, I appreciated that it included as well a collection of spells and rituals that were true to the subtitle, drawing from ancient and foreign cultures beyond the Alvarado’s New Orleans roots.

I imagine this would be a good starter for the beginner, or a good reference for the more experienced; and as for me, this served well as a good intro to a whole culture of spells and rituals.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely book!

I truly enjoyed this book, there really is no book like it on the market. It is packed full of various doll spells, from simple cloth dolls to dolls made of sugar and dough. It really is a treasury, containing bits of folklore and juicy morsels from other times, cultures, and histories. Not to mention that there is a liberal sprinkling of authentic formulas. Even though I still feel like the author capitilizes on super spoopy Bayou negro magic, this is one book I can't find anything to dislike. Four stars.

[Claudia Loureiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is fantastic. So much information in it. Not only a great read it is a wonderful reference book that I will go back to again and again. I have several of Denise's books and I am not disappointed in any of them. I would highly recommend this book!

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good collection of doll magic. I think that the using the word "Voodoo" in the title is a little deceiving seeing as spells relating to Voodoo and Hoodoo really only make up half the book.

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting book. If you are looking for voodoo doll spells or spells that use dolls this is a good starting point.

[ReD · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly well researched. Full review coming later.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book to read, I like to explore other paths and practices though I will probably never personally perform any of these spells myself because I'm not from those particular practices, out of respect. Learnt quite a lot, but one thing in particular that caught my attention was 'Ushi no Koku Mairi', which is also known as Japanese Voodoo. I didn't have a clue this practice even existed and interestingly it's against the law in Japan to perform.

[Mitchell Stern · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title of this book is misleading to an extent, but it is also a rare case of the book being even better than implied. Alvarado outlines a range of spells involving dolls from a diverse range of occult traditions and takes steps to include information many other authors would leave out assuming the reader already knows them.

[Autumn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good. My 2nd favorite.

[Lindsey Lawntea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received my copy today - I'll let you know how my ex is doing soon!

I would have preferred if there had been illustrations but it is an interesting book.