The voodoo lucky charm: the result of a painful history, that of slavery
Voodoo is a derivative of religions that have existed in Africa since time immemorial. Some specialists estimate that some of the practices that make up this spirituality are more than 10,000 years old. Among them, there is the voodoo lucky charm.
When arriving in America, African slaves brought with them part of their beliefs. Mix that with a bit of Catholicism and a story unfairly filled with suffering, and you get Voodoo. European settlers believed that by separating different ethnic groups, they would be more easily manipulated. However, in the misery of slavery, Africans managed to find a common thread in their faith. The voodoo lucky charm quickly became a rallying sign for millions of oppressed people.
Of all the places where voodoo has flourished, Haiti has something special. It was priests of this religion who brought about the revolution, then the liberation of the island. Voodoo is therefore part of its history, forever.
Let us also clarify one last point. If you want to learn voodoo and its rites, if you want to use the voodoo lucky charm for your own benefit, you are not in the right place... The voodoo doll should not be used to do evil, zombies ( yes, they do exist in certain forms) have nothing to do with those of the legends and the famous loas (kinds of deities) are not all ill-intentioned.
In fact, being interested in the voodoo lucky charm requires leaving your preconceptions aside. The powers that this field of study confers also imply having to go through secret initiation rites to perhaps one day be able to claim it.
If, on the other hand, this culture interests you and you find that a voodoo lucky charm is an amusing reminder of the history of a people that you never want to see fall into oblivion, well you have made the right choice coming here.
The history of Voodoo
The voodoo religion (also known as voodoo or vodoun) is an ancestral religion with most of its roots coming from Africa and which constitutes a complete philosophical, theological and cosmogonic system.
Today practiced by millions of people around the world, voodoo remains more present in the Caribbean (notably in Haiti ), in South and Central America, in the South of the United States (voodoo is very present in New Orleans, Louisiana ) and in West Africa (that's where this religion comes from).
There are voodoo lucky charms from each of these places. It is therefore clear that when we talk about this kind of jewelry, symbols and charms, the local cultural influence will be preponderant.
In short, Voodoo is often seen as a syncretic religion mixing animism and traditional African spiritualism with Catholicism coming from Europe through successive waves of immigration to America.
From the 15th century onwards, millions of West African natives were taken from their land and taken to work in the colonies on the other side of the Atlantic.
Inevitably, these individuals brought their religion with them, and just as logically, their religion evolved over time.
So when you see a voodoo lucky charm, be aware of its deep African roots.
In short, it is therefore quite natural that the regions which saw the emergence of this type of religious practice were those where trafficking was the most intense.
The place of the grigri in this religion
The grigri is often described as a voodoo lucky amulet which concentrates all that is most powerful and most magical in this mystical tradition.
Often designed to protect the wearer from curses, evil spirits and bad luck in general.
Sometimes, on the contrary, a charm can be cursed and used to harm the person with whom it has been placed (without their knowledge of course.)
Although the exact origins of the word grigri are unknown, some historians link it to the African language word "juju", meaning "fetish".
This describes well what it is about: voodoo charms are kinds of small lucky objects made of odds and ends to which a priest (or, failing that, a simple practitioner) confers certain powers through prayers or rituals..
Certain charms can be created in honor of voodoo deities (the famous loas, or lwas) which can also offer additional benefits for the wearer.
The most common type of grigri, however, remains the mojo bag, a small fabric bag filled with stones, dried plants and crystals carefully chosen for their capabilities.
This type of grigri often seeks to bring together a trace of each of the four natural elements: earth through crystals or stones, air through powders, water through freshly cut plants, fire through ashes.
Voodoo dolls: powerful voodoo lucky charms
Since the very beginning of human history, dolls have been used in magical rituals.
Invocations, spells and curses, situations where large or small figurines were used by sorcerers and priestesses are numerous.
In fact, when African traditions were integrated into Voodoo culture, the practice of magic was also introduced into the new religion, particularly magic practiced through idols.
Concretely, voodoo dolls are used to exercise a certain power over a person, from a distance, as if they were a remote control capable of controlling the will and actions of an individual according to the good will of the individual. who would own the magic doll.
Despite some preconceived ideas, this type of voodoo lucky charm is generally used with the intention of creating positive effects, such as bringing money, luck or love to a person we would like to help get better..
Yes, a voodoo doll in itself is not necessarily something dark or bad. On the other hand, like many magical objects and lucky charms, (very) bad people can use them for (very) bad reasons.
Few people know it, but most of the tools used by sorcerers and magicians were initially created for the practice of white magic.
Imagine a black slave oppressed by years of forced labor on a plantation in Haiti... It is easy to understand how such a person could use his knowledge to harm those who attached him, thus taking part in the greater part dark occult art of voodoo.
The veve: an amulet or talisman for each god
Veve (sometimes spelled vévé in French) are motifs used in voodoo to invoke the spirits and higher deities, the Loa.
Like many other types of lucky amulets (oh well, you'll find some here), veves are worn around the neck in daily life... but not only that.
Similar to the gods of any classical pantheon (we can think of that of the Greeks or Egyptians for example), each Loa has its own powers and personality.
Whether we are talking about Baron Samedi, Papa Legba, the Erzulie sisters or even Maman Brigitte, they are all radically different. This is also wonderfully noticeable through the veve, the voodoo lucky charms attributed to them.
Although, as we said earlier, there can sometimes be some regional differences, the veve of the main voodoo deities will be the same wherever you go.
The origins of veve are often complex, and historians still debate the issue today.
For some, they come from certain invocation rituals formerly practiced in Africa. The Kongo or Aja peoples, and the ancient kingdom of Dahomey are often cited.
For others, this tradition comes from indigenous people of the Caribbean, notably the Tainos of Haiti.
Regardless, the fact is that these drawings often serve as voodoo good luck charms due to the close connection they represent with the Loa.
Traced in the form of seals or glyphs on tombs, placed on flags, painted on walls or tattooed on bodies, veve often serve as magical protection or blessing.
