One of the oldest and most traditional conjures attributed to Marie Laveau utilizes little black coffins coupled with a doll baby or gris gris. The trick entails placing a coffin containing a doll, usually made of black fabric and/or covered with a shroud on the target’s front porch. The coffin may be flanked with a couple of black candles and topped off with a gris gris bag for good measure. Coffin conjure marries the classic container spell with doll baby conjure and front porch conjure. It is not at all uncommon to find workings such as these that combine elements of different classes of conjure.
Coffin conjure may or may not have death to the target as the goal. The intention could be to simply scare the crap out of someone, or it may seek to make an undesirable neighbor to move. It can also serve as a warning to an abusive husband. It definitely seeks to end something, and it used to be so commonplace there were newspaper articles written about it when it happened. It always served to psyche people out, which was half the intended fun for the worker. Take the following incidence, for example, when two small coffins were found on the back steps of two residents in New Orleans:
Coffin conjure may or may not have death to the target as the goal. The intention could be to simply scare the crap out of someone, or it may seek to make an undesirable neighbor to move. It can also serve as a warning to an abusive husband. It definitely seeks to end something, and it used to be so commonplace there were newspaper articles written about it when it happened. It always served to psyche people out, which was half the intended fun for the worker. Take the following incidence, for example, when two small coffins were found on the back steps of two residents in New Orleans:
Last night, two small coffins were found on the back steps of two residents on Canal Street – the rear portion. These coffins were filled with black feathers in bunched and sulphur, emblems of the inferno. The residences were owned by poor people. The poor are sometimes too superstitious. This was to play on their superstitious feelings till they became alarmed and sick, and then have voudous summoned to avert the evil spell. The five dollars are the compensation. This is a bad time for these imps of darkness to try their infernal tricks. If they are caught they might be lynched. Let the Irish voudou use her whiskey, onions, cards and salt, if any choose to take them of their own free will. But these coffins, sulphur and feathers, charms bespeak an infernal design. (The Ouachita Telegraph 1873)
As I mentioned, many times coffin conjure is coupled with other sorts of nefarious magic. This next example is pretty extreme in the measures the conjure worker went to in order to make a point and effect a desired outcome:
A VOUDOU MAID, Who Has Been Frightening a Whole Family by Her Vagaries. Mrs. Mathe, residing on Dumaine street, between Rampart and St. Claude, has a female enemy who wishes to annihilate her and her whole family, and she proposes to do it by Voudouism. This fact has been openly demonstrated by the vicious believer in the power, but so far, she has not been successful. Her attempts have been often and varied, yet fruitless, except in so far as annoying Mrs. Mathe and her family. Friday a week ago this wickedly inclined woman, whoever she may be, while Mrs. Mathe and her family were asleep, repaired to her residence and covered the steps leading from the street with oil, teeth of animals, horses' hair, herbs and fins of fishes. As this amount of trash did not produce the desired result, the Voudou missionary repaired to the house Sunday night and applied another dose to the steps. Mrs. Mathe on arousing yesterday morning discovered the work of the voudou woman. It consisted in the steps being first colored with a heavy coat of coal tar, which was dotted with large drops of candle grease. On the third step was placed a small coffin containing the figure of a baby, and around the coffin were placed several small candles. On the lid of the coffin rested two matches, crossed to represent cross-bones, which was in keeping with a little skull that Was laid at the head of the coffin. To the right of the coffin was a cake of red soap in the shape of a heart, while two large animals' teeth were to the left. When Mrs. Mathe discovered the things on her doorsteps, although she is not a believer in voudouism, she was terribly shocked, and nothing can persuade her to believe but that it is the forerunner of some terrible catastrophe that will happen either to herself or to some member of her household. Some gentlemen have interested themselves in the case and are on the watch for this voudou mischief-maker.
To Make a Person Move
Here is an old Southern hoodoo spell that uses the infamous New Orleans black coffin. It is rather morbid compared to modern day conjures but is provided for its historical value. Take a 20 x 20 piece of red flannel and tie a foot of a dead animal to each corner. Make a black Voodoo doll or buy a doll and dress it in black and attach a taglock to the doll. A taglock is something personal that belongs to the person that the doll represents. It can be a photo or personal item of some sort that belongs to your enemy. Place the doll in a small black coffin. Grab some powdered sulphur and take it, the cloth, and the coffin with the doll inside over to the home of your enemy. Discreetly lay out the cloth on your enemy’s doorstep and make a cross in the center with the powdered sulphur. Put the coffin with the doll inside on top of the sulphur. Do not close the coffin. When your enemy opens the door and sees this work, they will surely leave.
Traditional New Orleans Voudou Black Coffin Spell
This spell is good for transformative magick, where the doll symbolizes the transformation of something negative into something positive, or the death of something old into something new, such as old ideas or habits into new ideas or habits. Perform this spell during a waning moon to remove an enemy, bad habit, or emotional distress from your life. For this working you will need the following items:
Attach a photo of your target to the Voodoo doll with a black pin and write your target’s name nine times on a piece of parchment paper. If you are seeking to stop a bad habit or resolve an emotional issue, write your desire on a piece of parchment paper and pin it to the doll. On top of and crossing the person’s name or statement, write nine power words that describe your feelings for this person or condition, such as “wicked,” “evil,” “hate,” “sick,” etc. Attach the name paper to the doll with a black pin. Lay the doll in the coffin and sprinkle with graveyard dirt and herbs. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice from both halves over the doll. Close the coffin with the lemons, herbs and doll inside. Set three black candles on top of the coffin by dripping a bit of the wax on top of the coffin and sticking the candle into the melted wax. Light the candles. When they have burned down, take the coffin to a cemetery and find a tomb with a cross and bury the coffin under the closest tree to the grave or directly behind the headstone. Alternately, bury the coffin with a cross in the farthest left corner of your backyard.
- Black doll
- Photo of target
- Coffin
- Graveyard dirt
- Mullein
- Spanish moss
- Mugwort
- 3 black candles
- 1 lemon
Attach a photo of your target to the Voodoo doll with a black pin and write your target’s name nine times on a piece of parchment paper. If you are seeking to stop a bad habit or resolve an emotional issue, write your desire on a piece of parchment paper and pin it to the doll. On top of and crossing the person’s name or statement, write nine power words that describe your feelings for this person or condition, such as “wicked,” “evil,” “hate,” “sick,” etc. Attach the name paper to the doll with a black pin. Lay the doll in the coffin and sprinkle with graveyard dirt and herbs. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice from both halves over the doll. Close the coffin with the lemons, herbs and doll inside. Set three black candles on top of the coffin by dripping a bit of the wax on top of the coffin and sticking the candle into the melted wax. Light the candles. When they have burned down, take the coffin to a cemetery and find a tomb with a cross and bury the coffin under the closest tree to the grave or directly behind the headstone. Alternately, bury the coffin with a cross in the farthest left corner of your backyard.
