Was It Voodoo?
25 Jun
A strange thing happened to me in New Orleans last weekend. It’s a funny story now, but when it happened, I had a total panic attack. A homeless woman attacked me on the street. She didn’t touch me, though. That’s the weird part. My story wouldn’t be as strange if she’d physically touched me.
The wild-haired woman stared at me, directly into my eyes, for about 5 straight minutes as we walked toward each other down the street. I thought that alone was weird enough, and it gave me a chill how she wouldn’t look away. I wanted to point her out to my husband, who was to my left, but because she was staring at me so intently, I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want her to see me talking about her.
As we got closer, she suddenly thrust out her arm toward my neck like she was trying to clothesline me. And then she pulled it away as I nearly walked into it, just as quickly. All of this while she never even blinked, staring into my eyes the entire time. As the woman kept walking, my entire body went kind of numb and I was shivering I was so suddenly cold. It was surreal. I have no idea how she could have maneuvered her arm so quickly. A stranger on the street approached me to ask what the hell just happened. To him, it looked like this woman stole my purse.
My husband chalked it up to some mentally ill homeless woman who just didn’t like me for whatever reason (what’s not to like!?) and was trying to scare me, and having the chills was my body’s adrenaline response. I, however, lost it and spouted off about her using voodoo on me (did you know that 15% of the population in New Orleans practices voodoo?). It took me about an hour to calm down (ok, maybe 2 hours) and realize my husband was probably right. During that hour (or 2), I longed to be with my son, who of course was many states away. I envisioned all kinds of bad things happening to me as a result of this encounter. Fortunately, it kinda sunk in (later, admittedly) when my husband said, “Who do you want to be more like: that crazy lady who believes she just did something to you, or me, who thinks this was just a funny weird thing that happened to you?” (or something like that).
Anyway, just thought I’d share my far out story, now that I see it in a different (less scary) light. I have to admit, I read a little about voodoo after this incident, and it’s actually not what Hollywood makes it out to be. It’s pretty interesting and not too scary.
What do you make of it? Should I head to my nearest church or psychic or whatever voodoo victims do? Or should I simply hope that woman gets the help she seems to need?
I totally would have freaked out too! All sorts of crazy ideas would have been running through my head. Of course, like you, after a few hours I would have been laughing about it too. You will never forget your trip to NOLA!
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You’re right, Dacia, I will NEVER forget my trip there. However, the incident already feels like I dreamed it or something.
Spells, enchantments, curses, they’re all true placebos – that’s why it’s advised that, when you curse someone, you somehow let them know they’ve been cursed (send them a poppet, or a burned down candle or whatever)! They work because the mind has the power to make us ill, heal us, and affect our outlooks on life such that it seems everything is going great (or badly).
If that woman cursed you, it’s because you saw it as a curse. It’s real not because it’s supernatural, but because the human mind does naturally super things with or without our consent! By that logic, Ian broke the curse by removing its power to frighten and freak you out.
The point is, you weren’t being silly – it’s a totally natural psychological reaction to have and even though she was a crazy homeless person, what she did was no different than placing a standard curse. Once we realize that WE control what happens to us, curses and charms lose their power. (It’s even possible to send a curse back to its caster… heehee.)
If you’re still worried, it’s totally okay to visit someone who knows how to deal with things like curses, but I promise you, even if they cover you in crystals and holy water and chant in Pig Latin, all they’re doing is placing a comforting placebo to counter the first. I’ve done it before myself! You can also perform a self-purification, which you can find instructions for in books or on the internet, to get rid of the lingering vestiges of weirdness she may have left behind on you. Just remember it’s important to go away KNOWING, not THINKING, that the ‘curse’ is broken and it can’t hurt you anymore.
Anyway, sounds like you had a fun trip! Makes me want to go there.
I’m glad you commented, Darcie. I’ve been wondering where you stand when it comes to this stuff. I’m no longer worried, that passed within a few hours of this incident, thank goodness. You made some really valid points that I agree with. Thanks!
I remember when you tweeted about this! So scary I would have panicked too.
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