Guatemalan Worry Dolls Questions and Answers

[Sharona22]

I used the Guatemalan Worry Dolls once and I am not sure if I did it correctly. I followed instructions in Lucky Mojo's free spells pages but I am not sure if they were meant for what I used them for.

If you say, "I want when I wake up not to have to be concerned about a certain situation because the worry about it is gone," then after you dispose of the worry doll it is gone. Is this correct??

[Literarylioness]

Sharona22,

You keep worry dolls near your bed or under your pillow. Every night before you go to sleep, you tell them your worries. They take away your worry. If you are a child, your mother may dispose of the worry doll, As an adult you may do as you choose -- keep the worry dolls or dispose of them in a nice place in nature. Their job is to take your worries away.

Mary

[Sharona22]

Thanks so much.

I could have sworn the package said or someone said dispose of them.

How long do you keep them f... orever?

Is each seperate worry doll for a seperate worry?

Can you reuse them?

Do you tell them your worries as a group?

Help. I think I really screwed up on the use and how do you phrase the worries

All Input needed

[Literarylioness]

Sharona22,

You can take them out into nature or you can keep them forever. Most people use one doll per night, but you don't have to separate worry dolls if you don't want to They are a group.

I have mine in a box. I can hold the box in my hand and tell them my worries, then go to sleep. There is no phraseology for worry dolls. You just tell them your worries. It's not that complex.

Mary

[Sharona22]

The ones in Lucky Mojo come in a little bag.

I guess I will reorder, thanks for the clarification

[coastwitch]

Sharona22,

I have seen them in bags or in boxes. The way I was taught to work with them was to give one to the child each night and instruct the child to tell a worry to it -- and in the morning both the doll, and the worry, would be gone.

[Sharona22]

What is the history brhind them? How often can you tell them worries? You always keep them under pillow?

[Sharona22]

What will happen if I broke up the set took them out of the bag and threw the ones I used out I did dispose of them in running water even though I know now I should not have.

Can you all let me know specifically if I am now doing the worry dolls right? I tell them my worry enclosed in the bag and keep them under my pillow all the time. Do I keep up with the same worry till my problem is fixed??

Then can I use new worry?

Can I use 2 sets for 2 different issues or can I use 2 sets to make them stronger.

Please reply soon

[coastwitch]

I like the idea of a child telling one worry to each doll and the mother carrying the worry doll away. The doll is not trash to be disposed of but a helpful little spirit. I like the idea of setting the dolls in sweet hiding places in nature.

You may purchase as many dolls as you have worries. If you run out of worries, so much the better for you.

Blessings.

[Literarylioness]

Sharona22

I am going to answer all your questions in one post.

Worry Dolls are traced back to Guatemala, but they have sprung up all over Latin America. I have a Peruvian set from my uncle. They were originally given to children to help them with nightmares. Tell the little worry dolls your worries and they will spirit them away.

I don't think you will have a problem if you took your worry dolls apart, but you might want to buy a new set and keep them together. They would be more affective that way. They are a bit of a novelty item and not specific to Hoodoo, so I think you are safe in keeping the incomplete set. If you feel the need to, you can give them a proper burial in your front yard.

When you get your new worry dolls, keep them in their bag and just tell them your worries each night before you go to sleep. They take all your worries and do not keep a running tab of them. If you still have your worry the next day, tell the worry to the dolls again before you go to sleep. There is no limit on a worry.

I hope that helps.

Mary

[Sharona22]

This helped totally thanks It was also interesting about the novelty I am guessing that sometimes if you believe hard enough it might just happen as with takeing your worries away.

[K_54_2]

That's really cool...I'll have to check out a set myself!

[bell22]

That's cool! I never heard about this worry doll..where can I get it? There's no one selling it in my home country...

______________________
reading pillow

[KhonsuMes]

Hi bell22:

Why, you can get them at Lucky Mojo!

Here is a link:

http://www.luckymojo.com/worrydolls.html

[cognitivedissonance]

Worry dolls are very popular in children's hospitals. They're not commonly used by adults.

[Devi Spring]

My grandmother always had worry dolls around, and most of my adult relatives had them too.

[Moxy]

these bring back great memories for me! My dad gave me them when I was young. I didn't know they LM had them, cool!!

[citizenrule]

can worry dolls b seen or touched by another person....coz for mojo it should not ne seen nor touched by a stranger....how abt worry doll??

[JieXuan]

hmm...i've learned something new again tonight. So mojo is not suppose to be seen or touched by any other individual. May I ask if adults are suitable for worry dolls too?

[jwmcclin]

Even as the worry dolls were intended for children, an adult can benefit as well.

[JieXuan]

I've already gotten the green light from my lady boss to order some on the next list.. but..can they really take away adults' worries too? I believe children worries are easier to take away but adults' worries sounds heavier..

[Lucylookingskyward]

I was curious, has anyone ever made/used a worry doll as a substitute poppet? That is to say, making the worry doll in the likeness of an intended target and using them in things like mirror boxes or other target-based work. Any thoughts?

[hortanainen]

I've got some of these, but I bought them as a souvenir when I went to Guatemala for holidays. The link that KhonsuMes gave you explains really well what they're used for:

In my opinion, the meaning is simply beautiful...

[chaitanya]

It has been awhile since my last visit here but if i recall, LM carrys Worry Dolls I'll have to browse through the Items in the online store but I'm pretty excited to have them once again, when I get around to ordering some things I just can't find in santa cruz.
I had them as a child and they really worked!
thanks and blessings
Chaitanya

[chaitanya]

Ah~ i just read about them in the online shop. They are the sweetest little items to give as gifts! even for my adult friends...can't wait till X-mass I'm so glad LM carries these

[dthomas]

I was told these dolls are called 'Memory Dolls'.

You keep one under your bed as you travel, and place the other ones in locations you wish to create a firm memory of and when you return home from your travels, you will have the one under your pillow to remember the others and their location/memory...

Is this completely false? Is there something along the lines of this?

[Miss Aida]

Hello, dthomas,

I went to Peru and they had worry these dolls everywhere.

In most parts of Peru, they were considered worry dolls and the instructions are the exact same as Lucky Mojo describes.

In some areas of Peru, I was told that you put them under your pillow and if you have a nightmare, you bury the doll (which will take the curse of the nightmare away).

But I have never heard of memory dolls. This is new information.

It could be the case that some areas of the world believe this but I am not aware of it.

So, thank you for sharing this information!

Wishing you the best

[Miss Aida]

Dear Professor Ames,

Can you please tell me about Worry Dolls?

[faxtrivia]

I learnt that worry dolls are used for people who have big worries and they are supposed to worry instead of that person. Thus, worry goes away. So can worry dolls or some kind of other doll can be used for a sick person to be sick instead of him/her so, he/she will be cured? I know it's kind of a weird question but it bugs my head lately.

[Miss Athena]

Hi faxtrivia,

Yes of course you could use worry dolls for a sick person. When we're sick, we worry, so it is appropriate.

Good luck.

[faxtrivia]

Miss Athena
But will it make the sick person better in terms of health? Also can I still use them if the sick person is not in the same city as I am?

[Papa Newt]

You may consider working the Worry Dolls by proxy.

[coastwitch]

Will worry dolls be mentioned in the new book "Hoodoo Dolls and Effigies"?

[JayDee]

coastwitch ,

I am not Miss Cat and have not received the book yet, however you can read what is in the book and what it is about here.

BOO-GRI-DOLL
Hoodoo Dolls and Effigies, by catherine yronwode
$12.00





You can order right here in the Forum by clicking on the blue Add To Cart button.

For more information, see:
https://luckymojo.com/hoodoodollsandeffigies.html

Here's what's inside:

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Dedication and Acknowledgements 4
An Introduction to Dolls 5

CRAFTING YOUR DOLL

What You Will Need 6
What Are Little Dolls Made Of? 8
..... Commercial Dolls, Stuffed Animals, Wooden Dolls 9
..... Cloth, Leather, Sock, Knitted, and Crocheted Dolls 10
..... Bone, Horn, Antler, and Feather Dolls 10
..... Clay, Mud, and Dirt Dolls 11
..... Paper Dolls 12
..... Wax, Butter, Fat, and Meat Dolls 13
..... Twig and Stick Dolls, Rope and Twine Dolls 14
..... Loaded Statuary Dolls, Figural Candle Dolls 15
..... Photograph and Tintype Dolls 16
..... Dough, Bread, and Cookie Dolls, Corn Husk Dolls 17
..... About Those Voodoo Dolls … and About Those Poppets 18
..... Linking the Doll to a Person 20
..... An Accurate Likeness, An Accurate Naming 20
..... Using Personal Concerns for Linkage 21
How to Stuff the Doll 22
How to Baptize the Doll 22

WORKING WITH YOUR DOLL

How to Speak to a Doll 28
How to Feed a Doll 30
How to Pierce or Stab a Doll, How to Drown a Doll 31
How to Tie or Bind a Doll, Use Moving Candles as Dolls, and Store a Doll 32
How to Put a Doll to Sleep, How to Clean Up After Doll-Work 33
How to Deploy or Dispose of a Doll 34
How to Unmake a Doll 35
How to Undo an “Oops” Doll Disposal 36
How to Kill a Doll That You Didn’t Make 37

FOR THOSE NEW TO MAGIC

Your Doll-Baby Questions Answered 38

DOLL SPELLS

Dolls for Romance and Love 44
Dolls to Draw and Hold Money 54
Dolls for Power and Success 60
Dolls for Pain and Suffering 66
Dolls to Cleanse and Heal 79
Dolls for Protection 84
Venerated Idols and Fetishes 92

BIBLIOGRAPHY 96

[catherineyronwode]

coastwitch --

Yes, Guatemalan Worry Dolls are given about half a page in my new "Hoodoo Dolls and Effigies" book -- along with dolls and effigies of other world cultures, including African Akuaba fertility dolls, Russian Matryoshka dolls, and Bulgarian Martenitsa dolls.

[AJoshua]

In Miss Aidas Book "Destroying Relationships", there is a spell that uses a Guatemalan Worry Doll to send away someone. I was actually thinking about using it recent because its so creative and fun sounding.

"Reverend Freds Up And Away Helium Balloon Spell" I suggest looking into it as well if you are interested!