Dr Snake Offers Internet Voodoo Hoodoo: Make a pact with the Devil over the internet

Evening News 24

August 22, 2003 12:00

THEY say it's better the devil you know and a Norwich voodoo practitioner is offering musicians the chance to snap up a pact with the Devil over the internet.

The mysterious Doktor Snake is auctioning off what he claims is a "genuine Devil's contract" and reckons he can guarantee fame and fortune to the person who bids the most on internet auction site eBay.

The witch doctor said he expected his offer to conduct a ritual called the Crossroads Rite to attract a bid of at least £500.

Snake, author of Doktor Snake's Voodoo Spellbook, said he made the pact himself in the swamps of Louisiana and then won a publishing deal.

Legendary blues man Robert Johnson was said to have sold his soul to the Devil at a crossroads in return for the ability to play blues guitar brilliantly.

Snake claimed a number of now high-profile rock singers and musicians consulted him about performing the Crossroads Rite before they became famous, but he said confidentiality prevented him revealing their identities.

But Snake, who lives on the outskirts of Norwich, stressed striking a deal with the devil was not quite as sinister as it sounded.

He said: "What lies at the heart of the Crossroads Rite is not about the

Devil.

"The Devil as prince of all evil is really a Christian invention. In the Crossroads Rite, the Devil is more a teaching spirit that gives you access to your inner-genius."

He explained by performing the rite it would bring the unconscious mind to the fore and unlock natural creativity.

He pledged: "This is a foolproof method of achieving a meteoric rise to fame and fortune. It might take a couple of years, but it will work."

But he stressed some modicum of talent was needed and the rite would only work on somebody who could already play and perform.

Snake, who also offers voodoo services such as how to get money quick and win the heart of the one you love, said: "It is partly a bit of fun but there is a more powerful deeper thing involved.

"It is such a part of rhythm and blues music and rock and roll. Everyone I have spoken to has at least a vague idea about the devil's pact."

Snake said he will guide the successful bidder through the ritual and said if it is somebody from Norwich it could even be done at a crossroads in the county.

While he would not reveal the location, Snake said the ceremony would involve roots, herbs and powders.

Snake said he became interested in voodoo when he met the late Earl Marlowe, a Trinidadian "conjure man" who Snake played in a band with in London during the 1980s.

Marlowe took him under his wing and taught him the arts of Voodoo - along with the secret lore surrounding the Devil's Pact at the crossroads.

Doktor Snake's eBay auction goes live at midnight on Sunday, September 7.

He said: "I have got a £500 reserve on it, but I could well get more than that. My feeling is that it could be more than a couple of grand, but if it is I will donate some of it to charity."

* You can get a sneak preview at www.doktorsnake.com/crossroads_rite.htm

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