It is very sad and unfortunate that many people have misinterpreted and misunderstood the Shari' method and value of Waseela. The Dangers of getting it wrong will be catastrophic!
My aim here is to keep it very simple and differentiate between that which is Halal and that which is Shirk and I pray to Allah that He gives us the ability to see the difference and protect our Iman.
It's not something new, instead it's very old, older than Islam and when done incorrectly, it becomes a Pagan act.
Islam came to wipe out Paganism, it came to wipe out Polythiesm, i.e. Shirk, associating partners with Allah. Islam came with Tawheed, The first Pillar of Islam!