Wicca, Wiccan Magick, Witchcraft, and Magic Spells

Historically defamed and badly included/understood, Vodun is a religion practised by a small group of people of Fon, of Mined, and ewe of coastal Western Africa. African Vodun is the root of all Vodun, including practices Haitian New-Orleans. Vodun is only one of the African traditional religions which accompanied Africa controlled in all the Diaspora where many the sects of Vodun continues to thrive. Similar to other religions, functions of Vodun to contribute to people to support the tests and the tribulations of the everyday life like the famine, the illness, and death, and to celebrate the life. The religion provides the lesson and the practices* about morality and of the spirituality to help its impassioned while evolving/moving their conscience.

In the Western world the doctor cures physical conditions, the psychologist tightens the psyche, and the religious ministers of clergy to the heart. In the ancient and traditional cultures the métaphysicien-shaman, witchdoctor, chief, priest/priestess, magician, magician-tightens all the aspects to be it. It is the holistic power of curatives. Like the majority of the religions, Vodun provides the structure for the starting transformation. The followers of Vodun are re-elected for their control of energy and their expertise with spirits, factories and ores.

Vodun teaches its impassioned about the spiritual components of the activities of the everyday life like the sex like facilitating in our voyage transformational. Sexual energy is powerful and its control helped our ancestors of Vodun to survive and then to thrive. Equipped with the power with their gods, and the wisdom of their ancestors, the experts of Vodun embark on a voyage eternal to control the ground and its elements, the divine one, and most definitely themselves. The ritual conquest of died in release is the seed of the enabling méticuleusement planted in the crowned ground of Vodun. Serfdom in its multiple and various forms like the abuse and the inclinations are defied and the operations strategized.

The reign of Vodunsi to the crossroads of terrestrial and the celestial one. In this position of power, they gather the deity, absorb them in their own temples of carnate (their bodies), wisdom and lesson absorbing déité', ordering their execution, and requiring their final gifts. Emulation of their divinity; their mission is to become divine. When the followers overflowing with knowledge are accumulated in their crowned internal cauldrons, they release the deity. The following alchemical processes are wrapped in the ritual and the ceremony, astutely disguising the gasoline of the religion of Vodun. What draws the attention from abroad are the “inhuman” acts pled like the sacrifice of an animal, but which slips by unperceived is the sacrifice of the individual who is implicit in the worship of Vodun. It is this final sacrifice which gains in Vodunsi the power and strength to continue on their way of explanation on ground.

The center of the religion of Vodun curses not people by sticking pins in images of them (in the form of headstocks of Vodun) or by transforming them into zombis. The spirituality of Vodun is concerned with the development of the internal aspect of the individual for the evolution. We must feed our divinity but we must also nourish us in order to be strong on the voyage. As in other crowned traditions, the evolution of our conscience is accomplished while concentrating on our hearts. The stress is laid on the development of the individual internal or spiritual, who is achieved by self-discipline, alive by a mode of the crowned guiding principles, emulating the divinity, and executant some practise crowned. It is major work of heart and changes thereafter the heart and the psyche. It is universally the spiritual way with the transformation.

Vodun because let us know we it in Haiti and the Haitian Diaspora today is the result of the pressures of much of various cultures and of the ethnic memberships of the people being uprooted of Africa and being imported towards Hispaniola during the transatlantic African Slavic trade. (1) under slavery, the culture and the religion African were removed, of the lines were reduced in fragments, and people put their religious knowledge and out of this fragmentation became culturelement unified. In addition to combining the spirits of many various African and Indian nations, pieces of catholic liturgy are built-in to replace lost prayers or elements; moreover images of the catholic saints are employed to represent various spirits or “misteh” [of the “mysteries”], and much of saints themselves are honoured in Haitian Vodun in their own line. This syncretism makes it possible Haitian Vodun to surround the European African, Indian, and ancestors in a whole and complete way. It is really a “Kreyol” or creole religion.

Most historically the important ceremony of Vodun in the Haitian history was the ceremony of Bwa Kayiman (Wood Caiman) of August 1791 close to the city of the Haitien hat which began the Haitian revolution, carried out by the priest of Vodun called Boukman. During this ceremony the spirit Ezili Dantor came to receive a black pig as an offer, and all the participants pawned themselves in the combat for freedom. This ceremony finally had like consequence the release of the Haitian people their French Masters in 1804, and the establishment of the first and only the popular Republic of black in the Western hemisphere, the first such a republic in the history of the world. (2)

Haitian Vodun came to the USA to a significant degree starting towards the end the Sixties and beginning the Seventies with the waves from the Haitian immigrants under the mode overpowering from Duvalier, taking the root in Miami, New York City, Chicago, and other cities mainly on the two coasts.

Vodunisants believe, according to the spread African tradition, that there is God who is the creator of all, appointed under the name of “Bondje”, of the French words “broad bean God” or “good God”. Bondje is distant from sa/sa creation however, and thus they is the spirits or the “mysteries”, of the “saints”, or the “angels” that Vodunisant turns to for the assistance, as well as to the ancestors. Vodunisant adores God, and serves the spirits, which are treated with the honor and respect as older members of a household could be. There would be twenty and one nations or “let us nanchons” spirits, sometimes also called the “lwa-yo”. Some of the more important nations of the lwa are Split it (of Allada in Dahomey), Nago (of Yorubaland), and Kongo. The spirits also come in the “families” that all share a surname, like Ogou, or Ezili, or Azaka or Gede. For example, “Ezili” is a family, Ezili Danto and Ezili Freda is two various spirits in this family.

In Vodun, spirits are divided according to their nature in roughly two categories, if they are hot or fresh. The fresh spirits fall under the category of Split, and the hot spirits fall under the category of Petwo. The spirits of Split are family and come most of the time from Africa, the spirits of Petwo are most of the time indigenous in Haiti and are more to require and require more attention with the detail than Split it, but both can dangerous if be annoyed or disturbed. Neither one nor the other is “good” or “badly” compared to the other.

Each one has spirits, and each person has a special relationship with a particular spirit one says that “has their head”, however each person can have much lwa, and that which have their head, or “the small fireclay cup met”, can or can which not to be the most active spirit in the life of a person.

All one says that the lwa lives in a city under the sea called Ile Ife or Vilokan. Except Agwe and its escort, which live in a different city below water.

All the lwa of Haiti are launched manbos and houngans. Many is also masons. Some of the more important spirits are as follows.

Dad Legba Atibon - it east reflect as an old man, the street Lazarre is used to represent it in the hounfo or the temple. It opens the door with the spirits, and translates it between the human languages and the languages of the spirits.

Marasa Dosu Proportioned - they are the twin children, in two or of the threes. Reflect with Sts. Cosmas and Damien, or three virtues.

Dad Loko Atisou and Manbo Ayizan Velekete - the prototypic priest and the priestess of the tradition. They confer the office of priesthood in release.

Danbala Wedo and Ayida Wedo - the white snake and the rainbow, together they are the alive beings oldest. Danbala introduces people into Vodun. The street Patrick and Moïse are used for Danbala.

Ogou Feray - he is a wild general who work hard for her children but can be depressed and sullen sometimes as well.

Ogou Badagri - he is a diplomat, and is rival in chief of Ogou Feray.

Ezili Freda - it is a ripe light-peeled woman who appreciates the finest things, jewels, perfume expensive, champagne etc It is said to clean all the men (or it thinks that it) and can be very jealous. It gives Romance and of luxury. It is so pure it must never not touch the naked ground. Its principal rival is her sister Ezili Dantor

Agwe Tawoyo - it reigns the sea and those which crossed the ocean, and is symbolized in its boat called “Imammou”. The street Ulrich is his counterparts of saint.

Gran Bwa Island - its name means “large wood”. It is a spirit of desert. It is wild and unforeseeable, and a section of the reasons of a temple of Vodun is always left wild for him. The street Sebastian is used to represent Gran Bwa.

Ezili Dantor - a lwa of Petwo, it is a simple mother black strong. She does not speak, but of the marks” a noise kay kay “kay in possession. She is consolidating and protective but dangerous is once awaked, even with her own children. Its image is MATER Salvatoris de Czestokowa. She often uses a dagger or a bayonet, and she of the colors are often red and blue-dark. A known fact little is that it is really an hermaphrodite, and takes men and women in the marriage.

Ti janv. Petwo - the son and in love one with Ezili Dantor.

Simbi - the lwa of Simbi of phase in fresh water rivers and are quite informed in the sectors of the magic and sorcery.

Bawons - they reign the cemetary and fall it. There is of three - Kwa, Samdi, and Simitye.

Gedeh - the spirits are all of Gedeh of the dead spirits which reign death and câlinent it and fertility. They drink rum soaked with 21 peppers of habanero and bathe their faces and the genitals with this mixture also, to show that they are which they say them are. They are sung for the end with a part for the spirits. The chief of Gedeh is Gedeh Nibo, with his wife Maman Brijit. The street Gerald represents Gedeh.

By serving the spirits, research of Vodunisant to carry out the harmony with their own individual nature and the world around them, expressed as the power and a private mean by facing the life. Part of this harmony is inside adhesion and reports/ratios of maintenance in the context of the family and the community. A house or a company of Vodun is organized on the metaphor of a family extended, and the initiates are the “children” of their initiators, with the direction of the hierarchy and the mutual obligation which implies.

The majority of Vodunisants are not launched, not indicated under the name being “bosal”; it is not a condition of being an initiate in order to serve as the spirits with one. It there has clergy in Vodun for which the responsibility it is to preserve the ritual one and the songs and maintains the relationship between the spirits and the community as a whole (however part of this is the responsibility of the whole community as well). They to carry out the service of all the spirits of their line. Priests indicated under the name of “houngans” and of the priestesses as “a manbos”. Below the houngans and manbos are the hounsis, which are initiates who act as assistances during the ceremonies and which are devoted to their own personal mysteries. One serves just no lwa but only that that they “have”, which is a question of individual nature and destiny to one, and sometimes a question whose spirits met and who take to like. Since the spirits are individuals, they answer better those with which they know or were personally presented. Which spirits a person A can be indicated to a ceremony, in a reading, or the dreams. However no matter who can and should be used their own ancestors as blood.

That says, there are some spirits or of the groups of spirits which have a particular relationship with humanity such as, it is not not very reasonable to say, no matter who could approach them with confidence if some basic forms and preferences are known, among the latter which are dad Legba Atibon, the gatekeeper of the spirits, Danbala Wedo, with which are known as have all the heads and are the oldest ancestor of all the life, and the Gedeh dad, who gives the voice to the spirits of deaths, and each one has deaths. I it care leave the reader to study the identities of these different spirits of other sources such as Vodunspirit Yahoo! forum. Moreover all the catholic saints are very accessible to no matter whom who asks for their assistance, such as the street Anthony or the street Michael.

Cultural values that Vodun embraces the center around the ideas of honor and respect - to God, with the spirits, the family and the sosyete, and with. There is a plural idea of adapted and of inaccurate, in the sense that what is appropriate to somebody with Danbala because their head can be different somebody with Ogou as a their head, for example -- a spirit is very fresh and the other is very hot. I would say that the combination of freshness is evaluated, and thus am the capacity and inclination to protect itself and his characteristic with the need. The love and the support in the family of the sosyete of Vodun seem to be the most important consideration. Generosity while giving to the community and the poor is also an important value. Our blessings come to us by our community and us should be laid out to give again to it alternatively. Since Vodun has such an orientation of the community, there is no “solitaries” in Vodun, only people separated geographically from their elder and house. It is not “do it yourself” religion - a person without report/ratio of a certain kind with the elder ones will not practise Vodun. You cannot select the fruit if you do not start with a root.

The religion of Vodun of Haitian is an enthusiastic tradition rather than fertility-based, and does not distinguish against the merry people or other strange people from some way. With the difference of in certain traditions of Wiccan, sexual identity of orientation or kind and expression of an expert is without concern in a ritual arrangement, it is right God of manner made a person. The spirits help each person to be simply the person who they are.

After one day or two of furnace bridges of establishment of preparation, ritually preparing and making cook the poultry and all other foods, etc, a service of Vodun of Haitian starts with a series of prayers and catholic French songs, then litanies in African Kreyol and “langaj” which passes by all saints and lwa European and African honoured by the house, and then series of worms for all principal spirits of the house. This is called “Priye Gineh” or the African prayer. After songs more introduction then the songs for all various spirits are sung. Because the songs are sung the spirits will come to participants by taking the possession from the individuals and while speaking and the action by them. Each spirit is greeted and greeted by the initiates to present and give readings, the council and treatments those which approach them for the assistance. Many hours later in the small hours of the morning, the last song are sung, leave of guests, and all hounsis and houngans and manbos exhausted can go to sleep.

On the level of the household of the individual, Vodunisant or” “of sevite/“servant” can make aim one or more tables for their ancestors and the spirit or the spirits which they serve with images or statues of the spirits, perfumes, foods, and other things supported by their spirits. The most fundamental bench is right a white candle and clear glass of water and perhaps of flowers. The day of a particular spirit, one lights a candle and indicates to one our father and Mary hail, greets the dad Legba and asks him that to open the door, and then one greet and speaks with the particular spirit like an older member about family. Ancestors are directly approximate, without mediation of the Legba dad, since they are in blood with one.

If a person feels as they “are called” or are approached by the spirits of Haiti, the first thing that a person should start to make is to serve their ancestors, perhaps starting with a novena of ancestor (see the bonds below). Monday is the day of the ancestors in our house, but ideally one speaks with their ancestors daily. If you do not honour your ancestors initially, they can obtain the inversion and be held between you and other spirits. The second thing is to seek a manbo qualified and worthy of confidence or houngan for a reading or a consultation. It can take a certain time of prayer, patience and effort to find a person suitable. The voyage can even be necessary. They can help to determine which spirits if can about it be implied and what if something could have to be done. To intend to pay a certain kind of fees their time - to the difference of much of Néo traditions--Pagan, in Haitian Vodun “the mesi gwan of Pa of the manbo E of youn travay houngan of louse” (“the manbo and the houngan do not function for large thank you”). It is true of different traditions African-based as well.

Release in Haitian Vodun is a serious question, and one advises to him not to run in Haiti with the first nobody whom you meet, on the Internet or elsewhere, see invisible or differently, which indicates they will initiate you. To take time to end up knowing your Mom or possible dad in Vodun, and the members of their company. To attend the ceremonies at the person, to put the questions, to learn, check the references. To serve your ancestors, to cultivate patience, and to wait. To pay the attention to the dreams or other messages of the spirits. For the majority of the people release is completely useless. It can advise to seek (while you no matter who differently!) and to weigh carefully, but to perhaps discount not necessarily out of any reflexion, no matter who who actively supports release in the Haitian priesthood of Vodun with slogans of sale and new buzzwords of age. Haitian Vodun does not convert and it is not on sale although even valid releases cost a certain amount of money, due to time, people, materials and travel implied. If you think of time and you worry takes it to make the best choice when you invest in a car or a house, or to rent a guard of children for the children, how much more important costs concern one of the spirit? At the end of the day, the reputations and the rumours are less important than an honest answer for a question however: Will I “be happy and satisfied having this person/these people in my life? A community is it where I can learn and develop me in a positive way? ” Only the researcher can answer this question for themselves, with the assistance of God. And helps it of the avançée sight of evaluation of danger of worship of Bonewits (see the bonds below).

Moreover there are other options without counting that release in Haitian Vodun with becoming more close to the spirits. While the concept of release obtains many airplay among foreigners, much more common among the Haitian community is the “mistik of maryaj”, or the mystical marriage, in which Vodunisant Marie literally the one or more lwa, in a complete ceremony with the wedding dresses, the rings, the cakes, and a priest. In the return it gains the special protection and the favour of the spiritual spouse. It generally takes place in one day exchange of sexual abstinence per week it where the human spouse receives the spirit in their dreams, and of all the others limit defined in the marriage contract.

Release for its part creates a reciprocal bond between the initiator and the new initiate with engagements each little as serious as the marriage, major even since it cannot be demolishes. The initiator and the initiate become the family with all joys and the burdens which can require. He also requires certain promises, responsibilities and engagements with regard to the spirits. With persistence and patience, the spirits will lead a person to the house and elder which are exact for them. Vodun is not a race, thus each researcher can spout out are allowed to take their time. The personal reports/ratios are the base even of Vodun and there is no product of replacement for time when it takes to cultivate them. I knew my houngan during three years before my own small fireclay cup of lava of prevailed (“dressing down”). We were friends a long time before I had any interest in or concept of any connection with Haitian Vodun which I could have. Some of my god-brothers waited longer than that. It is how it should be. In Haiti they would be all people who you grew with and you would know just who is which or would know somebody who knew somebody. In the United States, those of us who are not-Haitians have some more obstacles to surmount, but by the grace of God and the spirits which they are not insurmountable.

Initiate or not, once you belong to a house and chose elder, it is important to take the advice which they provide as for the manner of the things are made in their house, called “Regleman Gineh”. There is a diversity of the practice in Vodun through the country of Haiti and of the Diaspora, for example in the north of Haiti the small fireclay cup or the kanzwe of prevailed can be only release (according to my elder of Haiti in three different houses) while it is frequently in Cuba and in Dominican Dominican Republic, while in the left prince of With and the south they practise the rites of kanzo with three categories of release -- the senp, silicon pwen, and asogwe -- and the last is the mode most familiar of the practice apart from of Haiti. Some lines combine both, as reports/ratios of Manbo Katherine Dunham of his personal experiment in its book “island had. ” Kay Aboudja, my own house, is one of these lines. Although the general structure of the ritual and the practice are the same one through Haiti, the small details of the service and the been useful spirits will change house at the house, and information in books or on the Internet can be contradictory. When in the doubt, the label dictates that one consult their own Maman or dad in Vodun, and the practice while they direct according to the regleman of their line, since “each manbo and houngan is the head of their own house”, like stating common to Haiti taught me by states of Houngan Aboudja.

While the total tendency in Haitian Vodun is very preserving in agreement with its African roots, there are no singular, final, one and only exact true and only Haitian Vodun (MT), only what is exact in a house or a particular line. In other words, if you read something on a Web page or a book, and contradicts to him what your manbo or houngan indicates to do, go with what they say. This can seem restrictive on the surface of a Néo prospect--Pagan recluse, but since you did your work and took time to draw up a positive report/ratio of confidence with your elder in front of time, it will not be the case in practice. Good a parallel is the manner that each one practises the same manner in Wiccan coven the context. Finally all comes from the spirits and the ancestors however. It is not a question of the personal preferences because it often can be in popular sorcery or other pagan traditions, and this reality becomes clearer with the experiment of Prevailed Gineh.

It is the overall picture most fundamental of the Haitian religion of conceivable Vodun; maintaining in the spirit that I am by no means an expert compared with my elder after only years in the religion like hounsi, I hope that it gives certain an idea and arrangement Generals of which Haitian Vodun is approximately, since it recapitulates what I learned from my clean elder in a very condensed form. The most important thing that I learned from my elder however is this: Black, red, yellow or white, a person can find the beauty and the realization serving the spirits in the Haitian religion - Vodun is not a religion limited by the race or ethnic membership since finally, because science proved, we all are children of Africa, and water of Gineh joins all to us.