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I am a Vodouisant. One
who serves the Lwa.
What is Vodou?
Vodou is a syncretic initiatory spiritual tradition which
originated in Haiti during the period of French colonial slavery.
In Haiti the practise is not referred to
as vodou, but as Sevis Gine - African Service.
Haitian Vodouisants believe that there is one God who is the creator of all,
referred to as "Bondye". Bondyè is distant from his/her/its creation though,
and so it is the Lwa or the "mysteries", (possibly best likened to saints or
angels) that the Vodouisant turns to for help, as well as to the their ancestors.
The Vodouisant worships God, and serves the ancestors and lwa, who are
treated with honour and respect as elder members of a household might be.
They are not called up seemingly at random as deities often are in Western
traditions, rather the practitioners have on-going relationships with their
spirits each of which is capable of anything they may be asked for help
with. There are said to be twenty-one
nations or "nanchons" of Lwa. Some of the more important nations of lwa are
the Rada, Petro and the Kongo. The spirits also come in "families" that all
share a surname, like Ogoun, or Ezili, or Azaka or Ghede.
For instance, "Ezili" is a family, Ezili Dantor and Ezili Freda are two
individual spirits in that family. Well known individual lwa include Danbala
Wedo, Papa Legba and Agwe.
Rada spirits are familial\ancestral and mostly come from Africa, Petro spirits are
mostly native to Haiti and are more demanding and require more attention to
detail than the Rada, but both can be dangerous if angry or upset. Neither
is "good" or "evil" in relation to the other.
Everyone has spirits, and each person is considered to have a
special relationship with one particular lwa who is said to be the "master
of their head", however each person may have many lwa, and the one that sits on their
head, or the "met tet", may or may not be the most active spirit in a
person's life.
One doesn't serve
just any lwa but only the ones they have according to their destiny. Which spirits a person has may be revealed at a ceremony, in a
reading, or in dreams. However all Vodouisants also serve the spirits of
their own blood ancestors, and this important aspect of Vodou practice is
often glossed over or minimized in importance by commentators who do not
understand the significance of it. The ancestor cult is in fact the basis of
Vodou.
Syncretism
Vodou is a syncretic practise. In Haiti
practitioners are mainly Catholic and the lwa are 'assigned to' or
represented by saints or visions of the virgin e.g. Danbala is syncretised
with St. Patrick and Erzulie Dantor with the Black Madonna. This is because the African
slaves taken to Haiti were forcibly baptised and practise of their native
religion was not allowed by their captors.
Because Vodou is syncretic it can sit happily alongside almost any religion as long as
the practitioners world view allows it to do so.
Initiation Into Vodou
Most Vodouisants are not initiated. It is not a
requirement to be an initiate in order to serve your Lwa.
Priests are referred to as "Houngans" and priestesses as "Mambos". Below the
houngans and mambos are the hounsis, who are initiates who act as assistants
during ceremonies and who are dedicated to their own personal lwa.
Personal Practise
All Vodouisants also serve the spirits of their own blood ancestors (and
often those they consider to be ancestors such as close family friends or
adoptive families), and
this important aspect of Vodou practice is often glossed over or minimized
in importance by commentators who do not understand the significance of it.
The ancestor cult is in fact the basis of Vodou religion, and many lwa like Agasou for example are in fact ancestors who are said to have been raised
up. I serve my ancestors,
Papa Legba, my met tet and the Barons. I am a member of a vodou sosyete (society) which
is the vodou equivalent of a church, coven or druid grove. For
more information check out my links page - here
Sources:
- "Vodou." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopaedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vodou&oldid=80083625
- "The Complete Idiots Guide to Voodoo" by
Shannon R Turlington
New Aeon Books - Pagan & Occult
Bookshop Now Online! Selling Vodou, Santeria and hoodoo supplies in the UK.
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