History of Voodoo

Voodoo Derived From Civilizations Oldest Religions

Voodoo Religion - Derivative of the World's Oldest Religions

Voodoo is a derivative of the world's oldest known religions which have been around in Africa since the beginning of voodoo_godess.jpghuman civilization. Some conservative estimates these civilizations and religions to be over 10 000 years old. This then identify Voodoo as probably the best example of African syncretism in the Americas. Ironically, it was the enforced immigration of enslaved African from different ethnic groups that provided the circumstances for the development of Voodoo. European colonists thought that by desolating the ethnic groups, these could not come together as a community. However, in the misery of slavery, the transplanted Africans found in their faith a common thread.

Voodoo is a Caribbean religion blended from traditional African religions and Catholic Christianity. Originally a slave religion, it is especially associated with the island of Haiti, although identifiably voodoo forms of spiritual expression are also present in Jamaica and Santo Domingo.

Voodoo recognizes one God, Bondye or Gran Met. However, there are a host of spirits or deities called loa which act as intermediaries between humans and God. The *La Place *Hounsi are servers, usually, but not always women dressed in white. Central to any Voodoo service are the drummers, since the *tanbu, the African drum, is the very central reality of the religious service. One can categorically state that human sacrifice is not now nor ever has been a part of Haitian Voodoo. The one or two documented cases of *cannibalism must be viewed as non-Voodoo inspired aberrations.

Voodoo is much criticized by foreigners in Haiti. Often it is simply because they profess a competing religion and don't want the people to stay with Voodoo. During Haiti's main slave trade era, a 56-year period, houngans and mambos built up the public religion of Haiti, Voodoo, in a weird amalgamation of African spirit religion and Catholicism. In 2003, the government of Haiti sanctioned Voodoo as an official religion. Believers can now be baptized and married within the religion.

Healers heal with herbs, faith healing (with the help of lwa and other spirits) and, today, even with western medicine! Voodoo is an important part of family life in any community that practices it. The high priest has a great deal of influence and gives spiritual advice when it is asked for. Voodoo is a West African word meaning 'spirit'; the original word was vodun. The basic ethos of the religion is that everything in the universe is connected.

Within the voodoo society, there are no accidents. Practitioners believe that nothing and no event has a life of its own. Voodoo is an animist faith. That is, objects and natural phenomena are believed to possess holy significance, to possess a soul. Another practical aspect of Voodoo ceremonies is that participants often come before the priest or priestess to seek advice, spiritual guidance, or help with their problems.

The priest or priestess then, through divine aid, offer help such as healing through the use of herbs or medicines (using knowledge that has been passed down within the religion itself), or healing through faith itself as is common in other religions. There are over 100 'spirits', called Loa, that Voodoo practitioners worship. These Loa interact with people and things to help create and maintain a spiritual balance. Voodoo is a religion of the universe.

Each voodoo is served by a wife (the voodoo-si). Because it is the role of the women to serve, women are deemed to be particularly worthy of being possessed by the voodoo, once they have been properly inititiated into the religion. The rules of the spirits provide respite from the lawlessness so typical in the streets of Haiti, West Africa, and other poor countries where Voodoo religion is most prevalent.

Twenty-one of the 101 spirits in the Voodoo religion are celebrated at the Sucre ceremony. Another key element of the religion is veneration of the spirits of ancestors. Among voodoo worshippers, the dead are thought to walk among the living during the dance of hooded Egunguns, who spin through the village in elaborate costumes.

When one dies, according to voodoo belief, the soul remains near the corpse for a week. During this seven-day period, the ti bon ange is vulnerable and may be captured and made into a "spiritual zombie" by a sorcerer. The process of cosmic manifestation is characterized by two phases, the first being involution, during which a multitude of spiritual units emerge from the Source and, after becoming more and more involved in matter, finally achieve self-consciousness in the physical world.

Thus, the individual spiritual units (the monads) reach the causal body (a spiritual body containing the seeds of karma that "cause" everything else) by descending through various grades of being.

Louisiana Voodoo, also known as New Orleans Voodoo originated from the ancestral religions of the African diaspora. A cultural form of the Voodoo religions which historically developed within the French- and Creole-speaking African-American population of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Thus came the advent of syncretization of the names and aspects of the Voodoo lwa to those of the Christian saints who most closely resembled their particular areas of expertise.

In the USA the Vodoun religion is derived from largely the Ewe and other West and central African groups. The similarity of the words hoodoo and Voodoo notwithstanding, hoodoo may have tenuous connections to Vodou, but may be an integral part of the Vodoun religion in West Africa and arguably throughout all of Africa.

 

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Voodoo Spirits – The Ancestors

The Ancestors - Spirit Worship in Haitian Voudou Tradition

In the Haitian Vodou tradition, ancestor worship is especially important.  Adherents of Vodou consult their ancestors for protection and guidance.  Ancestors are those who have passed from this world into the world of the spirits.  Ancestors represent the intermediary step between this world and the next, and they can serve as gateways.  There are two classes of ancestors, - family members who have passed into the invisible worlds, and an ancient class of ancestors of such great importance that they have become loa.

This special group of spirit is called Les Gede (sometimes Les Ghedes) and Les Barons.  Like the loa, these energies of the dead manifest in ritual, called forth by the houngan and mambo,  and their behavior is often outrageous.  They may beg for money, dress in tattered clothing, or any other kind of wild behavior you can imagine.  The Gede have a unique nasal twang that is instantly recognizable in ceremony.

Those that practice Vodou believe that we all have the energy of the Gede embedded in our souls as ancestral knowledge.  (And science backs this up, with gene theory.)  These energies often invade ceremonies and refuse to leave until some kind of price is paid - financial or perhaps sexual.  While rousting about the ceremonies, the Gede make their presence overtly known through grabbing genitals, picking pockets (or noses!), spitting, or cursing.

Some Vodou believers make a distinction between Les Barons as the named dead, and Les Gede as the unnamed dead, but not all follow this.  Whichever way they follow, all place great emphasis on revering and giving tribute to the dead.

Baron Samedi is the ruler of all the dead.  Like Papa Legba, he stands at the crossroads. Baron Samedi's name could be a corruption of zombie, or based on the French word for Saturday, as many French words were used in Haitian folklore.  Baron can be seen as the epitome of stereotypical Vodou style, with his love of rum, cigars, hot peppers, and flashy jewelry.  He is also a very sexual spirit, with phallic symbols often associated with him.  The former dictator of Haiti,  Papa Doc Duvalier, claimed to be a manifestation of Baron.  Baron Samedi stands at the crossroads, where the souls of dead humans pass.

Baron's wife is Maman Brigitte.  Like her husband, she is partial to hot peppers.  Brigitte is represented by a black rooster.  She is known as the first woman to be buried in a cemetery, and resides in the cemetery's trees and rock piles and is known to be very sensual.  Sometimes her followers stuff their noses with cotton. She presides over a mother's justice and the divine arbiter of justice.  In cases of legal arbitration, Brigitte would be petitioned.  Other popular Gede spirits are Baron Criminal, who is a force of justice for criminals; the mischievous Ti Malice, or Uncle Malice, and Gede Nibo, the lusty gravedigger.  Sometimes he is also called Ti Puce or Uncle Louse.

This gives you a brief look at the Gede.  Besides the Gede, Vodou adherents are also careful to venerate the family members that have already passed.  This is considered crucial to well-being, and is one of the basic practices of Vodou.  It  is often done on an altar with photos, objects such as jewelry that belonged to the ancestor, a glass of water and a candle.  When honoring the members of your bloodline who have passed, it is also important to take into account individual personalities and tastes, and honor these differences.  When asking ancestors for help, they will exhibit the same traits as spirits that they did in life.  For instance, if a father was a workaholic, he will work night and day to solve your problem until it is dealt with.  One thing that is important to remember when working with the ancestors or Les Gedes, is never to sprinkle salt on any food offering.  Salt can make ancestors depart and void their powers.

Now that you have a good grounding of the basics of Vodou and an introduction to the loa and the Gede, its time to learn about making an altar.

If you're as excited as I am and want to know everything there is about Vodou religion and the power of Voodoo, check out the Secrets To Voodoo - a complete guide to Vodou and the practice of Voodoo.  This is the only complete guide to Voodoo (Vodou) we know of, and it's available online.

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The Loa – Getting To Know the Voudou Spirits

The Loa - Spirits of the Vodou Religion

In the Vodou religion, there is one God who rules over all the worlds, visible and invisible.  He is known by different names in different parts of the world.

In Haiti he is called Bondye, which is also sometimes spelled in the French manner, as Bondieu.  This means "good God."  Bondye is a benevolent God, but the problem with him is that he so powerful and so omniscient that ordinary believers cannot access him with their prayers or problems. Luckily, there is a whole class of intermediate spirits that have access to Bondye.  There are thousands of these spirits.  They are called the loa.  The loa act as intermediaries between Bondye and Vodou believers and control the daily lives of mortals, influencing health, happiness, wealth, and nature.

To fully understand the religion of Vodou, you must understand the loa, and the fact that they exist in a complete hierarchy.  There are some loa that are very powerful and venerated, and have their own ceremonies and rituals.  Some of their names are Damballa, Erzulie, Ogou, Agwe, and Legba.   Many sprits of lesser importance also exist.  Families and communities also have their own spirits.

The loa tend to have personalities, with certain colors, food, plants, and objects thought to be associated with specific spirits.  These are then used as offerings to the loa.  Certain loa are associated with certain qualities.  For example, Erzulie is often consulted in matters of love.  Papa Legba is invoked at the start of each ceremony because he guards the crossroads and controls access to all of the loa.  If he is not happy, the ceremony may not be effective.  Damballa is associated with snakes, and is a very ancient spirit who is consulted for matters of love, knowledge, wealth, and good health. Ayizan purifies initiates, and Loko is her husband.  He guards the hounfour, or temple, and it is believed that his help is needed to make any ritual successful.  La Sirene, the goddess of the sea, gives gifts of great wealth.  She is especially beloved in the city of New Orleans, where there are many practitioners of Voodoo. Ogou presides over war, politics, and hunting.

In order to better understand the veneration of the loa, people with more traditional western religious and spiritual backgrounds may equate the worship of the Loa to the pantheon of Greek and Roman Gods.  Just as the Greeks and Romans had many Gods that were the personification of elements of their lives, so, too, do believers of Vodou.  The loa become very personal and real spirits to them.

To a Vodou practitioner, the loa are as real as any living human being with whom they interact on a daily basis.  Through ceremony and ritual, the loa offer advice and solve problems for Vodouisants - that is, if they are pleased with the quality of the offerings.

There are many more loa than we have time to look at in this brief survey, and a large part of Vodou tradition involves learning about the various loa and their personalities.  Another important aspect of Vodou tradition is ancestor worship, and we'll take a look at that next.

If you're as excited as I am and want to learn all these tips at once, check out the Vodou Guide.  It's the only complete guide to Voodoo and Vodou practices available online.

Article by Secrets to Voodoo

 

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Vodou – Dispelling Misconceptions About Vodou

Dispelling Misconceptions About Vodou

There are many popular misconceptions about the sacred religion of Vodou.  Hollywood and the media have picked up obscure or trivial aspects of the religion and used these for their own purposes.  This is fine, but unfortunately, it is theses images that stick in people's minds.  Probably the most misunderstood aspects of Vodou are Voodoo dolls and zombies.

Voodoo dolls are so associated with Vodou that they have taken on the name of the religion.  In fact, the tradition of using "Voodoo dolls" in ritual and as a focus of intention is common the world over, in many cultures.  When it comes to Vodou, though, the Voodoo doll is actually a very minor part of the religion.  It figures more strongly in New Orleans Voodoo.  Some have speculated that the practice of sticking pins in a doll's body to do harm was practiced by slaves in retaliation against their owners.

Zombies have become incredibly popular in the culture, with movies about them, such as Night of the Living Dead  attaining cult status.  An entire mystique has grown up around zombies, with websites devoted to "reanimation prevention and control," and the like.  Zombies do have their roots in Vodou, but the tradition of Haitian zombies bears little resemblance to the current popular image.

What, exactly, is a zombie?  The technical definition is that it is an animated body devoid of a soul.  Zombies are most often reanimated from the dead.  They are the undead, existing in a dark state somewhere between life and death.  Science has not yet definitively proven the existence of zombies, or even how they work.  But many have tried.  Between 1982 and 1984, the anthropologist and ethnobotanist, Dr. Wade Davis, visited Haiti, eager to discover scientific proof of zombies.

Davis was operating on the theory that a drug induced the zombie state, and he felt that if such a drug could be found, it might have promising medical uses.   Davis found that sorcerers used concoctions in the form of ground plant and animal parts in their rituals.  Davis collected samples of this "zombie powder" in various areas throughout Haiti and found that  one of the main ingredients was powder from the puffer fish.  At very high doses, the powder from puffer fish can put a person into a near-death state for days.  While in this state, the afflicted person still appears to be conscious.

The other crucial ingredient for creating zombies came from the datura plant, and caused the person to appear to have no will of his or her own.  Davis theorized that Haitians might be influenced by their culture and belief system to feel they had been made into a zombie by the bokor, when in reality they had simply been poisoned.  Some of Davis's research has since been called into question, and so the mystery of zombies remains.  But be aware that they are not a particularly common part of the religion.

In my next post, I'll take an in-depth look at the all-important loa.

If you're as excited as I am and want to learn all about the practice of Vodou, check out my guide, the Power of Voodoo.

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Vodou – Learning Basics of Vodou

Learn the Basics of Vodou

Vodou is a practical religion which helps its adherents with day to day living.  To practitioners of Vodou, their gods are beings with fully developed personalities, likes and dislikes, and certain preferences in style.  The gods are called the loa, and there is a huge contingent of them—some raucous, some bawdy, some sneaky, some demure.  Vodou priests are called houngan and priestesses are called mambo.  It is through them that direct contact with the loa is made.

In Vodou, the ancestors are also worshipped.  There are ancestor loa who are venerated, but every Vodou adherent also worships his or her own family, those kin who have already passed.  This is usually done with special ancestor altars or sacred spaces devoted to them.

It has been said that in most religions, people talk to the divine.  But in Vodou, the divine talks to the people.  This happens during Vodou ceremonies and rituals, when the loa are called forth through dancing, drumming, and special offerings.   If the loa is happy with the offerings presented, he or she will enter the ceremony through the phenomenon of possession, inhabiting an initiate’s body.  The initiate, now filled with the spirit of the loa, acts in the manner of that god.  Now is the time when the loa imparts advice or offers information, which occurs at the bidding of the houngan or mambo.

The houngan and mambo have the power to access other worlds—the world of the invisible—and other states of consciousness.  They make these other worlds directly available to initiates so that they, too, can learn from these other worlds.  Seeing direct evidence of these other worlds gives the Vodou practitioner comfort and insight as he or she goes about his daily business.  Vodou thus offers a glimpse of something bigger, a taste of the divine that lifts adherents beyond the mundane.

The practice of Vodou offers a different way of looking at the world.  In the Vodoun life, power is not something that comes from the government or an institution.  Instead, power is a mark of how well an individual can work with the loa.  If they are efficient at harnessing these unseen gods and their powers, it translates to having personal power in the form of good health and success.

Vodou is one of the world’s oldest religions, with millions of devout followers.  Vodou, or Voudoun, is sometimes called "the world’s oldest religion" and many believe it to be up to 10,000 years old, though most place the figure at more like 6,000 years.  It originated in West Africa, but took the form of Vodou, which most people are familiar with, during the forced slave migration to Haiti.  The African diaspora, or mass migration outside their home country, spread the religion to North and South America, the Philippines, and the Caribbean.

While you may be more familiar with seeing the word spelled as Voodoo, most practitioners consider that spelling somewhat of a pejorative of traditional African cultures.  The exception to this is in New Orleans, where it is still usually spelled Voodoo.

In upcoming posts, you will learn how you can take part in some beginning Vodou practices.   And we will examine some common myths about Vodou and see why they are incorrect.

By Secrets2Voodoo.com

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The Meaning of Vodou

Voodoo versus Vodou

Let's learn about about the various aspects of Vodou today - the practices and beliefs of the religion, who practices and where, and Vodou’s long and fascinating history. I'm going to dissect some common myths and misconceptions of Vodou, and you’ll learn the truth about Zombies and Vodou dolls.

We’ll talk about the true symbols and imagery of Vodou that are important to adherents. Finally, you’ll learn about where Vodou stands today, and most important of all, how you can benefit from living the simple truths of the Voudoun lifestyle.

Before we embark upon this fascinating journey, however, let’s take a look at the common meaning of the word Vodou, its usage and its origin, as this can sometimes be confusing.

You’ll find the word Vodou spelled in a variety of different ways, depending on which country you’re reading about. Some of the other spellings you will see of the word are Vodun, Vudun, and Vodou, which is common in Haiti. The roots of these words come from various peoples of the West African region from western Nigeria to eastern Ghana. Vodun is a West African word for spirit. Vodou is most often used in Haiti, and Vudon, Vodun, or Vodoun are common in Brazil.

The word Vodou is most commonly used to describe the traditions of African and the Caribbean which combined into a rich stew in New Orleans. Vodou or Hoodoo is also sometimes used to describe the African-American tradition of folk spirituality common in the southeastern United States. Many scholars believe that Vodou is a transliteration, or a word changed from another language, of the French vous tous, pronounced voo too, which means you all. Voodoo is an Americanized spelling of Vodou, which has really only become common over the last 100 years.

Confusing? Yes, indeed it is, but this brief look at the origins and usage of the word begins to hint at the vast complexity and mystery of the faith. Because of the possibility of confusion from switching back and forth between names, for the purposes of this report, we will be using the term Vodou. In New Orleans, Vodou is commonly spelled Voodoo, so we will continue with that tradition in this report. Bear in mind, though, that for many practitioners outside of New Orleans the term Voodoo signifies a religion dreamed up by the minds of Hollywood, and that religion has little to do with the deeply mystical and reverent faith they practice.

For your convenience and reference, please note that in our Vodou Guide, there is both an extensive resources page and a glossary at the back of the book. You may run into some unfamiliar words, and if you forget their meaning, you can simply turn to the end and refresh your memory. The Vodou websites and resources will give you options for further reading and assistance in finding local groups of Vodou, should you feel so moved to practice the religion.

Now that this brief introduction has whetted your appetite to learn more about the profound and mystical religion of Vodou, stay tuned as we look more deeply into the beliefs and practices of this mysterious religion.

By Secrets2Voodoo.com - Offering a Guide to Voodoo that uncovers the secret beliefs and practices of the Vodou religion.

 

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Voodoo – Introduction To the Religion of Vodou

Voodoo - The Religion of Vodou

Mention the word Vodou, and for most people what comes to mind are Vodou dolls and Zombies. Some people even think that Vodou is associated with Satanism. While Zombies and Vodou dolls both play a role in the religion, it is not in the manner that most Westerners think, and they are not nearly as important as media misconceptions would have us believe. Furthermore, the Vodou religion has nothing to do with Satanism. It has everything to do with a deep belief that all is one, with the veneration of ancestors, with a reverence for nature, and a deep concern for the day to day well-being of its adherents.

Vodou is one of the world’s oldest religions, with millions of devout followers. Vodou, or Voudoun, is sometimes called “the world’s oldest religion” and many believe it to be up to 10,000 years old. It originated in Africa where it was called Voudoun, but took the form of Vodou, which most people are familiar with, during the forced slave migration to Haiti. The African diaspora, or mass migration outside their home country, spread the religion to North and South America, the Philippines, and the Caribbean.

The religion of Vodou plays a huge role in community and family life in areas where it flourishes. It is a religion in which music and dance are very important parts of ceremony and ritual. Vodou also has a strong oral tradition, with stories of various aspects of faith being passed from one generation to the other. It has no prayer books, or central holy text. Because observers of Vodou are thought to communicate quite directly with various spirits, Vodou is quite a personal religion. Although adherents are expected to behave according to accepted standards of Vodou, there is no set list of observations and practices, and rituals can vary greatly from region to region. It is also interesting to note that, for all these reasons, books about Vodou often present their information in the form of stories.

 

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