 II've been walking the path of Voudou, serving the loa since 1994. I was reading through a book, The Secrets of Voodoo by Milo Regaud, when the name Erzuile leaped out at me from the pages. It seemed really significant for some reason, but I was unsure what to do about it. By the time I finished the book, I had an idea of what I was supposed to do with this new word that prompted such a powerful response. After constructing a makeshift altar to Erzulie Freyda Dayhomey, which felt very right, I decided that I wanted to learn as much about this new phenomenon as much as possible. There really wasn't much in the way of guidance, via either books or people, unfortunately. Some of the 'tomes' I ran into were poorly written, and very skewed if not downright misinformative, and the people I ran into tended to be somewhat antagonistic at the white girl that wanted to learn more about their spiritual path. The entire process has been fairly hinky because I had been looking for guidance from external, human sources...instead of listening to the loa themselves. Over time, I got an odd feeling about other entities that wanted me to acknowledge them, and Guede/Baron and Papa Legba came into my house. As the years passed, more and more altars began popping up all over my house, as more of them made themselves known. I kept candles lit on the altars, began getting veve tattoos (Erzulie Dantor, Baron/Guede, Maman Brigitte), and talked to the loa from time to time, but didn't get a sense of urgency from any of them at the time. For a while, they seemed content to give me what I had needed for so very long...a sense of belonging and love. They provided the close, loving family that nurtured me and guided me, albeit fuzzily because I didn't really hear all the messages they were trying to send me. They've been extremely patient, and have blessed me with many wondrous things and have provided me with a safe, caring environment that I do my best to acknowledge and appreciate daily. Now, a while after attending a retreat called Espiritu Santo at Four Quarters up in PA, it has been brought to my attention that the loa are ready for me to begin working with them full time. I'm working on getting my work affairs in order, and I'm busily tending to everything they're tasking me with, which has me running around a bit like a chicken without a head, but I can honestly say that this is the first time in my life I've ever felt so grounded or solid about anything. The loa provide a foundation, a strong base for me to work from, and it's helping me to rectify other things in my life as I begin working towards becoming a Mambo. I've had doubts about being a priestess in the past, positive that I wasn't ready to do so, but apparently the loa think I am. They've gone so far as to slide certain circumstances my way so as to prove that I'm ready. It's been a long, strange journey, doing most of this on my own with only coaching from the loa themselves either speaking to me directly, or through others that I've come across as I walk this path. I was never big on being preachy, having being victimized by the very worst of christian fundamentalism for six years at three different 'alternative learning institutions', and it always makes me feel a little weird talking about my beliefs and my spirituality like this because I don't want it to come off as 'witnessing'. The last thing I want to do when sharing how I feel about my sprituality is to grind it into people's faces when they're honestly not interested. I have such joy and completion with Voudou in my life, and sometimes it's really hard not to want to share it with others. I do try not to ramble, however...and hopefully those of you who followed this link to find out what the hell I was talking about haven't run off, thinking that I was some veve thumping religious nut. If you have any questions, please feel free to get in touch with me. I'll provide as much help as I can. ** Taken from the Voodoo Encyclopedia ** ** Vodou (vaundun, voodoo, vodoun, voudou, voudoun) - The complex body of religious belief that emphasizes a close relationship with the spiritual world and with one's ancestors. The word "vodou" derives from the word "vodu," from the Fon language of Dahomey, which means "spirit" or god." Vodou originated in the West Indies country of Haiti during the French Colonial period. The Haitian slaves were captured from many different tribes throughout West Africa, but these tribes shared several core beliefs: worship of the spirits of family ancestors; the use of singing, drumming and dancing in religious rituals; and the possession of the practitioners by immortal spirits. Once living together in Haiti, the slaves created a new religion based on their shared beliefs, but absorbing each tribe's strongest traditions and gods. Influences from the native Indian populations were also absorbed during this formative period. Vodou is still widely practiced in Haiti today, mostly among the poorer peasant classes. Vodou has also migrated with Haitians to many other parts of the world, with particularly strong communities in New Orleans, Louisiana; Miami, Florida; Galveston, Texas; Charleston, South Carolina; and New York City. Each of these communities has spawned new rituals and traditional practices. Worldwide, vodou has over fifty million followers. ** Voudou is a very flexible system, contrary to what some people may say. It's one of the reasons that the voudouisants in Haiti were able to incorporate the images that the Catholic missionaries tried to force on the local peasants. Voudou varies from location to location because it's extremely adaptable, so the Voudou you'll experience in NYC is probably going to be a good deal different from the Voudou you'll see in Haiti. One thing I've found with Voudou, is that the more sources you gather information for, the better chances you'll have at being properly informed. Taking one source's word for the way any given thing really works is usually just asking for trouble. BOOKS:
Vodou
Visions: An Encounter With Divine Mystery - by Sallie Ann Glassman,
is a great book on various loa offerings, their sacred days, veves, favorite
LINKS: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AmericanVoodooForum/?yguid=87916708
- Moderated by the swell folks at Houmfort d'Ogoun out in West Virginia,
the American Voodoo Forum is a really great list for those interested in
both Voodoo and Santeria. They're a wonderfully open group of people, very
accepting of the various styles of Voudou out there.
BOTANICAS: Botanica
Elegua in Houston Texas
Santeria (also known as Regla de Ocha, La Regla Lucumi, Lukumi, Macumba, Candomble) is a syncretistic Caribbean religion. Some see it as a 'sister' path that compliments Voudou, and I've met many people that have both Voudou loa and Santeria orisha in their pantheon. I'm still learning more about it, since Shango, Yemaya, Oshun, Oya and Pomba Gira seem to be interested in me working with them as well. Below are a couple of great links to learn more about this beautiful spiritual path. LINKS: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lucumi-online/
- lucumi-online · Santeria La Religion Lucumi
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