#...converting to vodoun (a religion of the african slaves)...

[red-red-spout]

God The Rats in the Walls is such an interesting story. So very, very Lovecraft - not even focusing on the like, primordial eldritch horror stuff so much as the kind of... underlying politics of it all, it's all so, very, very usamerican old-money pseudo-aristocracy, something so obviously informed by howard phillip's own familial background. You're some american businessman but your family claims noble descent.. you have no real knowledge of it, but finding the thought of it appealing move to england to rediscover your supposed noble roots - your noble bloodline is irreparably stained by the sins of your ancestors against those who served under them, the unfathomable well of human suffering that your ancestors quite literally fed on.. also those sufferers are like, literal subhuman ape-men, troglodyte livestock whose phrenology precludes rational thought.

Note: The whole lovecraft cat name thing? Apparently he did that irl too but the protagonist in this story also uses that name for his favorite (black) cat. Note for context that the character in question is from a family of southern plantation owners, which is... I think very important to a thematic analysis of the narrative, especially given the... earlier history which forms the supernatural component of the story. Now, after coming to America the family may not literally have eaten their human property, but they very much kept up the tradition of keeping people as livestock - and the exploration of the notion of the tainted legacy of the fictional past is, I think probably to some degree a metaphor for the very real history of american chattle slavery as dealt with by the descendants of those who made their wealth off slavery.

[theuncannytruthteller]

“Deliberately concealed for centuries, the history of African prophecy is the oldest and most enduring and replicated in the world. It pre-dates and is the direct inspiration from which Judaism, Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity were developed. Contrary to western revisionists history, African deities, sacred ritual and culture dominated the ancient world, and reached high levels of spiritual development and theological and cultural sophistication from its rudimentary beginnings in ancient Africa.

Most in the Diaspora and indeed the world, are familiar with the traditional village religious culture so maligned in the West. However, few are aware that the same deities, and their off-spring are responsible for the major systems of western theological and religious faiths now heavily altered and revised to both conceal its African roots, and to establish the current theological framework of the biblical western world.”

Historically, the Sibyls were the first global female oracles or prophetesses in the ancient world; their prophecies being the most accurate and relied upon by the people of the time. While this is known as fact to many today, what many, however, do not know is that the Sibyl tradition in fact has its origin in Africa in the form of what is known to many as the Amengensie tradition, and that “it was the Sibyl prophecies of whom the emerging patriarchal Christian and Levitical Judaic cults seized, altered and attributed to their “prophets” during their bitter wars for global domination after the fall of Egypt, Mycenae and ancient Carthage”.

The Amengansie

In her The Ancient African “Oracle” Tradition Of Amengansie’, American born, Chief, Hounon-Amengansie, Mama Zogbé writes that “In the West African Vodoun (and current African-American) traditions, an Amengan-sie (Ah-mah-gah-see) is defined as a high-priestess whose primary function is divination”. This includes, but not limited to, communication with the dead (ancestors), the African deities, and the destine souls of the living. Hence, the Amengansie is an ancient tradition in which the dead, the deities, and the souls of the living actually come in direct contact during consultation to speak. This tradition is an ancient, ancestral matriarchal tradition passed down from generation to generation.

“Although there are some male Amengan-sies,” Mama Zogbe notes, “99% are women.” “However, in the West,” she continues, “there are an increasing number of males who are being called to take on the tradition of their ancestors.”

In the second part of the same article, under the heading ‘Amengansie, 10,000 Year Old Slave Tradition’ Zogbe who states that she inherited the tradition from her great-great-grand-mother, who was chief Amengansie in the U.S. during Slavery, writes that “If ever there was an ancestral tradition that dispels the myth regarding the ancient origins of the Vodoun tradition or the system of slavery being confined to the West, it is that of the Amengansie.” This being the case, she further explains that the Amengansie predates its current West African location and has its ancient ancestral origins in the East of Africa where they were more commonly known as Sibyls.

Known universally as the “Black Doves”, the Sibyls were often referred to by other names such as “Sisters of Isis”, and “prophetesses of the Black Di-ana of Euphesus”. The ‘dove’―an Afro-mystical symbol for the sacred soul or the ‘holy spirit’―would later be adopted by the emerging Christian cults. It was the Sibyl matriarchal groups who settled at Asia Minor in what is now modern Turkey, and installed the worship of Mami―a spirit whom they venerated as “Laocoon with her serpents”―more than 2500 years prior to the Greek and later Turk invasions.

However, during the rise of African patriarchy in ancient Egypt, the Sibyls were frequently sold into slavery where they were forced to work in the male (priestly) controlled Sun/Thunder temples in the Egyptian colonies in Libya and at Dodona, and at Delphi in ancient Greece, Rome and other African temples scattered throughout the ancient world. During the decline and the dismantlement of the African matriarchs, many of the Sybiles were exiled, or also condemned as “harlots”, “infidels,” “false prophetesses” and “witches.” This led to many fleeing for safety, but most who were unable to flee were either killed or enslaved should they refused to convert to the religion of their conquerors. Their forced migration―by the emerging patriarchal Judaic, Christian and Mohammedan Islamist invaders, etc.―drove them from East to West Africa.

“It was these foreign invaders Zogbe writes, “who carried out the final destruction of the Sibyl temples, and converted (forever concealing) the multi-faceted images of the African mother deities into the ethnic faces passed down to the West today. During the entrenchment of African patriarchy, many Sibyls were persecuted, and stripped of their sacerdotal pre-eminence, and ultimately forced to the foreground of African religious, social and political life where they remain today.”

Contrary to erroneous Western historical speculations that the enslavement of Africans in the West is largely an isolated phenomena rooted in African chieftaincy ambitions, the history of African enslavement in reality follows a continuum which began in the North-East of Africa more than 2000 years ago.

In the Amengansie and Vodoun traditions of West Africa, the songs, proverbs, dances, and lore are dominated by the history of slavery which pre-dates the one in the New World.

In its closing remark, the website first mention in the course of writing affirms that “the Amengansie tradition, still extant today, is an off-spring rooted in the ancient tradition of the Sibyls. The Sibyls were varied in both their talents and spiritual abilities… Just as the ancient Sibyls, the Amengansie priesthood is an ancestral calling born from the lineages of the ancient descendants who were captured and enslaved throughout the world. Their story, hidden for centuries, is a fascinating journey, that once fully understood, will reveal the ancestral and spiritual legitimacy and continuity of African sacerdotal history and its progeny now scattered throughout the western world.”

To read moe of this article and others like it, visit the links in the comment section:

[coolestwitchz-blog]

AFRICAN SPIRITUAL SCIENCE AND IT'S THEFT.

Hey all im back again with another rant. So for as long as ive been an occultist and practicioner of sacred paths, specifically african based. I have noticed more and more white people practicing african traditional religions/ spiritual sciences. I brought up this issue in a spiritual group i belonged to immediately after i was kicked out for inciting "racial issues"... i simply asked how did black people in the chat feel about white people practicing african traditional religions. All the white people in the chat lost it and i was thusly removed. So lets talk. I personally have an issue with white people practicing our ancestors religions and here is why. When ENSLAVED (NOT SLAVES) Africans were brought to the Caribbean and americas, they did not originally practice european based religions like that of christianity, baptism, Catholicism etc. They actually practiced things like akan (vodoun pre-colonisation), or ile ifa (santeria/palo mayombe pre-spanish influence). White slave owners feared the religious practice of african peoples because they could not control it. So they would FORCE the enslaved africans to convert to their religion. Always through means of violence, brutally beating african people into converting, also condemning them from reading any other book than the "slave bible"( look it up). White slavers would force africans from their original spiritual science and make them adopt the one of their slave master. Now from slavery all the way up to now africans and africans in the diaspora are still dissociated from our ancestors original religion. Now here is where the problems start. Most african spiritual religions call for a connection to the spirits, a blood connection, and not just any spirits, but the spirits of OUR ancestors... now tell me how can a white person descendant of white slave owners practice hoodoo, vodou, ile ifa, santeria, palo...etc in this religions you have to call down the spirits of the ancestors thats how the workings get its power. We were forced to drop our faiths and adopt that of colonisers and just recently we have been able to reconnect to our roots, undoing generations of pain and suffering. And here come becky and tom, with the african cloth, cowery shells and honey jars calling down the spirits( black spirits) some of which where probably brutalized by their ancestors. When confronted on why they feel they get to take part in something their ancestors stole from us they typically say things like, "for me its not about race its about feeling, im drawn to hoodoo blah blah". If you are going to practice a faith that black people for years have been chastised, and beaten for practicing at least have the decency, to acknowledge what your ancestors did, and make it a point to call down and APOLOGIZE to the spirits of the black people whose energy you use for your ripped off hoodoo and vodou work. The spirits you use in your work are those of the enslaved and someone in your family ancestry owned them, beat them, raped them, killed them. Your ancestors committed atrocities against black people, before you call on the spirit of our ancestors to use for your own gains make ammends first, and then ask them if you can practice OUR religions. And if they tell you hell no, respect that and move along cuz it aint for you.

[tannerblawson-blog]

Notebook 4 Partner Assessment

Tanner Lawson ETHN 2 Maria Celleri Fri 11 AM

Summary This zine’s emphasis is on study of West African and Haitian Vodou (pronounced the same as voodoo). The religion has traveled from West Africa to Haiti is considered a “Circulation of Blackness”. This West African Voudo has since been developed into being known as Haitian Vodou. For religious purposes, Vodou is mainly based on connecting with the premise of Bon Dieu. The main area where Haitian and West African Voudo differ comes from Haitian Voodoo’s clear connection with Christianity as many of the well-known spirits in the Vodoun religion became well-known Christian saints. In addition, the Bible was also added to the list of sacred Vodoun talismans.

B) Compelling Quotes 1. “Many West African peoples have sought us out since the beginning of time. They look to us for wisdom and blessings. We are not gods. We are just powerful spirits. Because the one God, Bondye, is always busy with matters that are incomprehensible to humans, the people turn to us when they are in need. We are the children of Bondye. We are loa.” —I felt as thought this was a very powerful and informative expert that basically depicts the religion in a way that is easily understood. For readers like me (who had no prior knowledge about this religion) I would make this quote a centerpiece to your summary/informational section of your zine if you choose to have one. It’s a fantastic find and really lays out the basic of what you are exploring.

2. “I am Ayida Wedo. I am the cool kiss of raindrops on your cheek during the storm. I am also the dazzling rainbow the follows, a reminder of forgiveness. My husband, Dumballah is the sky. We are the heavens. Our followers are known as Vodouists.” — This is also a great flow to it and is really easy to read. I feel like when you are exploring a topic that is lesser known, it’s great to have these small, easy-to-read portions that the reader can easily follow. These two quotes would go great anywhere in your zine. Great choice.

C) Compelling anecdotes, stories, facts and content “The French first established themselves in Haiti in 1625, however, it wasn’t until 1697 with the Treaty of Ryswick (between France and Spain) that France officially owned the western part of what was at the time referred to as “Hispaniola.” The French began importing slaves right away to work the fields of cash crops such as tobacco and cotton. Many imported slaves came from West Africa and thus they brought their belief system (West African Vodun) with them. French missionaries saw the enslavement of Africans as the perfect chance to convert them to Christianity, although this was not entirely successful. One of the reasons why this largely failed was because slave-owners took such awful care of their slaves that many slaves died extremely quickly. Since slaves were constantly dying, new ones continuously had to be shipped in. And since most slaves were imported from the same region, it became nearly impossible to wipe out their religion and culture and thus Vodou persisted (because the religion kept being inadvertently imported over and over again). The only real effect that conversion attempts had was that saints became associated with the loa. Traditional beliefs continued to hold strong.” — While I did take out a large quote, I think this summarization does a great job in explaining the history of the religion and the failure of the eradication of it as well. The information about slaves and analysis on why the attempt to convert the slaves to Christianity could be a very productive centerpiece for a page of your zine.

D) Compelling Images With these snakes being the most important Ioa, I would recommend definitely putting this in your zine. The “National Geographic” video was very informative, it’s a shame theres not a way to incorporate that on the final copy. Absolutely include this picture though (I like the idea of it being the cover of your zine).

E) Reword Analysis I am going to reword the text listed below: i) “The Haitian Revolution would last from 1791 to 1804. It was an uprising of slaves that led to the formation of a state free of slavery, now ruled by former slaves. This revolution actually ties back in with Haitian Vodou and the loa because it was Vodou that lent great deals of courage to the slaves fighting for their freedom. Supposedly it was a Vodou ritual that actually started the revolution in the first place. Vodou also united different factions of rebel slave fighters. With the unity of the slaves came greater strength and victory.”

ii)  The above quote is powerful in a way that it depicts the struggle that these slaves went through and how the Vodou religion was actually a driving force in their revolutions and rebellion against being forced to practice Christianity.

iii)  The only suggestions I can think to give would be to p