#Haitian vodou

[jareckiworld]

Didier William — Cave (acrylic, wood carving and ink on panel, 2023)

[horygory]

The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988)

[rockofeye]

This is Not Okay.

(I see your asks and I am working through them, promise)

In the last few years, I have generally kept quiet on the amount of unpleasantness that has come bearing the title of Haitian Vodou. I am not the Vodou Police and people have a right to be wrong and make (sometimes terrible) mistakes. Additionally, people genuinely do not want advice or feedback when their mind is made up and they have found what they think is the real deal for them, and that's okay. I don't need or even want to get involved since folks are presumably adults making adult decisions, and I don't need to invite myself to any/every fight where my name is not invoked...or even when it is!

And yet.

Sometimes, it's too much to stay quiet because silence can get people really hurt, or worse. While folks are entitled to their mistakes and entitled not to educate themselves or do due diligence on the people they are granting access to their heads, there's just something that doesn't sit right with me when it's egregious. Long time followers know I have only spoken directly once or twice.

This is egregious, and it's going to get someone killed:

I have received this at least 5 different times today and have had folks genuinely seeking the lwa ask if this is a solid option. I do not know the person behind this and I would hope this is some sort of massive misunderstanding on their part. However, even so, this is awful.

Let's break this down a bit.

Advertising an initiation right off the bat with how many spots you have available says that you are not concerned with who comes in the door or why they are there. Advertising initiation as something to buy is weird even without the bargain basement 'FIVE SPOTS AVAILABLE'. Sosyetes do not need to advertise and recruit; folks come by reputation and general attraction to what the sosyete does.

The fact that there is no information about what sosyete is mounting this is a red flag. No one can undertake initiation alone. It's impossible because the very mechanics of initiation require folks from outside your lineage to come and verify that the work is being done completely and in accordance with the general principles of the religion.

Trying to cast doubt on other places as a way to build credibility is gross, and it is super ironic that they are advertising this as an answer to scams and people who do gross things. Do those things happen? Absolutely. Is this the way to solve it? No. Grift cannot neutralize grift. This is grift.

The big blinking neon red flag sign is the kwakwa/asogwe hybrid initiation. This is not possible and communicates several things, the largest of which is that this person has not received appropriate guidance in either rite because even the most barebones education tells you that this is not possible and could never be done.

Further, this communicates a lack of respect for both rites. The balls it takes to decide that you are going to take it upon yourself to change a religious practice and throw a bunch of stuff in a blender to come up with something new is WILD. This is outright spiritual arrogance that ignores the place of elders, culture, history, and the actual revolution that birthed these things.

Claiming that a person will receive everything they need in one step is lacking in clarity and breaking from the culture of Haitian Vodou, tchatcha and asogwe lineages alike. That is not how initiation works; the process of initiation unfolds over days and weeks and the process of becoming a competent manbo or houngan unfolds over years and even a lifetime. No initiation is a drive through endeavor and should not be treated as such.

'Without the worries of ties to a spiritual house' tells me this person lacks rootedness and perhaps ties to a spiritual house of their own, which is sad. It is not possible to be a manbo or a houngan in any lineage without ties to a specific lineage/spiritual house. It's not possible. Every lineage of Haitian Vodou is based on the lakou, or the compound or yard that a family and community is built around.

What lakou we are associated with tells our stories and gives us our roots, whether we are Haitian or not, or related to our lineage head or not. These stories are vitally important, we cannot function without them and we cannot take Haitian Vodou out of the context that it exists in. We are collectively built from the story that our spiritual ancestors told themselves when they dreamed of liberation and undertook the truly revolutionary action of revolt against French colonizers.

Trying to undo that to package initiation as something unrooted and without community is a slap in the ancestral face and is impossible. It's not Haitian Vodou. We do not stand alone. If you have no community, who will endorse you as a houngan or manbo? How will anyone know you actually are one? I can give you the names of a dozen priests who were active participants in my initiation and can confirm that I have the right to hold the asson. If you have no spiritual community, you do not have that...and you do not have the right to hold the asson.

Learning is different in Haitian Vodou; we learn as we develop and there is no initiation that grants you the immediate access to the inside of your initiator's head. Info farming is not a thing. We learn as we develop, which is why relationships and community are so important. Going through an initiation doesn't give you all the knowledge. Initiation doesn't even teach you things, you learn after because during the process you do not have the right yet to know. Framing all of this as withholding information shows a lack of cultural fluency. Do people withhold in ways that can be harmful? Sure, because there is fault everywhere....but this is not how you solve that, at all.

Most asogwe receive their po tèt; some take it home and some choose to keep it in the temple they were initiated in. Some houses have specific regleman around that, and there are individual circumstances that would keep someone from having theirs but those are instances that people would work out ahead of time. Further, if someone is not comfy with what the lineage they are initiating into does with po tèts, that it something to work out before they initiate, which is why discernment is so, so important.

There are not multiple kolyes given during initiation. In an asogwe lineage, a kolye is made during the initiation process for you specifically and it is large and worn on the body in most places. We do not receive kolye for individual lwa nor are they consecrated in separate ceremonies; this is directly taken from Orisha traditions.

A kwa kwa and a bell are not an asson, and genuinely only a fool would try to bring that to Loko, the progenitor of all asogweman. You cannot mash things together and say they are an asson because you want them to be, or that Loko will give it. I can't even be charitable about this, it's straight up wrong and completely unethical. No one does this. No one.

'Head seals' is wild and someone is going to get hurt. The job of protecting the head is with the lwa, not in the hands of someone doing work. Further, a correct and complete initiation precludes the possibility of problematic possession because the lwa are there to sort that out. Additionally, taking it upon yourself to 'seal' the head a child of Ginen in the name of Ginen is awfully arrogant...are you really going to say you can overstep the lwa and/or do a better job than them?

The work of initiation is incredibly delicate because you literally have someone's head in your hands. People can die when things are done incorrectly, either in the moment or in a long and winding road of calamity. Every single manbo and houngan I know has a story about this. We know what happens when things like this are undertaken because we've either watched the fallout or had people come to our doors in deep suffering because incorrect and inadvisable things have been done to them.

Paying for any initiation through Etsy should speak for itself. That is not how houngans and manbos do business.

What is unsaid in this blurb is that this is undoubtedly happening in the US, because it would never be allowed to happen in Haiti. This says a lot and it's a giant can of worms to open, but when have I avoided that? Initiation does not happen in the US for a lot of reasons. Some folks want to say it can, but it really can't. This is not the post to get into why and I can write more on that later, but that's the long and short of it.

Perhaps finally, my friend Sankofa made a really astute point in another forum: beware anyone in any African Traditional or African Descended religion trying to sell you something ceremonially unique. Our ceremonies are largely the same for big reasons, and an individual saying they are doing something new, like mixing tchatcha and asson or initiating you to your dead ancestors and putting ancestors on your head, is a massive red flag. This is not how culture and traditional religion function. This is not what the ancestors built for us, and this is not what we pass down.

Please, please be careful with your heads. I meant it when I said that people will die because of stuff like this. Please be discerning about who you trust with your head and your life. Take your time and see lots of ceremonies. Pray. Listen for the voice of the lwa which can sound a lot like your intuition. And, for the love of Ogou and Metrès Danto, don't buy initiations on Etsy.

I hope the person behind this post can reflect on what they are doing and re-evaluate their choices. In a perfect world, they would consult with their elders and their mama/papa kanzo for guidance and really, really listen. If they don't have elders and/or an initiator, they should refrain from offering things like this until they do. Different choices can always be made, but spiritual work done out of ignorance, malice, or greed that harms someone can never be taken back.

[macumbaarts]

[3rdeyeblaque]

On January 7th, we venerate Ancestor & Hoodoo Saint, Auntie Zora Neale Hurston on her 133rd birthday (updated 2024). 🎉

Novelist, Anthropologist, Folklorist, Scholar, Vodou initiate & Historian, Zora Neale Hurston's legacy is forever cemented in Hoodoo Culture (and beyond) as the masterful wordsmith who cast a shining light on black excellence in all everyday forms/spaces, our ATR roots, & the preservation of Black Voices during the prime of the Harlem Renaissance.

Auntie Zora was born in Notasulga, AL and raised on 5 acres of land in Eatonville, FL by her preacher-father and free-spirited mother ; in what would be the first all-Black township in the country. After the shattering loss of her mother, Zora turned up in Baltimore, MD where she presented herself as a 16 year old (10 years her junior) in order to access free public school education resources; thereby finishing school. From then on, Zora lived her life presenting herself as 10 years younger than she actually was. She'd go on to graduate from Barnard College in 1928. 

She published several novellas & articles, including "Mules & Men"; a collection of Hoodoo Folklore. She entered the zenith of her career in the late 30s/40s after publishing her masterworks: "Their Eyes Were Watching God", "Tell My Horse", "Moses, Man of the Mountain", & an anthropological study on Hatian Vodou .After publishing her autobiography, "Dust Tracks on a Road, "Auntie Zora finally received the public recognition & literary respect that was long overdue. Despite her successes, and unprecedented contributions in classic literature & anthropology, Zora never received the financial contributions that her work so deserved. 

Zora Neale Hurston passed away; penniless, alone, & drifting into obscurity. Friends and supporters from near and far raised $600 for her funeral service and burial. She was buried in an unmarked grave, in a segregated section, at the Garden Of Heavenly Peace Cemetery in Fort Pierce, FL. Over a decade later, in 1973 the Great Alice Walker found the unmarked grave and ordered a headstone to be placed on it; engraved with, "Genius Of The South" in Zora's honor. It remains in place today.  “Let no Negro celebrity, no matter what financial condition they might be in at death, lie in inconspicuous forgetfulness. We must assume the responsibility of their graves being known and honored.” - Zora Neale Hurston to W.E.B. Dubois Auntie Zora wanted to be remembered & demanded that the same honor and respect be given unto her peers & others. Never forget the infectious voice that defined & defied, inspired & struck fear in many hearts of her time & after. We pour libations & give 💐 today as we celebrate Auntie Zora for her enigmatic spirit, ancestral wisdom, labor of love for Hoodoo Folklore, & for the seeing the beauty in the dark, sometimes solemn, corners in Black Culture. Let her studies continue to inform our own. Let her spark a fire in us to reconnect to our roots & grow within our lineages.

Offering suggestions: money, music, read/share her work, libations of water, & flowers.

‼️Note: offering suggestions are just that & strictly for veneration purposes only. Never attempt to conjure up any spirit or entity without proper divination/Mediumship counsel.‼️

[haitianartlover]

STIVENSON MAGLOIRE (HAITIAN, 1963-1994)

[asanee44]

The Power Of Voodoo

Voodoo is more than a practice—it's a deep connection to spiritual forces that play a crucial role in our everyday lives. When we honor and respect these forces. In return, they offer us protection, healing, and a wealth of blessings.

By serving the spirits, we tap into a unique and rich tradition of spiritual support and guidance. Through it, we develop a life filled with peace, prosperity, and divine protection. It's about embracing a deeper, more harmonious way of living.

Join us on this journey of spiritual enrichment and discover the endless benefits Voodoo can bring to your life.

Want to gain more in-depth knowledge about Voodoo? To learn more about this profound system, join this dynamic course Haitian Vodou: Mystery of the Cosmos.

[nickysfacts]

Just remember ladies that Erzulie Dantor is always watching over us!

🇭🇹🧕🏾🗡

[blackhalee]

The legend of the Blue Bottle Tree is a fascinating tale that has been passed down through generations. According to the legend, there was once a kind-hearted woman who lived in a small village. She had a special gift for growing and caring for plants and flowers.

One day, while tending to her garden, the woman noticed that her precious blue bottles were missing. Blue bottles were her most prized possessions, as they were believed to hold magical properties that brought good luck and protected against evil spirits.

Distraught, the woman searched high and low for her beloved blue bottles but could not find them anywhere. Determined to find the thief and retrieve her bottles, she sought the help of a wise old sage who lived on the outskirts of the village.

The sage listened to the woman's plight and offered her a solution. He told her to plant a special tree in her garden and surround it with small blue bottles. The magical properties of the bottles would attract the thief and trap them within the tree, making it impossible for them to escape.

Eager to recover her blue bottles, the woman followed the sage's advice. She planted a beautiful tree in her garden and adorned it with numerous blue bottles, carefully positioned to capture the thief. Days turned into weeks, and finally, one fateful night, the thief struck again.

As the thief reached out to steal the blue bottles, they found themselves ensnared within the tree's branches. Try as they might, they couldn't break free from the mystical hold of the blue bottles. The thief was trapped, and justice was served.

From that day forward, the legend of the Blue Bottle Tree spread far and wide. People began planting these trees in their gardens as a symbol of protection, luck, and the triumph of good over evil. It became a beloved tradition to hang blue bottles from the branches, reminding all who saw them of the power they held.

Whether the legend is true or simply a captivating tale, the Blue Bottle Tree has become a cherished part of folklore, representing the resilience, resourcefulness, and ingenuity of those who seek to protect what is dear to them.

💙🖤💙

[jareckiworld]

Didier William — Dezabiye II (acrylic, oil, ink, wood carving on panel, 2022)

[horygory]

The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988)

[rockofeye]

Upcoming Offerings

A few things to close out May:

Let's finish out May STRONG and tend to our needs with a lamp with Kouzen. We'll aim to strengthen our connections to satisfaction and our needs for renewal, reconnection, and rootedness. Kouzen speaks to work and prosperity, but also to our inherent sense of knowing and belonging. How are we putting our hands into community? What is our work and how do we thrive? What do we need to move from survival mode to rested, refreshed, and prepared for the work ahead?

Participation is $57; which covers your participation and petitions/asks of Kouzen, offerings, and charity done in your name after. Participants receive confirmation of the work completed. Deadline for participation is 12PM EST Saturday, May 25.

Initiation and the authentic and appropriate processes of such are a H-O-T topic this week. Let's talk about it!

Join me on Sunday, May 26 to talk about the nuts and bolts of initiation as a spiritual process. What goes into initiation? Who might benefit? What are the pieces of initiation, why are they important, and who participates? What are some things to look out for when considering a spiritual home? While focusing mainly on the processes within Haitian Vodou, we'll also look at initiation processes in other spiritual practices and leave time for questions and discussion.

This is not a forum where any privileged information will be shared, nor is it a forum to ask for verification of authenticity. Likewise, this is not a first step in any initiation process. While this class is aimed at folks who are not initiated into Haitian Vodou and/or may have limited access to the religion, all are welcome.

Participation is $57; class will be live on Zoom and recorded for posterity.

Payment is accepted via CashApp and Venmo; inbox for details/sign up or email hounganalex@gmail.com

📸: Zetwal Ashade Bo Manbo & Alex Batagi

[macumbaarts]

Laroyê Exú.

Exú faz o erro virar acerto.

[3rdeyeblaque]

On December 1st we venerate Elevated Ancestor & Voodoo Priest Frank Staten aka Prince Ke’eyama on the 25th anniversary of his passing 🕊 [for our Hoodoos of the Vodou Pantheon by way of New Orleans & Haiti]

Prince Ke’eyama was a Healer, Rootworker, & intuitive reader - recognized as the King of New Orleans Voodoo by many for his ;the locals knew him simply as, “The Chicken Man".

Born Frank Staten of Haitian descent, his family relocated from Haiti to New Orleans when he was an infant in the late '30s. Though raised Baptist under the ministry of his grandfather, it was his grandmother who initiated him into Rootwork & introduced him to Haitian Voodoo. Through his grandmother he learned to work the roots & the Lwa in order to help others.

At the age of 9, a revelation changed the course of his life forever. It was then that his grandfather revealed to him that he was blessed with magick & was a Healer. This was amplified by his grandmother's revelation that he was born of royal descent; to a lineage of powerful kings of the past whose legacy was his mantle to carry for the rest of his life. From this moment forward he was given a new name: Prince Ke’eyama.

Under the firm guidance of his grandparents, Ke’eyama developed into a powerful worker. Once his most peel animal spirit totem was revealed to him during meditation & prayer, he began following a strict diet of including chicken in his every meal. Doing so was said to enable him to swallow glass & consume fire unharmed. He'd go on to travel across the States to other Voodoo communities & frequent his roots in Haiti. He was an unmistakable figure in his appearance; locs decorated with feathers & ribbons, his signature straw hat, a long staff, & a big smile. Thus, his reputation & strength blossomed.

It wasn't until the early 70s that Prince Ke’eyama returned to New Orleans & witnessed the tumultuous nature & chaos of rampant drug abuse that swept the city. He was determined to make this is ground zero to answer his life calling of being a Healer. To attract the people, he fell back on an old nightclub act that he'd perform during his adventures on the road. He'd amaze his audiences with his mastery of Voodoo, revealing the power of God. Thus, "The Chicken Man" was born. His shows included: tribal dancing, simple magick, & fire-eating then was climaxed by eating a live chicken raw; he'd bite the head off & drink it’s blood, fixing it's neck into a makeshift straw. Though this reviled many, just as many others perceived this act less about entertainment & more of a sacrifice on the part of Prince Ke’eyama on behalf of everyone present. Those who did began to seek him out for counseling & aid in healing. By making a spectacle of himself, Prince Ke’eyama was able to fulfill his work as a Healer. His shows, counseling, conducting readings, & selling gris-gris etc was his ministry. The streets of New Orleans - particularly the French Quarter - were his congregation. Most people encountered him on the street as The Chicken Man by him intuitively reading them at a distance. By the time he zeroed in on someone, he had already had their prescription in mind. Unlike many priests or workers, he pursued his patients.

He developed a tremendous following in the 70s-80s. Many locals saught him out for his services. And was recognized as a powerful priest by those of the local Voodoo Community practicing what they proclaimed to be “true” Voodoo – most prominently Lady Bianca. Still, many popular vodusi dismissed him as sheer entertainment. This ostricization spurred The Cult of the Chicken Man; secret group of dedicated followers. This became one of the largest secret societies in the city since the time of Voodoo Queen Madame Marie Laveau.

Upon his death in 1998, Prince Ke’eyama's ashes were donated to the Voodoo Spiritual Temple in New Orleans where they remain enshrined by Sister Miriam Chamani.

We pour libations & give 💐 today as we celebrate him for his dedicated healing work, imparting the wisdom of his & the collective of ancestral elders through his teachings, & for being a symbolic lesson of what it means to be a product of self-determination in the wake of Maafa.

Offering suggestions: raw or cooked chicken, Baptist prayers/scripture, bourbon, snake charms

‼️Note: offering suggestions are just that & strictly for veneration purposes only. Never attempt to conjure up any spirit or entity without proper divination/Mediumship counsel.‼️

[conjuremanj]

Erzulie Freda.

Okay. When I saw this I had to share it. This is from Houngan Jak. A doll of Ayibobo Mambo Maitresse Erzulie wearing beautiful real jewelry and clothing.

(If you're wondering. Ayibobo is a ritual word that's a equivalent to “Amen” or "Blessings" and a few other meanest depending on how it's used)

👇Next is a photo of her being bathed in and bath made for her.

👇This is her altar. With items that she loves.

👇Oh, Check this out a Florida Water bottle created for her.

These aren't my photo they belong to Senjsk a Vodou priest. I just wasn't to share these.

If you are a devotee of any spirit, deity, Gods, Ansestors etc Look at the things they like or tell you they like and create something personal for them that comes from you.

They'll like it.

[dakotaworldsketch]

Here’s a dump of some of the concept art I’ve made for my Homebrew D&D work I’m working on!

In the Withered Dreamlands (working title), the gods that created the world have all perished. They destroyed each other in a divine war that left the planet forever changed and filled with magic.

The tone of the world is whimsical high fantasy. My main inspirations are stuff like Adventure Time, Studio Ghibli movies, the Legend of Zelda, ect.

Photoslugs are gigantic slugs that are often seen in herds grazing on the planes. They graze not on the grass, but on the sunlight as they photosynthesize. I based these guys on irl leaf slugs :)

Here’s some concept sketches for a Haitian Vodou inspired nation in my world that I’m currently fleshing out. I’m really in love with what I’m coming up with so far.

Mossbacks are giant marine mammals that grow plants on their backs. I don’t have much on these guys yet but they’re based on IRL manatees!