#dominican vudú

[spiritualityloves247]

https://www.readersandrootworkers.org/wiki/Nsasi

[whatsittoya34]

Antonio nuggles

[sag-dab-sar]

My Religion: Post & Notes

Quick Simple Overview of my Religion - Link

Gods & Spirits I worship - Link

Word for deity singular and plural: Diĝir/Diĝirene are Sumerian. Theoi/Theos & Daimon/Daimones are Hellenic. Kami are Shinto.

In General

I'm a Hard Polytheist - Link

I believe in the existence of all Gods - Link

I worship many Gods - Link

My Gods are imminent & transcendent - Link

My God's are not omnipresent - Link

Communication with the Gods - Link

Feeling & sensing the Gods - Link

I do not believe in sacred scriptures - Link

Life guidance beyond religion: Sonder - Link

Life guidance beyond religion: "The more I learn the more I realize how much I don't know."

My Practices

How I use my Altars & Shrines - Link

Sumerian & Hellenic

Serving Diĝirene in the Modern World - Link

Hellenic Household Worship - Link & Link

My Mesopotamian Religious Name - Link

I prefer Ur III and prior for Sumerian revivalism but will take from other Mesopotamian periods.

I prefer "older periods" for Hellenic revivalism. But I'm not academically suave enough to know the differences.

Tags: Hellenic: #ofthetheoi | Sumerian: #landof2rivers

Virgin Mary

My usage of "Mariolatry" - Link

Some of what Mary means to me - Link

I view her the same as I view hero worship, not as a Goddess

Because I do not believe in sacred scripture, I do not see her stories in the Bible, Quran, and Apocrypha to be historical truth. Link

I discovered a connection to Mater Dolorosa via Las 21 Divisiones (Dominican Vudú) not Catholicism

Tag: #mariolatry

Shinto (none of the links are mine)

I practice Shinto at home, I patron shrines to obtain omamori & ofuda. But don't live anywhere near one.

"Kami" is not synonymous with "gods" but I believe the two Amatsukami I worship are equivalent to Gods. - Link

Shinto Guide by @/livingwithkami - Link

Tag: #kaminomichi

[conjuremanj]

Different Styles Of Voodoo

When I hear that a country or city don't practice real Vaudou aka voodoo it bothers me when that person don't really know what voodoo, Vodou, Vodun etc is. Some think that it started in Haiti or that it isn't real if your not initiated in Haiti. So I wanted to make this quick post to show a few of the different styles of voodoo there are. Do the proper research and choose which practice calls to you.

First up is African Vodun is an is the birth place of vodun a ancient religion practiced by some 30 million people in the West African nations of Benin, Togo and Ghana. With its countless deities, animal sacrifice and spirit possession, voodoo — as it's known to the rest of the world — is one of the most misunderstood religions on the globe.

Second Haitian Vodou is an African diasporic religion that developed in Haiti. It arose through a process of syncretism between several traditional religions of West and Central Africa and Roman Catholicism. Vodou revolves around spirits known as lwa. Typically deriving their names and attributes from traditional West and Central African divinities, they are equated with Roman Catholic saints and the central ritual involves practitioners drumming, singing, and dancing to encourage a lwa to possess one of their members and thus communicate with them.

Third. Louisiana Voodoo, also known as New Orleans Voodoo, is an African diasporic religion which originated in Louisiana, now in the southern United States. It arose through a process of syncretism between the traditional religions of West Africa, Haitian Vodou and some christianity.

Forth Santería, also known as Regla de Ocha, Regla Lucumí, or Lucumí, is an African diasporic religion that developed in Cuba during the late 19th century. It arose through a process of syncretism between the traditional Yoruba religion of West Africa, the Catholic form of Christianity, and Spiritism. This is the same as the Ifa in Africa except they use saints also

Fifth Palo: also known as Las Reglas de Congo, is an African diasporic religion that developed in Cuba. This is the first practice that hit first before Santeria. It arose through a process of syncretism between the traditional Kongo religion of Central Africa, the Roman Catholic branch of Christianity, and Spiritism.

Sixth Espiritismo: Spiritism. Espiritismo (Spiritism) is rooted in the belief system that the spirit world can intervene in the human world and is widely practiced in Puerto Rico it not voodoo but I wanted to add it. At its most basic level, it invokes God and The Positive Spirits to divine for and assist the person. There is the use of a table covered with a white cloth, a large bowl full of water, and a crucifix. There are no initiations into this tradition and people work together at gatherings called Misas.

Seventh Sanse: Sanse is a cross between Spiritism and the 21 Divisions. In this tradition, the dead and the Lwa (or Misterios) are worked with spiritually. There is an initiation called a Bautizo (Baptism) and people work withall sorts of different spiritual tableaus, or frameworks.

Eight. Obeah, or Obayi, is a series of African diasporic spell-casting and healing traditions found in the former British colonies of the Caribbean. These traditions derive much from traditional West African practices that have undergone cultural creolization.

Ninth. Dominican Vudú, known as Las 21 Divisiones (The 21 Divisions), is a heavily Catholicized syncretic shamanistic religion of African-Caribbean origin which developed in the erstwhile Spanish colony of Santo Domingo on the island of Hispaniola. Now 21 Divisiones/Dominican vudu is very similar to the tchatcha/kwakwa/Deka lineage in Haiti. In 21 Divisiones and in the tchatcha lineage of Haitian vodou, is the north part of Hati and the initiations are different and the temples are organized differently.

Tenth. Trinidad Orisha, also known as Shango, is a syncretic religion in Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean, originally from West Africa.

I these are some of the voodoo style practices around the world .

[theblissfulstars]

Spiritual Church of New Orleans/Black Spiritual Church movement.

Let's discuss The spiritual churches of New Orleans and the black spiritual church movement. I love to sharing about Spirtualism on this Blog because I define myself as an African American spiritualist, Soulaani spiritualism if you will, which is distinct from American spiritualism which was predominantly practiced by white upper class people across the United States.

Spiritualism is a religion that began in New York with the fox sisters during the Reformation movement, this new religious phenomena spread quickly to the Soulaani community as spiritualism mirrored many of the ancestral practices of many colonized BIPOC spiritual traditions that had been phased out. Trans-cultural parallels show a similar happening in Latin America through the adoption of Espiritismo, a Kardecist perspective on Spiritualism.

The spiritual church movement in the African American community is largely attributed to Mother Leafy Anderson, a medium from Wisconsin who relocated to New Orleans where she demonstrated her mediumistic ability and wisdom through the channeling one of spirit guides Blackhawk, Aunt Esther, and many more.

These uniquely Black spiritual churches became a cornerstone in the black community as an alternative to more mainstream beliefs held in our communities and also were there with open arms to receive black members who were expelled by the national spiritualist association of churches in the '20s during Jim Crow causing their growth even further. By the mid-1920s you could find black spiritual churches in the New Orleans tradition from Chicago, Detroit, California and Texas.

This unique tradition is characterized by its blending of Catholic iconography, with a Pentecostal or Baptist worship style. Some congregations even purported to incorporate elements of Conjure, Hoodoo and Voodoo(not to be confused with Haitian Vodou, Dominican Vudú, or Vodun) such as in the case of mother Catherine seals, an eccentric healer who was said to have healed herself back from the dead. Not many of the churches still stand, however, some noteworthy and historic ones include The metropolitan Spiritual Church of Christ, Pentecostal spiritual Assemblies of Christ, universal hagar's spiritual Church. And many many more!

[the-girl-who-didnt-smile]

I’m still mulling this over, but I might reverse the decision to remove Lady Rose from the lineup.

What’s sticking in my brain is the description of “Mama You”...Upon further investigation, it does seem that “Manman Ou” is used in reference to lwa in the Ezili famille - especially Ezili Danto (Manman Danto), but not so much Ezili Freda. You can find examples of this all over the internet. I guess what I said wasn’t entirely stupid! 

“Mama You” is specified as “the mother of the child Jesus”, not just “the Virgin Mary”. 

Ezili Freda and Ezili Danto are both represented by images of the Virgin Mary, but Freda is represented by Mater Dolorosa - Our Lady of Sorrows, without the child Jesus - while Danto is represented by the Black Madonna - a maternal figure with the child Jesus on her wrist.

El vodú en Cuba by Joel James Figarola, José Millet, and Alexis Alarcón captures how Vodou (Vodú) was practiced by the descendants of Haitians who emigrated to Cuba during first half of the 20th century*. Two different Ezili (Ercilí) were worshiped: one described as “Rada” and one described as “Petro”:

“Hemos podido registrar dos tipos de Ercilí en nuestras investigaciones de campo: una, de claro sello radá y otra, que bien puede equipararse con la Ercilí-Yeux-Rouges (Erzulie Ojos Rojos), de tipo petró (Courlander, 1985: 319).”

MACHINE TRANSLATION: 

“We have been able to record two types of Ercilí in our field investigations: one, with a clear Radá seal and another, which can easily be compared to the Ercilí-Yeux-Rouges (Red-Eyed Erzulie), of the petró type (Courlander, 1985: 319).”

SOURCE: James Figarola, Joel, et al. El vodú en Cuba. Santiago de Cuba, Editorial Oriente, 2007. Originally published in 1998. p. 171

Likewise, “Petro” and “Rada” forms of Ezili (Esili) are observed in Dominican Vudú, though it is unclear whether they were considered separate beings or two sides of a single being. I am also unclear on the timeframe for this observation, as I was unable to obtain a copy of Martha Ellen Davis’ (1987) La otra ciencia: el vodu como religion y medicina populares. (In the present day, Metresili is distinct from Esili Dantor)

“En República Dominicana, esta divinidad recibe el nombre de Metré Silí y tiene gran renombre. Posee muchos de los trazos de la divinidad haitiana: es muy débil a los perfumes, a las prendas y a los trajes lujosos y caros. Odia la bebida y se deja arrastrar por la atracción masculina (Deive, 1975: 185). Esta misma divinidad, en punto petró, es “la única metresa que se presta para recoger corrientes malas [...] cuando utiliza flores amarillas o de sol [...]” (Davis, 1987, 242)”

MACHINE TRANSLATION: 

“In the Dominican Republic, this deity is called Metré Silí and is very well-known. She has many of the traits of the Haitian deity: she is very weak to perfumes, clothes and luxurious and expensive suits. She hates drink and lets herself be carried away by male attraction (Deive, 1975: 185). This same deity, in petró point, is “the only metresa that lends itself to collecting bad currents [...] when she uses yellow or sun flowers [...]” (Davis, 1987, 242)”

SOURCE: James Figarola, Joel, et al. El vodú en Cuba. Santiago de Cuba, Editorial Oriente, 2007. Originally published in 1998. p. 171

*see: Anderson, Jeffrey E.. Voodoo: An African American Religion. United States, LSU Press, 2024. p. 64.

Ezili Danto is said to emerge in 1791, at Bwa Kayiman. Really going out on a limb here, but what if the symbol resembling Ezili Freda’s veve* is evidence that Ezili Freda was worshiped, while the reference to “Mama You” is evidence that Ezili Danto was worshiped as an independent divinity from Ezili Freda…?

*see page 31 of: Cole, Kendra, "The State and the Spirits: Voodoo and Religious Repression in Jim Crow New Orleans" (2019). Honors Theses. 658. https://aquila.usm.edu/honors_theses/658  

Or, rather Danto specifically, one of the Petwo Ezili…? Alternatively, “Mama You” might be “Manman Wou”, who is listed as one of the lwa in the Ezili famille.

Of course, this is just a theory, and it doesn’t have strong evidence… This is literally just real-life fanfiction!

I would not go down this road if this was a story based in the real world, as the evidence here is so weak. But it seems no matter what decision is made, it inevitably becomes an exercise in interpretation and “guessing”, since the historical record is so sparse.

There is an advantage to making “Lady Rose” and “Lady Love” twins… Twins hold a spiritual significance in West African belief systems. In Dahomean Narrative, several of Legba’s older siblings are twins. In Haitian Vodou, a pair of divine twins features prominently: The Marassa.  It is fitting for a couple of “The Seven” to be a pair of twins… 

“Lady Rose” is Black like “Lady Love” because, from a visual standpoint, it gets too confusing if “The Seven” don’t have the same skintone. This is a deliberate departure from the real-life counterparts, and not a decision I would have made if the story was set in the real world. 

In a sense, “Lady Rose” has a dagger in her heart, not over the loss of a child but the loss of her twin sister. Two sisters who were once inseparable, now bitter enemies…

(it’s basically the female version of Gravity Falls…)

Naturally, I plan to develop multiple, parallel concepts that could be swapped for each other, like so:

“Lady Rose” and “Lady Love” as twins

“Lady Rose” is removed; her image is what “Lady Love” used to look like

Same as 2, but elements of Ezili Danto / Black Madonna of Częstochowa are removed

Just a question of which one should occupy the no.1 spot, and which one should be listed as an alternative… 

So I’m leaning towards reversing my decision, but I need to think about this a little harder… There are pros and cons to each option, which is why all should be developed further, in parallel… 

[bawonsbitch24]

I remember doing ceremonies with my cousins

I remember my inititiations back in 2003

I was initiated into Palo in 2003

I was initiated into Santeria in 2004

I was initiated into Dominican vudú and Haitian voudou in 2010

I was initiated into Umbanda in 2011 by 13-14 i was at my limit for being in my energy vampire household and the discussions of which new house started.

[vtm-nightcity]

4, 14 and 17 for lovely Syn?

Of course!

4. In developing their backstory, what elements of the world they live in played the most influential parts?

a. Syn's rejection of Catholicism, stemming from the death of their father and a sexual assault in Catholic school in their teens by a male classmate . Their father was mistakenly gunned down by NYC cops during a manhunt for an escaped prison convict as he walked home from work one night after double shifts as a security guard. Syn was devasted as he was the only parent they had left (their mother died in childbirth).

The final "nail in the coffin" was seeing that same cop exit a confessional the next night after mass and later finding him back on the street as if nothing had happened with no punishment and no apologies - same as the male classmate who smirked at them on returning to class after only a day suspension and "absolution" from a school priest.

Enraged, Syn denounced the Church and flew down to the DR (Dominican Republic) to get away and connect with any members of their father's family and found his grandmother and aunt who introduced Syn to the Vudú traditions their father had left behind decades ago. Traditions of an old branch of vodou that originated from neighboring Haiti.

b. Syn's rise in the criminal underground. Syn returned to NYC (Brooklyn) from the DR after a year's stay with their grandmother and moved into a shelter. They earned a small amount of money fixing the computers of the shelter staff, becoming such an asset, they turned a closet into a makeshift tiny office where they could manage the IT work for the small Brooklyn shelter. Long story short, Syn learned to dissect and defang malware and wrote software neutralizing infections (the shelter couldn't afford subscription AntiViral software). Syn's work caught the eye of a Cobra online who offered a better job and…so much more.

14. If you had to narrow it down to 2 things that you MUST keep in mind while working with your OC, what would those things be?

I keep in mind their:

1) Extreme Rage

2) Need for Vengeance which is all consuming when they're triggered (Flaw). Syn's personal Vengeance was never satisfied and festered pre-Embrace…but after their Embrace into the Serpents of the Light, their Beast became the incarnation of that Vengeance with an almost separate identity so much so that one could say that Syn and their Beast are a plural system.

17. Is there some element you regret adding to your OC or their story?

Adding a sexual assault (i.e. rape) to their back story, but it is the source of their simmering incandescent rage that they weaponize against anyone, Cainite or kine (which they kill outright if they're crossed). Looking back, it's an extremely vulnerable moment, but it makes Syn what they are..extremely focused and lethal, having a pair of venomous Cobra fangs (Serpentis 6) (their sire is a 6th gen who follows them back from the DR pre-Embrace..shadowing and watching Syn until direct contact on the darknet with an offer...)

Syn (she/they) has a baggage of misery, pain, anger and talent and a direct descendant of a long line of DR vudú practitioners - prime candidate for Embrace and initiate into the secrets of the Path of Ecstasy.

[sag-dab-sar]

This manifests in more insidious ways— Catholicism is woven throughout most Afro-diasporic religions/traditions.

How did I find Our Lady of Sorrows? Through Dominican Vudú Metresa Metresili. I worship Our Lady of Sorrows the Saint not the Metresa, but the point is I found her through that tradition.

When you reject Christianity as the Big Bad™ you inevitably have to view syncretic religions as part of that Big Bad™

When you claim that Christianity is incompatible with magic or even forms of polytheism you are rejecting the legitimacy of these practices and their right to exist.

People turn around an appropriate from these practices while completely denouncing Catholicism like it's the plague; not accepting the Catholic origins of certain aspects they are stealing. And pretending folk Catholicism often practiced side by side doesn't exist. In a tremendous show of ignorance.

Seriously too many white witches are just doing white cultural Christianity with a witchcraft label and it's damn obnoxious and also damn funny at the same time.

They be denying three times they ain't Christian and then turn right around to sound exactly like some sanctimonious Protestant preacher, like, girl, for reals.

"But you can't be a Catholic and a witch! You're Catholic so you can't practice witchcraft! You just can't! It's against the rules!" My sibling in Christ do you even hear yourself right now, girl.

[normal-horoscopes]

not sure how to phrase this question so forgive me if the wording is awkward please but i think you mentioned voodoo is a closed practice once and i wanted to know who is the group to whom it belongs? like kabbalah is closed because its a jewish thing, and people who are not jewish should not do it. who's thing is voodoo?

Voodoo is an African Diasporic Religion unique to the black population of Louisiana. It is related to but distinct from it's relatives like Cuban Vodú, Hatian Vodou, and Dominican Vudú, all sequestered to their respective populations.

Also related is Hoodoo, also known as Rootwork, or Low Country Voodoo, which has its roots in the South Carolina Low-Country.

[kemetic-dreams]

               Differences from voodoo religions

Hoodoo shows evident links to the practices and beliefs of Fon and Ewe Vodun spiritual folkways. The folkway of Vodun is a more standardized and widely dispersed spiritual practice than Hoodoo. Vodun's modern form is practiced across West Africa in the nations of Benin, Togo, and Burkina Faso, among others. In the Americas, the worship of the Vodoun loa is syncretized with Roman Catholic saints. The Vodou of Haiti, Voodoo of Louisiana, Vodú of Cuba, and the Vudú of the Dominican Republic are related more to Vodun than to Hoodoo. Archeologists unearthed Hoodoo artifacts on slave plantations in Maryland showing evidence of West African practices in the United States brought over by African slaves.

 On another plantation in Maryland archeologists unearthed artifacts that showed a blend of West African and Christian spiritual practices among the slaves. This was Ezekial's Wheel in the bible that blended with the Central African Kongo cosmogram. The Kongo cosmogram is an x enclosed in a circle that resembles the Christian cross. This may explain the connection enslaved black Americans had with the Christian symbol the cross as it resembled their African symbol.

[spiritualityloves247]

Lubana is a cemetery spirit; the sacred snake of the charnel house. She is a spirit of birth, death, life, and sex who unblocks roads, removing obstacles from the paths of her devotees. She opens the gates of opportunity. Lubana is a cleansing spirit who removes negativity and spiritual and psychic toxins (snake venom as antidote). Can she remove a curse? Yes, she can.

Lubana began her incarnation as a Congolese Simbi spirit. Transported to the island of Hispaniola by the slave trade; she was a comparatively obscure local spirit until the late 20th century when the image of Mami Waters arrived in the Americas. The German circus poster of a snake charmer that catapulted Mami Waters to worldwide fame served as a portal for Lubana, too. Dominican immigrants brought Lubana to the United States; her fame continues to increase.

Congolese snake spirits were transported to the Caribbean; so was an old traditional style of Iberian spellcasting, incorporating verbal petitions to aggressive spirits requesting that they impose the spell-caster’s will on others. For instance, Spanish love/domination spells invoke Saint Martha the Dominator, requesting that she force an errant man to return to the spell-caster so subservient that he’s crawling on his belly like a snake. Lubana is now invoked in virtually identical love-spells whose goal is to force a man to crawl afterthe woman he once scorned, begging on his knees. (If the spell goes correctly; the man wants to do this. He feels compelled. He’s unresisting.)

Although Lubana is also commonly called Filomena, she is not identified with the young virgin martyr, Saint Philomena. Instead, she is syncretized to Saint Martha the Dominator. In Latin America, the snake-charmer image associated elsewhere with Mami Waters was identified as Saint Martha who is usually depicted with a dragon or great reptile.

Snake Oil, a mass produced condition oil (magical formula oil), is used to dress Lubana’s candles and summon her. Serpentine-inspired fine perfume oils like Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab’s Snake Oil may also accomplish this purpose. If you want to visit her, Lubana lives in the cemetery.

The other names she goes by: Filomena Lubana; Maitresse Luban; Metresa Lubana; Loubana; Luban

Classified as a Metrasa- the Caribbean island of Hispaniola is divided into two nations: Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Although Vodou has historically been associated with Haiti, related traditions exist in the Dominican Republic, too. The Dominican tradition is usually spelled Vodo or referred to as the twenty-One Divisions. Metresa is the term used to describe Vodo female spirits. It is a Spanish adaptation of the French word Maîtresse or, in English, Mistress.

MANIFESTATION:

Lubana’s true form is a snake but she may also manifest as a woman who displays serpentine behaviour (hissing, slithering, sticking out her tongue …). She may have snakelike physical features. Regardless of form, Lubana doesn’t speak: she hisses or communicates telepathically. (Telepathically she may use words and be quite articulate.)

ICONOGRAPHY:

The image most frequently used to depict Lubana is that of the snake charmer more commonly associated with Mami Waters. Votive statues based on that image are now mass produced and may be labeled Martha the Dominator (Santa Marta Dominadora). Different versions of the statue exist; some hew closely to the old poster even duplicating the hairstyle; others depict her with significantly fairer complexion. Martha/Lubana wears a green dress and holds a snake. A small boy sitting on her lap holds a smaller snake. The second figure in the old poster has been reinterpreted as a child saved from a snake by the snake charmer.

SPIRIT ALLIES:

She works closely with Anaisa Pyé, Sili Kenwa, Baron Del Cementario, and other Barons.

DAY:

Monday

SACRED DATE:

29 July (feast day of Saint Martha)

COLOURS:

Green, black, purple

ANIMAL:

Snake

NUMBER:

5

ALTAR:

Her offerings are traditionally placed on the floor, although theoretically, a snake climbs anywhere.

OFFERINGS:

Cigars; unsweetened black coffee; Malta beverage (not malt liquor; Malta is a type of carbonated drink whose primary ingredient is barley, which is allowed to ferment or ”malt”). Malta is available worldwide, sold under different brand names; it may also be sold as champagne cola, although it’s neither champagne nor cola; however, beware: although Malta may be called champagne cola, not every champagne cola is Malta.

TRADITIONAL OFFERING FOR LUBANA

Place one whole, unbroken, raw egg on a bed of coffee grounds

Drizzle with honey and Malta and serve

[harrelltut]

♀ I Politically + Ancestrally [PA] Freed Moor of Us [U.S. = ABORIGINAL] Black American Spirit [BAS = ORISHA] Earth Indians back 2 Louisiana’s Ancient [L.A.] Afro American Confederation of Cosmic Allegiance [CA] Forces who Always Universally + Spiritually Assist [U.S.A.] + Magically Enforce [ME = U.S. Michael Harrell = TUT = JAH] My NEW… Nubian Worldwide Order [NWO] Government of SIRIUS Black Revolutionary Haitian Afterlife [HA = HARRELL] Souls from Lost Atlantis [L.A.] ♀

[sag-dab-sar]

I should probably write about how I came to worship Mary as Our Lady of Sorrows via Dominican Vudú (which I ended up placing aside for now) NOT via my Christian past or Catholic schooling. Anyone saying I am "appropriating Mary" should really learn about Christian missionary work and all the syncretism that went into POC protecting and adapting their culture in the face of it.

(I may or may not be able to write about it but still)

[magica-pseudoacademica]

Dominican Vudú

Last edited 2019-07-06

Articles

* Cardeña, Etzel and Yvonne Schaffler. “’He Who Has the Spirits Must Work a Lot’: A Psycho-Anthropological Account of Spirit Possession in the Dominican Republic.” Ethos: Journal of the Society for Psychological Anthropology 46, no. 4 (December 2018): 457-476.

[spiritroots]

African Traditional Religions

I see a lot of references to and posts about Vodou and Santería online, but there are so many more African traditional religions (ATRs) that almost never get discussed! For anyone of African descent who wants to learn more about the diverse set of African-based traditions around the world, here’s a still incomplete but much longer list. If any information is incorrect, message me.

AFRICAN RELIGIONS & CULTURAL APPROPRIATION

🔴Closed  |  🔶Semi-Closed/Initiatory  |  ✅Open

The vast majority of ATRs are semi-closed/initiatory, meaning that you cannot fully engage with and practice the religion without being initiated into it or at least joining an in-person community of initiated practitioners. Some of these communities will choose to initiate people regardless of their ancestry or race and some will not. The only way to find out is to respectfully find a community of practitioners and ask about the possibility, but if the answer is no then it’s no. If you are a part of the culture and/or have a significant amount of heritage from the group that developed the religion, it’s okay to worship/interact so long as you do so in a way that’s appropriate for non-initiates. If you aren’t initiated, aren’t a part of the culture, and don’t have any heritage related to it, please treat it as a completely closed religion!

RASTAFARI 

➡ Abrahamic, monotheistic, originated in Jamaica

🔴Closed religion, must be of African descent to practice

An Abrahamic spirituality that developed in Jamaica during the 1930′s, Rastas don’t refer to their faith as a religion or “-ism” because that would be contrary to its core ideas. They worship one God, whom they call Jah, and many regard Haile Selassie, the former emperor of Ethiopia, as a messiah. As an Afrocentric movement, Rastafari focuses on the African diaspora and the oppression of black people in Western societies. They refer to Western Society as Babylon and Ethiopia or Africa as a whole as the Promised Land of Zion. Smoking cannabis, wearing dreadlocks, and living naturally are all a part of livity, which is what they call the Rasta lifestyle and sacred practices.

YORUBA IFÁ 

➡ Indigenous, shamanism, diffused monotheism, originated in West Africa

🔶Initiatory for everyone, partially open only to those of African descent

A form of West African indigenous shamanism. Many thousands of years ago, the Yoruba people of West Africa (primarily in Nigeria) developed an oral tradition and sacred literature called If��, which through the slave trade would become the origin of many diasporic ATRs around the world. Worship of the orishas as well as olorisha, babalawo, and iyalawo/iyanifa all come from the Yoruba people’s Ifá traditions in West Africa. The orishas are spirits of nature representing certain personalities and divine powers of the one supreme deity Olodumare. Though many people in the US practice Santería, there are also plenty who choose to practice Ifá traditions the Yoruba way and even fly to Nigeria to be initiated by Yoruba priests.

SANTERÍA/LUCUMÍ 

➡ Afro-Cuban, Catholic syncretism, shamanism, diffused monotheism

🔶Initiatory for everyone, partially open only to Africana/Latinx people

Also called La Regla de Ocha (”Way of the Saints”), Santería developed as a distinct Afro-Cuban religion when the slave trade brought many Yoruba people practicing Ifá traditions to Cuba. Those Yoruba descendants in Cuba became the Lucumí people, who developed their own version of the religion syncretized with Catholicism. Most slaves were forced to practice Catholicism, and so pretending to worship saints was a survival tactic to preserve ancestral traditions in a new form. Santería is still widely practiced in Cuba, the US, and many other parts of the world.

PALO

➡ Afro-Cuban, Catholic syncretism, animism

🔶Initiatory for everyone, partially open only to Africana/Latinx people

Also called Las Reglas de Congo (”Ways of the Congo”), Palo is another Afro-Cuban religion with several different denominations including Monte, Mayombe, Briyumba, and Kimbisa. While many ATRs are derived mostly from West African traditions, Palo's roots are in Central Africa and the Congo Basin. Developed by the ancestors of many Kongo slaves brought to Cuba, Palo's liturgical language is a mix of Spanish and Bantu languages called habla Congo or lengua. Palo Cristiano are practitioners who syncretize with Catholicism and Palo Judio are those who do not. The Kimpungulu and Zambi are worshipped not orishas.

CANDOMBLÉ 

➡ Afro-Brazilian, Catholic syncretism, shamanism, diffused monotheism

🔶Initiatory for everyone, partially open only to Africana/Latinx people

An Afro-Brazilian faith derived from Yoruba Ifá traditions as well as Fon and Bantu practices. The way Santería developed in Cuba out of Yoruba Ifá practices through the slave trade is very similar to how Candomblé became a distinct religion in Brazil. Like Santería, Candomblé is also blended with Catholicism, using saints as covers for the worship of African deities. Some noticeable differences between Santería and Candomblé include the orisha Nana Buruku and unique Brazilian terminology and spellings (i.e. orixa).

WEST AFRICAN VODOU

➡ Indigenous, shamanism, diffused monotheism, originated in West Africa

🔶Initiatory for everyone, partially open only to African descent

Acceptable spellings of Vodou include Vodun, Vodon, Vodoun, Vodou, and Voudou (not “voodoo”). It is the traditional religion of many West African cultures including the Fon, Ewe, and Kabye peoples. Vodou has many similarities to Yoruba Ifá in that spirits called the loa or lwa similar to orishas are worshipped who represent the natural divine powers of one supreme deity called Mawu or Mahu similar to Olodumare. Some loa and orishas are similar or even nearly identical, but Vodou beliefs and practices with the loa are very different and particular to the religion’s traditions. West African Vodou also spread through the slave trade around the world and became the originating religion for many diasporic traditions. It is possible to travel to Benin or other countries to be initiated into Vodou by an Africa priest or priestess, so West African Vodou is practiced primarily in West Africa but also worldwide.

GLOBAL DIASPORIC VODOU RELIGIONS

➡ Haitian Vodou, Dominican Vudú, Cuban Vodú, Brazilian Vodum

🔶Initiatory for everyone, partially open only to Africana/Latinx people

As listed above, West African Vodou spread around the world and developed into many different diasporic traditions just as Santería and Candomblé developed from Yoruba Ifá traditions. The most well-known diasporic branch is Haitian Vodou, where the religion’s formation by African slaves in Haiti also played a role in helping liberate the nation from French colonial rule. However, Vodou can also be found in the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Brazil, and the United States (particularly Louisiana where the term Voodoo is also popular). Across the many different diasporic Vodou traditions, Catholic syncretism and using the saints as a cover for worshipping loa is also significant. 

KEMETICISM & KEMETIC ORTHODOXY

➡ Reconstructed, polytheistic, monolatry, originated in Northern Africa

✅Kemeticism is open, but Kemetic Orthodoxy has a conversion process

Kemeticism is the modern reconstruction of the religious traditions of Ancient Egypt. Kemetic Orthodoxy is a specific tradition of Kemeticism, which was founded by Rev. Tamra L. Siuda in the late 1980′s. Their official website says, “Kemetic Orthodoxy is an African Traditional Religion, and bears similarity to other African Traditional and African Diasporic religions (such as the West African religions of the Yoruba, Akan, Congo, and Dahomeyan peoples; and Afro-Caribbean practices of Vodou, Candomble, and Lukumi) as well as spiritual practices from northeastern Africa and the ancient Near East. Practicing Kemetic Orthodoxy requires a commitment to understanding a cultural heritage established in the past, which Kemetic Orthodoxy continues to respect and represent, even in places and times well removed from its original practice.” [x]