September 15, 2010
Psychic Advice, Empowerment Coaching, Spells And Gypsy Healing: www.GypsyAdvice.com
**Topics For Today's Free Readings**
1) Where is her career headed within the next year?
2) Is this relationship worth it if she's not getting what she needs?
3) When will she be in her first romantic relationship?
4) He's married and her boss - what chance do they have at a relationship?
5) Can you eat meat, drink alcohol and smoke and still connect to your guides and angels?
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**Quote of the Week:**
Nowhere can man find a quieter or more untroubled retreat than inhis own soul. - Marcus Aurelius
**Show's Format**
* Introduction from Allie
* Q & A from LE
* Overview of Allie's Two Cents
* Q & A from RH 9/64
* Deal of the Week
* Q & A from C 9/88
* Overview of Out of Body Ecstasy
* Q & A from KD 2/87
* The Truth Behind Voodoo!
* Q & A from HB 12/72
* Closing remarks
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MP3 File
6 comments:
OR-ell-EE-us.
VOE-doon. More properly Vodou, pronounced voo-DOO, usually, despite how much people protest it isn't. It really is.
seh-VEE lo-ah, or lwa, EXACTLY like it's spelled. It's phonetic. It means "Serving the Lwa."
Vodou is a derivation of African and Taino religions when mixed with Catholicism.
Vodou is still pretty out in the open these days.
(cont)
oom-BAHN-dah, kim-BAHN-dah, can-DOME-blay.
There are several nations of spirits united under the banner of Vodou. This is because there were a bunch of different nationalities of slaves that were trying to save their spirits. So reversion to their "native faiths" would not have them revert to Vodou.
LOW-ah. Or Les Mysteres.
God is Bondye. BON-Dieu. OH-Bah-Tah-Lah. Who is not anything like the chief spirit in Vodou. The spirit Obatala is much more prevalent in Santeria, Candomble, Umbanda, and the other Orisha/Orixa based faiths.
The vast majority of the Lwa could be described as "minor spirits" if you're lumping them all together, but there are some big names in there. air-ZOO-lee, which is more of a title than a single spirit, for example. There are many Erzulies. Also spelled Ezili. Ezili Freda, for instance, who is a Rada spirit. Or Ezili Danto who is Petwo/Petro. There are lots of Ezili spirits. And "love" is not really an aspect that most of them share. Freda is never satisfied, and I don't think, personally, going to a perfectionist like Metres Freda is a good idea if what you're looking for is a stable relationship.
Bawon/Baron guards a lot of things other than just the grave, and is the leader of the Guede/Gede spirits. Since, I assume, you are referring to Samdi. There are other Barons in Vodou.
Ayizan is the mother of Initiation. I've never heard of Ayza, but I would assume that's who she is. Ayizan isn't really called on for much other than initiations.
Oxun/Osun/Oshun is an Orixa spirit and does not exist in Vodou except perhaps as a member of the Nago nation. While healing is one thing she's in charge of, she also governs prosperity, as do many spirits, beauty, opulence, indulgence, desire, honey, sweet things... It is impossible to break down the spirits into "this one is in charge of this, no one else is."
(cont)
Azaka/Zaka has several spirits that are part of him. Mostly, he's in charge of hard work and the fruits of your labour. That just happens to usually take the form of farming.
Many of the Lwa were NOT living, in fact. Some of them were, but the vast majority were not.
MET TEHT. One's head spirit is not correlated to a saint unless that spirit is correlated to a saint, and not all Lwa are, although many use Catholic saint imagery anyway. Baron is not St. Expedite, for instance. Baron is Baron.
The purpose of a Vodou ceremony is the same as any other religion's ceremonies. It is to honour and worship our spirits, and if we need something, it is a good time to approach them for that.
hon-GAHN, or hoon-GAHN. MAHM-bo, or MAHN-bo.
A hounfour(hon-FOUR) is a house. A "temple" is usually called a peristyle (PAIR-ih-STEEL) or a badji(bah-GEE), which are parts of a hounfour or a lakou.
VEH-veh. Ritual drawings drawn on the ground in cornmeal, chalk, rice, or other materials, to which offerings are made, and on which dancing is done to call to the spirits.
Rituals begin with a prayer called the Priye Ginen(PREE-yay Gihn-ehn), the Prayer for Ginee. That is followed by singing and dancing for the spirits. Songs are accompanied by drumming sacred rhythms, and the asson is shaken by the Mambo/Houngan to attract the attention of the spirits in question.
Hounsi(HOON-see) are the followers of Vodou. In some lineages they have undergone initiation, in others they have not. In either case, they are everyone who is not a Mambo/Houngan.
(cont)
There are a lot of animals that are sacrificed to the Lwa. Including goats, sheep, chickens, pigs, cows, and so on.
Sacrifice is performed for the same reason families say grace before eating. It's just like saying grace before the food is cooked. It is no different than eating pre-killed animals, and is done humanely. Further, in some Houses, the Lwa are satiated by already cooked meals, such as fried chicken which is often offered the Gede spirits. Sacrifice is an important component, but that does not always mean the killing of an animal.
Vodou does not have the concept of white and black magic as a part of it. One serves the Lwa and one asks for what one desires. There are negative things one can do to another, but a sense of personal responsibility is expected. It is not up to the spirits and Bondye to tell you right from wrong. There are certainly Mambos and Houngans who do work against other people. They're human. Humans are petty. Vodou is, in general, not a system of magic, nor a practice of magic. It is a spiritual path that is followed. There are people who do Work and call on the Lwa to help them, but that is not strictly a part of Vodou, and one does not need to be a Mambo/Houngan to work against someone else using the Lwa, just like one does not need to be a priest to pray for something bad to happen to someone else.
NEH-croe-man-see.
Sympathetic magic using pins and dolls doesn't really have a basis in Vodou.
(cont)
While I appreciate you trying to bring Vodou into the light, I REALLY have to say you didn't do your research really. Research on the subject can be hard, I know, because not much information about actual Vodou is available. But really, you should have also addressed the fact that Haitian Vodou is nothing like New Orleans Vodou these days, and that while they share a common root, they are different.
If one is interested in Vodou, there are a few resources out there, and finding a Mambo or an Houngan to express your interest to isn't hard. Just be aware that the Lwa may not want to work with you, no matter how much you want to work with them, and no one can force that relationship. If a House turns you away, seriously consider why you are getting into the faith. Although there are a great many practitioners outside of Haiti these days, all practitioners of actual Haitian Vodou can trace their lineage in the faith back to Ayiti, or Haiti, usually within one or two steps. It is difficult to practice the faith without having ever been there, and impossible to practice without some link there.
Further expounding on that topic, Vodou is a family. We have our Houses to which we belong. The Mambos and Houngans who initiate us are our Mothers and Fathers. We are their children. Without that family, you cannot truly practice Vodou. It is difficult to even justify honouring the Lwa without that familial link, although they have been known to come to people and introduce themselves without it. Generally those are the people who find themselves led to a House and taken in and taught.
So, again, thank you for trying, but... You didn't really talk about actual Vodou very much at all.
-A vodouisant
Thank you so much for your insight and wisdom into Vodou. Like anything else in life there are many paths to one central truth. My podcasts are designed to get people thinking about a variety of topics. That is why I do the Metaphysical Topic of the week. It is in no way an exhaustive account of any subject. So you're right - I didn't do a lot of research on the subject - I only scratched the surface. I love it when listeners like yourself take the time to provide more information and insight on a topic.
Thank you again for your insight and knowledge.
Allie :)
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