How To Serve Which Lwa?

How do you know which lwa to serve?
I know you serve Papa Legba and Ancestors, but what about the others? Do you have to use intuition, or do the Lwa themselves tell you?

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Lwa can sometimes present themselves to you and declare their interest to work with you, however the best way you can know which Lwa is through a reading with a Mambo or Houngan. There they will determine your eskort and the Lwa that are interested in working with you/within your spiritual court. If this is not possible, then I'd recommend simply to keep serving Papa Legba and the Ancestors if you already are as you should not attempt to serve or work with any other Lwa if you are not sure they want to work with you.

This is the thing about Vodou you can use as mich intuition as you want but there is only one thing that can comfirm it is a reading from a Houngan or Mambo a trusted one because there are allot of scammers serve only Legba and the Zancet for now until you can get a reading which is very important in Vodou once you find out who your eskort is then you can begin serving them depends too on which Lwa you have in your court advice is stick to Legba and the Ancestors

--Papa Legba--

All ceremonies begin and end with Papa Legba, and there can be no communication with any of the other Lwas without consulting him first. His gift for linguistics enables him to translate the requests of humans into the languages of the spirits and Lwas.

He stands at a spiritual crossroads and gives (or denies) permission to speak with the spirits. He is the Lwa that opens and closes the doorway.

An old man who walks with a cane, he limps because half of his body resides with the living while the other with the dead. He does not expect much. A Rada Lwa, a bit of a trickster.



--Baron Samedi--

Part of the family spirits known as the Ghede. As well as being the master of death, Baron Samedi is also the giver of life.

He can cure any of the human sicknesses or wound if he chooses too. It depends on whether or not he thinks the person is worthy.

If he does not dig your grave you will live. Baron known for his outrageous behavior, the drinking, swearing and dirty jokes keeping a cigar in his mouth most of the time.



--Erzulie Dantor--

Erzulie Dantor is the Vodou goddess of love, romance, jealousy, passion, & sex. Erzulie Dantor is the patron lwa of lesbian women. Erzulie Dantor offers to you protection and possibilities beyond the imagination.

If you request her to help you handle a situation with an abusive partner be ready for her idea of justice as she can be fierce and protective.

A firm but loving Mother Erzulie Dantor is a large, dark skinned woman with scars on her cheeks & her tongue has been cut out from her mouth.


--Erzulie Freda--

Erzulie Freda is the Vodou Goddess of love and beauty. Erzulie Freda is a Rada Lwa and she represents romantic love, sweetness, and luxury.

Offerings of jewelry, perfume, clors of pink & white. Never place Erzulie Freda with a Petro Lwa or by her sister Erzulie dantor as she will not be happy.



--La Sirene--

Wife of Agwe, La Sirene is the queen of the Seas. She owns all of the riches of the sea.

Very beautiful described as a mermaid, milano woman, with long dark hair. She can bring you great wealth, beauty & a beautiful voice. If not served well she will take it all away. She is a Rada Lwa with a Petro aspect.






These are the Lwa that I myself am aware of and am aware on how to invoke. The two I am VERY close to though, is of course Papa Legba and Baron Samedi and am a big fan of the Rada and Ghede Lwa families.

Remeber Haitian Vodou is a tradition,religion,practice and culture Vodou is a monotheistic religion you cant just serve any Lwa you find and in Vodou there is no Goddess only spirits and when coming into Vodou readings are a must because without that reading the only Lwa you can serve is Legba and the Ancestors which come after God and not all Lwas come down just for everything Like Freda she shows those who she chooses how to serve her and remeber Vodou is about relationships building them over time its not one day you call Legba and that is it no it is a continious development of relationship which the Lwa gets closer and closer and some are called to Priesthood and go through Kanzo

can I worship the lwa in wicca?

papa legba would work for a spell I'm doing.

Baron Samedi loves to give him an offering of Rum I used him to ask favors

In Vodou we serve the Lwa not worship I would work on building a relationship with Legba he is Vodou not Wicca it would not be wise to so spells with Legba because trying to put the Wiccan Rede on a Lwa is apropriation which the Lwa most of the time take it as a offense just give Legba his cup of coffee or his shot of vodka with some peanuts and talk to him like you would a person

I made an alter for Papa Legba from a lot of materials close to me. I made a cloth out of 3 different shirts so it would be a checkered pattern of red, white and black as those are his colors. I felt making a cloth instead of purchasing one would be closer and more meaningful! ^_^

On this space I have an incense box and lava-stone bowl that I use for smudging herbs and so on to make a peaceful space. A long wooden pipe that I'll fill with either some of the medical cannabis I get or high quality tobaco.
A white ceramic bowl and red ceramic mug. In the mug I'll give him black coffee, or water in the evenings and an offering of THREE (as t'is his number) cherries, candies, or any kind of berry that is red or a blackish color so his offerings can be sweet, tasty and matching his color and number.

As a topper whenever I drink I NEVER drink alone. I share love and merriment with my fiancee and Papa Legba. I never leave him out of the fun.

I'd suggest id you seek to get into Vodou you should develope a bond with Papa Legba, as no ritual can start or end without him. He is who communicates to the Lwa for us, and who opens the door and closes it.

Once you develop this bond then he'll decide to allow permission to commune with the Lwa, and from here you may be found or come across one that'll treasure you as much as you treasure that Lwa.


It was how I found my way to party with the Baron.

@firebird13, you don't -USE- the Lwa. We serve and listen, develop a bond and relationship with them.