In this post I will put information on Haitian Vodou.
my goal is to:
To shed some light on this beautiful tradition.
To clear up all misconceptions spread by the misinformed.
To show that Vodou is what Hollywood portrayed it to be as devilish.
Put links to websites where they have information on Haitian Vodou but also services that will help you on your journey in Vodou.
So Vodou is a religion,tradition and lifestyle why is Vodou all these ?
Vodou is a religion because in Vodou we have our own God (Bondye) we have prayers,ceremonies and a pantheon of spirits that are reffered as "Lwa" "Mister" "Lespri". Vodou is a tradition becaue Vodou is passed down from generations to generations ceremonies remain unchanged and untampered with for generations because not only do those who are vodouwizans keep the tradition but also the spirits as is why there is a Regleman in Vodou it ensures that the tradition remains strong. Vodou is a lifestyle because many Mambos (Female priestesses) and Houngans (Male priests) work in their peristyle (Temple) some have a Lakou (A property with houses,a community of people and a temple) in which they are responsible for the ceremonies and they take care of the ti-fey of the temple when they have problems and such. Houngans and Mambos most do not work because they work in their temple offering services such as reading,healing people and so on.
Vodou is monotheistic and not polytheistic.
Vodou is a monotheistic religion because there is only one God and many spirits under God. Remember the Lwas are not Gods they dont like to be reffered as Gods or God. The spirits all have their own personalities,likes,dislikes some dont get allong with others. The Lwa are very human most were people who were alive but some are very old spirits that comes from Africa although all spirits come Ginen.
The Lwa
The spirits all come in groups I am hesitant to use family as not all spirits are family some are but not all. The spirits come in 4 major group:
Rada:http://www.kiwimojo.com/theradalwa.htm
Nago:http://www.kiwimojo.com/thenagolwa.htm
Petwo:http://www.kiwimojo.com/thepetrolwa.htm
Guede: http://www.kiwimojo.com/theghedelwa.htm
I put above a link to the group of spirits above in these link you will find info on the Rada Lwa,Nago Lwa...ect. You can also read as some spirits are listed.
Here is a link that talk about the history of Vodou: http://www.vodouroots.com/briefhistory.html
A website that has some of the best information on Vodou is:
www.kiwimojo.com www.labelledeesse.com
Kiwi Mojo does not also have great information on Vodou but they are also Priests in Vodou they offer Leyson which is reading to find about information not only about your eskort but also what the spirits have to say,if Vodou is for you,if you are meant to initiate in Vodou and such.
LaBelle Deese is another site which has information about any spirits in Vodou they are also a Sosyete (A Vodou House).
Note: When reading about these spirits do not be tempted to put up altars to them even when it comes to altars in Vodou they are done in a certain manner. Its also important to remember if you never had a reading to determine which spirits you have do not serve any spirit no matter if you feel drawn to them because often times these spirits dont walk with with the person. You can read about the spirits as long as you dont try to contact any spirits without propper guidence or a reading. You dont want to be serving a trickster spirit or a malovelent spirit. you can always ask the priests that gave you a reading on how to serve these spirits but also keep in mind in Vodou there are many many lineages which means the information or the manner that a certain spirit is served might be different to another as it varies from House to House.
A book that I recomend is:
Mama Lola: A Vodou Priestess in Brooklyn by Kathy McCarthy Brown
You will find experiences about the Mambo her spirits you will also read about information of certain spirits and a song or two about them. This is the best book that I always recomend.
Some links on this site that talks about Vodou:
FAQ of Vodou:http://www.spellsofmagic.com/read_post.html?post=790864
spirits and collecation: http://www.spellsofmagic.com/read_post.html?post=824263
Why Vodou does not mix:http://www.spellsofmagic.com/read_post.html?post=825019
Vodou and Voodoo are very different because Vodou is refering to Haitian Vodou and Voodoo reffers to New Orleans Voodoo which is very different and they have their own way of serving their own spirits. And of course they have their own spirits like Yon Sue and many more.
I know it might seem like allot this is not to discourage you but to help you be more informed and to also help you understand. If you feel called to Vodou you can check out the links and books above. I hope you like this post and it gives you allot of information on Vodou and also shed some light about this religion.
I'm doing some research about Haitian Vodou for a novel I'm writing. Is anyone who knows about the subject still active on the forum?
I have a character who's half-Swiss half-Haitian and I would like her to incorporate some Haitian magic in her European practices (if at all possible).
The first thing to understand is that genuine Haitian Voudou is an initiatory religion so many of the books and articles you'll find about it aren't very accurate. But many years ago I asked a Manbo for a recommendation for a book that gives an accurate picture of Haitian Voudou so I could understand it better. Her recommendation was "Divine Horsemen" by Maya Deren, so that might be a good place to start your research.
You might also like "Veve" by Milo Rigaud which talks extensively about the sigils and ritual diagrams that reflect the cosmology of Haitian Voudou.
