Voodoo Or Voodon

What does Voodoo mean to you? Are you one of the many people who cringe and back away at the mere mention of the word?

For years Hollywood has made a fortune on horror movies that consistently cast a dark light on Voodoo; portraying images of zombies, voodoo dolls and evil doers who excel at bending a person’s will. In reality, Voodoo is a religion that has been practiced in Haiti for hundreds of years, before eventually making its way to the United States. New Orleans Voodoo works on the principals of harnessing the forces of nature to work for you.


Wrapped within the pages of this book, is the amazing story of one girl’s incredible endeavors and heartwarming experiences with Voodoo. You are about to embark on a mystical and amazing journey. It’s an intriguing and delightful story that's bound to touch the heart of anyone who has ever been curious about Voodoo.

Would you ever consider experimenting with Voodoo? Read on and decide for yourself.

Excerpts from the book:

Alexandra had known Eric for almost fifteen years and they had bonded as close friends during that time. Much to her surprise, one day, Eric said he would really like to be able to take her out for dinner or to the movies sometime. It came as quite a shock to her because they had been just friends for such a long time that she saw him more as a brother. She had never considered taking their relationship to the next level; still, she knew she really enjoyed his company and, after thinking it over, told him she would really like that.

As time went on, Alexandra began to have very strong, loving feelings for Eric but, as is often the case, changing from friends to lovers definitely had its negative aspects. A new and different set of expectations put a strain on what was once a beautiful friendship. Alexandra wanted to be with Eric more than Eric was ready to commit to, at least to himself.

As she surfed the web, she found Articles on why men won’t commit and how to mend an ailing relationship but she had already read of and tried these things on Eric time and time again, all to no avail. After about three weeks of searching, she randomly came upon a Voodoo website which quickly caught her interest….

.....she had finished all three spell kits and was anxiously anticipating the many wonders of the “New Eric”. This was going to be so wonderful. She couldn’t wait to see him, talk to him, hold him and savor the improved relationship she just knew they would now share……

…..It had been a few weeks since she’d seen him or spoken to him but now that the spell kits were completed she was sure it wouldn’t be very long until he fell lovingly into her arms.

Suffice it to say that because of her deep, pure love for Eric and through her relentless faith, patience and determination Alexandra was led on a magical journey; a journey with results that will certainly inspire and warm even the most doubtful heart.

“Voodoo or Voodon't?” is listed in the Library of Congress as a source of educational reference.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Summer Woodsong - False Memory Syndrome And The Inquisition
Anonymous - History Of Witchcraft Vol 7 Of 7
Solomonic Grimoires - The Testament Of Solomon
Hugo Odeberg - 3 Enoch Or The Hebrew Book Of Enoch
Everfool - You Know You Are A Chaote When

Voodoo Superstitions And Spells

Many superstitions also related to the practice of Hoodoo developed within the Voodoo tradition in Louisiana. While these superstitions are not central to the Voodoo faith, their appearance is partly a result of Voodoo tradition in New Orleans and have since influenced it significantly.

* If you lay a broom across the doorway at night, a witch can't come in and hurt you.
* Having a woman visit you the first thing on Monday mornings is bad luck for the rest of the week.
* Don't borrow or lend salt because that is bad luck.
* If you sweep trash out of the house after dark you will sweep away your luck.
* Don't shake a tablecloth outside after dark or someone in your family will die.
* To stop a Voodoo spell being placed upon you, acquire some bristles from a pig cooked at a Voodoo ritual, tie the bristles into a bundle and carry them on you at all times.
* If a woman sprinkles some salt from her house to yours, it will give you bad luck until you clean the salt away and put pepper over your door sill.
* If a woman wants her husband to stay away from other woman, she can do so by putting a little of her blood in his coffee, and he will never quit her.
* If a woman's husband dies and you don't want her to marry again, cut all of her husband's shoes all in little pieces, just as soon as he is dead, and she will never marry again.
* You can give someone a headache by taking and turning their picture upside down.
* You can harm a person in whatever way you want to by getting a lock of his hair and burning some and throwing the rest away.
* You can make a farmer's well go dry by putting some soda in the well for one week, each day; then drawing a bucket of water out and throwing it in the river to make the well go dry.

In Voodoo spells, the "cure-all" was very popular among followers. The cure-all was a Voodoo spell that could solve all problems. There were different recipes in voodoo spells for cure-all; one recipe was to mix jimson weed with sulphur and honey. The mixture was placed in a glass, which was rubbed against a black cat, and then the mixture was slowly sipped.

The Voodoo doll is a form of gris-gris, and an example of sympathetic magic. Contrary to popular belief, Voodoo dolls are usually used to bless instead of curse. The purpose of sticking pins in the doll is not to cause pain in the person the doll is associated with, but rather to pin a picture of a person or a name to the doll, which traditionally represents a spirit. The gris-gris is then performed from one of four categories: love; power and domination; luck and finance; and uncrossing.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Michael Jordan - Dictionary Of Gods And Goddesses
Nevrom Ydal - Preparing The Ritual Area And Yourself
Phil Hine - Devotions And Demonesses
Kathryn Paulsen - Witches Potions And Spells
Anonymous - Healing Gemstones And Crystals

Voodoo Spells Magick And Rituals

Voodoo has been hailed as quite possibly the oldest religion known to humankind, originating some 7,000 years ago. The word voodoo means "spirit" or "mystery." Voodoo believers accept the existence of one god (Bon Dieu or Good God), below which are the powerful spirits referred to as loa. These powerful spirits are responsible for the daily matters in life in the areas of family, love, money, happiness, wealth, and revenge. The loa are not that different from the Saints of Catholicism and angels in Christianity in that the loa are not prayed to; rather, they are asked to intercede with God on our behalf.

This lens focuses on the magickal side of Voodoo; that aspect of Voodoo that the typical person is drawn to when in need of change in their lives. The type of Voodoo that this lens focuses on is Creole Voodoo, also known as New Orleans Voodoo. Indeed, Voodoo became one of the primary ways for slaves to resist the oppression of their slave owners. The warrior gods sustained and empowered them, and assisted in their ultimate liberation from slavery. This my friend, is the power of Voodoo when backed by the necessary faith.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Sirona Knight - The Cyber Spellbook Magick In The Virtual World
Vovim Baghie - The Grand Satanic Ritual
Richard Alan Miller - The Magical And Ritual Use Of Herbs
Carroll Runyon - Magick And Hypnosis
George Moir - Magic And Witchcraft

Voodoo Newspaper Clippings And Pulp Tales

I have extracted a handful of exaggerations from newspaper clippings and pulp tales in my files. Here they are, with a few comments:

1. Sticking pins in Voodoo dolls to torment or kill an enemy.
I've attended many different kinds of Voodoo services in Haiti's villages and mountains and have yet to see a pin stuck in a doll of any kind. Small dolls depicting the various loa are sometimes found on hounfor altars, but these are used in ceremonies. If anyone does stick pins in dolls for evil purposes, it would have to be a bocor (sorcerer) and he would do so for a fee. The bocor has about as much to do with true Voodoo as a devil-worshipper has to do with Christianity.
2. Sex orgies.
This may be sadly disillusioning, but there is very little sex in Voodoo. Erzulie, the love loa, when possessing a female participant at a service, may command the sexual attention of a chosen male. This is a form of sex, no doubt, though ritualistic rather than orgiastic. But any other sex that takes place is likely to be between young couples who slip away from the festivities for fum and games of their own in the surrounding darkness.
3. Bloodthirsty animal sacrifices.
Chickens are frequently killed as food for the loa. Sometimes their necks are wrung; other times their heads are cut off; occasionally they are seized by the neck and whirled around the whirler's head at high speed. In two of the newspaper clippings from my files the writers claim to have see houngans bite the heads off chickens. Well, my dictionary says there are certain carnival people, called geeks, who "perform sensationally morbid or disgusting acts, as biting off the head of a live chicken," and I saw it done once at a "ceremony" for tourists. But - sorry - I've never seen it done at an actual Voodoo service.

Other animals sacrificed are goats, sheep, and bulls, though the latter are too valuable to be used in any but very special services. I once attended what is probably the most secret Voodoo service of all, the annual week-long affair called La Souvenance, held in special fenced-in village in the foothills near Gonaives. This service is so special that only houngans and mambos (priestesses) attend it, and having once checked in, no one is permitted to leave until the week is over.

At such an affair one would perhaps expect the most esoteric of sacrifices, but the only unusual animal I saw offered to the gods was a large ram. I did, however, see the rare assator drum played - this one was more than eight feet high and was played by men on ladders! - and I met a possessed old Haitian who claimed to be Moses and talked fluently for half an hour in what I think was Hebrew.
4. Nakedness.
This crops up time and again in stories about Voodoo. Naked dancers flinging themselves about in a frenzy are stock characters, it would seem. Well, I'm sorry. I've seen and photographed any number of naked peasant women washing themselves and their laundry in country streams (you first talk to them and make friends), but not once have I seen anyone naked at a Voodoo service. The trend is just the opposite: to flowing white robes for the women and gaudy costumes for the men.
5. The Voodoo spell or curse.
Again I say maybe. A friend of mine who taught English at the College St. Martial in Port-au-Prince once let me examine a hand-lettered volume compiled by a fellow priest whose forte was botany. This man had spent years collecting Haiti's medicinal plants so that he could describe and do watercolors of them. There were 383 such plants listed, and most were poisonous if taken in large enough doses.

Your houngan or mambo knows most of these plants and can employ them in such a way that a curse or spell might seem to have been cast upon the recipient. Really, though, that isn't Voodoo. It comes under the heading of witchcraft of sorcery again, and the bocors who practice those dark arts are loners. Zombies, for instance, are a product of the bocor, never of the Voodoo houngan or mambo.
6. Human skulls at Voodoo "ceremonies."
Where, oh where, do these writers see such things? I've been in all parts of Haiti. I walked across the wild, roadless mountains of the Southern Peninsula - a grand adventure that provided background for Legion of the Dead. I rode mule-back through the equally wild and roadless Massif du Nord - which provided background material for The Evil. I wore out four jeeps exploring the country's back roads. A study of Voodoo was part of all this. And not once have I seen a human skull at a Voodoo service. A bovine skull now and then, yes. And sometimes skulls of goats. But never a human one.
7. People dancing barefoot on live coals.
Yes, sometimes. But more often the people who do this are walking, not dancing, and appear to be in some kind of trance. Some Pacific Islanders perform the same ritual. But some Voodooists are able to do an even more impressive thing that our people of the press don't seem to have caught up with yet. They build a fire of charcoal, plant a tall iron bar like a crowbar in it, wait for the bar to become white hot, them grasp it in bare hands and parade around the tonelle or peristyle holding it above their heads.

Incidentally, at a brule zin, which is an initiation service for those about to become hounsi kanzo, the initiates go through an even more remarkable ritual. To describe this service would take thousands of words. I did so in Haiti: Highroad to Adventure. But in the end there are seven iron cooking pots full of oil, with fires blazing under them. The initiates are required to proceed slowly form pot to pot, dipping their right hands in each. Something they have acquired through weeks of meditation and preparation prevents the boiling oil from stripping their hands to the bone, but what it is I don't know.
8. The mad, frenzied dancing.
Give the movie-makers a black mark on this one, along with the writers. I don't recall the names of the pictures, but at least three times I've sat through so-called Voodoo movies in which the dancing was atrociously unVoodoo. Fact is, all the dancing at a Voodoo service is ritual dancing and much of it is slow. The only time I've ever seen "frenzied" dancing was one, in Quartier-Morin near Cap Haitien, when more than a dozen spectators appeared to become possessed at the same time. It was probably some kind of mass hysteria, and even so, it wasn't as wild as what some of our teenagers indulge in.
9. And finally, child sacrifice.
We should at least mention this because so many sensation-seeking writers seem to feel they have to. The facts? One of the very first books about Haiti discussed the sacrifice of children at Voodoo "ceremonies." I threw the book out of my library years ago because it contained so many errors; therefore I can't turn to it now to determine whether its author claimed to have actually seen a child sacrifice or merely heard about one. I tend to remember he got his information secondhand, as he did nearly everything else in his book. Later writers copied him, of course. Anything as sensational as that was bound to attract the titans of titillation. But I have never heard even a whisper about child sacrifice from anyone in Voodoo, and I doubt it ever happened.

If I seem to be overly defending Voodoo here, perhaps a bit of summing up is in order. Voodoo, again, is a religion. This doesn't mean that all houngans and mambos are saints, any more than all Protestant ministers and Catholic priests are saints. Unquestionably there are houngans and mambos who engage in extracurricular activities for whatever they can get out of it, though the Haitian peasant certainly hasn't much to be fleeced out of.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Pangaia - Handcrafted Ritual Tools
Zoroaster - The Chaldean Oracles
Josh Norton - Charging An Enochian Tablet
Anonymous - Healing Gemstones And Crystals

Using The Seven Pins In Candle Magick

In Hoodoo and Voodoo, use of the seven-day candle, or "7 day vigil candle" is commonplace. The seven day candles are used in difficult cases and cases where concentrated energy is needed. The candle is burned over a period of seven days whereby the practitioner pays attention to revealing and divinatory signs from the candle.

To use your pins with a candle, you start with
a regular offeratory or large candle and seven pins of the seven colors. The candle is divided into seven equal parts by sticking the pins into the candle at seven equal intervals. The seventh pin goes into the top or bottom of the candle. Make sure the pins go all the way in the candle. Take a piece of parchament paper (best to start with a rather large piece of paper) and write down seven wishes. Fold the paper at a 90 degree angle and write your full name over your wish, then fold again and write your name again, proceeding with this process seven times. Dress your candle with the appropriate oil and place the folded paper under the candle. The candle is burned for seven nights, with the flame pinched out each time a pin falls. Save all of the pins and when the last needle falls, stick the pins into the paper so that it looks like the one in the picture. According to the law of attraction, bury the paper, pins and leftoverwax under your doorstep to attract your wishes to you. If your wishes are of the repelling type, throw the ritual remains in a crossroads, graveyard, or in a moving stream or river.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Aleister Crowley - Magick
Tuesday Lobsang Rampa - The Thirteenth Candle
Julian Wilde - Grimoire Of Chaos Magick
Thomas Moore - Candle Magick For Love
Ophiel - The Art Practice Of Caballa Magic

Use A Voodoo Doll With An Evil Eye Bead To Repel Evil And Negativity

Have you suffered from unexplained distress and misfortune? Having a streak of bad luck? Have you suddenly fallen ill? These are all signs that you may be the victim of an attack by the Evil Eye (Mal de Ojo).

To repel negativity and evil influences from your home and to avoid and remove the Evil Eye, you can use a Voodoo doll that has an Evil Eye bead talisman on it. Get a Voodoo guardian or protector doll with an evil eye bead and place it at the doorway of your home. This Voodoo amulet will also ward off other malevolent dangers, including spiritual attacks.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Samuel Sharpe - Egyptian Mythology And Egyptian Christianity
Gerina Dunwich - Herbal Magick A Witchs Guide To Herbal Enchantments Folklore And Divinations
Paschal Beverly Randolph - Seership Guide To Soul Sight
Lady Sabrina - The Witchs Master Grimoire An Encyclopedia Of Charms Spells Formulas And Magical Rites
Louis Claude De Saint Martin - Man His True Nature And Ministry

Trans Woman Dies After Voodoo Cleansing Ritual

A trans woman from Arkansas has died after apparently taking part in a voodoo ritual.

Lucille Hamilton, 21, flew to Jersey on Friday to undergo a ritual that would remove her "spiritual grime".

Friends said she was taking part in a 'lave tet' ceremony, which literally translated, means 'head-washing'. It is thought to be a kind of baptism ceremony involving various herbs.

The website of voodoo priest Houngan Hector, who carried out the ritual, claims it "improves the ability for possession, clears the mind, clarifies abilities for seeing, and substantially improves the life."

On Saturday night, police responded to a call from the house in Gloucester Township and Hamilton was pronounced dead at the scene. Seven other people in the house were taken to hospital as a precaution, although police would not say what treatment they received or whether they took part in the ritual.

Billie Miller, Hamilton's boss at Arkansas Flag and Banner, told the Philadelphia Daily News: “I'm still trying to find a scenario that makes sense. She was very spiritual and beautiful. She was not there for some dark purpose. She wasn't depressed; in fact, you couldn't meet a more upbeat person."

Hamilton, a devout Catholic, was not thought to be planning gender reassignment.

Police are awaiting the results of a post-mortem examination and toxicology tests. No charges have been filed yet.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Israel Regardie - The Art And Meaning Of Magic
Teresa Burns - John Dee And Edward Kelley Great Table
Carl Gustav Jung - On Life After Death
Anton Szandor Lavey - The Satanic Rituals

The Last Of The Voudoos

In the death of Jean Montanet, at the age of nearly a hundred years, New Orleans lost, at the end of August, the most extraordinary African character that ever gained celebrity within her limits. Jean Montanet, or Jean La Ficelle, or Jean Latanie, or Jean Racine, or Jean Grisgris, or Jean Macaque, or Jean Bayou, or "Voudoo John," or "Bayou John," or "Doctor John" might well have been termed "The Last of the Voudoos"; not that the strange association with which he was affiliated has ceased to exist with his death, but that he was the last really important figure of a long line of wizards or witches whose African titles were recognized, and who exercised an influence over the colored population. Swarthy occultists will doubtless continue to elect their "queens" and high-priests through years to come, but the influence of the public school is gradually dissipating all faith in witchcraft, and no black hierophant now remains capable of manifesting such mystic knowledge or of inspiring such respect as Voudoo John exhibited and compelled. There will never be another "Rose," another "Marie," much less another Jean Bayou.

It may reasonably be doubted whether any other negro of African birth who lived in the South had a more extraordinary career than that of Jean Montanet. He was a native of Senegal, and claimed to have been a prince's son, in proof of which he was wont to call attention to a number of parallel scars on his cheek, extending in curves from the edge of either temple to the corner of the lips. This fact seems to me partly confirmatory of his statement, as Berenger-Feraud dwells at some length on the fact that the Bambaras, who are probably the finest negro race in Senegal, all wear such disfigurations. The scars are made by gashing the cheeks during infancy, and are considered a sign of race. Three parallel scars mark the freemen of the tribe; four distinguish their captives or slaves. Now Jean's face had, I am told, three scars, which would prove him a free-born Bambara, or at least a member of some free tribe allied to the Bambaras, and living upon their territory. At all events, Jean possessed physical characteristics answering to those by which the French ethnologists in Senegal distinguish the Bambaras. He was of middle height, very strongly built, with broad shoulders, well-developed muscles, an inky black skin, retreating forehead, small bright eyes, a very flat nose, and a woolly beard, gray only during the last few years of his long life. He had a resonant voice and a very authoritative manner.

Jean's ideas of religion were primitive in the extreme. The conversion of the chief tribes of Senegal to Islam occurred in recent years, and it is probable that at the time he was captured by slavers his people were still in a condition little above gross fetichism. If during his years of servitude in a Catholic colony he had imbibed some notions of Romish Christianity, it is certain at least that the Christian ideas were always subordinated to the African--just as the image of the Virgin Mary was used by him merely as an auxiliary fetich in his witchcraft, and was considered as possessing much less power than the "elephant's toof." He was in many respects a humbug; but he may have sincerely believed in the efficacy of certain superstitious rites of his own. He stated that he had a Master whom he was bound to obey; that he could read the will of this Master in the twinkling of the stars; and often of clear nights the neighbors used to watch him standing alone at some street corner staring at the welkin, pulling his woolly beard, and talking in an unknown language to some imaginary being. Whenever Jean indulged in this freak, people knew that he needed money badly, and would probably try to borrow a dollar or two from some one in the vicinity next day.

Testimony to his remarkable skill in the use of herbs could be gathered from nearly every one now living who became well acquainted with him. During the epidemic of 1878, which uprooted the old belief in the total immunity of negroes and colored people from yellow fever, two of Jean's children were "taken down." "I have no money," he said, "but I can cure my children," which he proceeded to do with the aid of some weeds plucked from the edge of the Prieur Street gutters. One of the herbs, I am told, was what our creoles call the "parasol." "The children were playing on the banquette next day," said my informant.

Montanet, even in the most unlucky part of his career, retained the superstitious reverence of colored people in all parts of the city. When he made his appearance even on the American side of Canal Street to doctor some sick person, there was always much subdued excitement among the colored folks, who whispered and stared a great deal, but were careful not to raise their voices when they said, "Dar's Hoodoo John!" That an unlettered African slave should have been able to achieve what Jean Bayou achieved in a civilized city, and to earn the wealth and the reputation that he enjoyed during many years of his life, might be cited as a singular evidence of modern popular credulity, but it is also proof that Jean was not an ordinary man in point of natural intelligence.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Rabbi Michael Laitman - The Open Book
Albert Pike - The Book Of The Words
Frater Achad - The Anatomy Of The Body Of God

Signs Of A Voodoo Spell

Symptoms of a voodoo spell can vary in intensity and frequency, depending on the spell caster's skill and the person being bewitched. While there are many who doubt the existence of black magic, some suddenly realize they may be suffering from symptoms of a voodoo spell.

Mental and Spiritual

1. Symptoms of a voodoo spell can affect different areas of life. The first aspects altered by black magic are the mental and spiritual parts. Depending on the length of time the spell has been on an individual, different deterioration levels in these areas can be expected. Many of the initial symptoms of a voodoo spell appear to be stress-related and therefore can be overlooked or misdiagnosed. Initial symptoms are depression, sleeplessness, fatigue and irritability. After time, people find themselves uninterested in life, ignore spiritual obligations, possess a shaken faith, have difficulty praying or meditating, and experience unholy attractions to vices such as sex and drugs.

Physical

2. Symptoms of a voodoo spell then begin to affect the body. A darkening complexion that continues to darken is an obvious giveaway. Obesity, extreme hunger, and a pressing weight on the shoulders, chest and back area are severe physical symptoms of a voodoo spell. There are also specific symptoms that a woman may suffer from if she is a victim. Women experience rape dreams with real orgasms, irregular and painful menstrual cycles, and even the inability to conceive or carry a child to full term.

Finances and Friends

3. After a voodoo spell damages a person's mental and physical well-being, the dark magic starts to affect the victim's external circumstances. Finances begin to suffer with an unexplained absence of funds, sudden unemployment or even physical harm that may interfere with employment abilities. Friends and coworkers begin to treat the voodoo victim with hostility, and eventually the person is left alone to attempt to cope with the continuing symptoms of the spell.

Warning

4. Unexpected violence is very common in those who are experiencing the symptoms of a voodoo spell. The goal of a voodoo spell is to cause pain and misery to the sufferer and often families are hurt as a tool to reach that goal. Often coaxed into horrific acts of self-mutilation or suicide, voodoo sufferers often commit murders or other acts of inhuman cruelty.

Treatments

5. Treatments for symptoms of a voodoo spell are difficult to find because most of the symptoms are attributed to stress-related illnesses. The best way to determine the presence of a voodoo spell is to keep an accurate dream log. This can be difficult because dream blockage is a common symptom.

An accurate date log is also helpful as the symptoms worsen around the full moon cycles. If a visit to a traditional physician's office is ineffective, consider keeping a log and carefully documenting dreams and habits. After gathering enough evidence to prove the existence of a voodoo spell, the next step should be finding a respected witch doctor or magic user who can reverse the spell.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Anonymous - Hypnotism Spells
Ea Wallis Budge - Legends Of The Gods
Austin Osman Spare - The Book Of Pleasure Or Self Love
Simon - The Necronomicon Spellbook

Karmically Incorrect Use Of The Seven Pins In Voodoo

If You Believe you are Above Karmic Law, Knock Yourself Out.

If you are arrogant enough to believe you are above the law of karma, then feel free to use your pins in the following way. Just remember that the law of three and the Law of Attraction in magick states that you reap what you sow three-fold, so don't say I didn't warn you.

To make your Voodoo doll represent a person, place some of that person's hair or a personal item inside the cloth of the doll to capture part of their soul. Use your black pin into the part of the body that you want the person to experience negativity. For example, a pin in the heart can cause heartbreak or heart problems, the stomach a stomach ache, the back a back ache or relationship problems, etc. With each stick you must focus your intention with the utmost clarity. Then place the doll on the person's doorstep or in their mailbox and watch them totally freak out. Or bury it, but you are really asking for trouble here...

Then back up and watch all hell break loose (in YOUR life, that is)!

Please note that I do not advise using your doll in this way. Voodoo is a powerful magickal system and the law of karma will not make an exception for you. Use of your Voodoo doll in any fashion other than with the right hand as I have recommended may result in severe negative consequences that I will take no responsibility for. So don't come bitching and moaning to me about it after the fact, unless you want to make things right, then I might be of assistance, if your desire to do so is due to Right Intention.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Rabbi Michael Laitman - A Guide Of The Hidden Wisdom Of Kabbalah
Michael Ford - The Book Of The Witch Moon
Graham Hancock - The Message Of The Sphinx
William Lilly - Choice Aphorisms From The Seven Segments Of Cardan

Influences To Voodoo

African Influences

Voodoo was brought to the French colony Louisiana through the slave trade. From 1719 to 1731, the majority of African slaves came directly from what is now Benin, West Africa, bringing with them their cultural practices, language, and religious beliefs rooted in spirit and ancestor worship. Their knowledge of herbs, poisons, and the ritual creation of charms and amulets, intended to protect oneself or harm others, became key elements of Louisiana Voodoo.

The slave community quickly acquired a strong presence in Louisiana. The colony was not a stable society when slaves arrived, which allowed African culture to maintain a prominent position in the slave community. (160) According to a census of 1731-1732, the ratio of African slaves to European settlers was over two to one. The ownership of slaves was concentrated into the hands of only a few of the white settlers, facilitating the preservation of African culture. Unlike other areas of active slave trade, there was little separation in Louisiana between families, culture, and languages. The Embargo Act of 1808 ended all slave imports to Louisiana. Authorities promoted the growth of the slave population by prohibiting by law the separation of families. Parents were sold together with their children under fourteen years of age. The high mortality of the slave trade brought its survivors together with a sense of solidarity.(160) The absence of fragmentation in the slave community, along with the kinship system produced by the bond created by the difficulties of slavery, resulted in a “coherent, functional, well integrated, autonomous, and self confident slave community.”) As a result African culture and spirituality did not die out, but rather thrived in French Creole culture.

The practice of making and wearing charms and amulets for protection, healing, or the harm of others was a key aspect to early Louisiana Voodoo. The ouanga, a charm used to poison an enemy, contained the poisonous roots of the figure maudit tree, brought from Africa and preserved in the West Indies. The ground up root was combined with other elements such as bones, nails, roots, holy water, holy candles, holy incense, holy bread, or crucifixes. The administrator of the ritual frequently evoked protection from Allah, the Christian God, and Jesus Christ. This openness of African belief allowed for the adoption of Catholic practices into Louisiana Voodoo.

Another component of Louisiana Voodoo brought from Africa was the worship of ancestors and the subsequent emphasis on respect for elders. For this reason, the rate of survival among elderly slaves was high, further “Africanizing Louisiana Creole culture.”

Catholic influence

The slave trade also brought the belief in spirits which is central to Louisiana Voodoo. The spirits presided over every day matters of life, such as family, love, and justice. Originally, these spirits were called by their African names, but once French Creole replaced native African languages, their original names were no longer used. The spirits then adopted the names of Catholic Saints. Each spirit was paired with a Saint in charge of similar spheres of life. The adoption of Catholic practices to the voodoo faith soon became an integral part of what is known today as New Orleans voodoo. Catholic traditions, such as prayers including the Hail Mary and the Lord’s Prayer, baptism, and the sign of the cross were incorporated into voodoo practices.

Books You Might Enjoy:

Kathryn Paulsen - Witches Potions And Spells
Confucius - Confucian Canon
Ancient Grimoires - The 8th Book Of Moses
Sasha Fierce - The Book Of Shadows
Phil Hine - Aspects Of Evocation

How To Make A Voodoo Love Doll

Everyone is familiar with the Hollywood version of a voodoo doll; an evil witch places a pin in a frightful bit of cloth while mumbling and the person the doll represents immediately goes blind. Because of the popularity of this myth, voodoo dolls are associated with vengeance and retribution. Voodoo dolls are more commonly used to promote healing or improve luck. They are made from on-hand or found materials and decorated in a manner which best represents their purpose. The love doll is designed to help the creator find romance and improve the general status of her love life. By following the instructions below, you can create a love doll of your own out of plastic.

Instructions:

1. Step 1

Remove a large rectangle of cling wrap from the roll. Fold the cling wrap lengthwise to form a long, skinny rectangle. Then fold it again, this time end to end, forming a shorter skinny rectangle.

2. Step 2

Remove a smaller piece of cling wrap and roll it into a ball. This will be the love doll's head. Place the head into the center of the rectangle and fold the rectangle over it. Now you have a short, skinny rectangle with a lump in the middle. This will become the love doll's torso.

3. Step 3

Tear off another piece of cling wrap and fold it in a similar manner as the first piece. Form a second short and skinny rectangle but this time without the lump. This will form the arms of the doll.

4. Step 4

Slide the arms through the center of the torso.

5. Step 5

Snip off a piece of pink yarn, approximately 2 feet in length. Wrap the yarn around the love doll's head and bring it across the chest, moving under and around and across the back. Wrap around the head again and move on to the other arm forming yarn neck and an "X" across the upper torso.

6. Step 6

Repeat this several times to separate the head from the rest of the doll and to support the arms.

7. Step 7

Give structure to the love doll's arms and legs by wrapping the basic shape with multiple layers of cling wrap. Keep wrapping, pulling the cling wrap tight, until you are happy with the look of your love doll.

8. Step 8

Cut off the bulging ends of the love doll's arms and legs and seal with a bit of glue.

9. Step 9

If you have a specific someone in mind, use yarn and fabric scraps to mimic his hair and eye color. Also, if you can, dress your doll in a piece of cloth that comes from a garment he has worn.

10. Step 10

Cut a red heart shape from a scrap of red felt or fabric and glue it to the left hand side of the love doll's chest.
To Use Your Love Doll

11. Step 1

Take your love doll to a quiet, peaceful place and call on Venus, or the guardian of your choice, and ask for assistance and guidance.

12. Step 2

Name your love doll to establish a connection to the real world.

13. Step 3

State your intentions for the love doll. Then take the white pin--which represents positive energy and enlightenment--and place it in the center of the doll's head. Say: "By placing this pin, I create light and love in your life."

14. Step 4

Insert the purple pin between the eyes, making a statement about becoming aware of your love. Then place the blue pin into the throat making a statement about the manifestation of your love becoming reality.

15. Step 5

Stick the green pin into the heart to generate energy and the yellow into the center of the chest to improve their access to information. Don't forget to state what each pin should accomplish as you insert it.

16. Step 6

Place the orange pin in the stomach which helps them to absorb and accept all this information and last, but not least, put the red pin directly between the legs. Red represents power. Remember to reflect that idea in your statement.

17. Step 7

Leave the pins in the love doll and set it in a suitable location. Remove one pin 24 hours later. Begin with the red pin and work your way up, taking one pin out every day. When you remove the white pin, the ritual is complete.

Tips & Warnings

* Traditional voodoo dolls are made from items which suggest or aid in their function. These plastic love dolls could be stuffed, during the wrapping process, with herbs or other items you feel are appropriate.
* Be sure your intentions are good prior to using the doll. It is never wise to attempt to tamper with the free will of another person. It is far better to use a love doll to bring love, not a specific lover, into your life.

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Yogi Ramacharaka - Yogi Philosophy
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Thelema A New Spiritual Tradition For A New Age

Book: Thelema A New Spiritual Tradition For A New Age by Anonymous

THELEMA: New Spiritual Tradition for a New Age Is it a religion? a philosophy? a Collection of mystical practices? a system of post-modern ethics? Decide for Yourself ... "There is religion in Thelema for those that require it. There is also freedom from religion in Thelema, for those that require it." THE GOAL OF THELEMA: To help you realize your True Will (the innermost spark of divinity inside you
that holds your life's purpose) on your own terms, in your own unique way, bowing down to nobody in the process.

Download Anonymous's eBook: Thelema A New Spiritual Tradition For A New Age

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Gerald Elmore - Mantle Of Initiation Or Al Khirqah
Frances Billinghurst - Is Wicca The Right Spiritual Path For Me
Anonymous - Beltane Pagan Ritual Of Interest To Neo Pagans
Anonymous - Thelema A New Spiritual Tradition For A New Age

How To Make A Voodoo Doll Without A Kit

Voodoo dolls have in popular culture been associated with revenge and evil spells to attack people, but in reality these dolls were most often used in magic aimed at healing, finding love, protecting or bringing prosperity. You don't need to purchase a kit to make a voodoo doll, as you can make them with common materials that are easy to find and use. Here is an example of two different forms of voodoo dolls.

Voodoo Doll Making Guide.

Make Voodoo Doll In Traditional New Orleans Style

Step 1. Take two sticks, one about 1/3 shorter than the other, and form a cross with them. Use twine to tie the sticks together where they cross.

Step 2. Wrap the sticks with dried Spanish moss or other dried herbs or grasses. If you prefer, you can just use some pillow stuffing.

Step 3. Starting from the bottom, wrap a strip of fabric around the stick, moving upward. Criss-cross as you get to the horizontal sticks, covering the "arms" with fabric as well. Continue wrapping up to the top to create the "head" of the doll out of fabric. If you prefer, you can fashion a small head out of clay around the top of the stick.

Step 4. Wrap twine or thread around the doll to bind the wrappings. Add details if you like, in the form of feathers or flower petals for decoration, or beads or seeds to create features on the face.

Make Simple Voodoo Poppet

Step 1. Get a template for a human form, such as for a paper doll, and cut it out. Trace the form onto two square pieces of fabric and cut them out.

Step 2. Lay one fabric doll on top of the other and begin stitching the edges together, going all the way around, except for the top of the head.

Step 3. Turn the form inside-out. Stuff it through the opening in the head with herbs, dried flowers or leaves; Spanish moss; or any type of stuffing you wish. Then sew the head closed.

Step 4. Add details if you wish, such as stitching fabric on it for clothes; sewing beads or bits of yarn to it to create features; or gluing seeds, feathers or flower petals onto it. Decorate it however you would like.


Tips And Warnings

* Look at some pictures of voodoo dolls on the Internet to inspire you in decorating your own voodoo doll.



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Michael Ford - The Book Of The Witch Moon
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How To Make A Harmless Voodoo Doll

The stereotypical voodoo doll often conjures up images of a wicked witch using an ugly, evil voodoo doll to wreak vengeance and havoc on her helpless victims. The reality is that creating a voodoo doll for revenge is considered a form of Black Magic which is against voodoo moral codes, and voodoo dolls are usually crafted to help, not harm. Voodoo dolls can be created to increase fortune, find love and improve health. To create a harmless voodoo doll, you will need supplies such as sticks, string, Spanish moss, personal effects and a white candle.

Instructions

1. Step 1

Take the two sticks and create a cross shape. This will be the body of the voodoo doll.

2. Step 2

Tie the sticks together in the middle with string.

3. Step 3

Cover the sticks with Spanish moss. Wrap the Spanish moss around the middle of the doll to reinforce the string. Wrap the Spanish moss in a continuous motion around the top of the voodoo doll where the head will be, and then wrap the Spanish moss around the rest of the body where the arms and bottom will be. Reinforce any loose parts with string to keep the Spanish moss from falling off.

4. Step 4

Cut the fabric into strips. The fabric strips should be about 2 inches wide and 2 to 3 feet long.

5. Step 5

Add the fabric over the Spanish moss. Wrap the fabric so that some of the Spanish moss at top of the head, and ends of the arms and legs is showing.

6. Step 6

Glue the fabric to the body. You may also have to use the needle and thread to reinforce loose parts of fabric.

7. Step 7

Create the face. The face can be created with a combination of buttons and beads for the mouth and eyes. Sew the beads or buttons to the fabric at the top of the voodoo doll with the needle and thread.

8. Step 8

Add decorations to personalize your voodoo doll. Add feathers, flowers, yarn or glitter. If the doll is supposed to represent a specific person, add a personal effect of that person to the doll, such as his hair, a scrap of his clothing or fingernail clippings.

9. Step 9

Consecrate the voodoo doll. Consecrating the voodoo doll removes negative energy and prepares the doll to be used in healing rituals. Light a white candle and the incense, then pass the voodoo doll through the incense smoke.

10. Step 10

Baptize the voodoo doll. If the voodoo doll is supposed to represent a specific person, hold a baptizing ceremony for the voodoo doll. Anoint the voodoo doll with water or anointing oil and give it a name. Then welcome the voodoo doll into your home.

Tips & Warnings

* Craft the voodoo doll while the moon is waxing (growing big) to increase the power of luck, love and fortune spells.
* Some voodoo practitioners advise to avoid saying curse words or thinking negative thoughts while creating a voodoo doll, or you can risk imbuing it with bad energy.




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How To Cast A Evil Voodoo Spell

While magic seems trivial or even silly to most people, it isn't. Magic pervades in our everyday lives. If you have ever witnessed a strange event or experienced a strange sensation for which you have no explanation or wanted something so badly that you willed it to happen, these are magic experiences.The exciting part is that it can be controlled and used to your advantage.

While there is white and black magic, it is the black magic---sometimes termed as evil magic or voodoo---that allows us to cast spells that have almost immediate results. white magic is fine and likely more healthy for you, but there is no doubt that there is a certain allure to being able to cast an evil voodoo spell. Not only is the involvement in black magic fun, but it can help you acquire some of the things in life that you need right now.

With the economy in shambles and so many people down on their luck, it's a wonder that more people aren't exploring the use of magic to help affect their lives. While it is a challenge, casting an evil spell can be done and you can learn exactly how to do it.

Instructions:

1. Step 1

Choose your evil voodoo spell. There are several resources on the Web to choose the exact spell you want to use. The website Arcane-archive (see Resources below) is a great place to get a list of evil voodoo spells and the exact instructions on how to cast them. You'll need candles, a doll or even some blood. For the sake of this article we will use the "Death" spell.

2. Step 2

Gather a possession of the victim. Most evil voodoo spells also require something of the person on whom you are casting the spell. This can be in the form of a hair clipping, an article of clothing or something that will not be missed by the victim.

3. Step 3

Find a quiet place to do the ritual, preferably on a moonlit night. You will need a black candle, some needles, chalk, some flammable liquid such as lighter fluid and a sharp knife.

4. Step 4

Cast from your magic circle. Almost all spells should be cast from the protection of a magic circle. A protective Magic Circle can be drawn on the ground, in the sand, or even painted onto an article of fabric. Most protective magic circles are done in black and white, although colors can be used. In casting your evil spell, you will be calling forth many evil forces that could potentially harm you.

5. Step 5

Fashion a doll effigy of the victim using something flammable. Tissue paper works great.

6. Step 6

Light your black candle.

7. Step 7

Draw an image of the Satanic baphomet (an idol) on the ground in front of you. You can actually use any image you desire, such as a skull and crossbones. The more evil, the better!

8. Step 8

Place the doll effigy in the center of the image you just drew and invoke Abaddon the Destroyer. You should use something that you've written yourself for this invocation. The more personal the better. You should take a firm, strong tone. Be confident and state your reasons why Abaddon should help you. It is almost like a job interview where you want to succeed badly, and you will convince your potential employer in any way you can to help you.

9. Step 9

Direct all the rage and hatred you can muster into the doll effigy. You can even give it the finger, make gestures and speak to the effigy. After all, this is the person that has caused you so much pain in your life and it is time you told them what it's all about.

10. Step 10

Plunge your needles into the doll--first in the abdomen, then the head and finally the heart.

11. Step 11

Using the knife, cut the doll from head to groin, connecting the needles like dots.

12. Step 12

Place the doll effigy back into the image and set it ablaze, calling on the spirit of Abaddon to help you.

13. Step 13

Go have a beer. After all, you deserve it. You just set in motion the demise of your most hated enemy. While the curse might not take effect right away, the seed you have placed will take root and grow. And you probably feel much better after casting the spell.

Tips & Warnings

* You must always remember to be careful in casting an evil voodoo spell. When drawing upon the dark powers from beyond this world, you will be putting yourself at risk. These come in the form of evil spirits that you are trying to control to do your bidding. If you cast your spell incorrectly, you are opening yourself up to potential dangers and ill luck. Whatever your reasons for wanting to cast an evil voodoo spell, always be careful and follow directions to the letter. Don't be lazy when it comes to the details. Casting an evil voodoo spell can be fun, but don't let your ego get the best of you. While you can certainly be a force in this world, you are nothing compared to the forces of the netherworld.

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Phil Hine - Aspects Of Evocation
Pamela Ball - The Ultimate Book Of Spells.pdf
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Rw Rogers - Adapa And The Food Of Life

How To Build Voodoo Dolls

Voodoo is a religion that originated in the Caribbean. It was brought to the United States via the slave trade and took root in New Orleans. One of the best-known--and most feared--symbols of voodoo is the voodoo doll. Popular culture tells us that these dolls are to be used against enemies, to bring them bad luck, physical injury or even death. But this is only one use of a voodoo doll. They are more commonly used by the faithful to focus energy and bring about positive results with money, luck, health and love. Made from whatever material their creators have on hand, they may seem simple or crude, but voodoo dolls are not toys. Whether you believe or not, be careful with how you use them. Learn how to build a voodoo doll of your own.

1. Step 1

Decide what sort of doll you'd like to make. What purpose will it serve? This decision will influence your choice of materials. Dolls have been made of corn husks, paper, tree branches, clay and cloth, to name just a few materials. Try to select material that has some relevance to the doll's intended function. You cannot mess this up. Whatever you choose will be the right thing.

2. Step 2

Make the skeleton. Generally made from wood such as branches, pencils or dowel rods, two pieces of material are bound together with twine, string or thread to form a cross. Natural material is preferable, but use what you have. This will be the body of the doll. Decide which stick represents the head and feet, and which represents the arms.

3. Step 3

Cover the skeleton with some type of stuffing, be it cotton batting, feathers, shredded cloth, paper, moss or raffia.

4. Step 4

Cut a piece of fabric large enough to cover the doll completely, and drape it across the stuffing. The color of the cloth should reflect the purpose of the doll. If you're making a love doll, dress it in red, as red attracts love and passion. Yellow brings about success. Green is used for money and good luck. Black makes your enemies go away. Brown will bring you good luck in court. White stands for protection and peace. Natural fibers (such as hemp or muslin) bring about general good fortune. If you're trying to hex someone, try to use a piece of their clothing.

5. Step 5

Wrap the material around the doll. Use twine or ribbons to create a torso, head, arms and feet. Draw on the face.

6. Step 6

Embellish the doll with ornaments and decorations that directly relate to its purpose. Popular decorations include feathers, glitter, jewelry and buttons. For example, a good-luck money doll, dressed in green (of course), could have a coin for a head or money attached to the body. Or you could draw dollar signs on the fabric. A love doll should have a heart sewn or drawn on the chest. If the doll represents a specific person, you can use beads and yarn to create a face. Be sure to call it by the name of the person it is supposed to represent.

7. Step 7

Baptize your doll. If the doll is to be used to hex someone, it is common practice to baptize it prior to use. Say the following while dunking your doll under water, "I baptize you, (name of the doll), in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit."

Remove the doll from the water and complete the ritual by saying, "In life, you are now that who I wish you to be. All that is done to you will happen to (name of the doll) in the world as I command it. I now control the desires, dreams and ultimate fate of (name). Their life belongs to me. May (name) see no pleasure or profit from their life or endeavors unless I deem it so."

Tips & Warnings

* If you can sew, a simple voodoo doll can be made by simply stitching two pieces of fabric together and drawing on the face. Voodoo dolls can bring things to you, but they can also take things away. To make a person go away, attach something from them (hair, clothing, nail clippings) and pin it to the doll.
* Be careful what you wish for.


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Haiti Zombi Observation Case

The following is an account of a specific case which illustrates the observation I have just made.

Early in the morning of 24 October, 1936, in the village of Ennery located in the foothills of the Puylboreau mountains near Cap-Haitien, the entire population was aroused into a tumultuous and frenzied consternation when a woman appeared in the streets clad in ragged clothes. She was old, feeble, and stupefied. Her skin was pale and wrinkled and looked like the scales of a fish.

From all appearances, she had been suffering from eye disease for a long time. Her eye-lashes had almost fallen out, she could not bear the glare of sunlight and, to protect her eyes, she had covered her face with a dark dirty rag. This added to the curiosity and superstitious awe of the people.

A mass hysteria swept through the entire village. Crowds gathered around to see that strange woman. People began to ask questions, to cast suspicions, and to try to identify her with various people who were known to be dead long ago.

One of the families living near Ennery, known as the Mentors, noticed that she bore a close resemblance to one of their members. From that day onward people began to call the strange woman by the name of Felicia Felix Mentor. The Mentors took her to their family home, fed her, and gave her comfortable quarters.

She remained in the Mentor's home for a few days until the people removed her to a government hospital. She was in the hospital when, a few weeks after, I was sent from the Public Health Department to make an official study of the strange case which by that time was known all over Haiti.

Felicia Felix Mentor, the alleged Zombi under discussion, was not able to give me any information about her name, her age, her birthplace, where she had been previously, where she was going, and how she happened to be in the hospital. All her answers were unintelligible and irrelevant.

Her occasional outbursts of laughter were devoid of emotion, and very frequently she spoke of herself in either the first or the third person without any sense of discrimination. She had lost all sense of time and was quite indifferent to the world of things around her.

Her height was 5 feet 2 inches, and she weighed 90 pounds. She looked like a woman about 60 years old; but after being treated in the asylum for some time under my care, she rejuvenated and looked like a woman of 50.

The evidence which induced the Mentors at first to believe that the strange woman was the member of their family who died long ago became untenable in the light of a scientific study of the case.

At first they had based their belief on the fact that the woman was lame. Before the real Felicia Felix Mentor died, she was lame as a result of a fracture of her left leg.

Her physical appearance and lameness in addition to the deep belief in the country that sometimes the dead come back to life, induced the Mentors to believe that the strange woman was indeed their late sister Felicia.

I made an X-ray examination of both legs at the Central Hospital in Port-au-Prince. There was no evidence of a fracture and the lameness could therefore be attributed to muscular weakness due to undernourishment. This may be said to be the cause since, after she had a normal diet for two months, the lameness disappeared. She also gained weight.

This is evidently a case of schizophrenia and gives us an idea of how cases of similar nature are likely to arouse mass hysteria in a culture where the common people do not usually understand the scientific basis of many natural events which occur in their daily life.

The case under discussion was reported by Miss Zora Neale Hurston in her book Tell My Horse, in which she stated emphatically `I know that there are Zombis in `Haiti. People have been called back. from the dead.' This American writer stated specifically that she came back from Haiti with no doubt in regard to popular belief of the Zombi pseudo-science.

In her book, the author described the Felicia Felix Mentor incident as a typical case of a Zombi. Evidently she got her information from the simple village folk, whose minds were conditioned to believing the real existence of a superhuman phenomenon. Miss Hurston herself, unfortunately, did not go beyond the mass hysteria to verify her information, nor in any way attempt to make a scientific explanation of the case.

Evidences from European and other cultures could be found, where whole communities have been aroused into a mass hysteria as a result of the unexpected appearance of queer persons. Such appearances very often rekindled the dying embers of archaic superstitious beliefs that were deeply rooted in the traditional culture of a people.

Perhaps extension of the province of psychiatry from a study of the individual to a study of the collective behavior of man may yet reveal to us some of the basic principles underlying the social problems of our time. Certainly, social psychiatry stands a good chance of exploding the Zombi-psychology of the untutored Haitian peasant, as well as any similar beliefs entertained in other cultures.

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Haiti Voodoo

PLAINE DU NORD, July 26 (AP)—Carrying candles and a heavy spiritual debt, Josephine Derulien walked for 17 hours to reach this small farming town, swollen by thousands of people during an annual four-day pilgrimage.

The pilgrimage, one of the most important in the Voodoo religion, began Wednesday with rituals to Ogou, the god of war, and ended Saturday with rites to the goddess of love, Erzuli. This year’s crowd of more than 10,000 was half the turnout of last year.

"I swore I would make this pilgrimage," said Derulien, 30, wearing a blue dress with a red kerchief, the traditional colors of Ogou. "I had a problem and it was solved. Now I’m here to pay my debt."

Although millions still practice Voodoo—now a state-sanctioned religion in Haiti—some are turning their backs on the religion brought from Africa, testing other faiths as their Caribbean nation grapples with growing instability and poverty.

An estimated 70 percent of Haiti’s 8.8 million people practice Voodoo to some extent, including many who claim to be Catholic or another religion.

But a growing number, estimated at 30 percent, identify themselves as Protestant, said Andre Corten, a Canadian sociologist. This smaller group adamantly oppose Voodoo, which is spelled Vodou in the French and Creole spoken in Haiti.’

Voodoo requires sometimes pricey offerings to a pantheon of gods. In a country where most people survive on less than $1 a day and where the government hasn’t managed to improve conditions, the draw of a cheaper religion is powerful.

Thousands of missionaries—many American—can be seen everyday in Haiti proselytizing and trying to draw people away from Voodoo. Many flock to evangelical Christian churches instead of Voodoo temples.

"The economic stagnation has cast a shadow over Voodoo," said musician and Voodoo priest Ronald "Aboudja" Derenencourt, 48.

One young girl selling bananas along the pilgrimage route, about 6 miles south Cap-Haitien on the north coast, pleaded with pilgrims to reject Voodoo.

"Voodoo is no good," said Rose Jean, 12, whose family of six are evangelical Christians. "They don’t recognize Jesus."

The Catholic Church in the 1940’s waged a campaign to eradicate Voodoo. Although unsuccessful, the religion was driven underground for years and disparaged by foreigners as a hodge-podge of beliefs.

In April, however, the Haitian government officially sanctioned it, allowing priests for the first time to legally perform marriages.

Many Voodoo practitioners have been wary of the step, fearful it was taken to woo them to the government of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, whose popularity is waning with hard times.

"Here we pray to everybody. Some pray to St. James, others to Ogou," said Jean Joseph, 45, a farmer who made the pilgrimage but prayed at the town’s Catholic church. "You serve God or the Devil as you like."

Not far from the church where Joseph and other others prayed, men and women stripped down to their shorts, and plunged into a shallow mud basin. They emerged in a trance and said they were transformed.

"When I come out of the basin, I tremble. I feel the might of Ogou, who empowers me all year long," said Voodoo priest Harvey Dorvil, 31.

Around the basin, Voodoo priests, priestesses, and witchdoctors congregate, on the lookout for patients, whose ills they claim they can cure with spells and herbal remedies.

Merchants sold everything from radios and clothing to straw hats and religious items like candles, perfumes, amulets, and images of the saints.

Most seek help for money or love troubles. Derulien, like many, wouldn’t say what she had asked Ogou for.

"Voodoo is our family faith," said Roseline Pierre, a 25-year-old student nurse from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., who was born in Haiti. "Its spirituality is powerful. You just have to dig deep enough."

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Haiti Possessed By Voodoo

The ceremony begins with a Roman Catholic prayer. Then three drummers begin to play syncopated rhythms. The attendees begin to dance around a tree in the center of the yard, moving faster and harder with the rising pulse of the beat. The priest draws sacred symbols in the dust with cornmeal, and rum is poured on the ground to honor the spirits.

One woman falls to the ground, convulsing for a moment before she is helped back to her feet. She resumes the dance, moving differently now, and continues dancing for hours. It is perhaps no longer she who is dancing: She is in a trance, apparently possessed by Erzuli, the great mother spirit.

It is an honor to be entered and "ridden" by a Loa, or spirit. In Haiti these rituals are commonplace: Voodoo is the dominant religion.

"One common saying is that Haitians are 70 percent Catholic, 30 percent Protestant, and 100 percent voodoo," said Lynne Warberg, a photographer who has documented Haitian voodoo for over a decade.

In April 2003 an executive decree by then president Jean-Bertrand Aristide sanctioned voodoo as an officially recognized religion.

"It is a religion in the same way Judaism or Christianity is," said Bob Corbett, professor emeritus of philosophy at Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri. "Voodoo doesn't have a sacred text, a church, or a hierarchical structure of leaders, but it is very similar culturally."

Ancient Traditions

Voodoo, meaning "spirit," may be one of the world's oldest ancestral, nature-honoring traditions, according to Mamaissii Vivian Dansi Hounon, a member of OATH, the Organization of African Traditional Healers in Martinez, Georgia.

Some anthropologists estimate that voodoo's roots in Benin—formerly Dahomey—West Africa may go back 6,000 years. Today an estimated 60 million people practice voodoo worldwide.

At a voodoo ceremony, believers gather outdoors to make contact with the Loa, any of a pantheon of spirits who have various functions running the universe, much like Greek gods. There is also a responsibility to care for beloved and deified family spirits and to honor a chief god, Bondieu.

During the ceremony, the houngan or mambo—priest or priestess—sacrifices a sanctified chicken or other animal to the Loa. Participants then ask the spirits for advice or help with problems. More than half the requests are for health.

It is said that the Loa sometimes communicate prophecies, advice, or warnings while the believer is possessed. Other messages are sent through the priest or priestess, or sometimes come later in dreams.

These disembodied spirits are believed to become tired and worn down—and rely on humans to "feed" them in periodic rituals, including sacrifices. "It's not the killing of the animals that matters," Corbett said. "It's the transfer of life energy back to the Loa."

Each of the spirits has a distinct identity. Some are loving and good, while others are capricious or demanding. Haitians believe that the Loa most often express their displeasure by making people sick.

Black Magic?

In the West voodoo has been portrayed in zombie movies and popular books as dark and evil, a cult of devil worship dominated by black magic, human sacrifice, and pin-stuck voodoo dolls—none of which exist in the voodoo practices that originated in Benin.

In Haiti voodoo began as an underground activity. During the 1700s thousands of West African slaves were shipped to Haiti to work on French plantations.

The slaves were baptized as Roman Catholics upon their arrival in the West Indies. Their traditional African religious practices were viewed as a threat to the colonial system and were forbidden. Practitioners were imprisoned, whipped, or hung.

But the slaves continued to practice in secret while attending masses. What emerged was a religion that the colonialists thought was Catholicism—but they were outfoxed.

Hybrid Rituals

It was easy to meld the two faiths, because there are many similarities between Roman Catholicism and voodoo, Corbett said. Both venerate a supreme being and believe in the existence of invisible evil spirits or demons and in an afterlife.

Each religion also focuses its ceremonies around a center point—an altar in Catholicism, a pole or tree in voodoo. Their services include symbolic or actual rituals of sacrifice and consumption of flesh and blood, Corbett noted.

Many of the Loa resemble Christian saints, endowed with similar responsibilities or attributes. For example, Legba, an old man, is said to open the gates between Earth and the world of the Loa, much like St. Peter traditionally throws wide the gates to heaven.

But there are differences. Westerners tend to believe in free will and personal choice. Not so in voodoo.

"The Haitian people have a view of the world that is unimaginably different from ours," Corbett said. The Loa are believed to determine our lives to an astonishing degree, he explains, and they are always present in great numbers: There might be two people in a room, but there are also 20 Loa.

"Our view is dominated by physical, touchable reality. In Haiti the spirits are as real as your wife or your dog," Corbett said.

Like any other religious practice, voodoo brings great benefits, explains Warberg, the photographer. "Participation in voodoo ritual reaffirms one's relationships with ancestors, personal history, community relationships—and the cosmos. Voodoo is a way of life," she said.

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