Jeudi: Curios

Technically, it is a stretch to call the eau de toilettes popular in hoodoo "curios", but they don't really fit into any other category I don't believe so here we are.

The three perfumes in question are Hoyt's cologne, which is commercially made, and Kananga and Florida Waters, both of which are sold commercially but also often made by the root worker. All three are delightfully floral, with Hoyt's cologne probably being the most "masculine" of the scents. Likewise, all three are used in workings, particularly for love and luck, baths and as offerings to the lwa and the ancestors.

Far and away the most popular is Florida Water, which is added to floor washes, laundry and hand and body washes to chase away jinxes and crossed conditions as well as usher in times of good fortune. Florida water is a key ingredient in the Lady Bath. A cleansing dedicated to Erzulie Freda, this bath is undertaken to renew the spirit and bring the good fortune that accompanies the smile of the lady Erzulie.

Though Florida Water is the most popular of the eau de toilettes mentioned, it is not the easiest to make at home. Kananga Water, which can be used similarly to Florida Water, is however. Here is one recipe from Fortunes in Formulas for the Home, Farm and Workshop published in 1937:

10 drop ylang ylang oil
5 drops neroli oil
5 drops rose oil
3 drops bergamot or lavender oil
10 ounces of alcohol

Mix gently and steep these ingredients together in a glass jar with a tight lid for about 24 hours. Add about 10 ounces of distilled water to make an eau de toilette. Make sure to store your end product in glass as well and keep it out of direct sunlight. Use in washes, baths or as a cologne to lift your spirit. Bonne chance ~

Header: Notre Dame de Grasse, France c 15th century via Deities and Demons (see sidebar)

Jeudi: Great Spirits

In Voudon, the lwa who rule the ocean are the one known as the Admiral, Agwe, and his powerful consort, La Siren (or Lasiren). Both lwa belong to the Congo nachon (although La Siren does have a Petwo aspect known as La Balen - the whale) and are therefor generally consider approachable, especially for those new to honoring the spirits of Voudon.

Agwe is envisioned as a broad shouldered naval commander. He is usually given the racial designation of mulatto and his eyes are invariably spoken of as green. His area of rule is the oceans and seas of the world and he is charged with looking after people at sea, ships and all those who make a living from the ocean. Agwe is syncratized with the Catholic St. Ulrich, who is often depicted holding a fish, and his altars are decorated not only with statues or pictures of the saint but also with boats, paddles or rudders and images of fish. Agwe, though slow to anger, can be responsible for terrible storms that sweep in from the ocean if he is not acknowledged with offerings now and again.

La Siren is always depicted as a mermaid. She is envisioned as very light skinned with blond hair and a beautiful, sparkling fish's tail. Her realm is the ocean depths where she has a magnificent home. Her favorite pastime is playing music or beautifying herself with the fruits of the sea. She is thought to be rich, her home and person decorated with silver, jewels and especially pearls. In her generous aspect, she is the teacher of priestesses. Some mambos claim to have met La Siren in dreams. While they sleep, they descend to the mermaid's magnificent palace below wave and she generously teaches them all the wisdom of ritual, healing and magick.

In her alternative aspect, as the giant black whale La Balen, La Siren is not so benign. Like her consort Agwe she can stir up storms. She can also punish individuals who have displeased her by luring them into the ocean with her haunting song. The unfortunate miscreant only comes out of his or her trance once they are too far out to sea to be saved. There, they drown in the salty water. This aspect of La Siren is also the one she uses to show her displeasure toward Agwe who is continuously unfaithful to her with her sister, the irresistible lwa of love and pleasure, Erzulie Freda.

La Siren is represented by Stella Maris, Our Lady of the Ocean, and in some cases St. Martha. Her altars are strewn with the offerings she loves: pearls, perfume, mirrors, combs, sea shells, champagne and sweet cookies with blue or white frosting.

The largest ritual performed in coastal communities in Haiti to honor the lwa of the sea is often referred to as the Barque of Agwe. A raft is especially made for the occasion and covered in blue and white cloth. Then it is laden with the foods and beverages that the lwa favor and towed out to sea with all ceremony, drums beating and songs to the lwa being sung. The barque, full of very precious items in a country as under served as Haiti, is then left to float as far out to sea as it may in hopes that the Admiral and his beautiful mermaid will bring good fishing, fair weather and - in this day and age - big cruise ships full of wealthy tourists.

These two are my personal lwa, and I invariably dress in blue or blue-green on their special day: Thursday. It surprises no one who knows me that the lwa of the ocean have claimed me. Destiny, after all, will out...

Header: The Mermaid by Howard Pyle via Wikimedia

Jeudi: Root Work

I know it's only October but the holidays will be here sooner than we think and that usually means just one thing for root workers and wise women: requests for love potions. No one wants to feel like Evangeline up there during the darkest months of the year. Although I tend to counsel people against too much manipulation, the reality is that a little insurance for a good relationship (not one that's on the fence and especially not one that's abusive) never hurts.

The term "love potion number nine" is thrown around a lot in our culture. There's even a song about it, I think. This fabled drink may actually have originated in hoodoo. Different root workers have different recipes for the love potion, which actually amounts to a simple tea made from nine different ingredients. The caveat with most of these mixtures is that rose petals, catnip and cinnamon must be used in the mixture.

Fresh or dried herbs work equally well so it is entirely up to the person making the tea which way they want to go. The idea of the tea is to draw love or, if it is shared with the loved one, strengthen the bond. Whether the loved one knows what the maker of the tea is up to is entirely open for discussion.

Here's my recipe for the fabled love potion:

A small piece of apple
A small piece of ginger
One rose petal and a pinch each of:
Catnip
Cinnamon
Dill
Rue
Sugar

Wrap all of these ingredients in a square of muslin and tie it up with a long piece of twine to form a teabag. Place your teabag in a cup and pour hot water over it. Add a drop of vanilla or whiskey (your choice, but not both). While you pray/infuse the tea with your intention, allow the mixture to steep for nine minutes.

Remove the teabag and drink the cup down, preferable in nine sips. You should continue to focus on your wish for love while you drink. Dispose of your teabag as you will need to make a new one the next day.

Repeat this ritual nine days/nights in a row, if possible at around the same time each day. Toujours l'amour ~

Header: Evangeline by Christian Schussele via American Gallery

Jeudi: Great Spirits

The water spirit who has taken on the collective, and perhaps unfortunately generic, moniker of Mami Wata is far more than the sum of her parts. A spirit venerated as far afield as the entire Atlantic coast of Africa, most of South America, Central America, the Caribbean and in the Cuban and Haitian diasporas, one is hard pressed to find a more frequently worshiped form of water deity than she.

In my personal frame of reference, Mami Wata most resembles the Voudon lwa known as La Siren/La Balen. La Siren is the light-skinned, either blond or brown-haired mermaid who imparts wealth and beauty upon those who are devoted to her. La Balen, her Petwo personification, is the whale who may appear at first as a beautiful woman, but has come only to lure those who have offended her to a cold, dark death in deep water.

Mami Wata in all her transmogrifications has a similar light and dark aspect. Stories are told of her appearing near the ocean, usually in the guise of a beautiful woman and usually - but not always - to a handsome young man. She is combing her hair with a silver comb, or admiring herself in an expensive mirror, or adorning herself with pearls when the human comes upon her. Startled, she slips into the water and disappears leaving her treasures behind. The young man may gather up these costly treasures but he is warned to return them immediately when he again, invariably, encounters the beautiful mermaid. Failure to do so will bring untold misfortunes and sometimes even a withering, miserable death.

In other stories, which show a similarity to the Voudon lwa Erzulie Freda Dahomey, Mami Wata demands sexual fidelity from the young men she encounters. They must join with her and shun human women. Failure to do so will mean the worst possible luck for not only the young man, but his family as well. Agreeing to the mermaid's terms, however, ensures health, wealth and happiness. One also assumes a continuing conjugal relationship with Mami Wata as well.

Like a third Voudon lwa, Grande Erzulie, Mami Wata is designated as the protectress of prostitutes in some of the cultures that worship her. In this aspect, and in her aspect as a bringer of fertility to both the land and its people, her symbol is a snake. This aspect also bares a striking resemblance to Ix Chel, the Mayan protectress of women and she who bestows them with fertility.

The names given to Mami Wata are as numerous as the forms she takes. Her African names, such as Watramama, have a similar ring to Mami Wata; that name is also sometimes found in Africa. In Brazil she is syncratized with the Orisha of the oceans, Yemaya; this is also the case in Cuba and the Cuban diaspora. On previously French-speaking Caribbean islands such as Guadalupe, Martinique and Trinidad and Tobago, she is Maman de l'Eau or simply Maman Dlo. In Haiti, of course, as in New Orleans, she is La Siren.

Her various aspects are so numerous, and her worship so far-flung, that she is a testimate to the enduring power of the water goddess all over the world. Even the Catholic Church gave in when it came to Mami Wata and assigned a particular aspect of the Virgin Mary to look after the oceans. Known as Stella Maris - Star of the Sea - her picture is often used to represent any of Mami Wata's many faces.

That's a back-handed complement from a patriarchal religion many a modern theorist would opine. Be that as it may, those of us who straddle that fence, as our ancestors have done for centuries, will take it where we can get it.

Header: Mami Wata of Trinidad and Tobago by Zofia Bogusz via American Gallery

Samedi: The Lady Bath

I've spoken of Milo Rigaud and his 1953 publication Secrets of Voodoo here at HQ before.  I’ve also mentioned the Voudon ritual known as a Lady bath.  Both converge in the book where Rigaud, a native Haitian and a student of law, ethnology, psychology and theology, discusses the ritual and the hymn to Erzulie Freda that can accompany it.  Per Rigaud:

The “Lady” bath is the bath taken under the magic auspices of Erzulie.  Generally speaking, it is desirable to summon the mystère Erzulie to come in person and administer the bath…  The bath Erzulie used to be much in vogue, but it is no longer as popular as it once was.  Nowadays initiates are content to take a substitute Erzulie bath by rubbing themselves with water in which Erzulie, while possessing somebody, has herself bathed.  The bath water used in this fashion is thought to produce good fortune and cure illness.

Rigaud gives the ingredients of the Lady bath as follows:

… three bunches of basilica leaves, seven sweet peppers, a measure of zo-douvant (Eugenia crenulata Wild) powder, baume du commandeur, tincture of benzoin and Florida Water.  Perfume may be added in any desired quantity, perfume being the most important element in Maitresse Erzulie’s toilette.

This bath is generally taken no more than once a year and this hymn to Erzulie may accompany it:

Ce chance oh! O, ce chance oh!

Ce pas wanga ou gangnin;

Ce chance oh!

Grande Erzulie Freda

Ce chance ou gangnin,

Ce pas wanga ou gangnin;

Ce chance, O Maitresse.

It’s luck, oh! O, it’s luck, oh!

It’s not a magic charm that you have;

It’s luck, oh!

Grande Erzulie Freda

It’s luck that you have,

It’s not a magic charm that you have;

It’s luck, O Mistress.

The emphasis on luck in this chant delineates the intention of the Lady bath.  The voudonist is not looking for Erzulie’s assistance in love or good looks, but specifically for her favor.  Everyone in Haiti knows that those who are favored by the beautiful Maitresse are the luckiest of all.

Header: Marilyn Monroe photograph via Mid-Century; my Erzulie is very fond of having pictures of MM used to represent her and I cannot but comply

Samedi: The Ghede Revisited

Haiti is rich with dark myths and voodoo legends, including many frightening tales of the evil Ghede.  This lord of the dead is a tall man who wears a long black coat, black top hat, and dark glasses.  He is considered a powerful devil who constantly seeks the ruin of souls.

Ghede stands at the eternal crossroads through which all souls must pass upon death.  He has the power to resurrect the dead and to animate zombies.  One of his most frightening attributes is his ability enternally to torment the souls of corpses stolen by sorcerers.  Haitians believe that only prayer and holy ritual can save them from the clutches of Ghede.  ~ from Encyclopedia of Hell by Miriam Van Scott

First of all: say what!?

Now that I’ve gotten that out of my system, let’s break this down a little bit.  In Haitian Voudon and New Orleans voodoo the Ghede (they are generally imagined as a group, not as a single entity) are nothing more frightening than the spirits of the dead.  They are led by a smaller group – usually of three but sometimes as many as seven – of gentlemen known as the Barons.  Baron Samedi is the most familiar and the most often addressed.  His wife is one of the few female Ghede, the powerful Maman Brigitte.  In New Orleans, Baron Samedi is considered the patron lwa of the city and its surrounding bayous.  For an extended but by no means complete list of the well known Haitian Ghede, click here.

There is nothing of the devil or demon in Ghede lore.  In fact the Ghede – though they usually go uninvited – are some of the most welcome guests when spirit possession occurs at the oumphor.  Their hard drinking, sense of humor and honesty are a welcome diversion from the sometimes more difficult lessons brought from Ginen by the lwa.  In fact, the only participant who will have nothing to do with the Ghede is usually a spirit and not a human; the beautiful Erzulie Freda Dahomey cannot abide the Ghede, as they remind her of aging and corruption.  She will complain that they are “chameau”: stinky.

The idea of torment and torture of a soul after death is alien to Haitian Voudon.  In this world view, souls retreat to the underwater haven of Ginen where, if offerings are made to them and they are strong enough to help the living, they might even become lwa themselves.  I won’t even cross the line into corpse thieving or zombies as I have no direct experience with either.  Such things do occur, but it is not the Ghede who are called upon for help with those matters.

In the end, Van Scott’s two paragraphs seem at the very least a misunderstanding of Voudon and voodoo.  At its worst, the entry is a another blatant attempt to demonize the gods/spirits of a religion that does not conform to the Judeo-Christian-Muslim world view.  When I was studying anthropology in school – back in the ‘80s children – we were stringently and frequently reminded that ethnocentrism was the bane of any serious study of man and man’s beliefs.  Van Scott’s book bares a 1998 copyright.  Evidently not everyone got the message.

Header:  Baron Samedi via Deities & Demons (see the sidebar)

Samedi: Charm Lamp

Magickal lamps are popular items in Haitian Voudon.  Though we generally think of the jinn of the ancient Near East when we think of such a thing, lamps are often encountered burning in businesses and private homes in Haiti.  Usually constructed of a halved and scraped out coconut shell, the lamps are filled with olive oil in which a wick is suspended via a playing card or shards of bone.  Lamps are not items that people make for themselves.  These are constructed by mambos and houngans with a specific lwa’s favor in mind.

One example of this type of Voudon magick is the charm lamp.  This is constructed under the auspices of the great Rada lwa Erzulie Freda Dahomey.  It is intended to draw a lover or a business partner to the person for whom it is constructed and the Lady of love and luxury will expect something pretty for her trouble.

To construct a charm lamp, the priest or priestess puts a piece of lamb or sheep brain into a coconut shell.  This first ingredient follows the rule of like makes like as the animal’s brain is a stand in for the thoughts or will of the person to be influenced.  Other ingredients may include a magnet or lodestone (to draw the person in), a sweetener such as cane syrup or honey (to sweeten their thoughts toward the owner of the lamp) and Florida Water (a cologne favored by Erzulie Freda).  Once these ingredients are in the coconut shell they will be covered with olive oil.  A wick is then threaded through a hole in the center of a Queen of Hearts card and this is floated on the olive oil

The lamp is kept burning day and night, usually on a home altar, and more olive oil is added daily.  This ritual will continue until the favor sought has been made manifest.  At that time the lamp will be extinguished and disposed of (it is usually buried in the ground) and an offering will be made to the lwa who looked over the lamp.  In the case of a charm lamp, a nice piece of jewelry or some French perfume would doubtless be appropriate.

Header: Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception (an image frequently used to represent Erzulie Freda)

Samedi: Voudon Calendar

Like most religions, Voudon has its own special festivals designed to bring worshipers into touch with the divine spirits.  Depending on where a voudonist is from, the main festivals, or fetes as they are called, will number between twelve and twenty per year.  I spent time in the Les Cayes region and keep the fetes that were taught to me there.  Though local festivals can raise the number to as many as thirty, this general list of fetes is an all around if not all inclusive example of the celebrations in Voudon.

Many of the fetes are synergized with Catholic Holy Days.  This, it goes with out saying, gave the original slave population of old Sante Domingue the opportunity to celebrate the lwa without drawing attention to their practices.  To masters and overseers, the slaves were celebrating Our Lady of Mount Carmel on July 16^th, for instance, when in fact they were raising a fete for Erzulie Freda.

For the purposes of this list, I will give the date, Voudon fete, Catholic Holy Day and significance as I understand it.

January 6,  Voudon Fete Les Rois, Catholic Epiphany: This celebration honors the ancestral kings of Africa and is similar to celebrations of the 9 African Powers in Santeria

February 25, Manje Tet Dlo, no corresponding Holy Day: Offerings are made to feed rivers and springs so that they will continue to provide sweet water

Movable fete usually in March or April, Fete Souvenance, Good Friday: A weeklong festival held in Souvenance which only houngans and mambos may participate in

March 20, Legba Zaou, no Holy Day: Homage is paid to Papa Legba through the sacrifice of a black goat

April 30, Manje mo, no Holy Day: Offerings of food are made to family ancestors

May 12, Manje lwa, no Holy Day: Offerings of food are made to the lwa sacred to the local ounfo

July 16, Fete Saut d’Eau, Our Lady of Mount Carmel: People make a pilgrimage to bathe in the waterfall at Saut d’Eau recognizing Erzulie Freda

July 25, Fete Ougo, St. James: People make a pilgrimage to Plaine du Nord in recognition of Ougo Ferraille

August 15, Fete Soukri Kongo, Feast of the Assumption:  Weeklong honoring of the Kongo lwa at Nan Soukri

November 2, Fete de mo, All Souls’ Day: Weeklong remembrance of dead family members and Ghede lwa like Maman Brigitte and Baron Samedi including ritual meals which are prepared without salt

November 25, Manje yanm, no Holy Day: Celebration of the harvest

December 25, Fete des Membres, Christmas: Every attempt is made to return to one’s home where ritual baths and feasting are part of the celebrations

December 28, Manje Marasa, Feast of the Holy Innocents: The divine twin lwa known as the Marasa are celebrated

My personal favorite is Fete de mo, because I especially appreciate that this is a celebration that was recognized by my Celtic ancestors as well.  Finding connections to all the things that we are and can be may be the best thing that any religion, “organized” or not, can do for us.  At least that’s what I hope for.  Bon Samedi mes amis ~

Header: Soukri Kongo celebration in modern Haiti via HaitiXchange.com

Samedi: The Family Erzulie

In Haitian Voudon, a group of female lwa stands out as a particularly dysfunctional sisterhood.  These are the Erzulies or Ezilis as they are known in Creole. 

There is Erzulie Freda Dahomey, the gorgeous and luxurious.  She is the queen of all things beautiful, sensuous and graceful.  Erzulie Freda is envisioned as a light skinned woman with light eyes; she speaks only French and is the dream of every mortal man.  She is herself a sensual animal who takes lovers from among the lwa and her human worshipers.  Maryaj lwa with Erzulie, though not necessarily common, is one of the most likely such entanglements with the lwa for a man to find himself in.  Erzulie Freda is said to be the “consort” of three male lwa: Danbala, Ogou and Agwe.  All of these gentlemen are married to others.

Erzulie Freda’s sister, or perhaps her other half, is La Siren.  She is the blond haired, white skinned mermaid who is lwa of the deep blue sea.    Mermaids are extremely common in Afro-Caribbean and African American stories.  The tales generally tell of a beautiful, fish-tailed woman who lures an adult or sometimes a child down to her watery domain where they live for what seems like a year, but is in fact decades or even centuries.  La Siren follows this pattern as well.  Though generally benevolent, she can turn violent just as the sea does in a storm.  In this guise she is known as La Balien – the whale – and she can be deadly.  She is married to the sea lwa and admiral, Agwe.

The third sister is Erzulie Danto, the mother lwa of the Petwo nachon whose tongue was cut out by Haitian revolutionaries so that she would not tell their secrets.  She is a fierce mother and warrior, dark skinned and ample in form who has a scar on her cheek.  This wound was inflicted when she fought with Erzulie Freda, and the two have detested each other ever since.  Their enmity is only increased by the fact that Erzulie Danto is married to the warrior lwa Ogou.  Erzulie Danto can wreak havoc against human women in fits of rage and jealousy, but she is also known to take women in maryaj lwa and is thought to be the patron of lesbians.

The three sisters’ grandmother also goes by their name.  She is known as Grande Erzulie (or Grann Ezili) and in some sociétés she is the patron of prostitutes (in others, this task falls to Maman Brigitte).   She is also the lwa of regret, weeping over lost love, beauty and opportunity.  Grande Erzulie is envisioned as impossibly ancient and crippled by rheumatoid arthritis.  For this reason, she is the patron of people of any age who suffer from this crippling autoimmune disease.  My daughter, who has the juvenile form of arthritis, is beginning to cultivate a relationship with Grande Erzulie.

All four of the Erzulies can be of great benefit to their devoted worshipers.  But as always, know your lwa and respect them fully.  The opposite of benefit is not always simple hindrance.  Bonne chance ~

Header: Mater Dolorosa de Monte Cavario, the Catholic aspect of Erzulie Freda

Samedi: The Altar at Home

We've talked about the white table, or ancestral altar, before.  Simple to do and rewarding to have, it is something I hope everyone will consider.  But what about altars to the lwa specifically, particularly when a person – like myself – has no connection with a Voudon société?  There is nothing stopping you from setting up an altar, or for that matter several, to the lwa as long as you follow some guidelines.

First, decide what type of altar you want to construct.  A large altar to multiple lwa, such as the one shown above, will require a good deal of space.  Consider a spot where you already practice spiritual pursuits like meditation or root work.  Next, think about what lwa you wish to honor and remember their likes and dislikes including those of each other.  Putting sacred space for Erzulie Freda next to sacred space for her sister Erzulie Danto will only bring unrest to your home.  Their bickering is legendary (to the point where Freda once slashed Danto with a knife); no reason to encourage that kind of energy.  My Danto altar is on the first floor of my home while Freda has her niche upstairs. 

If your altar is for multiple lwa, draping it with a pristine white cloth is advised.  Specific lwa altars should be draped with either a white cloth or one in a color that pleases them; light blue or pink for Erzulie Freda for instance.  The cloths should be washed frequently and kept free of stains.

In Haiti, most altars on constructed on the ground connecting them to the earth.  In your home, adding a pebble or stone from around your home is a good way to make that connection as well.  Candles, either white or colored as with the cloth, should be a prominent feature as well.  Some voudonists keep a glass of water on their altar to represent the waters of Ginen to which we will all return.  If this is appealing to you, be sure to change the water frequently.

From there, your imagination and relationship with the lwa can determine what goes on the altar.  Flowers, pictures of saints, offerings of food or drink and myriad other items will be welcome if they are cleansed first with a little salt water and given with sincerity.  Food and drink offerings should be left only until the lwa have had a chance to absorb their energy; rotten substances are not a pleasant addition to your décor.

A few words of caution are in order before I conclude.  First, keeping your altar scrupulously clean is a must in almost all cases.  Dusting and washing of fabric items should be done regularly.  Statues can be bathed in water to which a pleasing perfume such as Florida Water (popular with all the lwa) has been added.  The only exception is a Ghede altar; the Lords and Lady of the Dead seem to appreciate a little dust and even a cobweb or two.  This plays into one of my pet theories about New Orleans where la beauté d’entropie – the loveliness of decay – is so readily appreciated.  Where Baron Samedi rules, the dilapidation of the grave is a beautiful thing.

Another rule in Haiti is to never put a home altar in your bedroom.  Sometimes this can’t be helped but, if you do, make sure that the lwa’s sight line is screened off from you bed.  You’ll sleep better and so will they.

Treating the lwa like honored guests is probably the best way to do right by them.  In turn, as you spend time with them near their altar(s), they will get to know you and begin to work for you just as you honor them.

Header: Multi-lwa altar from the Tropenmuseum via Wikipedia

Samedi: In the Trees

The spirits of Voudon are particularly fond of nature, which to me is a bit of a paradox.  There are not many wild places left in Haiti, if the truth be told, and in some areas it is particularly daunting to find a tree much less a forest.  So it would seem even more paradoxical that many of the lwa have their own favorite trees.

Most Voudon temple complexes have trees, or at least a tree, in their courtyards.  These are dedicated to the lwa and are called repozwas: resting places.  Here the lwa can sit and relax particularly after a possession when they are often asked for help and favors by the voudonists in attendance at a fete.  The courtyards will always have a tree near the door to the temple consecrated to Papa Legba, the lord of the gate between our world and the spirit world.  Other trees will likewise be consecrated but to other lwa and offerings will be left on or near them, including ribbons and beads hung in the branches.

Outside of the ounfo proper, certain trees are recognized as being sacred to certain lwa.  Here is a list of some Rada, Petwo and Ghede spirits and the trees they love:

Agwe, the lwa of the oceans, fancies the raisinier tree

Ayida-Wedo, the rainbow wife of the serpent Danbala, is fond of all trees but is particularly partial to calabash and palmetto trees

Ayizan, the first mambo, likes palm trees

Azaka, the farmer, likes avocado and banana trees

Baron Samedi, lord of the Ghede, has a weakness for citron trees

Danbala, like his consort, appreciates all trees but is most partial to the calabash and bougainvillea

Erzulie Freda Dahomey loves the laurel tree

Gran Bwa, the shy lwa of the forest, is fond of mapou trees

This is by no means an all inclusive list, but it gives you an idea of the varying tastes of the lwa, at least in landscaping.  It also gives us an historical glimpse of how varied Haiti’s forests must have been at a time long before our own.  The World is alive; Ashe!

Header: Carnival by Henri Rousseau

Samedi: Maryaj Lwa

I have done my damndest over the course of the last week to completely tune out the “royal wedding”.  I’m an American; it really has no effect on me.  I hope those two people are happy but all the rest of it is a bit much, I think.  That said, Voudon has its own kind of “royal wedding” where in a common mortal may be chosen by a divine spirit and elevated to the status of their husband or wife.  This is the maryaj lwa or spirit marriage.

Generally speaking, a man or woman will be called by their met tête or dominant spirit to take a vow of marriage with them.  This occurs through dreams, which is the way almost all voudoisants experience communication from the lwa.  On far more unusual occasions, a lwa not previously involved with the person will ask for marriage which sometimes prompts that person’s met tête to also ask for vows.  Frequently jealousy issues arise between the lwa when this happens and it can be hell to be popular (for the mortal involved) in such a case.

The human partner has large responsibilities in these marriages.  They will have to arrange a not inexpensive ceremony including bridal clothes, rings, cake and other foods favored by their bride or groom as well as guests and a prêt savann, or bush priest, to perform the ceremony.  The costs can be ruinous, and that’s just the wedding.  After the marriage the mortal is expected to wear wedding rings, both theirs and their lwa spouse’s, at all times.  They are to keep a separate bed in which they will sleep with their spirit spouse one night a week.  Any deviation from this routine – and in particular any sexual congress with another mortal on that day/night – will bring the wrath of the lwa down on their husband or wife.  It goes without saying that an altar must be kept to the lwa spouse and offerings made regularly.

In return the mortal spouse will be given special attention by their lwa.  They will be favored in those areas that the lwa controls and given precedence in intersession of prayers over the lwa’s non-spouses. 

As you may have imagined, the lwa are polygamous not only with humans but among themselves as well which can lead to some awkward interactions.  The lwa most likely to ask a mortal to marry them are Erzulie Freda, and her sisters La Siren and Erzulie Danto.  The gentlemen most frequently seen in maryaj lwa are Danbala, Ogou and Agwe.  This is where the trouble can start because Danbala, Ogou and Agwe are all married to Erzulie Freda.  While Danbala’s first wife is Ayida Wedo, Agwe’s main wife is La Siren and Ogou’s is Erzulie Danto.  To make matters worse Erzulie Freda and Erzulie Danto despise one another.  As if the pot could not be stirred up any more, Erzulie Danto will sometimes ask a woman to marry her, putting her at odds with both male and female lwa. 

Some connections are dealt with by multiple marriages to calm any potential jealousy.  A woman who marries Danbala will also marry Ogou, for instance, while a man who marries Erzulie Freda will invariably also marry Erzulie Danto.  This may make the lwa happy but it is a lot for the human spouse to take on.

Though it may sound spiritually glamorous to be called to maryaj lwa, most of us are thankful to have been overlooked.  While I love the lwa, I’m happy to simply tend to my relationships on this side of the gate.

Header: The Long Engagement by Arthur Hughes c 1859

Samedi: Paket Kongo

What might look like an onion shaped piece of silk or satin tied up with ribbon and sporting a crown of feathers or an almost awkward set of arms is, in fact, a bundle of magick.  This is the Voudon paket kongo used for healing and protection.

The paket, which is a Haitian Creole word, is made by an houngan or mambo in a specialized ceremony performed during one of the three days of the full moon.  The paket is dedicated to a lwa or djab with close connections to the person for whom it is intended.  Alternately, but also rarely, the paket is dedicated to a lwa the person would like to become more familiar with.  The size, color and confirmation of the paket depend on the lwa being served.  A red silk paket with peacock feathers protruding directly from its base may be dedicated to Ogou Ferraille while a pink satin paket studded with sequins and with a number of sensuously curving “arms” holding duck down may be for Erzulie Freda.  These “arms”, which often appear in odd numbers, are reserved for “female” pakets.

Inside the cloth are specific ingredients that will draw the help of the spirit in question.  Usually ashes from an animal sacrifice are included; perhaps those of a black pig for Erzulie Danto, for instance.  Herbs are added, most commonly known by their Haitian names as bwa-din, twa-pawol and zo-devan.  The lwa Simbi, controller of all magickal working, is called upon as the paket is tied up with appropriately colored ribbon which must be knotted seven times.

Once made and consecrated, the paket kongo is kept on an altar either in the home or in the Voudon temple.  The paket may be passed over the body of a sick person to effect healing, or used in other ceremonial ritual or even surprisingly mundane practices to draw the help and support of the spirit it serves.  Regardless of its intended use, the paket kongo has a life span of seven years.  After that, its power is gone and the ritual must be repeated to make a new paket all together.

Header: Paket Kongo to Erzulie Freda via Haitianna

Samedi: Lwa Nachons

In Haiti, the lwa run in packs. It may sound a little irreverent to put it that way but I’m betting Baron Samedi and Maman Brigitte at least are having a good laugh about it right now. Lwa families, or nations known in Haitian Creole as nachons, are worshipped together at fetes. They have different family characteristics and they are approached according to same. At one point there were numerous nations but over the years some have been absorbed into the more recognizable groups that we know today. In this post, I want to give a little background information on each of the five major nations with whom I am personally familiar.

Rada: The Rada nation contains the lwa considered the most benevolent and easiest to work with. They are probably also the most familiar to people who know only a little about Voudon. The lwa in the Rada nation originated among the Fon people of Dahomey and includes Damballah, Papa Legba, Erzulie Freda and Agwe. These lwa are thought to be distant, ancient and forgiving but they are said to work very slowly so they are rarely consulted in a situation of dire, immediate need.

Petwo: The fiery Petwo nation originated in Haiti. They do not claim African origin but were kindled by voudonists on their native soil, particularly during the era of rebellion and revolution in the early 19th century. This nation includes Bossou, Simbi, Erzulie Danto and Kalfou. Because this nation is much less predictable and more quick to anger than the Rada, they are sometimes referred to as ze rouge meaning “with red eyes”. They are more demanding of their devotees but they can hurry along workings for healing, prosperity and even revenge.

Kongo: This nation originated in the Congo area of Africa and many of their individual lwa have been assimilated into the Petwo nation. They too are considered fiery and quick to anger. The Kongo lwa are often referred to collectively as lwa-gad or guardian spirits. They are associated with magick and with protecting the voudonists who serve them.

Ibo: The Ibo nation came to Haiti with the Igbo people. These are ancestral lwa who are particularly concerned with protecting the downtrodden and the enslaved. This association may come from the fact that the Igbo people tended to be enslaved by their neighbors in Africa before European slavers appeared on their soil.

Ghede: This is, of course, the nation of the dead. Ruled by Baron Samedi they are the closest to living humans. They do not have their only rituals per ce but will happily barge in while other nations are being called, heedless of whether or not they were invited. They are frequently called upon for help in matters of health, money, love and particularly fertility. Talking to the Ghede is a daily occurrence for many voudonists who very much feel them to be part of everyday life.

Other nations exist as well, including the Nago of Yoruba and the Bambara from the Sudan but, as noted earlier, many of these have been absorbed into other nations. There are also lwa who are the almost exclusive domain of secret societies like the Zebop which no one with my limited knowledge has any business talking about. In the end, the lwa are like a large clan with each family having its own area of expertise and with certain members openly loving or despising one another on an ongoing basis. But that’s another story for another time. Ashe ~

Header: RaRa band in Haitian metal art via haiticheri.com

Samedi: Pot Tet et Govi

According to the religion of Voudon, we are all born animals. Fish in the sea, birds in the air, monkeys in the trees, moles in the ground and men on the land; all animals. The only difference is that people can become human by choosing to go through initiation into Voudon and thereby being born again as humans. Most people I mention this to find it off-putting, which is amusing to me. None of the Big Three Western religions think twice about using the same language with regard to their rites of initiation.

This rebirth is the reason for the two articles, or some would say “fetishes”, that I’m bringing up today. One, the pot tet, is for the living. The other, the govi, houses the dead.

Pot tet can be literally translated as head pot and it is a vessel used to hold the gros bon ange, that part of the initiate’s soul that carries a little piece of Bon Dieu and will live on after death. The pot tet is a crockery jar, usually white, that accompanies the initiate on their journey to join humanity. Once initiation has concluded, personal concerns from the initiate such as hair and nail clippings, some ash from the ceremonial offering, corn meal and sweets such as hard candy will be placed in the pot tet and it will be sealed. The jar is then ensconced in the initiate’s oumphor. Here it will be guarded by the presiding mambo (priestess) or houngan (priest).

The pot tet is a symbol not only of initiation itself but of the initiate’s trust in his or her spiritual leader. In theory, an unscrupulous priest could use the pots tet under his care to maliciously control some or all of the oumphor’s members. When a houngan or mambo falls under suspicion of such dealings, people will remove their pot tet from the oumphor and find another house of worship.

This kind of trust is particularly critical in the case of the second receptacle of the soul: the govi. As we’ve discussed before, when the gros bon ange is released in desounen it goes into the waters of Ginen. This part of the human soul only resides in this abyss for a year and a day – a marking of time that will be very familiar to many who practice alternative religions. On this anniversary, the priest and family of the deceased will call the gros bon ange in a ceremony known as “calling the dead from the low water”. The receptacle for this now immortal force is the govi.

The govi is usually made of clay in a form more or less like a human uterus. It is usually draped in a skirt of cloth in the favorite color of the lwa who was the deceased’s met tet. A woman who held Erzulie Freda on her head might have pink satin draping her govi; one who was favored by Simbi would have a govi swathed in green cotton. The govi, like the pot tet, is kept in the oumphor. Interestingly, mambos and houngans report that once the gros bon ange has entered the govi, the clay pot is heavier than it was before.

These traditions are an example of Voudon’s honor for those who have gone before, which is an ancient wisdom unfortunately neglected in our “enlightened” world. Bon Samedi ~

Header: Saint Louis Cemetery No. 1, New Orleans

Samedi: Pelerinage

Like most religions, Voudon has its own devotional pilgrimages. The places that draw the faithful in Haiti, though, are usually not buildings, churches or cities but are often bodies of water. Followers of Voudon may be led to personal places of pilgrimage; there are many cases of voudonists being told by a lwa or ancestor in a dream to visit a forest, park or seashore and they will make this a habit. There are also major pilgrimage sites that have become famous in their own right.

Two of the best known focuses of Voudon pilgrimage, or pelerinage, are the mud baths at the Plaine du Nord in northern Haiti and the waterfall at Saut d’Eau near the village of Ville Bonheur. The festival at Plaine du Nord takes place on St. James’ Day, July 25th and celebrates the lwa of fire, the forge and technology Ogou Ferraille. The town of Plaine du Nord surrounds what is known as Trou Sen Jak, a large mud pond which is said to have healing powers. The mud is warmed by underground steam and, because he is a “hot” lwa, it is not surprising that it is sacred to Ogou. The worshipers who flock to the little town bathe in the mud not only to honor Ogou, but also to receive healing which both the lwa and the mud itself are said to impart. The worshippers appear in blue clothing with red piping, trying to emulate Ogou who is frequently pictured as a soldier. They wear red head scarves and hope to be blessed with the courage and masculine energy of the lwa in spirit possession.

Saut d’Eau is a 100 foot series of falls outside Ville Bonheur where, in 1847, a vision of Erzulie Freda as the Virgin Mary was seen in a palm tree. The local priest had the tree cut down to discourage voudonists from worshiping there and it promptly fell into the water beneath the falls, floating away serenely. The priest died of an untreatable illness and the locals got the word out that Erzulie Freda had claimed the falls for herself. Now each July 16th crowds of voudonists and tourists swell the little village and participate in the purifying bathing ritual at the falls. All those who jump into the water remove their clothes and allow them to float off like Erzulie’s palm tree, taking their sins away with them and allowing them to emerge from the water clean both physically and spiritually. The village is about 60 miles north of Port-au-Prince and the festival has a carnival atmosphere with music, food and curio stands, drumming and dancing. The most influential and devoted voudonists never miss a year but those not accustomed to the festival should take special precautions. There’s a lot going on and, much like Mardi Gras in New Orleans, the criminal element never misses a year, either.

Of course we can’t all go to Saut d’Eau but there are places of Voudon pilgrimage in North America at least. The shrine of Sainte Anne in Quebec is a huge draw on her feast day in July. New York voudonists visit Prospect Park to commune with the lwa of the forest, Gran Bwa. And of course the grave of the famous “voodoo queen” Marie Laveau in New Orleans’ St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 is an ongoing destination for those seeking her favor. It is the custom to make three Xs on the grave with a shard of red brick, ask for your desire and then leave a small gift for Madame Paris, as she is also known. Bon pelerinage ~

Header: Saut d’Eau via HaitiWiki (click to truly enjoy the beauty of the place)

Samedi: Lady of Luxury

In “eclectic practice”, which is a term one hears about particularly in Wicca, the lwa Erzulie Freda Dahomey is starting to be acquainted with goddesses of love and beauty from other disciplines. I’ve spoken with people – women in particular – who have put representations of Erzulie on their altars next to Aphrodite and Inanna. There is a tacit danger in this erroneous belief that one goddess is as good as another lwa. In all fairness, as I have discussed before, the lwa are not gods. And, just as a point of reference, they’re relatively new to the scene. A Greek or Sumerian goddess can afford to be magnanimous; they’ve seen it all before. The lwa, on the other hand, are still stretching their muscles.

As an example of the very different nature of Erzulie from any ancient love goddess, I offer an excerpt from the writings of Maya Deren who is one of my personal role models. Deren, as anthropologist and ethnographer, went to Haiti in 1947 to study Voudon. She became a voudonist and developed a met tet relationship with Erzulie herself by whom she was possessed on more than one occasion. Deren’s writings on Voudon are classics of the genre and should be studied by anyone with a serious interest in Voudon.

Here then is Ms. Deren explaining, to the best of the written word’s ability, what Erzulie Freda Dahomey is like as she appears at the oumphor in spirit possession:

Erzulie moves in an atmosphere of infinite luxury, a perfume of refinement, which, from the first moment of her arrival, pervades the very air of the peristyle, and becomes a general expansiveness in which all anxieties, all urgencies vanish. The tempo of movements becomes more leisurely, tensions dissolve and the voices soften, losing whatever aggressive or strident tones they may have had. One has the impression that a fresh, cooling breeze has sprung up somewhere and that the heat has become less intense, less oppressive.

… attired, powdered and perfumed, she goes out into the peristyle escorted by several of the more handsome men, her favorites. There she may make the rounds, greeting the men guests effusively, but extending only the little fingers of each had to those women who are not special devotees. Her voice is a delicate soprano; her every gesture, movement of eyes and smile, is a masterpiece of beguiling coquetry; with her, human relationship becomes itself significant rather than merely a means to an end.

It is Deren who refers to Erzulie as “The Lady of Luxury” and rightly so. Voundonists imagine her as a light skinned quadroon of immense beauty and refinement who speaks only French, drinks champagne and prefers to spend her days painting her nails rather than doing any actual work. Her horses follow suit, drinking only champagne, speaking French even if they don’t know the language and dressing up in clothes, makeup and perfume set aside at the oumphor particularly for Erzulie.

At some point during her appearance, though, Erzulie will break down in a fit of weeping. In the end, no matter how beautiful her clothes are, how attentive her lovers may be or how delicious the morsels offered her are, Erzulie is disappointed by life. Her heart hurts, she weeps, and then she is gone. In this she is perhaps more like a woman than a goddess. Inanna may dance and Aphrodite may smile but Erzulie, the Lady of Luxury, knows what it is to be human.

Header: Dwapo lwa of Erzulie Freda by Yves Tellemark