ShatleyCrittenden3
Voodoo: The Truth About This Secret Religion
Voodoo is really a complicated religion to try and explain. So we shall can start the top. In Voodoo, you have the one God, called Bondye (he is known by other names too). It's thought that he's the creator of all things. He is all-powerful, but is far away and extremely doesn't interact with people in their day-to-day lives. Voodooisants serve the Loas. Loas are not gods, they're spirits. You will find literally hundreds of different Loas. We will be discussing a number of the main, most well-known ones. It is said that a person does not "choose" Voodoo. Voodoo "chooses" them. This is true in my case. During my teenage life, I became very thinking about different religions. I just read as much as I could about quite a few of them. After i started learning about Voodoo, it all seemed almost familiar in my experience. The more I learned, the greater it appeared to on-site visit to me.
Serving the Loas is an honor and it is rewarded. Each Loa has their own things that they like to have done for them. When these things are carried out and the Loa is pleased, the person is rewarded. Different Loas reward diversely. For example, if you're thinking about getting a love- interest, or strengthening rapport, or perhaps in being more desirable, you might want to serve Erzulie. She's known as the Loa of affection. She rewards those who serve her with love and beauty. She is also a protector of women and kids. Each Loa has different aspects, different sides. For instance, Erzulie Freda is the aspect of Erzulie that is calm and cool. Her petro side is known as Erzulie Dantor. This really is her hot aspect. Her more violent side. This would be who, for example, a battered woman may want to call on to exact some revenge on her violent spouse. For the time being, we will be referring to the Rada Loas. These are the ones who are calmer with softer personalities so to speak. For everyone Erzulie Freda, you would employ the colours white and pink. She enjoys offerings of pink champagne, fresh flowers and perfume. She also likes mirrors and jewellery. She loves things that are beautiful and feminine. Her day is Friday. Which means this would be the day that they would most appreciate her offerings. It is stated that they is slightly vain and loves to be complimented. She's the most popular and incredibly loved.
Papa Legba is essential in the practice of Voodoo. He's the guardian of the gates between the living and also the dead. He must be summoned to open the gates before one is permitted to speak to the other Loas. Papa Legba can also be extremely popular. To inquire about Papa Legba to open the gates, you have to provide him a little offering. He enjoys rum, coffee, coconut and peanuts, just to name a few. You are able to honor him in a graveyard or in a crossroads, not to mention in an altar that is set up for him. We're fortunate that we come with an old graveyard not too a long way away that really has a crossroads right in the middle of it. Sometimes as well as the offerings we set on his altar, we will also take offering the crossroads to depart for him. Papa Legba's colors are red and black and sometimes white. His days are Saturday and Monday. He is envisioned being an older black man who walks having a cane. He wears a straw hat and smokes a corncob pipe. Among his offerings, younger crowd likes cigars, toys, and crosses. Papa Legba is a superb protector and is excellent about opening doors to opportunities. People who serve him will be looked after and will have a path cleared to what they are trying to obtain. However, he may also give you a little lesson if you haven't done something you should have or perhaps not used your very best judgement. There are different chants to ask Papa Legba. This is actually the one which we use.
Papa Legba, open the gates. Your kids are waiting.
Papa Legba, open the gates. Your children await. Repeat it three times, getting a little louder each time. When you're finished speaking to Papa Legba or whichever Loas you're communicating with, you can thank Papa Legba and ask him to shut the gates.
Baron Samedi is really a well-known Loa. He's envisioned like a tall black man with either a skull face or his face painted like a skull. He wears black and purple and a black top hat. He is usually seen wearing dark sunglasses, sometimes with one of the lenses taken out. Baron Samedi is really a Petro Loa. Among the hot ones who're easily excited. So a little more care goes into serving him. He is the best choice of the Ghede. The Ghede would be the spirits of death. They are noted for being loud Loas. They drink, smoke, use foul language and tell dirty jokes. It is stated that they do many of these things since they're already dead, so they are not concerned about consequences. Baron Samedi is an extremely strong Loa. He is able to force away illness and help you with difficult tasks. He can also help when a person has been wronged. Baron Samedi enjoys rum and coffee-one cup black and one cup with sugar. He enjoys hot peppers steeped in rum. His colors are primarily black and purple, but sometimes white and his days are Saturday and Monday. On his altar you might find decking of cards, some dice, cigars, and peanuts. Many people find him intimidating due to his looks, but he is able to be also a loving and kind Loa. You just want to be sure that you treat him with respect, as you use all the Loas.
The clergy in Voodoo is made up of Mambos which are the women and Hougans what are men. Then you have the Bokors who are able to be men or woman. A Bokor does magic for a small fee. A Bokor practices two-handed magic meaning it may be light or dark, or a comination of the two. A Bokor doesn't have a problem in casting controlling spells and things of that nature. Not all who practice Voodoo practice the special moment. For many it's just serving the Loas and leading a great life.
The serving of the Loas is taken very seriously. Voodooisants visit much detail in creating the altars for his or her Loas. Sometimes a lot of time and money is active in the altars and the offerings. Voodoo practitioners will hold a feast or festival. This is whats called a "fet". The ceremony will consist of plenty of drumming and dancing. The food that is served can also be distributed to the Loas. Infact, the Loas are served first. A few of their favorites are chicken, pork, yams, and definitely some desserts. The Loas love the sweets. I have found they enjoy jambalaya. The like food with a little spicy "kick" into it. After the food and dancing, sit back and also have some conversations together. Discuss with them what you do and things that you want to see happen. Ask for their guidance if you need it. Just make sure that you don't only do something on their behalf when you want something from them. They will see through this and your rewards won't be nice. If you cannot afford to give extravagant gifts, then give what you could. The majority of the Loas will appreciate your time and effort. Many people serve one Loa yet others serve many. You will get back that which you put in. If you take care of the Loas, they'll look after you.
It is hard to learn about Voodoo. There are some books and websites who tell you they are about Voodoo but that do not have knowledge of the very first thing about this. I've come across an internet site claiming to practice Voodoo, which had an inverted pentagram and a devil on the website. There isn't any devil in Voodoo. It is not devilworship. It's not about zombies. Voodoo magic is very powerful but more often than not it is employed for good. The people who actually practice Voodoo are usually very caring people who are out to do good on the planet. Voodooisants accept people for who they are. They don't exclude people due to color or age or sexual preference. The Loas judge people by what is within their hearts, not the colour of their skin. It's a shame that people aren't as accepting of Voodoo as Voodoo is of these. Voodouns really are a loving people who serve the Loas and reap the rewards. Most are forced to worship in private due to the prejudices against them. If you wish to observe how fast a person can shun you, just let them know your religion is Voodoo. So many Voodouns must practice in secret for anxiety about violence and prejudice. We will never give up our beliefs. We serve the Loas and love them. They take care of us and love us back. We're Voodoun. This is who we are.
