LIBER > MATERIA > VODOUN > WICCA
Vodoun and African references
Vodoun and African references for ritual work.
VODOU: spirit
The Anglicised word voodoo derives from West African languages of Fon and Ewe word "vodũ", which means spirit and divine. There are several standard ways of writing the word, but Vodou is a common written form. The practice of Vodou is generally associated with the people of Haiti. Black Africans were brought as slaves to farm this small Caribbean island. Haiti occupies only about one third of the island also known as Hispanola, which incorporates the Dominican Republic in the eastern two thirds of the land.
The story of the origins of Vodoun is a sad one, suffering a similar fate to that of European Witchcraft. It shares in common the story of religious persecution, murder and torture of it's adherents by Christianity. However, just like contemporary Witchcraft, the spirit of Vodoun is strong and is on the increase throughout the world.
Vodou draws primarily on ancestral worship, each family of spirits having its own specialized priest and priestesshood. Today Vodou is practiced not only by Haitians, but by Americans and people of many nationalities that have been exposed to the Haitian culture.
Maya Deren's classic book "Divine Horsemen: The Voodoo Gods of Haiti", published in 1953, is considered a classic standard study of Vodou. It is particularly unique because Maya Deren describes in this study her own personal experiences of Vodou and trance-possession by the Loa (divine spirits). Deren was also a film-maker and her films can be viewed on YouTube (see links). The "Divine Horsemen" film is in a number sections on YouTube, the first can be seen via the link below.
Voodoo Tarot
Not so much a Tarot in the ordinary sense of the word, more a detailed introduction to Vodoun. Yes you can use it for readings, but you can do so much more with it - it was designed for ritual use. There is a beautiful correspondence of the many Vodoun styles. The Suits follow Rada, Congo, and Petro, which are various Vodoun traditions, and a fourth form known as Santeria, which is anchored in an ancestral tradition of Saints.
I have used these cards in the study of ritual practices of Vodoun and it provides a valuable index or occult correspondence table to understanding many of the ideas to be found in this complex religion.
The Island of Salvation
The Island of Salvation Botanica is owed by Mambo Sallie Ann Glassman. Since 1977, Sallie Ann has been practicing Vodou in New Orleans. She was initiated as a Mambo in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in 1995, by Oungans Edgar Jean-Louis and Silva Joseph. Ms. Glassman also has links with the OTO in the USA as well as here in Australia; in particular the Oceania Lodge, Sydney.
Photo: Craig Morse
Some years ago I had the privilege to participate in a Vodoun ritual, Sallie Ann was the presiding Mambo. It is an experience I'll not forget and it help to confirm many things for me about my own esoteric version of Vodoun both ritually and culturally. Sallie Ann and that gypsy band of Thelemites provided me with vision and encouragement, for which I am indebted.
Mambo Sallie Ann Glassman is also the artist of the New Orleans Voodoo Tarot and author of Vodou Visions.
IGBO POTS - Region of Southern Nigeria
Certain pots are made especially for ritual use and ceremonial purposes. Although there's a great variety of domestic pots and vessels, some pottery wares are made specifically for use as shrine objects. Their ritual purpose is to facilitate protection, prosperity and reproduction. In Enyiogugu (Mbaise), Uzuakoli and Nsukka areas in Africa, pottery vessels are used as representations of the Earth Goddess, and other nature deities. Described sometimes by art dealers as shrine paraphernalia these objects are decorated with symbols of deities. For practitioner these ritual objects become mediums before which sacrifices and prayers are made to propitiate the spirits. For the Ishiagu tribe the ritual pot is called nkpukpalnjamaa.
IGBO MASKS - Region of Southern Nigeria
Initiation ritual mask from the Nkporo Igbo region are made especially for ritual use and ceremonial purposes. In Africa mask-making goes back to well into prehistoric times. These art objects were, and are still made of various materials, including leather, metal, fabric and various types of wood.
Holding ancestral memory and the spirit of mythological beings, masks play the part of anchoring an indwelling totemic spirit. One of the chief effects of wearing the mask is assumption of a new persona through trance. Outwardly one can surrender the Ego and enter the state of mind in which a communication with the spirits is possible.
By necessity there is the incorporation of music, song and dance as the ritual voices of the mask and its wearer. There is a great sense of 'theatre' in the dancing of the mask. Communications may be messages which are grunted-utterances and translated by those who witness the experience by the feelings it transmits.
Vodou in Brooklyn
There are many Haitian refugees that have made their way from the troubled waters of their homeland to settled in Brooklyn, New York; with them have come the Lwa, the Vodou Gods. Photographer Stephanie Keith met a Vodou priest at an interfaith event in New York. He invited her to photograph and experience the religious world of his Haitian culture. A full interview can heard via the podcast. There is also a vodcast of Stephanie Keith's work.
The word voodoo derives from "vodũ", which in the West African languages of Fon and Ewe means spirit or divine. West African Vodoun has its primary emphasis on the ancestral worship, each family of spirits having its own specialized priest and priestesshood. Today Vodou is practiced not only by Haitians, but by Americans and people of many nationalities that have been exposed to the Haitian culture.
Vodoun Publishing
There's a big range of great resources both online and in print. One group that has successfully merged traditional Vodoun with Western Magickal practices are the people behind Black Moon Publishing. They are also associated the New Orleans Voodoo Spiritual Temple and the books, art and music of several well known people in the Magickal community, including Nema, Louis Martine and Mishlen Linden.
LIBER > MATERIA > VODOUN > WICCA