Common Questions About Initiation
Are initiations
into the Vodou available through the clergy associated with VodouSpirit?
Yes, initiations into
the Vodou religion are available through clergy associated with VodouSpirit.com. The kanzo rites are conducted in
Haiti twice a year. The Sevis Tet
ceremony is conducted in the United States four times a year. Contact
us directly for more information.
Who is eligible for initiation into the
Vodou?
Anyone who needs initiation following
consultation directly with the lwa of our house will receive it. The decision to initiate is a
complex process requiring careful consideration involving the elders of our
house and the initiation candidate.
Do I have to be
of African descent in order to practice or be initiated into the Vodou religion?
No. In Haiti, as in Africa, there are two ways in which one may come to
the Vodou, by ancestry and through taking possession of a lineage by the process of
initiation. Spirit calls people to the
religion. Anyone may take initiation into the Vodou. Race or ethnicity is no barrier. The lwa see
the soul, the heart of the seeker before the color of the skin. See the article titled
The Birth of Man for more info.
What is the first step to being initiated
through your house?
The first step is to contact us for a consultation.
Ideally this would be done in person, though exceptions may be made
for your given situation. You may e-mail us
for more information.
How old do I have to be to be initiated?
There are no age restrictions. However, if you are UNDER 18 YEARS OF
AGE, you must have written permission from both parents or guardian to initiate.
What are the grades of initiation in the Vodou?
The names of the grades of initiation in
Vodou, commonly called a kouche (putting to bed) in
ascending order are lave tet (head washing, also called sevis
tet, service for the head), kanzo sinp (simple kanzo), sou pwen (literally, "on the
point [of houngan or manbo]"), and asogwe. Kanzo sinp is where we learn to
care for ourselves, sou pwen, a sort of junior priest grade, is where we learn
to care for the spirits, and finally asogwe is where we learn to care for
others. These are all the grades, but not all the ranks in the Vodou religion.
What is the cost of initiation in your
house? Will the cost include everything I will need?
The cost for initiations varies based upon
what ceremonies are being preformed for you. Once we determine what grade of initiation is
needed (if any), the price will be discussed. The cost for each grade of initiation is the
same for everyone and includes everything you will need except your white
clothing, and air fare to either New Orleans or Haiti.
We can and do make payment
arrangements for those who have shown long-term commitment to serving the lwa through our
house. Also, we do accommodate those people who cannot afford to pay for
initiation, but who are in dire spiritual need of it. These situations are
handled on a case-by-case basis.
What would I receive if I where to take
initiation into the Vodou religion?
Initiation can bestow clarity,
balance, protection, good health and good luck. Initiation tempers the head of the
initiate to handle the forces of the lwa gracefully, infusing the recipient with this same
spiritual force. Also, the initiate receives grade specific knowledge that can
only be
acquired by passing through the cycle of initiation.
If I receive initiation
through your house, do you then become my "godparent"?
In Haiti,
the term godparent properly refers to the individuals who stand for your
baptism following your initiation. The terms Papa and Mama are used for your initiators. However, it has become popular in the
Diaspora to use the term godparent for your initiator.
The enduring relationship and respect associated with the godparent/godchild relationship is one
which is earned. This
is a serious commitment both for the initiator and the initiate and must be approached
carefully, because it is supposed to be LIFE-LONG.
Initiation into our house assures
you will receive all of the basic information needed to function in your new capacity.
That is our obligation. However, because the primary education of the new initiate takes
place after the actual initiation, advancement in the house and the degree to which the
Vodou is actually taught in detail, will depend upon the new initiate.
Our Vodou house is also a family. Everyone in it has a role to play. To be admitted
and accepted as part of this close-nit family will depend wholly upon your attitude, personal
responsibility, accountability, conduct, and your determination to grow
and learn
all that there is to learn walking this path.
Can I negotiate the grade of
initiation I am to receive?
No. Certainly, if you aspire to be a
priest, you should make this known. However, we find that most people in the West, coming
from other traditions such as New Paganism where "everyone is a priest" truly
have no idea what it means to be such as defined in the Vodou. There is no negotiation of
grade in the Vodou. This decision lies somewhere between the spirits and the elders. If
the elders feel you would best be served by first being initiated by Sevis
Tet or by
receiving kanzo sinp, then this is what your option will be. This is a protection for you.
It allows you time to understand the religion in a way that you may not without the
experience of initiation. Once you have a firm grasp of the tradition and have proven
yourself in the eyes of both the lwa and the house, further initiations may then be open
to you. Also, you should remember, sometimes people are initiated as priests by the demand
of the spirit. Of course, we make every effort to accommodate such circumstances.
If
I am initiated as a priest, can I then initiate others?
It takes many years of training
and discipline to
learn what is needed to be a strong houngan or manbo in the Vodou, to say nothing
of functioning as an initiator. Not all priests do so. Many houngan and manbo have
other roles besides administering to a house, such as singing for the spirit,
working for clients, or teaching. Some houngan and manbo were initiated for reasons that have
nothing to do with their desire to function as such (for example: health reasons).
Can’t I
just initiate myself to the Vodou?
Self-initiation does not exist as a
possibility in Vodou. Religious initiation
is defined as a process whereby the initiate exits the realm of
consensus reality to travel to the world of spirit in order to undergo a rebirth, which
alters the character of the initiate in some fashion. This rebirthing of course entails a
symbolic “dying”. The reentry of the initiate into the mundane world is accomplished with
the help of those who remain behind, the assembled community. This model has historical
and metaphysical precedent in every culture that has existed or continues to exist on
the Earth. Such an event as this would be difficult if not impossible to undergo alone.
There is also the issue of authority, which
needs to be addressed here. Many feel that initiation is the end rather than the beginning
of a journey. Those of us who have undertaken this process know it to be a beginning; a
rite of passage that indicates to the assembled community that the initiate has
accomplished what is necessary in order to pass to the next stage. We have passed our
tests and thus have received authority to begin the next phase of our journey. This
authority allows us to bring others with us on our journey, which is why there is such
importance placed on having an adequate number of competent houngan and manbo who also
have authority and who can validate ones initiation process. In brief, during the
initiation certain things happen to the initiate, certain “medicines” are given
to them, and certain areas of power are manipulated, which would be impossible for them
to do for themselves. Because of this, self-initiation in the Vodou is an impossibility.
What if I am already initiated in
another African-based spiritual tradition?
Can I be initiated into the Vodou?
This is a hot topic in the Diaspora
and the answer will depend wholly upon the
details of the individual situation. If it is an African-based tradition such as Lukumi in
which the seeker is involved, initiation into the Vodou will depend upon the desire of the
seeker’s orisha and ancestors and their current level of involvement within the
other system. These situations are handled on a case-by-case
basis. In general, it can be done.
Why
are initiations done in Haiti and not in the USA?
There are
two issues here. The first has to do with availability of the necessary herbs
and the appropriate environment for initiation. The herbs can be found in the
US. Most grow in the Southern U.S. even as far north as Houston, Texas. The setting can
be reproduced also given sufficient involvement by competent initiates. Many initiations have already been conducted outside of Haiti by Haitian-born
priests in the last 50 years of the Diaspora.
The real problem is that the cost of doing a
proper initiation in the States is often prohibitive. Initiations can be properly done in
the States, but it takes many trained people to hold ceremonies, especially services that
last for ten days! People in the States typically have day jobs and they would rightly
expect to be compensated for their time. Drummers have to be paid and materials
typically are more expensive in the States than in Haiti. In the end, it is
simply more cost effective to do initiations in Haiti.
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