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Vodou FAQ
This FAQ page was created to answer some of
the most common questions that we hear from the public. What follows are brief answers to
specific questions. As such, they are intended to provide general answers only; many
of the questions could easily require volumes to answer in detail.
What is Vodou and where does it come from?
Vodou (also spelled Voodoo,
Vaudoux, and Vodun), commonly known as Sevis Ginea or “Ginea (African) service”, is the
traditional religion and culture of the Haitian people. Some people use the term
“Voodoo” to include any and all African-based diasporic religious traditions
as they have survived in the West (such as Santeria/Lukumi in Cuba, Candomble
and Umbanda in Brazil, etc.), but this is can be inaccurate and misleading. The word
Vodou identifies a very specific set of similarly related traditional practices. In
addition to Vodou as it is practiced in Haiti, there is also Vodun in Africa, which
remains the “parent” or root religion of Haitian Vodou, though its contemporary
form is no longer what it was during the time of the Atlantic slave trade. The two
traditions have evolved independent of each other for the past 250 years. There is also
Voodoo or Hoodoo (a variant form of Afro-based magical practice) as it exists in the
Southern United States. For our purposes, we will briefly define
Vodou as it is practiced in Haiti, for this is the focus of this web site.
The word Vodou comes from the Fon language of
Dahomey (present day Benin) and translates roughly as “Spirit”. The Vodou
religion is an amalgamation of several African traditions that arrived in the hearts
and minds of the slaves beginning around the year 1522, continuing up to the revolution in
1791, and continuing to evolve in almost complete isolation until 1860. Its geographic
origins come from three separate sources: The first and greatest source is
Mother Africa, principally the Fon traditions of old Dahomey, to a lesser degree,
the neighboring Nago traditions from present day Yoruba-Land or Nigeria, and the
traditions of the Bantu speaking peoples of the Kongo basin. The second source are those
traditions of Native America, principally the Taino/Arawak Indians of the island we now
know as called Haiti and elsewhere in the Caribbean. The last influences are European
which include Catholicism, the principal liturgical and artistic influence, French Martinist Kabbalism, Spiritualism,
and the traditional mysticism of
the French Gypsies.
Vodou is a monotheistic religion
and traditional culture whose faithful believe in a single creator God who in Haiti is
commonly called Bondje (from the French Bon Dieux, or “Good God”). Beneath this
Ultimate source of creation is a host of lesser divinities called lwa, a Kreyolized word
of dubious etymology. It probably arrives from any one of several Ewe dialects all
denoting similar ideas such as “mystery”, “law”, or the like. Vodou
believes that Bondje is a remote and largely impersonal force, too remote to concern
Himself with the daily problems of mankind. It is the lwa who intercede in
the life of the living, healing and protecting the people. The power of the lwa is great, but
it is also finite. Only God is all-powerful. For example, the lwa can protect a garden
giving it a better chance to grow, but they are not responsible for the germination of the
seed; that is God. The lwa may bring rain, but they are not responsible for water being in
the sky; that is God. A few lwa are embodiments of natural forces such as the forest, or
the sea, fire, or storm. Many lwa are deified ancestors. Some lwa represent natural
forces, which historically incarnated in the flesh, died, and then became deified
ancestors.
The Vodou is not just a religion, but also a
culture, a way of life. In fact, it is far more appropriate and accurate to speak of
“Vodou Culture”, than of the “Vodou Religion”. This is a complete socio-cultural system
inseparable from the way of life for its faithful, one capable of answering any
and all
questions we might face in life. It is a familial oriented tradition, a joyous
and celebratory tradition. Outsiders come to the Vodou for all manner of issues. Vodou heals;
Vodou protects; Vodou solves problems, and binds people in strong, healthy family units.
The Vodou is a living tradition evolving to meet the needs of its faithful, having
survived for a millennia in one form or another.
So then Haitian
Vodou can be defined as an African traditional religion?
Vodou is African in the sense
that it came straight from Africa. Its metaphysics are rooted deeply in African tradition.
These traditions survive in Haiti today, many of the more important ones intact
and largely unadulterated. This is especially evident in the rites of initiation, called
kanzo, as well as those rites for the dead. These services are easily recognizable in West
Africa today in both form and function. However, because Vodou is a tradition that
adapts, has adapted, to its environment throughout its revolutionary history and
to the
present day, it is arguably best described as an African-based Kreyòl religion. The ideal
of spiritual and cultural inclusively and adaptation is, in fact, but one more
traditional African religious concept brought by our ancestors during the middle
passage which Vodou embodies to this day.
Does the religion
have a centralized organization in Haiti?
Like a diocese perhaps? No, not at all. As
they say in Haiti, “Chak houngan, houngan lakay li” (literally, “Each houngan
is in his own house”). Vodou tradition is not monolithic. Differences
in liturgy and other details do occur from house to house; this is very apparent
as one travels from North to South in Haiti. For example, one of the strongholds of Vodou
tradition is the Cul-de-Sac Plaine/Artibonite Valley, the central area of Haiti that runs
from Port-au-Prince North as far as Gonaives. Some traditional knowledge and liturgy
appears to have been lost in the South and South-West of Haiti and some lineage are
quite watered down by comparison. Likewise, the religion is all together different in the
North; there are very historical reasons for this. However, in every instance, there
are elements which define what is, or isn’t Vodou and these elements are consistent
throughout the country.
Does Vodou
believe in the doctrine of reincarnation?
Vodou does not postulate a
doctrine of transmigration of souls as in the Hindu religion, nor the karma-based
reincarnation put forth by the modern New Age Movement.
What about magic?
Is it a part of the Vodou religion?
Vodou as a religious tradition has nothing to
do with magic. However, magic has everything to do with Vodou as a religious tradition.
Magic is not a prerequisite to the practice Vodou. Rather religion and magic are
parallel realities in the daily lives of most Vodouizan. Houngan and mambo
usually practice, or are at least are familiar with, the practice of magic but this is
separate from their work with the lwa. The lwa do not make magic, man does.
What about the
use of blood sacrifice in Vodou? Is it necessary at all?
Sacrifice in the Vodou is not a
”Hollywoodism”. There are no “blood-maddened orgies offered up to primitive
tribal gods”. The reality is quite tame, maybe even bordering on the boring by
comparison. Offerings are made to one or more lwa and the resulting foodstuff is
prepared to feed the assembled community. Blood sacrifice in Vodou
is wholly akin to the kosher laws of the Jewish people whereby meat is consecrated through
prayer and ritual while the blood is being let by a trained slayer. Rest assured that
the offering of sacrifice in Vodou is accomplished by far in a more human manner than the
killing done in slaughterhouses in order to provide the shrink-wrapped meat that
so many of us consume.
As for the actual necessity of blood
sacrifice, the answer is complex. Blood is life. All things that can be born do so in
blood. Blood as a medium holds enormous power (called adjae in Vodou), power that can
and should be used to good effect. Sacrifice is one of the means by which the lwa
sustain themselves. It is a major source of their power, allowing them to effect changes
in reality to our benefit. Four things sustain the religion of Vodou: Leaves, stones,
water, and blood. Blood is life.
Does Vodou
postulate the existence of a Devil or other figure of absolute evil?
Vodou is not a dualistic
tradition; therefore there are no absolutes. We have no figure of absolute evil, no
“antithetical god”, as in the Catholic, Protestant, or Islamic faiths. The
notions of good and evil are highly subjective and circumstantial. They are defined by
individual action and responsibility, among other things. Evil, as a concept, is a
creation of man not of God and thus it is not assigned any absolute
value.
Then the Vodou
religion is amoral in nature?
Vodou tradition is extremely
morally aware. How morality as a concept is defined in Vodou is simply different than that
commonly found in Western Culture. In Vodou, a moral person is defined as someone who
does what they can, at the appropriate time, to the degree with which they are able,
and in accordance to their position in the community within which they live and work. This is a simple concept, which
demands of the individual full
accountability for his or her own actions, guaranteeing that one cannot dodge
responsibility for the same. There is no “devil made me do it” in our culture.
Do I have to be
of African descent in order to practice or be initiated into the Vodou religion?
No. There has been much tension created over
this issue of late in the African-based traditional communities in the United States.
Where there is smoke, there is often also a fire, but as usual, people tend to mistake the
former for the later. In Haiti, as in Africa, there are two ways in which one may come to
the Vodou, by blood (that is to say by ancestry) and through possession (that is to say,
by taking possession of a lineage…by the process of initiation). This is as it was,
is, and will always be so long as the religion survives. Spirit calls people to the
religion. Man has no, No, NO say so in *who* may or may not be initiated. It is the height
of human arrogance to try and second-guess the will of God. In the West today, it is all
but impossible to determine who has, or does not have an African lineage based solely upon
skin color or physical morphology. This is why consultation with the Spirit is needed.
Also, White people have been in the Vodou since its arrival in the West, and ample
evidence exists to support the presence of non-Africans in these traditions even BEFORE
the middle passage.
Perceived race is no barrier to adherence, or
even to initiation. What matters is what Spirit has to say about the potential initiate,
not what any man may think. The lwa see the soul, the heart of the seeker . It is this
that they weigh, not their “current” skin color. The opinions of men, especially
those who are uninitiated in our religion, are irrelevant! See the article titled The Birth of Man for more info.
What about Gay
people?
Gay men and women can and do serve in the
Vodou religion in all capacities at all grades and ranks. There is absolutely no taboo
against this of any kind! There are even whole hounfò (temples) in Haiti run and
supported by Gay men &/or women. As a cultural issue in Haiti, homosexuality is given
little attention. As far as the Vodou religion itself is concerned, it is a non-issue all
together.
Is there
a basic method to practice the Vodou that does not require initiation?
Yes, but this
cannot adequately be learned from books. Like all learning, this is best acquired at the
foot of an elder.
Is the
acquisition of power the goal of the Vodou?
This depends on
the definition of "power" in question? Power within yourself, that betters you
as an individual and serves to enhance your life? Yes, absolutely that is a major goal.
Power over others, to make them do your bidding, to curse your enemies, or other such
nonsense? No. That is not the goal of the Vodou at all.
How can I be
initiated into the Vodou religion?
Information on
initiation can be found by going HERE.
Also, you may go HERE.
How can I learn
about Vodou drumming?
We can help you
with that also. We work with two Master Vodou Drummers. Contact us for more info.
I need help! Why
must I pay for a consultation and spiritual work?
Aren't the lwa supposed to help
everyone who needs them?
No. That is a
misconception. To begin with, the spirits have never worked for "free" in any
culture. There must be some sort of exchange of energy, some effort on the part of the
seeker in order to gain what they are seeking. In the West, this generally means money.
However, other offerings may (and often do) suffice. The second issue is that the
priests who are performing these services should rightly be compensated. Vodou has no
diocese to pay its priests. Many priests work full time in this capacity serving a large
and diverse clientele. They must eat, pay rent, utilities, and so forth. It is only
proper that they be paid. The more in demand the priest is, the more they can and often
do charge..
If you are in
need of help, please contact us
directly at info@vodouspirit.com.
How can I find an
houngan or manbo near me?
This is a difficult question to answer.
Competent priests are not easy to find, especially if you are not tied to the Haitian
communities in either Haiti or the Diaspora. They often operate solely by
word-of-mouth. However, there are houngan, manbo, and other dedicated practitioners all
over Florida, especially in the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area, in New Jersey, New York,
Boston, Montreal, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Austin, Atlanta, and
Oakland. If
you live in one of these areas, please feel free to contact us as we may be able to refer
you accordingly.
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