James Duvalier

Through the course of the night the lwa Maistresse Erzulie Freda Dahomey, called Erzulie for short, popped up numerous times while I conducted various forms of divination and fell into possession.  Erzulie is extremely beautiful, flirtatious, capricious and intoxicating as well as elegant, refined and full of class.  She is an important lwa to serve and often blesses her devotees with unexpected wealth and torrid, passionate love affairs.  During the course of my St. John’s Eve service,…
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The Voodooist serves a pantheon of spirits called the “lwa,” a term that comes from the French word “loi” meaning “law” as each spirit represents a law of nature or of the human condition.  The lwa are divided into three major nations.  The first is the Rada nation.  These are the original lwa and came from African during the early days of colonization.  The second is the “petro” nation which is comprised of fiery, volatile spirits born…
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In New Orleans, Voodooists serve their spirit guides much according to the traditional Kardecian method, based on the teachings of 19th century French philosopher Allan Kardec who I have discussed in a previous post.  They recite prayers for the dead as written in Kardec’s books, and offer them white candles and glasses of water, but there are several additions to New Orleans Spiritism that clearly are of African origin, which again shows the syncretic nature of Voodoo. …
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There are very few spirits of European origin served by Voodooists, possibly because the religion itself was originally practiced as a means of cultural survival in a society that looks down upon those who refuse to assimilate.  When European spirits appear in a spiritual pantheon they are usually gypsies or nuns. Gypsy spirits are often served by those who specialize in divination and these individuals often possess astounding clairvoyant abilities.  Their tools of divination, playing cards, sea…
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It goes without saying that Voodooists in New Orleans serve and work with a huge pantheon of African spirits.  This spirits serve as a link to the mother land and come directly from the ancestral paradise of Guinea, the final resting place of all souls after proper purification and elevation.  The first category is young African women who often lived in a state of slavery in life.  One might petition such a spirit for help in a…
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