In the last blog post, we examined in general the practice of making food offerings to spirits and discussed making an ancestor feast, which is the cornerstone ritual of New Orleans Voodoo. In this post, I would like to expand upon this topic and share a few specific offerings that are traditional to various lwa or saints. The following list of saints and spirits are not specific to any one spiritual pantheon but are rather an eclectic…
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As much as we don’t like to accept it at times, we have to work for a living. Voodoo has many rituals designed to help in gaining employment. In fact, there is even a lwa dedicated work and employment-Ogun, who in New Orleans is associated with Saint James the Greater. This is a popular and very traditional service involving two lwa, Ogun and Erzulie Freda, the goal being to find a job that pays well and where…
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The information I am about to give you may be taken as a template on how to serve and request a favor or general blessing from any spiritual entity, not only those of the African diaspora. The following service would be equally adequate to obtain the favors of the Chinese Quan Yin, the Native-American White Buffalo Woman or the Celtic Brigid as it would those of Papa Legba, Erzulie Freda and Maman Brigitte. It is a simple…
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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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As I have stated many times in my writings, I am not an expert or practitioner of Haitian Vodou and my knowledge is limited to my interactions with Haitian people and from academic sources. So, I do apologize if any information given is erroneous or incomplete and I welcome comments from those more familiar with the religion in Haiti. I am however an experienced priest of New Orleans Voodoo and I possess a vast knowledge of the…
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