It's the last day of the year. It hasn't been the greatest year. I'm looking at 2013 to be better. It's a 13 year, so it's already good for me.
There were a lot of disappointments for me this past year. I did have some wonderful success with my creativity and writing this year. I hope to carry that into 2013. I've also found a sense of contentment that I never had before. I don't know where it came from, but I'm glad it's here.
Here's to a better 2013.
Monday, December 31, 2012
Friday, January 13, 2012
Lucky 13
Since it is Friday the 13th, I thought it would be a perfect time to post. I love 13s! Besides being born on the 13th, it is my lucky number. I'm quite neurotic about it. It is also an important number in Hoodoo.
In Hoodoo, 13 is the number for block busting and luck, especially money luck. I love the Lucky 13 candles in pink and green for love and in gold and green for money. They are my all round candles for clients. In Hoodoo, 13 is bad it's good!.
Happy Lucky 13 Day!
In Hoodoo, 13 is the number for block busting and luck, especially money luck. I love the Lucky 13 candles in pink and green for love and in gold and green for money. They are my all round candles for clients. In Hoodoo, 13 is bad it's good!.
Happy Lucky 13 Day!
Sunday, December 25, 2011
It's Christmas!
It's Christmas, so I thought a post was in order. I've been working a lot with change. Transformation is all around me. These are the first days of winter, but spring is actually not too far away. It's funny how set we get into a groove thinking something will last forever, when in fact, it's just transitory.
I generally take stock around this time of year. I think it's my Capricorn moon, and I try to see all the changes. I really want to make note of them so when I feel stuck in a pattern, I can see how it will change. Change is the only true constant.
I'm also getting ready for Haiti within a few weeks. I will be going to Haiti to spend time with my elders and my LWA. I'm very excited about that. It's been a long time coming.
I'm actually going to spend the last hour of Christmas in service to my mentor. He passed away ten years ago, but he is never gone. I think he is very thrilled with my choices and path. He always believed in me. Even when I couldn't see the road ahead and was very afraid. He knew I would make it through.
This leads to honoring the dead. In Vodou, as well as Hoodoo, we honor our dead. We honor those who have loved and cared for us in life. I'm going to honor my mentor with what he loved in life. I'm going to give him some of my baked goods ( he loved those) and just talk to him. Ask for his guidance and his wisdom. That he love me in death as he did in life.
I think one of the most beautiful things that I suspected, but truly understand now, is how love lives beyond the grave.
I generally take stock around this time of year. I think it's my Capricorn moon, and I try to see all the changes. I really want to make note of them so when I feel stuck in a pattern, I can see how it will change. Change is the only true constant.
I'm also getting ready for Haiti within a few weeks. I will be going to Haiti to spend time with my elders and my LWA. I'm very excited about that. It's been a long time coming.
I'm actually going to spend the last hour of Christmas in service to my mentor. He passed away ten years ago, but he is never gone. I think he is very thrilled with my choices and path. He always believed in me. Even when I couldn't see the road ahead and was very afraid. He knew I would make it through.
This leads to honoring the dead. In Vodou, as well as Hoodoo, we honor our dead. We honor those who have loved and cared for us in life. I'm going to honor my mentor with what he loved in life. I'm going to give him some of my baked goods ( he loved those) and just talk to him. Ask for his guidance and his wisdom. That he love me in death as he did in life.
I think one of the most beautiful things that I suspected, but truly understand now, is how love lives beyond the grave.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Let's Talk About Love
Love is the number one request in Hoodoo. Everyone wants it and everyone needs it, but getting there is a pain. I should state that I'm speaking of romantic love and not love in general. Romantic love, or sexual love, is quite passionate and stirs the senses. Hence why it is fought with so many difficulties. I don't think these difficulties are actually too bad. Diamonds are created in the earth by years of friction, as are pearls. It is not the pain itself that makes everything so tough, but how we respond to it. I use the term "we" because I've been there too.
Romantic love takes us back to the womb. We literally turn into children with our first crushes! It doesn't matter how educated or mature you are, romantic love will take you back to school. Yet this is the beauty and mystery of it. When you are in love, you are a kid again and the world is new. It doesn't matter if this is your tenth time on the merry-go-round, it still feels fresh and new. It is the ultimate carnival ride.
My advice to the lovelorn, who usually come to me after a break-up, is to pray. That's right---pray! Get a white candle rub it with olive oil and just ask for guidance. What is this experience trying to tell you? Are you experiencing the break-up as an adult or an eight year old? Is the break-up about the moment, or is it taking you back to your childhood and all the disappoints from the past? Feel the pain and work through it, because deep down, you will know what to do. Deep down, you've always known what to do. Finally put to bed those disappointments from so long ago. Make this a new day and a new way.
The most growth I've ever had has been through break-ups and disappointments. As I get settled into my fourth decade, I've come to realize how special those heart breaks were, and how they have helped me help others.
In the words of Rumi, "a broken heart is an open heart."
Romantic love takes us back to the womb. We literally turn into children with our first crushes! It doesn't matter how educated or mature you are, romantic love will take you back to school. Yet this is the beauty and mystery of it. When you are in love, you are a kid again and the world is new. It doesn't matter if this is your tenth time on the merry-go-round, it still feels fresh and new. It is the ultimate carnival ride.
My advice to the lovelorn, who usually come to me after a break-up, is to pray. That's right---pray! Get a white candle rub it with olive oil and just ask for guidance. What is this experience trying to tell you? Are you experiencing the break-up as an adult or an eight year old? Is the break-up about the moment, or is it taking you back to your childhood and all the disappoints from the past? Feel the pain and work through it, because deep down, you will know what to do. Deep down, you've always known what to do. Finally put to bed those disappointments from so long ago. Make this a new day and a new way.
The most growth I've ever had has been through break-ups and disappointments. As I get settled into my fourth decade, I've come to realize how special those heart breaks were, and how they have helped me help others.
In the words of Rumi, "a broken heart is an open heart."
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Day of the Ghede
Today is the Day of the Dead in Vodou. We honor Papa Ghede (Baron), Maman Brigitte, and the various wandering Ghede. It is All Souls' Day in the Roman Catholic Church and celebrated in the Mexican culture as a day for the Ancestors.
Papa Ghede's colors are purple, black, and white. He usually wears a top hat and smokes a cigar. He is symbolized as a skeleton. He with his wife, Maman Brigitte, are parents of the unclaimed dead. On this day he celebrates that role. If someone dies without a family or loved ones to mourn their passing, Papa Ghede welcomes them with open arms. We celebrate the "unknowns" on this day. Every life has value and Papa Ghede won't let anyone forget that. Since ancestor veneration is the heart of Vodou, the dead are our skeleton.
Papa Ghede is funny! He will make you laugh! Laughter is healing, and he is the great healer. He is also a judge. He decides whether or not someone is going to live or die. If you want to have a baby, go to the Ghede and ask. You will often see a skeleton holding a baby in the art that decorates the Ghede altars. Without death, there is no life. They rule death and birth as the ultimate continuum.
I remember my first encounter with Papa Ghede. I'm not a smoker or a drinker, and he does both. I put out the cigars, cigarettes, gin, and white rum. I said my prayers and his songs. The smoke was quite bothersome and I said, "this isn't good for you." He replied, "I'm dead already." That's Papa Ghede.
Never lie to him! The truth is funny, and he detests lies. If you want something ask, but be direct and to the point. Have a good time! Honor the blood that flows through your veins. Don't take your existence for granted. Laugh and love as much as you can.
Along with death, he rules sex. He can be vulgar and lewd, but always in fun. In Haiti, he loves to ride the primmest and most uptight people. He will have them acting crude and being embarrassed after the fact. Papa Ghede will loosen them up! Without sex there is no life, and life is what Papa Ghede is all about.
Many have the wrong notion that the Ghede fall under the Petro nation, but that is not the case. They have their own nation. The closest they would be associated with are the ancestors. They are known as "new world" LWA because they are not honored in Dahomey, which is still primarily the Rada nation.
Give Papa Ghede white rum, fish, spicy rice, and fun! Maman Brigitte likes strong coffee, strong perfume, and gin. The Ghede love popcorn, candy, and cigarettes. They love to end the fetes. Many a time Papa Ghede will come to end a great party with a, "we love you, but it's time to go."
I keep my Ghede altar in a wonderful container on my ancestor altar. Papa Ghede can easily sidestep Papa Legba and come into physical contact with us. I've seen many a dust ups between them.
Here are their songs/invocations;
Papa Ghede/Baron Ghede
J'ou m'antre nan la kwa
J'ou mántre nan la kwa
O gras ak delivrans
O gras ak delivrans
J'ou m'antre nan la kwa
Maman Brigitte
Mesye la kwa avase pou l'we yo
Maman Brigitte malad, il kouché sous do
Se pa prye, ki leve le mo
Pawaol anpil, ki leve la mo a to
Mare tet ou, mare vant ou
Yo prale we ki jan map fé avé yo.
The Ghede
Brav Ghede Nibo
Tout otan yo poko we mewne, move tan bare mwen
Brave Ghede Nibo
La pliw tonbe, té a glisé
Brave Ghede Nibo
Papa Ghede's colors are purple, black, and white. He usually wears a top hat and smokes a cigar. He is symbolized as a skeleton. He with his wife, Maman Brigitte, are parents of the unclaimed dead. On this day he celebrates that role. If someone dies without a family or loved ones to mourn their passing, Papa Ghede welcomes them with open arms. We celebrate the "unknowns" on this day. Every life has value and Papa Ghede won't let anyone forget that. Since ancestor veneration is the heart of Vodou, the dead are our skeleton.
Papa Ghede is funny! He will make you laugh! Laughter is healing, and he is the great healer. He is also a judge. He decides whether or not someone is going to live or die. If you want to have a baby, go to the Ghede and ask. You will often see a skeleton holding a baby in the art that decorates the Ghede altars. Without death, there is no life. They rule death and birth as the ultimate continuum.
I remember my first encounter with Papa Ghede. I'm not a smoker or a drinker, and he does both. I put out the cigars, cigarettes, gin, and white rum. I said my prayers and his songs. The smoke was quite bothersome and I said, "this isn't good for you." He replied, "I'm dead already." That's Papa Ghede.
Never lie to him! The truth is funny, and he detests lies. If you want something ask, but be direct and to the point. Have a good time! Honor the blood that flows through your veins. Don't take your existence for granted. Laugh and love as much as you can.
Along with death, he rules sex. He can be vulgar and lewd, but always in fun. In Haiti, he loves to ride the primmest and most uptight people. He will have them acting crude and being embarrassed after the fact. Papa Ghede will loosen them up! Without sex there is no life, and life is what Papa Ghede is all about.
Many have the wrong notion that the Ghede fall under the Petro nation, but that is not the case. They have their own nation. The closest they would be associated with are the ancestors. They are known as "new world" LWA because they are not honored in Dahomey, which is still primarily the Rada nation.
Give Papa Ghede white rum, fish, spicy rice, and fun! Maman Brigitte likes strong coffee, strong perfume, and gin. The Ghede love popcorn, candy, and cigarettes. They love to end the fetes. Many a time Papa Ghede will come to end a great party with a, "we love you, but it's time to go."
I keep my Ghede altar in a wonderful container on my ancestor altar. Papa Ghede can easily sidestep Papa Legba and come into physical contact with us. I've seen many a dust ups between them.
Here are their songs/invocations;
Papa Ghede/Baron Ghede
J'ou m'antre nan la kwa
J'ou mántre nan la kwa
O gras ak delivrans
O gras ak delivrans
J'ou m'antre nan la kwa
Maman Brigitte
Mesye la kwa avase pou l'we yo
Maman Brigitte malad, il kouché sous do
Se pa prye, ki leve le mo
Pawaol anpil, ki leve la mo a to
Mare tet ou, mare vant ou
Yo prale we ki jan map fé avé yo.
The Ghede
Brav Ghede Nibo
Tout otan yo poko we mewne, move tan bare mwen
Brave Ghede Nibo
La pliw tonbe, té a glisé
Brave Ghede Nibo
Monday, October 31, 2011
Papa Legba
The first LWA to start things off must be Papa Legba! He is my Mét Tét (Master of my Head) and the gate keeper. I will be blogging about terms in Vodou, but right now I want to begin, as all Vodou services do, with Papa Legba.
Vodou began in Dahomey, now modern day Benin, and they are the Fon people of West Africa. Papa Legba is not originally from the Fon. He was adopted, like Ougu, from the Yoruba. The Yoruba people, also in West Africa, have the Orisha and the Fon have the LWA, or Loas. Papa Legba began as Elegua, an Orisha.
As an Orisha, Papa Legba is a trickster, as a LWA, he is a kindly spirit who is a bit extreme. He is either a young child filled with curiosity or an old man brimming with wisdom. He has a hard time with the middle ground. He is synchronized with St. Lazarus in Rada and St. Anthony in Petro. Some houses synchronized him with St. Peter, since St. Peter is a gatekeeper like Papa Legba. Papa Legba is the gatekeeper from this world into the spirit world. No LWA can come through without Papa Legba's consent. If one ignores Papa, one may never have a good relationship with the LWA.
When most meet Papa, they think he is their Met Tet since he has a huge presence in the physical world. I've had many physical interactions with Papa over the years. He usually appears to me to cheer me up and make me laugh. Papa has a fabulous sense of humor and loves to play. He is also a bit lazy. He loves to introduce people to different LWA. He knows which LWA want to help you and which could care less.
He is very easy to serve. He loves coconut candy and children's toys. I give him yo yos and toy cars. He governs transportation and communication. He also loves coconut rum and a good cigar. His Rada colors are yellow and base white. In Petro, he is all red. His altars should be adorned with the appropriate colors.
When he appears in this world, he is usually a man with some sort of cane or crutch. He's vevé has a crutch too. He might say something to you to make you laugh. Papa Legba has said some of the most outrageous things to me over the years, and I've laughed every time.
As much as he opens doors, he can close them too! As my Mét Tét, I know whether I should follow something by asking Papa. If Papa does not like a road I'm traveling on, he will put up a block. I remember when I was breaking up with a guy many years ago, and just starting to serve the LWA, Papa literally got me a job the next day, and the guy was out of my life! It was very startling. More than any LWA, he has the final say in my life since he is my papa. Ougu may like something, Ezulie Freda may want something, Damballa/Wedo may have ideas, but if my papa thinks it is not in my best interest, the door is closed!
Not everyone is going to have that relationship with Papa Legba. Most will just be on friendly terms with him on the road to their services, but he is the first LWA to have a relationship with. His power lies in his humility. He does not ask for a lot, just some consideration and respect. A cup of strong coffee or a handful of peanuts, and he will do amazing things.
Here is Papa Legba's song an invocation in Kreyol;
Par pouvwa Sen Antwan d'Padou: Legba Atibon
Mét kalfou, met gran bwa
Lega Zenkliye, Legba Miseya, Legba LWA
Legba avadra boroy
Vié, vié Legba.
Ago, ago-si, ago-la
Vodou began in Dahomey, now modern day Benin, and they are the Fon people of West Africa. Papa Legba is not originally from the Fon. He was adopted, like Ougu, from the Yoruba. The Yoruba people, also in West Africa, have the Orisha and the Fon have the LWA, or Loas. Papa Legba began as Elegua, an Orisha.
As an Orisha, Papa Legba is a trickster, as a LWA, he is a kindly spirit who is a bit extreme. He is either a young child filled with curiosity or an old man brimming with wisdom. He has a hard time with the middle ground. He is synchronized with St. Lazarus in Rada and St. Anthony in Petro. Some houses synchronized him with St. Peter, since St. Peter is a gatekeeper like Papa Legba. Papa Legba is the gatekeeper from this world into the spirit world. No LWA can come through without Papa Legba's consent. If one ignores Papa, one may never have a good relationship with the LWA.
When most meet Papa, they think he is their Met Tet since he has a huge presence in the physical world. I've had many physical interactions with Papa over the years. He usually appears to me to cheer me up and make me laugh. Papa has a fabulous sense of humor and loves to play. He is also a bit lazy. He loves to introduce people to different LWA. He knows which LWA want to help you and which could care less.
He is very easy to serve. He loves coconut candy and children's toys. I give him yo yos and toy cars. He governs transportation and communication. He also loves coconut rum and a good cigar. His Rada colors are yellow and base white. In Petro, he is all red. His altars should be adorned with the appropriate colors.
When he appears in this world, he is usually a man with some sort of cane or crutch. He's vevé has a crutch too. He might say something to you to make you laugh. Papa Legba has said some of the most outrageous things to me over the years, and I've laughed every time.
As much as he opens doors, he can close them too! As my Mét Tét, I know whether I should follow something by asking Papa. If Papa does not like a road I'm traveling on, he will put up a block. I remember when I was breaking up with a guy many years ago, and just starting to serve the LWA, Papa literally got me a job the next day, and the guy was out of my life! It was very startling. More than any LWA, he has the final say in my life since he is my papa. Ougu may like something, Ezulie Freda may want something, Damballa/Wedo may have ideas, but if my papa thinks it is not in my best interest, the door is closed!
Not everyone is going to have that relationship with Papa Legba. Most will just be on friendly terms with him on the road to their services, but he is the first LWA to have a relationship with. His power lies in his humility. He does not ask for a lot, just some consideration and respect. A cup of strong coffee or a handful of peanuts, and he will do amazing things.
Here is Papa Legba's song an invocation in Kreyol;
Par pouvwa Sen Antwan d'Padou: Legba Atibon
Mét kalfou, met gran bwa
Lega Zenkliye, Legba Miseya, Legba LWA
Legba avadra boroy
Vié, vié Legba.
Ago, ago-si, ago-la
Ayiobo from New Orleans!
I thought tonight was a perfect night to start my Vodou blog. Since it's the Celtic New Year's Eve, and I've a lot of Celtic blood in me, it seemed very appropriate. Also, my French grandmére died on Halloween, so it just seemed the best day to start my blog again.
I'm currently in New Orleans, but will be returning to the Bay Area tomorrow. My previous blog was quite eclectic and more of an online diary with Vodou thrown in. This time my postings will be strictly about Vodou with some Hoodoo added to the mix. I'm versed in both. Vodou is my religion, and Hoodoo is my magical path, for lack of better description. Hopefully this blog will answer some questions and help a few a long the way.
Devan Bondeye
I'm currently in New Orleans, but will be returning to the Bay Area tomorrow. My previous blog was quite eclectic and more of an online diary with Vodou thrown in. This time my postings will be strictly about Vodou with some Hoodoo added to the mix. I'm versed in both. Vodou is my religion, and Hoodoo is my magical path, for lack of better description. Hopefully this blog will answer some questions and help a few a long the way.
Devan Bondeye
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)