{"id":3149,"date":"2010-02-01T01:10:36","date_gmt":"2010-02-01T06:10:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paganpages.org\/content\/?p=3208"},"modified":"2010-01-22T17:51:25","modified_gmt":"2010-01-22T22:51:25","slug":"the-moonlit-path-discussions-on-pathways-and-traditions-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2010\/02\/01\/the-moonlit-path-discussions-on-pathways-and-traditions-2\/","title":{"rendered":"The Moonlit Path: Discussions on Pathways and Traditions"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Vodun, Voudo, Voodoo<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Since we are fast approaching Fat Tuesday and Marti Gras, I felt that it would be appropriate to discuss the much maligned religious tradition of Vodun or Voodoo as it is known in the United States.\u00a0 There are few religious practices that have a more demonized portrayal throughout mainstream religion and the media.\u00a0 Depictions of zombies, voodoo dolls, animal sacrifices, and possession are images that Hollywood has painted into our consciousness, but are not completely accurate.<\/span><\/p>\n

Vodun\u2019s lineage can be traced back to over 100 African traditions of the 17th<\/sup> century.\u00a0 The tribal practices and beliefs of these cultures were combined by the slaves brought to Haiti.\u00a0 The Catholic Church sought to convert the slaves in order to save their souls and they were forbidden to practice their native religions.\u00a0 On the surface they seemed to have acquiesced to the demands of the Church.\u00a0 In reality they merely adapted and they superimposed the Christian teachings over their own beliefs to ensure their longevity. <\/span><\/p>\n

At the core, Vodun still possesses some of the fundamental practices of the African tribes. It is essential that the knowledge and information is passed from generation to generation. They believe in only one God.\u00a0 However, ancestor worship is an important part of the practice.\u00a0 It is vitally important that people have a personal relationship with the loa. The loa speak either through possessing the individual or a priest\/priestess of Vodun. Ritual allows them the opportunity to speak with the spirits, their ancestors who are their honored dead.<\/span><\/p>\n

The \u2018pantheon\u2019 for Vodun consists of the loa.\u00a0 They are similar to the saints or angels of Catholicism.\u00a0 They are a syncretic fusion of African deities and Catholic saints.\u00a0 Though they are a combination of many different cultures the most predominant are Dahomey and Yoruba.\u00a0 They overlook all aspects of human interaction.\u00a0 They are subdivided into groups or nanchons.\u00a0 There are two main groups the petro and the rada.\u00a0 The petro is of Creole origin and the rada is of Dahomey descent.<\/span><\/p>\n

Priests and Priestess (houngan and mambo) of Vodun are charged with communicating with the loa. They are often \u2018born\u2019 into service.\u00a0 They go through a formal initiation process.\u00a0 Initiation allows the houngan or mambo to contact the loa directly and enables them to intensify the bond with the spirit.\u00a0 These individuals are highly respected members of the community.\u00a0 They either allow the loa to possess them directly to deliver messages or offer interpretations if the loa chooses another vessel.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ceremonies are held for specific purposes and can be done whenever the need arises.\u00a0 There are a few basic components to a Vodoun ceremony.\u00a0 The ceremony opens with a prayer to the saints.\u00a0 An invocation of one or more loa is made so that they may participate.\u00a0 Offerings of food or sacrifices are made to the loa. The loa is asked to manifest.\u00a0 The participants commune with the loa and once an answer is received the ceremony ends. <\/span><\/p>\n

Despite the sensationalism that has surrounded Vodun over the decades it is similar in many ways to other Pagan paths.\u00a0 There is a common thread in the overlay of Christianity onto pre-existing beliefs.\u00a0 There are also similar ritual components. It is a complex and unique religion that has preserved much of its ancestral heritage adapting to subvert difficult social situations.\u00a0 Vodun possesses intricate nuances that are known to skilled practitioners.\u00a0 It should not deter others from studying about this tradition and taking the time to appreciate its complexities. <\/span><\/p>\n

References:<\/span><\/p>\n

De Heusch, Luc. ” Kongo in Haiti: A New Approach to Religious Syncretism.” Slavery and Beyond: The African Impact on Latin America and the Caribbean<\/em>. Ed. Darien J. Davis. Wilmington, Delaware: Scholarly Resources, Inc., 1995. 103-119. Print.<\/span><\/p>\n

Vodoun (2010). Retrieved January 10, 2010, from Whispering Woods: http:\/\/whisperingwoods.homstead.com\/voudon.html<\/a>.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Vodun, Voudo, Voodoo Since we are fast approaching Fat Tuesday and Marti Gras, I felt that it would be appropriate to discuss the much maligned religious tradition of Vodun or Voodoo as it is known in the United States.\u00a0 There are few religious practices that have a more demonized portrayal throughout mainstream religion and the media.\u00a0 Depictions of zombies, voodoo dolls, animal sacrifices, and possession are images that Hollywood has painted into our consciousness, but are not completely accurate. Vodun\u2019s lineage can be traced back to over 100 African traditions of the 17th century.\u00a0 The tribal practices and beliefs of these cultures were combined by the slaves brought to Haiti.\u00a0 The Catholic Church sought to convert the slaves in order to save their souls and they were forbidden to practice their native religions.\u00a0 On the surface they seemed to have acquiesced to the demands of the Church.\u00a0 In reality they merely adapted and they superimposed the Christian teachings over their own beliefs to ensure their longevity. At the core, Vodun still possesses some of the fundamental practices of the African tribes. It is essential that the knowledge and information is passed from generation to generation. They believe in only one God.\u00a0 However, ancestor worship is an important part of the practice.\u00a0 It is vitally important that people have a personal relationship with the loa. The loa speak either through possessing the individual or a priest\/priestess of Vodun. Ritual allows them the opportunity to speak with the spirits, their ancestors who are their honored dead. The \u2018pantheon\u2019 for Vodun consists of the loa.\u00a0 They are similar to the saints or angels of Catholicism.\u00a0 They are a syncretic fusion of African deities and Catholic saints.\u00a0 Though they are a combination of many different cultures the most predominant are Dahomey and Yoruba.\u00a0 They overlook all aspects of human interaction.\u00a0 They are subdivided into groups or nanchons.\u00a0 There are two main groups the petro and the rada.\u00a0 The petro is of Creole origin and the rada is of Dahomey descent. Priests and Priestess (houngan and mambo) of Vodun are charged with communicating with the loa. They are often \u2018born\u2019 into service.\u00a0 They go through a formal initiation process.\u00a0 Initiation allows the houngan or mambo to contact the loa directly and enables them to intensify the bond with the spirit.\u00a0 These individuals are highly respected members of the community.\u00a0 They either allow the loa to possess them directly to deliver messages or offer interpretations if the loa chooses another vessel. Ceremonies are held for specific purposes and can be done whenever the need arises.\u00a0 There are a few basic components to a Vodoun ceremony.\u00a0 The ceremony opens with a prayer to the saints.\u00a0 An invocation of one or more loa is made so that they may participate.\u00a0 Offerings of food or sacrifices are made to the loa. The loa is asked to manifest.\u00a0 The participants commune with the loa and once an answer is received the ceremony ends. Despite the sensationalism that has surrounded Vodun over the decades it is similar in many ways to other Pagan paths.\u00a0 There is a common thread in the overlay of Christianity onto pre-existing beliefs.\u00a0 There are also similar ritual components. It is a complex and unique religion that has preserved much of its ancestral heritage adapting to subvert difficult social situations.\u00a0 Vodun possesses intricate nuances that are known to skilled practitioners.\u00a0 It should not deter others from studying about this tradition and taking the time to appreciate its complexities. References: De Heusch, Luc. ” Kongo in Haiti: A New Approach to Religious Syncretism.” Slavery and Beyond: The African Impact on Latin America and the Caribbean. Ed. Darien J. Davis. Wilmington, Delaware: Scholarly Resources, Inc., 1995. 103-119. Print. Vodoun (2010). Retrieved January 10, 2010, from Whispering Woods: http:\/\/whisperingwoods.homstead.com\/voudon.html.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":75,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3149","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3149","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/75"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3149"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3149\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3149"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3149"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3149"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}