Ti et Gros bon ange, the soul, conciousness, astral dream body and shapshifting: loup garou part 2

Please read part 1 for this entry to further make sense

Most people confuse the astral body with the magickal personality, like an alter ego or superhero, which is a higher construct, and more solar. The sun sign in pop astrology is associated with the outward projection of personality. Which I will not focus on at this time.

The astral body is associated with a lower self, this does not mean inferior, but closer to earth as lunar, the unconscious or subconscious, emotions, passion, sexuality, nature, and physicality. The back of the head which touches the pillow in sleep.

I have an open mind but I am over 90 percent sure that shapeshifting is done astrally, in the magick moon realm closely overlaid on earth, and not into a physical animal body by a human. It can be used,"sent" for spying or attack such as with the secret societies. It can be a very useful tool of defense or offense in dream warfare. People who live in areas where they grew up and the concept is socially acceptable are more aware of this and may see them (animals or animal people and spirits) with second sight (called ve or vision) when awake. The loup garou, loupgarou or rougarou was taken from european lycanthropy werewolf lore. But there was similar practices with other animals in africa such as with the Abakua leopard society, which followed to Cuba.

In tribes, they usually focused on one or a few local symbiotic animals for this purpose, and were emotionally linked, such as a cultural/racial or part of ancestral oversoul. Bear cults have localized differences such as native american medicine versus celtic or norse shamanistic based societies. Fetish could be made, as well as other links to our energy matrix to a specific animal, whether it be a wolf, bear or bird. Ingestion of the animal parts in different ways into our body, and the wearing of skins/fur, hat, or mask. So much so that a person begins to transform: self identify, sympathize, with the chosen animal. An initiation into the specified mysteries would take place to fortify this link.

In the african diasporic, and espiritismo practices, water is kept in a clear glass near the head of the bed, and/or under prepared to refresh the consciousness, and filter negative energies for the dream journey. A spiritual and mundane bath is usually done before bed in preparation. Other preparations are done to prepare oneself to have the spiritual sight, vision quest, and dreaming. Some of this is detailed by a Haitian Mambo in the book "Nan Domi", translated as under sleep. In Tata Oriate's book he details some of the methods that can also be used such as training the eyes and eye washes.

There are warded "real"astral places such as temples, aeries, dens or caves where like peoples congregate, and visited in ritual as well as the dreamtime.

Birds are associated with spirit in terms of soul flight and the parts of the soul in egyptian terms of the ka and ba. As well as with mercurial magic, winged feet and Hermes/Mercury/Thoth messengers, with both parts of the brain it is metaphoric. But we need not to be part of a bird cult to travel spiritually. The ideas of winged angels images and flowing cloth came from greek art and gods such as Eros who mated with Psyche.

Animal shapeshifting, and those with magic power were feared, and then demonized. Vampires and skin walkers became associated as to drain a persons energy, cannibalism, and to cause illness. A nocturnal bat is a vampire by some species, associated with caves, and is night flying. The more modern witches familiar such as a cat are domesticated, sensitive, intelligent, and can see into the dark, see spirits and into the other worlds.

In makaya and Haitian secret sosyetes and related to the congo Simbis magician snake Lwa and petro Lwa, shape shifting is their domain. There are tales of conjure horses and werebears, related to the cymbees in South Carolina and Lousiana. Some say the Taino, first people of Puerto Rico and Hispanola, as well as perhaps parts of Florida, as Arawak speaking indians, had this related to their animistic spirits the Z/Cemis.

Highly eclectic author and olorisha Luisah Teish states that there is a 9 part soul system to the egyptians and ?pan/africans in her book: carnival seasonal celebration of the spirit. I do know 9 is associated with not only the dead and ancestors, but the moon, as well as the 8 "gods" neter or ogdoad personalities of the occultist and psychologist Jung and .....god makes the 9th.The norse have 9 realms to their world tree. The hebrews world tree has 9 realms, earth, and the non-realm shadow, umbra of pluto/daath.

The Cherokee have a 3 world system of the upper world of higher spirits, middle world of our earth and tricksters, and lower realm of ancestors and the dead. I am not very familiar with their culture, but have journeyed this way. An animal guide is different for each realm, who you follow one place to the next. The animal for the middle realm is the spirit guide or totem that most refer to. They must be retrieved and then given in a certain way to a person by another to create the link.

There is a need to remember in your dream that you can be an animal.This may seem simple, but means you must have some lucidity, or reflex. Again this link is also reinforced.

Can an astral body have physical effects in this world?, most certainly as magick can and is not all in the mind, and in rare cases ghosts have left scratch marks.

 It just will in most cases when effective, have the desired effect, but be more subtle.

What we need is to will it to be so, but not to strain or concentrate, but to believe it to be so. Put the idea out there that your lucid dream or projection will happen later this week. Astral travel or projection can be spontaneous, or even assisted by higher spirits, and conscious, but more so when our brain is at rest and when we are not resisting nor forcing. Becoming ridden by the spirits or coming out of our body requires a sort of obliteration or detachment from the physical, which happens in death or loosened in dreaming. In physical mediumship when ridden, our Ti Bon Ange wanders and the Lwa takes the drivers seat. But to clarify I do not believe in killing the ego, that it is possible or beneficial for most or needed even, but a temporary ego death of letting go. To be other or outside our normal self and body. When we are conscious of  projection, over-excitement or fear can send us right back into our physical body.

In the beginning there are entities who have vested interest in poaching or keeping you ignorant and scaring you back into reality. Eventually this will not happen for the most part as you become less afraid of your mortality and more proficient in warfare (it helps to have a proficient teacher) and existing in this dream realm. You won't be an easy target or worth it as much to trifle with later. Black lodges would teach projection before defense or when the initiate was not ready to discourage them, keep dependency or predatorily suck their energy.

As you increase your light, you will invite curiosity and the desperate. I cannot teach warfare here, but play with the idea of meditations of armor and swords etc upon yourself before sleep. Pray to your higher spirits, god, ancestors and spirit guides to visit you (reunion) and protect you in your sleep. Allan Kardec has a spiritualist prayer for reunion before sleep in his book of collected prayers. Keep yourself, behavior, and your environment clean.

To get rest, you can wrap your head in white and take a peaceful spiritual bath before bed. You can put camphor in your waterglass under the bed, and use cascarilla upon the clean bed sheets. A sword or machete can be properly consecrated in the home to a certain Lwa or spirit for protection, that object has an energetic or astral existence.

I have tried many dreaming techniques, and one of my strongest abilities is lucid dreaming. This has much worth as spirits teach, as well as can meet you and confirm information. A lucid dream can spark a projection, is close, but is not the same thing.

I have always had psychic dreams, vivd, and shared dreams. I wonder if I am this way due to my small  percentage of australian aboriginal genetics. They would see a specific type of animal medicine as dream path in an unmanifest creative thought zone, the dreamtime, in which a person exists before, during life, and after death.The patterns then can manifest in the earth world. A place where you can meet the dead, and spirits, but not usually deities.

I certainly have developed the talent besides. And I have tried many unsuccessful techniques which may work for someone else such as rocking, rope pulling, ladder, dream pillows, etc

1. What I will say is that you do need an energy source to fuel the vehicle. (related to the tarot card, the chariot). Enough physical vitality and cultivated life force energy for the practice when awake, which there are many ways to do this, to store it in the body, and associated with the sun. The astral body is passive in the energy consumption, but will prolong the awareness and the seeming distance, as well as effectiveness of your actions in this state. We don't actually go anywhere, but breach time and space limitations of this earth realm via conciousness. You can get energy by many methods as said such as chi in qigong, solar breathing, sun salutations, etc.

2. Secondly ye olde dream journal. Spirits won't give you more info if you do not act on it or at least record it. It is a waste of their effort, time and energy for your curiosity. This will also assist you with recall and assessing what this means in your life in terms of prophecy and spirituality. Write it on waking or you will forget later. I actually remember 95% of all my dreams.

It might help to record information like a ritual journal, look for patterns, for the conditions to be right, such as moon phase (affecting women especially), astrology if known, time, day/date, anything out of the ordinary in emotional or physical state.

Do post "dream" research on the information given to provide logical foundation to what can be illusion. You may be given words in other languages, information on places, or mathematics that you would have not otherwise known. Many priests specialize in dream interpretation. Dream dictionaries and books are worthless pretty much, but learning about certain cultures around, and aspects of an animal and animal is worthwhile. For example a wolf might have big eyes and ears for sight and hearing. Big teeth and claws as weapons. Different cultures may have different meanings to an animal.

3. Back to bed method as called W.I.L.D or wake induced lucid dreaming. When you have the luxury of going back to sleep in the morning is the optimal condition. Your mind is rested and processed daily junk, your body is relaxed, yet your mind is somewhat alert. Some people set an alarm, turn it off then go back to sleep.

4. meditation induced lucid dreaming or M.I.L.D. I have found pathworking, or meditation with a scenario or script with desired, and like energetic correspondences and elements such as archetypes, symbols, colors, smells and place. Meditation is not the zen of nothingness, that was taught for focus and discipline. And all the better if you fall asleep into this script where the mind keeps journeying. There are many tapes and books for this, my favorite are tarot based by Doloros Nowicki such as the inner landscape and the shining paths. You will be able to memorize the script, but I can read and journey at the same time. Later these motifs may show up during your regular sleeping.

Many create an "imaginary" sacred space and travel using the world tree glyph in tree meditations. Through the darkness a darker place is found, sometimes at the base of a tree, other times a door. This leads down to a "cave" then usually up to a place of nature, where you can create what you may. In time this place may change or expand. This is an important spiritual meeting place for your guides. Although others that I have guided have ended up on a rainbow bridge which is a bit higher up. I do not want to describe more to unintentionally form your space and journey for you.

Shadow work, archetypes and the underworld is also important,and to explore this part of self in the cave and other nether realms, which can be frightening, dangerous and cathartic/healing to clean out all those unneeded "skeletons" that we have stuffed down there. This is part of balancing the self/mind, which I plan to blog about at some point in time.

5 changing spatial awareness or focus away from the body. There are many techniques to do this such as moving your mind around to different parts of the body, to moving the awareness to a corner of your room then back. Picture yourself walking to the door out of your body around your living space to outside. The closer you stand to your body or look back you will tend to get sucked back to your body and normal awareness.

6 Imagination and creativity
The problem of movies and tv and not reading enough fiction, is that your mind is unable to create visual images. Imagining an object with all our senses and turn it over. Read a fiction book and imagine a character as they are described, the sensations, the surroundings, and our minds are built to want to fill in the blanks. The filling in the blanks can be spiritually inspired information. The filling in the blanks is what happens during pathworking. Having a creative hobby such as art or writing, even culinary arts, can help with the transmission of inspiration, or subtle spiritual communication. As adults we have lost our childlike sense of play, which is magickal. Playing out a situation of scenarios or possibilities, and our reactions, or play acting can find solutions, even if not immediately apparent, can play out in the dream realm and decrease fear. We can then manifest the outcome we desire.

7. Supplements
Some people report  they have funky dreams when they eat certain foods late at night such as certain cheeses. Food is medicine and can affect our brain waves, REM, and sleep cycle, such as neurotransmitters from amino acids like serotonin from amino acids like the turkey protein tryptophan. Tryptophan is a tryptomine like DMT, the psychedelic spirit molecule of ayahuasca. I take tryptophan as a mood enhancer and sleep aide before bedtime. Some report a mixture also with GABA and melatonin helps. I do not take melatonin because it is ineffective for insomnia for me. This should not be a crutch but an aide. I have tried other herbs such as calea mexican dream herb, very mild, and african dream root, deliriant, both legal, but not very effective for me.

In time after the foundation is built, you will naturally sleep, journey and have regular spiritual dreamtime experiences, and not need to do these techniques, except pathworking, it is so fun and illuminating for me.

Row, row, row your boat,                                  (vehicle upon the astral waters)
gently down the stream
merrily merrily merrily, merrily,                      (Mary, the star of the sea)(row, row, Yemoja)
life is but a dream.

(or the world a stage where we are merely players)
S7X

Ti et Gros bon ange, the soul, conciousness, astral dream body and shapshifting: loup garou part 1

There are different parts of the "soul" in Haitian cosmology. The incarnated human spirit containing what westerners think of as the soul, can be seen as one part of an overlapping or connected energy body/ies. This becomes easily misunderstood when one continues to use the word soul or life force to describe these parts instead of viewing the two "personalities" or energy fields as individual consciousnesses that function together, yet which separate upon death from the soul fed by life force or energy.

The higher self is the elevated and not the mundane personality which becomes perfected, and is slower or the last to change in a spiritual process. It is what follows the "soul" in many incarnations and associated with the magickal personality and met tet, master of the head or personal Lwa.

The Haitians call this the gros bon ange:(big good angel) as the holy guardian angel Hga in ceremonial magick, which has been greatly misunderstood into new age circles as the higher self. The saint image of the guardian angel is used for the secretive personal crowned met tet or unknown met tet Lwa, and not the main spirit guide of the elevated dead. A saint image can be used to cover either, but is more inconspicuous as the spirit guide, because the Lwa have known saint attributions in modern times.

Thus people call their guardian angel their met tet Lwa. The soul, nor Lwa is not the higher self, but what can also follow a soul into human incarnation, or remain in its own existence. But the higher self must be created or revamped to be effective or to have any power, needs an energy source or lasting existence, such as of veneration (less likely as more secret) or off storage, spiritual light, energy cultivation. In my tradition we do not use chakras, but can be viewed as the solar plexus as energy storage and generator and heart area combined. Life force is inherently male, expansive, projective and yang in correspondences. This feeds or trickles down into the lunar receptive feminine area of the astral body or lower self. Taking energy up from earth into the solar area will work but is a slower and lesser amperage than going straight planetary sun to your body's sun area.

Gran Solier, the Lwa associated with the sun, is a higher misterio, associated with spiritual progress and light. His saint image is the Sacred heart Jesus. The power of god is personified as the thorn crowned Jesus, for power of life over death of the soul, as well as both hinting to the solar life force of the corona/sun halo and as the sun is the center of our universe and human body. The promised sun/son in spring. The warrior might/thorn of mars, and justice as the sun sits in the center of the scale of mars and jupiter give and take exchange as the crucified Jesus on the skull mount. Some Sancistas use St Nicholas de sol (santa) as Gran Solier or as God Papa Bonnye or Dios as the higher, sometimes north star. But as god is faceless, mostly removed, and not understandable to us, most use no image for God.

Many mistake the sun, a manifestation of light, and giver of life on planet earth as closest to earth, for the concept of higher celestial star(s) or God. Many use the north navigational pole star polaris or sirius as seen from the south, as some of the brightest stars that can be seen, or the 7 sisters pleiades constellation as the physical manifestation of the higher star.

The soul is indestructible, infinite, and for the most part unchangeable except for purification or refinement.

Life force, and vital energy is linked to energy of the spirit bodies, but also physical life. This is known as the n'dame or nam. This is reabsorbed into the great spirit God and underlying nature or creation matrix, unless partly placed into the Gros Bon Ange (or reincarnated). The sun is a knowable face of a farther star, the starry heavens, planets, and thus z'etoile or star is linked. What is written in the stars is astrology, the zodiac, the planets. Life force is linked with: energy centers, and spiritual bodies, known as the Gros Bon Ange and Ti Bon Ange. Life force and our perfected lower self or ideal Higher self personality is related to the sun, but the sun is not the star, associated more with Gros Bon Ange and magickal personality in the western sense.

The star is connected to the head, destiny, luck, higher misterios spirits, God and consciousness, known as Ori to the Yorubans.

The lower self is the animal self, ghost self, ego or mundane personality and character. It is also the fluidic astral body, known as the Ti Bon Ange (little good angel) by the Haitians. This is normally temporary and does not follow incarnation unless the soul is very developed and purposeful. It is known as the perispirit to the spiritualists. Voudou does not have reincarnation per se, although it is not incompatible with these beliefs. I have read after the Ti Bon Ange is separated and then called up after a period of rest, placed and venerated in a govi jar, it is then possibly placed in nature. After a time it then goes through 16 incarnations, which is likely code for 7 colors light (1+6) planetary bodies and ladder rungs. I do not think this is a widespread belief, or was confused with the soul or Gros Bon Ange by the writer, which is separated from the Ti/little and can reincarnate when viewed in spiritist philosophy. Although there is the concept of veneration of the dead into elevation, becoming a Lwa. The Ti bon Ange or ancestor personality would require veneration to continue existence, and is not dependant on a soul, but its situation can be related to the quality of soul or persons life recently lived. Our mundane personality is changeable and temporal.

The Ti Bon Ange that we think of as myself or you as the person, is the target of the bokor, necromancer or sorcerer after death to make a zombi astral, or enslaved dead, or even during life. Younger, stronger people are targeted because they have more nam. Thus Haitian rituals are done to separate the Ti Bon Ange from this plane if it hasn't naturally after last rites within a certain time period. The Gros Bon Ange or Lwa is separated so the Ti Bon Ange can rest. During initiations the head pot and other rites are done to protect the incarnated from spiritual battle with these soul areas in mind. Priest/esses regularly work to protect their heads. Again the Ti Bon Ange or astral body is usually targeted, as it is harder to affect one's higher connection to the divine, even if this can somewhat be indirectly the result through the weaker point or bottleneck of the Ti Bon Ange which is more easily accessible. By protecting the Ti, you protect the life force or nam.

The mind is all, and shapes the self image. This self image or limited perception is reflected upon the mirror energy body to form its likeness in terms of sex, race, age, deformity etc. This may not look the same as yourself in actuality or life. It can be misshapen when first regarded as symptoms of spiritual or metaphoric physical problems, or as a muscle which has not been developed or clay molded.

The mirror is an astral tool, associated with the moon, as well as to the waters, as the mermaid La sirene's escoba or tool, along with her comb to bind her hair or, loosen, or smooth the waves. She is the Queen of cups to some, although several tarot cards might speak of her, such as the moon and as she has congo beginnings. The astral is not a watery place, actually it is airy in terms of elemental flavor. She is the elemental air intellect angel human ontop of the water fish/undine.

The blowing of wind in storm activates, singing and the words of magick. The air of mercurial/human intellect and structure upon the venusian emotional waters and romance in ritual. The bubbles of air within the water glass manifest the evocation. Scrying and the crystal ball, the triangle of art in which the mirror/water and incense/air is placed for ceremonial magick.

The astral realm is associated with the genitals or womb as a place of creation, and thus life force, but also illusion. The astral is a repository realm of many colors, thoughts, poetry, experiences, and forms, distracting as the illusory sirens call (as the 7 of cups). The ocean is our mother, and a sea of the dead kalunga, as womb and tomb as the triangle belonging to saturn of form, restriction/freedom of spirit into or out of matter.

The part of La Sirene's veve is the elemental sign for water, the downturned triangle, again representing the womb, with a star upon a fish on top, representing an eye of pyschism, dreams, scrying and visions.

The siren is an alchemical metaphor for grail, or cup, the knight seeks for his feminine receptive spiritual half and immortality. The water cup actually belongs to jupiter/neptune as the giving, knowable face of god as warrior priest king, or Agwe, and not the moon.The king of cups messenger the page of cups holds a fish, and more psychism.The astral is a mirror place or "reverse, upside down" place to our world, another dimension. When we die we lose who "we" are in this lifetime eventually dissipated into the sea, unless we have taken the appropriate magico-spiritual actions, or are venerated. Thus desperate dead seek energy sources.

In the tarot moon card we can see the wildness of the domesticated or socialized animal/human. The wolf is the ancestor to the dog. The magic time is historically night, of the subconscious when the moon is up. Navigation of the sea was done at night by the north star and moon by seafaring cultures until more modern sun cross devices although vikings had some sunstones. The mermaid often at the bow of the ship. On the card the moon can only be seen when it is illuminated by the sun.
 (rider-waite deck the most accurate in western esoteric symbolism and color). This astral body/ our ancestors (moon body) must be given energy (sun and sun body) to move and act, especially over time. The ancestors are not of the astral, but can visit in this dreamspace. The universe/world/earth/us as humans/the tree is a repository of all the realms and planets, and thus explains earthbound dead, and the underworld layers: pluto/hades.

 A crayfish or crab is often depicted for the motherly zodiac sign of Cancer (related to the tarot card the chariot and astral body, as the moon card is the twin pisces fish). The moon is the 18th card, 1 plus 8 being 9.

The concept of self in most cases and undeveloped, is a spiritual hindrance when it comes to formation of the astral body. We all have one, it just needs to be shaped. We all have different selves, this is not a multiple personality disorder, but developing each one/energy part for the realm or purpose needed, of which all eventually need to be worked on. Like stepping into a character and costume as an actor, but you are still the same at core. In western magick these bodies are 9 planetary plus earth physical body. Between the 6-sun and 9-moon on the tree of life is the rainbow of the tarot card of art/alchemy, magick or temperance of the 7 color classical planets. 7-venus planetary lights, 8-mercury, 9-moon make up the astral downturn triangle, "realm" of mercury, moon and venus above the 10-earth in order moving up the tree or in light back to an originality or higher state.The most important point is the astral moon body is the most fluidic its appearance can change with a moments thought.

The astral body need not exit from the lower abdomen when aware and utilized in projection and real time viewing. You will find where this is natural to you, often symbolized leaving by an umbilical electrical cord of life. I have yet to see this in actuality, think about the metaphor. Dominating religions are very literalistic, and this has contaminated our perceptions.

Stars shining bright above you
Night breezes seem to whisper "I love you"
Birds singing in the sycamore trees
Dream a little dream of me

Say nighty-night and kiss me
Just hold me tight and tell me you'll miss me
While I'm alone and blue as can be
Dream a little dream of me

Stars fading but I linger on dear
Still craving your kiss
I'm longing to linger till dawn dear
Just saying this

Sweet dreams till sunbeams find you
Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you
But in your dreams whatever they be
Dream a little dream of me

Stars fading but I linger on dear
Still craving your kiss
I'm longing to linger till dawn dear
Just saying this

Sweet dreams, till sunbeams find you

Gotta keep dreaming leave all worries behind you
But in your dreams whatever they be
You gotta make me a promise, promise to me
You'll dream, dream a little of me

Ella Fitzgerald-lyrics to Dream A Little Dream of Me Lyrics  

Beautiful dreamer, wake unto me,
Starlight and dewdrops are waiting for thee;
Sounds of the rude world, heard in the day,
Lull'd by the moonlight have all passed away!
Beautiful dreamer, queen of my song,
List while I woo thee with soft melody;
Gone are the cares of life's busy throng,
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!

Beautiful dreamer, out on the sea,
Mermaids are chanting the wild lorelei;
Over the streamlet vapors are borne,
Waiting to fade at the bright coming morn.
Beautiful dreamer, beam on my heart,
Even as the morn on the streamlet and sea;
Then will all clouds of sorrow depart,
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!

Beautiful Dreamer by composer Stephen Foster, published after his death...

The song tells of a lover serenading a "Beautiful Dreamer" who is oblivious to worldly cares and may actually be dead. (per wikipedia page)

Read on to part 2 where I now focus more on the Ti  Bon Ange, practical dream work, astral body and shape shifting.
-Sancista Siete Encruzhiladas+++++++

Exorcism and controlling unwanted spirit influence

It is believed in the Catholic church, which informs many beliefs in Kardecian spiritism, that an individual may not fall under possession unless they consent to it. Of course the church believes that we are all pitiful sinners, and lays on the guilt trip that we are culpable for all our sufferings, so that these bad spirits are just the agents of our choices. To remind the reader we do not use the word possession for when we are in physical mediumship of the good spirits, of which the Catholic church believes there is no such thing, unsanctified (unapproved), of these abilities without evil influence.

One day we went into our local Catholic store. It is conveniently located, beside a dollar store, liquor store, and coffee shop. We get incense, charcoal tabs, saint cards for Lwa and other supplies here as well as small local mexican botanicas. I also got a really cool glass bottle to put my holy water in.

Anyways, one day we went in, and a young man we had not seen before, or since, was working there. He had some kind of ability and reacted to a man I was with. He knew right away there were spirits there with us who fought bad spirits. He gave us a book free, called: Freedom from deliverance. although I am unsure of the author presently, about exorcism, and said that he recommended it to many people such as Buddhists who deal with the same thing.

I read this book and it was very eye opening about what the practices were, and some were similar. Of course they state a lay person can only do certain prayers etc, and matters better left of to the church.

From watching ghost paranormal shows, it is evident of the number of failed Catholic exorcisms, and how long the process must take to get help from their system. Of course there is a psychological and mental health component as well, if it is just psychopathy arising undealt with from the subconcious. It can be a lengthy process of even years in their teachings.

(The powah of christ compels you)....from the movie: The rite


Removing spirits, how to stop physical possession must be taught for safety, as we practice physical mediumship and traffick with the dead. As priests we are protected from this as we have a spirit seated on our head of our main guide as spiritualists, and our misterio Lwa as Sancistas. They are protective of this head space and will likely kick the bad spirit out or stop them. The same is true in other african traditions, with their spirits, connected to their head in initiation ritual. Since we provide and invite a environment where spirits come in misa, we have to protect the attendees, beyond properly setting up the session. And they may come with a spirit already attached.

It would be foolish to teach exorcism outside of temple environment. However I can give a few tips, because spirits will visit anyone, regardless of being called, paid attention to or not, they will try to use mediums.

Safety & Prevention is key and number 1
Keeping clean with your behavior and up to date with your spiritual baths, clean environment and having a good working relationship with your spirit guides and clear frame. They are called to protect us.We get to know our spirits and when they are coming on, and know how to identify them and good spirits. Do not try possession untrained and unassisted. Do not work with random dead or spirits or higher spirits you think you have like Lwa, but is never confirmed. Your spirit frame links must be solid. Your priest knows your centinela: the main spirit guide name to call and help you if incapacitated. Keep your altars clean and water cups refreshed. Do not be under the influence of substances, without adequate cultural usage and protection. This opens you up to influence and lowers our control. Getting drunk at misa or ritual is a bad idea, but we do use rum and cigars as a drink, or spiritually.
2
Consent can be implied or by silence.
having a strong will, and strong force of the word NO
ask them to provide their message another way and what their issue is, why have they come
they will try to make you consent, may try to provoke fear, disarm your guard, or make pain or discomfort to submit.

There are many warning signs of impending possession such as any psychic ability or mediumship is a spirit edging closer. Clearer examples would be: physical sensations of being touched, pressure, or pulled, dizziness, cloudiness or fuzziness, temperature changes, loss of physical function and control, strange thoughts and urges or fascination.

Coming to certain rituals like a voudou Lwa service implies consent, specifically called, and they are powerful good higher spirits, who can likely do as they please. We view possession as different than being mounted by our spirits.

One espiritista I talked to believes people can be possesed without their consent. It is true one might be weak or very unaware person. But on some level of passivity, self destructiveness, or negative personal traits, this is also how consent can be given. Some will even want to hold on to these spirits, and be conflicted about letting them off.

We do not believe in my house that people can be possesed without their consent. As humans we are very powerful in unrealized potential. We have physical bodies as an advantage point in the physical world over spirits. Children, the ill, and elderly are at greater risk because they do not have as much strength, or will. Personality development is more limited as an infant to know themself, have boundaries, and can be easily manipulated. Teenagers put off sexual energy and angst, emotional energy that can be used as spiritual fluids for spirits to manifest, which is why poltergeist activity is more common.
3
body positioning: cross arms,  cross legs, remove feet from floor if on chair, sit with back against the wall on the floor in this crossed position will stop the flow of energy from being as strong. This is why we ask people do not cross their limbs at misa to get spiritual energy flowing, but also can be inhibited.
If laying in bed position yourself in a cross, praying. Turn the light on. In Vodou we will cross and uncross the person to attempt and loosening off a spirit.
Lay also the best way to breath, if you are female lay on left side, male right side will decrease activity and dreams but also nightmares.
4 prayer raise vibrations, and assistance of higher beings, strong faith in your spirits and god
If you are alone putting on the light, playing music, ringing the bell, laughter can help to break up negative stagnant energy. Although the dead can bother you during the day, it is easier during the night, at 6am or pm, 12 am or pm and 12 pm to and at 3 am to 4am. These are crossroad times and hours of manifestation during darkness. A bubble of light alone is not enough to protect you. Close down the ritual or divination session if you must. Prayer is a powerful tool, such as kardecs prayer to the obsessed, the revocation of st michael, .......our father and hail mary if thats all you can do at the moment and/or spontaneous and heartfelt. However prayer alone is not enough always, which is all kardecian spiritists can do, besides calling the guides......and all the catholic church recommends the laiety to do. As folk espiritistas we have other tools in our toolbox.
5 physical agents of cleansing or exorcism: perfumes, holy water, crucifix, herbs such as espante muerte wash, also called chasing the dead or false daisy.
cascarilla chalk applied to the body, to the feet, back of the neck, head, around white cloth around waist etc This is also why we cleanse and wear white head wraps in misa and dealing with the unknown dead as a spiritual layer of protection.
6 physically restraining them, binding and dominating them. This I recommend only a group of trained priests or espiritistas attempt. We do not do this alone if it can be helped, it is foolhardy. It is easier to dominate and fool one espiritista than the combined force of a group of us with different strengths and weaknesses.

Of course again, there is much more that I cannot say here that training would provide.

Another thing I would like to add is that banishing the dead does not work. Meaning ceremonial magick of banishing pentagrams and a magickal circle alone. This is because that is a mental astral construct. The dead can go to the dream realm, and astral lunar world, but are not of there. There are backdoors into our world and from the moon realm to what can be understood as the underworld. Yes the astral also contains a mixture of emotional energy as well as mental, but the dead are much more physical, retaining a perispirit matrix body of personality of energetic matter, even if the soul has moved on. The banishing ritual also called the LBRP or lesser banshing ritual of the pentagram,in which the pentagram of earth is usually used, are designed against astral spirits such as the goetia, thoughtforms, rogue elementals etc and to balance energy for a neutral space, depending. These astral entities, which the common sorceror tends to overintellectualize and abuse or misuse, thus needs continual protection every 24 hours, and the worse if using yaweh godnames faithlessly (or faithfully in my opinion as the demiurge). To be trained how to have command of angels it need not be a judaic operation. It would be more so effective if calling in gods as a pagan that one actually has personal relations with, and not the elements. However when malevolent dead (who won't play by the rules) are present, a multipronged plan of attack needs to happen.

The sun and cross, in the lunar watery cup astral, fire and water is air, steam, alchemy.

The LBRP proper also contains the exercise of the qaballistic cross which is formalaic of the prayer Our Father but more energetic and internal, and is of use for balancing the energy in ones bodies. (In heaven....thy kingdom come, apon earth)( as vertical pole axis). (Give us this day our daily bread (right hand), forgive us ..who trespass against us (justice left hand)(the horizontal axis of the cross). An imbalance makes one more prone to polarized entities, but there are powerful negative spirits and adepts which can exist at the solar level and higher. There are many methods to do energy balance.

Your light will shine brighter, and is synonymous with the lighthouse of Sanse.

The cross (position of mercy) and central energy pillar is of use in balance, and connecting to deity, but I will leave this here, because as it is publicly or popularly known is of little use. The pillar or trunk of the world tree and palo mitan or majeur of the peristyle and temple or home is the microcosm of our world tree universe, as well as our body or as humans.

The daosits this is the dao or balance between the yin and yang polarity. They have the taiji pole of the navigational or celestial north star, running through the body into the earth through the 3 dan tien to anchor, as the in qigong, taichi and other practices.

Spirits will rely on getting an emotional reaction, such as fear or sadness/depression, which can throw you off kilter. Anger is largely viewed as a negative emotion, if blinding. But anger can also be protective of self/ego/personality, and be motivational, if calculated. Energy vampires can feed off of neutral energy, frenetic energy, positive energy, or excitement such as at a sports stadium or concert, often ritualized, or at a church as the congregation is unaware where their raised energy is going.

The underlying energetic truths of christianity and tarot is of ceremonial magic preserved/of the Jews, gypsys and egyptians from much older cultures. Christianity encorporated or overlayed many indigenous cultures beliefs and sites. Since christianity made its way into most new world african traditions, it is empowering to understand. Of course many espiritistas, hoodoo workers and christians do not understand. I am just adding my 2cents for the varied backgrounds of the reader.

A man makes a pentagram of earth or a cross, and also the proportions of a hexagram, another solar symbol. Spirit in matter of the 4 elements. There are 3 crosses and centers: one of earth, of the sun, and one of the pole star, linked to the head and destiny.

Well, I seem to be getting tangental, until next time,
S7X

Cantos para misa espirituale, learning songs for spirit guides, the dead and misa part 1

This is an affordable lyric booklet availiable at many botanica, which focuses mainly on Cuban espiritismo songs used to help call, honor and joyfully greet the spirits. There are songs for the congos, africanas, mama francisca, nuns, etc: spirit guides as well as for the eguns "dead" and coronation (baptism or crowning in espiritismo) that I would like to focus on.

Many are already familiar with the song "sea el santisimo" which we sing near the beginning of misa, and many of these songs are able to be listened to by spanish speaking artists, whose music groups arrange the words how they may differently or combine them. Most are familiar with the artists Los Nani, and their two albums: canciones espiritista & divina creacion, one I got on amazon, the other at a botanica. Oba Ire has a new album Espiritual. Beautiful album I purchased on itunes.
There are albums cajon pa muertos by Luca Brandoli Y Grupo Barracón

For this purpose it is important to learn the chorus. There is beauty in the spanish latin language, and how they have arranged them, but I will roughly translate in english so you will know what you are saying. By learning them you will be able to greater participate and practice the tradition.

The songs, for the most part share a similar beat, which are congo based called palos. In palo religion they call their songs mambos. They can even be stated as prayers.

Since I am partially writing this post for members of our temple, The first group is Los nanis
I will write out the sea el santisimo

Sea el santismio, sea                  Be it most holy (great) spirit, so be it
sea el santisimo, sea                  "
madre mia de la caridad,         My mother of charity
ayudanos, amparanos              Help us, protect us
en el nombre de dios               In the name of god
ay, dios                                     Oh god

Chorus for an africana or often with a mama Francisca song also called siento una voice:
I hear a voice

Siento una voz que me llama                          I hear a voice which is calling me
de lo profundo del mar                                    from the depths of the sea
y es la voz de una africana                              its is the voice of an africana
que me llama/ a laborar                                   which is calling us to work

Siento una voz que me llama de lo profundo del mar, es la voz de una africana

ADVERTISING

que nos llama a laborar. Siento una voz que me llama de lo profundo del mar, es la voz de una africana que nos llama a laborar. Ay, yo llamo a Mama y no viene, llamo a Papá y tampoco y yo ando buscando a un ser que venga poquito a poco Siento una voz que me llama de lo profundo del mar, es la voz de una africana que nos llama a laborar. Mama Francisca, te estoy llamando, ay Dios Mama Francisca no me responde Reina africana te estoy llamando, ay Dios te estoy llamando yo a laborar Mama Francisca, te estoy llamando, Mama Francisca no me responde Mama Francisca, te estoy llamando, te estoy llamando a laborar. Ay, corre el agua, corre el agua, corre el agua Yemayá. corre el agua, corre el agua, ay con corriente espiritual. Corre el agua, corre el agua, corre el agua Yemayá. corre el agua, corre el agua, con corriente espiritual. Es que corre el agua, ay corre el agua, ay corre el agua Yemayá. corre el agua, corre el agua, con tu corriente espiritual. Mi Dios. Corre el agua, corre el agua, corre el agua Yemayá. corre el agua, corre el agua, con corriente espiritual. Que corre el agua, ay corre el agua, ay yomi yomi mi Yemayá. corre el agua, corre el agua, con tu corriente espiritual. Mi Dios. Corre el agua, corre el agua, corre el agua Yemayá. corre el agua, corre el agua, ay con corriente espiritual. A remar, a remar, a remar. A remar. A remar, a remar, a remar. A remar. A remar, a remar, todo el mundo a remar que la virgen nos va a acompañar. A remar, a remar, a remar. A remar. A remar, a remar, todo el mundo a remar que la virgen nos va a acompañar A remar, a remar, a remar. A remar. A remar, a remar, todo el mundo a remar que la virgen nos va a acompañar. Rema mi Yemayá.

I feel a voice calling me
From the depths of the sea,
Is the voice of an african
Which calls us to labor.
I feel a voice calling me
From the depths of the sea,
Is the voice of an african
Which calls us to labor.
Oh, I call Mom and she does not come,
I call dad and neither
And I'm looking for a being
Come a little bit
I feel a voice calling me
From the depths of the sea,
Is the voice of an african
Which calls us to labor.
Oh mama, I'm calling you, God
Mama Francisca does not answer me
I'm calling you, African God.
I'm calling you to work
Mama Francisca, I'm calling you,
Mama Francisca does not answer me
Mama Francisca, I'm calling you,
I'm calling you to work.
Ay, run the water, run the water, run the Yemayá water.
Run the water, run the water, and with spiritual current.
Run the water, run the water, run Yemayá water.
Run the water, run the water, with spiritual current.
It is that the water runs, and the water runs, and the water runs Yemaya.
Run the water, run the water, with your spiritual stream. My God.
Run the water, run the water, run Yemayá water.
Run the water, run the water, with spiritual current.
That the water runs, and the water runs, ay yomi yomi mi Yemayá.
Run the water, run the water, with your spiritual stream. My God.
Run the water, run the water, run Yemayá water.
Run the water, run the water, and with spiritual current.
Rowing, rowing, rowing. To rowing.
Rowing, rowing, rowing. To rowing.
Rowing, rowing, everyone rowing
That the virgin will accompany us.
Rowing, rowing, rowing. To rowing.
Rowing, rowing, everyone rowing
That the virgin will accompany us
Rowing, rowing, rowing. To rowing.
Rowing, rowing, everyone rowing
That the virgin will accompany us.
Row my Yemayá.

Merciditas Valdez of cuban espiritismo starts with the egun song for the dead. The los nani song is called also sung in si la luz redentora.

Si la luz redentora te llama (buen ser)                  If the good redeeming light calls you
y te llama con amor a la tierra                            and calls you with love to the earth
yo quisiera ver ese ser                                       I would like to see that being,
cantandole al gloria divino manuel                    singing to the divine glory, manuel

Oye buen ser                                                      Hey good being
avanza y ven                                                      come forward and seen
que el coro te llama y te dice ven                      the chorus calls you and says you are

              

Ven buen ser                                                       Come good beings
avanza y ven                                                       forward and see
que el coro tel llama y te dice ven                      the chorus that calls you forward and be seen


She mixes and goes into other songs including sea el santisimo & a very pretty cleansing song at end
but at 3:45 my apprentices take notice to learn for upcoming baptisms. It is Oh venid, a version by Los Nanis as well.
the coronation song

Oh venid protectores                                        Oh come protectors
Oh venid                                                           Oh come
Seres guia de nuestra mision                             Spirit guides of our mission
Oh! venid protectores a la tierra                       Oh come protectors to the earth
a ver que linda coronacion                                 come to the beautiful coronation

En coronacion, en coronacion                           A coronation A coronation
bajan los seres                                                      lower (come down) the spirits
(repeat)repite

Oh venid

oh venid protector oh venid sere el guia de esta mission oh venid protector a esta tierra

ah esta linda coronacion eh coronacion, que coronacion para los seres tu dejastes la tierra mi hermano ahora vienes hacer caridad le pido al padre misericordia hara que venga la paz eh coronacion que coronacion bajan los seres que distantes se ven estos seres y sin embargo los tenemos presentes en un sal de amen que coronacion que coronacion bajan los seres san hilarion potencia divina san hilarion donde estan estos congos san hilarion potencia divina san hilariondonde estan estos muertos san hilarion potencia divina san hilarion yo los llamo y no vienen san hilarion potencia divina san hilarion con mision africana san hilarion potencia divina san hilarion donde estan las gitanas san hilarion potencia divina san hilarion donde estan estos indios san hilarion potencia divina san hilarion en el nombre del padre

Oh come protector oh come
Spirit guides of this mission
Oh come protector to this earth
Ah this beautiful coronation

Eh coronation,
What a coronation lower the spirits

You left the land my brother
Now you come to do charity
I ask the father
Mercy will make peace come

Eh coronation coronation down beings

How distant are these beings
And yet we have them present
In a salt of amen

What coronation coronation down beings

San hilarion divine power
San hilarion where are these congos
San hilarion divine power
San hilarion where are these dead
San hilarion divine power
San hilarion I call them and they do not come
San hilarion divine power
San hilarion with african comission
San hilarion divine power
San hilarion where are the gypsies
San hilarion divine power
San hilarion where are these Indians
San hilarion divine power
San hilarion in the name of the father

As well there are many other songs such as a simple congo verse to start learning, but you will want to start learning the song for eguns, sea el santisimo if you have not yet, as well as songs for spirit guides types you know you have first discovered from the misa sessions you have attended. Practice these songs, and when we meet, and at the misa we will rehearse a few.

With Love, Sancista 7 crossroads

On the subject of Tata, priest/ess chasers or spiritual groupies

First of all, there should be no sexual or romantic relationship between a godparent and godchild in the various African religions.This is a serious offense and viewed as abuse, and there is no exceptions or excuse.

You must earn your initiations and spiritual items and rewards. You cannot or should not attempt to get things in this way, and could make it go wrong. It is a personal commitment, exchange, and sacrifice. Or as I have seen one person make a crowd funding page for the public for their initiation. Personally as they were offering nothing in return I think this is disgraceful.

Even husbands and wives cannot initiate each other or make certain objects for each other, because of the energy transfer.

Family and loyalty is very honored and not to be taken lightly or your spiritual relationships when you join a spiritual house either. People have been kicked out of houses for betraying trust in the group, such as hitting on another man's wife. If your partner belongs to another spiritual house you must honor the pacts in your house, such as not to betray the secrets. Your word is your reputation, and the spirits will not listen to someone who easily breaks their word, or may not mean what they say.

It is looked down upon to get romantically involved with your godbrothers and sisters, even viewed as incestual. This is not a dating service, and not your focus at ritual. Sometimes partners such as myself and my husband will join a spiritual house together. That is not the same thing.

There are going to be interpersonal dynamics in every group. Adding dating just makes things more messy and not cohesive as a family. It is understandable that you would want someone who understand you spiritually, but to a certain extent we walk the path alone. Our paths are not the same.

Remember there are enemies of spiritualism and spiritual enemies who through their hatred seek to break up families, and spiritual groups, both incarnate and disincarnate.

I read one blog discussing polygamy in Africa, how it is traditional for the priests in Ifa, as priest kings had multiple wives, and many still do. It is traditional as well through the myomberos in the Congo. The thing is that you must be able to support them all, including any children, and in our society in America, does not work so well. Things may or may not work out so well in the situation in polygamy either, as it is mostly what causes witchcraft in the authors opinion and what she has seen, the wives and children on each other, due to power imbalances, jealousy, and people not keeping their duty. The wives throw witchcraft back and forth, at times the husband takes the penalty.

Well, the wives agreed to a multiple marriage, no judgements of the lifestyle or what personal situations might have happened. When you look at old fashioned spellwork a lot of the requests and work is based on love magic. Heartbreak, unfaithful partners, and threats to ones family and lifestyle, fairly or unfairly gets the emotions heated overruling the head.

As spiritual people we have to be careful of our actions, which affect our progress and development. We also all have our lines that cannot be crossed, and deserve to protect ourselves.

I remember in the days of my initiation, I went to the discount store with my godbrother and sister for drinks and supplies, wearing my whites quickly dried in the Florida heat from river water and sand. I was wearing no makeup with my bobcut hair. A man came up to me gushing and said, "you are the most beautiful woman, I have ever  seen!". I just blushed and stammered, thanks.

I told this to my Yaya, I certaintly had felt glowing with white and very beautiful, despite my appearance. She said " he sees the saint, your spiritual light".

Another Santero had said something similar in advice to priest/esses, "people are attracted to your Orisha". It might be a good thing like with business contacts, but to treat others fairly, and it might have nothing to do with you personally.

One of my spiritual teachers said, as we gain light and become like the sun, it is moths to the flame, or as orbit as the planets around the sun like our solar system, to acknowledge this, and use this egoic power wisely. Watch for cults of personality, and those relationship with power. Today's social media makes things even worse.

Why is it human nature to always seek the divine externally, but not not recognize its potential internally?

At the same time as priests we need to realize where our power comes from, and not to abuse it.

As a couple my Tata gave us advice as newly made priests. To my husband Palo is very machismo, and gets your head hot, to be careful with getting heated, and that women will chase after Tatas, Babalwos and Santeros. I can help him with baths and cleansing and coolness of espiritismo. The spirits have interest in our marriage contract and the spirits interested in me will bless him with financial prosperity.

For women it may be the same thing. I saw one attractive Mambo post on her page: I am not interested in dating proposals I use this page for networking.

Well this post may not stop any foolishness, but it is good advice to the newly crowned priest, and for noninitiates to understand.

Hoodoo, folk magick and Voodoo differences

Hoodoo is a system of largely protestant based rootwork or plant work, combined with biblical passages such as the psalms. Some do work with the dead in terms of animal bones, and different dirts including grave dirt. There is believed to be spirits within the plants, and are the main spirits worked with outside of Christianity. There are allegorical teaching stories used such as briar rabbit and trickster spirits from the native american, african mix saw the similarities with their spider Anansi. Being protestant, there were no saints to preserve african spirits as well of the Orisha, Mpungo or Lwa, and the slave masters were less understanding of idolatry.

To facilitate this practice graveyard work including mediumship with the dead is employed, but it cannot be readily identified as necromancy. In modern times (the last 45 years) many who practice folk magic have joined the afro spiritualist or spiritualist churches which some are more Catholic based. Not all hoodoo or root workers are in the spiritualist church. This lead to the inclusion of spirit guides such as Blackhawk, 7 african powers and la madama from endless commissions of spirits incorrectly without reference, as practices and knowledge around these spirits were not passed on from the cubans and puertoricans from which they originated, known as espiritismo or the spiritualist church outside of the more european kardecian based.

 Many people want to use the items in a botanica, but they have no power sitting on a shelf. The 7 african powers are not Orisha, they are various dead warriors from different african tribes from puertorican espiritismo and not the Cuban religions. This was further confused with the image of the crucified jesus as the just judge, Ogun or Olofi. Many different images of the Jesus and Mary are used for various african spirits where there was Catholicism. The Cubans do not use saint images for their religious item for the spirits, it is just decoration. They receive the spirits in a pot in ritual. From what I have read about New Orleans, the catholic italians and irish kept to themself, although the pomp certainly was appreciated by the rest of the population, and welcome during open house feast dates of the saints.

There is some speculation at this time how someone from an American east coast european spiritualist church could found a southern afro church without having any public information about lineage, because they did not have our spiritual pots and teachings. It is possible that a congo based practictioner helped create this as Chicago is not far from New York where there is espiritismo. In which case Blackhawk no longer was a spirit guide and became more like a spirit of the dead in an nganga or nkisi which can be birthed from to another who already has it. Unless this pot was created because his spirit guide statue was unable to be prepared in the afro spiritualist way. We also have indian pots, if a person has several indian spirits or ancestry as do those in Dominican Voudou called a Tindjo as a portal, and this could have been appropriated or influenced this creation.

I have contacted a hoodoo author about this question politely with no response, who supposedly held the lineage of Blackhawk into introducing it into Hoodoo. Quickly glancing at one of her books online, she had a section on how to work with the spirit of la madama, which shows the lack of cultural connection, as she is thousands of different individual people who is a spirit guide to an individual, of which not everyone has one in this category, nor have the same indian guide. Hoodoo workers going out and buying a la madama statue is rediculous.

 In more European spiritualist churches good spirits have to acknowledge Jesus. These spirit guides are concerned with one person only. People may be attracted to the image of a specific historical indian perhaps because they have a spirit guide, no two will be alike however, and cannot be willingly passed to another person, or in life. Many people like the image of La Madama, but she is hundreds or tens of thousands of different dead people in that class, all with different real names. A person may have a Congo or an Africana, as black dolls are not all the same person, class or culture. Spirit guides come from seances, in which advanced mediums in community identify your spirit court or entourage, and no two people will have the same dead muerto or spirits. This is not something a person can do themself outside the traditions of spiritualism. People even have confused the Lwa statue of the african man Candelo as a folk saint, or these spirit guides as folk saints.

Hoodoo is folk magic that does not use african spirits, or pagan spirits, however in modern times the usage of Catholic saints has been added, again by going to botanicas and imitating african religions such as Santeria. Santeria is really magic with the saints, but came to also incorrectly be the term for the Orisha religions of Ocha, Lucumi and Ifa.

What most people think is New Orleans Voudou is in most cases actually folk magick, heavily congo based, incorrectly attributed by white ethnographers whose missionaries treked heavily into west africa and identified anything remotely african as Voodoo. Modern pracitioners in the area are mostly Haitian initiates, and the records do not identify Lwa as being ever mentioned or prevalent in this area. The slaves in the area were mostly Senegalese and Congo, and can be reflected in the usage of red and black for some Rada, the inclusion of european poppets with "nails" not understanding the congo nkisi, and they were not used of curses. Nails are used for differing reasons, but share the marking of intention. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A VOUDOU CURSE. It is outside the religion to do so.

Really voudou dolls do not exist. These things are not seen in any other branch of Vodou for the most part or have very different uses and meanings. Dolls are used throughout the Caribbean to represent an ancestor, a guide or spirit they love. In other african diasporic religions such as palo they may make a doll for a client to work in absentee, such as protection to keep in a temple, much like a pot de tete in voudou, items are made with personal hair clipping or nails etc is included as just one of the ingredients required.

 Also the emphasis on the color white is in voudou for rada Lwa, with red and black used only for petro. Black is rarely used otherwise, except for a few Ghede or Ayizan along with other colors or white throughout Voudou diaspora in the Caribbean. In Sanse we use purple and white for our chief Ghede Limbo, and black and white for the Ghede family. I do not think people understand the use of color, why they are used, its not just, those are their colors. Red and purple are considered hot, black and white are cool, with black being lower and darker. Black and purple is more so with riling up the dead to send them out, hot and dark, such as with bokor tradition outside of Voudou. Some Haitian hounfort are two handed. We try to make the influence of the dead more kindly yet active with the "choice" lineage of color. There is no preservation of Ifa with the Orisha either, or the inclusion of Ellegua. The Orisha mostly exist in a form of Ogun, and not many female Orisha survived in Vodou. If they do they are 1-3 from a family passed down. Red and black is also more congo with their crossroads Lucero spirit, or within congo based Quimbanda with their Exu and Pomba gira crossroad spirits. Unfortuenately people mess with what they do not understand and is beyond their egoic control, or knowledge level.

Unscrupulous uninitiated authors have tried to make an afro wicca out of new orleans "Voodoo", as there should be no pagan Greek or European spirits, they should not use spirit guides like espiritismo, and they should not have a whole pantheon of Orisha to choose from or Ellegua, and does not include western magick of hermetisicm. Most of any remaining west african practices have likely gone underground due to the tourists, or are practiced by Haitian lineage. Meaning they are Haitian immigrants who recently brought their religion, or Americans who went to Haiti as is required, not new orleans Voodoo. Any native new orleans Voodoo within the confines of one city that possibly existed largely left or went underground within Louisiana.

There was seldom any Caribbean to America transport of slaves by prohibition law. And there is no other indigenous Voudou or African religion diaspora origins in America. It has become a tourist collection of museums, gift shops, tours, and books to make $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. Just because there are cultural mixes in tradition doesn't mean people can just grab anything, and say "well they did it, they mixed things". Who's "they": the slaves who were forced to, and hundred to thousands of year old traditions these tens to hundreds of thousands of people agreed upon. They died over t preserve their tradition the best they could and made informed choices to changes or substitutions based on cosmology or philosophy.

Madam Marie Laveau was a Catholic, relatively middle to upperclass free buisnesswoman, of mixed ancestry, possibly part Haitian, said to be American born in some accounts. Written suppositions are often more fiction than fact at an apprasial of the wikipedia page. She possibly married a 3/4 white Haitian man who shortly left, and then she studied under a Senegalese man Dr John, a hoodoo worker. Her chewing peppers for justice in one story, crying with red eyes reflects the congo as in petro. And then there is congo square, where she was seen dancing with her snake possibly named Zombi, performance art or no, Nsambi was the congo god. Yes we have the snake dhamballah, but the congo makaya tribe is where we get the Simbi Lwa. The mojo or gris gris bags came from a Senegalese or wolof word. The original bag was red flannel, and only used or had access to white or yellowish tallow candles for the most part.

There is a system in which any venerated dead of any religion or people can become Lwa however, but would be within a religious framework of Voudou. There is also a seperate ancestral veneration by their own family or cultural group or tribe. Did Marie Laveau practice voudou?, its very doubtful. But if the stories of her nursing epidemic victims is true, she definately deserves veneration, and as a folk magick practitioner and diviner.

 The disgraced author Tallant is generally regarded as grandiose fiction, who again called all african folk magick and cursing voodoo, even Zora Neale Hurston was doubtful about the existance of a public or widespread voudou lineage as an ethnographer. She stated on her visit (sic), "the african rites, with names that rivaled those in Haiti", but they were not similar, nor recorded. My guess is they used the congo name for god, Nsambi. In our spiritual house, we hold secrets, all I can say is that Marie Laveau is venerated, and a congo spiritual worker through Palo Mayombe. JFK was made into a voudou Lwa by some Haitians. A bishop? who harried the folk practitioners in New Orleans was supposedly made into a Lwa, who hated any spiritual expression other than than Christianity. Both were not practitioners of voudou in their life as far as is known. Can a spirit guide become a Lwa? Yes by a legitimate voudou practitioner with legitimate reason such as connection, as we do not work with a whole pantheon. Scholars are now beginning to write about the difference in african tribes and their influences in the new world, previously inaccurate reports from largely white missionaries is what shapes most and outsiders viewpoints on this subject to this day.

Obeah from Jamaica has practitioners also in a tradition of spiritualism, pocomania or revivialism. Obeah is heavily folk magick based, and ceremonial magic based using the 4th and 5th books of Moses. Folk magick, ceremonial magic and sorcery is evident within the Bokor, secret societies, black lodges of Haiti, and is not considered religion nor Voudou, even if used for healing. They do use Lwa more so the congo based Petro, Baron Samedi and Kalfu (carrefour, four square).

Some people identify Hoodoo, conjure and appalachian magic as the same, but they have regional differences. As explained to me by my apprentice, Appalachia has more scottish roots, Granny or Hexen has more dutch germanic roots with hex signs etc that mixed with natives to use pow wow healing methods, and hoodoo is more african based. Conjure can be xonidered more spirit based. Although each region included european, native american and african practices, they settled into slightly different traditions and had different local plants.

These were family traditions, mostly practiced in solitary, or passed down one on one orally. Thus it is very difficult to learn accurate practices from books or the internet.

The spiritualist churches as in the african based espiritismo has baptisms, and some hoodoo practitioners say they have baptisms outside the catholic church. Hoodoo is not a religion however, and many have no such practice. This lave tet is also done in Vodou which is an initiatory religion and uses the Lwa, of which only a few concern the practitioner and not a whole pantheon. The Orisha people only possibly had one or two out of hundreds in Voudou passed down by family lineage and not generally within the religion. In New Orleans some Voudou houses say they have no clergy nor initiations which mark religion.

 Many people want to work with african spirits uninitiated, but this does not exist outside of lineage, whether family or orthodox. These african diasporic religions do not contain a bunch of spells, as the magic is inseperable from the religion's services, practices, spiritual point of access passed to you in intiation or blood lineage and rites. Voudou is life, largely in the moment and experiential in congress with spirits. The spirits come in physical mediumship and interact with the community, that is Vodou.

Many seek to keep the people of the culture and these spirits at an arms length with over intellectual approach, such as through a books, but this is impossible as a way to practice. You can study the culture, but not the religious experience this way. A Haitian American said, "voudou pas des livres". I agree voudou is 98% without books, leaving room for creativity and cultural study once you know the spirits you are supposed to be working with through your initatory rites and services.

People from Louisiana, shameless profiteer authors or newagers can get as mad as they like about what I have said. The unitiated authors neglect to address these issues I have raised, nor have the lineages to back it up, nor allow disagreeing viewpoints on their pages. In Africa there were royal priest kings, and there is no guarentee of this connection now, outside of unbroken family lines and religion. There is nothing wrong with hoodoo, it is awesome folk magic, but its not Vodou religion either.