I’m discovering that glossing over that whole “epicenter of a magical vortex” thing when I took this Lares job was a mistake. Looking back, that now seems like important information. Whoever said midlife was a time for reflection and relaxation clearly wasn’t an ancient guardian deity. I’d just started to think I was getting a handle on this whole Lares thing, and then the earth decided to open up into a giant, fiery hole of evil nastiness. Talk about your hot flashes! Add in a deadly new ally, a magical weapon I’m pretty sure I’ll never get the hang of, and being forced to play “Where’s the Voodoo Queen” while trying to deal with everything else…well…let’s just say that crepey skin is probably the least of my worries.
Secrets of Voodoo traces the development of this complex religion (in Haiti and the Americas) from its sources in the brilliant civilizations of ancient Africa. This book presents a straightforward account of the gods or loas and their function, the symbols and signs, rituals, the ceremonial calendar of Voodoo, and the procedures for performing magical rites are given. "Voodoo," derived from words meaning "introspection" and "mystery," is a system of belief about the formation of the world and human destiny with clear correspondences in other world religions. Rigaud makes these connections and discloses the esoteric meaning underlying Voodoo's outward manifestations, which are often misinterpreted. Translated from the French by Robert B. Cross. Drawings and photographs by Odette Mennesson-Rigaud. Milo Rigaud was born in Port au Prince, Haiti, in 1903, where he spent the greater part of his life studying the Voodoo tradition. In Haiti he studied law, and in France ethnology, psychology, and theology. The involvement of Voodoo in the political struggle of Haitian blacks for independence was one of his main concerns.
A guide to the practices, tools, and rituals of New Orleans Voodoo as well as the many cultural influences at its origins • Includes recipes for magical oils, instructions for candle workings, and directions to create gris-gris bags and Voodoo dolls to attract love, money, justice, and healing and for retribution • Explores the major figures of New Orleans Voodoo, including Marie Laveau and Dr. John • Exposes the diverse ethnic influences at the core of Voodoo, from the African Congo to Catholic immigrants from Italy, France, and Ireland One of America’s great native-born spiritual traditions, New Orleans Voodoo is a religion as complex, free-form, and beautiful as the jazz that permeates this steamy city of sin and salvation. From the French Quarter to the Algiers neighborhood, its famed vaulted cemeteries to its infamous Mardi Gras celebrations, New Orleans cannot escape its rich Voodoo tradition, which draws from a multitude of ethnic sources, including Africa, Latin America, Sicily, Ireland, France, and Native America. In The New Orleans Voodoo Handbook, initiated Vodou priest Kenaz Filan covers the practices, tools, and rituals of this system of worship as well as the many facets of its origins. Exploring the major figures of New Orleans Voodoo, such as Marie Laveau and Dr. John, as well as Creole cuisine and the wealth of musical inspiration surrounding the Mississippi Delta, Filan examines firsthand documents and historical records to uncover the truth behind many of the city’s legends and to explore the oft-discussed but little-understood practices of the root doctors, Voodoo queens, and spiritual figures of the Crescent City. Including recipes for magical oils, instructions for candle workings, methods of divination, and even directions to create gris-gris bags, mojo hands, and Voodoo dolls, Filan reveals how to call on the saints and spirits of Voodoo for love, money, retribution, justice, and healing.
Black Magic looks at the origins, meaning, and uses of Conjure—the African American tradition of healing and harming that evolved from African, European, and American elements—from the slavery period to well into the twentieth century. Illuminating a world that is dimly understood by both scholars and the general public, Yvonne P. Chireau describes Conjure and other related traditions, such as Hoodoo and Rootworking, in a beautifully written, richly detailed history that presents the voices and experiences of African Americans and shows how magic has informed their culture. Focusing on the relationship between Conjure and Christianity, Chireau shows how these seemingly contradictory traditions have worked together in a complex and complementary fashion to provide spiritual empowerment for African Americans, both slave and free, living in white America. As she explores the role of Conjure for African Americans and looks at the transformations of Conjure over time, Chireau also rewrites the dichotomy between magic and religion. With its groundbreaking analysis of an often misunderstood tradition, this book adds an important perspective to our understanding of the myriad dimensions of human spirituality.
Presents doll spells drawn from New Orleans Voodoo and hoodoo traditions as well as those from ancient Greece, Egypt, Malaysia, Japan, and Africa, intended to produce fast-acting, long-lasting magic.
This first definitive work on the predomiance of this powerful African deity throughout the ancient world has quickly become a "cult" classic. The evolution of Mami Wata in establishing, shaping and expanding the spiritual and sacerdotal foundation of world religion, reveals also the lost but glorious past of African women's spirituality. Hailed as the new "bible" on the history of African women, this comprehensive well-researched body of work will benefit academics, students, and all who are seeking to fill the missing void in world religious and cultural history. Totaling over 800 pages, it is reccomended that both heavily illustrated (Volumes I & II) be purchased as a set.
When your best friend is just a tiny bit psychotic, you should never actually believe him when he says, "Trust me. This is gonna be awesome." Of course, you probably wouldn't believe a voodoo doll could work either. Or that it could cause someone's leg to blow clean off with one quick prick. But I've seen it. It can happen. And when there's suddenly a doll of YOU floating around out there—a doll that could be snatched by a Rottweiler and torn to shreds, or a gang of thugs ready to torch it, or any random family of cannibals (really, do you need the danger here spelled out for you?)—well, you know that's just gonna be a really bad day ... "Jeff Strand is hilariously funny and truly deranged." —Christopher Golden, author of When Rose Wakes
Rituals have always been a powerful part of human life, from the ancient Aztec nation's human sacrifices to the simple act of brushing one's teeth in the morning. They can impart a sense of history, comfort, community, stability and at other times, power, mystery and horror. Some are grounded in centuries of tradition or superstition, while others are unique, individual creations. In this collection of 22 stories, you'll find the darker side of ritual in all the various forms you can imagine-from the ancient and ceremonial to the simple and homegrown. Some have real power, while others simply exist in the convoluted recesses of someone's mind. Some produce the desired effect, while others have an entirely different result. What binds them all together is the simple truth of any good ritual. Their practitioners -- and you, the reader -- just might be unalterably changed by them. CONTENTS"Sa f lontan / Long Time, No See" by Sarah Hans"Young Girls Are Coming to Ajo" by Ken Goldman"Into the Mirror Black" by Tim Marquitz"Severed" by Brandon Ford"Afflicted" by A.J. Brown"A Little Bit of Soul" by Craig Cook"Coughs and Sneezes" by James K. Isaac"Secret Suicide" by Amy Braun"Wounds" by Greg Chapman"Sturm und Drang" by Jeff C. Carter"Shades of Hades" by E.J. Alexander"For Love" by DJ Tyrer"Gingerbread Man" by Rose Strickman"Thy Just Punishments" by Edward M. Erdelac"Johnny Two Places" by Mark Mellon"The Seed" by N.X. Sharps"Late Payment" by Jake Elliot"Masquerade" by C.A. Rowland"Lessons from a Victory Garden" by Jason Andrew"The Projectionist" by Timothy Baker"The Right Hand Man" by J.S. Reinhardt"Paper Craft" by Leigh Saunders
"It took months of God waking me up in the middle of the night before I realized I was the one He was calling to leave my comfortable American life and move to Haiti." Miracle on Voodoo Mountain is the inspirational memoir of an accomplished and driven 24-year old who quit her job, sold everything, and moved to Haiti, by herself—all without a clear plan of action. Megan Boudreaux had visited Haiti on a few humanitarian trips but each trip multiplied the sense that someone needed to address the devastation—especially with the children, many of whom were kept as household slaves on the poverty-stricken and earthquake-devastated Caribbean island. God guided her every step as she moved blindly to a foreign land without knowing the language, the people, or the future. From becoming the adoptive mother of former child slaves, to receiving the divine gift of the Haitian Creole language, to starting, building, and running a school for more than 500 children, "the amazingness of what God did after I made the choice to be obedient is incredible," said Megan. Three years later, six acres on Bellevue Mountain in Gressier is the home of the nonprofit Respire Haiti at the former site of voodoo worship, and in the area that many still come to make animal sacrifices, Megan and her staff of nearly 200 are transforming this community as they educate, feed, and address the needs.
Did somebody do you wrong? Did somebody screw you over? Having problems with an ex-lover? A co-worker? A family relation? A mean boss? A rival? A business relation? A stalker? A bully? Put a voodoo curse on that person and move on with your life. Voodoo traditions are ideal for making dark, powerful curses. We Voodoo-practitioners are not burdened by Christian principles of forgiveness; We don't talk about 'turning the other cheek'. We're not burdened by Buddhist principles of lofty, noble, all-knowing aloofness. We don't see any value in postponing revenge [or 'pay-back'] for another lifetime, like Hindus. This exciting book gives you twenty do-it-yourself voodoo curses that you can use against your enemies. Planning a party? Forget about Trivial Pursuits, Scrabble and card-games; No modern party is complete without a little voodoo-curse ceremony. But these are serious curses, not for the faint-of-heart.
