#voodoo spirits

Exploring Voodoo uncovers a rich and complex religion often misunderstood. This belief system involves spirits, spells, and rituals that have fascinated people for centuries. In this article, we delve into the facts behind Voodoo spirits and spells. Origins of Voodoo Voodoo originated in West Africa. Enslaved Africans brought it to the Americas. Over time, it blended with other cultures,…

The Vodou Lwa, Voodoo Spirits and their Catholic Saint counterparts.

Why were the Vodou Lwa Synchronized? They became syncretized when the spirits they came to the new world and found it's way too the New Orleans Voodoo tradition by the Haitian Vodou religion? Since Louisiana was primarily Catholic need to protect their practice it made sense to add the spirits with the Catholic Saints. These are the most common Catholic Saints traditionally associated with the Vodou spirits. (All photos from Erzulie’s Voodoo in New Orleans.)

The following overview of the Voodoo spirits and their Catholic counterparts are not intended to replace the history. Instead, this is to provide a general concepts as to which Catholic Saints the Vodou Lwa are most closely associated with due to the African diaspora (slave trade)

Voodoo and the Catholic Saints:

In New Orleans, many traditional Voodoo altars are decorated with Catholic saints. This is because, to avoid persecution, many practitioners would syncretized the Lwa and Orisha with their saints. This practice has also led to the incorrect belief that Voodoo is descended from Catholicism, even though the African religions it is based on predate Christianity by thousands of years. Here are some of the more sought after and renowned Vodou Lwa/spirit and their Catholic Saint counterparts for you to use. Spells and Rituals. Here are a few from Haitian, New Orleans, Puerto Rican spirituality) or 21 Divisiones with their saints.

Papa Legba, the Divine Messenger and Road Opening, Saint Counterpart St. Peter.

Papa Legba, the Divine Messenger and Road Opening, Saint Counterpart St. Lazarus. (Haitian, )

Papa Legba, the Divine Messenger and Road Opening, Saint Counterpart St. Anthony. (New Orleans, Haitian)

Erzulie-Freda, the Lwa of Love & Passion. Saint Counterpart Mater Dolorosa.

Erzulie-Freda, the Lwa of Love & Passion. Saint Counterpart Our Lady of Sorrows.

Ogoun Badagris, the Warrior Spirit. Saint Counterpart St. James.

Ogoun Balendjo, the Warrior Spirit. Saint Counterpart St. Philip.

Ogoun Feray, the Warrior Spirit. Saint Counterpart St.

Agwe, Sovereign of the Sea. Saint Counterpart St. Ulric.

LaSiren, Divine Water Spirit, wife of Agwe, Sovereign of the Sea. Saint Counterpart Our Lady Star.

Ayizan, the Priestess. Saint Counterpart St. Lucy.

Lwa Damballah, the Father Lwa and wife, Ayida-Wedo. Saint Counterpart St. Patrick.

Erzulie-Dantor, the Great Mother Lwa. Saint Counterpart Our Lady.

Erzulie-Dantor, the Great Mother Lwa. Saint Counterpart Our Lady of Czestochowa (the Black Madonna)

Lwa Simbi, the Magi. Saint Counterpart St. Christopher.

Lwa Marassa, the Divine Twin. Saint Counterpart St. Cosmas & St. Damian.

Baron Samedi and the Ghede. Saint Counterpart St. Gerard.

Manman Bridgette and the Ghede. Saint Counterpart St. Catherine.

Baron Samedi and Maman Brigitte by IrenHorrors

I wanted to share with you my new voodoo priest rattle in New Orleans Voodoo.

As you see in the pic above ☝️ the rattle is a small gourd rattle. Beaded all the way around by the handle we have some of the Main African Orishas Deity bead colors.

In the above ☝️ picture more beads were added above the Orisha beads. There are some of the Haitian Lwa colors. One of them is my Met Tet. It also haves Met Kalfu, Baron & Bridgette, Legba, Ezurli Dantor to name a few and they all have meaning to me.

Papa Legba is the Lwa of the gates, he is not a guardian of the crossroads he opens the way to between the worker and the Spirits (Lwa) He stands at the roads (Gran Chemin) the Great Road and gives or denies permission to speak with the spirits of Lwa or Guineé.

In any Voodoo ceremony Papa Legba is saluted first and he opens the path for communication between the devotees. and is believed to speak all human languages. Within the African Traditional Religion of Voodoo, Vudu, Vodoun, or Vodun, Papa Legba is seen as an old man with a cane or crutch and smokes a pipe. who acts as an intermediary between humans and Lwa. He carries keys and dogs are secret to him

Who He Is: Divination Fortune Telling Oracles. While he's always saluted first, he does not often mount or possesses. Papa Legba is a protector of children and can be called upon for protection, to open ways, and to bring prophecy. His colors are red & white and his offerings are alcohol Rum, tobacco, coffee, sweets.

In Catholic syncretic Voodoo practices, Papa Legba is associated with Saint Peter, Saint Lazarus, or Saint Anthony. Papa Legba sometimes associated with the orisha Eleggua from the Yoruban and Cuban Santeria or Lukumi tradition, though Eleggua is seen more of a trickster.

There are many corresponding divisions of lwa, and each has their own Legba tasked with opening the door and allowing those spirits to pass but there’s a good deal of misconception the first thing that's is done is the priye ginen. is complete, the first spirit we sing to is Hountor, the lwa of the drums, to translates our modern speech and song into the language of the drums, then the Legba...

But there isn't just one Legba but many... Legba nan Petro, or Legba in the Rada Rite, is the first of the Legba spirits served, and he's task is to open the gate on the Great Road, the doorway that allows the other spirits to come to our celebrations and rites.

For my lineage,( New Orleans) the Rada Legba wears a saint known as Saint Anthony the Abbot.

Legba Nan Petro, the Legba who opens to doorway for the hotter and rougher spirits of the Petro rite. He wears the image of Saint Lazarus (typically an emaciated and sometimes bruised man walking by means of crutches, another symbolic stand-in for the Poto Mitan). Even the nations that make up the components of the larger Rada and Petro rites also have their Legba figures (who may or may not be members of the Legba family of spirits… often times, Ogou Ossange, a wounded healer who is also always shown with crutches, can serve as the Legba nan Nago, or the Legba figure who opens the door for the Nago nation spirits, or the division that holds the spirits of the Nago people, who are now more widely known by the name of their language, Yoruba.) And a misconception is that Kalfou is legbas Twin, he is not. (See post on Kalfou.

The Ghede family, the spirits that are called at the end of every Vodou celebration, also have their own door keepers/Legbas of their group… and are also known for carrying a Baton Ghede, a walking stick that can alternately be a gentlemen’s cane.

In Haitian Vodou, the Legbas are not Crossroads spirits; To us, the Legba figures are the keepers of gates and doors, languages and communication… not the crossroads, which we have as a different being entirely.

As all of us are born with an ability to serve those spirits we inherit or who seek to build relationships with us. ALL of us have access to the Legba spirits, either for opening those doors and forging roads of communication and respect, or for working with the way we would any spirit we serve.

In Haitian Vodou there is a ceremonial protocols, rules, and heirarchies. Not everyone needs to become an initiate to work with their spirits in our religion, just as not all Catholics need to be priests, and certainly one does not need to be a priest to say the Rosary in home prayer… but for transmission of the faith, the services a clergy is required. Vodou is much the same in how it works and functions, and the faithful, while they are capable of small acts of service to their spirits at home,

This is a Elegula altar.

INVOKING PAPA LEGBA:

Ingredients:

Red or white Candle, Rum, Cigarettes, Sweets, coffee.

Veve of Papa Once you have placed everything on the altar, light everything that needs to be lit, and start to meditate. Once you feel like you are ready, call upon Papa Legba. (Language is no barrier)

You can call him by either singing or reciting his prayer.

Papa Legba open the gate for me. Legba open the gate for me and I will thank the lwa when I return.

Once you feel his presence, ask for his assistance. Talk to him as you would to a friend. He is listening. If you feel that you have opened up as much as possible, you can now ask him to open the door so as to let the spirits or Lwas (Loas) out. Now remember to specifically mention which Loas you want to talk to.

Once you are done talking to him and asking him to open the door, offer him all the items you have laid down on the altar for him. Have some for yourself too. At this point, you should also start the process of invoking the Loa that you with to talk to. This is a whole different ritual all together and each Loa has a different ritual.

Let Candle burn for an hour.

Once you are done with the rituals in regards to the Loas, it is time to say Thank You and Good Bye to Papa Legba.

This is done by actually thanking him and saying GoodBye. You should thank him for coming, hearing you out and letting you speak to the Loa, and ask him to close the gate on his way out.

Now that you have completed this ritual, you can pack up all the offerings you can save some for later if needed.

Let's me speak on multiple spirits of the same.

In different cultures or religions there are multiple spirits depending on the lineage there may be the same spirit with a different name, offerings etc. But what happens when you dream of that spirit is it actually that spirit or not.

When Damballa season starts their are some who may have dreams of a snake. Some may think it's a sign from this spirit, but how do you know if it's that spirit

In voodoo for instance there's many other snake spirits like Damballa & Ayida-Weddo the intertwined snakes, there's also Simbi, Dagwe, Velekete, Boran.

In Africa vodun there's Agaou Wedo, Anviewo, Dam-Ayido, Dan Houeza, Dan Petro, Dan Yi, Dangbe, Danger, Danger Mina, Danh.

Sometimes there are families of these spirits like there's different Erzulie's from different nations for example Erzulie Balianne, Erzulie Shango Pye, Erzulie Mansur, Erzulie D'en Tort, Erzulie Freda etc.

Or the Family is Legba's like Papa Legba, Legba Atibon; Legba Soley to name a few.

There's different variations of Eshu. Esu Odara, Eshu Elegua. Or Afro-Brazilian religions have Exu and different variations of them as well.

Different Oguns. Like the Ogou in Africa or Ogou la Flambo, Ogou Kriminel .