Why I don’t do New Age

The other day I attempted to sign up for an online starseed forum. Now, normally the very term “starseed” translates into “Danger! Danger Will Robinson!” in my mind, but occasionally I have moments of weakness and seek answers to some of my personal questions from  other incarnate earth peoples. As has often happened before, this was a major lapse of judgment.

The first problem was during the sign up process. I had to choose my type from several choices, and I did not know which to select as I am not one thing and not even 100 percent sure of the ones that I think I might be. Then the registration form asked, “What is the most powerful force in the universe?” I made the mistake of being honest, and attempted to type in “I don’t know.” The registration failed to go through. I was a bit surprised to realize that whomever set up this site thought there was a wrong or right answer! So then I guessed “God” and that was also wrong!! I only got it right when I thought of typing in the most New Agey thing I could thing of, and that was “love.” Bingo.

Registration process completed, I had to go to my email inbox, open a message from them, click the link and then I’d be a member. Or so I thought. Wrong! I had to fill out a profile form before I was approved to join their group of enlightened beings. I tried. I really did. But I reached my line in the sand when I got to the part of the form asking me to describe in some detail my “mission.”

Now, if I knew my precise “mission” (presuming there is one) I would not have any use for their forum. I would simply finish my mission and get the hell out of here. The whole “special purpose” belief is one of the things that irks me the most about these New Agey starseed types (to me, it suggests that nonstarseed humans have no purpose and are less special). I stared at the screen. Damn. If I typed “I don’t know” then the answer would be wrong and I would not be allowed to join (me weeps big tears here, NOT). And I was not willing to spend any amount of time composing an elaborate lie just to get in. It was time to throw in the towel. At least my friend Snow (who I was chatting with at the time) and I had a good laugh about it. I suppose that’s worth something.

My original plan had just been to join the forum and read up on any info relevant to my beliefs. I would likely have had to quit sooner rather than later anyway, it happened before when I was part of a walk-in forum and the administrator laughed at my therian ideas while believing herself to be an angel or alien something. The hypocrisy of some “special” people blows my mind at times. I am better off relying on myself and my network of lwa, guides, mediums, energy workers and Vodou folks.

In closing, I’d like to share Robert’s Rant. Robert is the owner of Edge of the Circle Books, one of my favorite Seattle shops. Enjoy

Books for “Vodou 101″

Last Wednesday I stopped at Edge of the Circle Books on my way to meet a friend, and found yet another new book on Vodou that I think I am going to like a lot (more on this later). How I wished I’d had this book when I started down this path. This got me to thinking, what books would I like to see included in a “Vodou 101″ class? Below is my list, with brief comments on each.

Divine Horsemen: The Living Gods of Haiti by Maya Deren. A much-touted (and deservedly so) account of Deren’s journey to Haiti and into Vodou. Includes a ton of information about the lwa and various ceremonies, including a beautiful service held for Met Agwe and a firsthand account of possession.

Mama Lola: A Vodou Priestess in Brooklyn by Karen McCarthy Brown. This book also includes a lot of info about the lwa and the services, but I also liked that the author focused on Mama Lola as a Haitian living in the U.S. and how she holds her services here. This focus gives the book a more personal feel. The author and Mama Lola also travel to Haiti, and we are given a closer look at the Haitian people and the author’s experience as a foreigner being initiated into Vodou.

The Book of Vodou by Leah Gordon. I really wish I had this book when I started out. It packs a lot of information into a thin tome–everything from a brief history of Haiti to descriptions (with property tables) of the lwa to a glossary of terms. And tons of pictures! This would be a good first book to assign to a class to give a student a quick  overview of Vodou and engage their interest.

The Haitian Vodou Handbook: Protocols for Riding with the Lwa by Kenaz Filan. This is another book I wished I’d had from the get-go. Filan’s writing style and the way he arranged the book is very accessible to someone new to Vodou. What I really love about this book, however, is that it contains some very practical suggestions for the non-initiate solo practitioner. Not everyone is near a sosyete (a Vodou house) and his book helped me immensely when I was figuring out how to serve the lwa on my own.

Serving the Spirits: The Religion of Haitian Vodou (Volume 1) by Mambo Vye Zo Komande la Menfo. Just published last year, this is a very good overview of Vodou with focus on respect for the lwa and for the culture of Haiti. I liked that the author emphasized the importance of discovering which lwa are with you rather than courting a lwa you happen to find interesting (she considers this rude to the lwa who are with you, and I agree).

Haitian Vodou: An Introduction to Haiti’s Indigenous Spiritual Tradition by Mambo Chita Tann. This is the book I ran across on Wednesday by happy “accident.” My plan that day had been to take a bus to the northern end of Capital Hill and go to a different book store altogether. This plan was changed when the bus I wanted to catch did not show up after 20 minutes (which was weird as this particular bus runs at least every 15 minutes at that hour, so I should have at least seen one go by) and I had to walk to another bus stop, which left me with not enough time to go to that particular store and meet my friend on time. So I ended up catching a different bus and got off partway up the hill and went to Edge of the Circle instead.

And I was glad I did. My initial reaction when I saw this book was that I really could not justify buying another “101″ level book. However, I quickly changed my mind once I took a look inside. First of all, this book includes a lot of pronunciations of Haitian words, which is invaluable for those of us who don’t speak Kreyol. (Now, I would absolutely have LOVED to have this a few years ago!) I was already sold at that point, and then discovered that the author also included some Haitian recipes for dishes you can serve to the lwa. I’ve only just started reading this book, but so far I  like it a lot. The author emphasizes respect for the lwa and for the culture and people of Haiti.

Mark of Voodoo: Awakening to My African Spiritual Heritage by Sharon Caulder. I would like to see this book included in a Vodou class, even though it’s not about Haitian Vodou. I enjoyed this book so much because it felt like I was reading an interesting novel. It’s the firsthand story of the author’s journey to Benin to learn about Voodoo from Supreme Chief Daagbo Hounon Houna. Learning about Vodou’s African roots was interesting and gives one a broader perspective of the lwa.

So these are my beginner’s recommendations as of this date. I am sure there are other good resources out there, but I am just including books I’ve read or am in the process of reading here.

La Sirene

I’ve received a request to post some info about La Sirene. This lwa does walk with me, and I’m embarrassed to say I’ve been a little negligent of her and Met Agwe (her husband) lately. I need to make it up to them, and honoring the request to  post more info about her is a good start. I am also purchasing a beautiful spirit bottle for her from my friend Slinky in the near future; pics will be posted at that time.

I’ll start off with the quoted book info and then add some more personal stuff.

From Répertoire Pratique des Loa du Vodou Haïtien by Déïta:

She is Master Agouet Aroyo’s wife. Goddess of fresh and salt waters…She is the twin sister of “La Baleine” (The Whale).

SYMBOL: Gold comb and Horn of Plenty.

COLORS – CLOTHING: Pink.

OFFERINGS: Rice pudding; vermicelli with milk, corn-heart gruel, sugar-coated almonds, candies, pink cake and the roasted flesh of a white pigeon.

DRINKS: Sweet almond syrup.

(Note: This book also includes an image of La Sirene’s veve, which I don’t see often).

From The Hatian Vodou Handbook by Kenaz Filan:

La Sirene (literally “the Siren or “the mermaid”)…is as changeable as the sea, capable of great love and great cruelty..

In Haiti, many Vodouisants will avoid putting their heads beneath water while swimming in the ocean. They believe that if they do they may be captured by La Sirene, who will take them to Gineh. There they will stay for years, if they come back at all. When they return they will be powerful  magicians….

…La Sirene loves images of beautiful mermaids. If you want to create a shrine to La Sirene, be sure to include some mermaid imagery. Like Agwe, La Sirene also enjoys nautical materials and items. Seashells, driftwood, sea glass, sea floaters , and other things that have been taken from the sea or that are connected with marine or ocean imagery…You should also give her a comb and a mirror–the finest you can afford.

La Sirene likes sweet things, particularly cakes with white and light blue-green icing…You can also give her champagne, orgeat syrup, or other liqueurs.

From The Little Book of Vodou by Leah Gordon:

…a mermaid who possesses the wisdom of the water’s depths. She is said to make an eerie music on the floor of the ocean, and is held to be the patron of musicians.

Colors: Blue-green

Symbols: Mirror, comb, trumpet, shells

Offering: white doves, perfume, mirrors, sweet white wine

Catholic Counterpart:  Nuestra Senora de la Caridad and St. Martha

My own experiences with La Sirene go as far back as I can remember. For one, my favorite number was always her number, seven, and it used to follow me around. I’d look at a phone number and it would be full of 7′s, or I’d be standing in a public restroom and it would have 7 stalls. You get the idea. These days, the number 3 (Legba’s number) is the one that seems to follow me the most, but back then it was all 7′s.

When I was a child, I also had dreams where earth was a water planet, and we could breathe underwater and swim everywhere. As an adult, I’ve noticed her and Met Agwe’s presence is often indicated in dreams by the appearance of beautiful turquoise water. (See Dogs and dreams of water for more details.) She has also appeared to me a couple of times, wearing a blue and white dress. (See Unraveling the mysteries of personal lwa and the blue dress and What is it with the blue dress? for detailed accounts.) And of course, there was the mirror incident.

I also recommend the following link, which includes her veve:

http://www.sosyetedumarche.com/html/siren_balen.html

Some info on the lwa Bossou

One of my readers recently asked me to post something about the lwa Bossou. The reason you do not read much about him or some of the other lwa here is because I tend to write mostly from personal experience. My experience with Bossou is limited to the second-person variety, as he does not walk with me.

I have seen him possess the local Mambo, however, and when he does, her face becomes fierce and she will snarl and charge into people. On that note, rather than rewrite what others have written, below are some excerpts and a link to info about Bossou:

From Répertoire Pratique des Loa du Vodou Haïtien by Déïta:

Loa of the Rite Petro, he is called Maitre Brise. Healer and exorcist…Representation of the materialist forces, he helps the mambo or bocor to remove the spirits of the dead who have attached themselves to someone.

SYMBOL: The skull of the bull with its horns.

COLORS – CLOTHING: Red and yellow.

OFFERINGS: The flesh of the sacrificed bull and boiled roots vegetable.

DRINKS: Rum and “clarin” (Sugar cane Fire Water.)

CATHOLIC CORRESPONDENT: Saint Sebastian.

From The Hatian Vodou Handbook by Kenaz Filan:

Although his origins are clearly Dahomean, he is served in both the Petwo and Rada rites…Those who classify Bossou as Petwo may do so because of the violence of his possessions. Those who are ridden by Bossou will frequently be tossed about like they are getting gored by a mad ox. Others will ram their heads into the Poteau-mitan or any other hard object…

Bossou’s bottle is red and has two large cloth horns sewn onto the fabric…He is served with kleren or rum…

Bossou is also a great protector of those who honor him…You can set up a small table for him. [And here the book suggests one of the saint images associated with him, a Buddha or a bull or minotaur picture or figurine.] Place a red scarf on the table; run a red candle when you wish to speak with Bossou. (In Haiti, he is typically honored on Tuesday.) You can occasionally feed him beef or chicken; Bossou likes his food spicy, with a red sauce.

From The Little Book of Vodou by Leah Gordon:

Bosou is a mighty bull spirit, represented with two horns. He is an unpredictable spirit, and, like his secular bestial counterpart, has a fiery and torrid temper. Bosou is associated with the fecundity of the soil…[he] is the earth, the fruit, and the seed, and is also associated with male virility.

Colors: Red, black, white

Symbols: Bull’s head, horns

Offering: Fried beef

Catholic Counterpart:  St. Vincent de Paul

For more in-depth info on Bossou, all three of the above-mentioned books have decent sections on him.

I also recommend the following link:

http://www.sosyetedumarche.com/html/bossou.html

A tarot reading with Snow of Swamp Witchery

Last weekend the lovely Snow of Swamp Witchery did a tarot reading for me. I’ve known she is the real deal since reading her blog, so I was not surprised that she is indeed a gifted reader, as well as being fun to talk with.

My current situation was the Four of Wands. She told me that I am enjoying the outcomes of my ventures. My initial reaction was to think about material ventures, and I could not think of how that applied to me. Then I realized it DID apply regarding spiritual ventures. No sooner had I thought that, then Snow added, “I think this very much has to do with your magical path in some ways, ready for deeper commitments and more work.” Bingo. Hit number one.

The second card, the Page of Wands. “Page of Wands adds to the situation, crossing the four–you are, in this magical aspect, VERY brave, willing to do so much more than those around you. You’re in a place where you are both an old master and a new student, and unfortunately people are only seeing the new student.” This was heartening to hear. I often do not feel brave, but I can be in spiritual matters. I am not particularly afraid to have my beliefs torn down and reformatted. Hit number two.

Snow: “Your thoughts are VERY interesting, the Six of Swords is what’s on your mind. Recovering from trauma of sorts, coming out of a very dark area of your life.” Big hit number three. I had just come off a pretty bad bout of depression, and had never mentioned it to her.

I’m not going to include the entire reading here, but there were a lot of wands and swords in my cards.

Snow: “Your last four cards hold two more swords. Nine of Wands is courage in the face of danger, plunging in head first, no matter what. You’ve asked for the universe to let you have more in the way of magical responsibility, so be ready for it.” (And here I was thinking, ‘goodbye lazy days.’ But Snow said this is for the best, and I agree.)

Snow: “Knight of Swords is your doorway from the present into the future–you’ve got a lot of good ideas, time to put those into action. Something that you want to do is going to get you that stability you need. You just need to decide on one!” Per her advice, I’ve been thinking on how to make my art more marketable without producing boring “office” art (which is art you would see in your dentist’s office). I have some ideas and may post them once they come to fruition.

Snow: “Your domestic life is the Six of Cups, moving forward, happy memories. Realizing your blessings and loving what is good in your life. The card in your Hopes/Fears position is the Nine of Swords. This card represents what I like to call ‘Agony of the Mind.’ This is that eternal worry, the eternal fear. I think that fear is what will get you to the next level in your magical process–overcoming it, slaying dragons.”

My final card was The Lovers, which Snow interpreted as being in love with my spirits and how I’m living. I was very pleased to hear that.

This gives you a taste of what a reading with Snow is like. I can’t recommend her highly enough. I’ve been wanting to get a reading for a while, and know who I’ll be coming back to.

Stupid Presents

Reblogged from Swamp Witchery:

So ebay is AWESOME this time of year, because of Christmas it’s FILLED with tempting goodies. So of COURSE I find something I cannot live without (Okay, I can, but you know) and of COURSE I am broke! So I am offering, ONE DAY ONLY, a full spread Tarot reading for a mere, measly 15 dollars. My usual rate is 75, and I have been a professional tarot reader for nearly 10 years and I have been reading for 16 (good lord, that’s a long time). So this is an uber deal. I also don’t normally offer my services as a …

My friend Snow over at Swamp Witchery is offering some amazing specials on readings and other products! These would make great gifts for yourself or a loved one. Offers expire Sunday night, so act fast!

Beautiful little messenger

A week ago Saturday, Anne and I were walking our dog Stella alongside a busy street. I was walking ahead of them a ways when I saw a colorful shape on the road. When I realized what it was, I was surprised and dismayed. The tiny still form was a beautiful hummingbird.

I bent down and carefully lifted the nearly weightless creature. He laid unmoving, his body slightly curled up. Although I could not see any visible injuries, he did not appear to be breathing, nor did he struggle as I carried him. I did not have a plastic bag with me or anything else to safely carry him in, so I emptied out one of my jacket pockets and gently laid him in there. Then Anne and I stopped at the grocery store, one of us shopping while the other waited outside with Stella. Then we walked through a nearby park and went home.

When I removed him from my  pocket, I was surprised to see that his body had straightened out and his eyes were open. Were they open or closed before? I wasn’t sure. He still wasn’t moving at all (other than possibly his eyes). So I went upstairs and emptied out an old wooden recipe box to use as a bed for him. We did not have any nectar on hand, but Anne thought we could see if he would drink some soy milk. We poured a tiny amount in a bottle cap, and I held it near his tongue for a while. And slowly, almost imperceptibly, the liquid began vanishing.

Then he closed his eyes. So he was alive, but very weak. He made no attempt to fly or struggle. I laid him down in his box with the cap nearby, and placed him in our spare bathroom where he could have some peace and quiet. It seemed unlikely that he would recover, but at least he could have a peaceful passing without fear of being stepped on or found by another animal.

He died sometime in the next couple of hours, although his body remained flexible which made me cautious about assuming him dead. Eventually his eyes became sunken into his skull, although his feathers remained as vibrant as ever.

I was undecided about what to do with his body. I thought of trying to preserve it, but did not think I would be able to really preserve the beauty he possessed in life. Many beautiful things are temporary. We enjoy them for a little while and then learn to let go.

I thought about at least preserving his wings, but could not bring myself to cut him in any way. It just felt wrong. Still undecided about what to do with him, I placed his body in a sandwich bag and put him in the fridge. I knew I wanted to at least keep his bones, but was not sure how to go about that. After reading up on bone preservation online and talking with a few friends, I decided I would bury him. Anne purchased some potting soil a few months ago. All I needed to do was find a pot.

After searching in the garage, despairing of finding one, and resigning myself to wait until I went shopping again, I noticed the plant pot we have in the kitchen that we use as an odds ‘n ends holder. I am so accustomed to seeing it as an odds ‘n ends holder that it did not register in my brain that it was a plant pot, and the perfect size. So yesterday I buried him.

The lovely Snow of Swamp Witchery suggested I wrap the body in cheesecloth before burial to keep the bones together. As I laid him to rest, I noticed there was an angel design on the pot. I never realized it was there. I can’t remember where we got the pot and don’t remember receiving any plants for gifts. However we got it, the design seemed appropriate.

I did not have any fresh flowers on hand (Anne is allergic). It felt kind of strange to leave the soil bare, so I placed some cowrie shells and a fabric rose on top.

He is now resting on a quiet shelf in the garage. I’d like to place the pot outside, but we live in a condo with a shared yard and I worry that children or animals will mess with it and possibly damage the bones. I am not sure when I will bring the bones up. I guess when the time feels right. I am also not sure yet what I will do with his bones.

Why did this little bird cross my path? This is the second hummingbird we’ve encountered since coming to this neighborhood. The first one appeared to us shortly after we bought the place, when our realtor brought us by to check on some work that was being done before we moved in.  Hummingbirds always make me think about Marie, Anne’s stepmother who crossed over a couple of years ago.

I had been thinking about Marie off and on recently, probably due to the holidays. She really enjoyed the festivities. Perhaps the little bird was a sign from her in some way. They are so alike—tiny, beautiful and fleeting.

More comments on Rigaud and a must-read blog post

I  am preparing to do some spellwork tomorrow. I haven’t done spellwork with Sekhmet before, and had pondered the idea of pairing her with  Legba for this effort. After discussing it with a friend, I decided against it for now, at least until I’ve worked with her more.

So today I am reading Rigaud’s book on the bus and come across his list of lwa/animal correlations. I find that Legba is correlated with white sheep and lions.

Riguad also writes that “Quebiesou is an ancient Legba.” I originally read about Quebieso (also spelled Hervioso) in Sharon Caulder’s book “The Mark of Voodoo” and then proceeded to be nearly struck by lightning. Twice.

Again I am reminded why my gods are my gods and I receive a few more glimpses of a larger picture. And I’m thinking that Legba and Sekhmet may be compatible in future endeavors.

I am feeling excited and a little anxious about my spellwork tomorrow and, as if on cue, I come across a wonderful and thought-provoking article on The Witch of Forest Grove’s blog. I highly recommend reading it:  Fear and Doubt

More on Rigaud’s book…and a brand new Vodou book!

As I’ve continued rereading Rigaud’s “Secrets of Voodoo,” I am reminded why this was not one of my early favorites. There is a lot of information in here. Also, the book is not specifically Haitian Vodou. This isn’t a bad thing at all, but sometimes I am not sure which practices/beliefs stem from which tradition(s). So I am still confused sometimes, just much less so than before.

Today I was reading Chapter 4, “The Symbols of Vodou.” In this chapter, I found more similarities with Egyptian beliefs. In his discussion of the term baka, Rigaud writes:

…it would be wrong to believe that the baka principle, in magic as in religion, is limited to Voodoo alone…Baka, in the magic of Egypt just as in the magic of Haiti has the following meaning…: the mystere ba or bha–found for example in the name of the mystere Dan-Bha-Lah We-Do and of the Nago mystere Ba-cossou–is the superior soul which resides in the material body from its embryonic stage only to inculcate in it the idea of the good. At death it returns to the high solar regions….letting the dead and decaying body remain with the inferior soul with which it had shared the body during life.

The inferior soul is then the ka, or ca. Hence, after death the body is said to be ka-ba.

In some books on Egyptian mythology, the Ba is defined as the soul or etheric body and the ka is defined as the double or astral body.

Also, today a new Vodou book is available on Amazon.com: “Serving the Spirits: The Religion of Haitian Vodou (Volume 1)” by Mambo Vye Zo Komande la Menfo. I ordered my copy already. I’ve corresponded a little with the author online, and I like her energy (plus she is a child of Legba, like yours truly). Early in my studies, I ran across her web page Sosyete du Marche and read about how Papa Legba called her to the path. It’s an interesting story. I am hoping to meet her next year.

Ayibobo!

Revisiting Milo Rigaud’s “Secrets of Voodoo”

I first read Milo Rigaud’s “Secrets of Voodoo” around late 2008/early 2009 when I first started down this path. It was maybe the third book on Vodou that I read and, in retrospect, I don’t think I was ready for it. At the time it seemed dry, difficult to understand and full of strange terminology that I was never going to remember. Rigaud was born in Port au Prince, Haiti, and first published the book in 1953.

What a difference a few years makes.

I finished my third Murry Hope book earlier this week (“The Sirius Connection”) and was trying to decide what to read next. At first I picked up Kenaz Filan’s “Vodou Money Magic” and then remembered that I am starting a candle magick workshop and did not feel like working on spells while also reading a book on magic. My brain craves variety. So instead I opted for Rigaud’s book. I’d had the urge to review it earlier this year, and now seemed like a good time.

I reread the first chapter on Tuesday, and the writing no longer seemed dry or difficult to understand, even though many of the Haitian words are spelled differently than what I am used to seeing these days. What I found really interesting is that I am seeing some connections between aspects of Vodou and Egyptian deities/symbolism. I am gaining a deeper personal understanding that both of my religious paths (Vodou and Sekhmet/Egyptian) are indeed harmonious (at least for me).

For example, Rigaud says that Vodou is rooted in solar worship. (It’s also interesting to note that, in Vodou services, when we salute the four directions we are not saluting any particular deities or elementals. We are acknowledging the path of the sun.) He described Legba, my main lwa, as a solar prototype, and Sekhmet is a solar deity as well. (And this is ironic, me being a night person. But this could refer to the cosmic influence of Sirius and/or our sun.) Rigaud says that Legba’s color is gold (associated with the sun), while other sources state they are red and white. Sekhmet is also associated with gold and red.

The symbolism of the poteau mitan, which is the center post in the peristyle (a Vodou temple, more or less) is  familiar. The post is decorated from floor to ceiling with a spiral design representing the two serpent lwa, Damballah and Ayida Wedo. The image of two serpents spiraling around a post is very similar to the Caduceus, a symbol of the Egyptian god Thoth. Equally interesting is his translation of Rada as “the royal rite of the sun.” I could not help but wonder if the terminology is related to the Egyptian sun god Ra.

I will likely have more comments as I continue rereading.