Thanks to its popularization in Hollywood films, the voodoo cult began to be perceived, perhaps, as one of the most terrifying and misunderstood. Most voodoo stories are about a dark, mysterious religion that revolves around animal sacrifice, casting harmful spells, and harming other people with puppets. However, this is far from the truth.
So let's take a look at the misconceptions around voodoo in order.
Three different types
In fact, there are three main types of voodoo cult, each of which is developed in its own area and in a certain area of Africa.
West African voodoo magic is still practiced by about 30 million people, especially in countries such as Ghana and Benin. Here rituals and beliefs are very numerous and are hardly affected by the external influence of other religions.
Louisiana Voodoo is a unique cult practiced primarily in Louisiana and the southeastern United States. The voodoo religion, brought to the New World by black slaves from West Africa, underwent dramatic changes under the influence of Spanish and French settlers, as well as the Creole population.
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The Haitian type of voodoo practiced in Haiti has undergone significant changes under the influence of the French and Christianity.
Strong parallels with Christianity m
At first glance, it seems that a religion that revolves around spirits, potions, and ancestor worship has little to do with Christianity. However, voodoo has clear parallels with this world religion.
In the case of Louisiana and Haitian voodoo, numerous Christian traditions have been incorporated into this flexible belief system. Spirits are at the center of voodoo practice, and many of the central figures in this pantheon have Christian counterparts.
So Aida Vebo is the virgin image of Mary, while Pope Legba is a mirror image of St. Peter. In West African voodoo magic, there is a very Christian concept, such as one Supreme God - ruling everything in the world.
Adoption of the Catholic Church
Indeed, the parallels between voodoo and Christianity are so strong that there is no enmity between the two religions, and in many areas they coexist peacefully. Today, priests of both religions work hand in hand to help bring peace and prosperity to Africa, the homeland of voodoo.
Indeed, Pope John Paul II spoke of the honor with which he held voodoo priests, recognizing the "foundational virtue" inherent in the teaching and belief of voodoo. John Paul II even attended a voodoo ceremony in 1993, helping to cement the kindest coexistence of these two seemingly opposite religions.
Voodoo dolls
Voodoo dolls are actually much more sophisticated than are usually portrayed in Hollywood films. They do not symbolize a person, in the sense that what happens to a doll will happen to a person. A doll is associated only with a specific face, as a rule, when a photograph of a person is attached to it, or some of his intimate things, for example, a strand of hair.
Voodoo dolls can be used for many different purposes, including those for the good. The use of voodoo dolls is not in itself evil or a dark deed, but like many secular and religious symbols, dolls can become an instrument of evil only at the will of the person who uses them.
Healing
There are stereotypes that voodoo is a dark religion, which was created in order to control people with the help of dark forces and cause damage to the spirit and body. But voodoo is actually much more used for healing and herbal medicine. One of the most important reasons for invoking the Spirit in voodoo rituals is to ask for his help in healing the sick and wounded.
Healing can be both physical and spiritual. Therefore, professionals can focus on healing a broken heart or changing luck for the better.
Voodoo priests and priestesses do admit that they are not omnipotent. When it comes to diagnosis and healing, if they feel the situation is beyond their control, they will recommend seeking help from modern medicine.
Red magic
In many cultures, it is believed that white magic serves for healing, while black magic does evil and dark deeds. According to the voodoo cult, there is no difference between the white and black sides of magic. That being said, when magic is used for evil or bad deeds, it is called Red Magic. The color of the Spirit is red, and when a person allows the evil "loa" to take possession of him, his eyes turn red, showing the presence of evil.
Voodoo pantheon
With striking similarities to Christianity, the pantheon of voodoo spirits has three main levels. In the upper part there is one God, who at present is so incomprehensible to man that it is impossible to describe him. The next level is the spirits that constantly interact with mortal people. The personality of a deceased relative plays an important role in the spiritual life of voodoo adherents, therefore, ancestor worship is an important part of voodoo. The third level of the Voodoo Pantheon is the mortals themselves.
One of the fundamental concepts of voodoo is the connection between these levels: Papa Legba is one of the most important "loa" (spirits), he is a kind of gatekeeper between the mortal world and the Divine world. All mortals, communicating with loa, pass through Legba, and he opens the gates between the worlds. As a reflection of Saint Peter, he is also the guardian of the house and the patron saint of travelers.
Serpent
You can often see voodoo practitioners dancing with snakes. The snake is an extremely important element in voodoo mythology. Damball or Danballa is a snake god and the oldest of the Voodoo Pantheon. It is said that he was called to create the world. Damballu created water from his skin, the stars in the sky appeared from his rings. He is married to Aida Vebo, and they have an eternal love for each other, which is a balance between masculine and feminine.
Damballah symbolizes wisdom and intelligence, and is associated with symbols such as white, eggs, bones, ivory. Protector of the helpless and young children, as well as the disabled, he transports the souls of the dead to the afterlife. Priests and priestesses possessed by the spirit of Damballa do not speak, instead they hiss.
Animal sacrifice
Animal sacrifice has always played an important role in voodoo rituals, but the reason is not at all a painful addiction to death or blood. Spirits (Loa) use blood energy to communicate with mortals, along with the general management of their daily affairs. Voodoo priests believe that the blood of the victim combines the life force of an animal with the life force of loa
The meat and blood of the animal is often prepared and consumed as part of the ceremony. As a sacrifice to certain spirits, most often, they bring those animals that are most associated with them: for example, chickens are more often offered to Damballah, the spirit-Serpent.