The African voodoo religion is an explosive mixture of traditional folk beliefs of Catholicism. Throw in the horror of the slave trade and here's an eerie cocktail of superstition, magic, and spectacular rituals. Most of all, Voodoo took root in Haiti, from where it got to other places (Jamaica, Cuba, Brazil) … This cult was a kind of response of blacks to the humiliations that they had to endure during the flourishing of the slave trade. When slaves were forcibly baptized, they did not part with the faith of their fathers - they simply performed their rituals in complete secrecy.
TWO PARTS OF THE SOUL
Voodoo is a complex mystical vision of the world that binds together man, nature and the supernatural - lying outside the familiar reality - forces. There are no intermediaries between God and the one who is praying. Here, everyone praying wants to become a god. Someone who is called "possessed" in other religions is likely to become a priest in voodoo. For he achieved through various rituals the state of extraterrestrial vision. As the people of Haiti say about it: “A Catholic goes to church to talk about God; a voodoo player dances in the courtyard of the temple to become a god. " To put it simply, the teaching of voodoo, a person is a collection of several bodies superimposed on each other, of which only one is available to ordinary perception - the physical. The next one is something like an energetic duplicate of the body that allows it to function, "the spirit of the flesh."It is not individual and after death slowly flows out of the body, passing to the organisms living in the soil. What we call the soul, according to voodoo ideas, consists of two components: "good little angel" and "big good angel". The big kind angel is pure energy that, after death, immediately returns to the endless energy reservoir that feeds all living things. The little kind angel is your personal part of the soul. This is where all your innermost lies. This little angel is able to easily detach from the body and come back - for example, during dreams or severe stress. Or in moments of the very obsession that all Voodoo rials are directed to achieve. It is the Little Kind Angel who is the target for magical actions, spells and rituals. Letting him out of the possessedthe magician can place this part of the soul in a special earthen jug, kanari, from where it continues to animate the abandoned body. And also in voodoo, each of us has a personal star - what is commonly called karma among other peoples.
OCEAN OF ETERNITY
The adherents of religion believe that everything around is permeated with the invisible power of loa, which makes voodoo akin to purely shamanic views. The Loas are as innumerable as the sand on the seashore, and each has its own sign, name and purpose. In voodoo rituals, one of the main places is occupied by the worship of the serpent, which swallows its own tail - a symbol of the harmony of the Universe and Eternity in the ancient world. As the Haitians call it, Damballa Vedo, the main and indispensable element in all the mysteries of voodoo, because it is the beginning and end of all things - the Ocean of Eternity, the material world surrounding it from all sides; the boundless space from which everything came out and into which sooner or later it will return again. Like any religion, Voodoo carries deep philosophical views based on the worship of nature and its elements. Where does our idea of voodoo come from as a bloody witchcraft orgy?
After all, many really believe that this cult consists solely of worshiping the forces of evil. Yes, there is a dark side to voodoo. But of all the mysteries of complex religion in the civilized world, only sinister rituals are known. But they do not play a dominant role in the life of voodoo. In addition, much of what is considered unacceptable for us, sometimes even ominous, in traditional society turns out to be quite normal and everyday. We must understand that we cannot impose our ideals and norms on people of a different culture. And there is no need to declare charlatans or, on the contrary, villains of voodoo sorcerers who have incredible spiritual strength. For various rituals, they resort to the help of certain spirits responsible for certain elements and manifestations of life, and sometimes keep entire settlements in fear. Yes! But this is the social ladder of adherents of the Voodoo cult:there are many steps in it, and having reached the upper ones, the priests (mambo and ungans) practically become gods for the flock.
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BLACKER THAN BLACK
Sometimes priests can turn into "bokor", the so-called priests of black magic. True, everyone knows that retribution should come for this one day, but power beckons - and they have unlimited power here and now. As a rule, Bokors are members of secret societies, and their activities are highly secret. One of the most famous priests of black magic was the notorious ruler of the island of Haiti, François Duvalier, who used the power of the “loa” - the afterlife to the full. As a sidekor, Duvalier had an entire army with which he kept the population of the entire island at bay. In the West, one of the most famous phenomena associated with Voodoo is zombies. These are creatures in which humans are transformed - in essence, they are controlled biological robots. A person loses his soul and becomes a slave to his master (bokor).
It is possible, but very difficult. And without the priest's deep knowledge of various natural phenomena, without the ability to prepare a potion from certain varieties of African plants and toad glands (which blocks the parts of the brain responsible for heartbeat, respiration, blood circulation) is not feasible. By the way, the priests, creating a zombie from a person, in a strange way leave the consciousness intact. And although the zombie is in a state similar to death, he moves and obeys orders. And after some time it comes to life. Moreover, he usually does not retain memories of what he did under the influence of the drug. Let's make a reservation right away, in laboratory conditions it has not yet been possible to reproduce this ritual. Although scientists know all the ingredients of this magic potion. Apparently, the shaman is adding something incomprehensible to science in his recipe - maybe, after all, witchcraft?
By the way, the priests of Voodoo, in addition to zombies, also create twins of their adepts. Can make many "prints". Even to transfer the Soul to one of the copies. And make the original act, obeying the will of the owner. Bokors have a lot of tricks. It is not for nothing that the secret services of various countries are very interested in solving voodoo secrets. At the end of the last century, many secret laboratories were created where voodoo was studied. But scientists have not achieved success. Ancient secrets remain mysteries. And Voodoo among the ancient secrets is one of the most exciting.
Inna Shevchenko
