wolfteeth-and-ravenquills:

The Yemaya doll and the Yemaya elekes that I purchased today from Hex. Ever since they opened a location down in the French Quarter of New Orleans, a lot more Voodoo and Santeria materials have been coming up to Salem. I’m glad I stopped in when I was in Salem for a visit this weekend. :]

(Source: raehex)

After God, after God, after God! In the name of God and Guinea I asked to be informed about the United States and the world in general, in 2012. This is the third year I have done this type of reading, and the Vodou Readings for the Year 2011 and Year 2010 are online.

I use the classic Tarot deck because it is the divination tool with which I am most familiar. Most Houngans and Mambos in Haiti use other methods, for example ordinary playing cards, but every Houngan in Haiti who has seen my Tarot deck has wanted one for himself, and I have given away lots of decks in Haiti!

I use the Celtic spread. I interpret the cards from a Vodou perspective, sometimes somewhat differently than a “classic” reader would. I used as Significator, “The World” - of course. And after illuminating the altar, I chose a new white candle and rubbed into its surface the herbs from the sacred mortar and pestle of the Roots Without End Society, leaves picked and ceremonially processed in Haiti to contain the essence of all lwa, so as to open the way for divine knowledge to come. After the opening prayers and the liturgy of Vodou, I shuffled and the cards took their appointed places.

Here is the reading I received, and my interpretations. Cups and Swords predominate, in contexts and positions that indicate tears and strife. Yet there are powerful protective lwa, who can be invoked during this difficult time. It’s a time to stock up, to create safe and secure living space, to find means of protecting yourself and your community. As I gain further insights through dreams and meditations, I will add them here:

1. Strength, inverted - The first card indicates the basic character of the matter in hand. This is a warning, this is not going to be an easy year. Those whose power is derived from injustice are going to become stronger, and we are going to find it more and more difficult to “close the lion’s mouth”. Political power will become more and more repressive, and only by the invocation of spiritual values and spiritual strength will we find the necessary power to resist, to survive, to act positively, wisely and courageously.

2. The Lovers - The second card indicates any conflicting or complementary influences. All power implies choices, so just as last year,it is vitally important that the way we choose to use power is made with regard to spiritual values. As I explained when this card appeared in the reading for 2010, our unconscious minds influence our choices, thus we must be clear about the reasons on which we base our decisions. People, or nations, who use their power improperly, to harm others, will receive their reward - estrangement from the Love of God. I can not stress this enough! People who use their power correctly and positively will find that not only does their power grow, but their spiritual relationship improves.

These two cards really tell the story in a nutshell - spiritual choices, and “people power” versus the runaway forces of greed and aggression. It’s not going to be easy.

3. Page of Swords, inverted - The third card indicates the foundation, the underlying nature, of our situation. This is what we stand on, this is where we make our stand.

Again we see the Sword of Ogoun in the hands of his “escort”, which was the final card in last year’s reading. Now it is inverted, signifying rapid communication of information, but information related to strife, conflict and war; also false information. True information will be suppressed and distorted in negative ways..

Also the transmission of information is going to be controlled by governments around the world, to manipulate news and create paranoia, false patriotism and anger. We will see the censorship of dissenting viewpoints. We may even see government takeovers of media, or the internet.

4. Ten of Cups, inverted - This shows the influence which has passed, and is no longer in effect. We’ve been living on our reserves, on borrowed wealth, But that surplus isn’t available any more, it’s in the past and it’s gone.

5. Page of Cups, inverted - This card speaks of an influence which may or may not come into being, depending on our actions. This is also news, messages, but of an emotional nature. It is, first of all, the subconscious, rapping on the door of our national mind, so to speak, warning that things are upside down! When I do a reading, I consider that the cards which are upside down to me are right side up to the lwa who sit across the altar from me, watching the cards. Thus, these cards speak particularly of the influence of the lwa.

There will be news that sorrows the whole nation, even the world. We may see worldwide famines, energy shortages, runaway piracy and civil disorder preventing the distribution of commodities.

We may hear of the assassination of prominent and beloved people. Political figures and social activists are at particular risk. Interpersonal relationships among ordinary folk will also become more difficult during this time, as stress and economic problems increase.

We will see the arrival of dreamers and prophets, people who become the voice of the voiceless, and enunciate the risks and consequences of further war and environmental destruction. Those who become best known in the year to come will be the voices of warning, the film makers and the media leaders who take up these themes. In a mundane sense - watch for “Avatar 2”, with the naturalistic premises made yet more obvious; that sort of cultural and media activity.

6. Ten of Swords - This card reveals the influence which will definitely come into being in the immediate future. This is a disaster, a misfortune, possibly a military defeat. We lie prostrate after an attack. There is no avoiding it, all we can do is to prepare in advance. The actions that are precipitating this event are already unrolling, there is no avoiding the consequences.

7. Queen of Cups - This is the card of our house, our world in which we live. Our Mother La Sirene is “in the house”, the sphere that she rules. From within our homes and our families will come the support we need to survive, the loving warmth that affirms our positive values. Our homes will be safe this year, and they will become more and more our castles, stocked and provided with whatever is needed to permit survival with less reliance on public utilities and commercial food supplies.

This whole year belongs to Maitresse Mambo La Sirene! To the despite of the life-hating, warmongering power structure, she is making a stand with us. This is the year of good harvest, the year that we gather in and prepare and stockpile.

More attention will be paid to women’s rights, especially in places, and in circumstances, where respect for women has been lacking. Women in these places and situations will come to the forefront of their communities and societies.

You should perform service to La Sirene! The La Sirene Instructional Package will help you make an effective service, and there are many more resources online, including this photoessay of twenty-one photos, detailing step-by-step how to make a La Sirene service in the privacy of your home. It is available on Mambo Racine’s Vodou Forum, and all you have to do is sign up, membership approval is automatic. You can also view the photoessay on Facebook.

8. The Fool - This card indicates our friends’ opinion, what the people around us perceive. This is the lwa Legba! We are going to be hearing a great deal about “new beginnings”, about “putting things behind us”, that is what our media is going to be telling us. But remember - in front, is a cliff! We will need Legba’s adaptability! Make aservice for Legba, using the Legba Instructional Package, to improve your ability to adjust to changing situations.

9. Temperance - This is the card of our hopes and fears. The angel of Temperance stands on both land and water. This angel has the power of the Apocalypse, and yet can balance powerful forces in such a way that peaceful harmony result. We must be very, very watchful and we must intervene to moderate and balance negative situations and trends. No one gets to sit this one out.

10. Three of Swords - This card represents the final outcome of the matter. It’s just unavoidable, heartbreak and worry and apprehension, and the destruction of many of the values on which our lives are based. There is not going to be any time to sit around and rest, this year. Yet this is the card of Erzulie Dantor, like La Sirene a loving mother, a protectress. She is fierce toward those outside her protection, but sweet to her children, those who serve her. We also will be called upon to protect the people, principles, land and possessions that are under our stewardship and care.

Due to Dantor’s fierce, polar-opposite energy, we must beware of others who see us as the outsiders, the dissenters, the revolutionaries. But by using our wits and by dedicated and sincere service to God and to the lwa, we can maintain our survival in these precarious times.

This is my interpretation of the reading, containing the information given to me for the Year 2012.

(Source: dogwoodsandcrawdads)

datathugz:

The Loas of Voudon represented on The Tree of Life.

pagana-insolita:

magickshop:

Answering Our Customers’ Questions: Offerings

One of the questions we get more often from our customers is – “How do I make an offering?” Well, it’s as easy or as complicated as you want to make it. It does not matter how much you know of afro-caribbean religions or not; an offering is a representation of love and devotion, and that can be expressed in many forms.

I thought the best way to show how we do it was taking some pictures of today’s offering, so you can see how easy it can be to honour your Orisha or any other deity. Today was the day we purchase our weekly dose of fresh fruit from a local grocery; we just created two beautiful plates of fruit salad, sprinkled them with sugar and cinnamon and filled the bowls created with carved fruit with honey rum, a type of rum made in the islands that is Eleggua’s favourite.

We also offered incense, a coconut scented candle and a sweet potatoe cake from our local bakery. In all, I don’t think the offering costed more than 10 euros, a very small price for an Orisha’s blessings and protection. The most expensive item is the rum bottle, but it goes a long way and we drink and cook with it too.

Tips To Make A Good Offering:
- Do not offer what is left, offer what is best – even when you take a part of your regular shopping, as we have done today, make your offering before you consume any of the food you have purchased. If you bake, offer the first slice of cake, not the last one.
- Take your time – carving, slicing and ornating the plate is an offering too, an offering of your time and dedication.
- Don’t leave your offering at the altar forever. Letting food rot on the altar is very disrespectful. Keep an eye on it and retire it as soon as you see any sign of spoiling; we leave cooked foods only one day, and fruit for two days at most.
- Be creative! Food is only one choice. Make paper flowers, decorate your candles, prepare spiced tea or chocolate, mulled wine, etc.
- Be responsible – if any of your offerings can be eaten by wild life around you, don’t throw it away! Fruit, cookies and bread can be given to birds and other animals, or simply added to the compost bin; if that is not possible, put it in a paper bag and give it to Exu Okkada, the avatar of Eleggua that lives in the garbage – he will love it, and will give back to you unexpected dumpster finds.

The Hoodoo Shop

Very practical.

(via aemenne)