Is Voodoo Real?

I wanted to stay away from this topic for a long period of time.  Whenever I talk about voodoo, dolls, spells, and magic, I tend to attract a lot of crazies. These people scare the hell out of me, with their banter about how they were hexed, cursed, banished, and how they want to seek revenge on their assailant. Okay, I get it. People are crazy. However, Voodoo, also known as Vodun has gotten a very bad reputation because of these people.  Vodun, is actually a very magical and powerful religion that has survived the test of time. It has helped millions of people heal, grow, revolt, and reach a new level enlightenment, all while operating in the shadows. So you if you want to know the real deal about Voodoo, read the rest of this article.

Our ancestors practiced Voodoo

If you are a person of color, who lives in the United States or are a part of the diaspora, chances are, your ancestors practiced Voodoo, Vodun, or Yoruba. Yeah, I know there are people like Raven Symone who don’t truly believe that she is African. However, facts are facts. Most Black people came to the United States from Africa. We either came here as free men or women, or as slaves. But we are here. Secondly, many of the Blacks who were shipped to the United States through the slave trade were NOT Christian.  Many of them belonged to tribes along the Western coast of Africa, associated with the Bantu people. The religion, Yoruba, was practiced throughout this region, and many slaves brought this religion to the New World.

Voodoo Helped Slaves Survive

Yes, if it wasn’t for religion and practices such as Yoruba and Vodun, African slaves would have never made it.  African priest and healers, skilled in herbs and holistic healing, saved many slaves from dying. While others, learned the land quickly, identifying the plants and leaves that could be used for medicinal purposes as well as consumption. It is also important to understand that Vodun and Yoruba are some of the oldest religions in the world. Both religions have a great deal of parallels to Christianity, in particularly Catholicism. Over time, African healers began to trade secrets with the Natives and syncretized religions, such as Candomble in Brazil, Santeria in Cuba, and Lukumi in Puerto Rico, were borne. This list doesn’t include other types of magical practices such as Hoodoo and Palo Mayombie

If Voodoo is real, how come the people who practiced it were slaves?

I get that question all of the time. The truth of the matter is that African slaves did use Vodun and Yoruba to abolish slavery. Hello, The Haitian Revolution. It was the only successful slave revolt in the Caribbean. Vodun practitioners evoked the Lwa Ogun, the warrior god to help them fight and win against the French. Not to mention the fact that many Hougan (Vodun Priest), Santos (Santeria Priest) and Shamans have been working in the background, to not only end slavery, but also segregation during the 1960s. Let’s not forget about all the Black pirates throughout the Caribbean who commandeered French, Spanish, and American ships. 

Why does Voodoo have such a bad reputation?

Voodoo is a practice that consists of Lwa and spirit possessions. Most importantly, it is a practice of love. Voodoo practitioners work on a premise of oneness, a sense of interconnectedness, evolution, and continuous growth. However, this mindset doesn’t really have a place in the Western World, because we place such a huge emphasis on the Individual. The framework is not the same. So what happens? People start to practice Voodoo for their own personal gain.  So Vodun, this beautiful, all encompassing religion, turns into a vile and malignant force that destroys people with just one simple spell.

Have I lost you yet?

Let me explain this concept in more detail. You see Vodun practitioners don’t believe in dualities. There is no such thing as right or wrong, black or white. They believe that positive and negative forces must work together so that humanity can thrive. Sadly, in the Western World, we created this dichotomy of good and bad. When you start to see the world as black, or white, you throw nature off its course. For example, sugar.  Sugar in its natural state, isn’t that bad for you.  The sugar cane plant has natural constituencies and properties that make it easier for your body to process.

However, when you extract sugar from the plant, the sugar becomes much more potent. We all know that sugar is more addicting than crack cocaine. Sugar is also deadly and causes obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes. So what am I saying here? When you take something out of its element, it becomes a mere mutation of what it used to be. The energies from these practices cause people to go crazy. They become egomaniacal and deranged. Most importantly, they are hurting others by using these vile and malignant energies.

What’s the solution?

The first thing that people need to understand is that the Lwa and the Orishas are about love. So if you approach them with greed, anger, jealousy, and selfishness, you’re going to get back that nasty malignant energy that is plaguing our world today. I am no fool. I know that they are people who practice Voodoo who hex and curse people. However, I also know that these people are incredibly skilled and calculated in what they do, refer to my article, How to put a curse on someone? So, I hope this information was helpful. Please take the time to sign up to my list. I tend to give away free gifts and invite people to free workshops and webinars. So sign in, I am looking forward to seeing you on the other side.