Amanda Gutierrez
Voodoo which means “spirit” in Fon, was born in the West African country of Benin and is practiced by more than 4 million believers. The origins are not well known but it is thought to have evolved from ancestor worship and animism. ‘While practitioners believe in only one true God they communicate with him through thousands of different spirits and shrines.” It is practiced in many different countries and although they all have for the most part the same beliefs some of their practices are different. Spirit possession occurs in the “Birth of Voodoo” when the daughter of a Voodoo priest is chosen to be a spirit medium. She is claimed by the Earth spirit, Sakpata, and is thought to be dead; she lies for three days without food or water. The villagers prepare for her to be reborn; they spread of path of cornmeal to rid it of evil. “To signal the pass from the world of the dead to the world of the spirit, the body must come feet first into the village.” The villagers touch her with open palms which invoke the spirit inviting it to return and touch her with a chicken with purifies the body. When she awakens from the world of the dead she now has the spirit in her. She will now be able to communicate with the Spirits which will still take much practice. She will be able to heal those that are ill and help with other problems like money. In “Haitian Voodoo” spirit possession occurs to heal people and to guide believers. Haiti is a Catholic dominant country but Voodoo is practiced with some Catholic traditions incorporated in it. The local Voodoo priest must become possessed to help a relative who recently began acting and speaking strange. He is possessed with not an ancestor’s spirit but with the feared “Baron Samedi” Lord of the dead. This spirit finds the problem and expresses his anger towards the boy’s father, who he blames for his son’s problems. The priest also “learns which spirit will guide the community for the coming year.” To prepare for this the priest spills roman water and lights candles. He struggles to breathe as the spirit arrives, then he begins to dance. He then speaks in the Warrior spirits voice; this is the spirit that will guide the village the next year. In “New World Voodoo” spirit possession occurs also to heal people and to solve problems. Many Catholics “that hear the call of the spirits” gather every year at Mount Sorte, where the spirit of Maria Lionza and others return to help those in need. A member of a cult “Maria Lionza” becomes possessed to help heal and solve problems for those who seek it. A possession ritual is performed to prepare one’s body to be possessed. He goes into a trance and blood is needed to cleanse the body. Once possessed he can now reach out to the bad spirits in them and cure them. Although spirit possession can be hard on the body it is overall a very spiritual and fulfilling task to endure for those that communicate with the spirits. Spirit possession also helps the community by healing those that are ill, guiding them, and helping solve problems. The religious specialists in Voodoo are priests, priestesses, and mediums. Yes I do think that Voodoo is a perfect example of syncretism, because it takes some parts of other religions, like Catholicism, and fuses it with Voodoo beliefs. For example Haiti is predominantly a Catholic country but when African slaves were taken there they integrated some Catholic beliefs with their Voodoo beliefs. For example Saint Peter holds the key to the gate of heaven and Papa Legba is the gatekeeper to the spirit world. Catholics pray to Saints for help communicating with God, while those that practice Voodoo ask help from spirits that can communicate with their God. Also in “New World Voodoo” you see many people making the sign of the cross while chanting Voodoo chants and many people are wearing a crucifix. The man becoming possessed also says “the blood that you shed cleans your body, the way Christ did.” When African slaves were introduced to countries they had to make do with what they had and integrated with other religions around them. Over all I think Catholicism and Voodoo have more in common than most people think.