Witch Queens, Voodoo Spirits, and Hoodoo Saints: A Guide to Magical New Orleans

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The creation of sacred works is important in Vodou. [205] Votive objects used in Haiti are typically made from industrial materials, including iron, plastic, sequins, china, tinsel, and plaster. [39] Cosentino, Donald J. (1995b). "It's All for You, Sen Jak!". In Donald J., Cosentino (ed.). Sacred Arts of Haitian Vodou. Los Angeles: UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History. pp.243–263. ISBN 0-930741-47-1.

Some [marabouts] are like psychotherapists... while others are swindlers,” said Jean-Pierre Olivier de Sardan, an anthropologist at the French National Centre for Scientific Research. An individual who turns to the lwa to harm others is a choché, [186] or a bòkò, [405] although this latter term can also refer to an oungan generally. [186] They are described as someone who sert des deux mains ("serves with both hands"), [406] or is travaillant des deux mains ("working with both hands"). [222] As the good lwa have rejected them as unworthy, bòko are believed to work with lwa achte ("bought lwa"), [407] spirits that will work for anyone who pays them, [408] and often members of the Petwo nanchon. [409] According to Haitian popular belief, bòkò engage in anvwamò ("expeditions"), setting the dead against an individual to cause the latter's sudden illness and death, [410] and utilise baka, malevolent spirits sometimes in animal form. [411] In Haiti, there is much suspicion and censure toward those suspected of being bòkò. [222] Vodou features complex funerary customs. [414] Following an individual's death, the desounen ritual frees the gwo bonnanj from their body and disconnects them from their tutelary lwa. [415] The corpse is then bathed in a herbal infusion by an individual termed the benyè, who gives the dead person messages to take with them. [416] A wake, the veye, follows. [417] The body is then buried in the cemetery, [418] often according to Roman Catholic custom. [419] During the occupation, the indigénisme (indigenist) movement developed among Haiti's middle classes, later transmogrifying into the international Négritude movement. These encouraged a more positive assessment of Vodou and peasant culture, a trend supported by the appearance of professional ethnological research on the topic from the 1930s onward. [512] Church influence in Haiti was curtailed by François Duvalier, the country's president from 1957 to 1971. [513] Although he restored Catholicism as the state religion, Duvalier was widely perceived as a champion of Vodou, [514] calling it "the supreme factor of Haitian unity". [503] He utilized it for his own purposes, encouraging rumors about his own supernatural powers, [515] and selecting oungans as his chefs-de-sections (rural section chiefs). [516]In Haiti, oungan or manbo may advise their clients to seek assistance from medical professionals, while the latter may also send their patients to see an oungan or manbo. [236] Although in the late 20th century there were concerns that the Haitian reliance on oungan and manbo was contributing to the spread of HIV/ AIDS, [397] by the early 21st century, various NGOs and other groups were working on bringing Vodou officiants into the broader campaign against the virus. [398] In Haiti, there are also doktè fèy ("herb doctors"; "leaf doctors") who offer herbal remedies for ailments but deal in fewer problems than oungan and manbo. [399] Harming practices [ edit ]

The initiation ceremony requires the preparation of pot tèts (head pots), usually white porcelain cups with a lid in which a range of items are placed, including hair, food, herbs, and oils. These are regarded as a home for the spirits. [289] After the period of seclusion in the djèvo, the new initiate is brought out and presented to the congregation; they are now referred to as ounsi lave tèt. [115] When the new initiate is presented to the rest of the community, they carry their pot tèt on their head, before placing it on the altar. [161] The final stage of the process involves the initiate being given an ason rattle. [290] The initiation process is seen to have ended when the new initiate is first possessed by a lwa. [161] Initiation is seen as creating a bond between a devotee and their tutelary lwa, [291] and the former will often take on a new name that alludes to the name of this lwa. [292] Shrines and altars [ edit ] An altar in Boston, Massachusetts established during the November festival of the Gede But fictional portrayals and public perceptions are only part of the sense that Voodoo is dark or disturbing. In addition, the practice of Voodoo includes activities that are taboo in other religions and cultures. Many ceremonies involve the sacrifice of live animals and the use of animal blood. Some also include the use of dried animal carcasses and animal parts [source: Guynup]. While animal sacrifice has been a part of major religions, including Judaism, it is not commonly practiced today. Several other influences affected Voodoo as well, including the traditions of the local Taino tribes. Valme, Jean M. (24 December 2010). "Officials: 45 people lynched in Haiti amid cholera fears". CNN. Archived from the original on 22 July 2013 . Retrieved 22 March 2012. Vodou teaches that supernatural factors cause or exacerbate many problems. [400] It holds that humans can cause supernatural harm to others, either unintentionally or deliberately, [401] in the latter case exerting power over a person through possession of hair or nail clippings belonging to them. [402] Vodouists also often believe that supernatural harm can be caused by other entities. The lougawou ( werewolf) is a human, usually female, who transforms into an animals and drains blood from sleeping victims, [403] while members of the Bizango secret society are feared for their reputed ability to transform into dogs, in which form they walk the streets at night. [404]Vodou has also been characterized as polytheistic. [77] It teaches the existence of beings called the lwa, [81] a term varyingly translated into English as "spirits", "gods", or " geniuses". [82] These lwa are also known as the mystères, anges, saints, and les invisibles, [30] and are sometimes equated with the angels of Christian cosmology. [79] Vodou teaches that there are over a thousand lwa. [83] They serve as Bondye's intermediaries, [84] and communicate with humans both by possessing them and through dreams. [85] Vodouists believe the lwa are capable of offering people help, protection, and counsel in return for ritual service. [86] Each lwa has its own personality, [30] and is associated with specific colors, [87] days of the week, [88] and objects. [30] They are however not seen as moral exemplars for practitioners to imitate. [89] The lwa can be either loyal or capricious in their dealings with their devotees; [30] they are easily offended, for instance if offered food they dislike. [90] When angered, the lwa are believed to remove their protection from their devotees, or to inflict misfortune, illness, or madness on an individual. [91] Desmangles, Leslie G. (1990). "The Maroon Republics and Religious Diversity in Colonial Haiti". Anthropos. 85 (4/6): 475–482. JSTOR 40463572. The names of Catholic saints became the names of loa. In many cases, the loa's role reflected that of the corresponding saint. For example, Saint Peter holds the keys to the kingdom of Heaven and corresponds to the loa Papa Legba, who is the spirit world's gatekeeper [source: Dialogue Institute]. McAlister, Elizabeth (1993). "Sacred Stories from the Haitian Diaspora: A Collective Biography of Seven Vodou Priestesses in New York City". Journal of Caribbean Studies. 9 (1 & 2 (Winter)): 10–27. Archived from the original on 2012-04-22 . Retrieved 2012-03-22.

If you are not good at makeup, here is easy witch makeup idea. You just need basic makeup and then deepen your eye shadow. And use your eyeliner pencil to draw some symbols on your face. Pretty Witch Makeup IdeasIn real Voodoo religious practice, dolls can be used to communicate with the departed spirits of loved ones. A doll might be placed on a grave or hung from a Kapok tree in the cemetery. Similar to how a loa might possess the body of a living person to communicate, Voodoo practitioners might use a doll as a medium to speak with the spirits, just as they would use drums and dancing [source: The Tempest]. Government of Tibet in Exile. "Nechung - The Oracle of Tibet." http://www.tibet.com/Buddhism/nechung_hh.html Bartholet, Jeffrey. "Tibet's National Spirit Advisor." Pulitzer Center. July 16, 2013 (April 29, 2022) https://pulitzercenter.org/stories/tibets-national-spirit-advisor Pastor Thibault said he had witnessed “disastrous consequences” of such practices on other footballers and basketball players.