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Articles
& Information
Following is a list of articles and information that
I have either collected off of the internet or compiled and written myself. The
information
provides information about various
aspects of Voodoo, the origins of Voodoo, as well as different cosmologies,
cultures, mythologies, and related metaphysical issues.
Find educational videos
here.
The real act of
discovery is not in finding new lands, but in seeing with new eyes. - Marcel
Proust
NOTICE: Some material contained in some articles
on this web site were written by
European-Americans from an outsider's perspective. Clearly, some of these authors were racist and
used derogatory
language and this attitude is reflected in their writing. The texts are
nonetheless
presented in their entirety because they provide an indispensible account of
the customs, beliefs, and practices of the African American south during the
19th century. You are reminded to consider the information you read within the
social and political context of the time in which it was written. The racist and
derogatory attitude reflected in these articles in no way reflects my personal
belief system; the articles are presented for educational and informational
purposes only.
Denise
Alvarado
This page is a collection
of information, recipes, customs, traditions, legends, and crafts in
celebration of the Yuletide season.
The Action in Attraction: 10 Things You Can Do Today
Michelle L. Casto
Ananse the Spider The story of the African trickster spider Spirit, Ananse,
from the Metropolitan Museum of Art podcast.
By Sam Pragg, IPS, 20
January 1999. Obeah is an ancient practice which is said to have been adopted
from Africa after the slaves from the West Coast of the continent came to the
Caribbean.
About 60 percent of this West African nation's people follow
voodoo, which originated in the region, but the Marxist regime that came to
power in 1972 discouraged its practice.
Black Cat Folklore
By Denise Alvarado
Historically, black
cats were symbolically associated with witchcraft and evil. This article covers
black cat superstitions, deities, and folklore.
By Anton Chaitkin,
Executive Intelligence Review, V21 #40, [30 July 2002]
Chakras
By Denise Alvarado
An Integrated System
of Healing that Reflects the
Mind-Body Connection
Day of the Dead
By Denise Alvarado
This article discusses the ancient Mexican holiday Dia de
los Muertos or Day of the Dead. Included is a description of art characteristic
of Day of the Dead, such as papel picado, skull art, and free papel picado
patterns.
The generally accepted view is that Petwo Voodoo is certainly
not African, featuring practices not found at all in Africa,
like zomibification and a much greater reliance on the violent side of the
spirits...
Dragons and Dragon Lore
By Denise Alvarado
The dragon is a mythical creature typically depicted as
a gigantic and powerful serpent or other reptile with magical or spiritual
qualities. On this page find dragon Classifications, Types of Dragons, European
Dragons, Asian Dragons, Egyptian Dragons, African Dragons, Babylonian Dragons,
Indian Dragons, the Ouroboros, Dragon Spells, Dragon Lore, and the Legend of St.
George and the Dragon.
This book focuses on a set of beliefs
and magical practices (some of which are today known as 'Hoodoo'), including
root doctoring, the existence of spirits, talismans, lucky and unlucky acts and
omens and more.
Enûma Elish
By Denise Alvarado
The
Enûma Elish is a great Assyrian poem, or
series of legends, which narrates the story of the Creation of the world and of
humankind. A brief history of the
Enûma Elish is provided, followed by the Seven
Tablets of the History of Creation in their entirety.
The Evil Eye
 Faces
of Africa Photo Gallery
"A Voodoo devotee surrenders himself
to the spirit of his personal deity. His eyes roll upward and his pupils
disappear, leaving only the whites. Depending on which direction the eyes roll,
observers can tell what spirit has possessed him. This man, with his eyes rolled
toward the sky, is possessed by Hebioso—the thunder god." Photographers Carol
Beckwith and Angela Fisher, writing in the book
Faces of Africa
Fairy Lore
Fairy Power from Ancient Legends,
Mystic Charms, and Superstitions of Ireland
by Lady Francesca Speranza Wilde [1887]
Fairy Spells
First
hand accounts of zombification
A dialogue on Bob Corbett's Haiti
List, December 1995. Sources for zombification. Wade Davis (brief).
Freya
The Golden Guide to
Hallucinogenic Plants
by Richard Evans Schultes
This unique Golden Guide surveys the
role of psychoactive plants in primitive and civilized societies from early
times to the present. The first nontechnical guide to both the cultural
significance and physiological effects of hallucinogens, HALLUCINOGENIC PLANTS
will fascinate general readers and students of anthropology and history as well
as botanists and other specialists. All of the wild and cultivated species
considered are illustrated in brilliant full color.
Haiti: Possessed by Voodoo
In Haiti voodoo believers pray and perform animal
sacrifices to feed—and
beckon—the spirits. The ceremony begins with a Roman Catholic
prayer. Then three drummers begin to play syncopated rhythms. The attendees
begin to dance around a tree in the center of the yard, moving faster and harder
with the rising pulse of the beat. The priest draws sacred symbols in the dust
with cornmeal, and rum is poured on the ground to honor the spirits.
Haiti-Spirit
Politics
By Paisley Dodds, AP, 30 October
2002. At a time of deepening poverty and despair, many people in this Caribbean
country see only one way out; Voodoo is Haiti's only hope. We have
nothing else—unless you're willing to risk your life to make it to the United
States.
Haiti
Voodoo
By Michael Norton, AP, 26 July 2003.
Although millions still practice Voodoo—now a state-sanctioned religion in
Haiti—some are turning their backs on the religion brought from Africa, testing
other faiths as their Caribbean nation grapples with growing instability and
poverty. A growing number, estimated at 30 percent, identify themselves as
Protestant, and adamantly oppose Voodoo.
"In any religion, there
is room for perversion of the religious doctrine"
- Wade Davis
The shortest account which one
typically hears of the Haitian Revolution is that the slaves rose up in 1791 and
by 1803 had driven the whites out of Saint-Domingue declaring the independent
Republic of Haiti. This essay addresses the often overlooked complexities of the
Haitian revolution.
Handwriting Analysis
Information for handwriting analysis resources.
Haunted New Orleans Wish Spell
Herbal Mojo
History of New Orleans Voodoo
Hoodoo Voodoo Lore
How to Conduct a Séance
How to Make a Day
of the Dead Altar
How to Make a Voodoo Doll
Ideomotor Effect
In this paper, Carpenter explains his
theory that muscular movement can be independent of conscious desires or
emotions. Discussion as it pertains to Ouija board phenomenon.
Introduction to Voodoo in Haiti
By Bob Corbett, March 1988. Basic
concepts, key terms, and issues discussed in outline form.
Kwanzaa
Last of the Voudoos
Law of Attraction
Marie Laveau
Inside Voodoo: African Cult of Twins Marks Voodoo New Year
In his small village, Ameko shares a genetic
predisposition to produce twins and
a fervent belief in twins' special place in the vodun. Like other
indigenous peoples in this part of West Africa, Ameko believes twins are living
deities that symbolize fertility. He worships them as a member of what is known
as the Cult of the Twins.
Reporter Lorne Matalon's African
assignment was part of the National Geographic Society's ongoing Ethnosphere
Project, a five-year series of expeditions to study cultural diversity.
Mini-Guide to New
Orleans, Louisiana
Mules
and Men
Native American Fetishes
Native American Wellness:
A State of Affairs
New Orleans
Superstitions
Nothing to lose but your chains, white slaves
Haiti Briefing extract, 27 August 1998. Review of press coverage of
two Vodou Nation performances of houngan Edgar Jean-Louis, and Boukman
Eksperyans in London and Liverpool in May. The enduring fascination Vodou holds
for westerners is based on old stereotypes. Cultural imperialism is at its worst
when religious discourse strays into ethnic comparisons.
On
Voodoo
Hugh B. Cave
There are ceremonies offered
in or near Port-au-Prince for tourists, which are little more than folklore
presentations staged for money. Real Voodoo is a religion, concerned not with
tourists but with the invocation and worship of gods and spirits.
Ouija Board
Parapsychology
and the Paranormal - Part I
Prayer to the Seven African
Powers
The Rainbow Bath
This is an excerpt from the upcoming book by Denise
Alvarado that focuses on spiritual baths in the Hoodoo tradition.
Reexamining U.S. Slaves' Role in Their Emancipation
Hillary Mayell for National
Geographic News, December 6, 2002
The 13th Amendment abolishing slavery in the United States was ratified 137
years ago today, on December 6, 1865. Fittingly, today is also the start of a
conference at Yale University focusing on the often overlooked role that
enslaved Africans played in freeing themselves.
Religious Rituals
By Jeffrey B. Cohen, The New York Times, Sunday 19 January 2003.
Elizabeth McAlister, an assistant professor in the Religion Department at
Wesleyan University, discusses vodou and the Rara festival.
A
short list of major loa
By Bob Corbett, 16 July 1995. A characterization of the loa (gods) in the Voodoo
religion.
Story of Zombi in Haiti
The Supernatural
Caribbean
Teaching the Truth About
Thanksgiving
Texts of the Philokalia
The Science of Getting Rich
The Secret
The Story of Ogun and Oshun
Trolls
Voodoo a Legitimate Religion, Anthropologist Says
Voodoo is widely regarded as a mysterious and
sinister practice that's taboo in
many cultures.
Voodoo Blood Rite: Reporter on African Ritual
In the small village of Zooti in southern Togo, West
Africa, residents practice
voodoo.
Voodoo Death
By Walter Cannon
This is the seminal
1942 article by anthropologist Walter Cannon that explores the effect of Voodoo
curses on physical health.
Voodoo Gods and Goddesses
Voodoo Holidays
Skeptical
Inquirer, Jan-Feb, 2002 by Joe Nickell
Vodou
is fully recognised as a religion in Haiti
A presidential decree dated April 4,
2003 recognizing Vodou as a religion indicates that all Vodou chiefs, temple
officials, officials at a sacred site, as well as all Vodou organizations or
associations are empowered to file a request for recognition by the Ministry of
Culture and Religious Affairs.
Voodoo Photo Gallery 1
Photographs by Jean-Claude Coutausse, copyright National Geographic
Society
Voodoo Photo Gallery 2
Photographs and captions by Chris
Rainier, copyright National Geographic Society
Voodoo Resources
Voodoo Spells
Voodoo Vévés
Vodou's Veil
By Jaqueline Charles, jcharles@herald.com,
posted on Saturday 03 May 2003. Vodou is practiced here in South Florida:
Shrouded in a veil of secrecy in hidden-away temples that double as private
homes, and storefront religious stores known as botanicas. Impact of
recognition.
When are Magic Spells Performed?
Will the Real Santa Claus Please Stand Up?
West African Voodoo Dancing Masks Photo Gallery
Drummers and singers are an integral part of voodoo ceremonies, acting as the
conduit for the spirits to journey into the ceremony like this Gelede mask
ceremony in Benin, West Africa. The powerful sound evokes the deity to visit
voodoo mask dances.
What is
Voodoo?
By Mambo Michelle
The question of what exactly is New Orleans Voodoo is challenging. There is some
controversy within the community of Vodouisants regarding New Orleans Voodoo.
Many feel that New Orleans Voodoo simply is a marketing tool of the City of New
Orleans. Others feel it is a deep and hidden portion of New Orleans culture that
is only just beginning to get the respect it deserves. The truth probably lies
somewhere in between these two views.
Yoruba Legends
Zulu
Oral Art
H. C. Groenewald
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"Great Spirits have always encountered violent
opposition frommediocre minds" - Albert Einstein
Educational Voodoo Videos
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