BLACK MAGIC III (VOODOO)

What´s voodoo?

Voodoo, too, has been associated with modern "black magic"; drawn together in popular culture and fiction. However, while hexing or cursing may be accepted black magic practices, Voodoo has its own distinct history and traditions that have little to do with the traditions of modern witchcraft that developed with European practitioners like Gerald Gardner and Aleister Crowley.

Voodooists believe in a distant and unknowable Supreme Creator, Bondye (derived from the French term Bon Dieu, meaning "good God"). As Bondye does not intercede in human affairs, vodouists direct their worship toward spirits subservient to Bondye, called Loa. Every loa is responsible for a particular aspect of life, with the dynamic and changing personalities of each loa reflecting the many possibilities inherent to the aspects of life over which they preside.

·         Spirits: Vodouisants believe in a Supreme God called Bondye. When it came in contact with Roman Catholicism, the Supreme Creator was associated with the Christian God Jehovah, and the loa associated with the saints.

·         Loa: A large sequined Voodoo "drapo" or flag by the artist George Valris, depicting the veve, or symbol, of the loa Loko Atison. Since Bondye (God) is considered unreachable, Vodouisants aim their prayers to lesser entities, the spirits known as loa, or mistè. The most notable loa include Papa Legba (guardian of the crossroads), Erzulie Freda (the spirit of love), Simbi (the spirit of rain and magicians), Kouzin Zaka (the spirit of agriculture), and The Marasa, divine twins considered to be the first children of Bondye.