(1) Hi.
Could you please tell me some differences
between the Loa Ogou Feray and Ogou Badagris?
Papa
Ogou is one of the great Loa of Rada Vodou.
Primarily a warrior Loa, He carries all the
"Mars" associations of the male sex - the
color red, blood, fire, lightening, the
sword, the metal worker, and also, the
magical connotations associated in many
cultures with the smith. As Ogou Badagris He
is a phallic and magical Loa associated with
a particular coastal region of Nigeria. As
Ogou Feray, He is associated with iron,
metals, and the sword - this also brings
relevance to His identification with Saint
Jacques as religious chromolithographs
represent this saint as carrying the sword
of his martyrdom. Stability, order &
authority are characteristic of him,
although minor derivatives of the Saint
Jacques figure (for example, Nanchou) while
retaining the energy of Ogou, have not his
dignity. As Ogou Shango, Ogou is identified
with Shango the Lightening Orisha of the
Egba people of Dahomey. Hope this answers
your question. Good luck on your path!
(2) Can you
please tell me about the way Yemaya sends
messages? Last night I heard seashells
shaking in my bedroom. It was the most
beautiful sound, and so comforting.
Thanks so much for your inquiry about
Yemaya. As I'm sure you already know,
She
is the
Orisha of the Ocean, amongst
other things and representations of
Her
are often adorned with sea shells. She is
very mothering and must have felt you needed
the peace & comfort. Spirit communication is
a very personal thing and I feel it's best
to trust your instincts on the matter. If
you feel Yemaya is speaking to you, listen
to her messages and do your best to
interpret them and apply them to your life.
The best book I know of about Yemaya is by
Fatunmbi – he has written several remarkable
books. Among them are his Orisha series,
wherein he writes about each Spirit Force
individually. It was in this collection of
books that Yemaya was included in. I highly
recommend it and all of his work. Good luck
to you! Hope this has been helpful.
Click here
for a link to these great reference books
or call our French Quarter Shop at
504.522.2111 for more info.
(3) Do Voduns
really think that zombies are real?
Hi, thanks so much for your inquiry. In my
opinion, the best exploration of the
phenomenon of zombification is Harvard
Scientist/Ethnobotanist, Wade Davis'
fantastic book "Serpent & the Rainbow” (By
the way, don't think, "I'll save time & just
rent the movie." It's not the same!).
In it, he shares the
experiences he encountered while doing
research in Haiti - research which proved
that Zombies & the formula which creates
them are both very real.
Be that as it may, the
creation of Zombies is not a part of the
traditional Voodoo practice – it is in fact
frowned upon by both honorable Mambo &
Houngan alike. It is more the province of
the bocor/bokor.
(4) What is a
bocor/bokor/boko?
A bocor/bokor/boko
is a sorcerer who performs
Spiritual Work
for clients in return for gifts or money.
What separates them from other
practitioners is that, in general, they
"work with both hands." In other words,
they will perform many rituals involving
black magick & will-control that most other
initiated Vodou practitioners will not.
(5)
I am
interested in the symbolism behind the
various objects of voodoo.
Thanks so
much for your inquiry. The machete is
connected with an Orisha & Loa called Ogun
and Papa Ogou respectively. He is the Spirit
of Iron, Justice & the Father of Technology
& Modern Machines - among other roles. A
machete dance is often done to honor him
during ritual. Below, I've pasted the link
to our online books section. I recommend
reading "Jambalaya" by Vodou Priestess
Luisah Teish and Fatunmbi's "Ogun: Ifa and
the Spirit of Iron" for more info about the
powerful Spirit Forces & the symbols
connected with them. Good luck to you!
http://www.voodooshop.com/products/books/index.html
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