Whether it’s spelled Voodoo, Vodou, or Voudoun, this frequently-misunderstood religion of the African diaspora is starting to get a makeover in the American consciousness. A traditionally secretive religion, Vodou has long been represented in movies and television shows as being focused on sticking pins in dolls and making people into zombie slaves. That image is starting to change, however, in ways that could make members of the Pagan community sit up and take notice.
© Canadian Museum of History, Frank Wimart
In contrast to the Hollywood vision of Vodou, an exhibit at the Field Museum in Chicago seeks to present an accurate picture of Haitian Vodou through its artifacts. According to a press release about the exhibition, “Vodou: Sacred Powers of Haiti looks beyond myths and manufactured Hollywood images – exhibition visitors will see no dolls with pins stuck into them. Instead, the exhibition explores the underground history and true nature of a living religion and reveals Vodou as a vital spiritual and social force which remains an important part of daily life in Haiti.” Text and video of members of the religion are used to explain the symbolism behind, and uses of, the more than 300 objects, many of which are on loan from the Marianne Lehmann Collection in Pétionville, Haiti.
Patrons of the Field Museum will come away with some understanding of Haitian Vodou, one of the major branches practiced in the United States today. The other is Louisiana or New Orleans Voodoo, a tradition which evolved in that southern city thanks in part to the fact that slave families were more likely to be kept together than they were in the East. Followers of the two paths kept mostly to themselves in the city, according to a profile of the religion in Newsweek, although initiation into both wasn’t entirely unknown. The devastation of Hurricane Katrina changed all that; many Vodou practitioners lived in the Ninth Ward, which bore the brunt of the damage when the levies broke:
“After Katrina, the remaining members began to forge a new, cross-faith community. The mixed ceremonies and social gatherings served a support network for participants from both sides of voodoo as they rebuilt their lives. “We became more close-knit. Those of us who stayed and didn’t evacuate opened what lines of communication had been closed,” says Michael “Belfazaar” Bousum, an employee of Voodoo Authentica and a priest of New Orleans voodoo.
“The new scene has also encouraged members of the ancient religion to create a web presence —- forums such as “Vodou, Voodou, Vodoun, Vodun” on Facebook and “A Real Voodoo Club” on Yahoo Groups are popular —- as well as welcoming outsiders to their events for the first time. “Before, you really would have had to know who a mambo or a houngan was to participate in a public or private ceremony. You would have to be in the inner circle. Now it’s accessible with a few keystrokes,” says Parmelee. “Plus, people who left are returning. The community is definitely coming back.””
New Orleans Healing Center
The most impressive demonstration of this new face of Vodou is surely the New Orleans Healing Center, a 55,000-square-foot complex which has become a focal point for the religion since it opened in 2011. The center hosts public ceremonies, a bustling shop, and has gone a long way towards normalizing perceptions of this religion in New Orleans. It cost a reported $13 million to build, including both public and private funds, and represents the type of infrastructure many Pagans yearn for, and others shun.
There are many reasons why such an massive project was possible in the Vodou community, while similar ideas remain dreams for Pagans. For one, while there are different schools of thought, Vodou is not an “umbrella” of often unrelated faiths, as Paganism is. For another, Paganism is wrestling with questions of money that Vodou has mostly put to rest.
Lilith Dorsey
“Gardner said not to charge for spiritual services,” explained Lilith Dorsey, who writes the blog Voodoo Universe, but “Marie Laveau was the first to charge for services.” She was referring to Gerald Gardner, whose contributions to Wicca in the 1950s set the tone for many conversations in the Pagan community today, and 19th-century Vodou priestess Laveau, whose impact on New Orleans Voodoo was equally seminal. “Some people may have no other way of making a living,” she said, “they might be uneducated, or crazy, or this is just the only skill they have.” Instead of having a cultural bias against accepting money, in Vodou it’s expected.
One of the interesting details about this mainstreaming of Vodou is the monotheistic bent it’s taking. The Newsweek article is quite clear on that point, saying that both New Orleans and Haitian Vodou “are monotheistic (the highest god is Bondyè, the “good lord”), are mostly oral- instead of text-based and celebrate thousands of cosmic and natural spirits (akin to Catholicism’s saints).” Since Dorsey writes about Vodou for a Pagan site, The Wild Hunt asked her if Vodou is a monotheistic religion.
“That’s a sticky question,” Dorsey replied. “It’s more acceptable to be monotheistic in this culture. I approach it anthropologically: if you offer to it, it’s a god or goddess. I consider lwa and oreshas to be gods. In the Catholic Church they call them saints, but they function like gods.” However they function, though, in her experience, “People don’t want to have a lot of gods.”
Dorsey, who maintains connections to the Vodou communities in New Orleans and New York City, also said that not everyone is happy with the public face of Vodou that is emerging. “Will it be good? I can’t say. On one hand, the more neighbors you have who practice Voodoo the more okay it seems. I have neighbors who are okay with Voodoo but not with ‘evil Santeria.’ On the other hand, public ceremonies mean cameras, and there are things one should not be taking pictures of. “That’s hard for the average person to determine. I do a class on ritual blessings for camera, and once you start talking about photography, that’s another whole level.”
Art museums and shiny new healing centers are signs that the face of Vodou is changing fast. Dorsey said that, like water, it will find its own level. When it does, it could be possible to draw some conclusions about how Pagan religions may change as they become more normalized, for good or ill.
The Wild Hunt is not responsible for links to external content.
To join a conversation on this post:
Visit our The Wild Hunt subreddit! Point your favorite browser to https://www.reddit.com/r/The_Wild_Hunt_News/, then click “JOIN”. Make sure to click the bell, too, to be notified of new articles posted to our subreddit.
I have often wondered whether the reason Gardner was so strictly against accepting money for priestcraft was specifically because he was looking to distance Wicca from other models of magickal religion, such as Voudoun… and whether that doesn’t reflect a racism on his part, one that was ubiquitous in his time.
Of course, it could just as easily have been Spiritualism’s tarnished reputation he was out to distance Wicca from as Voudoun. But I think it’s probably beyond debate that racism has played a strong role in the Hollywood horror depictions of the religion. I’m very glad to see it assuming a more public face, and I really, really wish I could make it out to Chicago for the show! (Perhaps The Wild Hunt can arrange coverage?)
While Voudoun is not my path, it’s one I find frankly fascinating, especially in the ways it is both true to itself and syncretistic. Integrity and change–good models for any religious movement.
Gardner certainly used the UK system to become wealthy off the backs of Asian rubber and tea farmers, so he was definitely part of the racist system of his day. But I think his reason for not charging for services is linked to fears of persecution, at least that is the context in the Old Laws. But I also think Gardner’s rede against charging for services was one of the factors that steered Wicca into becoming a religion, rather than having the Craft focus on being a money-making activity.
Gardner’s contact with Afro-Diasporic religions was pretty limited AFAIK, so I doubt that he was thinking of them. He may have been trying to differentiate Wicca from Spiritualism, as you say, or the practices of Gypsies, or the Roman Catholic Church.
Also consider the possibility that Gardner did not originate the restrictions on money, but received them from his teachers.
Pop culture from the 1950s has enough voodoo references that I suspect he was familiar with those, at least–not to mention that fact that he was a bit of an armchair anthropologist when it came to matters of the occult. So I suspect he knew enough to be aware that the tradition was viewed fairly negatively by his culture.
Of course no one can rule out the possibility that much of what he wrote came from his teachers… though it’s probably pretty clear that I’m in the skeptics’ camp when it comes to many of his claims about inheriting his tradition. Not a diss of Gardnerian Wicca, in my eyes, actually, though I know there are those to whom those may be fighting words!
My intention wasn’t to antagonize, though, but to think about Gardner as a product of his time, as we are of our own.
I’m sure he knew that witchcraft was negatively viewed as well from the way the press sensationalized his stories he told them. I really do not think GBG was afraid of a connection with Voodoo. As an amateur anthropolgist he was always trying to make any connection he could to witchcraft, as his book _The Meaning of Witchcraft_ abundantly illustrates.
IMO there is a legitimate range of opinion on the sources of Wicca, and research occasionally turns up additional data.
There is some evidence that Gardner had teachers who taught him some things (I didn’t say “much”) that he incorporated into what became known as Wicca. If one accepts that as likely, and we are speculating on the origin of something for which the source is not known, we ought not dismiss a priori the possibility that it didn’t originate with Gardner.
In this instance, Apuleius Platonicus may have nailed it. The group most commonly suggested as having contained Gardner’s teachers called itself the Rosicrucian Theatre.
Yes, the Rosicrucian theatre is where he first encountered the witches which he believed to be a remnant of the ancient witch cult posited by Murray. They were a small group within the theatre there. Not all the Rosicrucians in that theatre were witches and the leaders of it weren’t. The thing that brought them all together was the enactment of Greek mythological plays.
I think we know quite a bit about Gerald Gardner, thanks to historians and people who knew him. And there will always be debates about the details, just like there are about any historical figure.
I don’t think it was because of an attempt to distance itself from Voodoo but rather to control who is in charge of the resources. At least that is the way I understand it from my numerous discussions with Isaac Bonewits on the matter.
Now THAT is an interesting possibility! Whoever controls the purse has a large degree of power in any religious system. Mmmm.
The proscription against accepting money is very well established in Western Esotericism (which was a major influence on Gardner and Wicca) – going back at least to 16th century Rosicrucianism.
I will trust your scholarship for that, Ap.
Gerald and Donna Gardner actually visited New Orleans in December of 1947 according to Chapter 27 (kindle ebook location 5467) of Philip Heselton’s _Witchfather (Book 2). They were on their way to visit a dying relative in Memphis, TN. While Gerald was in New Orleans he actually sought out a Voodoo practitioner. He met a woman who was born on a plantation. Later, Gerald told Jack Bracelin (one of his covenmates) that “though the method of raising power differs, they use it in the same way”.
Very interesting, Mr. Greenman. Another Pagan who connected to Voodoo was Victor Anderson, who told of meeting a “Priestess from Africa” while a young boy in Oregon. She was said to be a “Mambo” who had immigrated to Oregon and initiated him into the Mysteries of Voodoo.
Okay, I accept the correction.
As a frequent visitor to NOLA, I can tell you, voudoun has a presence on Bourbon St. and that “mainstreaming” ( such that it is) has helped the area’s practitioners be less closeted. Outside of New Orleans, especially in northern Louisiana? Hard to say. Louisiana is two different states, the conservative north where the state’s name is pronounced “Loo-we-see-an-a” and the more eclectic Cajun/Creole south where the state’s name is pronounced “Loos-see-an-a”. In any case, I wish them well.
Your article glosses over and misinforms the readers of the reality of New Orleans Vudoo, Santeria, Lucumi, Palo and Condomblé houses that exist here. The fact that you do not mention the public house of Sister Miriam who has been established for well over 2 decades exposes the weakness of your single source article. Traditional Vudoo practitioners, and in fact every Afro-Cuban religion understands that those shops in the quarter are not religious shops, they are in fact for the tourists. And the spelling of Vudoo/Voodu matters greatly as it indicates the source, or heritage, of a given house. Hurricane Katrina and RIta were tipping points for the whole city, however, the houses of the Afro-Cuban religions had been established LONG before the levee failure inundated the city, and remain established after hurricane Katrina. The “healing Center” is a new age center, established by folks who are not New Orleanians, rather, transplants from elsewhere who came after Katrina and took advantage of the devastation. Your article exemplifies why most of the practitioners of Afro-Cuban religions do not interact with the public: you do not put forth the effort needed to understand, rather, you take the short easy answer.
Eshu Miwa,
Ilé Eshu Laroye y Sango
New Orleans, LA
Sister Miriam, indeed, is a very respected, loved beautiful soul who has headed the “Voodoo Spiritual Temple” for 24 years. The Healing Center might have been founded by people from outside New Orleans, but that doesn’t mean they aim to “take advantage.” That is a claim that deserves some kind of evidence. Yes, this article could have been more accurate, but if people like you don’t make the information available, we must find what we can find. Can you, perhaps, give us a more accurate source of this information so we can learn?
Alafia! There are a wide range of ATR houses, and I am in fact a member of Priestess Miriam’s house myself, which I wish had been mentioned as part of my contribution to this piece.
Sadly, You are partially correct. Miriam WAS mentioned in the original
article and I know for a fact the young woman who wrote it interviewed
her… I sent her to speak with Miriam because I value the importance of
her wisdom, as do many of the people whom I deal with, including my
shop owner.
I’m sorry you felt neglected by this article however,
what did you expect from someone who is outside Voodoo/Vodou to
produce? A completely 100% accurate picture of what it is that we do?
It isn’t going to happen. What we won’t fill in, people will assume,
and you know what they say about assumption…
The fact is, New
Orleans has MANY traditional houses… The ATR offshoots continue to
grow, working together and on their own to achieve their respective
workings.
Pointing fingers at who is real and why you think they
are has not solved anything before and will only cause issues in the
long run. Especially since you obviously don’t know who anyone is
outside of their public persona…
Tennessee Williams came from Missouri; Emeril Lagassé came from Massachusetts; lots of people who have contributed to New Orleans culture and religion were born elsewhere. Leafy Anderson was a transplant from Chicago, but Black Hawk Spiritualism is still one of the most powerful and vital traditions to come out of 20th century New Orleans. (And several people have mentioned Priestess Miriam, a midwestern transplant who learned Belizean spirituality from her late husband).
Afro-Cuban religions may well have been established in New Orleans for decades — given the fact that New Orleans is the northernmost Caribbean city, I’d be surprised if they weren’t. But they don’t become an important part of public New Orleans spirituality until the 70s or thereabouts when Charles Gandolfo started promoting Ava Kay Jones and practitioners of other ATRs as “New Orleans Voodoo.”
If you want to turn this into an opportunity to promote your own house and denigrate competitors, you’re certainly practicing a long-standing New Orleans tradition. But don’t be surprised when those who have actually researched the subject see what you’re doing and call you on it.
Vodou is monotheistic insofar as Bondye is honored as the Creator and the One God. It is polytheistic insofar as worshippers interact with and honor many spirits — in fact, said spirits get far MORE attention than the distant and inapproachable Bondye.
I would also note that Vodou has had a public face in Haiti and the Haitian-American community for decades. There have been public ceremonies in the United States since before the Duvalier era, and of course well before that in Haiti. It is not becoming more “public” so much as it is becoming more easily accessible to curious white Americans. The fact that a ceremony is held in a “dangerous” neighborhood does not make it secret.
Another note: “Vodou” and “Voodoo” actually *are* umbrella terms for a number of disparate practices. In Haiti, “Vodou” is usually used by Vodouisants to mean Sevis Gineh (also known as the asson lineage) but Haitians who are less involved in the tradition, and non-Haitians in general, use it to describe pretty much any Haitian folk magical religious practice. And “New Orleans Voodoo” encompasses a wide variety of practices and traditions and has since the days of Marie Laveau. So while there may be many reasons why there’s no Neopagan equivalent to the New Orleans Healing Center, the monolithic nature of Vodou/Voodoo is not one of them.
I’m so pleased to see Vodou featured at The Wild Hunt.
I’d like to respond with some clarifications:
I
founded & ran the Interfaith/Intergroup program at the New Orleans
Healing Center. One of the Healing Center’s founders is Sallie Ann
Glassman, a Mambo. (She’s my initiator, mentor & friend.) Her
Botanica is in the Healing Center, but so are 20+ other
projects/businesses. The Healing Center is inclusive of people of all
faiths (or no faith). It’s not in any way a “Vodou” Center. Interfaith
outreach and education is part of the mission; representing the heritage
of New Orleans is part of the mission. That includes, but is not
limited to, Vodou. Check out our New Orleans Sacred Music
Festival for an idea of how we bring religious/spiritual traditions into
public awareness. http://www.neworleanssacredmusicfestival.com/
Money remains an issue for most practitioners. There
are many Voodoo/Vodou and other African Diaspora Tradition Houses and
practitioners in NOLA. It’s very diverse, but I don’t know anyone who is
financially secure due to their religious/spiritual work. Nearly
everyone has a day job; if they are lucky, it’s at Botanica.
All that being said, I’m delighted to see positive, balanced articles about Vodou! Thank you!