tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743965357861234981.post1899857353790636982..comments2023-06-12T10:56:08.134-05:00Comments on nsomniasaum: The Vodou that I don’tSaumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05684586617971796705noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743965357861234981.post-1421842049791951522010-03-12T02:24:50.342-06:002010-03-12T02:24:50.342-06:00Thanks. Y'all are truly wonderful people. I re...Thanks. Y'all are truly wonderful people. I really appreciate the support, and your willingness to share your wisdom and perspective.Saumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05684586617971796705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743965357861234981.post-70823835590237509042010-03-11T20:35:20.676-06:002010-03-11T20:35:20.676-06:00i've also heard people get up in arms saying &...i've also heard people get up in arms saying "new orleans is 'voodoo' not 'vodou' but neither is superior"<br />personally i could give a shit about spelling. :P but this is apparently a hot button issue. weird!Iktomihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06764173102454691516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743965357861234981.post-27952762481592576292010-03-11T12:22:59.336-06:002010-03-11T12:22:59.336-06:00Vodou is clearly an 'adaptable' practice.
...Vodou is clearly an 'adaptable' practice.<br /><br />Did Gede wear glasses in Africa 2500 years ago? I don't think so.<br /><br />Were cuban cigars offered then? uhhh....no<br /><br />Was Danballa connected to St. Patrick in the very old days? Seems highly unlikely.<br /><br />So, thinking that practices (the externals) shouldn't change is foolish and misguided.<br /><br />However, there probably is something about adhering to the tradition and not spoiling sacred images.<br /><br />Did the Kokkipelli image lose it's power by being taken up by every shop seller in the southwest? Maybe.<br /><br />Did the power of the crucifix diminish by Madonna wearing one as a hood ornament. Possibly.<br /><br />But what you are speaking about is really listening inside yourself and making very personal choices guided by your own spirit (spirits).<br /><br />Dogmatists be gone.<br /><br />cheers,<br /><br />TreyTrey Gunnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03985941462240477133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743965357861234981.post-84080349783724642122010-03-06T08:10:35.352-06:002010-03-06T08:10:35.352-06:00My knowledge of Vodou is exceptionally limited, as...My knowledge of Vodou is exceptionally limited, as you know, but my knowledge of your quest to find a spiritual framework that speaks to you and works for you is much more fleshed out. And so I will post these lyrics as they have spoken to me in my personal quest so many times...<br /><br />"If I knew my mind like the back of my hand,<br /> The Gold and the Rainbow,<br /> nothing panned out as I'd planned.<br /> They say only milk and honey's<br /> gonna make your soul satisfied<br /> but I'd better learn how to swim<br /> cause the crossing is chilly and wide...<br /><br />...Up on the Watershed<br /> standing at the fork in the road<br /> you can stand there and agonize<br /> til your agony's your heaviest load.<br /> You'll never fly as the crow flies,<br /> get used to a country mile.<br /> When you're learning to face<br /> your path at your pace<br /> every choice is worth your while."<br /><br />- "Watershed" by The Indigo Girls<br /><br />Try not to agonize too much over what others might try to claim as legitimate in your world, although I know it goes against your grain. Your Lwa will help you make your choices.padspawsnclawshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10947647884289752172noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743965357861234981.post-64632249244013612772010-03-05T22:28:38.198-06:002010-03-05T22:28:38.198-06:00You're an amazing woman, Saum. I'm moved b...You're an amazing woman, Saum. I'm moved by your humility. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and including us in your struggle. Powerful stuff.<br /><br />Urban I disagree on the flaming and defriending. When I speak my mind - edited or not may be considered aggressive or inflammatory. How ppl respond to it is more telling of their motivations and may not be responding to my intent or expressed opinion. <br /><br />The medium is driven on exclusive perspectives. Social media puts the user in charge of their 'feeds' and level of disclosure or engagement. <br /><br />Interests wane, change like the flowing of time. Defriending goes the way of such interests, I think.cyberRAH612https://www.blogger.com/profile/12711698954657581425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743965357861234981.post-4796118762667940652010-03-05T17:59:47.307-06:002010-03-05T17:59:47.307-06:00wow, your letter was extremely well written and ex...wow, your letter was extremely well written and explained very succinctly. <br /><br />i think many people follow a religion in order to feel that they are superior to others. that's why we have the "our religion is the only right one" mentality. it's laughable. do we really know what is going on in the minds of God? or the spirits? who really knows the whole picture? certainly not you, and certainly not me. <br /><br />the instructor of my class, Iya Bega, warned me that there will be those who say i can't practice because i'm white. for her, personally, she had been told she couldn't practice because she is gay. people have definitely had problems with her for other reasons too... stupid reasons like the one against you.<br /><br />i'm also receiving mambo racine's updates and she just received a hate letter calling her a fake and poseur for having a french, not creole, name! so my point is that people will say such things to anyone and they don't need a legitimate reason to do so.<br /><br />however this is one of the most potent reasons i am hesitant to join any religious order. how much of the religion is politics and drama and negativity? how much is genuine spiritual work? i don't know, and this is part of my search- to find a community where i don't always have to be on the offensive. otherwise, i'd be better off just practicing on my own.Iktomihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06764173102454691516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7743965357861234981.post-48947469430242153472010-03-05T08:29:35.329-06:002010-03-05T08:29:35.329-06:00I believe you’ve needed to say this for a while.
...I believe you’ve needed to say this for a while.<br /><br />People challenging your beliefs in Vodou, something you’ve obviously spent so much time, energy and dedication on pursuing, is more personal, because it’s something you choose, something you reach for. Not being born into it, there is an inherent uncomfortability in it that there could be a nuance you’re missing that other people get, through their years of being immersed in the tradition.<br /><br />Someone using those wedges to try and pry you apart is another matter altogether. Would people say houngans and mambos in Africa are not legitimate because they didn’t kanzo in Haiti? I don’t think people would dare call them illegitimate, even though their Vodou practices would differ from those in Haiti, which were infused with indigenous native traditions and Catholicism. Those in the New Orleans traditions can trace their roots and houses back to Haiti. They’re much closer relatives of each other and still intermingle quite often through interchange and dialogue. Of course being a part of that interchange and dialogue yourself, it makes it personal.<br /><br />There are a few ways to look at this. First, the birthright and cultural emersion of being raised in this tradition you’ll never be able to claim. Now I do agree with you the the Lwa have been with you your entire life, but that’s my next point. Spiritual experience is something you continue to have with you. If it’s not this Mambo’s Vodou (if we can legitimately verify her claim to such title) then you should continue to pursue what is yours. It works for you and many other people in Minnesota, Louisiana and elsewhere in the US. Beyond that there is the education, training and practice. You’re educated, you’ve had specific training the Haitian and New Orleans traditions, initiation, rites and you practice. <br /><br />If someone wants to claim that you’re not a Mambo, or that the moon is made of cheese, they can make all kinds of claims. But there’s no real authority she can assert in making thus claims. That’s between you and the Lwa. If they want to make those claims, well then you’re in trouble. If she wants to make them, tell her to punt off. I’d just laugh.<br /><br />The whole thing reminds me of the Eastern Orthodox Catholics and the Roman Catholics. The Eastern Orthodox excommunicated the Romans, and the Romans in turn excommunicated the Eastern Orthodox. Are neither valid religions or is it just the Romans because they were ousted first? If some woman wants to start a schism between Haitian and New Orleans Vodou, let it be her shtick but I think I’ll continue with my house to consider Haitian Vodou real and the rest of the linage in Haiti will do the same.<br /><br />Religion is a very personal thing. It’s one way we identify who we are, as a being, as a soul as something more than mortal, physical and intellectual. Challenging someone’s belief system is more than world shocking, it’s reality shocking. But that doesn’t give people the right to kill people over it, whether in riot, massacre or machete. Facebook flaming and unfriending over this difference of opinion is juvenile.<br /><br />That all being said, nothing I or anyone else can say matters here. The Lwa speak to you and you listen. They’re the ultimate authority on this topic. I’m glad you said something.Urbanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06019262251107123583noreply@blogger.com