Mysteries and Secrets of Voodoo, Santeria, and Obeah Read online

  Should the flame separate into two or more distinct flames, then the major flame represents the person for whom the wizard or sorcerer is working the Santerian magic, and each of the other flames — of various sizes — represents a rival in love, an opponent, or an enemy. Additional spells may be needed to overcome this opposition. A flickering flame is indicative of spirit presences in the room. They may be assisting the spell — or hindering it.

  The direction in which smoke moves is also important. Santerian enchanters believe that if the smoke drifts towards the client for whom the enchantment is being performed, the prayers are answered or the benign and positive spell has worked satisfactorily. If the smoke moves away from the client, the spell will still work, but there are difficulties ahead and perseverance will be needed to gain the victory. If the smoke moves away to the right, the subject will need to think hard about the problem connected with the spell to find a way through the difficulties. Patience and pure reason will be the best allies. Smoke that drifts to the left is less auspicious than smoke that drifts to the right. Left-drifting smoke suggests that the subject is too emotionally involved in the problem at which the spell is directed. These overreactive emotions are preventing the spell from working. The magician’s advice to his client is to relax and be calm.

  Traditional Christianity and the ancient African religions are to some extent syncretized in Santeria, Obeah, Voodoo, Umbanda, and the other quasi-magical religions that form one significant part of the legacy of slavery. There are specific areas that can be analyzed within that syncretism. Some important underlying beliefs are common to the conjoined faiths; then there is the conflation of Christian saints and African Orishas. There are similarities in the modes of addressing the saints or Orishas and in the styles of prayers to them. Christian candle symbolism can also be observed alongside Santerian candle symbolism. Having established the essentially syncretized nature of the mysterious beliefs and practices of Voodoo, Obeah, Santeria, and similar religious systems, it is possible to explore and examine their fundamental principles.

  Chapter 6

  THE PRINCIPLES OF SANTERIA, VOODOO, OBEAH, AND SIMILAR RELIGIONS

  There may be a few written accounts of what Santeria and the other mysterious Afro-Christian syncretized religions are, but they have no official, centrally authoritative book, such as the Zend Avesta of the Zoroastrians, the Analects of Confucius, the Book of Mormon, the Christian Bible, or the Holy Koran.

  Santeria, Voodoo, Obeah, and the other mysterious syncretized faiths have been — and are still — passed along by oral tradition. Because practices and beliefs vary considerably from one worshipping group to another, such few informal, written records as do exist are mainly in the form of eyewitness accounts of ceremonies and the personal recollections of initiates and practitioners.

  An act of Santerian worship is presided over by a Babalawo (high priest) or an Iyalocha (high priestess). The religious leader conducting the service begins by taking a mouthful of aguardiente and spraying it over the congregation. Aguardiente literally means firewater or burning water and is usually about 50 percent proof alcohol. In Colombia and Mexico it is made from sugar cane. In Chile it is brewed from the stems, pulp, and seeds left over after the grapes are pressed. Another variety is flavoured with sun-dried cherries and called enguindado. Aguardiente is by any standards a truly formidable beverage.

  The members of the congregation are all dressed in the colours appertaining to their own special Orishas. They may have their Orisha’s sacred, magical number embroidered on their religious garments. Orishas also favour certain foods, and the worshippers bring these to the ceremony. For example, the number seven identifies Ogun, the Orisha of iron and war, and his favourite colours are black and green. Oshosi, another military Orisha, favours blue and yellow. Obatala combines all the colours of the rainbow into a brilliant white, but sometimes adds red and purple as trimmings to his all-encompassing white robes. Oya favours maroon and wears it in patterns of flowers. Famous as “The Mother of Nine,” she can also be represented by nine different colours. Oshun wears yellow and gold, and five is her magical number. Yemaya dresses in blue and white — like white foam on blue waves — and her number seven reminds her worshippers of the seven seas. Shango recognizes the numbers four and six. Numerologists add four and six to make ten, then add one and zero to make one. Shango’s colours are white and red, whereas Orunmila has green and yellow as his distinguishing colours.

  The altar occupies a central place during Santerian ceremonies, and an image of Christ is displayed prominently. Pictures or statues of Saint Barbara, Saint Philomena, Saint Teresa, and other dual Orisha-saint characters are placed on it or close to it.

  Santeria and most similar religions believe in ache — which can best be understood as a form of spiritual energy. It can also be thought of as psychic power or mental strength. The ache of the Orishas themselves can be concentrated in stones of various kinds — just as the ache of Thoth, Hermes Trismegistus, and Melchizedek was thought to be concentrated in the sacred Emerald Tablets. These sacred power stones associated with the various Orisha-saints are known as otanes. Because the beautiful and sensuous Orisha Ochun is associated with rivers and streams, her otanes are gathered from the beds of clear, fast-flowing, fresh water. Yemaya — an Orisha of the sea — has otanes that are gathered from the seabed.

  The otanes of Ochossi — an Orisha similar in several ways to the English concept of Herne the Hunter — are gathered from deep forests and wild land associated with hunting. In one of the legends attached to the English Herne, he was thought to have been a loyal and valiant servant of King Richard II, who reigned from 1377 to 1399. When a large stag attacked the young king, Herne intervened and saved the monarch but was mortally wounded himself. A wizard restored him to life — but with the stag’s antlers attached to his head.

  There are many more Wild Hunt legends throughout Europe and Scandinavia, and some may well have originated in Africa and made their way to Europe via traders or African soldiers in the Roman army. A significant percentage of Roman legionaries and gladiators were African, and some early legends of wild, paranormal hunters could well have crossed the Mediterranean with them.

  Hermes Trismegistus, also known as Thoth and Melchizedek.

  The Wild Hunt and its fearsome leader — sometimes headless, sometimes with antlers — is known as Wutan’s Army in parts of Germany, and as Odensjakt in Sweden and Denmark. For the Danes, its leader is King Waldemar. In other English versions of the legend the Chief Huntsman becomes a Saxon rebel named Wild Edric. The French claim that he is one of their great heroes: Charlemagne, Roland, or Oliver. A version of the legend that may possibly link the European Wild Hunt and its mysterious leader with Ochossi and the African Orishas is the story of Herla, King of the Britons.

  In this early Wild Hunt narrative, Herla met a mysterious King of the Dwarves, who was riding a goat (an important symbol in Santeria). They made a solemn pact that each would attend the other’s wedding. Soon afterwards, Herla married. The name of his bride varies, but in this narrative we refer to her as Adyna, a beautiful young Celtic princess. Herla was passionately in love with her, and they began an idyllic life together. As arranged, the dwarf had duly attended their wedding and bestowed generous gifts on the royal couple. A year after their marriage, the dwarf king returned to announce his forthcoming nuptials and reminded Herla of his promise to attend the dwarfish wedding. Reluctantly, Herla took leave of his exquisite young queen, as one of them had to remain behind in charge of their joint kingdom while he and his men attended the dwarf king’s wedding. Bearing generous gifts, Herla’s party followed the uncanny dwarf and his riders to the sheer face of a sinister cliff. It opened at the dwarf ’s bidding, and closed again behind them.

  Herla and his party were entertained and honoured by the dwarves for three days. Before they left they were given magical horses and a mysterious enchanted hound, which rode on Herla’s saddle. The dwarves warned them that the ho
und must alight first whenever they stopped. They were then escorted back to the cliff that opened again at the dwarf king’s bidding and sealed itself once more behind Herla and his men.

  The first person they met was an elderly shepherd, who had great difficulty in understanding what Herla was asking him.

  “You speak a very old language, which I have not heard for many years,” explained the old man apologetically. Herla’s first question was about his beloved Adyna. Was all well with his queen and their kingdom? The old shepherd scratched his head for a few minutes and then said slowly, “Before my great-grandfather’s time, there was talk of a good queen by that name, who ruled our land justly and well for many years — after the king vanished. It was said that her great beauty attracted many suitors, but she refused them all … she watched and waited faithfully for him until her death.”

  After listening to the old shepherd’s story, one of Herla’s men alighted to give the old man a few coins — but as his feet touched the ground, the generous nobleman turned to dust. They realized then that the enchanted hound was still in the saddle with Herla and until it leapt down, they were eternally trapped.

  The legend tells how they ride until the world’s end, looking in vain for the enchanted portal in the cliff that leads to the dwarf king’s domain. This quality of being a cunning trickster — like the dwarf king — forms part of what might sometimes be considered the negative side of the characters of some Orishas. Eleggua in particular has this Odysseus-like quality, while Ochossi, the wild hunter Orisha, rides like Herne.

  The otanes associated with Shango and his awesome thunder and lightning are meteorites. As these are very rare and hard to find, stones in his honour are brought down from the tops of mountains where Santerians believe that the powers of thunder and lightning are greatest. Once the otanes of an Orisha have been properly collected by worshippers and brought to the ceremony, they are duly sanctified and blessed by the priests and priestesses.

  Herne the Hunter, the demigod with antlers.

  Ownership of the otanes may be the privilege of one individual worshipper, the family of that man or woman, or the whole community gathered at the ceremony. According to Santerian belief, the spiritual energy of the Orisha associated with his or her particular otanes works with the spiritual energy of the worshipper and confers psychic power and protection on that worshipper.

  The place from which the otanes were gathered is also thought of as a type of motherlode, and here too the power of the relevant Orisha is regarded as being extra potent. Parallels with traditional Christian beliefs can be seen again here. Certain holy places, shrines, and centres of pilgrimage are felt to be extra powerful sites from which prayers can be offered more effectively.

  The otanes are kept in big, covered, ceramic dishes — not unlike soup tureens — and these are placed in front of the images of Christ and the saints who are associated with the Orishas. The cowry shells used in Santerian divinations are also kept in these tureens.

  The first type of divination used at the ceremony is known as dilogun, and is performed with sixteen cowry shells. The shells are thrown onto a tray and careful note is taken of the pattern in which they land, and whether the shell’s opening is upwards or downwards. By following a prescribed system known to Santerian priests and priestesses, the reader of the shells can decide what the worshipper’s problem is and which of the Orishas can help to resolve it.

  Ifa is a more complicated system that can be operated by a Babalawo or Iyalocha. It uses as many as 256 signs known as odu. For this more elaborate system, the cowry shells may be threaded onto necklaces, and several necklaces are thrown on the divining tray at the same time. This advanced technique is used for advising the worshipper on important life changes such as marriage and career moves.

  There is another form of oracle known as Biague. This was the name of the first Babalawo who used the technique. In the ancient African traditions, Oludomare blessed the coconut palm tree and granted it a special gift: You shall give food and oil to humanity — and through you they shall be able to divine what is to come. The Biague oracle operates when four pieces of coconut shell are thrown to the ground. The Babalawo, inspired by the relevant Orisha, is thought to be able to divine the future from the pattern formed by the falling pieces of shell, which are called obinu. The Biague oracle can respond only with yes or no answers — as in the old English quiz game of twenty questions — so questions posed have to be simple and direct.

  Another central part of the service is the sharing of omiero. The preparation of this liquid is very complex and elaborate. Holy water is solemnly mixed with rainwater, seawater, and river water. Then some very powerful aguardiente alcohol is stirred in. Pepper, eggshells, honey, butter, and herbs are also added. The most important part of the preparation, however, involves malanga — which is also known as yautia, tannia, or cocoyam — a plant belonging to the xanthosoma species. A large malanga leaf is wrapped around a live coal, which is then lowered into the mixture and left to brew for twenty-four hours.

  The Babalawo or Iyalocha in charge of the service ceremonially presents the container of omiero north, south, east, and west, and pours out a little of the liquid at each cardinal point. The mixture is taken to the altar next and offered to the Orishas. After this the priest or priestess in charge pours a few drops on the floor next to the doorway of the room in which the service is being held. After the ritual at the door, omiero is spilt on the floor in the centre of the room three times. Most members of the congregation then take a few sips of the omiero.

  The next stage is for the priest or priestess to take a small portion of soil from the roots of the plant associated with a particular Orisha, mix it with powdered eggshell, and use the mixture to make patterns on the floor. The symbols drawn there are duly blessed and sprinkled with corn flour. Just as with European magical services involving pentagrams, candles are lit and placed at strategic points around these Santerian designs. They are then regarded as sacrosanct, and the worshippers take great care not to step over them or inadvertently to walk on them.

  If any new candidates for initiation are present at the ceremony, they reverence the Orishas, then turn away from the altar, looking towards the Santerians who have sponsored them for membership. Their sponsors then reverence the Orishas on the new candidates’ behalf, and the sacred drumming starts.

  Just as members of the congregation can find themselves overwhelmed at a charismatic, evangelical Christian service, so members of the Santerian gathering may now feel that powerful, spiritual force possess them. In this possessed state, the Santerian shivers, shakes, experiences convulsions, and may even collapse inert on the floor.

  When bodily functions are restored, it is part of Santerian belief that the man or woman who has been influenced so dramatically by the Orisha becomes the steed that the Orisha rides and controls. The technical term for the supposedly possessed person is montado or caballo during this part of the proceedings. Santerians believe that the Orisha has taken over the person completely — the possessed individual’s voice and mannerisms undergo dramatic changes. The original personality of the montado is no longer observable: the phenomenon is very similar to the condition that psychiatrists would describe as multiple personality disorder. It is also comparable with the dual personalities of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in Robert Louis Stevenson’s immortal classic — except that the personality demonstrated by the Orisha is simply different: not evil as Hyde’s was. Each Orisha has a particular drum rhythm by which he or she can be recognized, and one of these specific rhythms now takes over the previous percussion pattern.

  The next stage of the Santerian initiation process takes place when Obatala, Shango, Yemaya, and Oshun take on the role of sacred asentados, which means “those who have taken their seats.” Santerians believe that these first four very important Orishas have taken their places on the candidate, and he or she has now entered Santeria under their protection. After that, it is the other Orishas who select the
candidate as their Santerian: candidates do not select their Orishas — the Orishas select them.

  Orishan baptism — similar in many ways to full-immersion Christian baptism — is also an important element in the initiation service, as is the special ceremony of feeding an angelic being called an eleda. In the Santerian faith, an eleda is a personal guardian angel that is located inside the believer’s head. If it is neglected, it will leave, and the Santerian will consequently have less intelligence and less protection against evil entities than before. Some researchers into the mystery of the crystal skulls have suggested that they may be intended to symbolize the dwelling places of these eleda.

  The principles of Santeria include animal sacrifices — which are similar in many ways to the sacrifices (burnt offerings, sin offerings, and peace offerings) that were carried out as part of Judaism in Old Testament times. Santerians defend the practice by saying that the priests and priestesses who carry out these bird and animal sacrifices on behalf of their worshippers are trained to do it in a swift and humane manner. They also argue that the meat is eaten by the worshippers so that nothing is wasted and only the blood is sacrificed to the Orishas. It is also customary to offer trees to an Orisha. Music, dancing, and drumming are prominent in Santerian worship and are regarded as equivalents to prayer.