Ogu, the Path Controler

The Iron Deity, Ogu

Part of the principle of Fire, Ogu is the deity known as the guardian of roads and borders. It protects against road accidents and any accident related to sharp objects. When you have been encountering difficulties like blockage from promotion or finding solution to a problem, Ogu will easily open the gate of success if you go to complain to him about the situation. Ogu does not take alcohol; the required libation to Ogu is soft drink. Whenever you put local drink or any alcohol on Ogu, you have then called trouble on yourself.
But what sounds bizarre here is that the Ogu in this picture does take alcohol. It is the only Ogu nationwide here that takes Alcohol. You can see it only in the oldest temple of the Fon ethnic group of Ouidah.
For more info, just dial the:+229 96848037

Difference Between Vodun and Fetish

Vodounnon versus Hounnon

One of the biggest confusion one has to avoid when trying to reconnect to the root is to avoid taking a Hounnon for a Vodounnon. Everybody can become a Hounnon if they want to, but everybody cannot be Vodounon. A Hounnon deals with Vodun xixô; which can be referred to as a spiritual robotery that individual can own and use it to satisfy their personal needs. It can be used to do good as well as it can be used to do evil. It is like a gun. You can use a gun to kill or to protect yourself. Your robot cannot do more than the programmation you have put on it. Some Vodun xixô are powerful enough to serve more than one person but he is under the command of his priest. In this case, things are organized just like an imported religion or a sect. For one reason or another, you go to the priest to get initiated so as to benefit from the protection of the that Vodun/divinity. After your initiation, you are prescribed a new lifestyle related to the divinity. Trɔn followers for example do not eat pork, nor do they eat in black pan. As examples of most popular Vodun xixô in Benin today are:Trɔn, Gambada, and their derivations. While a truly well set-up Trɔn  is considered as a powerful divinity that terrifies witches and protect against all type of enemies, Gambada is considered a powerful technology that is used to control people in order to get some favor from them against their will. At that time, Mami technology, not Mami as Vodun Ayidjè, is seen as a spirit you can sign contract with to get all wealth you desire or some uncontrolable power on earth in exchange for short lifetime or your offsrping. There are other strong Vodun xixô whose clans are not easy of access and that are used for different purposes. Among the list, we can mention KINNINSI or KINNONSI which is known as Azévodun (a Vodun that take witches and wizard for food that He/She enjoys without mercy). 

A Vodounnon is not dealing with robotery. He is serving a Vodun which is commintted to serve the whole community. The Vodounon is not commanding a techonlogy. He is taking care of an angel that is serving the Mighty God by doing protecting the marvelous world God has created. Vodun Ayidjè are full part of our existence. We can't do without them. No matter you race, your culture, your religion, you are Vodunvi on one way or the other. Vodun are the living energies that rule Mother Nature. The evidence is that the main Vodun Ayidjè that we have are: Vodun Dan (the air), Toxosu (water), Xevioso and Gu (the fire), and Sakpata (the earth). In other words, Vodun spirituality is more about knowing yourself and staying in tight communion with Mother Nature. 

Path to the Root

Kɔku 

Kɛnnɛsi (Kinninsi)

Do fetishes really assume full protection?
Fetishes trully assume protection but are almost useless when you have skipped the basic steps. Let me first of all tell you that despite the praise about those fetishes as terrible fighters against witchcraft, skillful witches easily use them to attack the followers. This should not be surprising if you acknowlege that we are in technology, spiritual technology. Should I recall you that your robot will not do more than the programs you've put in it? Being owner of a very powerful fetish does not mean that you can control everything or everyone. It is like you use your gun to shoot on the anti-bullet of the ennemy. Sometimes the juju you want to put on someone via your fetish may turn back and totally destroy you when the target person has a stronger fetish or is under vibrations of the mighty Ancestors. Fetishes for our forefathers were additional stuffs in some specific cases (war within tribe or family, or for specific challenges). This means that before refering to fetishes, there are steps to take.

Why going to fetishes hapharsadly is so risky?
Let me start with this quotation of Sa-mèji (Ifa sign) which states that "Bo ɖé nɔ hu Vodun tɔn a". There is no spiritual technology above Vodun (deities, natural forces). Before you get into any fetish, you need a divination, or if possible, get initiated to Ifa in order to know better about your energy because when your energy does not go with the fetish you are taking, you can easily collapse within short time. You can sometimes drop dead few days after taking a fetish initiation. There are some énergies that are totally against the use of all juju. Another point is that you cannot be water and go to fire for protection. Getting connected to the root does not mean collecting strong juju from all around the world. The best way is to go to Ifa to find out which Vodun(energy) you go with.

What should we know about Vodun or Vodun priest then?

As far as Vodun priest is concerned, it is important to point out that a Vodun is not a tool that one can manipulate the way they want. Vodun is directly related to the universe we are living in, they are Angels at the Mighty God service. The universe is one like a country. But it has different departments like a country as well. The main departments of the universe are: Air, Fire, Water, and Earth. Each of these departments has a main leader, a minister. In that trend, Dan is in charge of the ministry of air, Xevioso (Sango) rules the fire (thunder), Sakpata governs the earth, and Dan will take other forms (Toxosu, Mami) to rule waters and ocean. These deities take different names according to the ethnic group. For example, Xevioso, god of thunder, is known in Yorubaland as Sango whereas it is known in Ewe (Togo and Ghana) as To-Hoonon. The same way they have lots of dérivations. Ogu for instance is part of Xevioso but he controles the iron and road or all accident with metalic objets. But what is amazing is that none of the different deities is said to be more powerful than others, and more amazing is that the complicity within them is so tight that we wonder how to truly make a clear cut distinction of them. For example, who can really explain us how come that Tɔxɔsu is the King of waters but Xɛvioso controles the falling rains. Despite the differences, the different elements come together to make the universe. The different vodun are angels leading the different elements that the universe is made up of. Getting into vodun means finding out which ministry you belong to and what is your mission on earth. That is what Vodun is all about if we are going to give It an approximative définition.

Who is the Vodun priest?

In African spirituality, especially in Vodun-Hwendo(Benin), the Vodun priest is chosen by Ifa, the only messenger of all Deities (all Vodun). A Vodun does not have the role to serve a specific individual but rather a whole community or a whole family. You can't wake up and decide to make your own vodun. The Vodun priest cannot order the Vodun he is in charge of to kill someone and the Vodun will obey. The priest has just the role to pray for individuals, for a family, for a community, to give libation to the Vodun on the behalf of the community, or to take care of people who have special concern and desire to talk to the Vodun.
Anyway, Vodun can do bad even kill. When someone in the community has powerful fetishes and is doing evil to the inhabitants, Vodun can cause his plans to return to him. Vodun Xêbioso acts very violently in that trend.
You can contact me via whatsapp for more infos: +229 9684 8037

The Sacred Basket

The Sacred Basket

Naturally, baskets are not used for saving water, but in African spirituality, this is a reality. Such a basket is used to purify individual and give them new positive vibrations. The message that is hidden in that practice is "your success will be like a miracle for everybody around your area".

Zangbeto, the Mystic Masquerade

Zangbéto the Mystic Masquerade

   Zangbeto, which means the gardian of the night is not a deity as many Africans of the diaspora may think. Zangbeto is not like Xêbioso, Ogu, Sakpata,Dan,etc. that are responsible for human destiny and life purpose. Zangbéto is just a mystic mask created by King Tè-Agbanlin, Funder of Hogbonou (present Porto-Novo) either to bear down invaders or to run over his enemies in the past. After Tè-Agbanlin had conquired the land previously occupied by the Gun, the Tofin and the Yoruba, and settled his kingdom which he named Ajatchè or Hogbonou, Zangbeto was used as the gardian of the night for the security of all inhabitants of the newly founded kingdom. Though colinization brought great changes to the social organization of Hogbonou and Benin in general, the practice is still going on in some areas, especially rural ones. Other people, with permission of the elders, can put the spirit in their farms so that whoever steal anything from the farm will be strongly disturbed by the spirit of Zangbeto. The most frequent question that visitors, even some native, ask is to know what is inside Zangbéto. Whenever I am asked the question, a smile naturally appears on my lips because I too used to ask the same question when I was still a little lay boy. Anyway the answer to that question remains unanswered. The hut is often opened by the priest-guides to let the watchers and especially doubters to touch the truth with eyes. The insider of the hut is everything you can see in this life except human beings. Sometimes it can be burnt in front of the crowd and will reappear short minutes later. If you desire to know more about Zangbeto or eyewitness the expression of its power, just contact me on the 00229 96 84 80 37

On the way to Vodun Festival international 2019. Ouidah/Benin

A Xêbioso adept at the V.F.I.

A Xêbioso at the V.F.I.

       
 A Xêbioso adept performing at the Vodun Festival International 2019; Ouidah Beach. A nice picture taken by my dear friend Dynast Amir. It was a great day as usual. If you are willing to eye witness such events or to learn more about Vodun-Hwendo (the world of African spirituality), just dial the 00229 96 84 80 37, which number is used for whatsapp as well.

The Respect for Pythons in African spirituality

The Sacred Pythons of Ouidah

          Pythons in Ouidah are not only sacred snakes but especially the oldest divinity of the Xweda, the very authentic inhabitants of the city. Like the French speak French and the English speak English, the Xweda speak Xweda, and their sacred python is called "Xweda-Dagbe", which literaly means the python of the Xweda. Difficuties related to right pronunciations and spelling caused the outsiders French to write Ouidah instead of Xweda, and the Portuguese to write Judah. Though the Xweda were dominant ethnic group, it is important to highlight that Ouidah was and remains culturally a very mixed city not only because it used to be a market of slave collections but due to its geographical location which brought Yoruba and other tribes who made it to here to buy salt by barter. Today Xweda is known as Ouidah and stands for the world headquarter of Vodun-Hwɛndo. So, before slave trade and colonization, the city known today as Ouidah had the frequent visits of different tribal people because of its location by both the atlantic ocean and the salty lagoon which they use to produce salt...

For further info, dial this number:

00229 96 84 80 37 (whatsapp as well)

Pythons in their hut at the python temple of Ouidah. 

The non-aggressive sacred python generally lives for 40 years. When It dies, a special ritual is completed for its burial. the door of their hut is periodically opened for them to show off all around the temple, especially at night. Mouses and small lizards are their favorite preys.

Divination via Fa

The different ways of consulting Ifa

       First of all, to consult Ifa means to do divination. And as I mentioned in the previous article, there is more than one way to do divination, I mean to question Ifa, the spirit that is considered knower of everything. The most known and most used way to consult Ifa is through “akplè” (a special chain conceived for that purpose). Before the chain was created or integrated, only nuts (special palm nuts) used to exist, but the use of nuts demands more effort and is time consuming. The chain is then an alternative to the nuts though these ones are still in use. The chain or the nuts are used to interpret signs’ combinations that could be considered as the language in which the universe is written, which justifies the reason why people see Ifa as a science. Though the learning process, to be effective, is very long and has points to enlighten further in this document, everyone can learn the interpretation of these 256 signs; which signs together embody thousands of stories and parables, proverbs and incantations. Another way of consulting Ifa is through water or through mirror. In this case, the reader (the priest) may not see the spirit called Fa in the mirror but just a sign that he will interpret. Other priests may see it though such priests are very rare regarding my experience. Another way of consulting Ifa is via another spirit. There are other spirits that are close messenger of Ifa that are easier to see with eyes or to hear than Ifa. So, a priest who has such a power can do reading through that. But you should be very careful with that practice because it is somehow man-made spirit which had been very efficient in the past but which seems non-existent today though many priests boost themselves as if they were true holders of such power.