Voodoo Gods

Ask a hundred different voodoo priest about voodoo and you will get a hundred different answers.

The word 'vodun' — the Haitian word 'Voodoo' is derived from — comes from the African Fon Language which is still spoken today in Benin. Vodun means "divinity" or "Idol".

The history of voodoo does not start, as many people believe around 1500 AD in Haiti, but about 15,000 years before Christ in Africa. Thus, the real source of voodoo is the Egyptian pyramids. These people would later come to be called 'Yoruba'. They were slaves to the Pharaohs and Kings. These people were later released however they never forgot the unbelievable things that they saw. They had a profound admiration for God and desired to know him.

In this central core of voodoo worship is Loa (god, divine being, good spirit), Oracle, ancestral worship and reincarnation. Heaven and hell do not exist in Voodooism. Why?, In Voodoo they believe in reincarnation. The deeds of a person influence his next life. Someone who has been a good, honest and faithful person has the chance to ascend to Loa. Thus they are given not only the power and influence but the opportunity to shape the world. If the person has not behaved well and was angry the person will be again born as a human and begin a new life cycle. He again well have every opportunity, but all the temptations from before well still threaten and entice him.

If the person was not good in their life it is possible that in his next life he will be punished by Loa. This could be a spiritual or physical impediments. However the belief of voodoo involves primarily light punishment for offenses.

However, serious offenses will be punished with misfortune or illness, or the rebirth as an animal. If the person was particularly bad, they can be reborn as Diab, as a demonic creature that only aspires to harm the living or dominate you. Voodoo believers believe that Loa as well as Diab are Omnipresent. Therefore both take part in ones everyday life and are informed about all actions and misdeeds of believers.

In this central core of voodoo worship is Loa (god, divine being, good spirit), Oracle, ancestral worship and reincarnation. Heaven and hell do not exist in Voodooism. Why?, In Voodoo they believe in reincarnation. The deeds of a person influence his next life. Someone who has been a good, honest and faithful person has the chance to ascend to Loa. Thus they are given not only the power and influence but the opportunity to shape the world. If the person has not behaved well and was angry the person will be again born as a human and begin a new life cycle. He again well have every opportunity, but all the temptations from before well still threaten and entice him.

If the person was not good in their life it is possible that in his next life he will be punished by Loa. This could be a spiritual or physical impediments. However the belief of voodoo involves primarily light punishment for offenses.

However, serious offenses will be punished with misfortune or illness, or the rebirth as an animal. If the person was particularly bad, they can be reborn as Diab, as a demonic creature that only aspires to harm the living or dominate you. Voodoo believers believe that Loa as well as Diab are Omnipresent. Therefore both take part in ones everyday life and are informed about all actions and misdeeds of believers.

God of crossroads, singer, fighter, fool, guardian of the door into the spiritual sphere - he appears as either a child or a hunched old man (old man with a crutch).

In Haiti voodoo Legba is worshipped in two different forms: as a child or as a hunched fragile old man. Both these forms express his speed and unpredictable behaviour. He is seen as a cheater but also as a messenger of destiny. He is a rebellious child and a wise man at the same time. In some myths Legba is a thief as he has stolen the secrets of gods and gave them to people.

Every ritual starts with invoking him and ends by saying goodbye to him. This is because he is the guardian of the door, therefore the contact with him enables better communication with other gods. During the ritual he is acting as a messenger of gods as he is translating the words of gods (ghosts) into human language. Those who died can return back to the world of living people if they obtain Legba's blessing.