Voodoo

VOODOO:

While Louisiana was a colony of France, thousands of black slaves from Haiti streamed into New Orleans bringing with them a new religion. Voodoo (In Fon and other languages of West Africa, the word means 'spirit' or 'spirit medium').

Voodoo is a blend of several strong ingredients.
Most important is the cult of Legba, youngest son of the Creator, a trickster deity, controlling entrances and crossroads, who 'opens the way' for the Gods during Voodoo rites (Legba helps put the congregation into the hypnotic trance, without which there could be no ceremony).
Next in importance is the cult of the Devil, who they see as 'a light-complected man' in a white suit, siting on a horse, dragging a chain at the crossroads at midnight (an image possibly having some connection with slavery and the overseer.).
Finally, Voodoo mingles numerous elements of Roman Catholic ceremony with certain magical and religious practices of many of the various Caribbean Indian peoples.

In practice, Voodoo is based on two important components. First, its techniques for a achieving hysteria and a trance-like state, and second, its ambivalence in attitude toward God and the Devil, both of whom are thought of as being simultaneously good and evil.
Either may be invoked to do good as well as harm, and although once their help has been solicited, it must be paid for.
A clever man can avoid payment by tricking the Devil, it was thought.

Voodoo rites are preformed both at home and in public places. The ceremony may be held day or night, indoor or outside, in any place deemed suitable by the priests.
Ritual equipment includes an altar, a snake, candles and drums.

The service is cnducted by a man, the hungan (deity chief) and a woman, the mambo (priestess).
The voodoo (divine spirit) is believed to be present in the snake.
By handling the snake, priests receive messages from the spirit world in answer to such questions, as whether a candidate for initiation is acceptable or what tasks and tribute should be required of a given devotee.

After this preliminary phase, the loa (guardian angel spirits) begin to possess the priests and others, including those who have sponsored the service.
As the loa takes hold of people, they stagger, fall, spring up again, shake spasmodically, and at last, go into a hypnotic trance.
Those who have experienced the trance speak of the loa mounting or riding the person being possessed.
Other devotees begin to dance, many also drink. Soon, all feel tuned-in and start chanting, clapping and dancing to the drums.
The hungan and mambo move through the swaying congregation, slapping some, spinning them around, spraying them in the face with liquor from their own mouths, guiding the devotees until together they achieve the desired experience of oneness with each other and the Gods.

Meanwhile, some inhale flaming alcohol, while others roll in and out of fires, join in sexual union, climb trees, mimic and then sacrifice animals, drinking their blood and even tearing small ones apart and eathing them raw.

Ceremonies conducted along these lines may be seen in Haiti today, and were much the same in New Orleans in 1803, at the time of the Louisiana Purchase.
They became even more spectacular during the subsequent decades of the 19th century.

Here are some old Voodoo prescriptions. If you are ever tempted to put one of these into practice, bear in mind that only an experienced practitioner can expect to understand its inner meaning and obtain the desired results.
And whatever the results, of course, one MUST pay for them - or beat the Devil! :

* To make someone go mad:

Sacrifice a snake and dry it in the oven slowly.
Grind it up into a powder and put it on his doorstep.
Madness will follow.
Snake Dust becomes a powerful type of War Powder when mexed with gunpowder or red pepper.

* To detect poisoning:

Tie a piece of silver money onto the patient's body.
The silver will turn black if he is poisoned.
If so, file some silver off the coin and give it to the patient in white rum or in mild from a red cow as an antidote to the poison.

* To keep a worker from getting laid off:

Write the boss's name three times on a slip of paper and the worker's name four times on top of it.
Pour honey around a red candle, and also spice.
Then, light the candle.

* To know whether a girl is chaste:

Take a small piece of young radish, rub it in the palm of her hand, and she will reveal her secrets to you.

* To make a man love you:

Turn down the sweatband of his hat and pin two needles, crossed, inside, where he won't find them, and he will love you.

* To stop a troublemaker:

Put cemetery dirt in a jar.

Put in the troublemaker's picture, face down on the dirt.

Place an egg on top of it, to weight it down.

Burn some High John The Conqueror powder and force the smoke into the jar, and then seal it.

The person will do no further harm.