Generally speaking, what works for one, will work for most. The only caveat is where you need to approach a gatekeeper spirit first, like with the Loa- that is Legba. That’s the only pantheon that I personally work with that has this need, but I know there are others, just not which ones they are offhand. I work with spirits of the dead, the Loa, djinn, demons angels and a few gods- but none of the gods I work with required a gatekeeper spirit to approach respectfully.
I thought Vodun was a closed practice. How could you work with the loa?
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I don’t practice Voodoo and I can work with the Loa, because Baron Samedi and Met Kalfu came to me and invited me to work with the current due to past life connections 
Not everything is in your current blood. I didn’t even know about the past life connections until August of this year, I had no knowledge of it when I received the invitation. Voodoo is a religion.
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I see!
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If the spirits themselves invite you, I see no reason to hold to a manmade religion, particularly one where the spirits often use the follows for a prime source of energy in exchange for an occasional favor from the spirits to the worshipper. (Pretty much every religion)
I don’t practice Voodoo and I do not worship, or give offerings. They teach me how to do magical things myself- with my own energy, usually, rather than do it for me.
Also a few of the Loa, predate the first instance of Voodoo, but you really have to research hard to find their origins in Ancient Nigeria, during the Ancient Egypt era. It took me about 6 months to honestly dig that deep, information gets scarce the further back you go.
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Awesome! I’m so glad I’m in this forum. I was originally in a discord channel and everyone kept dogging me for working with Lilith. They told me that I can’t work with her even if she came to me.
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No offense, but I’ve told people to go pound sand up their ass for shit like that. I feel like everyone’s path is their own path. I’ll give my opinion, share what I know, then whatever they do with it is their business and doesn’t effect my day, and I expect the same, or I don’t need to conversate with that person about my practices- or whatever the topic is.
Adults can agree to disagree and still conversate about it, and about other things without it changing anything as far as the relationship goes. They just don’t all realize it.
Often when someone tells you can’t work with a spirit, they’ve got religious/ dogmatic views clouding their judgement- even if they don’t realize it.
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Correct!
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If I were to use chili pepper in my initiation ritual what could I use it for?
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Well, technically I’ve been known to use whatever herbs I have and assign a meaning to them when I didn’t have anything else but.
Usually with hoodoo works, chili peppers are used in baneful works, and to spice things up. Like if you’re doing a freezer or jar spell, you’d put it in to burn/scorch the target. If you were using it for love, you’d use it increase the intensity or spice of the sex life. ( I don’t practice hoodoo either but I studied it a while, that’s actually where I started my personal path and have implemented some of the practices into my workings, but I rarely use them in entirety as they were found)
So it’s important to know what your intent is with the herb and to hold that intent in your mind as you add it, to charge it so to speak with the energy of your intent. I would say you could probably use it to intensify the ritual.
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I guess I could use it to “spice up” the initiation.
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I’d say intensify, with the intent being to make it… hmm how do I word this- the spiritual presence more known to you.
You can also google chili pepper magic uses, and see if something else jumps out at you. But like I said, I don’t always use herbs the way they are traditionally spoken about, the intent is the important part, so unless it’s truly contrary with the nature of the herb, it tends to fine. I’ve never had it not be, but I’m sure you could do something so wonky opposite that it just didn’t mix with the energy of the herb.
The spiritual presence of the deity? Correct?
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Yes. I’m not sure how well it work, and it will depend to some degree on you putting the energy and intent into it doing that, but my mind tells me you truly want to use it that way, and push the intent into the herb before you use it in the ritual, it should aid in that way.
Granted if you have zero open senses, that might just mean the temperature of the air somewhat changes or whatever. It could be minor but more than you’d normally get. So basically whatever level you are at, I’d expect it to take it up maybe half a notch or a whole notch or something like that, but not like… from nothing to 100 you know?
Yes! Basically you are saying I will gradually feel his presence whilst performing the ritual.
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Yeah, I would expect it to have that effect yes. But like I said you’re going to want to push that intention into the herb, to make it intensify the spiritual effects of the ritual, prior to use.
Essentially get the herb out in a bowl or something and focus on it and if you can’t feel energy, visualize energy flowing from you into it with that intention. I like to use my hands, but some people prefer a chakra or the third eye. I don’t feel like it matters as much where you push or visualize it form as long as the intentions are clear while you do it.
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It’s closed unless the Loa themselves invite you in, humans can’t dictate who is and isn’t allowed to follow a path the Gods and spirits of that path can.
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You could preparatory immersion by learning lots about her and doing Runes before trying to make contact. I suppose that could be your initiation.
Vali is a male God xD
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Vali is a “he”.
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