I have friends and associates who practice Vodou. One is a priest in a strong Vodou house.
I have seen the priest’s magic and to say that it’s strong would be a gross understatement.
None of them are aware that I am bisexual. According to them, the Lwa disdain or even hate people who are not hetero normative.
Are there any here who are experienced with the Lwa who can confirm this? And, is it possible to work with them in spite of it?
Why not ask the Lwa themselves? Just because one priest says it is true does not mean it is.
Papa Legba seems pretty laid back for beginners.
When spirits have gender blurred, what makes them hate LGBTs? You shouldn’t believe unless you hear from spirit’s mouth, it is not like spirits reveal everything about them to every one.
A lot of priests of any kind tend to spout their own opinions as wisdom from the gods/spirits. I doubt the lwa give a shit about sexual preferenses or what gender people consider themselves. Then again I never worked with them so maybe they are different from any spirit I ever encountered. (Ghosts not included)
That’s not true at all. Some of the Lwa such as Ghede Mazaka are LGBT and other Lwa specifically protect LGBT people such as Ezili Donto. Essays: GLBT People in Vodou
This is common in some areas of ATRs. When I was in Palo, my palera told me that Zarabanda, whom she works with, may not accept me if I decide to get scratched. Her godfather does not accept non-straight initiates. But, she said, it all depends on the divination at that time.
My madrina in Santeria had no problem at all.
I dont know much about any spirits connected with them. But from what I’ve seen, most are pretty okay with it.
You’d be surprised how many people are.
I can understand spirits of the dead who didn’t like LGBT’s in their lifetime, but how can a human make a blanket statement about Loa (who were never human) hating them?
FYI there are some people in Palo Mayombe who say the same thing. Some houses won’t scratch LGBT, but other houses do. In my opinion, it’s human beings saying what THEY want to express and claiming it’s from Loa. The Christian Bible does the same thing.
It’s traditional in Palo as far as I know to not scratch gay men. Not sure about lesbian women. I’m not a palero but I know a little about the system.
That’s all hypocrisy.
I’ve hear a many of houses say that and still do it.
It all comes down to the spiritual guides and if they demand it or not.
Some houses would even go as far as to say he/she can get scratched but can’t recive the Nkisis and yet there that are working a full palero nganga and have god kids!!!
Let’s think a bit historical here. So in the past being bisexual, gay etc. was pretty common in society. Starting from ancient times until the Victorian age. It wasn’t until the mid 1945 that this sexual thing become something “out of order”. Here is my own theorem: When you are born you are bisexual and atheist. It isn’t until you form yourself according to the surroundings that you live in. The goal of any artists (because any occultist is an artists in his own) is to break free of the surroundings and to affect people whatever is in a negative way or positive way. Ultimately we are Gods of creations.
I’m in total agreement with you.
I remember a youtube video about a vodou priestess in Haiti and she had a homosexual guy among others in her house, so I’m gonna say it’s not true…
There are gods/spirits and there are priests. Priests usually know their gods through dogma. I don’t consider it a real relationship. It’s like knowing a celebrity through social media. You don’t actually know them personally. If you want to know how they feel, ask’m.
I really almost didn’t want to touch this one but I feel the necessity of it for educational purposes. The house you may have visited could be of a Kongo lineage.
As a priest of Palo I stand firm on the foundation that we do not scratch gay people into the tradition. This has nothing to do with hate or keeping any group of people discluded, it has to do with love of tradition and the duty as a priest to preserve it. There are myriads sentient beings attached to the practice of Palo and sentient beings are beyond hate.
Furthermore I know many Paleros who operate the same way. While it does require a payment to get scratched our tradition isnt really for sale and there are many who really care about this tradition still do works and readings and invite members of the LGBT community to Yimbulas.
I understand people want to keep up with the times, but just as there are certain things society should accept and embrace from the LGBT community out of respect and love, that same love and respect should be given to society, in this case a secret one.
If I were in charge of any coven or group, being LGBT would be the last thing I’d care about.
@PaterOctavius888, thank you for sharing your perspective.
In my experience, ATR groups fall on a spectrum from heretical “let’s modernize everything” to ultra-orthoprax “we will not change, we follow tradition.” I’m divided about the heretics - who tend to dilute the system and make it more New Agey and less demanding - but I think all perspectives deserve to be respected.
I should also note that the notion of “this is the rule, follow it, we don’t know why” is actually common among many religious traditions.