Serving Erzulie ge Rouge will result in unexplainable cuts appearing on your fingertips.
Florida water REALLY HURTS when it gets into the unexplainable cuts appearing on your fingertips.
Tuesday 16 December 2008
Wednesday 26 November 2008
Top Ten, Vodou style.
You know you're a child of the Gede when…
10. You can swear in three languages, and know obscene hand gestures in at least two more.
9. You consider hot peppers as one of the four food groups…
8. And you describe Nando's extra-hot chicken marinade as "pleasantly tangy".
7. You don’t know a single clean joke.
6. You would probably sell your soul for a hand-tailored suit.
5. You actually have sold your soul for a hand-tailored suit.
4. During Night of the Living Dead you were rooting for the zombies.
3. At Halloween, you've run up to someone dressed as an undertaker with your arms outstretched, squealing "Daddy!!!"*
2. No matter how old you get, hearing about other people's explosive diarrhoea is still funny.
1. Your bar tab is the size of the national debt.
With apologies to David Letterman.
* Yes, I actually have done this.
10. You can swear in three languages, and know obscene hand gestures in at least two more.
9. You consider hot peppers as one of the four food groups…
8. And you describe Nando's extra-hot chicken marinade as "pleasantly tangy".
7. You don’t know a single clean joke.
6. You would probably sell your soul for a hand-tailored suit.
5. You actually have sold your soul for a hand-tailored suit.
4. During Night of the Living Dead you were rooting for the zombies.
3. At Halloween, you've run up to someone dressed as an undertaker with your arms outstretched, squealing "Daddy!!!"*
2. No matter how old you get, hearing about other people's explosive diarrhoea is still funny.
1. Your bar tab is the size of the national debt.
With apologies to David Letterman.
* Yes, I actually have done this.
Thursday 20 November 2008
Insanely catchy Vodou music
I was googling for information on the Loa Mambo Dayila the other day, and instead came across the website of a fabulous Haitian lady based in New York who, with her band The Nago Nation, writes and sings songs for the Loa.
Her name's Manze Dayila, and she's well named. She seems to sum up for me what Dayila is all about - not the prostitute part, obviously, but that of a beautiful and artistic woman who does anything necessary to survive. She refugeed from Haiti on a leaking boat when she was a heavily pregnant 19 year old, and is now firmly entrenched in New York's music scene. She's not only gorgeous, talented and with huge force of will, but she also busks on the subway while dressed as Gede, fighting off rappers who try to steal her stereo. How cool is that?
You can listen to or buy her debut album "Sole" (I think that means "Freedom" in Creole) on CD Baby. Here's the link: www.cdbaby.com/cd/manzedayila I particularly love "Change: the Barack Obama Song".
Her MySpace page is here: http://www.myspace.com/manzedayila
I'd also like to add that I'm incredibly covetous of that lovely red dress covered in golden veves she's wearing on the cover of the CD and on the MySpace page. What can I say... when you serve either Freda or Dayila it all comes down to fashion in the end.
Her name's Manze Dayila, and she's well named. She seems to sum up for me what Dayila is all about - not the prostitute part, obviously, but that of a beautiful and artistic woman who does anything necessary to survive. She refugeed from Haiti on a leaking boat when she was a heavily pregnant 19 year old, and is now firmly entrenched in New York's music scene. She's not only gorgeous, talented and with huge force of will, but she also busks on the subway while dressed as Gede, fighting off rappers who try to steal her stereo. How cool is that?
You can listen to or buy her debut album "Sole" (I think that means "Freedom" in Creole) on CD Baby. Here's the link: www.cdbaby.com/cd/manzedayila I particularly love "Change: the Barack Obama Song".
Her MySpace page is here: http://www.myspace.com/manzedayila
I'd also like to add that I'm incredibly covetous of that lovely red dress covered in golden veves she's wearing on the cover of the CD and on the MySpace page. What can I say... when you serve either Freda or Dayila it all comes down to fashion in the end.
Wednesday 19 November 2008
OLD. SO VERY OLD.
Happy Birthday my olde friend
It seems this horror show will never end
Any moment's your last breath,
Here's to another day closer to death.
The cake is on the table
And it is awfully bright
'Cause there's so many candles on top.
But you are so decrepit,
Your chest so tight,
When you blow them out your lungs are gonna pop.
You cannot complain
Each time you feel a pain,
Though you have arthritis and gout.
'Cause when you start kvetching,
All your teeth fall out.
So have another cigarette,
Have another beer,
Raise your glass to one more year (GONE!)
Happy birthday my olde friend
It seems this horrorshow will never end
Any moment is your last breath
Here's to another day closer to death. - "Happy Birthday my Olde Friend", Voltaire
Yes, your snakey narrator was 30 years old on Sunday. Horrible thought, really. I haven't really celebrated yet, as such. My party plans for the forthcoming weekend have been somewhat curtailed by an impromptu visit by relatives, but I'm going to be organising something as soon as I can.
I spent much of the evening of my birthday itself in Erzulie Freda mode; reclining in a very deep bath with an Amandopondo bubble bar from Lush and a glass of sparkling wine. (As much as I'd like to use the word champagne, my inner wine buff refuses to allow me to do so).
As soon as I poured the wine and before drinking any myself, I took the glass through to my altar room and thanked my spirits, splashing a few drops on each of their altars. Even though the vast majority of my Loa don't normally drink bubbly, I felt they were all happy with the offering.
I got to thinking while I drowsily sipped the rest of the glass, watching steam rise into the candlelight, just how much of the events and lessons of my life may have been down to the Loa. I've always found it a fascinating question; how much of our nature do we owe to our own will and how much is granted to us by the Loa who walk with us? The answer I've come to is that we are not responsible for our natures, but we are responsible for our actions. This is something I'm sure to come back to in a future entry.
To all the Loa who walk with me and who do not walk with me; to all who have touched my life over the last year and who are yet to touch it, I thank you. Originally I planned to write a paragraph for each Loa , detailing the role they've played in my life; but I was just told in no uncertain terms to delete it - that couched in however guarded terms it was still too personal and it should remain between me and them. So for that reason, I'll just offer a list of names and my deepest and most loving thanks. They know exactly why I've named them, as do the deities from outside the Vodou pantheon who I've included here.
To Papa Legba, to Grand Soleil. To Met Agwe, to La Sirene. To Maitress Mambo Erzulie Freda Dahomey, to Mambo Dayila. To Silibo. To Anaisa Pye. To Ogoun Badagris, to Ogoun Feray, to Ogoun Shango, to Ogoun Sen Jak, to Ogoun Balindjo. To Gran Ibo. To Kalfu. To Erzulie Ge Rouge, to Erzulie Dantor. To Baron La Croix. To Baron Cimitiere. To Baron Samedi, to Maman Brigitte. To Baron Kriminel. To Brav Gede, to Gede Nibo, to Gede Fatras, to Gede ti-Mazacca. To my ancestors.
To Oya. To Shango. To Yemaya Okoto. To Oshun.
To Sulis.
To Nemesis.
To all who I've named and who I haven't named, I thank you for your presence in my life, for helping me reach the grand old age of 30 and for the blessings you have given me. Special mention also goes to the wonderful Vodouisants I've met over the past few years. As with the Loa, they know exactly who they are. Ache!
Nagini
It seems this horror show will never end
Any moment's your last breath,
Here's to another day closer to death.
The cake is on the table
And it is awfully bright
'Cause there's so many candles on top.
But you are so decrepit,
Your chest so tight,
When you blow them out your lungs are gonna pop.
You cannot complain
Each time you feel a pain,
Though you have arthritis and gout.
'Cause when you start kvetching,
All your teeth fall out.
So have another cigarette,
Have another beer,
Raise your glass to one more year (GONE!)
Happy birthday my olde friend
It seems this horrorshow will never end
Any moment is your last breath
Here's to another day closer to death. - "Happy Birthday my Olde Friend", Voltaire
Yes, your snakey narrator was 30 years old on Sunday. Horrible thought, really. I haven't really celebrated yet, as such. My party plans for the forthcoming weekend have been somewhat curtailed by an impromptu visit by relatives, but I'm going to be organising something as soon as I can.
I spent much of the evening of my birthday itself in Erzulie Freda mode; reclining in a very deep bath with an Amandopondo bubble bar from Lush and a glass of sparkling wine. (As much as I'd like to use the word champagne, my inner wine buff refuses to allow me to do so).
As soon as I poured the wine and before drinking any myself, I took the glass through to my altar room and thanked my spirits, splashing a few drops on each of their altars. Even though the vast majority of my Loa don't normally drink bubbly, I felt they were all happy with the offering.
I got to thinking while I drowsily sipped the rest of the glass, watching steam rise into the candlelight, just how much of the events and lessons of my life may have been down to the Loa. I've always found it a fascinating question; how much of our nature do we owe to our own will and how much is granted to us by the Loa who walk with us? The answer I've come to is that we are not responsible for our natures, but we are responsible for our actions. This is something I'm sure to come back to in a future entry.
To all the Loa who walk with me and who do not walk with me; to all who have touched my life over the last year and who are yet to touch it, I thank you. Originally I planned to write a paragraph for each Loa , detailing the role they've played in my life; but I was just told in no uncertain terms to delete it - that couched in however guarded terms it was still too personal and it should remain between me and them. So for that reason, I'll just offer a list of names and my deepest and most loving thanks. They know exactly why I've named them, as do the deities from outside the Vodou pantheon who I've included here.
To Papa Legba, to Grand Soleil. To Met Agwe, to La Sirene. To Maitress Mambo Erzulie Freda Dahomey, to Mambo Dayila. To Silibo. To Anaisa Pye. To Ogoun Badagris, to Ogoun Feray, to Ogoun Shango, to Ogoun Sen Jak, to Ogoun Balindjo. To Gran Ibo. To Kalfu. To Erzulie Ge Rouge, to Erzulie Dantor. To Baron La Croix. To Baron Cimitiere. To Baron Samedi, to Maman Brigitte. To Baron Kriminel. To Brav Gede, to Gede Nibo, to Gede Fatras, to Gede ti-Mazacca. To my ancestors.
To Oya. To Shango. To Yemaya Okoto. To Oshun.
To Sulis.
To Nemesis.
To all who I've named and who I haven't named, I thank you for your presence in my life, for helping me reach the grand old age of 30 and for the blessings you have given me. Special mention also goes to the wonderful Vodouisants I've met over the past few years. As with the Loa, they know exactly who they are. Ache!
Nagini
Thursday 23 October 2008
Promises, promises.
Ok, so maybe Fet Gede was too long a deadline for me according to certain Loa.
I've spent most of my time as a Vodouisant working with the Gede, Nago and Rada spirits, and while some of them are certainly quick to act, I'm finding a whole new type of physical dynamism and speed in the work of a Petro spirit with whom I've been building a relationship in the last few weeks.
Yesterday I told her I would make her that new Veve card to attach to the back of her altar. Time, as it is wont to do, got away from me and I never got round to doing it. I don't think she was very pleased with this, because I spent literally hours trying to get to sleep last night. It was as if she was constantly reminding me that I'd said I was going to do something that particular day and hadn't delivered on it - and she wasn't going to let my day end until I'd done it. At 3:45 am I finally admitted defeat and got up, wrapped myself in my dressing gown and sat down in front of my altars with card and a variety of blood-red pens and pencils.
She's a harsh Loa, I won't deny it... but sometimes we need a push to get ourselves going; whether in the magical or mundane world. When I blearily fixed the card to the back of her altar space, I got the distinct feeling she was pleased with me. I splashed the card with florida water to cleanse it, and then on impulse allowed a droplet of the sweet smelling cologne to fall onto the deep red heart-shaped lips of her wanga doll. I could swear she smiled at me; and that the fierce red eyes I'd affixed earlier in the week flashed with pleasure rather than anger. It was 5 am before I went back to bed, and I finally slept soundly.
Nagini
I've spent most of my time as a Vodouisant working with the Gede, Nago and Rada spirits, and while some of them are certainly quick to act, I'm finding a whole new type of physical dynamism and speed in the work of a Petro spirit with whom I've been building a relationship in the last few weeks.
Yesterday I told her I would make her that new Veve card to attach to the back of her altar. Time, as it is wont to do, got away from me and I never got round to doing it. I don't think she was very pleased with this, because I spent literally hours trying to get to sleep last night. It was as if she was constantly reminding me that I'd said I was going to do something that particular day and hadn't delivered on it - and she wasn't going to let my day end until I'd done it. At 3:45 am I finally admitted defeat and got up, wrapped myself in my dressing gown and sat down in front of my altars with card and a variety of blood-red pens and pencils.
She's a harsh Loa, I won't deny it... but sometimes we need a push to get ourselves going; whether in the magical or mundane world. When I blearily fixed the card to the back of her altar space, I got the distinct feeling she was pleased with me. I splashed the card with florida water to cleanse it, and then on impulse allowed a droplet of the sweet smelling cologne to fall onto the deep red heart-shaped lips of her wanga doll. I could swear she smiled at me; and that the fierce red eyes I'd affixed earlier in the week flashed with pleasure rather than anger. It was 5 am before I went back to bed, and I finally slept soundly.
Nagini
Monday 20 October 2008
All change on the altar front
For me, October is a month in which there's far too much to do.
I make it a point of honour to have all personal debts - spiritual or material - paid off by Fet Gede, and with characteristic procrastination on my part I've left it to the last couple of weeks of the Vodou year to get things done. Aside from one major promise to Ogoun Badagris which I've told him is not going to be carried out until he gives me the resources to do so (The local Vodou contingent is giggling right now, because they know what I'm talking about. I can't hear them, but I know they're doing it.) I've got several small but pressing jobs to carry out.
Given Fet Gede is the festival of the dead I've got several changes to make to the altar which houses Baron, Brigitte et al. While none of these are actual promises that need keeping by November 2nd, it would be nice to at least make a start on my Gede To-Do list by then. I need to redraw the Veve card that hangs from the back of their space, and I'm on the lookout for a St Rosalia card for Brigitte. I've found the Gede are easily the most idiosyncratic and whimsical family of Loa, so when I say I need a miniature metal wastebin for the altar and ideally a little Oscar the Grouch toy around which I can tie a black ribbon, I hope nobody will think I'm a heretic.
I've promised my resident Petro Loa some major improvements in her space, with a new veve card and a total of three knives on her altar by the end of the year. I'm still planning how to decorate the handles of those knives, but while I'm working on that I've made some alterations to her wanga doll. I've given her a lovely red net shawl, and placed a tin-foil knife in each hand and in her belt. I've replaced her somewhat googly red bead eyes with ones made of red foil ribbon; far more glittery and atmospheric! I'm quite pleased with the effect and I hope she is too.
Last but never least, I've got to finish making my Anaisa altar. I've only recently come into contact with this lovely Metresa from the 21 Divisions tradition, but I'm smitten. I'm on the lookout for a lovely golden-yellow altar cloth, a yellow hand fan and some St Anne images.
Check back after Fet Gede - I might post pictures of the completed altars!
Nagini
I make it a point of honour to have all personal debts - spiritual or material - paid off by Fet Gede, and with characteristic procrastination on my part I've left it to the last couple of weeks of the Vodou year to get things done. Aside from one major promise to Ogoun Badagris which I've told him is not going to be carried out until he gives me the resources to do so (The local Vodou contingent is giggling right now, because they know what I'm talking about. I can't hear them, but I know they're doing it.) I've got several small but pressing jobs to carry out.
Given Fet Gede is the festival of the dead I've got several changes to make to the altar which houses Baron, Brigitte et al. While none of these are actual promises that need keeping by November 2nd, it would be nice to at least make a start on my Gede To-Do list by then. I need to redraw the Veve card that hangs from the back of their space, and I'm on the lookout for a St Rosalia card for Brigitte. I've found the Gede are easily the most idiosyncratic and whimsical family of Loa, so when I say I need a miniature metal wastebin for the altar and ideally a little Oscar the Grouch toy around which I can tie a black ribbon, I hope nobody will think I'm a heretic.
I've promised my resident Petro Loa some major improvements in her space, with a new veve card and a total of three knives on her altar by the end of the year. I'm still planning how to decorate the handles of those knives, but while I'm working on that I've made some alterations to her wanga doll. I've given her a lovely red net shawl, and placed a tin-foil knife in each hand and in her belt. I've replaced her somewhat googly red bead eyes with ones made of red foil ribbon; far more glittery and atmospheric! I'm quite pleased with the effect and I hope she is too.
Last but never least, I've got to finish making my Anaisa altar. I've only recently come into contact with this lovely Metresa from the 21 Divisions tradition, but I'm smitten. I'm on the lookout for a lovely golden-yellow altar cloth, a yellow hand fan and some St Anne images.
Check back after Fet Gede - I might post pictures of the completed altars!
Nagini
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