#kouzenzaka

[iartsysam]

In the garden: Azaka Mede, Kouzen Zaka, Oko

Agriculture is the source of our food supply.

Arguably the most crucial aspect of agriculture is that it's the source of the world's food supply.

No matter where or what you are eating, the ingredients in your meals come from somewhere. All roads lead to agriculture.

Good farmers produce an abundance of healthy food and many other valuable goods.

Farmers take care of the soil, conserve water resources and wildlife, and they're the caretakers of mother nature.

Farmers play a significant role in community life.

Minis Azaka (Minister of Agriculture) is a praise name and aspect of the Lwa (Vodou spirit/energy) Azaka Mede, an agricultural spirit known for his folk wisdom and "country" dialect.

Very popular throughout Haiti, Kouzen Zaka, or Azaka, is the lwa of harvest and agriculture.

He is responsible for protecting the fields and the work there and promoting harvests and livestock.

He is a very good-natured man in the mountains, gentle and respected by all for being a hard worker; he enjoys the most simple things in life.

Kouzen Zaka is a master in treating diseases with leaves and herbs and is known for keeping his most essential herbs in his djakout (straw bag).

In some ways, he is also the living memory of Haiti; he carries the weight and knowledge of subsistence farming and how to survive with very little.

He is the reminder of where many Haitians come from and what Haiti used to be: a more rural island where farming and agriculture ruled over most other businesses.

He is often referred to as a lwa travay/work lwa for his unwavering work ethic.

Kouzen knows what it is to be hungry and to suffer, so he works all the time to make sure he never has to suffer again and that his family and those that he loves don’t suffer either.

[manbomary]

Alasso! My Vodou family can’t be together right now, so I fed Kouzen at my home altar. He does so much for me. He is the spirit of agriculture, but he will help you “grow” healthy relationships, and he’s excellent to talk to when you’re having job problems. #kouzenzaka #azakamede https://www.instagram.com/p/CAQVBMxnvu2/?igshid=17eyonl8pcrgc

[heartmindalignedspirit]

I had so much fun at Fet Kouzen! 🥬🥕🍎👨🏾‍🌾🍆🥭🍌 Not only did we celebrate Kouzen Zaka, there was a maryaj lwa also! 💞 Lots of love and laughter throughout the night, despite how tired everyone was when we started at midnight. 😴 I even shopped at Kouzen’s market! (😂 I feel like a little girl when I say that) It was also the first fet I stayed all the way through for… There’s so much to process and so much to be thankful for 😌 A 7:30am ending sounds about right. Off to get some shut eye 💤💤💤 #fetkouzen #sosyetenago #vodou #haitianvodou #drapo #kouzen #kouzenzaka #fetlwa

[theafromystic]

Some people went to church this Mawnin'. I did too, in a sense. I woke up, took a #spiritualbaf, gathered my tools, and took my li' country-city ass down to my #ancestral graveyard to handle some family business that needed to be handled. I didn't mean to dress up like #KouzenZaka today, but it fits. I had some hard bargaining to do and some offerings to leave in exchange. . . . Like my Nana would say, "it would behooooove you" to spend as much time as possible getting to know ya Ole' Folks spirits (#ancestors). Even post-mortem, these spirits are our first line of defense for sorting out family dramas, healing bloodline relationships ("can you come getcho'kids kids please"), and continuing the family legacy in an UPWARD instead of a DOWNWARD pattern. I took a VOW to do this work, and following through with commitments is the key that opens the door. . . . We talk about all this and more in The Witches Brew: Indigenous Rootwork and Conjure group on FB. If you black and got some damn sense, **read the group guidelines and join us**. . . . | #Hoodoo | #Rootwork | #Conjure | #juju | #Vodoun |#Blackspirituality is #Africanspirituality | #AncestralReverence | #Rootdoctor | #mamiwata | real #mojo | #botanica | #blitch | #divination | #grisgris | #allthatothagoodshit |

[manbomary]

Alaso! Sosyete Nago is having a petty for Kouzen Zaka on May 22 from 1pm to 9pm EST. Kouzen is the spirit of agriculture, work, prosperity, and keeping us well fed and housed. Link for registration is in my bio. This will be great! #kouzenzaka https://www.instagram.com/p/COxMSgpHLwp/?igshid=1orjjantrhex6