wozwouj

[wozwouj]

so... i'm a manbo now?!?!?! i'll be posting more soon now that i'm back from haiti and starting my term! yay!

[wozwouj]

lets go out and have some classic teenage fun... chew some glass..... eat dirt... who knows. maybe even kiss a lizard?

[wozwouj]

Fabiola Jean-Louis

[wozwouj]

Jean-Michel Basquiat

[wozwouj]

MAGIC MEMORY AID

Sprinkle ground cinnamon and cloves into some honey—rosemary honey, if at all possible.

Add a few drops of pure vanilla extract.

Inhale the fragrance and let the dish sit beside you for a minimum of an hour while you’re studying.

Just before the exam, slide a sprig of rosemary through the scented honey and rub it against the back of your neck.

Taken from Judika Illes’s Magic when you need it.

[wozwouj]

Thapelo Mofokeng, Joseph Ntahilaja, Marvin Dieterich, Khaya Ngubane & Tommie Fourie by Aart Verrips in Pasty Boys for PANSY Magazine

[wozwouj]

Love witch’s night in

[wozwouj]

You can level with the spirits, you guys

Be upfront. If they make demands that are beyond your abilities, let ‘em know.

“Is this wine not fancy enough for your tastes?Is this statue not appealing enough? Help me to help you. Get me a better job/a raise/a big fat check and then I’ll make it better.”

If you want to pursue a spiritual path that could involve, say, buying a ridiculously expensive book from Ebay because the original was a limited edition that sold out in 2006…

“If this is the path I am to pursue, help me and I will reward you.”

Of course, if they follow-through, for goodness sake, give everything you promised

[wozwouj]

SENEGAL. Hairdresser in Sebikotane.

Bieke Depoorter

[wozwouj]

[wozwouj]

i will gladly have this conversation with you to your face? i would have if i saw you before i left. i'll have it with you in haiti if you'd like. but i digress:

i'm not even going to start on all the bs you dragged into this conversation to avoid the actual topic and point i made. this was about you. you in particular and your online presence. don't you dare try to involve other people and put words in my mouth. i will only respond in regards to YOU, which was what this entire reply was about. i will in no way discuss other parties in a public place, since clearly you love to do that yourself. this is between you and me. not any other person, not any spirits.

you act as if i came to boston, got my reading, all of these things while plotting some master plan against you. i trusted you, fully. i trusted you too much. i trusted you and admired you until you clearly gave me reason not to. i trusted you until you sent me a threatening, guilt-triply text. that's when i started questioning things. i did all of these things genuinely, i looked up to you. you broke that trust. you fed me lie after lie and constantly tried to intimidate me.

this is about no one but you. how dare you bring my ancestors into this? don't you dare try talk about my feelings as a mixed person. ever. don't you dare. and don't you dare try to use my biracial background to invalidate my feelings. i cant even begin to explain how racist that alone is.

obviously i don't hate all white people. 3/4 of my girlfriends are white. i'm half white. i think white people can absolutely initiate. what i'm challenging is WHY they want to, and how they act afterwards. there are very few white people with genuine intentions, and you clearly prove that point. i am in no way trying to invalidate your initiation, i am holding you to your behavior as a white person, especially as a white person in this community. this has nothing to do with anything else at all.

i was talking to you as a haitian. i was talking to you as a haitian person wondering what exactly your intentions are, because so far they seem skeevy as hell. everyone has the potential to be a good person, but not when they willingly remain ignorant and basking in their white privilege. bettering yourself is a constant process, especially as a white person. you don't get a free appropriation pass just because you feel like you're "woke enough."

you ignored everything i said and went off on a completely unrelated tangent instead of just acknowledging that you were out of place. it shouldn't be hard to understand that you don't speak on behalf of haiti or haitians. all i'm asking is for you to check yourself as a white person, but ya'll will bend over backwards to avoid doing so. every time.

also pls refund my reading money! if you're gonna talk the talk walk the walk amirite? i haven't gotten anything thru paypal yet, but if you're gonna be public about doing it make it snappy b 👏🏽👏🏽

The Haitian flag is badass. As it currently is, the flag was the first flag created after Haitians ejected the French colonizers and became the first (and only!) Country founded as a result of a slave rebellion.

The story goes that Dessalines took the French flag and ripped out the central white strip–ripped the white out of Haiti–and declared that the blue stripe represented the Black residents of Haiti, most of whom had been enslaved by the French colonizers, and the red was to represent everyone else in Haiti who wasn’t white–those of mixed race ancestry who may have had lighter skin tones than many enslaved Haitians, or who were considered free gens de coleur/people of color.

Dessalines literally said ‘fuck all you white people, you don’t get representation here, get out’. Colonial powers were super scared of Haiti and this is why–enslaved people had stood up, won, kicked their oppressors out, and then gave them all a giant middle finger. Napoleon basically got back on his boat, declared Haiti a lost cause, and fucked off.

The other best part of the flag is that blue and red are the colors of a huge amount of Lwa. All the Ogous take red or a red-related shade, and almost ever Petwo Lwa takes red, or red and some other color. Dantor usually takes red and blue and there’s at least one Ogou who takes the Haitian flag. Haiti is literally flying the colors of the Lwa who gave power to their rebellion.

This is why vodou is inseparable from Haiti and it’s history, and Haiti is inseparable from vodou. You can’t pull apart the two at all because they were formed and grew together.

[wozwouj]

"Don't Touch My Hair" hair growth oil

So, beauty magic is awesome. I also love being natural and going back to my roots. I wanted to come up with a magical hair oil that I could use to seal, pre-poo, or use in my protective styling that would promote hair growth while also having magical properties. I was listening to Solange’s “Don’t Touch My Hair” while making this recipe, so I decided to name it as such, because those vibes really inspired me and this work. So this is the result!

Below, I list the ingredients used and the properties that made me choose them for this work. If you choose to do this, feel free to play around with ratios or what oils you use! Every hair type is different and you gotta do what’s best for your curls.

• bottle to hold the oil (I reused a bottle from a previous store bought hair growth oil)

• castor oil- promotes hair growth and thickening, associated with healing and protection against evil forces

• coconut oil- nourishes scalp and hair, associated with femininity, the moon, healing, and luck

• olive oil- nourishes the hair, associated with wisdom, peace, and protection

• rosemary essential oil- thickening hair, associated with protection against evil, wisdom

• thyme essential oil- stimulates circulation, promotes hair growth, helps reverse certain types of alopecia. associated with healing, love, and purification

• Peppermint essential oil- stimulates circulation, cleanliness, healing, and promoting positivity

• lavender essential oil- moisturizes scalp, regulates sebum, peace, love (in this case, self love), calming, protection

• tea tree essential oil- anti septic, removes dandruff, promotes hair growth, associated with strength, protection, purification, and clarity

Mix your carrier oils together into the bottle of your choice. Add 2-5 drops of each essential oil (play with it, decide what smells best and works best for you) to the mixture. Once all are combined, shake together.

If you want it to be charged, I would charge this under the moon, from new to full (to symbolize the hair growth). However, this is fine without charging it!

If you don’t have the essential oils, you can add the herbs to the oils and infuse over a period of time, or heat it on the stove top, but I find that it isn’t as effective, due to it not being as concentrated. However, do what works best for you!

I use this as my go-to all purpose hair oil. If I want to seal my hair, I take a small amount and use it. It works great as an overnight pre-poo. And I often use it to nourish my hair during a protective style.

I hope y'all enjoy and get some use out of this recipe! Have fun, curlfriends ✨🌿

[wozwouj]

Psalms 1: For removal of the ungodly from a group; for a safe pregnancy. Psalms 2: To aid in disbanding and breaking up enemy conspiracies. Psalms 3: For relief from a severe headache or from back pain. Psalms 4: For restful and peaceful sleep; to change one’s luck from bad to good. Psalms 5: For finding favor with authorities or superiors in business. Psalms 6: For healing diseases of the eye; for protection in the dark. Psalms 7: To stop conspiracies, enemy pursuit, for court cases. Psalms 8: Business success through the good will of associates; blessing of oils. Psalms 9: To punish enemies; to restore health to male children; for court cases. Psalms 10: To cleanse off an unclean, restless, or intranquil spirit. Psalms 11: To cast off fear; for righteous retribution against your foes. Psalms 12: For protection against severe persecution or oppression. Psalms 13: For safety from unnatural death; for curing painful eye diseases. Psalms 14: To stop libel and slander from tarnishing the trust others have in you. Psalms 15: To exorcise evil spirits and devils from a person; for mental peace. Psalms 16: To identify a thief; to change sorrow to joy and heal to pain. Psalms 17: For safe travel abroad and to help bring a loved one safely home. Psalms 18: To drive off approaching robbers; for anointing the sick to cure them. Psalms 19: For help in childbirth, for release from jail, to remove evil spirits. Psalms 20: Protection from danger for a day; to be justified in a court case. Psalms 21: To both calm a storm and to offer protection for seafarers and sailors. Psalms 22: For travel protection from dangerous storms, pirates, beasts, and men. Psalms 23: For prosperity, love, protection, wisdom, and guidance. Psalms 24: For protection from floods and escape from rising waters. Psalms 25: Forgiveness of the sins of youth; protection from capture. Psalms 26: For the release of someone from confinement or from jail. Psalms 27: For protection and hospitality while one is travelling abroad. Psalms 28: To bring back estranged friends who have become hostile to you. Psalms 29: To drive out devils and restore peace and tranquility to the home. Psalms 30: For protection from enemies; for recovery from severe illnesses. Psalms 31: For protection from conspiracies, back-biting, and gossip. Psalms 32: To gain respect, love, grace, and blessings from Heaven. Psalms 33: To protect, unite, and bless all of the members of a family. Psalms 34: To destroy and reverse back evil; for protection while travelling. Psalms 35: For justice to prevail in court cases and legal matters. Psalms 36: For protection from slander and gossip and to expose liars. Psalms 37: For protection against slander, gossip, lies, and evil-doers. Psalms 38: To help in court cases where slander fouled up the proceedings. Psalms 39: To turn around a court case when false testimony has been given. Psalms 40: For protection against evil spirits and to cast them out. Psalms 41: To restore a good name if slander and gossip have ruined a reputation. Psalms 42: For spiritual guidance; for answers in dreams; for love reconciliation. Psalms 43: To work against slander and wicked people; to turn back evil. Psalms 44: To guard and protect against enemies, invading armies, or war. Psalms 45: For peace between husband and wife; to calm an angry spouse. Psalms 46: To help a struggling marriage; to soothe marital tensions. Psalms 47: To gain favour from those in power; for mastery over people. Psalms 48: To destroy hateful and envious enemies; to seize them with terror. Psalms 49: To help heal and ease serious illnesses, diseases, and fevers. Psalms 50: For healing; to overcome fevers and other forms of sickness. Psalms 51: For cleansing and removing sin, especially after acts of revenge. Psalms 52: To end all manner of gossip and calumny by poison-tongued people. Psalms 53: To protect from enemies whose names are known or unknown. Psalms 54: To give protection by reversing works of evil and malice. Psalms 55: To call upon the Lord to bring down retribution against attackers. Psalms 56: For intercession by the Almighty to remove temptation and bad habits. Psalms 57: To turn around one’s luck, changing bad luck into good luck. Psalms 58: For warding off snakes and wild beasts; to reverse evil unto enemies. Psalms 59: To bring down the vengeance of the Lord against one’s enemies. Psalms 60: For the Lord to march into battle and protect His soldiers. Psalms 61: For a new home to be fixed with good fortune, happiness, and peace. Psalms 62: For forgiveness of sins and to gain the blessing of the Lord. Psalms 63: To protect from being victimized by business partners and investors. Psalms 64: For protection, especially while at sea, and for a safe return. Psalms 65: For road opening that breaks through barriers and leads to success. Psalms 66: To remove evil spirits; to heal those possessed; for wishes to come true. Psalms 67: Against illness and fever; to free one who has been imprisoned or bound. Psalms 68: Recited while preparing baths that are used to exorcise evil spirits. Psalms 69: To free one from slavery to addictions and unhealthy habits. Psalms 70: To cast down and reverse the wickedness wrought by enemies. Psalms 71: To release clients from prison, for acquittals in court cases. Psalms 72: To craft charms and talismans that bring a client favour and grace. Psalms 73: To protect travellers against religious persecution in foreign lands. Psalms 74: For an end to persecution and to destroy oppressors and persecutors. Psalms 75: Used along with specially prepared baths for the cleansing of sins. Psalms 76: For the Lord’s intercession, to provide protection from all attacks. Psalms 77: Used against danger, poverty, chronic illness, drought, and famine. Psalms 78: To gain favors from kings, princes, and other government officials. Psalms 79: To utterly destroy the wicked and also to cast fatal curses. Psalms 80: To end spiritual doubts and to prevent people falling into unbelief. Psalms 81: To save people from error and mistakes, for safety from accidents. Psalms 82: To facilitate business deals and assist those making investments. Psalms 83: To keep clients safe during times of war, persecution, and captivity. Psalms 84: For healing, especially when the body has contracted unusual odors. Psalms 85: To soften hearts and restore peace to friends who have become enemies. Psalms 86: To bring goodness, spiritual peace, and happiness to the community. Psalms 87: To cleanse the community before starting healing and blessing work. Psalms 88: To remove evil and bring blessings; used with baths and talismans. Psalms 89: To anoint the sick, to secure a release from prison, for psychic vision. Psalms 90: Used with Psalms 91 for protection; also to bless the work of the hands. Psalms 91: For protection from distress and harm; to exorcize evil spirits. Psalms 92: Prayed over herbal baths used to bring good fortune and high honors. Psalms 93: Against prosecution by unjust and oppressive men; to win in court. Psalms 94: For protection and to turn all evil back onto your enemies. Psalms 95: To cleanse sins; to pray for guidance and forgiveness for enemies. Psalms 96: To bless a family and bring happiness, peace, and joy to them. Psalms 97: Used with Psalms 96 for healing, blessing, and cleansing a family. Psalms 98: To restore peace between two hostile families; to bless a home. Psalms 99: For praise and devotion to God; to gain conversation with God. Psalms 100: To bring victory against enemies by uplifting the client. Psalms 101: For protection against enemies and to be rid of evil spirits. Psalms 102: For assistance in matters of fertility and to be granted grace. Psalms 103: For help in conceiving of a child and for the forgiveness of sins. Psalms 104: To cleanse away evil; to bless natural curios and spiritual supplies. Psalms 105: For healing illnesses, especially recurrent or periodic fevers. Psalms 106: For healing and to restore one to health, especially from fevers. Psalms 107: For remission or healing from periodic or recurrent fevers. Psalms 108: Utilized in a spell for financial success in your place of business. Psalms 109: Used in a powerful curse against oppressive, slanderous enemies. Psalms 110: For victory; to cause enemies to bow before you and beg for mercy. Psalms 111: Recited to acquire many friends, as well as respect, and admiration. Psalms 112: To increase in might and power, for success, abundance, and blessings. Psalms 113: Prayers and blessings for those in need; to stop infidelity and heresy. Psalms 114: Used in a spell for success in matters of finance, business, and money. Psalms 115: To foster truth-telling, for victory in debate over scoffers and mockers. Psalms 116: Recited daily for protection from violent or sudden death or injury. Psalms 117: For forgiveness of a failure to keep a vow or promise that you made. Psalms 118: For protection against those who try to misguide or lead you astray. Psalms 119: The longest Psalm, its 22 alphabetic divisions cover all human problems. Psalms 120: For success in court and for protection against snakes and scorpions. Psalms 121: For safety at night, both during sleep and while travelling in darkness. Psalms 122: For peace within a city, and to gain the favour of those in high station. Psalms 123: Employed in a spell to cause a servant, trainee, or employee to return. Psalms 124: Cleansing of the soul, protection at sea and from being wronged. Psalms 125: For protection in foreign lands and against those who work iniquity. Psalms 126: After miscarriage or the death of a child; for the next child to live. Psalms 127: Placed in a mojo for the protection and blessing of a newborn baby. Psalms 128: For a fortunate, accident-free pregnancy; for uncomplicated childbirth. Psalms 129: Recited daily to prepare one for a long life of virtue and good works. Psalms 130: Recited to the four quarters when passing by sentries in a war zone. Psalms 131: Recited three times a day to reduce one’s sin of pride and scornfulness. Psalms 132: To remediate one’s unpunctuality and failure to perform duties on time. Psalms 133: To retain the love and respect of friends and to gain many more friends. Psalms 134: For altar work in matters of higher education and for success in school. Psalms 135: For repentance, spirituality, and rededication of one’s life to God. Psalms 136: Recited on behalf of those who wish to confess and be cleansed of sins. Psalms 137: For cleansing of the heart and soul from hate, envy, evil, and vice. Psalms 138: Recited daily to bring love and friendship from the Lord. Psalms 139: To nurture and maintain love, especially within the context of marriage. Psalms 140: To restore tranquility and to preserve and maintain relationships. Psalms 141: To ward against terror and fear and against looming oppression. Psalms 142: To heal the body, restore health, and alleviate pain and suffering. Psalms 143: To heal bodily limbs, especially the arms and to alleviate pain. Psalms 144: To speed up healing and to ensure the perfect mend of a broken arm. Psalms 145: To cleanse and purify clients who are beset by ghosts or evil spirits. Psalms 146: Used with altar work for healing and recovery after being wounded. Psalms 147: For healing wounds and bites from snakes, insects, and other animals. Psalms 148: Used with Psalms 149 to keep clients safe from accidents by fire. Psalms 149: Used with altar work to protect against fire-related accidents. Psalms 150: For the glory of the Lord and to give thanks for His intervention.

[wozwouj]

White Vodou (I’m going to step on some toes with this)

As a black vodouisant, it’s a bit frustrating that the face of our religion online is a bunch of white folk.

Lemme explain.

If you look up videos, images, literature, etc about vodou nowadays, especially on tumblr, a lot of times you’ll find it’s a white person who became a mambo or houngan preaching about vodou.

The reason it frustrates me is, it seems as black people, we can’t have nothing sacred. It’s always colonized. 

Becoming a houngan or mambo can cost a LOT of money. Many vodouisants, even those in Haiti are not mambos or houngans, let alone initiates because it can be very expensive. So who better to become a high priest than some American who is privileged enough to pay all this cash to fly out to Haiti and pay the dues needed to become an initiate and a priest. You know, rather than someone who has grown up being a vodouisant, who has been saving all their life for this.

When I see this being done, I almost feel like it’s all for bragging rights. You get to tell all your friends that you went to Haiti and became a vodou priest/priestess. You get to say you’re not Catholic, you’re not Wiccan, you’re a vodouisant. You’re different from everyone else, and you hold a high rank to show for it. 

You’re so eclectic.

As vodouisants, we serve our ancestors who are from Africa. When a white person is serving their ancestors, they’re more than likely serving spirits from Europe. You know, the place that enslaved many of our ancestors. It almost feels counterproductive, in terms of vodou.

Practice neo-paganism if you want to be spiritual (or “unique”). Leave vodou, hoodoo and African rootwork to us, please.

[wozwouj]

i’ve been thinking over whether or not i want to reply to this post for a bit now, and with the encouragement of some of my author/blogging friends i have deemed it necessary! this is a lovely post, and the story of the haitian revolution and the history of our country is always a beautiful thing to hear about. my issue is, as a haitian, that you, op, are white. you are white, and yet you seem to feel so welcome in this home of ours that you are borrowing.

you say, in your own words, that the white was ripped from the flag. you say, in your own words, that this represents ripping the white out of haiti. and yet here you are.

you say, in your own words, that vodou and haiti are inseparable. and yet here you are, with nothing to do with haiti. here you are, speaking up and over haitians instead of elevating our voices. i see you do this day in and day out, you speak as if you know so much more than you do.

when you come to vodou, you, in your own waxed poetic words, have said you are embracing a religion, a culture, a people of revolution. this is not revolution, what you do, every day, is colonization. you are entitled. you feel entitled to our culture, our customs, our religion, and our spirits. you come online, and write your posts, and serve our spirits, and yet this is not where you belong.

as a white person, you have a place in our history, although it is rather unsavory. your place, as a white person in our history, is one i see you carefully avoiding speaking about. your place, as a white man, is that of a colonizer. your place is unimaginable loss, and pain, and you hold the weight of the atrocities your ancestors put ours through. thats your place in haitian vodou. that is your place in the history of haiti.

when you make these posts about haitian history, about haitian unity, about the strength and love we hold for each other and our home, both in haiti and in africa and in all of the diaspora, you can not comprehend these things. you are not haitian. you do not get to experience these feelings, you do not get to talk about these things as if you are personally tied to them. your ties, as a white person, are to our suffering. you represent our pain, our genocide, our enslavement – you are a part of the very force that threatens our history, our unity, our country, our religion, and our lives.

when you, as a white person, come to haitian vodou -- when you as a white person come to haiti, you are borrowing what is ours. you will never, ever, in this life or any other, experience what it is like to be haitian. we do not get to pick and choose what about being haitian we get to embrace. you need to acknowledge your place and stop talking as if you speak for us. all you do is speak over us.

you, as a white person, are not a part of haiti. you have been removed, you have been defeated, we have fought and fought and lost so much to remove that white from haiti. and yet here you are.

you, to me, represent exactly what pushed me away from embracing who i am, from embracing being haitian. because you come, and you take, and you take, and you take, and yet you and your ancestors will never be satisfied. you are sick. you are insatiable. you can take from us for centuries and centuries and it will never, ever be enough for you.

when you come online, and run your blog, and serve our spirits: you do not get to say what is and isn’t vodou. you do not get to sit here, as a white man, and act as if you can educate all these people on vodou and haiti. you should know, as the activist you claim to be, that if you want our voices to be heard: hold your tongue. hold your fucking tongue and help give rise to our voices. no one wants to hear your voice, we’ve done nothing but hear the voices of white people for hundreds of fucking years.

you say, in your own words, that the message of our flag is:  “fuck all you white people, you don’t get representation here, get out” and yet here you are.

do you see the irony in this? surely you must, since you know so much about haiti. since you know so much about us and our culture and our country and our spirits. surly you see the raging hypocrite you are, right? because if you feel as if you can speak for us, you should certainly be able to understand our feelings as haitians, right? thats something a white man can do, yes? understand what it’s like to be black? what its like to be haitian?

you are hardly better than your ancestors. you are hardly better than the other white “manbo” and “houngan” i’ve heard you complain about. you perpetuate exactly what your people have for generations. you are a colonizer. you come and you take what is ours and act as if you can speak for our experiences. you are no better than any other white appropriating the few things you have failed to strip us of.

indeed, inite se fòs, unity IS strength. but this is our unity. our strength. unity is the strength of haitians, of haiti, of this culture, and country, and religion of revolution. our unity, has no room for you. non non, not for you. you have your place, and it is not here. not as you are now.

this rise of white manbo and houngan on the internet, to the point you are all we can find, is sickening. if any of you truly cared about us, cared about we haitians as a people, you would think better than to do what you do. you would do better than colonize what we have left – to use us for profit. you use our suffering, our spirits, our unity for your own gain. you are sick. if you cared about us, our voices, if you cared about atoning for what your people have done to ours, you would recognize this issue. the issue of white people being the only source of information on vodou online. you would recognize your place should be one of elevation, of assistance. you should understand the issue, and step back, so that you do not become a part of it. and yet here you are.

so please, do as napoleon did: “get back on your boat and fuck off.”

“throw away the symbol of the god of the whites, who grows thirsty from our tears, and listen to the voice of liberty, which speaks in the hearts of us all.”

The Haitian flag is badass. As it currently is, the flag was the first flag created after Haitians ejected the French colonizers and became the first (and only!) Country founded as a result of a slave rebellion.

The story goes that Dessalines took the French flag and ripped out the central white strip–ripped the white out of Haiti–and declared that the blue stripe represented the Black residents of Haiti, most of whom had been enslaved by the French colonizers, and the red was to represent everyone else in Haiti who wasn’t white–those of mixed race ancestry who may have had lighter skin tones than many enslaved Haitians, or who were considered free gens de coleur/people of color.

Dessalines literally said ‘fuck all you white people, you don’t get representation here, get out’. Colonial powers were super scared of Haiti and this is why–enslaved people had stood up, won, kicked their oppressors out, and then gave them all a giant middle finger. Napoleon basically got back on his boat, declared Haiti a lost cause, and fucked off.

The other best part of the flag is that blue and red are the colors of a huge amount of Lwa. All the Ogous take red or a red-related shade, and almost ever Petwo Lwa takes red, or red and some other color. Dantor usually takes red and blue and there’s at least one Ogou who takes the Haitian flag. Haiti is literally flying the colors of the Lwa who gave power to their rebellion.

This is why vodou is inseparable from Haiti and it’s history, and Haiti is inseparable from vodou. You can’t pull apart the two at all because they were formed and grew together.

[wozwouj]

[wozwouj]

💅🏿