RITUAL: At Stupa, Tibetan Cultural Center
WILL: Introduction of Voodoo and Tibetan Currents
LOVE: Circumambulate the path around the Stupa; mixed earth from Congo Square with the ground
SUCCESS: Strong Welcome
COMMENT: Good...I did this before resting. A sense of priority is essential.
- The big Haitian exhibit will be coming to the New Orleans Museum of Art. Spoke to the museum about the Voodoo Spiritual temple doing rituals. A concern with the museum being a public owned space and the performance of religious rites (Voodoo) came up. I was asked to call again when I return to New Orleans....we will see.
- I was given a leaf of tobacco grown on the land. Very sacred. It occurred to me that I should hold the smoking that I did in the past as sacred because it brought me to the point I am at now. If I do have a problem with my lungs, then it follows from necessary events.
- My workshop on New Orleans Voodoo...I emphasized that a priest or priestess lives in the doing. No amount of titles or credentials either written or verbal from Spiritual Houses makes one a Priest or Priestess so much as acting as one. If you want to know if someone is a priest or priestess, look at how they act. Brought up two concerns that seem to grow in importance in the space created where Voodoo meets Paganism...Possession especially when it occurs around the Festival Fire and Sacrifice, especially animal sacrifice. Tried to communicate that possession is a natural state in Voodoo ceremonies and, most importantly, where the loa are called which can be around a general Festival Fire. My primary point concerning animal sacrifice is that within Voodoo there is a wide range of beliefs and practices. The range is from a torturing of the animals sacrificed to not tolerating even the use of tallow in Temple candles in that the tallow contains the suffering of animals. I said that I prefer to use Red Palm Oil rather than animal blood.
- Michael said that the Master of the Head could be the opposite of the manifested personality and abilities. This Master appears so that the person could develop needed qualities.
- The woman I mistook for Mishlen had Blanc Dan-i come to her and told her how to make money. It was teaching handicapped kids to twirl batons tipped with ribbons of cloth. She is making money doing it, which was her need, and the kids benefit from a unique experience. She and I have a bond.
Ritual: Blessing of the Drums, 30 to 40 drummers
Will: Strengthen the voice of the drums. So that the loa can speak through the drums more perfectly.
Love: The drums were dressed, fed, and their heads cleaned with cigar smoke. The drums were left to themselves to journey across the Waters to the Land of the Invisibles. We sat around the fire and prayed and were concerned for the drums in their journey across the Waters. The attitude was as if a companion or a child had gone on a dangerous journey. Then I blessed the heads were blessed with various earths...in particular an earth from Congo Square. It was important that the drummers could see the attitude of the blessing...a warm, and happy welcoming of the drum back from its journey. From now on, the drummers could now perform the rite themselves if they wished, this was the teaching element of the ritual.
Success: Strong, from the comments. For me, good but not as
strong as WiccanFest. Still, very good.
Comment: The large number of drummers in the rite may have dampened the power a bit. I believe that about 10 drummers is optimal.
Ritual: To Obatala; Blanc Dan-i
Will: Unity, peace, and respect at the Festival
Love: Flags in the Opening, Litany of the Loa, Papa Labat, the Oguns Iron Joe and Annie Christmas, Erzulia, Le Grande Zombi...Blanc Dan-i (Yenvelou)
Success: Iron Joe and Blanc Dan-i were strong, Possessions during Obatala/Dan-i. Erzulie and Annie Christmas were weak.
Comment: This is like two years ago when Erzulie would not come through with any strength. I had heard that an individual at the festival was working Erzulie for very destructive purposes with a good measure of success .This could render the space unclean for Erzulie to descend. Really, I don't know.
- All four of us lost things at the ritual. Miriam a ring, I lost both drumstix, Marty lost a flashlite, and Linda lost a shirt. Next year it would be good to bring some small objects as offerings. The loa, as they descend here, want a bit more than the food and drink offerings. Perhaps some divination concerning Erzulie is needed.
- In a practice before the Big Fire, a baby frog jumped among the feet of the drummers. A few people tried to catch the frog without success. The frog jumped toward me and I picked it up and carried it to the side of the field telling the frog that I was saving its life and it was to speak to its parents (Hecket) and ask that the nights fire be a success.
Someone yelled "Sacrifice" as I was walking with the frog. Exactly correct, the frog was now on a "sacred" pilgrimage. To be made sacred is to be about sacred things.
- Big Fire...Drummed with the dancers. Baba Olotunji came in and sat before us. He played for awhile, clapped, he was full of a childlike spontaneous joy. He blessed the fire when he was helped up. There is much grace in being so close to such an elder.
Drummed till late or early.