Tag: Ancestors

  • Fet Ghede and the Fiery Power of the Phoenix!

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    Fet Ghede and the Fiery Power of the Phoenix
    By: Khouzhan Morgan

    “The fire is a symbol of transformation, burning away the old and making way for the new.” ~Unknown
     

    Hi there readers and welcome to the Fet Ghede issue of the Universal Messenger!

    As we celebrate Halloween, Samhain and the Voodoo New Year, we can take the time to reflect on this last 365 day trip around the sun.

    You may wish to look back on this past year; what goals have you achieved? What projects have you gotten underway or completed? If you did not meet some goals, how can you increase your chances of success?

    These undertakings can be big or small; the most important thing is that we have an awareness that we can change, grow, and evolve. Take a few moments to reflect on this and realize what an amazing human you truly are! Adulting is hard, but ya know what? Magic can make it better!

     If you burn a cauldron, bonfire, or heck even have a fireplace, it is a great time to write things down on a small paper or leaves and burn them, offering prayers of thanks for all the spiritual help you have received towards your undertakings. It is also a great time to decide on some goals for the next leg of the journey and request guidance and assistance in achieving them!

    The element of fire both destroys and creates and is such profound symbolism as we light up the night and enter the dark half of the year.

    Take out some pictures of friends and family members (of the human and animal variety) and spend some time chatting with those folks. This is a great time of year for divination, and an excellent time for receiving guidance from our deceased loved ones. Pay attention to little “flashes”- like the scent of perfume or a certain food, a familiar sound or song, or even a word or phrase that enters your mind, as that is often our beloved ancestors reaching out to us from beyond the veil. The ancestors are most often more than happy to help us as we continue to navigate our day to day workings. And now, when the veil between worlds is thinnest, it helps us hear those messages from beyond loud and clear.

     It is also a great time to honor our passed loved ones with things they enjoyed in life, such as a certain beverage or snack, or whatever treats brought them joy here on earth.

    This can be as elaborate as an entire table filled with goodies or just a simple cup of tea with a deceased loved one. Remember it is about connection not perfection!

    Just be sure to include some cool fresh water for the spirits to travel through, light a candle in their honor and you are all set! (And yes it sure can be the light if your jack o lantern if you like!)

    Remember, Mambo Sam and Sister Bridget are both available for readings to help clarify any questions you might have along your magical or mundane journey! I cannot count the number of times my ancestors chimed in during a reading with one of those amazing ladies!

    As always, honoring our lineage is the most important thing we can do in the practice of voodoo. We honor who we are and who we will become by honoring where we have come from. We show gratitude for our roots and in turn, we branch out and grow so we can to reach to new heights!  And les Lois, our wonderful and benevolent voodoo spirits, are here for it!!

    Baron Samedi and his consort Maman Brigitte will be here to escort us when we make the final transition to the other side, and this season is their party! They love offerings of coffee, hot peppers and rum. And although Baron and Maman preside over the cemeteries and departed souls, and can sometimes be a bit rowdy, they are also wise beyond measure and can be counted on for assistance in all things- especially healing, legal and financial matters.
    No need to be afraid! Baron and Maman cross  easily between life and death. And through so many “deaths” that we experience- of jobs, relationships, and yes, sometimes, those we love-they can then guide us to resurrection.

    In truth, the most potent lesson I have received from Baron Samedi and Maman Brigitte is that although I would experience many deaths, I would also be given graciously many opportunities for rebirth. And like the Phoenix who rises from the ashes, so we too can continue to regenerate our lives and allow our own little lights to shine.
    At this sacred and wonderful new beginning we wish you all a fantastic Fet Ghede, a Happy Halloween and Samhain blessings and look forward to helping your inner fire burn bright in the coming new year!

    Ayibobo!

  • Maman Brigitte’s Ancestor Memorial Candle!
    Maman Brigitte's Ancestor Memorial Candle – Handcrafted, Made to Order!

    Fet Ghede is right around the corner! This specialty candle will be hand poured for you by both Mambo Sam and Parran Matt, who will dedicate the it to you and your own personal Ancestors during the process! Available only here!  Order by October 19th to ensure delivery by 11/2/23!

  • Happy Fet Ghede!

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  • Happy Fet Ghede!

    Barontarot

    Hello everyone,

    As many have asked, here is some information about how to serve on Fet Ghede.

    To clear up some information – The Ghede (of which there are purported to be MILLIONS) are NOT the Baron and Maman Brigitte.  The Baron and Brigitte are considered the Mother and Father of the Ghede.  There is also a line of thought that the Baron and Brigitte are the "landowners" of the residence of the Ghede (the graveyard, of course).  :-)
     
    Traditionally, especially in New Orleans Voodoo, The Baron and Maman Brigitte are often served during Fet Ghede, too, but more as a show of respect. My point here, of course, is to make sure you know who you are serving!  If you are serving the Ghede, you are not necessarily serving The Baron and Brigitte and vice versa.
     
    As to service:  If at all possible, you should go to a cemetery on this day.  If you are not in a town where you have ancestors buried, then go to the cemetery anyway.  Bring a trash bag, gloves (if you want to not get your hands dirty),  flowers (purple ones are best if you can find some), and candy offerings, anything you like.  I like to find a grave that looks like it hasn't been attended to in years!  Clean up as best you can around the grave, pick up any trash or debris.  If you can, stay awhile – ask Papa Legba to open the gate to the Ghede and ask your ancestors to visit this spot, to talk to you, to guide you.  There is no real right or wrong way to do this — go to the graveyard and let yourself be led to what you should do and where you should go.
     
    I know people always get nervous about going to the graveyard — what if someone sees you?  What if someone asks you what you are doing?  As long as you aren't desecrating anyone's grave, it is okay for you to be there.  It is extremely rare for anyone to be questioned in a graveyard; I have probably spent more time there than any one of us, and I have never, ever been questioned or even paid attention to.  If you just look like you belong there and are doing something positive (flowers, cleaning) you are unlikely to draw much attention, especially this time of year!
     
    Even if you can't go to the graveyard, doing an altar to the Ghede is fun this time of year – you can get lots of cheap plastic skeletons and coffins and such.  Colors are purple, black, and white.  Offerings are rum, 21 peppers steeped in rum (be careful with this stuff — wear gloves to put the peppers in the rum bottle), unfiltered cigarettes, and roasted peanuts (raw peanuts, taken out of the shell, and stir fried in a skillet or roasted in the oven – NO SALT!! – remember – no salt in any offerings to the Ghede).  If you have ancestors you are serving at this time, put their favorite foods, their pictures, items to represent them on your altar.  St. Gerard, who is often used to represent the Baron, is also used to represent the Ghede in most Voodoo traditions.
     
    Once you are satisfied with your altar, light your candles and ask Papa Legba to open the gate to the Ghede and your ancestors.  This is a perfect time to ask your ancestors for their help, guidance, and favor.  If you have ancestors that you were particularly close to, ask them for their help with whatever situation you have that is troubling you.  Listen carefully, sometimes you might even hear them whisper to you!!  I always recommend that you do a bit of journaling in front of your altar:  Ask questions of the Ghede and your ancestors and write down the first thing that pops into your head – don't edit – write in stream of consciousness.  Don't re-read it right now.  Put it away at the end of the service and read it about a week later.   Sometimes you will be very surprised at what you see written there!
     
    Remember as well that Fet Ghede is celebrated as a sort of "New Year's" celebration – a new beginning where old problems and challenges are "buried" or solved!
     
    Have fun!
    Love,
    Mambo Samantha Corfield

  • Make an Ancestor Altar Cloth!

    Make an Ancestor Altar Cloth

    Ancestor Cloth
     

    An ancestor altar cloth is something you can make any time of the year, although it can come in particularly handy for Samhain/Fet Ghede, when many people choose to perform ancestor-focused rituals. This project can be as simple or as complex as you like, depending on your time constraints, creativity, and crafting skills.

    You’ll need:

    • A plain white or cream-colored tablecloth, or other piece of fabric
    • Fabric pencil
    • Embroidery floss and hoop, or fabric markers
    • A genealogy of your ancestors

    A few notes here, before you get started. There’s no hard and fast rule about how to do this — it’s a craft idea that is very personalized. Do what works best for you. If you’re handy with a needle and thread, you can embroider the cloth – it will definitely last longer that way. If you’re not confident about your stitching abilities, you can use fine-tipped fabric markers (keep in mind that this option may limit your ability to wash the altar cloth if it gets dirty or stained during ritual).

    As to your genealogy, you can keep it simple if you like, or if you’ve never done any genealogy research. You’ll need the names of your parents, of their parents, their grandparents, and so on. If you want to include your children, you can do that too.

    Start by putting yourself in the center, and writing your name carefully with a lightweight fabric pencil — these wash or brush off easily when you’re done. Branch out, including your parents’ names above you, one on each side. Using lines to connect everyone, gradually add the names of your ancestors. You can even include dates of birth and death, or place names if you have the room.

    It’s best to do all of this in pencil first — or better yet, use Post-It Notes, one for each ancestor’s name – to position people around the cloth. If you know the names of lots of ancestors on one side, but only a few on the other, it can start looking lopsided pretty quickly, unless you’re able to rearrange people (this is why sticky notes are great).

    Once you’ve figured out everyone’s placement, add the names in fabric pencil until you’ve included as many people as you like. If you’re going to embroider the names, work from one side to the other, just to keep things simple — you may even want to do different branches of the family, or different generations, in alternating colors. If you opt to use fabric markers for the final work, be careful! Stitches can always be picked out, but markers are permanent.

    Keep in mind that the very act of creation is a magical one, and you can utilize the crafting of this altar cloth as a ritual in and of itself. Particularly if you're stitching, there's a very meditative aspect to the creative process. After you’ve put everyone’s names on the fabric, use it as an altar cloth for rituals involving ancestor work.

  • A new look at Ancestor Service.

    As Vodouisants, calling on, feeding, and honoring our ancestors is something we are very familiar with. Our Ancestors are a part of us; they are with us and around us always. Ancestors can be called on as a group, or individually. It is fairly traditional to hold an Ancestor service one a year, but they can be held anytime at all. Just yesterday I was at one of my favorite spots in a local cemetery, and came across this site***

    Partygrave1

      Partygrave2 copy

    The family and friends of this departed little boy had held his tenth birthday party for him. At first, a wave of sadness passed through me. But after a moment, I realized the people at this party were far from sad. I could see them decorating with streamers, laughing and joking, sharing stories about their little one, but also telling stories to him. I am certain there was a cake with candles, balloons, presents (which were left here with him) and punch. He was very much a participant in his own celebration. 

    Even though this young person passed before many of those in his family, he is still of their blood, and thus, now an Ancestor. The openness and joy in this birthday party was, for me, very moving.  It has given me much to consider (or reconsider) about the “routine” my own service has fallen into. I plan on shaking things up a bit next time around! 

    Love

    Sister Bridget

     

    (***Names and dates have been photoshopped out)

     

  • Fet Ghede Potion Follow Up 🙂

    Hey there

    A few weeks ago, Mambo Sam announced a very special offering of a unique potion. Fet Ghede Potion was made by Mambo, Parran, myself and a few special members of our Voodoo House. You can read the details about the potion and the process here, of course, but I mostly wanted to relay my experiences with the potion, and hope others will join in as well 🙂

    I started using my bottle a bit last week. As with everything Mambo Sam makes, this stuff is simply awesome in power and vibration! I have used the potion in a bit of candlework, some doll work, and with my meditations and prayers. I have to say, my experiences meditating while wearing just a drop of this potion are amazing. There are times when I have much difficulty quieting my mind to meditate – I have not had that problem when I use this potion. I sometimes have a little trouble remembering specific guidance I get during meditation – again, not so when I have used this potion. My meditations are much more clear, peaceful, and I want to use the word "vibrant" here. Now, that may not make much sense as far as meditating goes to some of you, but that is the best word I have to describe what I am experiencing.  Really Amazing.

    I hope some of you who already have some of this wonderful stuff will chime in with your experiences too!

    For those of you who are still considering getting yourself a bottle, remember supplies are limited! (Well, at least until next Fet Ghede). If you have any questions about the potion use, the potion does some with full instructions, as well as a free 10 minute consult with Mambo Sam for any questions you may have.

    Hope to see your feedback soon!

    Love

    Sister Bridget