Rollin' Calf's Redemption: A look at Haitian Vodou & Jamaican Obeah

“‘What  is  the  truth?,’ Dr. Holly asked me, and knowing that I could not answer him he answered himself through a Voodoo ceremony in which  the  Mambo,  that  is  the  high  priestess,  richly  dressed  is  asked  this  question  ritualistically. She  replies  by  throwing  back  her  veil  and revealing  her  sex  organs.  The  ceremony  means  that  this  is  the  infinite,  the ultimate  truth.  There  is  no  mystery  beyond  the  mysterious  source  of  life…It  is considered  the  highest  honor  for  all  males  participating (in  ceremony)  to  kiss  her organ  of  creation,  for  Damballa  the  god  of  gods,  has  permitted  them  to  come face  to  face  with  truth.”  

I remember reading the above quote in Zora Neal Hurston’s book Tell My Horse: Voodoo and Life in Haiti and Jamaica many years ago, and realizing how rich and powerful African psychology is. I had read other books on Vodou before this, but for some strange reason, the paragraph above really got my attention and made me want to learn more about West African derived spiritual sciences practiced in the Caribbean. I think that anyone who is interested in African spirituality, or African American culture should purchase Hurston’s books because she is an incredible writer who offers a wealth of insight in her works.

As a kid, I attended a late-night Shango Baptist ceremony, although my family was not of that faith. The ceremony, overseen by Trinidadian female friends of the family, was an eye opener for me. We also had a large Papa Legba statue that some Haitian friends of the family had given us. I must admit that ever since that statue was brought to our home, I became more curious and intrigued by the mysteries of life, although I did not actively pursue information concerning those mysteries until I was in my late teens.

I was exposed, firsthand, to many different aspects of spirituality in my youth, which partially explains why I don’t take a sectarian approach toward spirituality in my writings. I acknowledge the contributions of various leaders and personalities of the past, but I am not an exclusive disciple of any one of them in the present. I learn something of value from everyone who has something of value to offer. 

I’ve experienced what some might call “the supernatural” in a very real and profound way, which might surprise a few people since I don’t talk about those experiences in my posts. However, the seen comes from the unseen, and a significant portion of what you read on this site cannot be traced back to sources that you can see with the two eyes below your brow.

Speaking of sources, I would like to share another book that I read some time ago. It’s called Voodoos & Obeah’s: Phases of West Indian Witchcraft by Joseph Williams. While I see a need to point out that the author, who was a product of his time, approaches the subject matter with some cultural bias (Africans and people of African descent don’t practice “witchcraft;” they practice spiritual sciences,) I think that it still offers some insightful observations that may inspire the reader to purchase the works of more recent and more credible authors.

You can download Williams’ book by clicking right HERE.

White Lightning of the Illustrious Dragon Kings

In medieval European art it’s very common to see Moorish nobles of West African descent depicted as Dragon Kings. The painting above displaying Moorish crests of heraldry is just one of many examples. 

The illustration of the king flanked by two dragons in the upper left-hand corner of the image above comes out of the town of Freising in Bavaria, Germany circa 1286 C.E. Mind you, this is the same Bavaria that nurtured Adam Weishaupt’s so-called Illuminati nearly 500 years later. Weishaupt was a free-thinker who was influenced by the liberalism that typified Moorish Spain at its cultural zenith.

In his book Cult of the Shadow, Typhonian Ordo Templi Orientis founder Kenneth Grant speaks of the West African “Cult of the Black Snake” which he says gave the Western World much of its esoteric tradition by way of the Nile Valley and the Fertile Crescent.

Grant states that “some of the most obscure magical languages are yet extent in some of the god names, place names and ancient dialects of Africa. In the West African fetish cults for instance are preserved some of the most primal names of magical power that were carried over and integrated with Egyptian and Chaldean traditions at a much later age” (p.23). Given Southern Europe’s close proximity to the African continent, the region had been subject to a Moorish influence long before the 8^th century C.E.  

                                     Kenneth Grant

Ancient Iberian folklore (the folklore of ancient Spain) speaks of a fire-breathing dragon known as “Sugaar” or “Sugar” which originally meant “fire-breathing male serpent” among the Basque people of Southern Europe. Sugar’s consort was the goddess “Mari,” which is very similar to “Mauri,” from which we get the Anglicized version of the word Mauri, which is “Moor.” Sugar was a god of the mountains who possessed the power to bring thunder and lightning down from heaven. The lightning you see in the sky, before a thunder shower is nature’s display of electricity. 

The electro-white we know as sugar is a natural electrolyte emulator in the sense that it has chemical properties that make us feel as if we are conducting electricity. Depending on the dose, sugar might make someone feel like they’ve been struck by lightning in the best possible way. That is of course until they crash and burn from dehydration, which high sugar consumption will surely bring.

The Moorish Dragon Kings introduced crystallized sugar to the Iberian peninsula, as well as the rest of Europe, in the 14th century. Back then sugar was served in small rock chunks called “cracks” Do your Reading Rainbow routine, folks. You don’t have to take my word for it. Selling cracks to a self-indulgent European aristocracy was a lucrative enterprise for Moors, as sugar was a novel food additive in high demand. One might ask themselves why the highly addictive sweet crack was named after a reptilian god from old Spain? The answer is because it was introduced to the European populace by dragon kings who were formerly known as Moors. 

In retrospect, selling cracks may have contributed somewhat to the fall of the Moors in the 15^th  century, as they consumed their own supplies. The abundance of sugar, combined with several other vices, probably made the Moors irritable, unfocused, undisciplined, and argumentative to the point where they couldn’t accomplish anything meaningful as a collective group of people. Wise men and women study history and mythology in the present to gain greater insight about their condition in the present. This can help pave the way to a sweeter future for those who actively seize it.