TRADICIÓN
Vudú
El corpus no guarda ningún texto que hable desde dentro del vudú; lo que dice de él lo dicen sus estudiosos y los practicantes de otras casas que se miden con él. La definición más completa es la de la enciclopedia de Christian Rätsch, que en la misma frase imprime cuatro grafías: «The voodoo cult (also called vodou, vodun, or wodu) is a syncretic system composed of elements of traditional Yoruba religion, early-modern-era Catholicism» «Rätsch — The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants (2005) · p. 2401», y que deja abierta la pregunta que a su obra le importa: «Whether psychoactive substances play a significant part in this remains an open question» «Rätsch — The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants (2005) · p. 2401».
De dónde viene, las obras no lo dicen igual, y ni la misma obra lo cierra. Gerald Gardner cuenta lo que vio en Nueva Orleans: «But during my short stay in New Orleans, though I did not succeed in getting into Voodoo, I noticed some suspicious resemblances which made me think that Voodoo was not solely African in origin but had been compounded in America out of European witchcraft and African mythology; and when I visited the Villa of the Mysteries at Pompeii I realised the great resemblance to the cult» «Gardner — Witchcraft Today (1954) · p. 77». Consigna después la versión contraria que le dieron allí: «I was also told that it had been clearly proved that Voodoo was not African but was compounded in the French West Indies by French half-castes, from European magic, inverted Roman Catholicism and mixed memories of different African religions» «Gardner — Witchcraft Today (1954) · p. 91», y no decide: «I cannot say if this is right; but if some of these French half-castes had a witch tradition this would account for all the resemblances» «Gardner — Witchcraft Today (1954) · p. 91». Y resume una tercera, la de Pennethorne Hughes: «I was much interested in Mr. Pennethorne Hughes's theory, vide page 23 of his book, that magic was evolved by the Egyptian priests, that one branch of this knowledge came to Europe, becoming witchcraft, the other going to West Africa and thence to America, becoming Voodoo» «Gardner — Witchcraft Today (1954) · p. 154». Rätsch lo compone de otro modo, con la religión yoruba y el catolicismo moderno temprano. Las cuatro composiciones van aquí sin conciliar.
Los practicantes de otras casas lo traen para medir la propia. David Crowhurst escribe desde la magia de grimorio y registra en el vudú una relación con los espíritus que no amenaza: «The notion of threatening or punishing a spirit is also notably absent in syncretic traditions such as Vodou and Quimbanda, which treat the spirits with respect and feature the development of personal relationships with them as the key to initiatory development.» «Crowhurst — Stellas Daemonum (2020) · p. 59»; compara a sus espíritus de umbral con los Legba: «As well as mirroring the nature of the Legbas in Haitian Vodou and the spirit Scirlin in the Grimorium Verum, such gateway spirits also reflect the nature of the daemonic assistant obtained via the Spell of Pnouthis in PGM I: 42–195, which has the power to persuade gods and goddesses on one’s behalf.» «Crowhurst — Stellas Daemonum (2020) · p. 60»; ve en él el mismo sincretismo de dioses y santos que la Iglesia romana empleó en Europa: «A syncretism of gods and saints similar to that employed by the Roman Church in Europe 1,500 years ago is observable today in the spiritual traditions in the Americas such as Vodou, Santeria, and Palo.» «Crowhurst — Stellas Daemonum (2020) · p. 71»; y declara que su libro se acerca a esa manera: «is far more in line with the ancient practices of the Arabs, which were based around fumigations and offerings, and the modern practices of traditions such as Vodou and Quimbanda, which are based on the building of respectful relationships with the spirits that are based in mutual interest rather than threats and coercion.» «Crowhurst — Stellas Daemonum (2020) · p. 89». Francis King y Stephen Skinner describen la posesión en la ceremonia mágica y le ponen al lado la del vudú: «a. speak as the god, giving oracles. (The same process occurs, but with a different type of entity, during Voodoo ceremonies, although here the stress is much more heavily on ecstatic dancing.) b. as the god bless a candidate, giving him a very real influx of power, as in the 'laying on of hands' or in the Golden Dawn Neophyte Ceremony, conferring initiation.» «King y Skinner — Techniques of High Magic (1976) · p. 133». Skinner, en su libro sobre la magia salomónica, recoge y acota el parentesco de los vevés con los sellos de los espíritus: «Drawing magical figures with flour is still practiced with the drawing of modern day Voodoo vevas, which some authorities suggest may have been derived from Solomonic spirit seals. The vevas however do not enclose the magician.» «Skinner — Techniques of Solomonic Magic (2015) · p. 162». Donald Michael Kraig lo nombra para marcar la diferencia de su arte: «The High Magick art is by nature different from certain aspects of other so-called “primitive” forms of magick as practiced by those involved in Witchcraft, Wicca, Voodoo, Brujeria, etc.» «Kraig — Modern Magick (tercera edición, 2010) · p. 72». Gardner opone su práctica a la del vudú en un punto: «The people I know are taught never to use blood or to make sacrifices; but the Irish coven seemingly use them and they are used in Voodoo» «Gardner — Witchcraft Today (1954) · p. 98». Rätsch registra dos usos del lado de las plantas, el amoroso: «In the voodoo cult practiced in the southern United States, damiana is consecrated to the love goddess Erzulie and is used in love magic» «Rätsch — The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants (2005) · p. 1598», y el de curación: «But ritual healing cults and archaic methods of healing (shamanism, the voodoo cult, healing dances, yoga, meditation) include numerous elements for stimulating the production of endogenous drugs» «Rätsch — The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants (2005) · p. 2412».
Una parte grande de lo que el corpus dice del vudú es la acusación que otros le hicieron, y va aquí con su portador. Owen Davies la consigna como creencia europea: «There was a widespread belief amongst Europeans that human sacrifice and even cannibalism were also practised by adherents of Voodoo in Haiti, and by magical practitioners in other French-speaking colonies.» «Davies — Grimoires (2009) · p. 174», sitúa a su fuente principal: «His stridently critical account of the country was reviled by Haitians but widely read in Europe and America.» «Davies — Grimoires (2009) · p. 174», fecha cómo la agravó: «When it came to a second edition in 1889 he added further details, stating he had ‘underrated’ the ‘fearful manifestations’ of Voodoo.» «Davies — Grimoires (2009) · p. 174», y trae a quien la desechó: «He dismissed St John’s accounts as unsubstantiated hearsay, highlighting the pernicious influence of local and international newspapers in peddling sensational false accounts, such as the report that human flesh was on sale in Haitian markets.» «Davies — Grimoires (2009) · p. 174». Helena Blavatsky transcribe el cargo de una revista católica: «A recent article in a Catholic journal on Nagualism and Voodooism charges Hayti with being the centre of secret societies, with terrible forms of initiation and bloody rites, where human infants are sacrificed and devoured by the adepts» «Blavatsky — Essential Works (siete obras reunidas, 1877–1892) · p. 1220», y el relato de Piron que la misma plana transcribe: «A naked white girl acted as a voodoo priestess, wrought up to frenzy by dances and incantations that followed the sacrifice of a white and a black hen. A serpent, trained to its part, and acted on by the music, coiled round the limbs of the girl, its motions studied by the votaries dancing around or standing to watch its contortions» «Blavatsky — Essential Works (siete obras reunidas, 1877–1892) · p. 1220». Gardner, a propósito de una campaña de prensa contra la brujería inglesa, dice qué habría sido lo honesto: «Why could not the sensational Press honestly say, “We have reason, from statements made to us, to believe that Voodoo practices are carried on in England. We think that this should be investigated and any excesses restrained”?» «Gardner — The Meaning of Witchcraft (1959) · p. 267»; explica la confusión de la testigo: «It is possible, of course, that a black woman, as she tells us she is, would use the word “witchcraft” thinking it the English word for “Voodoo”;» «Gardner — The Meaning of Witchcraft (1959) · p. 267»; y reasigna al vudú los detalles del relato: «Now, this is another typical Voodoo touch.» «Gardner — The Meaning of Witchcraft (1959) · p. 268». Blavatsky, en otros lugares, usa el nombre como figura: en el itinerario de quien quiera estudiar el prestigio de la serpiente: «Yes, the author is right, and if one would have a complete idea of the prestige which the serpent enjoys to our own day, he ought to study the matter in India and learn all that is believed about, and still attributed to, the Nâgas (cobras) in that country; one should also visit the Africans of Whydah, the Voodoos of Port-au-Prince and Jamaica, the Nagals of Mexico, and the Pâ, or Men-serpents of China, etc» «Blavatsky — Essential Works (siete obras reunidas, 1877–1892) · p. 2250»; en el paralelo moderno de las figurillas de cera: «To this day Christian Sorcerers in Italy, and negro Voodoos at New Orleans fabricate small wax figures in the likeness of their victims, and transpierce them with needles, the wound, as on the teraphim or Menh, being repercussed on the living, often killing them.» «Blavatsky — Essential Works (siete obras reunidas, 1877–1892) · p. 3520»; y como hechicero consciente frente al hipnotizador con diploma: «The Voodoos and the Dugpas eat, drink and are merry over hecatombs of victims of their infernal arts.» «Blavatsky — Essential Works (siete obras reunidas, 1877–1892) · p. 3863» y «And so do the amiable gentlemen vivisectionists and the diploma-ed "Hypnotizers" of the Faculties of Medicine; the only difference between the two classes being that the Voodoos and the Dugpas are conscious, and the Charcot-Richet crew unconscious Sorcerers.» «Blavatsky — Essential Works (siete obras reunidas, 1877–1892) · p. 3863».
El corpus registra también quién tomó sus motivos y quién los leyó mal. Lee Gilmore inventaria los lwa entre los símbolos que Burning Man se apropia: «Many of the rituals, performances, and other creative works at Burning Man freely appropriate and hybridize a potentially infinite assortment of easily recognized religious symbols or other cultural motifs—from Mayan, Balinese, Islamic, or Shinto architecture to Buddhas, labyrinths, crosses, Vodou lwa, and many many others.» «Gilmore — Theater in a Crowded Fire (2010) · p. 80», acota la ópera que se inspiró en él: «Although the motifs of Le Mystere de Papa Loko were inspired by the myths and rituals of Haitian Vodou, it was never intended to be an authentic Vodou rite.» «Gilmore — Theater in a Crowded Fire (2010) · p. 95», y dice qué se proponía: «In overtly recognizing—and embracing—the syncretic cultural forces operating in the contexts of both Vodou and Burning Man, this opera sought to open up a space for dynamic cultural exchange in the context of a festival in which rampant cultural appropriation is not always acknowledged or self-aware.» «Gilmore — Theater in a Crowded Fire (2010) · p. 95». King y Skinner juzgan el libro de Seabrook sobre Haití: «written, amusing and financially successful books with an occult slant; these still make enjoyable light reading in spite of Seabrook's gross inaccuracies and misunderstandings - Magic Island, for example, reveals a total lack of comprehension of the real nature of the things its author had witnessed and makes hilarious reading for anyone who knows anything at all about the real nature of the voodoo religion.» «King y Skinner — Techniques of High Magic (1976) · p. 89». Y Davies separa del vudú lo que a veces se confunde con él: «The use of the term was Wrst recorded in the 1880s, and although it is sometimes used as a synonym for Voodoo they were two distinct traditions.» «Davies — Grimoires (2009) · p. 203» y «Hoodoo lacked the organized aspects and religious framework of Haitian Voodoo, which in the USA was largely restricted to New Orleans and was in terminal decline by the late nineteenth century.» «Davies — Grimoires (2009) · p. 203».
en la biblioteca: 0 obras adscritas · 0 autores vinculados
Qué dicen de ella las obras
cómo la define cada obra, con su pasajeBlavatsky — Essential Works (siete obras reunidas, 1877–1892)
Crowhurst — Stellas Daemonum (2020)
Gardner — The Meaning of Witchcraft (1959)
Gardner — Witchcraft Today (1954)
Gilmore — Theater in a Crowded Fire (2010)
King y Skinner — Techniques of High Magic (1976)
Kraig — Modern Magick (tercera edición, 2010)
Rätsch — The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants (2005)
Roberts — The Individual and the Nature of Mass Events (1981)
Roberts — The Nature of Personal Reality (1974)
Skinner — Techniques of Solomonic Magic (2015)
Afirmaciones
36 entradas«The voodoo cult (also called vodou, vodun, or wodu) is a syncretic system composed of elements of traditional Yoruba religion, early-modern-era Catholicism» — lo que el libro fija del vudú: un sistema sincrético con elementos de la religión yoruba tradicional, del catolicismo de la era moderna temprana y de otras magias.
«Whether psychoactive substances play a significant part in this remains an open question» — y la reserva que pone sobre ese culto de posesión: si las sustancias psicoactivas tienen en él un papel importante sigue siendo pregunta abierta.
«In the voodoo cult practiced in the southern United States, damiana is consecrated to the love goddess Erzulie and is used in love magic» — el uso vudú que registra: en el sur de Estados Unidos la damiana está consagrada a la diosa del amor Erzulie y se usa en la magia amorosa.
«But ritual healing cults and archaic methods of healing (shamanism, the voodoo cult, healing dances, yoga, meditation) include numerous elements for stimulating the production of endogenous drugs» — y dónde dice ese mismo autor que están esas técnicas: en los cultos rituales de curación y en los métodos arcaicos —chamanismo, vudú, danzas de curación, yoga, meditación—, aunque quienes los practican ignoren el trasfondo bioquímico.
«But during my short stay in New Orleans, though I did not succeed in getting into Voodoo, I noticed some suspicious resemblances which made me think that Voodoo was not solely African in origin but had been compounded in America out of European witchcraft and African mythology; and when I visited the Villa of the Mysteries at Pompeii I realised the great resemblance to the cult» — cuenta el hallazgo que le hizo cambiar de idea: en Nueva Orleans no logró entrar al vudú pero notó parecidos, y en la Villa de los Misterios de Pompeya reconoció la semejanza con el culto.
«I was also told that it had been clearly proved that Voodoo was not African but was compounded in the French West Indies by French half-castes, from European magic, inverted Roman Catholicism and mixed memories of different African religions» — consigna la versión contraria que le contaron en Nueva Orleans: que el vudú no es africano sino compuesto en las Antillas francesas con magia europea, catolicismo invertido y memorias africanas mezcladas.
«I cannot say if this is right; but if some of these French half-castes had a witch tradition this would account for all the resemblances» — se abstiene de decidir entre las dos versiones y ofrece la condición que reconciliaría la suya: si esos mestizos franceses tenían tradición de brujas, quedarían explicados los parecidos.
«I was much interested in Mr. Pennethorne Hughes's theory, vide page 23 of his book, that magic was evolved by the Egyptian priests, that one branch of this knowledge came to Europe, becoming witchcraft, the other going to West Africa and thence to America, becoming Voodoo» — resume la teoría de Pennethorne Hughes, página 23, sobre la magia inventada por los sacerdotes egipcios y ramificada en brujería europea y vudú americano, y declara el interés que le despierta.
«The people I know are taught never to use blood or to make sacrifices; but the Irish coven seemingly use them and they are used in Voodoo» — opone las dos prácticas sin armonizarlas: a los suyos les enseñan a no usar nunca sangre ni sacrificios, y el aquelarre irlandés al parecer los usa, igual que el vudú.
«The notion of threatening or punishing a spirit is also notably absent in syncretic traditions such as Vodou and Quimbanda, which treat the spirits with respect and feature the development of personal relationships with them as the key to initiatory development.» — y la ausencia de la amenaza que registra en Vodou y Quimbanda, donde el desarrollo iniciático pasa por la relación personal con los espíritus.
«As well as mirroring the nature of the Legbas in Haitian Vodou and the spirit Scirlin in the Grimorium Verum, such gateway spirits also reflect the nature of the daemonic assistant obtained via the Spell of Pnouthis in PGM I: 42–195, which has the power to persuade gods and goddesses on one’s behalf.» — el paralelo que traza entre los Legbas del vodú haitiano, el Scirlin del Grimorium Verum y el asistente daimónico del Hechizo de Pnouthis en PGM I: 42-195.
«A syncretism of gods and saints similar to that employed by the Roman Church in Europe 1,500 years ago is observable today in the spiritual traditions in the Americas such as Vodou, Santeria, and Palo.» — y el paralelo actual que señala en el vodú, la santería y el palo.
«is far more in line with the ancient practices of the Arabs, which were based around fumigations and offerings, and the modern practices of traditions such as Vodou and Quimbanda, which are based on the building of respectful relationships with the spirits that are based in mutual interest rather than threats and coercion.» — la posición que declara propia para el libro: más cerca de las prácticas árabes de fumigación y ofrenda y de las de vodú y quimbanda que de la amenaza.
«a. speak as the god, giving oracles. (The same process occurs, but with a different type of entity, during Voodoo ceremonies, although here the stress is much more heavily on ecstatic dancing.) b. as the god bless a candidate, giving him a very real influx of power, as in the 'laying on of hands' or in the Golden Dawn Neophyte Ceremony, conferring initiation.» — los dos primeros usos: dar oráculos —con el paralelo vudú que trazan— y bendecir al candidato
«Drawing magical figures with flour is still practiced with the drawing of modern day Voodoo vevas, which some authorities suggest may have been derived from Solomonic spirit seals. The vevas however do not enclose the magician.» — en nota, el paralelo contemporáneo que Skinner recoge y a la vez acota: los vevés del vudú se trazan con harina y no encierran al mago
«The High Magick art is by nature different from certain aspects of other so-called “primitive” forms of magick as practiced by those involved in Witchcraft, Wicca, Voodoo, Brujeria, etc.» — Kraig marca la diferencia de su arte con la brujería, la wicca, el vudú y la brujería hispana, y en la misma plana acota que *primitive* significa aquí más antiguo y más simple, no inferior.
«There was a widespread belief amongst Europeans that human sacrifice and even cannibalism were also practised by adherents of Voodoo in Haiti, and by magical practitioners in other French-speaking colonies.» — consigna como creencia europea, no como hecho, la de que en Haití y otras colonias francófonas se practicaban el sacrificio humano y el canibalismo
«His stridently critical account of the country was reviled by Haitians but widely read in Europe and America.» — sitúa a St John como fuente interesada: su relato durísimo del país fue detestado por los haitianos y leído con amplitud en Europa y América
«When it came to a second edition in 1889 he added further details, stating he had ‘underrated’ the ‘fearful manifestations’ of Voodoo.» — y anota cómo se agravó en la segunda edición de 1889, donde declaró haberse quedado corto
«He dismissed St John’s accounts as unsubstantiated hearsay, highlighting the pernicious influence of local and international newspapers in peddling sensational false accounts, such as the report that human flesh was on sale in Haitian markets.» — frente a eso pone a quien desechó esos relatos como habladurías sin fundamento y señaló el papel de la prensa local e internacional en propagar falsedades sensacionales
«A recent article in a Catholic journal on Nagualism and Voodooism charges Hayti with being the centre of secret societies, with terrible forms of initiation and bloody rites, where human infants are sacrificed and devoured by the adepts» — la obra registra el cargo de una revista católica contra Haití y marca con sus signos de admiración entre paréntesis lo que le parece del cargo.
«A naked white girl acted as a voodoo priestess, wrought up to frenzy by dances and incantations that followed the sacrifice of a white and a black hen. A serpent, trained to its part, and acted on by the music, coiled round the limbs of the girl, its motions studied by the votaries dancing around or standing to watch its contortions» — el relato de Piron que la obra transcribe: la serpiente amaestrada enroscada en la muchacha y los devotos observando sus movimientos.
«Why could not the sensational Press honestly say, “We have reason, from statements made to us, to believe that Voodoo practices are carried on in England. We think that this should be investigated and any excesses restrained”?» — la formulación que, según él, habría sido honesta.
«It is possible, of course, that a black woman, as she tells us she is, would use the word “witchcraft” thinking it the English word for “Voodoo”;» — la explicación que ofrece para la confusión terminológica de la testigo, en los términos de su época.
«Now, this is another typical Voodoo touch.» — el criterio con que reasigna los detalles del relato al vudú y no al culto.
«Yes, the author is right, and if one would have a complete idea of the prestige which the serpent enjoys to our own day, he ought to study the matter in India and learn all that is believed about, and still attributed to, the Nâgas (cobras) in that country; one should also visit the Africans of Whydah, the Voodoos of Port-au-Prince and Jamaica, the Nagals of Mexico, and the Pâ, or Men-serpents of China, etc» — La obra le da la razón y amplía el itinerario: quien quiera idea completa del prestigio de la serpiente ha de estudiarlo en la India, entre los africanos de Whydah, los vudús de Puerto Príncipe y Jamaica, los *nagals* de México y los hombres-serpiente de China.
«To this day Christian Sorcerers in Italy, and negro Voodoos at New Orleans fabricate small wax figures in the likeness of their victims, and transpierce them with needles, the wound, as on the teraphim or Menh, being repercussed on the living, often killing them.» — Y el paralelo moderno que añade: hechiceros cristianos en Italia y vudús negros en Nueva Orleans traspasan con agujas figurillas de cera a semejanza de su víctima, y la herida repercute en el vivo.
«The Voodoos and the Dugpas eat, drink and are merry over hecatombs of victims of their infernal arts.» — La comparación que la pieza traza con los Voodoos y los Dugpas.
«And so do the amiable gentlemen vivisectionists and the diploma-ed "Hypnotizers" of the Faculties of Medicine; the only difference between the two classes being that the Voodoos and the Dugpas are conscious, and the Charcot-Richet crew unconscious Sorcerers.» — El emparejamiento que la pieza hace entre los vivisectores e hipnotizadores con diploma y los hechiceros: unos conscientes y otros no.
«For we say it again, hypnotism and vivisection as practised in such schools, are Sorcery pure and simple, minus a knowledge that the Voodoos and Dugpas enjoy, and which no Charcot-Richet can procure for himself in fifty years of hard study and experimental observation.» — Lo que la pieza sostiene del hipnotismo y la vivisección: hechicería sin el saber que los Dugpas sí tienen.
«Many of the rituals, performances, and other creative works at Burning Man freely appropriate and hybridize a potentially infinite assortment of easily recognized religious symbols or other cultural motifs—from Mayan, Balinese, Islamic, or Shinto architecture to Buddhas, labyrinths, crosses, Vodou lwa, and many many others.» — Inventaria el material simbólico que el festival se apropia e hibrida: arquitectura maya, balinesa, islámica o sintoísta, budas, laberintos, cruces y los *lwa* del vodú
«Although the motifs of Le Mystere de Papa Loko were inspired by the myths and rituals of Haitian Vodou, it was never intended to be an authentic Vodou rite.» — Acota la apropiación de la ópera de 1999: sus motivos se inspiraron en los mitos y ritos del vodú haitiano, pero nunca se pretendió un rito vodú auténtico
«In overtly recognizing—and embracing—the syncretic cultural forces operating in the contexts of both Vodou and Burning Man, this opera sought to open up a space for dynamic cultural exchange in the context of a festival in which rampant cultural appropriation is not always acknowledged or self-aware.» — Consigna lo que la ópera se proponía: abrir espacio de intercambio cultural reconociendo las fuerzas sincréticas del vodú y del festival, en un evento donde la apropiación cultural no siempre se admite ni se sabe
«written, amusing and financially successful books with an occult slant; these still make enjoyable light reading in spite of Seabrook's gross inaccuracies and misunderstandings - Magic Island, for example, reveals a total lack of comprehension of the real nature of the things its author had witnessed and makes hilarious reading for anyone who knows anything at all about the real nature of the voodoo religion.» — el juicio que hacen de sus libros y del Magic Island en particular: entretenidos y llenos de errores gruesos sobre lo que su autor presenció
«The use of the term was Wrst recorded in the 1880s, and although it is sometimes used as a synonym for Voodoo they were two distinct traditions.» — y la distinción que no deja armonizar: el término hoodoo se registra por primera vez en la década de 1880 y, aunque a veces se use como sinónimo de vudú, eran dos tradiciones distintas
«Hoodoo lacked the organized aspects and religious framework of Haitian Voodoo, which in the USA was largely restricted to New Orleans and was in terminal decline by the late nineteenth century.» — al hoodoo le faltaban la organización y el marco religioso del vudú haitiano, que en Estados Unidos quedó casi confinado a Nueva Orleans y en franca decadencia a fines del XIX