What Do Voodoo, Catholics, Energy Signatures, and Universal Flow Have In Common?

On my recent trip to New Orleans, I had an opportunity to learn about Voodoo. When I first walked by the Temple something was drawing me in. I really did not have an immense amount of knowledge about Voodoo's Spiritual Path. I had seen the hollywood versions and read the myths, but true knowledge and experience I had very little.

I was disappointed when I read a note on the door that the Temple was closed due to Priestess Miriam being ill. Next door to the Temple is a cultural Center whose sole purpose is to educate people on the Voodoo Spiritual Path.

Voodoo comes from a Fon word Voudon which translates to "the power' that who is invisible; the creator of all things". Okay, so Voodoo is about a creator - a spiritual source of all things. That shifts my perception quiet a bit already. The Spiritual Path is infused with Traditional Aftrican beliefs with Catholicism. You read that right - with Catholicism. Although it is perceived as something vastly different, after my new experiences with some that walk this spiritual path, that is due to a deliberate misconception of the practice by early Priests.

So what is the real story? As it was shared with me, those that follow the Voodoo path believe in an Omnipresent Creator and a Loa or Orisha. the Loa or Orisha is like an intermediary between the creator and the human world (it was compared to a Saint in the traditional Catholic theology ). The Voodoo religion really is a religion of the Universe. It works through energy and intelligence which can direct and manifest both the human self and the human universe. This is sounding an awful lot like Shamanism , Metaphysics, and Mysticism rather than some blood thirsty zombie and priestessess that is going to buy my soul so often depicted in Hollywood.

Like all Universal Paths there are various aspects of Voodoo. Rada is a positive energy path only. Petro works with both negative and positive energy. Secta Rough concentrates only on the negative energy and Zobop focuses on the extreme negative energy only.

One of the basic elements to practice the the flow of energy within Voodoo is through the human voice. Songs that radiate a vibration into the heart and soul while connecting with the Loa. It is said that a closed mind and hardened heart will not hear nor appreciate the voice.

It was also shared with me that, in particular, the Voodoo Spiritual Temple next door was not focused on white nor black, positive nor negative; burt rath on Truth. True Spiritual Power. Those whom are sensitive to the vibrations of the Universe will feel that miraculous spiritual power. Many miracles were shared as it was said that they happen daily - it is up to the individual to determine if the miracle was a curse or a blessing. Each one must understand how to bring themselves into alignment with the Universe. In doing so we understand our own spiritual power within.

Many things that were shared resonated with other Spiritual belief systems. The Divine Source, those that assist in communication and understanding of the Divine Source messages, working with energy, belief of energy simply existing with the judgement of whether it is positive or negative up to the one judging, and the intentional directing of energy. Each of these philosophies meld into my own.

The difference that I found is simply the art of practicing the beliefs. Within every religious sect there are individual customs and practices, within every cultural region there are regional customs and practices, and within every spiritual path there are those who walk int heir faith to help others and others who are out only for themslves. These are not only true for Voodoo, this is true in all humanity.

I have barely scratched the surface of what the Voodoo Spiritual Path entails, but it is my hope that before we make judgments about any Spiritual path we atleast take a moment to see what those who follow it actually believe rather than trusting the media's version.

Here is another interesting bit of trivia for you, Creoles believe that Louisiana Creole shot gun homes can not hold demonic spirits or bad energy due to Cosmic currents being moved directly from the front door, down the hall and out the back door. different take on the African version of "Feng Shui" long before it became popular in the Western world.