>Lave Tet Ceremony, July 2008

As most of you know, I recently went to New Orleans to conduct a lave tet ceremony. I took advantage of the trip to meet as many practitioners as I could, and to look around the city to see what "voodoo" was about down there.

I was very fortunate to have active members of the Roots Without End Society already living in New Orleans. Two more came in from out of town, so it was a big party! I was very gratified that initiates from different kanzos got to meet each other and work together.
New Orleans is a remarkable town - as soon as you get off the plane, the humid, silky air seems to promise a very different sort of environment from other American cities. We drove through the French Quarter on the way from the airport, and I was struck by the tinsely, tacky merchandise sold from storefronts with lovely architecture, flowered balconies, narrow streets... it was quite a mix of the ridiculous and the sublime.

I visited a few "voodoo shops" in the Quarter, and it is clear to me that "voodoo" is a tremendous tourist draw. But the shops... well, I didn't find anything that was useful to me. There were scary statues and wooden masks, all sorts of keychains and "spell kits" and stuff, mostly junk. I was disappointed, I thought that in a city that is reputed for voodoo, there would be at least one store that would serve the needs of Vodouisants and offer genuine ritual articles of the sort we actually use.

I finally found a place like that, though - the Island of Salvation Botanica! They have every herb and image and candle that a Vodouisant could ever need, really, and they have T-shirts with vevers, art objects, all sorts of things.

The New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum now has two locations, and since the lave tet was to be held at the new location I went there early to have a look around. I know that the Voodoo Museum is sometimes criticized for being touristy and so forth, but I found the new location to be... well, new! Upstairs are interesting altars and drums and other objects, and downstairs is a large meeting area and a store.

(In the meanwhile, of course, I was sampling the gastronomic delights of the town - hush puppies with tartar sauce, seafood gumbo, excellent beer from the local microbreweries... )

My contact at the Voodoo Museum was a lovely woman named Darla Loflin, and she did everything in her power to make me comfortable and happy. She held a reception for me, and put out a really generous spread of food and drink.

We had all sorts of interesting people present for the reception - including some of the most notable practitioners of New Orleans! I was truly honored. Mambo Ava Kay Jones came, also Mambo Sallie Ann Glassman, and Louis Martine. Priestess Miriam unfortunately was out of the country - rumor had it that she was overseas, working for a client! But some of her people came. There were other folks, too, people who were affiliated with the Vodou scene but not yet initiated, and people just getting started.

I spoke a bit about contemporary Vodou in Haiti and about the Roots Without End Society, and I was of course very proud to be able to introduce my initiatory children, present at the reception. Then we had group discussion - and group munching on all the wonderful delicacies provided by the Museum!

Drummers were present and gave us a bit of a concert. Teddy, son of the famous "Chicken Man", was with us, also Rich Spirits, and I would like to particularly mention one drummer named Clarence Smith, who was very skillful. He assisted me to schedule rehearsals, and was in all ways most professional. We hope to find a way to fund a trip to Haiti for him, so he can sit in with our drummers down there.

I did readings that evening for the three people receiving a lave tet. I needed to determine their met tet lwa, the lwa who is owner of each person's head. And I did. The readings were smooth, the energy was silky smooth and the readings were clear. One of the three participants had also requested a garde and some wanga to be done for him, so we did those services at a private home.

On Saturday morning, December 8, we began the lave tet. I had printed fifty copies of the program and set them out for participants and observers, and they just went like hotcakes!

From the moment we began the service, I felt unmistakably the force, the energy of the lwa. I felt so "on", so charged with energy, as I ended the Priere Guinea and began the washings.

As the participants prayed, we began with a washing invoking the power of God, and the ancestors. We sang songs that said, in many ways, there is nothing greater than God.

The second washing was a red bath for Ogoun, and lo and behold! The Nago Man himself appeared, both in my head and in the head of a lady named Demaris, who was observing. According to what I am told, Ogoun did that washing himself. The objective of this washing is to instill courage and remove fear.

The third washing was a golden bath, and included chamomile and lemongrass. We sang for Sobo, and for the oldest Rada lwa, invoking for material wealth and financial stability..

I sang and sang and sang! Because I had printed out song lyrics, people were able to join in. Before each washing we did the Vodouisant ritual salute, and watching my initiates charge the drums before performing the intricate turns of the salute was something I will never forget.

The fourth washing was a fresh green bath, and contained wild leaves and herbs. This bath, under the patronage of Grand Bwa, conferred health and vigor. Grand Bwa is master of the forest and of leaves, and he is also very much involved in initiation ceremonies.

The fifth washing was a blue bath for La Sirene. La Sirene also came during her songs, washed the people, and sprinkled the whole area with water in which her sacred herbs were soaked. At the same time, another woman present was possessed by Ayida Wedo.

The sixth washing, under the patronage of Simbi Andezo, was performed by Mambo Tamara Suida, Bon Mambo Kouwone Andezo Daginen (Mambo Crowned in Two Waters.) Mambo Tamara is head of the Orthodox Kemetic faith as well, and she brings strength and perceptivity to spiritual work.

Mambo Tamara led the salutes to Simbi Andezo, and Simbi manifested! He was calm, very quiet, and not many people noticed that the lwa had come. He washed the heads of the three lave tet recipients, and I was delighted with their good fortune.

The last washing, on the patronage of Dambala, was led by Houngan Steven C. Denney, Bon Houngan Wedo Map File Daginen (Houngan Wedo I Am Moving). Houngan Steven is an asogwe child of Dambala Wedo. He was the moving force behind the scenes which enabled us to find ceremonial space at the New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum. Houngan Steven is in many ways a very creative person.

The washings concluded with songs and prayers. One song declared, "We all are one before God!", and I think that those in the room felt that vibration and were part of it. It was a joyful feeling to me, a peaceful and golden feeling of completion.

When the washings were over, we put the three recipients in a separate consecrated area, on white sheets, dressed in white, heads wrapped in white. They lay down and rested for a time. Later, when they got up, they were sent back to their hotel rooms with very specific instructions.

The next day, Mambo Tamara and Houngan Dave had to return home. Although I was hoarse as a trout, I recorded more Vodou songs for Houngan Steven Denney. Houngan Steven also makes painted photographs of Vodou ceremonies, and he made me a gift of a really beautiful image from our last kanzo - the sea service for La Sirene, with the initiates climbing into the boat in the background, and myself and my partner Houngan, Houngan Fritzner "Po Pwa" Georges, in the foreground.

Monday, with great regret, I took my leave of Houngan Lance, Houngan Steve, and the city of New Orleans. But I returned again in May 2002, and I plan to return in December 2002 if God is willing, to make another lave tet ceremony, and enjoy another bowl of gumbo!

For a participant's report on the May 2002 Lave Tet, click here.

To learn more about the Vodou religion and its ceremonies, join The Vodou Forum.

Return to The VODOU Page