The Voodoo Pantheon

The spirits that comprise the Voodoo pantheon are the result of the forced mingling of various tribal groups during the institution of slavery. In an incredible feat of psychological and spiritual survival,

the tribal groups were able to combine their very different religious practices into one Voodoo practice that is no longer “pure” according to African standards. However, in the throws of slavery, the stolen people created new rites that incorporated not only their rites and deities but the rites and deities of other cultural groups. The original African rites spread to Haiti, Cuba, Brazil, the West Indies, the Dominican Republic, and other parts of the United States, where they began to take on characteristics of the local cultures. There are hundreds of spirits, and the list is ever-growing.

The spirit forces in New Orleans Voodoo and Haiti are referred to as Loa (lwa). The Loa are also referred to as the Mystères and the Invisibles. In Santería they are known as Orisha. They are somewhat akin to saints or angels in Western religions in that they are intermediaries between Bondye (Bon Dieu, or good god)—the Creator, who is distant from the world—and humanity. It is not uncommon to refer to spirits, saints, angels, and archangels as loans. It is not uncommon for New Orleans practitioners to acknowledge the loss found in Haiti, the orishas of the Yoruban tradition and Santeria, as well as Catholic saints, the spirits of ancestors, zombie spirits, Native American spirits, archangels, and spirits that are uniquely New Orleanian in origin. Unlike saints or angels, however, the loa are not simply prayed to; they are served. They are each distinct beings with their likes and dislikes, distinct sacred rhythms, songs, dances, ritual symbols, and special modes of service. Contrary to popular belief, the loa are not deities in and of themselves; they are intermediaries for a distant Creator.

In the Yoruban tradition, the Orishas are emissaries of God, ruling the forces of nature and the fortunes of mankind. Their aspects are generally determined by their elemental natures. Thus, the Orisha of lightning is also the Orisha of sudden inspiration, vengeance, and dance; the Orisha of the Ocean is the Orisha of motherhood, femininity, and creativity. In this way, the orishas represent ancient archetypal forces, a concept reflected in the phrase “Las Sites Potencias,” or the Seven African Powers.

For a more in-depth discussion of the Seven African Powers, including instructions for how to construct altars for each one and how to petition them, the reader is referred to the book A Guide to Serving the Seven African Powers.