If it's any comfort, the Heathens aren't the simply ones who own from this. I grip seen somewhat a few "Afrocentric" black Americans recount on forums keen to Vodou, Lukumi and other African Diaspora/African Follower religions and ring out that no white nature has a in the approved manner to service African spirits. They are consistently non-plussed the same as their honest of Black Solidarity gets a untrained hail from the Haitians and Cubans on the board. This becomes prominently maddening to them the same as the respect defends its white members at any rate their objections, or gives them a not so precise tap with the Banhammer. But I've in addition seen various white neophytes ring out cheerily that spirit has no color and that every spirit can be served by everyone: persons who say otherwise are rule beast elitist, or maybe even "reverse racists."
The truth, as truth is wont to be, is a bit advanced awkward. I can't speak to Heathen views on the line of work (but I'm hoping that some of my advanced practiced friends option footfall up to the pretense on that). But I can exchange a few words about some of the ways in which this matter the stage out in Vodou.
Hip the Vodou community, offering are yes indeed houngans and mambos who option not give rise to any person who is not "natif natal "Haitian. They elegance that Vodou is a Haitian practice and requirement be not public to persons with demonstrable Haitian edge. But this has nothing to do with our modern fabrication of "field." These houses are complete opportunity: they bar their doors versus black and white non-Haitians in the same way. (Revere in observe that in Kreyol Haitians are "negs "- black - so all non-Haitians, regardless of cover color or ethnic profile, are "blans, "or white).
Acquaint with are in addition spirits one has "en sang", or "in the blood." These are spirits served by your fill, accepted down unequivocal familial track. If you don't grip these spirits in your blood, they are not snooping in audio from you. At best they option fail to take you: at definitive, they option see you as a pleasant bite. This isn't about field or even nationality: every servant of this spirit may be a black Haitian, but not every black nature, or even every Haitian, can service this spirit.
This is distressing to persons who wish to unite the spirit world is an unrestricted and unrestricted place. Mournfully, it is neither. The "mist'e" (mysteries) work with whom they option and turn in a daze from others. Their decisions sometimes semblance unpredictable, and are really not moreover confident by secular concerns about moral or ethical approach. The lwa helped Papa Doc Duvalier retrieve his take away on power for decades at any rate flourishing secular care order concerns: various of the country's ceiling powerful houngans and mambos were in addition numbered between the ceiling callous Tonton Macoutes. We don't know how or why the spirits make their choices to realize or eliminate probable servitors. But we do know that they make persons choices, and that sometimes they prize to say "no." From the Kenaz Filan Blog http://kenazfilan.blogspot.com
