Holy Loa. When I first set my eyes on Ellegua, I thought I'd died and gone to Summerland. What a gorgeous specimen of a Man-Loa he was. He came to me as a young buck, full of that raw sexual energy. He was a slender, dark-skinned man with muscles bulging and buttocks that could hardly be contained in his pants. I just wanted to sit back and watch. He, however, had other ideas.
As gatekeeper, he wanted to open those doors. Silver-tongued like Hermes, he wooed me with his words. "Follow me," he taunted. "I will take you to worlds you've never been to before." How could I resist?
Yes, yes, I understand.
You must have a formal introduction.
A whistle shrills into the night air. The crack of a whip is heard as it slits open the night sky. Across the water and through the portal steps The Baron Ghede Samdei.
With the click of his heels and a quick tip of his red top hat, the Baron steps forth into the circle. Silently, over the top of his wire-framed sunglasses, he scans the circle to see what mischief he can stir up on this hot muggy summer evening.
With a thick French accent, yet spoken with precision, I heard the Baron whisper under his breath: "Delicious, absolutely delicious." With his thoughts permeating my mind, I knew he was referring to the naked women dancing around the fire.
Slowly, he strolls around the circle, surveying his surroundings. He has something of a limp and uses a cane to assist him with walking. It only adds flair to his already overwhelming presence.
Always putting on a show but mysteriously never saying a word, his mannerisms are dignified, conservative and somewhat stuffy. Yet his presence is intoxicatingly sexual, with a aura of otherworldliness.
He loves the opportunity to be in a human body. To see with human eyes, smell human smells and taste human tastes. His very presence invokes the same awareness in those around him.
Tonight, the Baron is here for one reason and one reason only. He is on the prowl for a mortal woman. Seeking out the women dressed in white, the Baron is looking for a polarity that will satisfy his desire to break taboos. In white, he is not looking for the virginal, he just wants contrast. His ultimate desire is for a strong woman who can stand his eccentricities. He is hungry and will eat the energy that is spent in the breaking of taboos and the creation of contrasts and polarities.
For the people of the circle, it is hard to understand what is happening. For on the outside, in appearance only, the Baron is a woman. A slender woman with hair down to her waist. But this, of course, is part of the Baron's fun. To choose a woman to be his horse. Another addition to his energy building, taboo breaking feast.
His walking barefoot across the fire and lifting burning logs up over his head are demonstrations that establish him as the alpha male. He wants to make sure that everyone knows he's here. There is a Loa among the group, which, of course, will take precedence over anything else that might be going on.
The women of the circle begin to dance more erotically as their levels of estrogen increase in reaction to the Baron's levels of testosterone. The drummers quicken the tempo causing the drums to ring louder in everyone's ears. With heightened anticipation, everyone waits to see what will happen next.
The Baron takes his time as he slowly moves around the circle dancing with each woman. Timing is everything as he purposely manipulates the building of energy so that the fruit may be ripe when he sinks his teeth into it.
He finds the woman of his choice, when, in dance, a lady turns her back to him and bends forward. This is not a position or a sight that the Baron could refuse.
What is it about the solstices that the Baron likes so much?
It was shortly before the Winter Solstice when my friend Ashley called and asked if she could come visit. The Baron was eavesdropping and once I hung up the phone he approached me and insisted I ask her if she would go out with him.
Ashley took it as a compliment that a Haitian Loa or "god" would actually be interested in courting her. I personally found it awkward having to explain how he would be greeting her in the form of a mortal woman and that this was one of his little idiosyncrasies.
When Ashley arrived, she and the Baron agreed on an evening for their date. The Baron was exhibiting extremely good behavior in his pursuit of her. He bought her a white fan, a red ostrich feather and a dozen white roses with one added red rose. He also prepared a dish of unusual foods that he wanted her to taste. The dish included horseradish, a pecan, hot pepper, rock salt, onions, a pickle, bitter chocolate and a chocolate-covered cherry. He took everything to a French restaurant in advance and asked the manager to keep the items under refrigeration until he arrived with his date that evening.
He asked me to give her a white, spaghetti-strapped dress that had tiny hooks down the front to keep the garment fastened together. When she put it on, we could see the imprint and color of her nipples through the fabric. She just laughed at the obviousness in the Baron's choice of clothing for her. Being of good humor, she actually dared to wear it. She looked both virginal and tawdry.
When the Baron arrived, he had on a pair of black pin-striped pants. For a top, he wore a black bra covered by a yellow loosely-knitted vest. Hanging from his suspenders were a pair of handcuffs and a whip. He wore white gloves, a black hat, and his usual wire-framed sunglasses. Bowing politely, he introduced himself: "Hello, I am The Baron Ghede Samdei."
As chauffeur and overall servant, I drove them to the restaurant. I, myself, along with the other people who patronized the restaurant, looked on in amazement at the peculiar couple. Ashley basked in the attention and the Baron gobbled it up, being his usual hungry self.
I continued to be their server throughout the evening. I brought the Baron the flowers, the feather and the food when he requested them. He presented these items to his lady in a most unusual fashion. After he had her blindfolded and handcuffed, he presented her with the food. As he hand-fed her the items, she explained the sensation she got from each. He feathered her with the fan, tickled her with the feather. He caressed her skin with ice cubes only to let hot wax drip down between her breasts. Each of these things he did to her, he did between feeding her the odd arrangement of foods.
He finished the evening by placing the chocolate-covered cherry in her mouth. As she bit down into it, a smile crossed her face. It was obvious, the two shared some unspoken secret.
Oh, Damballah Wedo, you're much bigger than I thought.
Months before meeting Damballah Wedo, I purchased a ring of a serpent. The serpent wrapped itself around my left index finger. Within a month, I read that Damballah Wedo, Haiti's serpent Loa, takes on mortal women for his wives. Once married, these women wear his ring on their left index finger. Coincidence? No.
I began to look for Damballah in the mirror. Upon many evenings of meditation, I got an image of a squiggly line with a dot on both sides. It looked like this: -ó- Using it as an image for meditation, I began to focus on what this symbol meant.
It wasn't long before I met a Filo, a Haitian Doctor. He was passing through Florida, on his way back to Haiti. He was in the process of opening a free clinic for the poor.
I told Filo about my experiences of Damballah and asked if he would help me do a magical working. As he was Haitian, I wanted to use his energy to contact Damballah more directly.
Filo started the evening by granting me three wishes. He then made me spin around clockwise three times. Then, he twisted his right arm around my right arm. Once the two arms were twisted, Filo toasted to Damballah. Each of us drank from the other person's glass.
Acting as Houngan and recognizing me as a Mambo, Filo asked me to repeat the gestures he had just finished. In Haiti's religious ceremonies, when there is more than one priest (Houngan) and/or priestess (Mambo), they mimic each other's stances and behaviors. This is called mirroring. Mirroring is important in Voudoun because the mirror is symbolic of water and of home, because the Loa live on the other side of the water. I did as he asked.
I began by offering him three wishes. He was surprised that I started this far back in mirroring his actions. He expected me to only mimic his posturing for the toast. After the three wishes, I spun him around three times. I then, twisted my arm around his and offered the exact toast with the same wording. We then drank from each other's glasses.
Wearing white, we sat down in front of the mirror. I put on the audiotape Divine Horseman -- a Haitian Voudoun piece. I drew my symbol on the mirror with a piece of soap.
Each of us did as we pleased throughout the evening. We danced, groomed ourselves, groomed each other, and talked. There was quite a bit of sexual energy between us. Periodically we would kiss and/or touch.
As the evening progressed, my eyes began to get fatigued. When I blinked, I would get images of a huge serpent slithering its way around the room. It was much bigger than anything I ever expected. My image of Damballah was that of a serpent -- at most 6 feet long, maybe 4 inches in diameter. This serpent was about 20 feet long and about 10 inches in diameter. Each time I saw him, he was heading for a plant I had hanging in the corner of my room.
At one point in the evening, when Filo and I were touching, I began to get images of what my symbol meant. In my mind's eye, the serpent came to life. It moved itself sinuously between the two dots. The dots became rocks as I watched Damballah using them as a catalyst to shed his own skin. I now understood that Damballah had appeared in my life to help me shed my old, worn-out skin. Life had been difficult for me over the last year. I was involved in a property lawsuit, and wages down in Florida were going down. Survival was getting difficult. All these events were pointing to a need for change. I knew that I had outgrown the environment that I had been living in. However, I hung on to it. Damballah was here to help me let go.
After Filo left, my life changed. For me, it seemed to change too quickly. But really, it was a two-year transformation period that was much needed. It was difficult because I had trouble letting go. I learned, as I continued to work with Damballah, that sometimes it hurts to shed the old skin because the rocks can scrape the new baby skin that's hidden underneath.
Erzulie, come out of that bedroom.
I met Erzulie when a girlfriend of mine asked me about the Haitian Loa of Love. "That would be Erzulie," I responded. Over the course of six months, I watched Tanya invoke Erzulie as an attempt to secure a romantic, committed love relationship.
The bedroom appeared to be a focal point to this working, and she arranged and rearranged the environment to Erzulie's liking. Fortunately, boys began to show up at Tanya's doorstep and would offer their assistance. Tanya loved the extra help she got around the house as Erzulie was being very demanding and insisting her environment be kept nice and clean, with something of an artistic flair.
I would liken Erzulie to a mild version of a dominatrix. She referred to her lovers as "boys." And they were there to do her bidding. At the same time, she appeared to be very feminine. She enjoyed flowers, candlelight dinners, soaking in the tub, manicures, and facials. The blend of dominatrix and femininity was positively enticing. And her ability to flirt was a transcendental experience for both the observer and the recipient.
Erzulie could never resist a drummer as she loved to dance. Evenings would be filled with fans, feathers, a little liqueur and a lot of music. Erzulie was developing a reputation for using props in her dance. She loved dancing for her boys. She loved the attention -- all eyes on her.
What Erzulie appreciated most from her drummer boys was their ability to keep that beat going in the bedroom. But that's not to say that she didn't like the other boys too. She enjoyed the blue collar labor boys for their athletic ability and base expression of their sexual drive. She also loved the white collar boys for their ability to go on mind walks. This, too, was equally stimulating. She always carried in her heart a little special something for artists, as this group of boys always appeared to her as wounded little puppies. She'd fix them up, give them a little love and send them on their way.
Boys, boys, boys -- they were absolutely everywhere. What's a woman to do? Well, for Tanya, the revolving door was a bit more than she had bargained for, as Erzulie loves all and all love Erzulie. So she thanked Erzulie and released her with one last evening on the wild side.
What is it about those Loas and sex?
Haiti's Loas are hungry, very, very hungry. Much like the country itself. They are hungry for life, for experience and for sex. Their hunger reminds the devotee how important feeding the Loas, Orishas, and/or gods is.
Food offerings to the Loas usually involve a sacrifice. No one has a right to cringe about this unless they are vegetarian, which I happen to be. Being vegetarian, I found my way around sacrifice. I discovered they like raw eggs. It has been my experience that they prefer raw eggs over animal sacrifice. Where animal sacrifice takes a life, a raw egg is the promise for life. This is why sex is so important to the Loas. It is the promise of life. The Loas particularly enjoy offerings of menstrual blood and semen, which are major sources of life. These offerings can be collected through sex magick. Sex magick also creates a portal in which the Loas can slip into our world or where we can slip into theirs.
I must caution any reader that is considering picking up Voudoun magick or working with the African Orishas or Haitian Loas: These gods know no boundaries. They will come into your house and camp out in your living room. They are very alive and will bring all kinds of chaos into your life. The biggest lesson a student will learn from these gods will be about boundaries, because these gods have no boundaries. They will set about breaking taboos and trying to shock those around you, all to gobble up the release of energy. The thing is, the devotee is the one left cleaning up the mess. And believe me, those Loas leave a big mess. They are like a Loony Tunes cartoon gone mad. So if you hear the call or feel the pull and just can't resist, I suggest you tape that Temperance card to your mirror and repeat this mantra over and over, "Moderation, moderation, everything in moderation."
Donna M. Pinkston M.A. is a mental health counselor in private practice. She blends traditional modes of therapy with various mystical, magickal, New Age and pagan philosophies and practices. She can be reached at (206) 726-2808.
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