The Haitian Vodou Handbook: Protocols for Riding with the Lwa

by Kenaz Filan

"This highly readable book will be valuable to every reader interested in Haitian Vodou, and essential for those who want to make the transition from intellectual knowledge to personal experience of a profound and unfairly neglected religion.”
--John Michael Greer, author of The New Encyclopedia of the Occult, A World Full of Gods, and The Druidry Handbook

The Haitian Vodou Handbook explains how to build respectful relationships with the lwa, the spirits honored in Haitian Vodou, and how to transform the fear that often surrounds the Vodou religion. Until recently, the Haitian practice of Vodou was often identified with devil worship, dark curses, and superstition. Some saw the saint images and the Catholic influences and wrote Vodou off as a “Christian aberration.” Others were appalled by the animal sacrifices and the fact that the houngans and mambos charge money for their services. Those who sought Vodou because they believed it could harness “evil” forces were disappointed when their efforts to gain fame, fortune, or endless romance failed and so abandoned their “voodoo fetishes.” Those who managed to get the attention of the lwa, often received cosmic retaliation for treating the lwa as attack dogs or genies, which only further cemented Vodou’s stereotype as “dangerous.”

Kenaz Filan, an initiate of the Société; la Belle Venus, offers extensive background information on the featured lwa, including their mythology and ancestral lineage, as well as specific instructions on how to honor and interact fruitfully with those that make themselves accessible. This advice will be especially useful for the solitary practitioner who doesn’t have the personal guidance of a societé available. Filan emphasizes the importance of having a quickened mind that can read the lwa’s desires intuitively in order to avoid establishing dogma-based relationships. This working guide to successful interaction with the full Vodou pantheon also presents the role of Vodou in Haitian culture and explores the symbiotic relationship Vodou has maintained with Catholicism.

Kenaz Filan (Houngan Coquille du Mer) was initiated into Société la Belle Venus in New York City in 2003 after ten years of solitary service to the lwa. Filan’s articles on Vodou have appeared in newWitch, PanGaia, and Planet magazines and in the pagan community newspaper Widdershins.

Genres: Nonfiction, Religion, Occult, Spirituality, Magick, Magic, Reference

304 pages, Paperback

First published November 10, 2006

Reviews

[Grantimatter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the antidote to Chris Hyatt's execrable Urban Voodoo. Hyatt mish-moshed chaos magick, left-hand ritual occultism and oooo spooooky exoticism into a skeletal African-syncretic framework that could probably have come from a decent encyclopedia article on Candomble (or maybe a BBC documentary). Despite having a Norse rune for a first name, Kenaz Filan does shockingly well avoiding that kind of appropriation. When he's adapting a Vodou ritual practice to an urban American neo-pagan lifestyle, he says so clearly, and the magical guidelines in this book are heavily interwoven with the history of Haiti and the experience of the Haitian diaspora across North America and beyond.

Filan has been initiated, he says, into an authentic, practicing house, and takes as his central premise that while the lwa may have migrated to the New World from Africa, they'll form relationships with anyone who approaches them with the proper respect. I have little doubt that someone who picks this book up as an introduction to Caribbean traditional magic and decides to follow its advice on setting up sacred spaces or conducting certain simple rituals will obtain desired results. As an added bonus, Filan also sources his material with footnotes and a proper bibliography, making it easy for the earnest beginner to find more resources.

[Mina Villalobos · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great starting point if you're curious about Voodoo. It's very respectful of Voodoo and all other religions, very clear in it's language and it offers a historic background of the religion, from the history of Haitian politics and society that practices it, and the origins of each Lwa. I found it very informative and interesting, and has made me curious to read more about other African American and mulato practices. I know Santeria is practiced in Mexico, but it's mostly in the south of the country and I have had very little contact with it. An excellent starting point, anyway, for anyone interested in meeting the Lwa.

[Steve Cran]

Say the word vodou and the average persons mind conjures up all sorts of dark images. It could be anything from human sacrifice, hexing dolls and even drinking blood. Such a picture is far from the truth. Vodou works with the Loa or what is called the spirits. They are by and large benevolent and caring. Of course there are bad spirits out there but the ones listed in this book are for the most part good. The lowa will grant you your request but they will ask for some favor in return. Keep your word with the lowa or they will get back at you. Cool thing about the Loa is that y9u can serve them anyway you see fit or know how. The Loa do not care so much how correct your devotion is but they do care about the sincerety of your servic. Heck even Wiccans serve them in their circles. Oh by the way you do not have to be initiated into a peristyle or vodou temple in order to serve the Loa or work with them.



Kenaz Filan has written a master piece on Haitian vodou. His book meticulously lists and describes the various Lowa and he shows how to serve them. He covers both Ptetwo Loa and the Rada Loa. One house is quicker and hotter and they may answer you request a lot qicker but do not get them ticked off and definitely keep you vows to them. THe other house it cooler Loa they may be slow to take but they also have a cooler temper.Legba the old man with a limp and cane is always the one who opens the dorr for other Loa to come threw. Damballah the big snake who coild=s hims self around the world is real cool and likes everything to be clean. He also dislikes alcohol. Cousin Zaka is the farmer in jeans, Agwe is the sea king married to La Sirene or Frieda. THe Ghedes are the spiirits of the dead visiting with one eyes sunglasses and loving a good drink and dirty joke.



THe Haitians have a had a rough life. Starting out as a slave colony for the French and then after a bloody overhtrow things were left i to the hand of mulaatos. Power and privelige are the key in Haiti. THeir attitude towards money and love is very realistic. Much diferent then Wiccan attitudes. Life is stil harsh over there and poverty is no virtue.



It is a great book that gives one a good ground work to start serving the Loa. He gives away no secrets of his peristyle and he takes oaths rather seriously. He believes you need to be intiated to learn more although you can get results independently.He also warn against instant initiations, bullying and peristyle leaders who abuse their authority. When choosing a house make sure you are comfortable as they will be a quasi family. This book deserves a five out five rating.

[Plateresca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is extremely informative, the author seems to be very knowledgeable, and basically I would say this is a very good beginner's guide to vodou.
The only thing is, vodou being such a secret matter, there's not much information on it at all, so if you start with knowing practically nothing about it, as I did, it's extremely difficult to verify or check anything and thus trust an author 100%. Please don't take it as if I have reasons to doubt this particular author: I think I don't. I'm just saying that if somebody inserted into such a book a good deal of invented stuff, I wouldn't know.
That aside, I've learnt a lot, and I've appreciated that the author included a fair deal of observations on the whole historical and cultural situation of Haiti, which makes the book so much more insightful.

[Woman Inside Water · Rating 3 out of 5]

This opened my eyes to the world of Voodou from an insider's viewpoint to a reader or amateur, giving information on some main deities and practices. It is well-written, practical, and insightful. I would only ask about the method of containing the spirit and the lack of filtering, rather than letting whatever comes to possess you. I would like to know more about the designs of the lwa (loa) symbols and integrate some of these practices with my own.

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting reference for the basic principles of Voodoo.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to admit to knowing very little about Vodou prior to reading "The Haitian Vodou Handbook" by Kenaz Filan but approached the subject with an open mind. I found the book easy to read with a nice flow and the author also incorporated some of his own real life experiences.

Divided into four parts, the book covers the history of Haiti and Vodou, current day practice, the Lwa (the Spirits of Haitian Vodou) and ceremonies. There is also a glossary together with a wealth of resources. You will also find practical advice should you wish to learn more or even go further and become initiated into the its mysteries.

Vodou provided Africans in the slave society of Haiti with a sense of unity and a way to practice their ancient traditions. The handbook describes how many of those traditions have been incorporated to support and shape the religion over time. What is also very interesting is that today's practitioners and advocates are not just restricted to Africans and their descendents, but are drawn from a much wider audience.

I came away from reading this book with a new found respect and appreciation for the religion and those who practice it.

[Zana · Rating 1 out of 5]

I actually read this book a long time ago but I didn't think the book had enough information to properly work with the spirits and I didn't think I was ready to do the research so I put got rid of this book. Recently I thought about finding the book and reading it again and when I did to my horror I learned the author had turned into a full out and proud white supremacist. I never thought I'd see the day a white supremacist would worship African spirits but there ya go. Because of the authors stance I would doubt everything in this book. I wouldn't recommend it at all even for basic information.

[Boris Bacic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty good book, goes into a lot of details about summoning the lwa (Vodou spirits), serving them, and treating them with respect - I am confident I could summon Papa Legba with some practice.

My only complaint is that there are no chapters describing what happens if you disrespect the lwa. The author mentions multiple times havoc being wreaked on one's life, but we never know what exactly happens. If you're interested in learning about various cultures, traditions, and religions, then you're going to enjoy this book.

Side note: this book has helped me immensely when I wrote Her Home.

[Marc Tinent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es un buen primer acercamiento al mundo del vudú, a cómo se practica, qué es y qué no es. Lo conseguí para recopilar información sobre los lwa, y un tercio del libro es justamente sobre ellos. Sorprendentemente hay poca información sobre Samedi, el más famoso de los lwa. El libro es didáctico y muy fácil de leer aunque no sepas del tema.

[Cherelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative

[Patricia Morgunn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good reference book for voodoo enthusiasts

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Completely agree on evaluating this book as a masterpiece. Note that it was written not by journalist, but by Houngan (priest).

Honest, intelligent, straightforward, covering all aspects that could be covered without initiation, helpful for those who are interested in practicing Vodou and serving the lwa (as opposed to trying to use spitits), fair warning and a good reality check for those who know almost nothing about Vodou. Interesting reading even for general education.

Warning introduction, history, starting serving the lwa - or rather being chosen by them - for solitary practitioner, before or without initialization, step by step, in details.

For people with general interest in magick, creating sacred places, cleansing, casting circle, offerings and disposal of offering may be interesting, as well as psychic self defense, mostly referring to Dion Fortune's book and a course of logic, and using amulets and sacred symbols. Working with ancestors and difficult ancestors too.

There are other books of this author, equally good and interesting. For example, Drawing Down the Spirits. From non-technical point of view and for the people who are not interested in the topic for implementation by themselves, this is anyway a very good reading on the topic "From Life of Interesting People", and "Sides of Life, We Know So Little About". No horror stories or suspense, just walk with them and see what they are about to show you.

Excellent reading for anyone.

[Min · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a clear, concise and pleasant primer about Haitian Vodou. I enjoy his direct writing style, and realization of the importance of placing a tradition within historical context, thereby giving a solid grounding for much of the practice. Also, I appreciate his constant reminder that this book is a stepping stone into a tradition, and that it is not about teaching anything dangerous or harmful to oneself or others.
He approaches the flexibility, and power of the spirits quite well. This book's foundation will give me good footing as I learn more about the African Traditional Religions as they transformed in the New World.

[Sicily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Filan as usual does a great job of combining history and cultural understanding with a practical guide for spiritual practices. He gives us an overview of Haitian history with a little anti-racism perspective. There were times when he was too soft on racist colonizers and Pagans. But overall it was a good beginning guide to the background, practices and spirits of Vodou.

[Alex]

This was the first book I ever read on Haitian vodou a bunch of years ago. Good primer from a really well-read Houngan. Filan knows the stuff they write about in and out and presents it in a personable and easy to read way.

[Steven · Rating 2 out of 5]

This author is a white supremacist, and this book was written before he went off the wall, so to speak. I found it informative as a beginner, but I now know that many of the practices in this book are bunk. Go find a physical Vodou community to be a part of and don't read this book.