alt.religion.voodoo

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  • Ancestor Reverence — A Teaching from Mambo RacineMambo Racine Sans Bout's teaching on ancestor service in Haitian Vodou — addressing common objections (adoptees, abusive ancestors, racial heritage), explaining the theology of the living dead, and providing practical guidance. Includes the story of Alfred, Mambo Racine's German-American grandfather who comes to her peristyle in Haiti every November 2.
  • Beyond Basic Baron — The Gede Lord of Death in Haitian VodouMambo Racine's teaching on Baron Samedi beyond the popular image: his foods, his number, his divination, his dual nature as ancestor chief and sorcerer.
  • Dantor's Silverware — A Ritual for Erzulie DantorMambo Racine's practical ritual guide for non-initiates seeking Erzulie Dantor's protection and justice, using silverware, copper wire, and a candle.
  • Introduction to alt.religion.voodooA scholarly introduction to the Usenet newsgroup alt.religion.voodoo — a hub of Haitian Vodou practice and community on the early internet, 2003–2014, dominated by the writings of Bon Mambo Racine Sans Bout Sa Te La Daginen, a Haitian-initiated Mambo living and working in Jacmel, Haiti.
  • Iron Cuts Iron — Rada Magic Under Ogoun's PatronageMambo Racine Sans Bout's teaching on wanga wars, chante pwen (point songs), and the use of Ogoun as a patron of both offensive and defensive magic — including the Creole song 'Ogoun Fer' with English translation.
  • Nothing Greater Than God — La Sirene's TestimonyMambo Racine Sans Bout's teaching on Vodou monotheism — that God (Bondye) is supreme, that the lwa act only with divine permission, and that the lwa La Sirene herself sings this truth: 'There is nothing greater than God in the country.' Posted to alt.religion.voodoo as part of a teaching unit on La Sirene, March 2005.
  • Race and Ethnicity in VodouMambo Racine Sans Bout's essay on the multi-ethnic origins of Haitian Vodou, the racial diversity of the lwa, and the inclusivity of initiation — addressing both historical foundations and contemporary practice.
  • Spiritual Housecleaning — A Vodou MethodMambo Racine Sans Bout's practical guide to spiritual housecleaning in the Haitian Vodou tradition — a two-stage cleansing ritual using salt, branches, water, Florida Water, and prayer to clear a home of negative energy.
  • The Arrest at Port-au-Prince — Vodou Under PersecutionMambo Racine's formal protest against the arbitrary arrest of two American Vodouisants carrying sacred skulls at the Port-au-Prince airport, July 2007.
  • The Houngenikon — On Roles and Harmony in Vodou CeremonyMambo Racine on the ceremonial hierarchy of the Vodou peristyle: the houngan/mambo, the hounsi initiates, and the houngenikon (song specialist) — told through two personal stories.
  • The Lave Tet and the Kanzo — On Initiation Degrees in VodouMambo Racine Sans Bout clarifies the distinction between the lave tet (head-washing ceremony) and the kanzo (full initiation) in Haitian Vodou, correcting common misconceptions about rank, membership, and terminology.
  • The Saving of Charity — A Sea StoryA first-person account from Mambo Racine Sans Bout of a near-drowning at a Vodou beach ceremony in Jacmel, Haiti — and the intervention of La Sirene, who saved the elderly drummer Charity from the sea, then spoke to the assembled crowd. Includes the spontaneous Creole song composed by the initiates afterward.
  • Three Ceremonies in New Orleans — A Vodou Mambo's AccountMambo Racine Sans Bout's first-person account of three Haitian Vodou ceremonies in New Orleans in June 2003 — covering a public Vodou dance, a lave tet initiation ceremony, and a ceremony conducted by her initiated houngan.
  • What Would Kill Vodou — On Tradition and the KanzoMambo Racine Sans Bout argues that what would destroy Haitian Vodou is not rigidity but its opposite — the drift away from standardized initiation and the relaxation of the kanzo requirement in Haiti.
  • When the Lwa Call — On Obligation and Vodou ServiceMambo Racine Sans Bout explains the circumstances under which a person may be compelled to serve the lwa in Haitian Vodou, and reassures most international Vodouisants that this scenario is unlikely to apply to them.