E. A. Koetting and Baron DePrince - The Spider and The Green Butterfly

E.A. Koetting/Baron DePrince
The Spider and the Green Butterfly
In Vodoun, the Ti bon Ange is taken from the
individual and is put into the pot-de-tete, which is prepared
to receive and hold it indefinitely, and in its place, Met Tet
will reside. The individual mind and will of the person
remains intact, as well as his or her Eternal soul, but the
human consciousness, the dying mind, is removed and
replaced by an entity that exists beyond matter and time.
While the ceremony of Lave Tet, as it is performed
publicly both in Haiti and throughout the world does not
remove the Ti bon Ange, it does prepare the way, purifying
the pathway through which it can be removed. It is
common during or immediately after Lave Tet for
individuals who have beeri\"washed" to experience
possession to some degree, as there^s more "room" within
for Met Tet to move, to climb, and to make itself known.
Outer Initiations -
Every spiritual system which holds any kind of real
power and connection to the spiritual realities presents at
least two separate selves: the outer and the inner. The outer
manifestation is that which is clearly seen, that which can
be found merely by looking in the most casual manner, that
which is obvious and immediately attainable. The inner
manifestation, however, is much more difficult to penetrate.
It is the hidden, the esoteric, that which is reserved for the
elect, that which is impossible to discover unless invited
within. Know that here I am not referring only to Magickal
or occult organizations, but again, to every spiritual system
which holds real power and a real connection to the
spiritual. I myself have found, by invitation, great and
powerful secret orders within some of the least obvious
churches and lodges.
The key words here are, "by invitation."
The majority of Vodoun, Voodoo, and Hoodoo
practitioners, as well as the majority of adherents to any
spiritual system, place much more emphasis on the physical
rites of initiation than on the spiritual Current of power that
they represent. Nearly every western Voodoo practitioner
is in the habit of saving up or conjuring forth money to fly
to Haiti, to pay for the rituals of initiation, and to continue
to buy their way into the Current. This is the outer circle of
Vodoun, the facade that has been established by the Haitian
cults to distract from the reality of the thing, much like the
"New Age" storefront or Hoodoo Supply webpage masks
the Bocor or Hougan's ability to connect with those who
are either desirous of his real services, or those who are
ready to join him.
No amount of money can buy the true, inner
initiation. If a Haitian Mambo or Houngan asks for money
for the rites of initiation, this can be interpreted as them
saying, "You're not quite ready, but if you want to buy into
a dream, you may." Unfortunately, there are great numbers
of Vodoun initiates who have been initiated in such a
manner, and they in turn initiate others into their
priesthood. It is only deep within Haiti, invisible to the
tourists, the present United Nations occupation, and the
migrant occultists that true initiation is found, that the
secrets of Vodoun are given, and that the real powers of
Asson are hidden.
This is not to say that there is no power whatsoever
in the outer initiations. Indeed, they are usually the
stepping stones to the invitation into the secret. Many
secrets are filtered out from the Inner Order into the outer,
masked in ceremonial jargon and obscured in a plentitude
of words, names, and ranks. The outer initiations, however,
are merely the beginning of the Houngan's journey into the
heart of the Vodoun Current.