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

E.A. Koetting/Baron DePrince
The Spider and the Green Butterfly
breathe, and the electrical currents of the nervous
system to travel through the whole body.
5. Finally, the corpse cadaver is the final solid
materialization of the soul in human form: the
dense body of meat that all too many consider to
be the "I."
One of the most feared powers of the Masters of
dark Vodoun magick is the ability to capture the Ti bon
Ange from any person, regardless of distance. Being thus
connected to the remainder of the victim, the Bocor can
then use the Ti bon Ange to work evil against not only the
body of victim, but even upon the soul.
The Hoodoo Sleight -
There is another, more commonly known branch of
Vodoun which is called Hoodoo. Born in the southern
United States through a mixture of Vodoun, Santeria,
Catholicism, and western occultism, Hoodoo focuses
mainly on the aspects of the religion involving Magickal
attainment of goods, wealth, fame, or protection from harm.
As with all forms of Magick, Hoodoo, which is also called
Rootwork or Conjure, can be used for ill in the procuring of
curses against enemies.
Like most products of the United States, material or
ideological, Hoodoo has become extraordinarily
commercialized, setting up shops, websites, and mail-order
businesses providing certain candles, incenses, oils,
powders and a wide variety of charms for good luck in
love, money and happiness.
It can be said that Hoodoo is the public face of
Vodoun. Rarely are imagined scenarios of worship,
sacrifice, possession, ritual, or communion with the spirits
and Loas brought to mind when the average person hears
the word "Vodoun." Instead, they think of the charms,
spells, curses, dolls, incenses, and powders that are used in
Hoodoo. It does not help the matter that most, if not all
books on the subject of Vodoun are in actuality
representing the tenets and practices of Hoodoo.
None of this is to say that Hoodoo is false,
ineffective, or should be avoided. As a matter of fact,
many powerful Bocors and Houngans often set up shop and
sell Hoodoo products, while their real religion flourishes
unseen by their customers, or anyone else. It is important,
however, to distinguish between Hoodoo and Vodoun.
History and Myth -
There is a special story that is told to every Vodoun
Initiate under a full moon next to the sea. It seems to be
one of those stories that are told worldwide, but here takes
on a different hue, meaning, and reality altogether.
A very long time ago, there was a beautiful city in
the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. This city was called
Atlantis. This wonderful magical city laid claim to medical
and scientific technologies that we are just now coming to
rediscover for ourselves, and even more advanced wonders
that we might discover as time goes on.
Atlantis knew of no divide between spirituality and
science, however, an integration which allowed the rapid
progression of their race to succeed as it did.
Atlantis had two special schools of magic, one light
and one dark. They coexisted peacefully just like night and
day and the sun and moon. Both schools also shared their
knowledge with each other, and then with the remainder of
society, in order to move forwards and upwards as a whole,
rather than competing for some sanctimonious sense of
self-worth.