Chat June 4, 2008
[Aleck] Hey you two!
[simonegreenewpp] Hey sexy!
[Aleck] How are ya sweetie?
[simonegreenewpp] My power was out and just came on a few minutes ago. Yay! How about you?
[Aleck] No Way!!!
[simonegreenewpp] Way!
[Aleck] You can’t miss the chat! See there are others working for you. : )
[simonegreenewpp] Fortunately the laptop will run on battery power for a while. :-)
[Aleck] Haha, I hear you there!
[simonegreenewpp] I’ll have to tell you later about my ex-boss accusing me of being a witch. >;-)
[Aleck] AAAA hahahahah!! Yes, you will!
[Mambo Sam] Hello everyone. :-) We will get started in just a minute here.
[simonegreenewpp] Hi Mambo, how are your teeth?
[Mambo Sam] OMG, much, much better. Thank you. :-) Hopefully I am done with dental hell for awhile.
[Aleck] :-) <— Been there.
[Sister Candelaria] That’s where they send people that eat too many sweets, isn’t it?
[Mambo Sam] So I e-mailed a couple of you to tell you what the dentist said in the middle of the root canal... but I don’t think I told the rest of you. Now I have known my dentist for like 20 years, so he is pretty chatty and we are fairly casual. Anyway... in the middle of the root canal he says, “Man, I am smokin’ through this, it’s like I’m possessed.” :-D
[simonegreenewpp] :-D
[Aleck] Hahahahahaha!!!!
[Mambo Sam] I almost choked trying not to laugh while he was root canaling away. :-D
[Sister Candelaria] heehee
[Mambo Sam] He doesn’t actually know what I do for a living....
[mamakate] :-D
[Mambo Sam] So it was doubly funny.
[foxyfoxy] funny :-D
[Sister Candelaria] So, he has no clue that you could have had an expert opinion on that. :-D
[Mambo Sam] Nope. :-D He thinks I am a “web developer” — which is sort of true. ;-)
[Sister Candelaria] HAHAHAHAHA! I’ve seen you weave a few webs.
[Mambo Sam] :-D Tee hee....
[Mambo Sam] So, does anyone here have a presentation?
[Mambo Sam] Are those crickets I hear?
[Sister Candelaria] I can do mine again, but I think we had enough William Wallace. :-D
[Mambo Sam] :-D I really loved all the perspectives on William Wallace, though. I thought it was so intriguing that you each had something unique to bring to the table about William Wallace and how all that panned out.
[Aleck] I have to agree.
[Mambo Sam] It was extremely interesting.
[Sister Candelaria] He definitely wants our attention!
[Mambo Sam] So once I get it all sorted through and uploaded it will be great to go back and read all of that again. I can now upload things again to the server so I will be doing that all pretty quickly here. Thanks, as usual, to the lovely and talented Simone Greene for keeping the transcripts for us!
[simonegreenewpp] bow
[Sister Candelaria] Thank you, Simone!
[Mambo Sam] Clap clap clap Whistles loudly.
[Aleck] ?
[Mambo Sam] Yes, Aleck.
[Aleck] So are these people that are coming across very strongly to the group, would they be considered “House Lwa”?
[Mambo Sam] No, not really.
[Aleck] Since they seem to have taken a liking to us?
[Mambo Sam] If you want to actually use the term “House Lwa” that is something entirely different.
[Happy] comment
[Mambo Sam] House Lwa are the Lwa who are associated with a house through its leader and also through its senior members, i.e., the Met Tets and Pwen of those people. Those are what are actually referred to as house Lwa. Additionally, those people we are dealing with such as William Wallace and Crispus Attucks, are not actually considered Lwa (well some may be and may not be). But just because they are not technically Lwa, doesn’t mean we cannot call upon them just as we call upon saints to help us, also. However, in answering your question, I would have to say that certainly they are “friends of the house.” ;-) And that definitely comes from them having made themselves known in a bigger way than some other spirits have made themselves known. So, yes, in a fashion, they have taken a shine to us. ;-)
[Aleck] :-) Ok, I understand. :-)
[Mambo Sam] Yes, Happy?
[Happy] Well this is probably stupid and I missed last week, but maybe if they took a shine to us they might be somewhat ancestral. I have Rob Roy in my tree, and he is Scottish like William Wallace.
[Mambo Sam] And that is NOT stupid at all!!!! Very well indeed there could be some ancestral pulls here — my heritage is Scottish and Irish mainly so yes.
[Happy] Omg so is mine
[Mambo Sam] I mean it honestly would not surprise me if there were some long lost ancestors coming to the surface.
[Mambo Sam] WHICH... brings me to a quick aside. We are planning a major Fet Ghede ritual for the conference.
[Aleck] WOO HOO!
[Mambo Sam] You guys are going to really see something. ;-)
[simonegreenewpp] Sparks?
[Mambo Sam] The thing of it is, I decided to move that particular ritual out of the hotel because we cannot do what we really need to do because of regulations and the fact that, well, outsiders don’t really need to see this. So we are going to take everyone from the hotel to another location for the Saturday night Fet Ghede ritual. :-)
[Aleck] :-) No open flames. :-)
[Mambo Sam] Right — but on our property we can have flames. And we will!
[schweety] yeahhhhhhhhh, need this :-) cant wait
[Mambo Sam] So this year’s conference is going to be pretty special because you will have the chance to meet with the Baron.
[Sister Candelaria] And remember that the leader of our house serves the Baron and he is the father of the Ghede, so this is really going to be something! You don’t want to miss it!!
[schweety] :-)
[simonegreenewpp] Cool!
[Mambo Sam] You will have a chance to participate in the true sense of a Vodou ritual. With nothing held back.
[Aleck] Wooo! Hooo!
[vodoukat02] I am going to try and come this year
[mamakate] ?
[Mambo Sam] I know money is an issue for some of you. I can work with you on the money part of it. I don’t care about “making money” on this — just have to break even. So if you really want to come and money is holding you back, please, please e-mail me and let me know.
[Mambo Sam] Yes, Mamakate.
[mamakate] What’s the latest I can register for the conference? I’m not sure whether I’ll have the money or not but I’m going to try to come.
[Mambo Sam] Around the end of September. But if you can come later we will work you in. But if tuition is the problem, I can work with you on that. Obviously getting here and the hotel room — but the hotel is pretty cheap if you room with someone. And we can help with that, too.
[mamakate] Right now money is a huge problem, I’m hoping by then it’ll be okay
[vodoukat02] I have two kids also
[Mambo Sam] E-mail me and we will talk — and that goes for everyone else, too.
[mamakate] Okay, thank you so much Mambo.
[Mambo Sam] You are welcome.
[Aleck] Mambo, you are so awesome!
[Mambo Sam] I realize with children it is sometimes hard to make the trip, but if you can, I will help you as much as possible.
[Mambo Sam] Aw, thank you...
[vodoukat02] Thank you Mambo; trust me, my youngest wants to come
[Mambo Sam] :-)
[vodoukat02] and you are awesome
[Mambo Sam] :-)
[Mambo Sam] I don’t mind if children come. There isn’t anything that a child could not see, as far as I am concerned, but it is different for everyone. We have had children at the Lave Tets and they did very well. So really it depends on the child.
[vodoukat02] it is really weird; she wants to go
[nubis] ?
[Mambo Sam] But anyway, I just wanted to let you all know about that and I will be posting more about it on the convention page.
[mamakate] You really are such a loving person Mambo, I’m honored to have been led to you..
[Mambo Sam] AW, thanks Mamakate.
[Aleck] Amen Mamakate!
[Mambo Sam] Yes, Nubis.
[nubis] So it could be a good thing for my girls to come? They are so curious about the ancestors and the “traditions” in our family. My great grandfather was a “root” man as people say, and my great grandmother used to help people.
[Mambo Sam] It is really a personal choice because they are going to go home and talk about it. So for some people that has been fine.
[nubis] Okay, we will see. Thanks mom!
[Mambo Sam] And there are certainly ways to present it to them! ;-) Honestly, for what I know about your girls, I think they would love it and there would be ways to, well.... Tell them how to talk about it. ;-)
[nubis] okay, thanks mommy. Love you!
[Mambo Sam] Plus, I do have someone who can help with some child care, too... just in case they get restless. We always have Grandma Eileen (Matt’s mom) to help us out in that way. ;-) Love you, too, honey.
[Sister Candelaria] heehee
[Mambo Sam] Okay, so sorry, kind of got off track there. So now that more of you are here, I will ask again, did anyone have anything to present to the class? ;-)
[Mambo Sam] Wow, those tumbleweeds and crickets again.
[waitingforastar] I started on a presentation earlier this week but unfortunately things came up and I did not get a chance to complete it and really put it all together. It’s okay; like I said, the assignment was completely optional. If you have any parts of it that you would like to present, please feel free to do so.
[Sister Candelaria] We would love to hear what you have WFAS!
[waitingforastar] Well I looked into General George S. Patton and he had similarities in that he was known for overcoming huge obstacles to battle, like a big snow storm in which he asked someone to pray and the storm actually ceased long enough for them to make it through to where they had to go. He is known for carrying a saber, not a machete but similar. He believed very strongly in reincarnation. He was a very clever military strategist. He was known for not letting anything stop him and always rose to a challenge with odds seeming impossible.
[Mambo Sam] Right and those are very good Ogoun qualities! :-) So, yes, I would say that you are right on the money with that.
[waitingforastar] Great , thanks, was wondering if I was on track:}
[Mambo Sam] Yes, and I think you should complete it because it is a very good choice and could work well for you in ritual. So you should go ahead and do the prayers and all that ritual things that we have already talked about (which will be easier to refer to once I get it all posted).
[waitingforastar] Things I would put on his alter? A saber. Little model tanks since he was into tanks. He was of Scottish background so maybe some Scottish elements added. He was born in California.
[waitingforastar] Oh, ok so I would still have more time?
[Mambo Sam] Sure, we will definitely revisit this, but doing it just for yourself is good, too. :-) That is sort of the point of it — do it so that you can use it. :-)
[simonegreenewpp] Comment
[waitingforastar] works for me:}
[Mambo Sam] :-) Yes, Simone.
[simonegreenewpp] I’m glad someone is working on Patton! I read that he didn’t just believe in reincarnation, but his previous lives were also Generals. :-)
[waitingforastar] Yes that is what I heard
[The3rdwish13] comment...
[Mambo Sam] :-)
[Aleck] Me too
[Mambo Sam] I really would like for you to continue with this, WFAS, and when you can (no hurry or pressure) just bring it up and we can have you present it at that time. I think it would be really a good one.
[waitingforastar] Ok, thanks
[Mambo Sam] Yes 3rdwish.
[The3rdwish13] Mambo, I’m very late because I couldn’t log in, but I did the homework... Am I too late to present too???
[Mambo Sam] Not at all, you can definitely present! That is what we are here for tonight! ;-)
[The3rdwish13] Thanks........
[Mambo Sam] WFAS just wasn’t finished yet.
[The3rdwish13] :-)
[Mambo Sam] So we were getting a little bit of a rundown of what she was working on. But I am happy for you to present. Are you ready now?
[The3rdwish13] yes I am
[Mambo Sam] Go ahead and start when you are ready.
[The3rdwish13] how do I paste... sorry
[Mambo Sam] Control V
[The3rdwish13] Ok. I am doing my presentation on Joan of Arc. Since this was assigned I have been looking for a person that inspires me as much as Ogoun does, and that I could truly believe was his re-incarnation. When I was close to giving up, I noticed the many signs I have been receiving all along through conversations, TV programs, books, e-mail, etc., so I decided to research her and to my surprise I have no doubt that SHE IS THE ONE for me! I hope it’s ok...........
[The3rdwish13] St. Joan of Arc (1412 -1431) also known as “the Maid of Orleans,” was a 15th century virgin, saint and national heroine of France. She was granted titular command of an army which quickly lifted the siege of Orleans. She led the French army to several important victories and led King Charles VII to his coronation. She was captured by the English and tried by an ecclesiastical English court; they convicted her of heresy and she was burned at the stake by the English when she was only 19 years old. Twenty-four years later, her case was reviewed and the ecclesiastical court found her innocent, and declared her a martyr. She was beatified in 1909 and later canonized in 1920. That’s her basic biography...
[The3rdwish13] The degree of her actual military leadership is a subject of historical debate. Traditional historians concluded that her primary effect was on morale, because of what she said on her trial, that she preferred her beliefs to her sword; but recent scholarship believe that she was a skilled tactician and a successful strategist!
[Mambo Sam] Right — that was hard for people to accept then.
[The3rdwish13] Another interesting fact is the records of her trial demonstrate her remarkable intellect. She learned how to read and write, very uncommon for a girl like her that came from a poor family. In contrary to what many people would think, St. Joan was not a feminist. She operated within a religious tradition that believed an exceptional person from any level of society and gender might receive a divine calling. She believed that we all have the power we just don’t use it.
[Mambo Sam] :-) Oops, I think she just got bounced. Let’s give her a minute.
[The3rdwish13] Sorry. It all began at the age of 12-13, when she started hearing the voice of God guiding her behavior. She believed St. Michel, St. Margaret and St. Catherine were always with her. These voices also told her that it was her divine mission to free her country from the English. They told her to cut her hair, dress in man’s uniform and pick up the arms. They told her to go to the city of Orleans and guided her on all her battles and achievements. She was told that for a woman to wear men’s clothing was a crime against God. She continued wearing them because her voices hadn’t yet told her to change, as well as for protection from sexual abuse by the troops and jail mates. She was condemned by the Church as a witch and a heretic, and burned at the stake in a marketplace. Now, the second Sunday of May is the French civic holiday in her honor...
[Mambo Sam] :-)
[The3rdwish13] That’s all on her.... Now about my altar....
[Aleck] WoW!
[The3rdwish13] While she was being burnt, her last words were: “Hold the crucifix up before my eyes so I may see it until I die.” To me, there is not a bigger sign of faith than that!
[Mambo Sam] Indeed.
[The3rdwish13] So I would have a crucifix for her in my altar. Also, during World War II, the French Resistance used the French flag with the Cross of Lorraine as a symbolic reference to Joan of Arc, so I would put the flag in my altar.... Her colors are blue, white and red because those are the colors of the French flag, so I would put candles in those colors. Of course, I would put a picture of her, a sword, and a bell, because every time she heard a bell or the bells from a church she would kneel down and pray, and during battle she made people in her troop ring the bells 3 times a day for praying. As of food offerings, in the 15th century in France, no meal went without bread and wine, so I would put those for her. I have to look more into this.
[Mambo Sam] Plus they are sacramental — so that would be really good.
[The3rdwish13] When it comes to music, I don’t know why Enya comes to my mind when I think of her.... :-)
[Mambo Sam] OH that would be really nice.
[The3rdwish13] Also, I found some music (it’s downloading so I don’t know what it sounds like) called Music and Chants from the XVth Century for Joan of Arc by Amadis Ensemble and Catherine Joussellin.
[Mambo Sam] :-)
[The3rdwish13] There is also a song by The Smiths that talks about her called: “Bigmouth strikes again”. And one by Leonard Cohen called Joan of Arc.
[Mambo Sam] Right, with her you have a lot to draw from, so that is great.
[The3rdwish13] And finally, my prayer will start with the Apostle’s Creed, Our Father, and Hail Mary, because those were the 3 prayers she prayed every day. And then my prayer (which is not done... well maybe it is)
[Mambo Sam] And start Vodou ceremonies, too. :-)
[The3rdwish13] St. Joan of Arc, Maiden of Orleans, please come to me and hear my prayer. Help me bear all the injuries of my soul with the same dignity you had when you were injured. Teach me how to keep my chin up when I only want to look down. Make me look at the beauty that surrounds me when I only want to have my eyes closed. Inspire me to keep creating regardless of the many adversities I face. Open my heart to accept God as my constant companion, and don’t let me doubt my faith and power. And please, my dear St. Joan of Arc, walk next to me as I fight my everyday battles with strength and honor… Amen
[The3rdwish13] That’s all I have!!!!!!!! :-)
[Mambo Sam] I think that prayer is finished! It is just right, as far as I am concerned. :-) Take a bow, young lady.
[The3rdwish13] BOW
[mamakate] comment
[Aleck] AAAAH! That was excellent!!!!!!!!!
[Mambo Sam] A big round of applause.
[PATRICKinCALI] That was a WONDERFUL presentation, thank you 3rd Wish!
[Sister Candelaria] Very, very nice!!!
[The3rdwish13] Thank youuuuuu
[simonegreenewpp] Clap clap clap!
[Mambo Sam] Clap clap clap
[The3rdwish13] I’m blushingggg hehe THANK YOU
[Mambo Sam] Whistles.
[schweety] good job wooohoooo woohooo
[Mambo Sam] Very nicely done.
[Aleck] <— Brought tears to my eyes!
[The3rdwish13] Thanks
[Mambo Sam] Comment Mamakate?
[simonegreenewpp] comment
[PATRICKinCALI] comment
[Mambo Sam] Then Simone, then Patrick.
[mamakate] Yes thanks. I’ve always been interested in Joan of Arc — so thank you 3rd Wish — and I think that was a beautiful prayer!
[The3rdwish13] Thank you...
[Mambo Sam] It certainly is!
[waitingforastar] Very, very well done
[Mambo Sam] Simone?
[waitingforastar] oops sorry
[simonegreenewpp] One thing you said about her not being a feminist — since she believed anyone could accomplish something regardless of their sex is very much feminist! Unfortunately the word has become “bad”, but we need to honor Joan of Arc and the countless other women, known and unknown, who have helped us all.
[The3rdwish13] Yes!!!!!!!!! :-) I really wanted a women
[Mambo Sam] :-)
[The3rdwish13] And she kept showing up
[simonegreenewpp] Bouddicea would be a good one, too. :-)
[Mambo Sam] Oh, you should do that Simone! :-D :-)
[simonegreenewpp] But I have Genghis Kahn!
[Mambo Sam] Soooooooooooo, what’s your point? :-D
[The3rdwish13] My son wanted me to do Mulan
[Mambo Sam] :-D
[waitingforastar] :-D
[simonegreenewpp] Nice!
[The3rdwish13] hehe
[Mambo Sam] Okay, Patrick?
[PATRICKinCALI] There have been 4 miracles of healing attributed to her by the church. LOVED your prayer
[The3rdwish13] Yes, I read about it...
[Mambo Sam] Yes!
[The3rdwish13] Thank you....
[PATRICKinCALI] She is a glorious spirit!
[Mambo Sam] She really is.
[The3rdwish13] Love her...
[Mambo Sam] And it is great that someone did a woman especially because Ogoun is also syncretized with a woman saint, Saint Barbara. So it isn’t out of the ballpark at all that you chose to do a woman for this assignment. I liked it!
[The3rdwish13] Mambo, thank you for this opportunity, it made me feel great!
[Mambo Sam] Wonderful!!
[Sister Candelaria] Yep, and I think we have a tendency to envision male spirits as men, but that’s not necessarily true. They could embody either sex.
[Mambo Sam] Right — the body is just the shell housing the spirit, so it could be any race or gender. :-) Well that was just great!!!
[Sister Candelaria] :-D
[Mambo Sam] Thank you, 3rdwish.
[The3rdwish13] Thank you
[Mambo Sam] Anyone else have something to present?
[Mambo Sam] Okay, so let’s talk a moment about why we are doing all of this. First and foremost, there are a few of you on a very special journey. This has been a journey not just built on “getting what you want” from doing magick. Although, there is nothing wrong with that! ;-) But for some of you, you have embraced everything you have learned in class and are now beginning to learn how to put it all together for yourself.
[Aleck] O I had something.
[Mambo Sam] Yes, Aleck.
[Aleck] I was just thinking…. What about the other aspects of Ogoun? Like, the blacksmith, the healer or the diplomat? It seems like we could do the same thing for the different aspects, and find different people that we could do the same thing with.
[Mambo Sam] Right... and you could go ad infinitum with it. That is true... I suppose one could probably spend a lifetime working out the different aspects of a Lwa and making those correlations. :-) And not that it would be a bad thing, either! But then you have to get down to WHY you are doing it. Is it academic? Is it spiritual? Will it serve you and others well? Go ahead.
[Aleck] But, like if you are doing something with a certain aspect, then you could do a combination with someone who you feel is connected with that same aspect like we are doing.
[simonegreenewpp] comment
[Aleck] Like serving Ogoun Feray and.... To do something.
[Mambo Sam] Right, like I said, there is nothing wrong with that. However, for some of you there is a lot to learn and putting this all together takes a lot of time. But certainly there isn’t anything wrong with it. Was that it, Aleck?
[Aleck] Yes, I must have an Ogoun around me.
[Mambo Sam] :-D
[Aleck] :-)
[Mambo Sam] Okay, Simone?
[simonegreenewpp] Many of the warriors were also diplomats. Healing and an intimate knowledge of weapons were also essential. Your idea would be good to do with one’s own Met Tet... ;-)
[Mambo Sam] Absolutely. And like I said, I love Aleck’s idea. It does just get to be challenging sometimes to try to piece all this spiritual teachings together AND actually put them into practical use.
[simonegreenewpp] And since victorious warriors wrote history, they are easier to find. :-D
[Mambo Sam] :-) And so what I was saying above is that sometimes I feel like we can get lost in the whole academia end of things and not get a damn thing done. ;-) Believe me, as I have said on many occasions, I know just a ton load of Vodouisants — Houngans and Mambos that just spout out information like a knowledge fountain. The problem is that most of the time no one knows what the hell they are talking about AND then no one tells them what to do with the information. I think it is something that is extremely frustrating to those wanting to really participate in Vodou as a spiritual practice. So the point to these assignments is to try to give you the tools to actually use the knowledge. And to dig deeper into it than you will find in most venues. So it is a personal choice whether or not you complete assignments, but if you are truly wanting to assimilate this into your life in a real way, then you should do them. Sometimes it doesn’t make sense. Sometimes it is, “why am I doing this?” “All I wanted was Johnny in my life.” And I want Mambo to tell me how to make that happen. Now.
[Mambo Sam] And again, nothing wrong with that! But for those of you who want your Johnny and to eat it, too. (Okay, couldn’t resist.)
[simonegreenewpp] Snort!
[schweety] *blinks*
[vodoukat02] lmao
[PATRICKinCALI] gulp
[Happy] :-0
[Mambo Sam] Yikes. Sorry... :-D Anyhoo...
[vodoukat02] Mambo’s on a roll now
[Mambo Sam] That is when you start to dig deeper. ;-) There are different “a-ha” moments for people. A lot of times you don’t know when it will come because it is different for everyone. It could be in the middle of an assignment, it could be during ritual, it could be riding the bus home from work and daydreaming about the Lwa. But if you keep at this it WILL start to click. So many of you have come SO FAR it is incredible.
[mamakate] ?
[Mambo Sam] You are deeper spiritual people then when I first met you.
[Aleck] You have been peeking in on me!
[Mambo Sam] :-D
[Mambo Sam] Yes, Mamakate.
[mamakate] What if you’ve had dreams of a particular Lwa that isn’t your Met Tet?
[Mambo Sam] Even if a Lwa isn’t your Met Tet, there certainly could be dreams of them. Is this a Lwa that you have worked with?
[mamakate] One is, yes — Papa Legba; but one isn’t and that’s the Baron
[Mambo Sam] Well, dear... you are close to me, so just about everyone I know dreams of the Baron now and again! :-D Seriously.... Once you are in the Spellmaker family, the Baron shows himself a lot more than he does to other people.
[Sister Candelaria] comment
[Mambo Sam] Was the dream disturbing in any way.
[mamakate] No not at all — the one with Baron was actually sensual and loving (not sexual) and the one with Papa was him giving me a gift of wrapping paper! There was more to them but that’s the gist of it
[Mambo Sam] Yeah, those are good dreams. And as far as “meanings” — it means they are with you, they are there for you. You guys know my little grandson, Preston? He is four now, but when he was three he told me that a man in a top hat and sunglasses was “throwing him up in the air” and he (Preston) poked out one side of his sunglasses! LOL.
[mamakate] How awesome!
[Mambo Sam] Yeah, I thought that was hilarious. But those are good dreams. And good signs!
[Aleck] Aaahahahaha!
[Mambo Sam] So you know that kid did not make that up!
[mamakate] I felt very honored by both the dreams
[Mambo Sam] :-) Good! Sister C?
[Sister Candelaria] :-D I love that! What I was going to say is that if you work with our products the Baron knows you, even if you haven’t worked with him directly, because he blesses everything you get from us.
[Mambo Sam] Well, good point! :-)
[Sister Candelaria] I thought so. heehee
[Mambo Sam] Definitely!!!
[mamakate] He showed up immediately then because it was years ago, when I first found Spellmaker
[Happy] comment
[Mambo Sam] Did I miss someone? I thought someone else had a hand up.
[Aleck] < memememe
[Mambo Sam] Oh get back in your chair, Aleck. :-D Go ahead and then Happy.
[vodoukat02] ?
[Mambo Sam] Then Vodoukate. er Vodoukat.
[vodoukat02] :-D
[Mambo Sam] Go ahead Aleck.
[Aleck] The guy on the news just said, ... Baton Rouge, which...” :-)
[Mambo Sam] :-D Baton Rouge witch. I love it.
[Aleck] :-D
[Mambo Sam] Talking about me on the news again. Anyhooo...
[Mambo Sam] Happy, then vodoukat.
[Happy] Well I do not dream about them but feel them around me constantly. Even recently something really scared me and they fixed it for me within minutes after I asked for help. I really needed what they did for me recently and Mambo knows what I mean :-) I love my Lwa
[Mambo Sam] Right... and they ARE there for you. I mean we have a ton of stories of people who were “pulled from the fire” by Lwa intervention.
[Happy] Yes what they did for me the other night made me feel beautiful again.
[Mambo Sam] And you just know it was them when it happens. I mean you can feel it. There is no wondering, “was that the Lwa?”
[The3rdwish13] comment...
[schweety] ?
[Mambo Sam] It has happened to me on a number of occasions.
[Happy] I SURE WAS
[Mambo Sam] Vodoukat, 3rdwish, then Schweety. (I know you were, Happy!)
[vodoukat02] By the way, my Grandfather used to call me Kate. My question is what can I do or say to my youngest when she asks me if she could learn voodoo; she has already asked me.
[Mambo Sam] Teach her. ;-)
[vodoukat02] She is 10 years old
[Mambo Sam] That’s perfect.
[vodoukat02] Where would I start
[Mambo Sam] Take it in tiny steps — talk to her about the Vodou Saints (the Lwa — kids know what saints are or even Vodou Angels). Tell her their stories.
[Sister Candelaria] MaMere has been doing this as long as she can remember! :-)
[Mambo Sam] What the different Lwa stand for. :-) That is the best place to start.
[vodoukat02] ok, thank you Mambo
[Mambo Sam] All the nice ladies and gentlemen of the Vodou spirit world. Then you can introduce her more into working with them. You can do very simple services, such as lighting a candle and saying a prayer. If you have a religion, then you can use those prayers and then more Vodou-based prayers. Since as Vodouisants there are prayers to One God — or a Higher Power. Just take it in little steps and make it fun to get to know all these exciting new angels. ;-)
[vodoukat02] She will be excited to know this because she keeps asking me.
[Mambo Sam] That is the way to handle it. :-) 3rd wish, then schweety
[vodoukat02] Thank you again Mambo
[Mambo Sam] You are welcome Vodoukat
[The3rdwish13] I just wanted to say that YES, you CAN feel it is them, because I have! :-)
[Mambo Sam] :-)
[The3rdwish13] And it feels greattttttt! hehe
[Mambo Sam] Yes, you have 3rdwish! :-)
[Mambo Sam] Schweety?
[schweety] I was wondering if I could possibly get the link to the Ogoun assignment again, I have had many things going on with me personally but I really do want to do the assignment, so can the Sisters get that for me or anyone else for that matter :-) thanks in advance!
[Mambo Sam] Yep.
[schweety] :-)
[Sister Candelaria] I’ll send it to you, honey!
[schweety] ty
[Mambo Sam] And I will post it on the page with the links to all the transcripts, too. Oops, there went Sister C. She will be back. :-)
[schweety] oh no I Sister Candi was so excited to send it to me she left!!! :-)
[Mambo Sam] Okay, did I miss anyone who had their hand up?
[waitingforastar] :-D
[vodoukat02] ?
[Mambo Sam] vodoukat, go ahead
[vodoukat02] Can we still do the assignment and e-mail it to you?
[Mambo Sam] Yep.
[vodoukat02] Or share it in class? ty
[Mambo Sam] Yep.
[simonegreenewpp] Question
[Mambo Sam] I know everyone has a lot on their plate and then here I am come trying to give you spiritual assignments. :-) So, yes, we will definitely revisit this again.
[waitingforastar] ?
[vodoukat02] ty Mambo
[Mambo Sam] Keep the assignments handy once you have done them and when we have time in class, we can do that.
[Mambo Sam] Simone, and then WFAS.
[simonegreenewpp] About Voodoo ad children — I was wondering if there are books for children? What I’ve seen gets into some serious stuff and (I’m not a parent but) I would not give it to a child. Is there “Baby’s First Voodoo Book” ? Maybe someone should write one!
[Mambo Sam] LOL... I have actually thought about it. Because a lot of people want to introduce their kids into it. I mean kids in Haiti and back when I was a kid in New Orleans, just went to ceremonies. You sort of absorb it. That is why I don’t mind kids coming to Lave Tets or anything like that. Although some American Houngans and Mambos won’t do it— that blew me away... uh, how are the kids going to learn? Geez. So let’s get writing on that, Simone! :-D I better stop, she isn’t going to say another word.
[Mambo Sam] Er Simone?
[Mambo Sam] :-D
[simonegreenewpp] Oh, ok...
[Mambo Sam] :-D Okay, so where were we?
[simonegreenewpp] Just that there are some beautiful books out there about Buddhism and other faiths. So yeah! Who is an artist who can do the illustrations? Ok, I’ll stop now.
[Mambo Sam] There we go! We may have to think of a group project and publish it as such. No really... I think it is a great idea. We should talk about it sometime. I know we have a few artists in the group.
[vodoukat02] So do I
[The3rdwish13] I’ll test it on my kids ;-)
[Mambo Sam] :-D
[vodoukat02] Me too
[Mambo Sam] So there... something to think about.
[Mambo Sam] Okay, WFAS?
[waitingforastar] Sorry I thought when I had stepped away you had called on me. My question was about the ogoun ritual kit, is that ok?
[Mambo Sam] Wait a minute. Did we skip Schweety? I got lost there.
[schweety] nope :-)
[Mambo Sam] Okay... sorry... Go ahead WFAS. Yes that is fine ask it.
[waitingforastar] When we are done with a ritual session do we bury the candles nubs or just wrap them up properly in brown paper and dispose?
[Mambo Sam] Either way.
[waitingforastar] Ok, thank you xoxox
[Mambo Sam] :-)
[Mambo Sam] Okay kids, I am about to wrap it up. Did I miss anyone? Some of you are mighty quiet tonight.
[she-wolf] ?
[Mambo Sam] She-wolf, go ahead.
[she-wolf] Sorry, got here late… missed the last class, and had to leave before we got an answer on Ogoun Ritual nite… What should we do with the veve after the ritual... burn it?
[Mambo Sam] It depends on how you did it. If you did it just on paper, you can actually keep it. Put it with your altar things.
[she-wolf] Yes, on paper.
[Mambo Sam] Some people re-use them — tracing over them. Sort of keeping that power going. :-)
[she-wolf] Good to know! Thanks!
[Mambo Sam] You are welcome. :-) If you want to dispose of it, though, burn it.
[she-wolf] That’s what I did, going by what we’re supposed to do in other rituals.
[Mambo Sam] That’s fine. Sometimes people do the cornmeal and flour ones on paper and if you do that, you can actually use that cornmeal and flour in a recipe and eat it. Very powerful.
[Aleck] WoW!!
[Mambo Sam] Just a bit of a secret and why everyone should come to class. ;-)
[she-wolf] Wow. Awesome idea! I love cornbread!
[Mambo Sam] Me too!
[waitingforastar] Cool, interesting to know, yeah I love it too.
[Mambo Sam] So there you go. If you do your cornmeal and flour veves and do them on paper, just save it and cook with it.
[she-wolf] You could use that to dredge chicken for a sauté, too! I’m brewing some ideas...
[Mambo Sam] :-) Yeah.... definitely.
[Mambo Sam] Okay, anyone else?
[Mambo Sam] So, I will be posting a new and exciting assignment and class exercise that you can get started on for next week. :-) We will weave back into this one, no worries. Then, of course, we will put them all together! Okay Eastern time zone people — bed time! :-D
[waitingforastar] :-D
[mamakate] :-D
[Happy] yup
[she-wolf] True dat!
[The3rdwish13] :-) can’t wait
[Mambo Sam] I will see you all next week!
[vodoukat02] yep......good nite
[Mambo Sam] Kisses!!!! Love you all!!!
[vodoukat02] ditto
[Mambo Sam] Good night!
User Mambo Sam has logged out.
[Happy] love you :-)
[Aleck] Thanks Mambo! Excellent class!
[The3rdwish13] bye
[mamakate] Thanks again Mambo Sam!
[waitingforastar] Kisses to you goodnight Destiny B and Simone xox Goodnight Sister Candelaria xoxox
[Sister Candelaria] Night Honey, sorry, I’m multi-tasking! :-D
[waitingforastar] :-D I hear that
[simonegreenewpp] I got everything that’s fit to print. Goodnight!
[Sister Candelaria] Awesome, thanks hon!
[DestinyB] Good night waitingforastar! :-) Goodnight Sister C and Simone!
[Sister Candelaria] Night DestinyB! :-)
[simonegreenewpp] Sister C, hope you weren’t too badly affected by the Great Hollywood Fire #2.
[Sister Candelaria] Nope, not too bad. The show must go on. ;-) :-D
[DestinyB] Everybody avoided that pointy stick tonight! :-) probably sleepy. :-) good night!
[Sister Candelaria] Yep, I didn’t even have to get it out! :-D
[DestinyB] Yep! :-) I have been sleepy too. I was drained today! But lots of good has been happening so the energy use was well worth it! I am posting on the forum tomorrow for sure!
[Sister Candelaria] That’s great!!! I’m so happy to hear it!
[DestinyB] All you guys are awesome! :-) night night!
[simonegreenewpp] Glad to hear it!
[Sister Candelaria] Awwwww, thanks!! So are you! ;-)
[simonegreenewpp] Goodnight!
[Sister Candelaria] Night!
[DestinyB] :-)
[simonegreenewpp] Oooh, done before 11! Just!