The Importance of God in La 21 Divisiones (La Magia Beneficia)

La Mano Poderosa

My previous posts have been mainly about the misterios of the tradition you should now be a little bit more familiar with- Dominican Vodou. Sure, they're wonderful, powerful, and wise but isn't something missing? If you answered no to that question, than I feel sorry for you. The truth is, many of us get lose in the mysteries of the spirits so much that we completely forget that they are mysteries of God. I realize this may sound surprising to you, but yes I do believe in God. My belief in God however is a completely animist one.

God in Dominican Vodou is such an important part of the tradition. So much in fact that forgetting about God can be hazardous to your relationships with the spirits. Just think about how you begin to understand something- your human mind must know where it originated from. Same goes for the spirits. If you don't understand that they came from God, and that God should be given thanks for his creations, then you will block your connection with them.

It doesn't matter if you call God just that, or if you call God Bondye. Either way you need to give thanks and devotion. I recommend doing this on a Sunday, because thats typically the day when spirit work comes to a hault. That should be when you focus on him/her. Praying the rosary is a good way of getting in contact and is very common in La 21 Divisiones. If you ever feel the need to setup a 21 Divisiones altar, you will need a Catholic bible and a crucifix anyway, so get used to the Catholicism now.

This doesn't have to be complicated either. If you can't pray the rosary (you should, but I understand) then you should at least 'freestyle' a prayer to God as the Almighty and stick with it. If you can, you could even visit a Catholic church on Sunday and join the ceremonies there.

Now I understand if the Catholic syncretism bothers you, but this is the traditional way of doing things and I will not advocate any other way. This is how I was taught and I will continue to follow the tradition like this. God is who you should be contemplating before spirit, and after spirit you should be contemplating yourself. Also keep close to you the three virtues: Faith, Hope, and Charity. This is a very important part of living, within and without of this tradition.