Vodoun: The Original Ancestral Magick Living in Everyday Life

When most people hear the word Vodoun (or Voodoo, Vodou, Vodun), what often comes to mind is a Hollywood-inspired spectacle—voodoo dolls, black magic, curses, and sensationalized rituals meant to terrify or control. But these images are far from the truth. In fact, they’re a harmful distortion of one of the oldest spiritual systems in the world—one rooted in ancestral wisdom, nature, healing, and deep community connection.

It’s time we unveil the truth: Vodoun is not dark magic. It is ancestral magick. And it's present all around us, even if we don't realize it.

What Is Vodoun, Really?

Vodoun is a spiritual tradition practiced for thousands of years, originating among the Fon and Ewe peoples of West Africa, particularly in what is now Benin and Togo. Enslaved Africans brought these sacred teachings with them to the Americas and the Caribbean, where they adapted and merged with elements of Catholicism and Indigenous traditions to survive colonization and oppression.

At its core, Vodoun is a living system of honoring ancestors, understanding spiritual forces, and aligning with nature’s rhythms. It emphasizes balance, reciprocity, community, and personal power. Practitioners build relationships with the Loa (spiritual intermediaries), revere the earth, and keep close ties with ancestral energies.

Vodoun in Everyday Life—Even If You Don’t Know It

Many of the practices or beliefs tied to Vodoun are deeply embedded in daily life especially in the African diaspora but are often unrecognized or mislabeled:

1. Ancestral Altars and Offerings

The act of placing a photo of a loved one with a glass of water, a candle, or a favorite item on a shelf? That’s ancestral veneration. In Vodoun, this is how we keep the dead alive not in fear, but in respect.

2. Cleansing Rituals

Using Florida Water, salt baths, or herbal smudging to “clear energy” is directly rooted in Vodoun and other African Traditional Religions (ATRs). These aren't just New Age trends they are sacred technologies.

3. Naming and Syncretism

Names like Papa Legba, Erzulie, or Ogun have made their way into literature, music, and art. Even common religious figures like Saint Peter or Saint Michael are often veiled representations of Vodoun deities in syncretic practices from Haiti to New Orleans.

4. Dance and Drumming

In many cultures, ecstatic dance and drumming are entertainment. In Vodoun, they are portals. They summon divine presence, invite possession (in a positive, revered sense), and create community alignment with spirit.

Why the Stigma Exists and Why It Needs to Go

The demonization of Vodoun didn't happen by accident. It was a deliberate tool of colonialism and white supremacy. European colonizers feared the power of African spirituality particularly because it represented resistance, unity, and identity. They branded it "witchcraft" to justify its suppression.

Hollywood and Western media further capitalized on this by portraying Vodoun as mysterious, evil, and dangerous. The result? Generations of people including descendants of practitioners grew up ashamed or afraid of their own spiritual inheritance.

But this erasure is more than just misinformation it’s spiritual violence. It disconnects people from their ancestors, their culture, and their power.

Reclaiming and Respecting Vodoun

If you’re part of the African diaspora, reconnecting with Vodoun may feel like a homecoming. But even for those outside of it, respecting Vodoun means:

• Unlearning the myths perpetuated by media and colonial systems.

• Acknowledging its influence on culture, music, art, and spirituality.

• Protecting its integrity by not appropriating sacred practices out of context.

• Listening to practitioners and elders who carry the living tradition.

A Living Legacy

Vodoun is not a relic of the past. It is living, breathing magick that continues to shape communities, protect lineages, and heal generations. It's in the drumbeat at festivals, the whispered prayers to ancestors, the healing touch of an herbal bath, and the knowing glance exchanged between two people who understand that there’s more to life than what’s visible.

To honor Vodoun is to honor the oldest memory of ourselves.

It’s time to stop fearing it and start understanding it.