Vodun

Vodun (meaning spirit) is a religion practiced by the Aja, Ewe, and Fon peoples of Benin, Togo, Ghana, and Nigeria. Elements of this West African religion have survived and evolved into current forms of religions with similar names found in the New World among the African diaspora in the Americas such as Surinamese Winti, Haitian Vodou, Louisiana Voodoo, Cuban Vodú, Dominican Vudú, Venezuelan Yuyu, and Brazilian Vodum. Vodun cosmology centers around the vodun spirits and other elements of divine essence that govern the Earth, a hierarchy that range in power from major deities governing the forces of nature and human society to the lesser spirits of individual streams. Further, there are dozens of ethnic vodun, defenders of a certain clan, tribe, or nation. The divine Creator, Mawu or Mahu, is a female. She is portrayed as an older woman, a mother who is gentle and forgiving. Mawu the moon and Lisa the sun, female and male, are often portrayed as the twin children of the Creator. In this portrayal, Mother Mawu must have named her daughter after herself. Lisa is the sun god who brings the day and the heat and strength and energy. Mawu, the moon goddess, provides the cool of the night, peace, fertility, and rainfall. The youngest son of Mawu, Legba, is the chief of all Vodun divinities.  It is only through contact with Legba is it possible to contact the other gods, for he is gatekeeper of the spiritual realm. Mawu's androgynous son Dan remained with her and acts as an intermediary between her and her other creations. As a bridge between the spirits and the living, similar to the mission of his little brother Legba, Dan maintains balance, order, peace and open lines of communication. All creation is considered divine and therefore contains the power of the divine. Vodun Priestesses, like priests, receive a calling from an oracle which may come at any moment during their lives. They will then join their clan's convent to obtain spiritual instruction. The oracles also designate a future high priest and high priestess from among the new recruits, establishing an order of succession.