Blog Post 3: Voodoo Healings and the Spirits

Last semester, I would meet up with my study group on Saturday evenings to do accounting homework. It wasn't uncommon for us to get exhausted very easily as we all worked Saturday mornings at our jobs. Naturally, we would get side tracked from our study sessions and start talking about all sorts of topics. During one of or last minute "cram sessions" to prepare for an upcoming exam we all tapped out. With great frustration we all slowly accepted out fate and began to goof off. Somehow the topic of Voodoo managed to pop up. My friends, whom I studied with, were from the Dominican Republic and Haiti and they immigrated here as children. During that evening they told me their stories of Voodoo in their homelands. They shared how voodoo has affect them and other members of their family. My one friend told me her aunt became possessed by the spirits while under a Voodoo curse. Ultimately, a  Voodoo priest had to amputate one of her aunt's leg back in Haiti. These stories sparked my interest in the Voodoo for sure that night. 

(My friend also had us YouTube some of the Voodoo dances, this is just one example).

On the topic of Voodoo  spiritual healings I find I am skeptical. I believe that adrenaline may push some being healed to feel refreshed for a bit in light of the ceremony of being healed. It is essentially a psychological placebo affect I would believe. In Voodoo the chicken is said to heal those afflicted with spirit possession. I do not see a correlation between a chicken and healing one of certain aliments. As in all faith healing situations, I am more prone to accept a more medical based and scientific answers as opposed to miraculous healings. After hearing incidents like Peter Popoff's mic in the ear, I approach all faith healings with a skeptical eye. Voodoo healings is no exception for me.

(Above is a National Geographic video about Haitian Voodoo.)

(Another National Geographic video about the origin of Voodoo and a spiritual possession of a Voodoo priest's daughter.)

I have to admit that Voodoo is quite a captivating topic and I would like to learn more about it. I may personally view Voodoo spirits and spiritual type healing as a pseudoscience but, I do realize that it part of a religion and many people accept these spiritual beliefs. I am grateful to my friends that taught me more about Voodoo and I hope that in the future they will share more stories about the Voodoo spirits.