7 African Powers work

The Great Seven African Powers

Who are they ?

Seven African Powers are powerful and worldwide appreciated Loas or Lwas ( spelling and pronunciation differ between New Orleans Voodoo and Vodun .They are also seven main deities of Youruba pantheon .
In Spanish/Latino sister tradition of Voodoo , Santeria they are called Orishas ( seites potencies , sometimes with an article ?les? before sietes ) , but include same entities with possible difference on single deity Ornula that is sometimes included instead Oya.
In my personal workings I use Oya.

Note no. 1 : Even though Orishas and Loas represent the same entities ( Loa and Orisha is a being capable of existence in more than one dimensions/planes simultaneously ), they come from different origins .Orishas are by origins Afriican , while Lwas or Loas are of Haitian origins.

Note no. 2 : Although sometimes referred as deities Loa are not Gods or Goddesses .
In Voodoo and Santeria there is only One God , and the conception of G?d is the conception of Christian God Father , or Jehovah in Qubbalah .

Note no 3. Wiccans and other Religions members shall probably try to criticize me here for trying to present religion as magickal systems. In small part they are right Vodun is a religion and requires initiation . However magickal systems based on it as New Orleans Voodoo , Creole , Santeria , require no initiation to work with mentioned spirits, and anyone that is willing to invest some knowledge and respect is welcome to petition the spirits .



Now I shall introduce You with the most basic correspondences of Loas and Orishas ,
And If You know how to set basic Voodoo altar , ancestral altar You will have no problems in petitioning Loas.
Alternatively You could pettition them on places considered Holy to them , example Papa Legba ( Ellegua ) ? Crossroads , or members of Guede Loaa family cemeteries etc.
Loas are represented by their veves or corresponding Saints .
I would add Saints here , but it is too compelling work for such article , as well as all the correspondences ( days , feast days, planets etc. ) , therefore You should do some research too , but for the general work, this shall represent a great base .


Papa Legba
___________

Invoked to remove obstacles , help contacting other spirits and Loas , open and close doors and portals , for matters of opportunities and communications with ones that are fare away . He is saidth to fluidly speak any language that humans speak or ever spoke .

COLORS : red and black , number 3 , Objects he likes 3 stones , keys , food and offerings: Corn , candy , Rum , OIL : palm oil , often mixed with coffee grinds and rum
PLACE : Crossroads


Obtala
_______

Rules minds , brings mind peace , cures terminal conditions . A very benevolent loa.

COLORS: White , Silver , Purple , Objects white bead necklace , owls feather and alike , Food and offerings : Silver , Black eyed Peas , coconuts
PLACE : Clouds , Earth , Nigeria


Oya
____


Mistress of the marketplace , Petition her for business success , changes and ancestral issues

COLORS all but black , orange and red in particular, Objects pennies , flowery prints , black horsehair, Food and offerings : Wine , Fish and rice , chocolate pudding and others
PLACE: Amazons , Hurricanes and winds , cemeteries and rainbows


Oshun
_____

Rules over love, intimacy , naughty things ( blushes lol ) and beauty, art and diplomacy . When ones have a writer block this is a great Loa to petition.

COLORS : Yellow , green , sea coral color , Objects : combs , Mirrors , gold jewelry , Food and offerings : Honey , pumpkins , cinnamon , spinach , almonds
PLACES: Rivers , Cuba , Nigeria


Chango
______

A War deity , associated with Mars planet , alleged to bring victory over enemies and execute fiery punishment upon them . He is called in all issues to do with victory and sensuality ( mostly for men , to be seductive to women )

COLORS: red and white , Favorite objects : double axe , wood , Food and offerings , apples , corn , peppers , red wine dry
PLACES : Trees m Trinidad


Ogun
____

A mysterious Loa , invoked for matters of employment, protection , prophecy . magickal work and teaching , blood magick , blood diseases and conditions cure.

COLORS : Green and black , Objects: Iron pieces , machetes, rooster feathers , Food and offerings : roots , nuts , meat , soda crackers and palm oil ( last two often combined )
PLACES : Deep woods , Americas


Yemmaya
_______


Mother of the seven seas , Allegedly when her water broke seven seas come to be . Inoked to remove the obstacles , protect the female , in all things to do with motherhood , meditation , clairvoyance , calm seas and alike .

COLORS: White , Light blue , Crystal , Silver , Objects: Any Shorebird feather , conch shells , shells , Food and Offerings : Cornmeal , Water Mellon , Papaya , White roses

PLACE : At sea or Ocean , Brazil and Nigeria




All of Loas have the place in home where preferably their altar should be set If You do not use Ancestral altar , or You are like me ( use this altar only for work with Ancestors )
PAPA LEGBA ? Behind front door
OBTALA ? Living Room
OYA ? Library , study room/office
OSHUN ? Kitchen , bedroom
CHANGO ? Fireplace business desk
OGUN ? Also behind front door
YEMAYA ? Living rooms

In Creole Voodoo which is practiced a lot in NO , Before petitioning Loas One should Say Our Father prayer , then 3 Hail Mary prayers and then Apostle?s Creed . After that We ask Papa Legba to open the doors for communication with other Loa , and ask for his interdiction unless We of course petition Legba himself .

Then You could say Prayer to the Seven African Powers :



Oh, Seven African Powers, who are so close to our Divine Savior, with great humility I kneel before thee and implore your intercession before the Great Spirit. Hear my petition and grant me peace and prosperity. Please remove all of the obstacles that cause me to stray from the Beauty Way. Oh Olofi, I trust in the words ?ask and you shall receive?. Let it be so! Amen.
(Make your petition).

For Loa veves , favorite animals , and other correspondences ( Saints , Planets etc. ) so some research , I warmly suggest sources I have listed bellow ( used for writing this article ):
______________________________________________________________

?A guide to serving the Seven African Powers? Denise Alvarado
?Encyclopedia of Spirits? Judika Illes
?Voodoo spellbook? Dr Snake

And various sites like : Mysticvoodoo , Wikipedia , Luckymojo , www.squidoo.com/voodooveves
And other . I don?t wanna chew it up all for ya

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Thank you for that info i know almost nothing for that kind of magic so i do appreciate your work .I do have desire to gain
some knowledge and you are making things easy for me .Blessed be .

this is an awesome post.

I do lots of works with these spirits. Also, keep in mind that some of these spirits require you to get grandfathered in to be able to use them.

Lots of these Spirits require some rituals before doing works.. Using them in the wrong way can lead to bad things.

I second what Will says about approaching these entities with caution and the utmost respect - especially if you are uninitiated, working without a teacher, and/or from outside Their native cultures. There are some spirits/Diety forms that are generally "safer" for the newbie to work with - such as saints - but the Orisha and Loa don't fall into this category.

I agree with You both , Vodou requires either initiation or becoming "compadre" ( Santerian term ) with them .
Yet In Creole , that specifies in 7 African Powers work , mentioned above ( also called New Orleans Voodoo , or just Voodoo a NO Vodou branch ) it is considered that anyone can petition 7 African Powers .

However Ellegua ( Papa Legba ) as a fairly benevolent entity and interceding Spirit has role of helping safe and successful communication with rest of Loas .

Also Pater Noster , Credo and Hail Maries , along with prayer to the Seven African powers is done prior the petition as another precaution and safety measure .

Therefore when done properly , working with this spirits is harmless , that of course requires good knowledge on each of them and respect. So Yes not suggested to any newbie .

As for Loas beside Ones I mentioned here , You do need initiation or at very least great amount of knowledge and respect . I would approach with utmost care to any of Guede Loa family ( Maman Briggit excluded as she is quite mild and nice )
or for Example Damballah .
However there are still some Loa beside the Seven African Powers that are safe to petition ( Marie Leveau , Li Grand Zombi , Petro Family many of them ), but as You kindly suggested that would still be a better idea with initiation .

Thank You both all for Your comments I began to think no one will read this lol :)

may you provide with their sigils too??

I agree with LdyGry.

A woman posted on an FB board about calling Yemaya to "fix" her life, and her life when haywire. I asked if she had honoured Her in any way, and of course not.

Some Deities (especially the Orishas and Lwa) *demand* respect and honouring when you ask Them for something....

Approach with caution....or not at all. They are not playthings.

Well seems like a typical error newcomers to Vooodoo make. She must have had invoked Yemaya alongside Oya or any of the Cimetre family, particulary If she had money issues, and that is not done.
Of course the lack of respect does not help at all . But I have a habbit of saying one who drinks a liter of liquid labeled Caution , carelessly is one who is to blame.

As for veves someone requested . I am sorry but we can not upload pics here.

Obscurus: Exactly. As for veves, do a google image search.

Summary of the Five Nation's, the content i am adding was formed with the guideline's of Denise Alavardo's and her book The Voodoo Hoodoo Spellbook and a few other's, all my sources are below, they helped me learn about the Five Nations and the specific Lwa throughout the year's, and i would recommend reading all of them to extend your knowledge of this practice.

The Lwa Nations

The Nation's are categorized into five major families of the Lwa spirits, hopefully after reading my descriptions and sources you will have a better understanding of what each Nation consists of. Keep in mind some families in the Loa are mixed, so one could be two of the Nations, please enjoy and feel free to add in informative information about the Lwa Nations.

The Five Nations

Rada - The benevolent Lwa's of Wind, they are generally helpful to us, Rada are guardians of morals and principles and are associated with the element of air, their origin's can be traced back to Dahomean Vodou. Legba, Loko, Ayizan, Damballa Wedo and Ayida Wedo, Erzulie Freda (Both Rada and Petro), La Sirne, and Agw are some of the Rada.

Petro - The Haitian fire spirits are much more temperamental and aggressive than the Rada. Petro or the "demon spirit's" were made under the harsh condition's of slavery. These are the Lwa to call when you seek revenge and want to conjure up something extra special. Erzulie Dantor is the "mother" of the Petro nation and is one of the most important Petro lwa. Petro Lwa's include Erzulie Dantor, Marinette, Ogun, and Kalfu (Carrefour).

Congo - The African water spirits hail from the Congo region of Africa and are also found in parts of Northern Haiti. Most of these Loa i have learned to be quite disturbing but extremely protective of their people. Like Marinette is said to be feared but free's her people from bondage, and then you have Congo Savanne who grinds people up like corn for snacks.

Nada - These contain most of the Ogun Lwa, those who walk the path of Nada were unmovable and never wavering, they stood up for what they believed in and walk in death with the Ogun Lwa some of them being Ossange, Brize, Ogou Badagris, Ogou Demannier and so many more.

Guede - Spirits of the dead and fertility make up the Guede, they are ruled by the Barons (La Croix, Samedi, Cimitire, Krimine) & Manman Brigit who is the wife of Baron Samedi. These spirits are the life of the party but they tend to get carried away, after all they do enjoy their humor and rum. Other Barons like Baron Kriminel or the Baron of Criminals was the first murderer, and so he is in charge of murderer's and when called upon he will send his horses to exact revenge on the person who did wrong.

Sources

https://web.archive.org/web/20060720164803/http://www.manigua.org/resources/orishas/legba_ghede.html

https://kiwimojo.com/home/haitian-vodou/the-lwa/the-nago-lwa/

https://thesevenworlds.wordpress.com/2013/10/30/rada-petro-and-ghede-loa/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petro_loa

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congo_(loa)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marinette_(Vodou)

http://www.metaphysicspirit.com/books/The%20Voodoo%20Hoodoo%20Spellbook.pdf - Denise Alvarado