Santeria – The saint of good health, St Lazarus

In the Santeria religion in Cuba, St Lazarus is widely worshiped, and he is one of the most worshiped saints in the religion.

St Lazarus appears as a fragile old man with a ragged appearance who may resemble a beggar.  He is covered in cuts and other wounds, walking with crutches, dressed in rags and clothes made from sackcloth, and followed by dogs.  His day of the week is Wednesday, and his day of the year is the 17^th of December, and many people make him a ceremony and give him offerings on this day.

St Lazarus is highly worshiped because he is believes to be a spirit who controls everyone’s health.  Devotees praise him and give him offerings with the belief that he will grant them good health, cure them of their current health problems, avoid any future medical complications, and curse their enemies by giving them ill health.

People can worship St Lazarus for various reasons such as, to ask him to bless them with good health, to undergo a religious initiation in order to overcome big health problems, or to become a santero (a spiritual priest) and consult and heal other people.  There may be slight differences to how people worship St Lazarus, but the objectives tend to be pretty much the same.   

Those who make a promise to St Lazarus may do things such as, promise him an offering, grow their hair for a prolonged length of time, or dress in clothes made from sackcloth.

Offerings for this saint include things such as a sacrificial meal such as a male chicken or goat, aguardiente rum, dry wine, coconut cakes, cigars, toasted corn, dark and sweet coffee, water, sugar water, and other sweets and treats.  It’s also good to light white candles and ring a small bell when you are going to say catholic prayers and spiritual prayers dedicated for St Lazarus.  All of these things are supposed to call the saint so that he will listen to you talking to him, and it will also give strength to him, and appease him so that it can then have the power and the will to help its you accomplish your goals.

People who seek the help of St Lazarus may have a statue of the saint which has been blessed, which they may dress with a purple or brown cloak, a Santeria leleke (bead necklace) which would be white with blue stripes.  A little container or plate may also be put beside the statue so that spare change may be placed into it in order for the saint to give people good luck and money, or it can also be used as a way of saving up money for food and rum for the saint.  People may also buy and prepare a bead necklace or bracelet which they will put on in order to have health and protection.

St Lazarus is a vary important saint because he blesses you with health, and as people say in Santeria in Cuba "When you pray and ask god or the saints for anything, always ask for good health before anything else, because with good health you can have the power to achieve anything that you want, but with bad health you can't do much." and I personally think that this statement is true because there is no point of having everything in the world, but being ill and unable to use any of it.  What do you think?

Mossi Dolls - An African Fertility Fetish

Many Mossi women and children carry dolls throughout a big portion of their early life.  These dolls are made from wood and they are carved to show hair, faces, and patterns which symbolise a rite of passage into adulthood.  These dolls are given to young girls, and they are treated like small babies, being given food, carried around, washed, and tended to as if they were a real baby.  These dolls are given to girls so that they can practice taking care of a baby, for when they eventually grow up and have their own.  The doll is also used as a way to help its owner with fertility so that they can have many children throughout their life. The doll is also believed to be a way to communicate with ancestors and spirits whom may be called upon by a woman who is married but unsuccessful in having a baby, so that she can be blessed with fertility.  While a woman is unable to successfully have a baby, she may also use the doll as a substitute for a child, so that it may grant her fertility.

Mossi Dolls stay with their owner into adulthood, and it is believed that the better that the doll is looked after, the better that the woman should be at looking after her babies when they are born.  If the doll is looked after properly, when a woman has a child, the doll is supposed to make sure that the newborn baby and it’s soul are properly bound together. The mother first feeds the doll by dropping some of her breast milk onto it, before feeding her baby for the first time.  The doll can then be passed down to a younger female family member, and she will then take up the responsibility of looking after the doll.

The Dark Side Of Kuman Thong Spirit Vessel for Good Luck and Wealth

In Thailand, there is a belief that there are effigies which grant their owner luck and wealth, known as Kuman Thong, which translates into “golden child”.  They are similar to the effigies for the boy spirit Elegua in the Santeria religion in Cuba.  The charm describes the spirit of a young child or baby and they are usually made of wood, and sometimes they may even be made partly of gold.  The boy spirit is also a big responsibility to take care of.  The effigies are given a home on their owner’s shines,  and they require to be looked after well, given food, treats, and drink daily, and they are worshiped and prayed to so that they may grant the owner luck and wealth.  If the owner neglects this responsibility that they have taken up, then it’s believed that the spirit boy can become enraged and cause misfortune.  This practice has been around since the 18^th century and it was told in a Thai fairy-tale called Khun Chang Khun Phaen, and the main character gains a powerful spirit by removing the stillborn foetus of his son from his wife.

Like many good things, there is a darker and more eerie side to the Kuma Thong, and it doesn't involve any malicious curses or ghost stories, or poltergeists in which the owner of the charm is harmed, like you would expect.  In the past, the original Kuma Thongs were required to be made with a dead fetus, which were often surgically removed from the wombs of their mothers.  The dead fetus would be transported to a cemetery where a sequence of dark incantations were chanted as the fetus is being dry roasted above a fire so that the spirit can be bound to it. The name "Golden Boy" doesn’t sound too appropriate now right?  Illegal practitioners of this are also known to bless their fetuses by covering them in fat from human babies or Nam-man, which is gathered by placing a candle under the chin of the corpse of a pregnant woman then collecting the oil which comes out of her skin.  

A recent arrest was made in 2012, of a 28 year old man who was smuggling 7 roasted fetuses in order to sell them on the black market for £24,000.  In 2010, the temple Wat Phai Ngoen situated in Bangkok, was found to have collected almost 350 aborted fetuses which it had collected from an illegal abortion clinic and was helping to dispose of them, although it’s believed that some were sold off to black magic practitioners too.  Incidents like these show that despite the practices being illegal, there are still those deeply dedicated to the occult that are still willing to buy these burnt fetuses.

Do any of you have any good luck charms?  If so, do you have any which you think other people would consider strange?