An aspect of Black History Month is about lifting up forgotten songs - making space for more voices and embracing diverse beats. One rich tradition deserving more airtime is the profound, hypnotic spirituality of Haitian Voodoo. Blending West African beliefs with Catholicism after the Haitian revolution, Voodoo centers around honoring spirits through dance, drums, symbols, and devoted ritual. For ages, these trance-like ceremonies have linked people to wisdom beyond this world by channeling healing energy and guidance into daily life.
Yet despite Voodoo’s meaningful history of unlocking insight through mystical unity, the faith has dealt with untrue ties to evil witchcraft over the years. Leaders used myths about Voodoo’s hypnotic rituals to paint African spirituality as sinister trickery and validate oppression. But devotion only deepened in secret as people maintained their faith through slavery and beyond - embracing sacred beats to navigate immense change.
Today, deeply woven into Haiti's cultural fabric, over half the population still uses mesmerizing Voodoo practices for stability and direction. This February is the ideal time to flip false narratives by bravely swapping stories that breed understanding of traditions once shrouded in mystery. As devotees praise spirits through song and movement, let’s keep reclaiming tales that once slammed these spellbinding rituals.
Tune into Voodoo’s freeing pulse by listening with fresh ears. Attune to new wavelengths with an open mind and heart. Sway to hypnotic rhythms - channel healing energy through writing, art, or dance as devotees have for ages. Construct your own drum beats awakening hushed stories. Use symbols to reveal portals to timely insights.
As we honor Black stories this month by making space for more voices, we may catch truth emerging in the quiet between new measures. May we advance understanding by witnessing with open hearts rather than shrinking from multifaceted faiths enveloped in mystery. Where there is genuine listening, always more to learn. Where there is rapt movement, enduring beauty brought to light.
Let’s celebrate the range of Black stories and traditions this February - we all have sacred rhythms within longing to be freed through creative linkages. And so may it spread.