Vodou Culture 401: Healing Work

Magical work for healing is a lot of what I currently do and one of my (admittedly emerging) specialties.

Vodou takes for granted that the process of healing and elevation are highly related, so highly related that healing needs to happen along with elevation. Until enough healing has been done, it will block elevation: you’ll be stuck where something is not healed until you’ve been able to clear the hurt or problem. Unlike the US majority culture, vodou tends to prefer being healed over managing conditions (particularly by using lifelong medications). Much of the healing work of vodou is aimed at completely fixing problems, viewing that as a much better goal than simply living with the symptoms.

Sometimes you will need medication in the short term, to help you have the space to get healing. You will always need to actually do your part of the work, much of which is truly uncomfortable. This is often where people balk, and sadly where healing often trails off. No one can fix everything, but nothing kills healing work faster than someone who would rather be comfortable than heal.

I’m at least as willing to be uncomfortable with you as you will ever have to be uncomfortable in the process. It’s a prerequisite of healing work.

The magical work for healing takes just as many forms as the problems it tries to solve. One of the qualities a priest or magical worker that does healing requires is a tremendous amount of flexibility—whether it’s a lamp or candle, a ritual, a possession, or acting like the person who caused the hurt which you’re trying to heal, the priest or spiritual worker has to be able to inhabit whatever space needed. Magical healing work is a group effort, with the spirits working together with the priest or spiritual worker to diagnose, treat, and correct problems, and the person being healed doing their homework.

Expect, if we are working together on healing, that healing work will take whatever form it has to take. I can promise that form will be messy.

For my part, I will do my best to hold that empty space that can be filled with the form of the work needed for your healing.