Vodou Culture 101: Sacred and Profane

Vodou is a religion in which each thing contains its opposite, because every thing contains every damn thing in some measure.

A priest is a walking demonstration of how vodou handles the sacred and the profane: we have dedicated ourselves to the service of the divine, literally our bodies in addition to our consciousness, spirits, souls, our possessions, and all our efforts. To be a priest is to embody the spirits, to be a place where the spirits cross from the invisible to the visible world for people. Becoming a priest often severs previous friendships, associations, and relationships, if for no other reason than because you aren’t available anymore for the same sorts of things.

To be a priest is to be elbow deep in someone’s trauma, listening to their stories and seeing what has happened to them. To be swung on, screamed at, vomited on, peed on, blamed for everything in someone’s life, and to suffer with your body whatever conditions are necessary for someone’s healing. Staying awake long hours, eating every few days, embodying the person who harmed them so that they can practice saying how they actually feel.

Vodou does not draw the distinction that the body is evil nor anything from the body bad, but it can be a bit sticky and smelly to be a priest, in addition to experiencing the stream of anguished negativity and blame from people who you are helping many long and sleepless hours.

A priest is sacred, set aside for the divine, even when knocked head over ass by someone who is actually angry at their parents for a painful childhood. A priest is sacred even when doing things that can be interpreted as profane—drinking, smoking, in the bedroom or bathroom, they are no less dedicated to the divine. The divine is just as embodied in every place, just as much a part of a barroom fight as it is a part of any healing ceremony.

A thing to remember, when dealing with vodou priests: we don’t see the sacred and profane as exclusive. It’s why you will find us anywhere and everywhere the spirits call us. That everywhere includes tipsy at a sports bar at noon, grinding on someone at a concert, holding someone’s baby, or attending Catholic mass. The most profane space contains the divine, and the most sacred space contains something profane.

A priest is sacred everywhere they go. A priest is profane everywhere they go.