Santeria, Espiritismo and Vodum

lotusflower · 11-09-2008, 06:24 AM

I have had first hand experiences with Espiritismo, and for my whole life have been searching for the truth in this "religion."
I have seen many great things come from it such as an addict of heroine coming clean, and an unfertile women becoming preganant. Some may view this as a sort of magic but their is so much more to it. It combines catholocism with African religions as well as some Native American.
I was just wondering if anyone else on this forum has ever been to a "Misa" and experienced the great paranormal activity.
I once witnessed a women in her 60's drink an entire bottle of rum, when she had the "spirit" in her to later observe that she was not drunk or diesoriented in anyway. That right their defyed some laws....she had cosumed the alchohol but it had no affect on her. And also I have noticed that a lot of the spirits who "posess" the body are often Native American spirits.

lotusflower · 11-09-2008, 06:42 AM

I was hoping to connect with someone on this topic because it has been a part of my life, my entire life. I can remember being a child going to church on Sundays, yet going to "Misas" of fridays.
For those of you who are not familiar, a Misa is a meeting of like-minded believers to communicate with spirits and recieve help and guidance from them. It usually starts off with a prayer, in a circle holding hands with one another. There are white candles lit, and fresh flowers used for cleansing. Then the spirt enters the medium and begins to walk around the circle blessing each soul and giving advice to each person. You may choose to ask your question aloud of keep it to yourself. Either way your question will be answered. Once a lady who attended a "Misa" with much doubt and skepticism but did it anyways to appease a friend who wanted to help her, She asked aloud, "Why am I not yet married to my fiance, he keeps pushing our date of marraige back..he also seems very distant."
' The spirit responded, "He is with another other then you in the bed." The women rolled her eyes and said "that was an obvious answer." But then the spirit said, The one he is with is another man. This women did not want to believe what the spirit had said to her..she brushed it off, and basically said that the medium was just faking the "possession" and she had made the entire thing up. Later I came to find out that he had in fact left her for another man.

lotusflower · 11-09-2008, 06:49 AM

I apologize..I have given you all anecdotes from my expereinces but have not explained what it is...

ESPIRITISMO BASICS
Spiritualism is a religion that promotes the truth - the true objective of life through recognized experiences. Even more, it reveals what we are, from where we have come, to where we shall go and the cause of our pains and sufferings.

It's basic teachings include:

God is the supreme intelligence and primary cause of all things. God is eternal, immutable, unique, omnipotent, supremely just and good.
The Universe is a creation of God. It encompasses all beings, whether they be rational or irrational, animate or inanimate, material or immaterial.
Beyond the physical world, which is the habitation of incarnate Spirits (Mankind), there exists the spiritual world which is the habitation of discarnate Spirits.
Spirits are the intelligent Beings of creation. They constitute the World of the Spirits, which preexists and survives everything.
All Spirits are created simple and ignorant. They gradually evolve intellectually and morally, so passing from an inferior order to more elevated levels, till they finally reach perfection where they will enjoy constant happiness.
Each human being is the creator of his own fate.
All men are brothers in spirit and origin, yet they remain in different stages of evolution and knowledge in line with the spiritual age of each and every one of them.
Promotion of charity, fraternity and solidarity.
Prayer is an act of adoration towards God. It is contained within Natural Law, being the result of an innate sentiment of Man, just as the idea of the existence of a Creator is also innate in Man.
Prayer helps Man to become better. Those who pray with fervor and confidence find themselves to be stronger against the temptations of evil, and God sends them Good Spirits to assist them. This is help that is never denied to those who ask with true sincerity.
Many Espiritistas communicate with Spirits within a gathering of friends who come together to share their divine intelligence. In some cultures it is called a séance; in Latino cultures these are called misas. These sessions are spiritually enriching - they create an opportunity to pray to spirits - further elevating their energy while celebrating the contributions they have made to attendees' lives. It is also an opportunity to interface with Spirits directly either through trance possession or channeling.

What are your thoughts? Anyone have experience with this?

11-09-2008, 06:24 AM	#1
lotusflower Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 41	Santeria, Espiritismo and Vodum I have had first hand experiences with Espiritismo, and for my whole life have been searching for the truth in this "religion." I have seen many great things come from it such as an addict of heroine coming clean, and an unfertile women becoming preganant. Some may view this as a sort of magic but their is so much more to it. It combines catholocism with African religions as well as some Native American. I was just wondering if anyone else on this forum has ever been to a "Misa" and experienced the great paranormal activity. I once witnessed a women in her 60's drink an entire bottle of rum, when she had the "spirit" in her to later observe that she was not drunk or diesoriented in anyway. That right their defyed some laws....she had cosumed the alchohol but it had no affect on her. And also I have noticed that a lot of the spirits who "posess" the body are often Native American spirits.

11-09-2008, 06:42 AM	#2
lotusflower Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 41	Re: Santeria, Espiritismo and Vodum I was hoping to connect with someone on this topic because it has been a part of my life, my entire life. I can remember being a child going to church on Sundays, yet going to "Misas" of fridays. For those of you who are not familiar, a Misa is a meeting of like-minded believers to communicate with spirits and recieve help and guidance from them. It usually starts off with a prayer, in a circle holding hands with one another. There are white candles lit, and fresh flowers used for cleansing. Then the spirt enters the medium and begins to walk around the circle blessing each soul and giving advice to each person. You may choose to ask your question aloud of keep it to yourself. Either way your question will be answered. Once a lady who attended a "Misa" with much doubt and skepticism but did it anyways to appease a friend who wanted to help her, She asked aloud, "Why am I not yet married to my fiance, he keeps pushing our date of marraige back..he also seems very distant." ' The spirit responded, "He is with another other then you in the bed." The women rolled her eyes and said "that was an obvious answer." But then the spirit said, The one he is with is another man. This women did not want to believe what the spirit had said to her..she brushed it off, and basically said that the medium was just faking the "possession" and she had made the entire thing up. Later I came to find out that he had in fact left her for another man.

11-09-2008, 06:49 AM	#3
lotusflower Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 41	Re: Santeria, Espiritismo and Vodum I apologize..I have given you all anecdotes from my expereinces but have not explained what it is... ESPIRITISMO BASICS Spiritualism is a religion that promotes the truth - the true objective of life through recognized experiences. Even more, it reveals what we are, from where we have come, to where we shall go and the cause of our pains and sufferings. It's basic teachings include: God is the supreme intelligence and primary cause of all things. God is eternal, immutable, unique, omnipotent, supremely just and good. The Universe is a creation of God. It encompasses all beings, whether they be rational or irrational, animate or inanimate, material or immaterial. Beyond the physical world, which is the habitation of incarnate Spirits (Mankind), there exists the spiritual world which is the habitation of discarnate Spirits. Spirits are the intelligent Beings of creation. They constitute the World of the Spirits, which preexists and survives everything. All Spirits are created simple and ignorant. They gradually evolve intellectually and morally, so passing from an inferior order to more elevated levels, till they finally reach perfection where they will enjoy constant happiness. Each human being is the creator of his own fate. All men are brothers in spirit and origin, yet they remain in different stages of evolution and knowledge in line with the spiritual age of each and every one of them. Promotion of charity, fraternity and solidarity. Prayer is an act of adoration towards God. It is contained within Natural Law, being the result of an innate sentiment of Man, just as the idea of the existence of a Creator is also innate in Man. Prayer helps Man to become better. Those who pray with fervor and confidence find themselves to be stronger against the temptations of evil, and God sends them Good Spirits to assist them. This is help that is never denied to those who ask with true sincerity. Many Espiritistas communicate with Spirits within a gathering of friends who come together to share their divine intelligence. In some cultures it is called a séance; in Latino cultures these are called misas. These sessions are spiritually enriching - they create an opportunity to pray to spirits - further elevating their energy while celebrating the contributions they have made to attendees' lives. It is also an opportunity to interface with Spirits directly either through trance possession or channeling. What are your thoughts? Anyone have experience with this?