Vodou is not a belief system that is forced upon you, nor is it given. It is an initiatory tradition. Many of its followers may never become initiates, but some reach higher ranks and become the higher ranks, known as manbo or hougan.
Vodou is a religion. Many of its practitioners, known as Vodouists, Vodouisants or Vodouizan, sèvi lwa (‘serve the lwa‘) – the spirits that play a central role in Vodou. The main structure of Vodou derives from the African traditional religions of West and Central Africa which were brought to Haiti by enslaved Africans between the 16th and 19th centuries. On the island, these African religions mixed with the iconography of European-derived traditions such as Roman Catholicism and Freemasonry. In combining these differing influences, Vodou has often been described as a religion of symbiotic beliefs – one that exhibits diverse cultural influences. Lacking any central institutional authority, Vodou has no single leader. The main belief of Vodou is to be a good individual and serve the Lwa and Bon Dieu (“the Good God”) with the purest of intentions.
Vodou has been characterized as a “sister religion” of Cuban Santería and Brazilian Candomblé.
Some of the most “known” Vodou Lwa include:
| 1. Legba | Key to the spiritual world; communication; removal of blockages |
| 2. Dambalah Wedo: The father of all Lwas. | The sun; paternal figure; mind and clarity; healing |
| 3. Azaka Mede | Agriculture; business |
| 4. Kouzen Zaka (Brother of Azaka) (Peasant) | Agriculture; business dealings and prosperity |
| 5. Ayida Wèdo (female counterpart of Dambalah) | The sun; rainbow; femininity; rebirth |
| 6. Erzilie Dantò | Maternal love; protection for women and children |
| 7. Erzili Freda | Love; perfectionism; idealistic and unrealistic expectations; protection; prosperity |
| 8. Ogou Feray | Political warrior; fighting for a just cause |
| 9. Ogou Badagri | Scholar Lwa speaking prophecies |
| 10. Baron Samedi | Powerful healer, especially connected and sympathetic to terminally ill children. Baron Samedi decides when it is time to die. |
| 11. Guede | Spirits of the ancestors; the crossover and bridge between life and death |
| 12. Kalfou | Balance between the good and the bad |
| 13. Simbi | Water and remedy for supernatural illness |
| 14. Marassa | Fertility; healing |