Love, what other meaning does life need to exist? Do we need to exist?  It begets our greatest of accomplishments and forgives our deepest shortcomings.  As the oxygen of our spirits it pumps through our divine anatomy, and in the anatomy of the divine it is Erzulie that is the heart.  A heart that breaks for our transgressions towards each other, that hardens in the face of injustice, and quickens when enraged.  As we study the rhythms of the heart we begin to learn the many faces of Erzulie.

Erzulie is the name of the Haitian Vodou love spirit and one of the New Orleans Voodoo love and healing spirits.  And just as there are many kinds of love, there are many manifestations of this Lwa.

Erzulie Freda Dahomey: Tears for Humanity

One of the most popular manifestations of Erzulie is Erzulie Freda Dahomey.  This Lwa is the wife of several Lwa and is Love in its purest form.  So pure is this love for spirit and humanity that Erzulie Freda Dahomey is never seen not crying. She is disappointed in humans for not loving her as much as she loves us.  For not loving each other as she much loves us.  For not loving ourselves as much as she loves us.  It is through the catharsis of Erzulie’s tears we baptize our eyes to see the love within and without of us, and to heal through past emotional trauma.  She is syncretized with Mater Dolorosa and her favorite color is pink and light blue, her favorite number is 7 and she loves champagne and pastries.  One exercise that I do to help heal or just to lift my spirits: Take a rose quartz crystal and lay it on your heart area. Breathe in and out, on the in breaths focus on the love of the divine, your friends and family entering you, and on the out breaths let go of the baggage and traumas of your past as you make more room to love.  Do not hold back any tears, cry if you must, simply because you must, and you are allowed to.  In a clean bowl place your Heart crystal and bathe it with equal parts Florida water and waterfall/river bank water (Both carry the ashe of Erzulie), and 7 drops of carnation (or other healing herb if you have one particularly good for you).  Repeat for seven days or once a week for as you need and leave the crystal at a waterfall or riverbank knowing that you are loved.

Many Manifestations

Among the other Erzulie manifestations are: Erzulie Ge Rouge, the red eyed Erzulie who will not simply cry but fight back with the rage and fury of the wronged lover;  Erzulie Dantor a powerful protective spirit that fights for the ones she loves and will suffer no fools; Erzulie Blanc a peaceful and gentle Erzulie of bliss; and Erzulie Belle Femme the Erzulie of beauty and attraction.  There are as many Erzulie manifestations as there are names for love in each language, and then another for a love we cannot even imagine.

Tehron is a Westchester based slam poet and writer, is a voodoo initiate and rootworker. Practicing magic and tarot for over a decade, Tehron works towards exploring LGBTQ and ethnic themes in the craft.