Houngan

By Crusader1307

As we have seen with The Mambo (Voodoo Priestess), ''She'' has a Male counterpart known as The Houngan. Unlike The Mambo, Houngan's have a simple but nonetheless hierarchy system. These are Junior and High Priests. Only a High Priest can ''ordain'' either a Junior or conversely, ''promote'' one to High. Like The Mambo, they are selected when very young for perceived ''abilities'' which are noticed. It takes many years of training and familiarization with herbal and spiritual ''magic''. They too undergo a ceremony involving Water, Fire and Seclusion as part of their initiation. Houngan also ''specialize'' in a particular ''linage'' of Deities (Loas). In this way, 3 or 4 Houngans can be brought together to confer with various Ghede (Guides) and related. Some Houngans also specialize in ''White'' and ''Dark'' magic. This is important for the removal of curses or to ''resurrect'' The Dead (Zombie). Some Houngans still adopt the ''face painting'' image of a human skull. This is done so that they can ''accept'' a Loa's Spirit (via physical possession).