A large element and deterrent for many in regards to the practice of Voodoo in any form is the idea of sacrifice to the Lwa. Let's look a bit closer to the word "sacrifice".
At it's core, sacrifice means to make sacred. Over time it has come to mean giving up something for the greater good. In Voodoo of any sort a payment is made to the spirits and to western magicians this implies pacts, as in pacts with the devil. The key thing is, even in classical evocation, one is to make offerings to the spirits. The sigils are to be carved into various forms of precious metals by the magician, based on the spirit's rank in the hierarchy. The talisman then becomes a home for the spirit. Similarly with talismans, the item used as a talisman has the spirit invoked into the talisman and resources are used to create the item. Resources that cost the magician in terms of money, time and energy. Similarly in Voodoo one makes food offerings to the spirits and create fetiches for the spirits to indwell. Similarly these offerings involve time, money and energy on the part of the magician working the magick.
Further, much like the Loa, the spirits in Goetia and similar grimoires enter into a symbiotic relationship with the magician. The magician charges the spirit to return "whensoever he may call" and a relationship is created. Because of the western worldview of the spirit world the spirit is seen as something needing redemption and as the magician works his magick and grows spiritually so does the spirit used. In voodoo the spirits function differently. These spirits are not our inferiors, or subordinate to our commands. They aren't bound by the magician. They enter into a reciprocal relationship of offering energy to one another and developing the magician spiritually by assisting the magician in his development, his work with his local community and his family. This helps the spirits reciprocally because it helps spread knowledge of their existence and the wonders they can do to help people lead more spiritual lives.
So why the fear of sacrifice in the Voudon traditions? The loss of food for the community? The food is traditionally consumed after the ceremony though some practitioners will leave the food to rot or give the food to animals. One admirable practice, which interestingly reflects a practice from the Book of Abramelin, is that they then give the food to the poor or homeless to eat. The Loa have blessed this food, imparted aspects of their essence into the food or other objects of the sacrifice, such as money and so, the blessings are passed onto those who eat the food or are given, in the case of Loa requesting money for their offerings, and used by the person receiving the offering. Does this eating of the food after the ceremony remind you of anything? Any Mass one has ever intended includes the consumption of a eucharist. Saying grace, or in the case of Thelemites, Will, before consuming a meal?
Ahh but the primary aspect of Voudon that scares people... possession. As we are raised in a largely Judeo-Christian society the stigma of possession has been great. Demonic possession is a classic Hollywood horror movie, a genre I tend to enjoy but the practice of possession in Voudon is a very different experience. The magician of the Western traditions practices the art of invocation in order to call a divine essence into himself through special rituals, symbols and words, taking on aspects of that divine essence in their movements, speech and mannerisms... Possession in Voudon is calling a divine essence into the magician and they take on the movements, speech and mannerisms of the spirit or Loa being called upon through special rituals, symbols and words.
I think what I am getting at here is that Voudon/Voodoo is not really all that different in the approach to the spirit world, even in the work of the grimoire traditions, than Western Magical practices. I think, in all honesty, that the stigma against Voodoo arises from it being the religion of slaves. Look at the history of Voodoo in the New World it has a similar history to Roman Catholicism in it appropriation of Saints to mask certain Loa in order to disguise the worship of their tribal gods and ancestors just as many of the Saints were actually Pagan deities recast as Christian holy men so that their celebrations could continue without losing power in regions where those deities were prevalent.
Much like Goetia and similar grimoires, the Lwa/Loa each have a different character, depending on not just their rite (Rada, Petro and Mambo) with some being decidedly dark and others being very friendly and safe. So here, in the Voudon traditions, I think, as Kenneth Grant suggests in his Cults of the Shadow, are the roots of the grimoiric tradition and ceremonial practices. Prejudices of the European and slave owners have tarred the reputation of this beautiful and powerful system of magick, casting it as superstition and nonsense. I've even read of Ceremonial Magicians referring to the practices of the Voudonic traditions, including Santeria and Palo Mayombe, as superstitious nonsense when if you really look into the roots of what is practiced in their rites... similar aspersions have been cast down on ceremonial magick.
Something to think about no?
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