The Sevis Tet Ceremony

[mambomichele]

The Sevis Tet Ceremony

The debate over the validity of the Sevis Tet ceremony seems to hinge
on two words: introduction and initiation. The Sevis Tet ceremony is
used in some non-asson lineages in Haiti to introduce the candidate
to the spirits and to the Vodou society. It consists of three
components: purification, fortification and baptism. With the
exception of the baptism portion of the ceremony, the Sevis Tet is
similar in nature to the Lave Tet and the Manje Tet combined.

The purification element is accomplished by cleansing the candidates
both physically and spiritually through prayer, meditation,
seclusion, and spiritual baths made from specific herbs. The
fortification element of the ceremony is accomplished through the
feeding of the person and his/her lwa with specially prepared foods
and drinks. The service opens with the Priye Ginea. The candidates
are prayed with and over by members of the society. The candidates
enter the badji and are prepared for their period of seclusion and
rebirth. They will remain in the badji for four nights.

While they are in the badji, the society prays and sings for the
candidates. The lwa come to visit the candidates and, if the
information was not known beforehand, the met tet is identified. If
a person needs additional cleansings, work or other help from the
lwa, these are done at this time or prescribed for a later date.
Each day the candidates are taught a little more about the Vodou
itself and about how to deal with his/her lwa.

From Mambo Marie, we have picked up both the asson lineage and the

non-asson lineage. In our asson lineage, we do not Kanzo an
individual on the point of a single lwa. We also do not perform the
Sevis Tet for someone on the point of a single lwa. It is the custom
of Mambo Marie's mother's lineage, to "give" all of the 21 nations of
lwa. However, we do honor the met tet of the individual(s) and we
ensure that they receive the specific items they need (food, drink,
etc.) in order to be properly served during the Sevis Tet or the
Kanzo as the case may be.

The baptism is the final portion of the Sevis Tet ceremony. The
candidates are baptized under God the Father, God the Son, and God
the Holy Spirit because we serve God above all. The candidates also
are taken to church to pray.

The Sevis Tet is not an initiation in the same sense as is a Kanzo;
however, as the word initiate means to begin (The American Heritage
Dictionary 4th Ed. definition can be found at
http://www.bartleby.com/61/51/I0145100.html) , the Sevis Tet is a
beginning on the road to Ginea just as is the Kanzo. Since the Sevis
Tet is NOT a Kanzo, naturally, those who have participated in the
Sevis Tet are not permitted into the djevo unless and/or until such
time as they do choose to initiate into an asson lineage.

The Sevis Tet ceremony is, in many ways, ideal for those unable to
travel to Haiti for a Kanzo. The time requirements for being away
from home and job are less than for a Kanzo. And, depending on one's
location, the travel expenses can be much less than traveling to
Haiti. The Sevis Tet, like the Lave Tet and the Manje Tet, does
serve to strengthen communication with one's lwa and to enhance
mental clarity.

**************************************************

In February 2003 a Sevis Tet ceremony will be held in New Orleans.
This ceremony is being conducted in conjunction with Mambo Marie
Charles of Mt. Carmel Botanica in New York.


As always, we recommend a consultation with an elder to help
determine if this or any other spiritual service is right for you.
For additional information, please call New Orleans Mistic at (504)
944-5772 or e-mail us at ***@neworleansmistic.com. Also, please
feel free to contact Mambo Marie directly at [phone] or
http://www.mtcarmelbotanica.com.


Warm regards,
Mambo Michele


To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
arealvoodooclub-***@yahoogroups.com



Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

[r***@aol.com]

The Sevis Tet ceremony is used in some
non-asson lineages in Haiti to introduce the candidate to the spirits and to
the Vodou society.

This is a bunch of double-talk. If it's a "non-asson" lineage then
it is no lineage at all! In Vodou, a lineage is established by the
passing of the asson from initiator to initiate. That is the
DEFINITION of a lineage in Vodou.

If there is no asson, it's not Vodou. Now, Mark Alexander
"Aboudja" Moellendorf and Marie Carmel Charles seem to
disagree about to whom they want to attribute this nonsense -
Moellendorf claims that this is "old, largely lost" information
(yuck, yuck), Marie Carmel Charles said to Houngan David
Ritter that it is "Native Indian".

Whatever it is, it's NOT Vodou, and it's certainly not worth
$750 to be given a ceremony no Houngan or Mambo of the
Vodou is going to recognize as authentic.

The Sevis Tet ceremony is, in many ways, ideal for those unable to travel to
Haiti for a Kanzo.

Ah HAH! Is that the idea - give people some mumbo-jumbo
and tell them they can be initiates without going to Haiti and
spending two weeks to have kanzo ceremonies, and pick up
some money on the way? You ought to be ashamed.

Michele, you came to me at the opening of the lave tet ceremony
I conducted on December 14, just a few days ago. You complained
that it was difficult if not impossible for you to work with Mark
Alexander "Aboudja" Moellendorf, you told me that the Mistic
Botanica voodoo-wicca-whatever store isn't really his at all, you
tried your best to suck up to me, you insisted that I had been
misinformed about your true point of view and your objectives.

I didn't believe you then, although I was polite enough to allow
you inside to observe a real lave tet. And I don't believe you now -
it's not surprising that an adulterer like yourself would be
promoting inauthentic ceremonies for a pile of money.

WHY can't you all get it through your heads that if you would just
*give to others that which was given to you*, namely a correct,
authentic initiation consisting of the kanzo ceremony, in Haiti,
over a period of two weeks, OR a lave tet ceremony as it is
meant to be performed, which you would be allowed to offer as
a Mambo, that is if you actually were a Mambo instead of a
woman who couldn't even keep her vows of abstinence
for twenty-four hours - that if you would just *give to others that
which was given to you*, you would all succeed admirably?

Look at me! I have a beautiful peristyle in Haiti, I have a wonderful
society of Haitian and international initiates, I'm not getting filthy
rich but I live well. You could have that too! I told you over and
over while you were having your kanzo - Respect your mother,
respect your father, respect Guinea. Follow the rules. Take time
to learn what you are doing. But NO! Not you band of scammers,
you want to twist and distort the tradition, slam people like me
who DO follow the rules, and you hope to be successful?

You poor things.

For information on the nature of a Vodou initiation ceremony, see:

http://www.RootsWithoutEnd.com/init02.html

And for information on the three grades of initiation, see:

http://members.aol.com/racine125/vleson1.html

For information on the lave tet service, see:

http://www.RootsWithoutEnd.com/lavetet.html

For a page documenting a lave tet service conducted by the
Roots Without End Society at the New Orleans Historic Voodoo
Museum in December 2001, see:

http://www.RootsWithoutEnd.com/nola_lavetet01.html

For a page written by a participant in the lave tet service given
in May 2002, see:

http://www.RootsWithoutEnd.com/nola_lavetet02.html

Peace and love,

Bon Mambo Racine Sans Bout Sa Te La Daginen

"Se bon ki ra" - Good is rare
Haitian Proverb

The VODOU Page - http://members.aol.com/racine125/index.html

------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
DVD Rentals with No Late Fees - Try Netflix for FREE!
http://us.click.yahoo.com/.ZSp6B/dlOFAA/46VHAA/GQ0qlB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->

To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
arealvoodooclub-***@yahoogroups.com



Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

[Kevin Filan]

Post by r***@aol.com
This is a bunch of double-talk. If it's a "non-asson" lineage then
it is no lineage at all! In Vodou, a lineage is established by the
passing of the asson from initiator to initiate. That is the
DEFINITION of a lineage in Vodou.

Actually, the definition of a "lineage" is that which was passed
down by one's elders. There are certainly "lineages" in Vodou which
do not pass down the Asson. Kongo Serviteurs do not use an asson;
neither do Makaya practitioners. Your statement that all
Vodouisants accept the Asson is like saying that all Christians
accept the King James Bible.

Post by r***@aol.com
If there is no asson, it's not Vodou. Now, Mark Alexander
"Aboudja" Moellendorf and Marie Carmel Charles seem to
disagree about to whom they want to attribute this nonsense -
Moellendorf claims that this is "old, largely lost" information
(yuck, yuck), Marie Carmel Charles said to Houngan David
Ritter that it is "Native Indian".

If Mr. Ritter is on this list, perhaps he could clarify exactly what
it is that Mambo Marie Charles said to him. Right now, we're
getting this information thirdhand from a source who has a vested
interest in smearing her competition. (This is not a flame, just a
simple statement of fact: Ms. Geisenhainer has been promoting her
own "Lave Tets" in New Orleans for some time now, as a quick look at
the Google or Yahoo archives will show. It is in her best interests
for potential clients to think the Sevis Tet is fraudulent and that
her services are "authentic").

Post by r***@aol.com
Whatever it is, it's NOT Vodou, and it's certainly not worth
$750 to be given a ceremony no Houngan or Mambo of the
Vodou is going to recognize as authentic.

As I have pointed out to Ms. Geisenhainer repeatedly on other
groups, I can name at least two Mambos who recognize this ceremony:
Mambo Marie Charles, who has over 20 years experience and a solid
reputation among New York Vodouisants, and Mambo Katherine Dunham,
who has a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Chicago, who
has been a Mambo of the Vodou for over 60 years and who wrote about
her Sevis Tet in *Island Possessed* (Chicago, University of Chicago
Press, 1994: originally published in 1969). By the standards of
Aristotelan logic, her claim that "NO Houngan or Mambo [would]
recognize [this service] as authentic" has already been proven
false.

*snip nasty personal gossip and innuendo about Michele from Ms.
Geisenhainer*

Perhaps "Mambo Racine" would be willing to take a break from
mudslinging and provide some documentation as to her own
credentials? She has claimed that she received an asson in 1990 and
again in 1999, from Luc Gedeon and Danise David, respectively.
Perhaps she can provide a witness who can attest to this fact;
Aboudja has already done this, as well as providing contact
information by which an interested party can validate same.

Peace
Kevin Filan


To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
arealvoodooclub-***@yahoogroups.com



Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/