#kouzen

[revpapaj]

How Cool Is This.

I seen this pic from a priest who found and bought it on Facebook Marketplace, pretty cool right.

We all know who this is. Legba...

☝️When I posted and wrote this I thought it was Legba it looked like a cane he was holding couldn't tell but turns out to be Kouzen.

[rockofeye]

Upcoming Offerings

A few things to close out May:

Let's finish out May STRONG and tend to our needs with a lamp with Kouzen. We'll aim to strengthen our connections to satisfaction and our needs for renewal, reconnection, and rootedness. Kouzen speaks to work and prosperity, but also to our inherent sense of knowing and belonging. How are we putting our hands into community? What is our work and how do we thrive? What do we need to move from survival mode to rested, refreshed, and prepared for the work ahead?

Participation is $57; which covers your participation and petitions/asks of Kouzen, offerings, and charity done in your name after. Participants receive confirmation of the work completed. Deadline for participation is 12PM EST Saturday, May 25.

Initiation and the authentic and appropriate processes of such are a H-O-T topic this week. Let's talk about it!

Join me on Sunday, May 26 to talk about the nuts and bolts of initiation as a spiritual process. What goes into initiation? Who might benefit? What are the pieces of initiation, why are they important, and who participates? What are some things to look out for when considering a spiritual home? While focusing mainly on the processes within Haitian Vodou, we'll also look at initiation processes in other spiritual practices and leave time for questions and discussion.

This is not a forum where any privileged information will be shared, nor is it a forum to ask for verification of authenticity. Likewise, this is not a first step in any initiation process. While this class is aimed at folks who are not initiated into Haitian Vodou and/or may have limited access to the religion, all are welcome.

Participation is $57; class will be live on Zoom and recorded for posterity.

Payment is accepted via CashApp and Venmo; inbox for details/sign up or email [email protected]

📸: Zetwal Ashade Bo Manbo & Alex Batagi

[heartmindalignedspirit]

@aligned.supply is my offering to my spirits and my community. 🌿🧼💎

💚Mèsi lwa yo! Alaso Kouzen e lespri nachon Djouba e Rit Matinik!💙

[haitianartlover]

Andre Pierre, Kouzen

[rockofeye]

Bon fèt Kouzen!

I couldn't let Kouzen's fet go by without giving him something. It's been awhile since I've cooked for him and the reminder not that long ago that this is the weekend to do that was not lost.

So, Kouzen and his family got to eat:

Tchaka is one of Kouzen's most favorite foods, and so I made that for sure. It's a really thick and hearty stew with a couple types of beans, broken dried corn, vegetables, and beef. I also found goat at the market, so Kouzen got bouyon kabrit, too, which is a soup with more broth and dumplings called doumbrey/donbrey or boy.

The breadfruit I found got made into tomtom, which is pounded breadfruit and is essentially the Haitian version of African fufu, or pounded yam or sometimes cassava, and is eaten similarly. He also got yon ti lam bouyi, or a little boiled breadfruit made with the extra leftover from the tomtom.

And...I made tablet pistach, which is a Haitian-style peanut brittle with ginger, star anise, cinnamon, and nutmeg. I saw some pre-made at the store, but it was all crumbly and how hard could it really be? Certainly not harder than pounding breadfruit.

I prayed for continued blessings in all the areas Kouzen works for me, and for him to continue to accompany me wherever I go. Kouzen often gets overlooked or underestimated because he sometimes comes quietly and always comes plainly and without pretense. I can't overlook him and what he's done for me, so I'm happy to feed him!

Alaso Kouzen gwo neg m! Alaso Minis! Alaso Kouzin, epi tout fanmi Kouzen ak nasyon Djouba!!

[rockofeye]

Out of the depths.

It is somehow appropriate that a re-emergence and re-alignment comes with the beginning of the month of May. May is a big month for vodouizan; we celebrate Kouzen and all his family this month and, for people from Jacmel, it is a month devoted to celebrating Jacmel's heritage, which is tied closely to Kouzen. It is said Jacmel is where Kouzen was from before he went to more rural areas; it's not a coincidence that fet Jacmel and fet St Jacques e St Philippe (the patrons of Jacmel) are celebrated on the same days as fet Kouzen (May 1 and May 2).

I've been thinking about Kouzen a lot lately. It's been a difficult year in a lot of ways, but not a bad year. COVID has really permanently changed how things in my professional field work, and with the help of Kouzen and a few of my other lwa, I managed to leverage that into a position using all my professional strengths with the org that has been my target for employment for years. Landing that has not only been life-changing and future-solidifying, but really reinforces that I know what I know and that I am an expert at what I do.

That's a lesson that comes from Kouzen, and it's one that I struggle to learn and remember in my life. Kouzen shows me balance: he is the expert worker in his field (literal and figurative), but you might never know that from how he does his work. Underestimate him and you'll find out, but how he carries himself keeps his mastery of work and growth and agriculture from being the first thing that you see.

I'm pretty okay with that part, but that's the part I get tripped up about. I don't find anything fulfilling professionally or personally about illustrating what I know,, but there is a difference between going about your business and actively hiding from those moments where you can insert who you are and what you know.

I'm a hider. It might sound kind of funny coming from someone who has been writing a blog in the internet for close to a decade, but it's true: I am actually pretty shy and private and being the center of attention--professional or personal--is kind of horrifying to me. I've reached the point in my life where I don't feel I have a lot to prove because I know what I know, but in many ways that's just not possible for me. I don't work in a field where I can just close my office door and have it all be fine, and the lwa have made clear time after time that I cannot just ride off into Ginen with them and live a private life.

This has something that is always a struggle for me because I am introverted and like my alone space and time. It comes back to the good ol' lessons the lwa want me to learn over and over: balance and vulnerability. Sometimes it goes well, sometimes I react like a cat thrown into a bathtub full of water. The lwa win some, I lose some.

I had to get my ass in gear with the notions of balance and putting myself out there and being vulnerable in knowing my worth and demanding (politely) that it be recognized when I found myself completely dissatisfied with my job(s). I was working two jobs (houngans and manbos know about that hustle...) and making good money, but I was ready to work one job and free up time for spiritual work and projects.

I took a chance and applied for a job that was juuuuust within my experience. It was definitely bigger than what I was doing and while it was within my experience level, I honestly wasn't perfectly qualified....but you miss 100% of the shots you don't take, so I buffed up the resume, sent it off, and sat with my lwa about it. I told them that if this was where I was supposed to go next, I knew they would clear the way.

I didn't get it.

I made it through two rounds of interviews, but ultimately there was an incumbent with 10 more years of experience than I have, and that's almost always a losing equation. I was okay with it because I still had work and at the end of the day, I don't have to love my job to cash the paychecks.

BUT....the lwa had another plan. The team of interviewers liked me, and so I got headhunted for a position that was very, very in line with my professional experience and goals. I spoke with them several times about it and they made me an offer....and it was so low I almost rejected the offer outright.

I was both angry and scared at the same time; angry because the salary offer was ridiculously offensive based on my career history and scared because I have never been in a position to turn down a job offer or, honestly, negotiate.

This time was the first time in my life that I was planning to leave a job because I wanted to. I grew up in a upper working class home and as an adult have spent too much time jobless and underemployed to discount steady work and a regular paycheck. It was scary as hell to be staring down the possibility of kicking the steady paycheck to the side in favor of taking a step into the unknown.

When I got the offer letter, I sat down with the lwa and literally cried because I was so burned out with my other job that it was affecting my performance, but here I was getting a bullshit offer for a hugely involved job. It felt like a loss if I took it and affirmed that both my experience and what they were asking of me was only worth what they were offering. It felt like a loss if I didn't take it, because those opportunities do not come alone like that very often.

It was such a moment of unique despair. Like, I was not hurt or anything tragic but that feeling like I was painted into a corner and that the choices in front of me would leave me at a loss was HUGE and real. For me, when I feel like that it's hard for me to turn on the part if my brain that's analytical. I just need to sit in my misery for a minute (or more) until I get it together enough to figure out what to do.

That is where the blessing of Kouzen (and really all the lwa) came in. He told me to go back to the table, creat another option, and ask for my worth. Like, not swing my proverbial dick and be an asshole, but go be vulnerable and say that the offer was disappointing and that I expected more. So weird because it makes so much sense, right? And yet there I was totally sold that I was either going to be worked like a mule for less money than I was making already, or I was going to remain in The Bad Place until something else came along.

So I did. Even if I felt pessimistic about it (I did) and thought they would say no (convinced of it), I did what I was told because at the end of the day I agreed to sèvis lwa because I believe in the vision the lwa have for me. Some days I say that through gritted teeth, but that's my guiding principle and they have never let me down.

I sent in my counteroffer and waited for the 'we're sorry, but..' email. It was fucking scary. My agency is a behemoth in my field and has been around forever, so pushing back felt a little bit like David versus Goliath, and I didn't have the benefit of a sling and a rock.

It took two days but they got their offer almost to what I asked for, so I took it and it was a huge relief. I am sure that somewhere in the background Kouzen maybe did a quiet fist pump of 'Alex learned a thing' before going back to his work.

In all seriousness, that's a lesson I have struggled so hard with and it was a moment where I had to put it all into practice and rely on what the lwa have taught me as being an ultimate truth. Knowing my worth is not enough; I have to be able to communicate that in a way that both opens doors and doesn't get me used as a doormat. Not doing that seems like it would be almost offensive to Kouzen because, at least in this case, it would be essentially leaving money on the table and wasting it. My Kouzen is very rational about money, but the idea of not trying to set up my financial future makes his eyes bug out and would probably result in Having To Have A Conversation, which I avoid at all costs. Nothing like the lwa reminding you not to fuck up your own blessings.

Getting settled into this particular blessing has been what has been occupying my time the most these days. I came back from Haiti and went right into this job. I have finally clawed my way into administration and, in a very Kouzen twist, am responsible for managing several million dollars worth of grants and spending them both quickly and wisely. I work closely with the person in the position I originally interviewed for and am really happy I didn't get that job, as I am able much better fit where I am.

What else? In late January, I turned in a final draft of a chapter I was tapped to write for a book detailing the experiences of people who are converts to African Traditional and Diasporic religions. I'm excited to see the book when it comes out; I was the only writer on Haitian Vodou, and so it is chock full of other experiences from people from all different places who converted at some point in their life to a huge variety of African and African Descended religions and cultural practices. It's a project that has been in the works for several years, and it was interesting to see personal growth during my involvement in it and while tracking and detailing my journey from a fairly conservative Protestant upbringing to where I am now as a sèvitè lwa.

My living situation has changed up in the middle of this and I am once again at a point in my life where I have a dedicated space for my lwa. Living in one of the most expensive cities in the US has meant roommates and keeping my lwa in a closet in my room (my most recent roommate lovingly referred to them as the Closet People), but the lwa managed to swing it so I have a room dedicated to my spirits.

I have longing for that for so long...it's been years since that was a reality, and now it's finally a thing again. I always have the room for my lwa as my studio space too, since they are a creative force behind a lot of it, and it make my heart so full again to have room to spread out. It's such a gift for me. No more sitting down to pray and having my roommate start to have sex with their partner on the other side of the wall....I cannot tell you how many times that has happened.

Recently I listened to my mother tell some folks how to make tchaka/Kouzen's favorite meal. The regleman/ritual food is one of the most important parts of both ceremony and personal relationships with the lwa, and Kouzen reminded me that it had been quite awhile since I made him tchaka and boy his stomach would feel so much better with some tchaka in it and I already had a lot of the ingredients and wouldn't it be delicious to make some doumbrey for the tchaka too?

...so I went shopping for what I would need for tchaka for my beloved Kouzen because I have clearly neglected his stomach for too long. Living in a city with a huge Haitian population is great because the Haitian grocery store I went to had joumou/Haitian pumpkin, lalo sèk/dried jute leaves, tritri/tiny dried shrimp, djondjon/Haitian black mushrooms, fresh kowosol/soursop(!!!!!), and fresh lam veritab/breadfruit(!!!!!!!!!!).

It is so rare to find fresh kowosol and lam up here in New England because it def doesn't grow here and it doesn't last well when it's shipped....but it looked great today. The kowosol is going to be for me...ji kowosol ak lèt is a favorite, ESPECIALLY with a little Barbancourt poured in...and Kouzen will either get some tomtom or at least boiled lam veritab with his tchaka. Also have the makings of some bonbon siwo, so this husband is gonna eat GOOD. He deserves it.

And then...? Our live-on-Zoom socially distanced fet Kouzen will be sometime late in May. Making our fets available for folks to 'attend' at a distance has been surprisingly cool. I was not thrilled about the idea because of my personal hangups (I hate being on camera) but it's been really wonderful and has been a way for people who can't get to the temple to be able to share energy and get a taste of what a real Haitian fet is like. COVID isn't going away anytime soon, so we'll probably keep doing our fetes this way for awhile.

And...Haitian Summer is coming. I could write another whole post on what's going on down in Haiti, but I am very much looking forward to our kanzo and fet cycle this summer. My very favorite ceremonies are part of kanzo, and I love the opportunity to see the lwa in their home in the temple. I've been so lucky to be able to travel safely to Haiti several times during this mess, and it has fed my soul. It's safer for me and many of my family members now that we are vaccinated, so one less thing to worry about.

With Kouzen's month and the season of spring, I hope for growth in new directions for each of you, complete with all the blessings that Kouzen can bring: fertility and fecundity, inspiration, energy, commitment, rootedness, solid partnerships, and wise investments in self, community, relationships, and business ventures. May the fresh breeze bring you health with every breath and wealth with every exhale.

[rockofeye]

Join us for a virtual Fet Kouzen!

Sosyete Nago will once again be hosting a Zoom event while we celebrate Kouzen and his family. May 22 is the date, and the details will be at the link below....hope you'll join us!

Sosyete Nago's Fet Kouzen Zoom event invite and ticketing info

I personally wasn't super excited about the idea of a livestream happening during our fetes but I am happy to be proven wrong...it's really been nice, and I am kinda enjoying it.

[rockofeye]

Alaso Kouzen!

Today is a big day for vodouizan; it is May 1, which means it is fet Jacmel and fet St. Jacques and St. Philipe (the patrons of Jacmel), but it is also fet Kouzen Azaka Mede. Jacmel is considered Kouzen’s birthplace or hometown, so it’s extra special and important for those vodouizan who have roots in Jacmel.

Andre Pierre, Salutations des Espirits Couzin, 1970s, Port-au-Prince

Kouzen is a special and often overlooked lwa in Haitian Vodou, largely because he is not very glamorous and because he is extremely picky and can be very hard to please (and very easy to displease, with disastrous results). He and his wife Kouzin are associated heavily with agriculture and physical labor, and so they are key to the survival of society in Haiti where primary food sources are farmed food. They represent some of the grounding principles of life in Haiti through farming and through Kouzin’s navigation of the market and her negotiation skills. As a wise brother of mine says, san yo, bouch nou patap konnen manje/without them, our mouth would not know food. 

Often known for being down on his luck (or saying that he is..), Kouzen is very concerned with making sure his money stays with him and that he is not taken advantage of. God help the person that steals from Kouzen, whether it be an actual theft of money, belongings, or food, or only perceived theft. He has no patience and almost no patience for people who deal with him in ways that he feels are not forthright, and he can turn someone’s luck inside out without even trying hard. When he arrives at fets, he most often will ask immediately for his djakout/special style of Haitian bag and will dump everything in it out to make sure everything that was there the last time he examined it remains there, down to the last crumb.

Kouzen is also the embodiment the cultural memory of Haiti. He is often portrayed as someone with no refinement or savoir faire or broader modern intelligence, which is a deep misread of who and what Kouzen is. Instead, Kouzen is the ultimate throwback to traditional Haitian culture where modernity was still something that had not taken deep root, or at least not as deep as Kouzen’s roots go. Farming is still the main method of food production, but Kouzen is the reminder that everything used to lead back to the tilled field and that this is where all life emerges from.

For me, I find Kouzen to be a spirit who is interested in my art and the making thereof. It’s not really too surprising, as Kouzen is all about the fecundity of life and production overall, and so I find him in that spark of inspiration and the drive to create. When I struggle with what comes next, I can look for him to give me that kick in the butt to get moving. He reminds me that if I dig in and get my hands dirty, there is always new life that will spring up. He’s done a lot for me.

Alaso Kouzen Azaka Mede, neg peyi a, neg mòn lan, minis travay. Le nou mache toupre w, nou pa malerè e nou pa malonènt. Neg kay m e neg kè m, w banm kouraj e fòs pou m règle tout zafè m e fe lavi m byen. Le m travay, m konnen wap travay plis pou m. Alaso!