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Masonic Symbolism in Haitian Vodou

Christopher Michals
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Tony Kail Follow 1 more account

Dec 1, 2019 · 8 min read

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Christopher Michals
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The practices of African traditional religion manifested as a number ofaccount

1 more diverse spiritual
cultures throughout the Caribbean. As Africans were taken as slaves from their
homeland the indigenous healing and spiritual traditions of African religion stepped
into the soil of the island of Hispaniola. The surviving spiritual practices of Africa could
become seen in Haiti and the Dominican Republic in various forms. In Haiti the religion
formed what we know as ‘Vodou’, a term from the Fon people of the region of Dahomey
in West Africa that means ‘spirit’. The religion of Vodou focuses on interaction with
spirits known as ‘Loa’ that rule over nature and humanity. Worship involves various
magico-religious rituals, the creation of sacred shrines and interaction with spirits.

As one looks at the religion of Haitian based Vodou they may see some familiar Masonic
aesthetics. The square and compass, the use of the letter ‘G’ and various Masonic tools
can be spotted among a number of the rituals and shrines of Vodu. As we look deeper
into the culture, we can also see a number of practices and symbols found in
Freemasonry.
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History Christopher Michals

French rule of the island of Hispaniola established the colony of Saint Domingue from
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1659 to 1804 in the area of what we now know as Haiti. Freemasonry was officially
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established in the colony as two lodges were established in 1749. In 1778 a Provincial
Grand Lodge was also established under the direction of the Grand Orient of France.

Slaves were initially prohibited from lodges as they were required to be ‘free born’
however some free people of color were admitted into lodges where many obtained
Masonic wisdom. Some traveled to France and became members of lodges. Freed slaves
from Saint Domingue were recorded as members of the lodge in Bordeaux France. Upon
their return to the island some members would establish lodges based on their
familiarity and membership with the Craft.

Historian Sally McKee noted that “Scottish-Rite Freemasonry linked the colony of Saint
Domingue and Bordeaux. The masonic lodges established in the French Caribbean were
part of a transatlantic network, whose mother lodge was located in Bordeaux.” Stephen
Morin, considered by some as the founder of the Scottish Rite established several
Scottish Lodges in Saint Domingue as did Martinés de Pasqually, the founder of the
esoteric order known as ‘Elus de Cohën’. Pasqually’s order combined angelic operations,
ceremonial magic and Scottish Rite Freemasonry as a path to return man to his state
before the Adamic fall. Morin was a member of the Bordeaux lodge and in Saint
Domingue started a ‘Ecossais’ or ‘Scots Masters’ Lodge in the city of Le Cap Francais.
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The impact of Freemasonry on the Vodou culture could be seen in the life of one of Haiti
and Vodou’s most recognizable historical figures. Francois-Dominique Toussaint
Louverture the leader of the Haitian Revolution was a former slave and believed by some
historians to be a Freemason. However, many base his affiliation with the Craft based
upon his use of a possible Masonic based signature he used when signing documents.
One of the other leaders in the Haitian revolution Jean-Jacques Dessalines who later
became Haiti’s ruler under the 1805 constitution was a well-known Freemason and had
great influence on local Haitian culture. Masonic knowledge would also become
disseminated in the practices of some of Africa’s secret societies that operated in secret
on the island as well.

Reflections of the Craft

Some of the subtle reflections from Freemasonry in Vodou are reflected in the use of
cultural terms like ‘Grand Master’ a term used to describe God or ‘Grand Met Bondye’
the ‘good God’. Masonic practices including the use of passwords, gestures and
handshakes can be seen in rituals and various initiations in the Vodou religion. One
example of this can be seen as the priest known as the ‘Houngan’ greets fellow priests
with a sacred handshake. This is elaborated on when competing priests meet together.
Donald J. Cosentino, professor of English and World Arts and Cultures at UCLA
observed that ‘When competing oungans meet at the beginning of ceremonies, they
greet each other with elaborate Masonic handshakes”.

The pantheon of spirits in the Vodou religion is composed of a number of diverse spirits
known as ‘Loa’. Teachings surrounding the Loa speak of many of the spirits as being
Freemasons. The warrior Loa of iron known as Ogou and the Loa of the crossroads
known as Legba are frequently referred to as Masons. Ogou is depicted and symbolized
by the sword, a military symbol and a tool found in Masonic culture as well. Masonic
symbolism abounds in the imagery of Masonic Loa Baron Samedi. Baron Samedi, Baron
Kriminel and Baron La Kwa are spirts associated with the graveyard. The Baron wears a
familiar top hat much like found in lodge regalia and is often depicted with familiar
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Masonic symbols of coffins, skeletons and various Masonic tools. Some images of the
Barons are depicted wearing Masonic aprons. The Loa Agassu, Linglenso and Agau are
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also viewed as Masonic Loa.
Christopher Michals
Vévé are symbols traditionally used to call forth the Loa. Priests (Houngans) and
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priestesses (Mambos) create sacred diagrams from cornmeal and various powders to
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invoke the energies of specific spirits. The square and compass is reflected in the Vévé of
the Loa Ayizan and Véve of the spirits of the dead known as ‘Ghede’. In Vodou the square
and compass also take on the meaning of symbolizing the male and feminine united
together. One writer has pointed out that the Vévé for the Loa Ayizan Velekete not only
appears very similar to the square and compass with its overlay of the letter ‘a’ and v’ but
has a philosophical component that speaks to Masonic concepts as well. Ayizan Velekete
is the protector of the temple and ritual purity and acts as the defender of morality. In
the Craft the square and compass speaks to ideals of squaring our actions as we reach for
purity and morality (Robinson 2013).
The Masonic patron saint of John the Baptist also takes an important role in Haitian
Vodou. Legendary Vodou priest and scholar Max Beavior claimed that John the Baptist
taught Jesus the secrets of Vodou. His importance is also reflected in a traditional Vodou
song. As St. John’s Day is a celebrated holiday in Masonic culture it is also celebrated in
Haitian Vodou.
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Christopher
Legrace Benson in the work Nou La, We Here: Remembrance and Michals
Power in the Arts of
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Haitian Vodou speaks of how the Masonic ‘All Seeing Eye’ can be seen in some of the
elaborate sequined flags (Drapos) used in Haitian Vodou. Benson claims
1 more the image came
account

from Jesuits and Freemasons that came to Haiti. (One particular Vodou priestess I spoke
to claims that Freemasonry introduced the Kabballah and the use of sigils to Vodou.)
There are some historical accounts that speak of examples of esoteric imagery such as
the tetragrammaton and all seeing eye found in the ritual décor of Vodou temples in
Haiti.

Masonic tradition is believed to have affected the manner in which some Vodou
ceremonies are conducted. Milo Rigaud in his book Secrets of Voodoo states “The older
houngan requests the assistance of two other houngans — the oldest he can find-by
virtue of the esoteric prescription that holds three masons together form a regular
lodge”.

Secret Societies
There are secret societies that exist in Haitian Vodou culture such as the Bizango and
Sanpwèl societies. Masonic references abound in these cultures with the membership in
both societies observing 33 ranks as in Scottish Rite Freemasonry.

Members of these societies utilize a number of forms of coded recognition.

Anthropologist Wade Davis notes that many of the societies such as the Bizango society
utilize a number of signs and signals upon entering and exiting ritual spaces and in
greeting each other. There is an interesting use of symbolic ‘reversal’ in giving and
receiving such signs. Ethnologist Andrew Aptar concludes that “Many reversals play in
Masonic symbols and even handshakes, suggesting an appropriation of European or
Creole signs of power and value through secondary coding.”

Temples
The traditional Vodou temple is known as the Houmfort. The main ritual area where
most ceremonies occur is known as the Peristyle and much like Masonic lodges has
specific pieces of architecture that symbolize various spiritual principles.
Legrace Benson speaks of a Bizango ceremony where the All Seeing Eye of Providence is
painted on the central pole (Poto Mitan) in the temple
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of a Sanpwèl society adorning his temple with photographs of himself in Masonic regalia
as well as various lodge symbols. She also observed the leader wearing a white Masonic
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apron while creating a spiritual bath. Benson also observed wooden coffins used by
many of the secret societies that are placed by sacredChristopher
altars. TheMichals
coffin is a symbol in
Freemasonry used to represent death and resurrection.
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As a Freemason and a student of African studies I am fascinated by the meeting of these
two worlds. I am reminded that both traditions contain elements that are kept as secrets
in order to preserve their wisdom. I am reminded that both traditions have survived
years of persecution and demonization from those who live in fear and ignorance. Lastly,
I am reminded that both traditions have maintained a sacred lineage that has provided
community, guidance and fulfillment for thousands of initiates.

Sources
Avengers of the New World, Laurent Dubois, Belknap Press, 2004

Divine Horsemen: The Living Gods of Haiti, Maya Deren, McPherson, 1983

Face of the Gods: Art and Altars of Africa and the African Americas, Robert F. Thompson,
Museum for African Art, 1993

Freemasonry and Vodou, Journal of the Vodou, 2013

Hegel, Haiti and Universal History, Susan Buck Morss, University of Pittsburgh Press,
2009

Institut de la Maison Impériale ď Haïti, http://www.imperialhaiti.fr/the-haitian-

empire/freemasonry/

Morin’s Book Plate, Josef Wäges, The Plumbline: The Quarterly Bulletin of the Scottish
Rite Research Society, Spring 2017, Volume 24, №1

On African Origin: Creolization and Connaissance in Haitian Vodou, Andrew Aptar,

American Ethnologist, Vol. 29, №2 (May, 2002), pp. 233–260

Sacred Arts of Haitian Vodu, Donald J. Cosentino, University of California Museum, 1995

Secrets of Voodoo, Milo Rigaud, City Lights Publishers, 2001

 The Exile’s Song: Edmond Dédé and the Unfinished Revolutions of the Atlantic World, Sally
McKee, Yale University Press, 2017 Sign in to medium.com with Google

The Plantation Machine: Atlantic Capitalism in French Saint Domingue and British
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Jamaica (The Early Modern Americas), Trevor Burnard, University of Pennsylvania Press,
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2018
Christopher Michals
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Voodoo in Haiti, Alfred Métraux, Pantheon, 1989
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Freemasonry Vodou Voodoo African Religion Masonry

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