collaborative guest post
Sanse (Puerto Rican Vodou) is an amalgam of rootwork and Puerto Rican traditions that also incorporates worship of spiritual deities. These are usually that of The Native American People that lived there prior to European colonizers and enslaved Africans arriving. It has also been referred to as “Umbanda Boricua”. Sanse is a blend of European, African, and Native American traditions.
Origins and Elements
This form of rootwork is considered a branch of Haitian Vodou. Although within Sanse, there is usually a spiritually psychic medium. A medium has the power to communicate with the spiritual realm. It is also believed that all people have some level of this capacity, but in different variations and degrees, but can be cultivated and nurtured. Sanse is also a very nature-based discipline and incorporates the elements air, fire, water, and earth. There are concepts that believe in the natural order of all things as well as decay and how decay creates energy and power. It is understood that we are comprised of the elements of The Universe and that we are creative mud and dust, (or stardust.)
The Practical Side of Sanse
There are many uses for Sanse, but there is a particular mission that many Sancistas is to unravel the mystery of life and its origin. There is a path to healing that accompanies understanding that there is much more beyond this earthly life. Due to wars and the disintegration of information by dictators over thousands of years, a lot of the wisdom and practices that promote enlightenment have been lost. There are solutions in Sanse for just about every problem that many traditional workers such as doctors or psychiatrists may not be able to aid with. There is also an emphasis on service and charity.
It is not about You
People who are a part of Sanse, have to understand that when you are going to a Priestess or spiritual worker of Sanse, you are not the focus of the equation. Sanse believes in ethical behavior and doing what is right, and this may not always be in alignment of what you feel or think. There is a balance in The Universe that is perfectly fine-tuned and any attempts to upset this balance could backfire.
Saints in Sanse include:
Papa Buen Dios
Solier
Ecce Homo / Solier
Centinela / Guaderno
Misterios / Jefes
Las Comisiones Espirituales
Belie Belkan
Cachita Tumbo
La Baronesa del Cementerio
