Summoning Spirits in Venezuela

CNN photo blog had a recent article about a photographer, Troi Anderson, who traveled to Venezuela and followed the rituals of people summoning the spirit of Maria Lionza. The people that do the rituals also known as, “marialonceros” go to Venezuela’s Sorte Mountain to pay tribute to their venerated saint Maria Lionza.

According to the article, they blend Catholicism, Spiritism and “Afro-indigenous” traditions with colonial ones. Make-shift altars are set up and cleansing rituals are done. Maria Lionza is the supreme goddess of a group of three gods known as, “Tres Potencias” or Three Powers. They are believed to rule over and channel a pantheon of spirits.

People take part in these rituals not knowing the grievous sins that they are committing in the eyes of God. They are going against the very first commandment that was given.

Exodus 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

There’s only one God and he doesn’t have a partner-as in a goddess- as Maria Lionza is thought to be.

Isaiah 44:8 Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.

When the makeshift altars and cleansing rituals are done,

shamans are also set up cutting themselves with glass while undergoing a trance. When people go into a trance, that’s when they get demonic spirits on them and to people that are ignorant of the scriptures, they take things like that lightly and follow the advice of whatever the shaman tells them.

The Lord tells us that if someone doesn’t speak truly according to the bible, we should not listen to them.

Isaiah 8:19-20 And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?

20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

Doing these rituals is also the same as doing witchcraft, as it also a trance-based religion.

The Lord also speaks against this in many places in the bible and told the people not to take part in any of it.

Deuteronomy 18:10-12 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch.

11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.

12 For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee.

This religion and their rituals might seem far fetch for a lot of people here in the U.S. even though it has reportedly spread to Colombia, Panama, Canada and the U.S. Doing things like Voodoo, Santeria, Obeah, playing with wigi boards or dealing with psychics is no different. It’s all wickedness in the eyes of God and we should repent from doing these acts.

Acts 17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

What makes this particular story interesting is the people that are involved with it-descendants of slaves that was brought here to the Americas.

According to Troi Anderson, “You can draw a big circle from the Caribbean to Venezuela. That part of the world is filled with Santeria, Voodoo and other trance-based religions,” Anderson said. “It is kind of crazy how all these syncretic rituals ended up being in this circle. Maria Lionza is very similar.” [source]

Check out our livebinder page below on Santeria and the synopsis in the livebinder will also address the quote by Troi Anderson. Click here to open this binder in a new window.

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    GROSS

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