Mambo's Musings

This avatar represents explosive creation, sudden change of a magnitude that boggles the mind and choices that reverberated own the halls of time forever. This is the Legba of impulse, fast paced moods and choices. He is said to walk the fiery points of Mars, aggressively and without fear. Legba Petro is quickfire, true mercury in the sense that he can move fast, make quick decision, change his mind, turn around, do it, not do it, change how it’s done, undo it and do it again a different way! Bilolo!

Fiery Legba, the younger, more aggressive avatar, brings about quick and sudden changes in April. This is the avatar of the Haitian Revolution. This was Toussaint L’Overture’s Met Tet. This Legba inspired and gave voice to L’Overture so that he was able to speak to an entire island of people and unit them against the common enemy. This is the Legba who helped Toussaint gather the 21 nations of Africans into a cohesive army capable of defeating Napoleon. And this is the Legba who rode into the Battle of Veritieres in L’Overture’s head, clearing the Big Road for all the freedom fighters to find courage and resolve. So blazingly alarming and seemingly insurmountable were Toussaint’s talents that Napoleon sent an entire battalion of men to capture just him. When Legba Petro speaks, nations listen.

In April, Legba Petro will be speaking loudly and aggressively for change. Revolutionary energy will be at play. This is the kind of energy that can make your life feel out of control. We are coming out of an incredible difficult Mercury Retrograde period. And when things have been stopped or misdirected for so long, it’s only natural that the first action is one of explosive action. It’s like Uriel when I let him off leash outdoors. He goes a little berserk! He runs pell-mell around the yard, up the hill, jumping wildly off the ledges and highpoints and running full tilt boogie for the sheer joy of having no tethers. But I watch him carefully — he’s still a pup and I don’t want him to hurt himself.

You need to be your own constraints at this time. Pay attention to your choices this month – they will come fast and furious, with seemingly little or no warning. You will need to make choices quickly. Those choices will affect your life and your outlook for a long time to come. Be ready to change or be changed.

Set a place for Legba Petro in your home. As this Legba opens the way for the Petro nation, place him before or on your Petro altar. Use spice scented candles (Anise, Cinnamon) red candles or make your own, with cinnamon and star anise scents. Offer him spiced rum, spicy candies, spiced cakes. This is not a HOT Legba — this is still Legba, but the facet of Legba who opens the road for the Petro Lwa to come forth. This Legba smokes cigars, not pipes, so a good cigar is always appreciated. And sing for him – the “Legba Gwetor-a, ki lwa ou ye!” is a perfect song.

And be ready! Petro Legba will be giving you a shove this month, in a direction you will be surprised by!- It might not be the way you thought you’d go, but trust me, it is the way you ought to go!

I stood in front of my so-called closet and sighed. It’s a heap. A jumble. A mess in plain English. Shoes tossed here and there, some things hung up, others tossed to the shelves. I really have to take charge and do something about this mess. Lucky for me, my Papa agreed.

We held our fet for Papa Legba this past Saturday. As always, he did a reading for the year that was a mix of both dread and delight. For this month, he pulled Ogoun Feray, the warrior who is invincible with metals. Ogoun is a restless, energetic energy and his children share this trait. they are the Energizer Bunnies of a temple — cleaning, cooking, washing, setting tables and supporting the mambo everywhere she goes. They positively explode with ideas, interests, desires and motivations. The challenge for Ogouns is to get all this stuff under control and focused. They are the Warriors of the world, wanting to be in charge, wanting to contribute and to be seen as a positive force for change. The challenge is getting the rest of the world to see this. All Ogouns seek acceptance, desiring to serve but be noticed for serving. But remember, that Ogoun is a team player. Ogoun takes his expression of warrior from the military. Soldiers operate as part of a unit (like a platoon or a company), though they stand as individuals within those categories. If you have Ogoun in your escort, or you are an Ogoun, then you would benefit from this strategy by becoming role model or a player/participant within a greater whole. Some examples are paths such as acting, a civil servant, a career counselor, a nurse or a teacher would allow that Ogoun energy to come forth is a in positive manner.

Ogoun can also be morose, brooding, angry or defensive when he’s not seen as a role model for good. There are stories of Ogoun hiding in the woods because he wasn’t appreciated for his gifts of magic and protection. People who carry Ogoun energy can find that same thing happening to them when things don’t go well. It’s okay to feel sorry for yourself on occasion — just so long as you recognize where it came from. But when the pity party goes on too long, then Ogoun’s negative energy is seeping in and you gotta shake it off and get back out into the world.

Feray’s energy this month will lend us all the needed and necessary push to get going. The winter is a tough month – it’s cold, we feel like hibernating. Not with Ogoun Feray you don’t! This is the time to do the internal projects, when its too cold to get outside. Clean out closets, take inventory, do your taxes, set up filing systems, get organized, get streamlined and get busy! You’ll feel better if you get the house in order this month. Pour water for Ogoun and sing. Scrub those floors, wipe down the counters and partake of his great ashe. You’ll feel better and your house will show it too.

We manifest on the outside of ourselves, what we carry on the inside of ourselves. Go take a close look at your bedroom closet and see if a little Ogoun energy won’t go a long way in your life!