Grace visits seven nations during her voyage Anbadlo. Each nation has a gate keeper, represented in painting, by a patron saint, a flag and a vodou design called vèvè. The seven gate keepers are Ayizan, Legba, Marasa, Labalenn, Lasirenn, Baron and Agwe.

AYIZAN Velekete

"Ayizan is a root Lwa, she rules the fringed palm frond that traditionally covers the new initiates' faces as they emerge from the Couché into the Lever ceremony. She is the Lwa that purifies the initiate."

[Glassman 2000:55]

• She is the wife and feminine counterpart of Loko, and patron of the marketplace and public spaces. Yoruba tradition refers to the earth plane as 'the Market.' Ayizan brings the Mysteries to the human domain.

• "In Vodoun the priest serves the loa in order to serve man. It is upon the priest that man depends for the means of controlling these cosmic forces, of correcting their errors and failures. Loco and Ayizan, accordingly, are the major healers of the pantheon. Ayizan protects against malevolent magic, and is the psychic security which is power and health." [Deren 1953:148]

• "Just like this old Divinity of the Dahomeans, Her name comes from the Fon people of Benin for whom 'Ayi' means the earth, or the land.
• "In that same language, 'zan' means sacred, Ayizan meaning then 'The sacred Earth or the sacred Land, Mother Earth or the Generous Provider.'
• "This name is in a way doubled because Velekete is an expression utilized by the Mina people of Benin for whom 'Vele', like the Ayi of the Fon, means the Land, and 'Kete' signifies sacred.
• "Furthermore, 'Kete' or 'Kèt!' in Creole always carries with it a very high intensity of admiration." [Beauvoir]

Legba is probably the best known Lwa of the Vodou pantheon. Addressed as Vye Legba (Old Legba), Legba Atibon and Papa Legba, he is the beloved opener of the way between this world, and the world of the Lwa.

One of his many praise names is Kat Chemen, meaning crossroadS. It is one of the mysteries of Vodou, that the road we walk toward Ginen is also the Lwa who opens the way. Legba is also referred in song as the Poteau Mitan, the very axis by which the Lwa enter the peristyle. He is simply the spine that supports the world of the Vodoun, and as such, is exemplified as the pole, the post, the center axis, the poteau mitan of the world. His cane is but one of his many symbols, hiding within it's humble appearance, his real place in the Divine order of the Lwa. He is the bridge that the Vodun use to transverse into this realm.

• Legba as Houngan Max Beauvoir puts it, is the Divinity that represents Humility and Communication. Humility is the one way of seeing a person's virtue or attitude. When you are humble, you are open to the views of others. And, when you are open, then you can communicate with others. These two things are elevated to the status of deity in Vodou through the auspices of Papa Legba.
• "So humble and benevolent is Papa Legba that he never needs sacrifices of pigs, or bulls or big celebration in his honor. He is happy with a modest cup of coffee, a fistful of grilled or roasted corn or peanuts, some tobacco that he smokes in a simple little bamboo and corncob pipe. He goes about the "great road of Life", that is why he is also called "Mèt Gran Chemen" or the Master of the great Road. He stops here and there at the entrances of every Hounfo, to share his thoughtful advice with Hougans and Manbos." (Beauvoir, 1994)

Legba is the first lwa named in the Vodou ceremonial order. He is the lwa who opens the doorway between the spiritual and material worlds, and allows communication between human beings and the lwa. Papa Legba is usually envisioned as an old, old man, so old that he is bent over. Sometimes he is said to have a broken leg. He is also called "Legba Do Miwa", Legba on the Back of the Mirror, and the mirror symbology is important with Legba. Legba carries a stick, and a straw bag called a djakout. Sometimes people say he is accompanied by a dog. For this reason he is identified with Key 0, The Fool, in the Tarot.

The Marasa, or Sacred Twins, are often depicted as three rather than two because twins represent abundant life, and triplets signal surpassing abundance. Broadly, the Marasa represent all those born in special circumstance:

• e.g. multiple or breach birth children,

• those with extra fingers or toes,

• or those born with a membrane (caul) over their head. Even more generally, they stand for the sacredness of all children.

Every 'nation' of divinities has its Marasa. They are invoked along with Papa Legba at the start of each Vodou ceremony. In addition they are linked with the lwa Gede, who has special concerns for children. They are most commonly syncretized with twin saints Cosmos and Damian, and with the Virtues, called 'The Three Egyptians.

"La Balenn is connected to Mammy Water, whose shrines are found throughout West Africa. Some suggest that the mermaid persona, also common for Mammy Water, was derived from the carved figures on the bows of the ships of European traders and slavers. Thus the Vodou lwa Labalenn may have roots that connect, like nerves, to the deepest and most painful parts of the loss of homeland and the trauma of slavery. It is therefore fitting that she also reconnects people to Africa and its wisdom. In many stories, people are captured and pulled under the water, down to Ginen.

"The stories have a common pattern. A person, usually a woman, disappears for a time -- three days, three months, three years. When she returns, she is a changed person. Her skin has become fairer, her hair longer and straighter. Most important, she has gained sacred knowledge. Immediately after her return, she is disoriented, does not talk, and does not remember what happened to her. But gradually a story emerges, a story of living for a time 'below the water,' where the spirits instructed her in the arts of diagnosis and healing." [Brown 1991:223-224]

St. Martha

'Mistress' Lasiren is a mermaid. She brings luck and money from the ocean's depths where she makes her own unearthly music. Lasiren is a seductress like Ezili Freda and fierce like Ezili Danto. Many call her Ezili of the Waters. She may lure those who offend her, but richly rewards those who serve her well. Servitors keep her altar supplied with comb, mirror, conch shell, and bugle. She is often discerned in the image of Our Lady of Charity (Caridad del Cobre). Lasiren is the consort of Agwe; a popular song also links her to the whale, Labalenn.

St. Martha
"Jesus loved Martha and Mary and Lazarus." This unique statement in John's gospel tells us of the special relationship Jesus had with Martha, her sister, and her brother.

Apparently Jesus was a frequent guest at Martha's home in Bethany, a small village two miles from Jerusalem. We read of three visits in Luke 10:38-42, John 11:1-53, and John 12:1-9.

Many of us find it easy to identify with Martha in the story Luke tells. Martha welcomes Jesus and his disciples into her home and immediately goes to work to serve them. Hospitality is paramount in the Middle East and Martha believed in its importance. Imagine her frustration when her sister Mary ignores the rule of hospitality and Martha's work in order to sit and listen to Jesus. Instead of speaking to her sister, she asks Jesus to intervene. Jesus' response is not unkind, which gives us an idea of his affection for her. He observes that Martha is worried about many things that distract her from really being present to him. He reminds her that there is only one thing that is truly important -- listening to him. And that is what Mary has done. In Martha we see ourselves -- worried and distracted by all we have to do in the world and forgetting to spend time with Jesus. It is, however, comforting to note that Jesus loved her just the same.

The next visit shows how well Martha learned this lesson. She is grieving the death of her brother with a house full of mourners when she hears that Jesus has just come to the area. She gets up immediately and leaves the guests, leaves her mourning, and goes to meet him.

Her conversation with Jesus shows her faith and courage. In this dialogue she states clearly without doubt that she believes in Jesus' power, in the resurrection, and most of all that Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus tells her that he is the resurrection and the life and then goes on to raise her brother from the dead. Our final picture of Martha in Scripture is the one that sums up who she was. Jesus has returned to Bethany some time later to share a meal with his good friends. In this home were three extraordinary people. We hear how brother Lazarus caused a stir when was brought back to life. We hear how Mary causes a commotion at dinner by annointing Jesus with expensive perfume. But all we hear about Martha is the simple statement: "Martha served." She isn't in the spotlight, she doesn't do showy things, she doesn't receive spectacular miracles. She simply serves Jesus.

We know nothing more about Martha and what happened to her later. According to a totally untrustworthy legend Martha accompanied Mary to evangelize France after Pentecost.

But wouldn't it be wonderful if the most important thing that could be said about us is "They served"?

Martha is the patron saint of servants and cooks.

The grave of the first man buried in any cemetery in Haiti, whether the person in life participated in the Vodou religion or not, is dedicated to Baron (not Ghede), and a ceremonial cross is erected on the spot. In family compounds in the countryside, a family may erect a cross to Baron for their own lineage, and no peristyle is complete without the cross of Baron somewhere on the grounds.

Gede names a family of raucous spirits who personify the ancestral dead and sexual regeneration. Their boss is Baron (Bawon Samdi, or 'Baron Saturday'), married to Grand Brigitte, mother of the Gedes. Family members dress themselves in black and purple costumes reminiscent of Masonic garb, and surround themselves with graveyard imagery. They also favor sunglasses because the world above ground is too bright. Gede is a shameless trickster, a wise counselor, and a benevolent healer known to have special love for children. Devotions to Gede are carried out on Fridays and/or Mondays, and during the entire month of November, especially the Days of the Dead-All Saints (the 1st) and All Souls (the 2nd).
Baron may be invoked at any time, and he can appear without being called, so powerful is he. He drinks rum in which twenty-one hot peppers have been steeped, and which no mere mortal could swallow! His ceremonial foods are black coffee, grilled peanuts, and bread. He dances the remarkably improvisational banda with great skill, and sometimes puts his walking stick between his legs to represent a phallus. Baron is a very masculine lwa.
The head of the family of ancestral lwa is Baron. He is Master of the Cemetery and guardian of ancestral knowledge. He has many aspects, including Baron Samedi, Baron Cemetiere, Baron la Croix, and Baron Criminel. In all of his aspects, he is a masculine lwa with a nasal voice who carries a walking stick or baton, uses profanity liberally, and dresses in black or purple. He is considered the last resort against death caused by magic, because even if a magical spell should bring a person to the point of death, if Baron refuses to "dig the grave", the person will not die.
Baron, with his wife Maman Brigitte, is also responsible for reclaiming the souls of the dead and transforming them into lwa Ghede. Baron may be invoked for cases of infertility, and he is the divine judge to which people may bring their appeals

Agwe Tawayo is the king of the oceans and seas. When he manifests in possession, the horse invariably paddles around the peristil, greeting and calling out maritime orders to those in the area! Agwe is one of Ezili Freda's husbands, and along with LaSiren, LaBalenn and other water lwa, represents the great intuitive powers and deep knowledge of the ocean. Like all water deities, Agwe symbolizes the intuitive knowledge held within, the deep connection to eternal movements and powerful forces. Children of Agwe are often water people - sailors, swimmers, water signs of the Zodiac. Agwe moves with infinite grace and power. His domain is the deep, the under currents of the oceans where he moves around comfortably in his boat, the Immamou.

• Agwe is syncretized with St. Ulrich; offer Agwe sea water, shells, sponges, stones, shells (things from the floor of the ocean); a barque (a flat raft with an edge) laden with foods and drink, or a boat, painted blue and white, with the name "IMMAMOU" painted on the side of it. In peristils, it often hangs from the rafters to symbolize Agwe's world as being "beneath the sea".