On January 12, 2010 at 4:53 pm, the largest earthquake in the last 200 years with a magnitude of 7 points killed, according to various estimates, from 200 to 300 thousand people in a matter of minutes. The capital of the Republic of Haiti Port-au-Prince and all the villages around were destroyed. The destruction is such that it may take a quarter of a century to restore.

Perhaps it was the most terrible catastrophe caused by the rampage of the underground elements. Of course, there were earthquakes and more powerful. The strongest in the history of instrumental observations were: the Great Chilean earthquake of 1960 (magnitude 9.3 to 9.5 points) and the Great Alaska earthquake (its magnitude was 9.1-9.2 points). In the first case, about 6 thousand people died, in the second, the element claimed 131 lives.

The most severe in terms of the number of victims in the history of mankind was the earthquake of 1556 in (Ansu and Shaanxi (China) - 830,000 people died there. However, the population of China at that time was about 200 million people, and therefore the losses were only about 0.4-0 .5% of the total population of the country.

Republic (Haiti lost about 2.5-3.5% of its population at once. For comparison: during the 4 years of the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet Union lost about 14% of its population, or an average of 3.5% per year. Losses from natural disasters like those of Haiti have not been borne by any state - nowhere and never.

Does this tragedy have a secret background? Who is to blame for the misfortunes that have befallen the island? Will a country called Haiti remain on the world map? Let's try to find answers to these questions.

Magic is blamed.

American religious and political figure, well-known television preacher Pat Robertson 5 years ago already shocked the world community by declaring that the devastating hurricane Katrina was a punishment sent by the Lord to the population of the United States for sins.

And on January 14 of this year, when international rescue teams were just flying up to Haiti, Robertson proclaimed that the catastrophic earthquake in Haiti was the result of a “contract” between the inhabitants of the island and the devil. But the Haitians are on friendly terms with him. It is not for nothing that they have been practicing voodoo from time immemorial - the most terrible religion on Earth.

The founder of the Christian television company CBN, Pat Robertson, blamed the current tragedy on the short-sighted ancestors of the Haitians. Once, during the reign of Napoleon, the islanders were under the heel of the French. To get rid of foreign domination, the inhabitants (of Haiti repeatedly raised uprisings, but the French over and over again cracked down on the recalcitrant aborigines. And then “they gathered and swore to conclude an agreement with the devil, assuring him that they would serve him if he freed them from the French. It's a true story, and the devil said, "Okay, so be it!" Robertson was quoted as saying by CNN.

The Haitians defeated the French colonists in 1804 and declared independence. “You know, the Haitians rebelled and declared themselves free. But since then they have been cursed,” the preacher is sure. Despite the curse, the inhabitants of the island continued to perform their dark rituals and worship the devil. This means that their sins have increased a hundredfold during all this time. The retribution turned out to be cruel - a terrible earthquake that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.

On January 18, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, delivered several theses that the media called "amazing". Speaking about the earthquake in Haiti, the patriarch noted that the reason for the current disasters in Haiti is, among other things, the loss of moral character of the inhabitants of this country.

According to the patriarch, the inhabitants of Haiti could have avoided heavy losses and more easily endured the severe consequences of the devastating earthquake if they had mobilized in time and helped each other.

“Haiti is a country of poverty and crime, hunger, drug addiction, corruption, loss of people’s moral character,” said the patriarch, who was called to be a model of Christian humility and tolerance for his flock, according to the Fergana.ru news agency. and mercy. “Many of these troubles lie, first of all, not in the field of social policy, but stem from the deep state of the human spirit.”

It is enough to say one word - "voodoo", and the darkest memories awaken: fatal curses, dolls pierced with needles, cannibalism, infant sacrifice, zombies rising from the grave. Is it all true?

In fact, the voodoo religion is divided into black and white. White voodoo sorcerers - ungans (men) and mambo (women) - are not so scary. They are engaged in worldly affairs: they treat people and cattle, drive away bad luck, return unfaithful wives and husbands to the bosom of the family, make rain or, conversely, stop it. In short, a jack of all trades.

They do all these things with the help of loa - good and evil spirits that surround people on all sides, only ordinary mortals cannot see them. But magicians not only see them, but also communicate with them during their rituals, the main of which is the holiday of Strength.

So, a long pole is stuck in the center of the dwelling. The hosts - mambo and ungan - consecrate the pole, the altar and those present. Three drummers, clearly beating each of their rhythms, announce the beginning of the ceremony. The sorcerers sing a song addressed to Papa Legba, the intermediary between the loa and the magicians: “Dear Papa Legba, open the gate, let me pass. I want to ask you for help."

Mambo and his assistants draw a magic circle on the ground with water so that evil spirits cannot interfere with the sacrament. As soon as the witch draws a cross, circles and a human heart on the floor with flour, wild dances begin. After the audience warms up, the sorcerer lets in a rooster, whose head is immediately chopped off.

A headless bird rushes among the dancers, and when the last strength leaves it, the rooster is hung upside down and its stomach is cut open with a ritual knife. At the same time, grace descends on people, and they fall into a trance. To a large extent, this is facilitated by abundant rum libations.

All this, despite the good intentions, from the point of view of Christianity is absolutely ungodly, for it is called obsession. In wudu, this state is a practical goal. The Haitians themselves speak of this: “A Catholic goes to church to talk about God; a voodoo player dances in the temple courtyard to become a god."

contract killing

It is quite another matter for black voodoo sorcerers - bokors. They are able to kill any person from the world. In the magical arsenal of bokors are extremely powerful means of influencing people.

One of them is the world-famous voodoo doll. It looks like this: a doll is molded from wax and poked with a needle into the region of the heart, pronouncing a special spell. The unfortunate person whom the doll personifies begins to hurt with terrible force and may even die. He is buried following the appropriate rites. And a few days later, at the behest of the sorcerer, they dig it out. Bokor performs a certain ritual over the deceased, and the deceased comes to life. He cannot speak, does not show any emotions - but he can follow the orders of the sorcerer.

Another way to control the mind of another person is extremely simple: it is enough to moisten the soles of his shoes with a magical liquid - “conquering oil”. And from that moment on, the victim will become obedient to the will of the bokor.

Another sure way to deal with an objectionable person is to write his name on paper thirteen times. Then the sorcerer coats the paper with a layer of special powder and burns it at midnight. From that moment on, the soul and body of the victim become obedient to the will of the bokor.
Bokor sorcerers lead secret societies, worship the devil, and perform their terrible rituals at night and always in the cemetery. Among the natives, there is an opinion that the transformation of people into zombies is revenge for the bokor on someone who did not please him during his lifetime.

Unfortunately, all modern researchers are inclined to believe that voodoo black magic is not a terrible fairy tale, but an absolute and bloody reality. How terrible? It is not known for sure. But even in our enlightened age, none of the researchers dare to lift the veil of secrecy...

Scary old woman

In historical documents, a story is recorded, the main character of which, a black witch who got on board the ship of Count Gennes, heading to the shores of the French colonies in 1696, was able to "dry" the heart or liver of any person.

It all started with the fact that on one of the islands, at which the schooner of Count Gönness made a stop to replenish fresh water, the sailors who came ashore soon dragged an elderly black woman who was resisting to the gangway. Not understanding what was the matter, the count immediately demanded explanations from the sailors.

One of them said that last year, when the schooner, as now, stopped at this island to replenish water, this same old woman only lightly touched one of the sailors who went ashore, and he immediately collapsed to the ground dead. Last time, the sorceress managed to escape, but today she was still caught.

Count Gönnes, of course, did not believe the "nonsense" of the sailors and was about to order the release of the unfortunate old woman, but at that moment the black woman, who did not understand a word from the conversation that was going on next to her, contrived and kicked the count with force in the stomach.

Not expecting such a turn of events, Gennes grimaced in pain, and the sailors, weighing the old woman with heavy cuffs, dragged her to the schooner. On deck, the boatswain lashed the woman several times with the end of the rope, after which he ordered her to be tied to the gun barrel and severely flogged.

The sorceress, recovering from the beatings, announced through the interpreter in the crew that the cruelty of the boatswain would cost him dearly. The boatswain only laughed out loud in response and ordered the sailors to flog the old woman again. And two days later he ... died in terrible agony!

The ship's doctor, having heard about the miracles of voodoo sorcerers, decided to perform an autopsy before burying the body according to the sea custom in the ocean. What he saw made his hair stand on end. At the autopsy, it turned out that the heart and liver of the deceased boatswain were as dry as gunpowder!

The doctor reported everything to the captain, who, in turn, reported to the owner of the schooner, Count Gennes. After conferring, they, before drawing any conclusions, decided to test the sorceress and, through the interpreter, asked her to show her "black art".

The sorceress asked if there were fruits or anything like that on the ship. The captain replied that there were several pumpkins. “Show me them,” she demanded. When the pumpkins were brought, the black woman, carefully examining each vegetable, added: "Without touching them, I promise to eat them within a day."

Count Gönnes and the captain accepted the challenge and locked the pumpkins in a box with a key. The next morning, when they unlocked the lock, they, to their satisfaction, found them intact. This premature joy, however, was replaced by surprise when the captain decided to lift one of the pumpkins. It, like, by the way, and all the others, turned out to be empty: only the peel, dried like parchment, remained from the pumpkin!

The captain and the earl, having personally witnessed the incredible strength of the sorceress, immediately promised to send her back to their native island if the old woman did not harm anyone else. The sorceress agreed, and the captain immediately gave the command to change the route and return to the "cursed" island...

UNKNOWN GODS OF THE NEW WORLD

Where did this strange religion, voodoo, come from? The conventional wisdom that it appeared in Africa is incorrect. Her homeland is Haiti. The island served as a kind of transit point - slaves were brought there, who were then transported to the territory of the modern United States. Some remained in Haiti and gradually mingled with the indigenous population, not forgetting, however, their rites, which they had taken from West Africa. Over time, the beliefs of local and foreigners were strongly intertwined and a new cult was formed.

When the colonialists finally subjugated the population of Haiti, they decided to take care of its "moral character". And suddenly they realized that things had gone too far. The islanders worshiped some unknown gods and performed rituals frightening with their incomprehensibility. Then the authorities opened a merciless "witch hunt". Anyone caught addicted to voodoo met with a sad fate - torture and execution. And in order to destroy the mysterious faith at the root, they began to convert everyone without exception to Catholicism.

Voodooists, as if in mockery, began to use the attributes of the Catholic faith in their rituals with might and main. So there was that very explosive mixture called voodoo.

The new religion proved to be a profitable export. She began to be worshiped in Jamaica and Trinidad. She also reached Cuba, only there she was transformed into a religion called Santeria: African rites remained unchanged, and French Catholicism was replaced by Catholicism with a Spanish bias. But by and large, all the religions of the Caribbean are somehow similar to each other. It cannot be otherwise - after all, everyone has common roots.

But the conquest of new living spaces for voodoo did not end there. Religion gained the greatest popularity in the Americas, and especially in the state of Miami, New York and New Orleans. At the same time, everywhere voodoo gave rise to something of its own: new views, rituals. Today, it has several million adherents around the globe. But only in Haiti did the voodoo cult develop to such an extent that it became the national religion and the hallmark of the country.

Lyubov POPOVA
Mystic Oracle

Perhaps no magical system in the world has such a gloomy trail behind it as Haitian voodoo. Famous dolls, spirit possession and, of course, zombies - this is how the voodoo cult looks in the eyes of the average European. FURFUR dived into the mysterious world of this Haitian syncretic religion to find out if all the rumors and stories about her are true.

Where did voodoo come from?

European colonizers brought the first slaves from Africa to Haiti in 1503. This date can be taken as a starting point in the formation of voodoo as a full-fledged religion. Torn off from their native land and deprived of their freedom, Africans had to play by imposed rules: Catholicism was planted among the slaves literally with fire and steel. It's time to break down here, but black slaves have found a clever way to keep their animistic beliefs alive by dressing them in Christian garb. Despite the fact that the slaves were baptized en masse, passing into the bosom of the Catholic Church, the old gods and foundations continued to hide behind this fine facade, being, perhaps, the only outlet for the exhausted slaves. Time passed. Catholicism and the African belief in the old gods were fused into an entirely new religion. A mixture of pagan cult, the Christian concept of a single god-father and a variety of fragments of African and European cultures over the centuries has become one of the most unusual religious phenomena - the voodoo cult.

new faith

The new cult was most widespread in the French colonies - Louisiana and Haiti. Here, voodoo has acquired all the attributes of any self-respecting religion - the church, foundations and its own saints. But the followers of the cult still had to hide from the colonial authorities, until the Haitian Revolution broke out in 1804. After her, any attempt at missionary activity on the island ended in the death of the preacher.

Only 60 years later, the Haitians remembered that without Catholicism there would be no voodoo, and again allowed representatives of the Vatican to arrive on the island, but only with the permission of the local authorities. What the pastors who arrived in Haiti saw shocked them. Catholic saints have practically lost their usual appearance, more and more resembling the lower gods of voodooism - loa. So, for example, the Virgin Mary turned into the patroness of the beauty of Erzuli, and St. Peter became the conductor between the worlds of Papa Legba.

The ritual preferences of the Haitians differed little from the rites of their African ancestors. Music, ecstatic dances, sacrifices and magic. However, all this did not prevent the Vatican from recognizing voodoo as one of the varieties of Catholicism in 1860. The pope officially approved of the possession and ritual killing of animals.

Blessed Pius IX, who occupied the throne of the pontiff in 1840, recognized voodoo as one of the varieties of Catholicism.

Gods and magicians

Without further ado, the Haitians divided their pantheon into two unequal parts: the highest deity (Bondieu) and all the rest (loa). The very form of verbalization of the sacred name of the supreme god is noteworthy: Bondieu is just an intricate transformation of the French bon Dieu - “good god”. Bondier in no way affects the life of his people - he created the world and retired.

Things are more complicated with loa (from the French loi - law). These African deities and spirits, wearing the masks of Christian saints, have incredible power. The whole concept of ritual magic of the voodoo cult is based on interaction with the loa. The spirits are innumerable, and each of them has its own name and purpose. Loa live in their own special world - Le Guinea.

Another symbol of Voodoo is Ouroboros, or Dambala Vedo, a snake that swallows its own tail. This creature, according to the beliefs of the Haitians, stands at the origin and end of all things, he is the god of heaven and the creator of all life on earth.

The central figure of the loa is Papa Legba, an intermediary between people and otherworldly entities. The caster summons him as the first of the loa to obtain permission to contact all other spirits. The image of Papa Legba partly correlates with Saint Peter: both of them are guardians of the gates of another world. The orthodox depiction of Papa Legba is an old man wearing a straw hat and holding a wand.

Slightly lower in the hierarchy is Baron Samedi, Baron Saturday - probably the most common loa in popular culture. This is Osiris and Anubis of the Haitian religion rolled into one. Together with his wife, Mama Bridget, Baron Samedi protects the souls of the dead, so the first grave in each new cemetery is dedicated to Baron Saturday. The burial is marked with a cross - not a Christian crucifix, but a crossroads. By the way, Baron Saturday is a nickname, because the true name of this loa cannot be pronounced. Baron Samedi looks very colorful: a black undertaker's suit, a high top hat, a constant cigar in his teeth. According to the followers of the voodoo cult, Baron loves tobacco and strong Haitian rum more than anything else. Death itself is subordinate to the baron, but at the same time he is also responsible for sexuality and childbearing. There are no contradictions here, it is enough to recall Dambala Vedo.

The contact between the loa and the flock is carried out by priests, divided into specialties. Houngans and mambo are in charge of predictions, and bokors are responsible for black magic. Both t and others use many ritual objects in their practice, the most famous of which is the volt doll.

The doll is designed to symbolize a certain person, and with the help of a special will ritual, it becomes inextricably linked with the object of influence of the bokor. In order for the ritual to be successful, the doll, among other things, must contain the blood or hair of the victim.

Francois Duvalier

Or, as he called himself, Papa Doc. Permanent dictator of Haiti until his death. He introduced himself as Baron Saturday. He introduced a personal guard - the Tonton Macoutes, glorified in folklore, portraying the dead loyal to the ruler. Tried to assassinate President Kennedy with a wax doll, some say he succeeded.

Maria Lavoe

The unofficial "voodoo queen" of New Orleans and the surrounding area. She became famous as one of the main founders of a whole new branch of voodoo - Louisiana. The heroine of countless legends.

How and where to do magic

Voodoo ceremonies can be held in any room, the main thing is that a mitan pole is installed there, symbolizing the road along which the spirits descend into our world. Although voodoo rituals vary depending on which spirit the sorcerer wants to turn to, there is only one thing in common - any relationship with the loa requires certain rules to be followed. First of all, it is necessary to draw on the ground the symbol of the summoned loa.

Under the rhythmic pulsation of the drums, the sorcerer opens the magic ceremony - santeria with a dance. Gradually, the rest of the ceremony participants join the ecstatic action.

When a certain moment arrives, the sorcerer takes a prepared sacrificial rooster and beheads it as an offering to the spirits. However, even this does not guarantee that the loa deign to come to the ceremony - it all depends on the personal magical power of the bokor, on his experience and degree of initiation.

Degrees of initiation into voodoo

Voodoo sorcerers go through several stages of improving their magical craft. At the first step there are still fledgling adepts, but the last - the sixth - is occupied by truly formidable magicians.

1. The first stage of becoming a priest is called the "language of the spirit." Those who have mastered it can communicate with the dead, but only with relatively fresh ones, for example, a week ago.
2. The second step is the "gaze". This ritual allows the bokor to influence the victim's love mood. Oddly enough, Erzulie, traditionally portrayed as the immaculate Virgin Mary, acts as an assistant loa in this dark matter. In addition, the Gaze ability gives the priest the ability to understand the language of snakes.
3. In the third stage of initiation, the bokor learns to use the sobo, "loud call." This ritual requires careful preparation and begins with a ten-minute chant by the shaman clutching a ground magnetic stone in one hand and flint dust in the other. The song ends with the name of the thunder spirit Sobo - and the sorcerer shouts it out with force. As a result (theoretically) all enemies of the caster will be silenced for several hours. Bokor, on the other hand, accepts the congratulations of his comrades-in-arms with a satisfied look.
4. The fourth stage gives the sorcerer the opportunity to hide from the opponent under the protection of the spirits of the forest. Grans Bwa - a kind of stealth, a well-executed ritual hides the bokor from any pursuer. Like all other voodoo magic, “protection of the spirits of the forest” is not an instant spell: the shaman, literally created from earth and sticks, must wash the amulet with his own blood for two hours, and even with ritual chants. Therefore, the head start of a priest who wants to hide must be very significant.
5. The adept of the fifth stage already possesses serious powers. Having reached this level, he comprehends the mystery of voodoo, that is, he may well create a real voodoo doll. With its help, the magician turns into a formidable manipulator-puppeteer, capable of causing any harm to his enemies.
6. The last, sixth stage is called zombies. Those who have mastered this technique are free to raise the dead at will and turn them into slaves. The sacrament of the ritual is carefully preserved by generations of hereditary priests.

The African Republic of Togo is famous for having the largest ritual market in the world. Akodessewa Fetish offers sorcerers and shamans sacred items of all kinds.

How to be a zombie

The term "zombie" was brought to Haiti by African slaves in the early 18th century. The birthplace of the word is the semi-mystical kingdom of the black continent of Dahomey. In fact, the word "zombie", the researchers found out, is a distorted form of "nzambi", which in translation from the African Bantu means "dead man's soul".

For a long time, the rite of raising the dead, witnessed by white people, was considered one of the most inexplicable religious mysteries. This would have continued to this day if the ethnobiologist Davis Wade had not come to the aid of science, who managed to conduct several dangerous experiments. The brave scientist found that the "living dead" roaming Haiti never died. The secret lay in a special powder used by shamans to create zombies.

With the help of a special mixture containing tetrodotoxin, the bokor put a person into a state of deep coma and calmly waited until the unfortunate family buried the body. A day after the burial, the sorcerer came to the cemetery and dug up a freshly baked slave: oxygen starvation, multiplied by the toxic effect of the potion, led to damage to the victim's brain - the areas responsible for memory and speech simply died off, and a creature that only knew how to execute commands would rise from the grave sorcerer.

Kenneth Grant.

AT together with the Master of Voodoo and Gnosticism in the Cult of the Black Serpent (La Couleuvre Noire), we plunge into a painful atmosphere in which to follow the Magicians of French Decadence. The ghosts of Decadence are still alive in memory, and their current images from downtown Chicago are haunted by the shadows of Joseph Péladan, Stanislas Guyt, Pierre Vintras, Husmans, and the sinister Abbé Boulan, who hid under the name of Canon Docre, and with whom, according to Michel Berthier, direct astral connection. Until now, this atmosphere of nostalgia surrounding the "Monastery of the Seven Rays", also directed by Berthier, is full not only of strange diabolical rituals performed by Gofridi, or Guibourg, who composed dark spells, to which Madame Montespan, with her characteristic sinister charm, added a bouquet of disgusting charms, but and much more of an elemental force imbued with energy that reaches its highest intensity in an atmosphere of Decadence. I draw attention to the monstrous shadows conjured by the New England sorcerer Howard Phillips Lovecraft, and Michel Berthier demands a connection with the "Mysterious Creatures," terrifying ghosts from outer space, which through the efforts of Lovecraft have descended to the very earth.

The Black Serpent's hideout is much more difficult to reach than the Beast 666. To see the Beast, the disciples only had to swim to Cefalu, and venture into the Abbey of Thelema near the turbulent dam tamed by the "Lionstone". The headquarters of the Cult of the Black Serpent, although located in one of the business centers of the new world, is controlled from Lyogane (Haiti), a secret power center of gloomy rituals led by Michel Berthier - Senior Adept.

It is typical of the Chicago form of study that the graduate student takes the first lessons by correspondence, and the full course takes more than five years, but unlike most courses of this kind, this one offers magical knowledge much deeper than any other repeating "occult" brotherhoods. , vaguely reminiscent of the "Monastery of the Seven Rays", which itself is the Outer Branch of the Cult of the Black Serpent. The monastery is part of the O.T.O.A., the Ancient Order of the Oriental Templars (Ordo Templi Orientis Antique), which incorporated the magical doctrine of Aleister Crowley into its teachings. August 15, 1973 O.T.O.A. connected himself on the inner planes with Current 93 and declared that he formally accepted the Law of Do What You Wish. This important event was marked by the abolition of the old rule - not to initiate women in the highest degrees.

Michel Berthier, one of the Senior Adepts of the O.T.O.A., the "Monastery of the Seven Rays" and the High Priest of the Cult of the Black Serpent, is without a doubt a bright creative personality of modern occultism. His Course of Study begins with the following occult maxim: "What is outside is inside, just as what is inside is outside," and it is written in an unusual style, reminiscent of Jidda Krishnamurti, Annie Besant's "moonchild" and Leadbeater, who was confirmation of the magical power of the Theosophical Society; he was to this Society what Crowley was to the Golden Dawn; they were, each in their own way, the only real values ​​that these societies produced. But this is where the analogy ends, because Krishnamurti and Crowley followed the traditions of their races, and Michel Berthier, who is of mixed race white and black, is the creator of a vast and original system of creative occultism.

Since this book (Shadow Cults), like the two previous ones, is devoted to human exploration of little-known areas of consciousness and its communication with extraterrestrial entities, Berthier's concept of the demon Choronzon is of particular interest and significance to followers of the Black Serpent. Choronzon, as the guardian of the gate between the known universe and the unknown - between A and B - is comparable to those ideas that are shared by absolutely all cults of Darkness, one way or another using this concept. For example, Petro rituals in Voodoo evoke Loa with original rhythms that are somewhere in between those that vibrate in Rada ceremonies; they hide, so to speak, in the interval or gap that separates light from darkness, day from night. The formula that Austin Spare developed for recovering ancient atavisms suggests the use of such "intermediate concepts", and H. F. Lovecraft alludes to the existence of non-human entities that dwell in the boundless space between the stars.

If we turn to history, then Dr. John Dee (1527-1608) was the first to draw up a detailed account of human communication with the inhabitants of the vast spaces between the worlds. Three centuries later, Crowley summoned one of these entities from the Abyss, and it is far more likely that this encounter provoked far more problems in his magical life than those resulting from communication with the demons of Abramelin - as some have suggested. Berthier describes this Abyss as "an icy region of nothingness called 'Meon'. For the cosmos, in terms of its infinity, longevity and remoteness, this Abyss is analogous to the infinitely small and infinitely fleeting: the thinnest and usually imperceptible gap between thoughts that are extremely sensitive to , a sudden penetration into the real basis of Being.Only this is Reality, the only Reality, and this Non-Being is the noumenal source from which the world of phenomena arises.

Crowley viewed Choronzon as the personification of the monstrous forces of cosmic chaos; a contradictory entity that brings every idea it encounters to its own indescribable state of chaotic and mutable Nothing. It was characteristic of Crowley to regard this power mainly as that which leads to confusion, dispersal, lack of control; and Sir Edward Kelly, even before Crowley, called this entity "the mighty devil Choronzon." On the other hand, Berthier considers Choronzon to be a guardian on the path between the world of being and the world of non-being, respectively considering it as a mathematical-magical system of active negation rather than as a positive force of destruction. This interpretation is somewhat close to that of Lovecraft, who, however, does not speak specifically of Choronzon, but speaks of the inhabitants of the limitless extent between the worlds. But long before these judgments, even before Doctor Di, the Chinese adherents of Chan Buddhism learned about Choronzon as the guardian of the realm of non-existence, during deep meditations, which confirmed that existence and non-existence are interdependent opposites, and as such act only within the boundaries of the subject's consciousness. , or ego. This interpretation, although liberating from the idea of ​​a certain moral stigma, does not in the least save from the obvious fear that knowledge of pure Nothing must inevitably be understood by those whose minds are still far from cosmic consciousness. In Chan Buddhism, which is a mystical cult outside the categories of thinking, magical constructions are completely and naturally absent.

Michel Berthier developed this interpretation in such a way that it seems to fall exactly between the two previous ones, resembling but not being either of them. He developed the magical significance of meon control, and thus became the first to discover the connection between the Cult of Choronzon and the occult principles formulated by G.F. Lovecraft (if not based on them). Lovecraft used fiction to express concepts of reality that at the time seemed too fantastic to communicate to any other medium. Today, however, Berthier need not worry when he transfers Choronzon from the realm of the fantastic into the realm of "mathematical reality," a transition that is perfectly acceptable in our time, when a famous physicist 6 can say: "Consciousness is never experienced in the plural, but only in the singular." This means that absolute nothing - not even non-existence - exists outside the mind.

The magical focus of this force, emanating from the "regions of metacosmic darkness", is in the unexplored abyss at a point known as Daath. It is sometimes also called the "false Sephirah"; it is the eleventh power center on the Tree of Life. Eleven is the figure of the Qliphoth, the "World of the Shells", which are inhabited by the "Ghosts of Darkness"; it is a gate through which one can enter the outer space outside or behind the Tree of Life proper. The adepts of the Cult of the Black Serpent passed along this "secret path leading down behind the tree, which is essential to Magical Creation". Daath, which means Knowledge, is depicted symbolically as the Eighth Head of the Defeated Dragon, which rose when the Tree of Life collapsed. It is perhaps remarkable that the number of Daath is 474, and if Choronzon's number 333 is added to it, then the number 807 is obtained, that is, that which is located between 806 (Thoth) and 808 (Bronze Serpent). If we interpret this magically, then it turns out that the formula of the Fire Serpent and the God of Set (Thoth) is put into action by the evocation of Choronzon. And this, in turn, opens the gate to higher cosmic influence.

Climbing the Tree of Life can be done by "climbing the planes" until the consciousness merges with the Highest (ie with Kether). To represent this state as something material, being in Malkuth, one has to move in the opposite direction, and the Tree descended through the reverse side of the Middle Pillar. This is the equivalent of the viparita karaunia discussed in chapters 4 and 5 in connection with the Kaula Circle. Likewise, the Fire Serpent ascends the spinal canal, the Middle Pillar, gathering the magical consciousness of the chakras it passes through on its ascension. The mystic keeps the consciousness in Brahmand, and the Magus brings it down to earth again. This is the formula of Prometheus, who brought fire from heaven in a narthex or - in a hollow tube. In the same way, Tantric Adepts bring Light to manifest it in Maya - the gloomy world of ghostly images.

Just as the Tantrikas unlock the magical powers of each power center illuminated by the ascending movement of the Fire Serpent, so the Magus assumes the divine forms corresponding to each Sephirah as he ascends through the planes of the Tree of Life. Divine forms are commonly associated with ancient deities with animal heads. Thus, atavisms or those forces that existed before the appearance of man, are manifested in the magician, who explores in the astral world and realizes the forces and energies that the mentioned animals possess. Adepts of the Cult of the Black Serpent mean by this process the Secret Rite of Lycanthropy (turning into a werewolf), and this is one of the points associated with both Tantra and Voodoo. The Secret Rite of Lycanthropy is also the "Secret Rite of the Red Temple" of the Magic of Atlantis in its original form, the second belongs to L "Ataviqier (Atavist), which, as the name indicates, is close to the formula of Spare's Atavistic Revival.

The Secret Passage through the realm of the Klipot behind the Tree leads to a downward path corresponding to the transformation into animal forms, which are "divine" in the Kabbalistic system. This is a valid explanation for the werewolf and its association with atavisms that existed before the advent of man. The cult of the Black Serpent is based on the systems of Tantra and Voodoo. As for Tantra - "it is a system that is based on the fact that the magician or yogi brings himself into a state of fearlessness. Sexual elements are involved here. As shown in Chapter 4, fearlessness is the hallmark of Bhairava, who achieves it by imbibing a magical elixir that bisexualizes the human body, making it self-reproducing and perfect, like the highest gods.
It is said that Tantra and Voodoo are inherited from the "older Atlantean Red Temple magic", with elements of the Black Temple Atlantean magic working. The activities of the "Red Temple" include the invocation of the Fire Serpent, which is the basic formula of Tantra, while the work of the "Black Temple" corresponds to "les cultes des morte", the "cult of death" (with a formula similar to the State of Death, which Austin Osman Spare expounds in his book "Cults of Zos Kia"), as well as - "The Secret Rites of Werewolves".

The two points of contact - sexual magic (Tantra) and rituals of death (Vudu) - are assimilated by Michel Berthier's Cult of the Black Serpent, who, together with his "devils and she-devils", develops today the "secret rites of Choronozone". The astral lycanthropy of the Cult of the Black Serpent includes not only knowledge of the secret passage to the Kliphoth, but also the level of desirable astral projection set by the "Voltigeurs" (Voltigeurs), so that all paths on the other side of the Tree can be jumped. The Secret of the Jumpers' Pass is included in the vever Marassas or Gemini. The "three pillars" are shown in this picture, with the center (central pillar) as the unifying pillar.

In my work, I have to traverse these three pillars with the cross magic wand of Saturn, or Guede Nibho, as this suggests a pattern for the passage of voltigeurs, as well as passages in the secret school of Voodoo initiation. This shows us the "perfect magical diagram" of initiation. Voodoo: The magical order or hierarchy behind the Tree is under the auspices of Choronzon, Lord of the Descending Path and guardian of the Support of Daath.The number 333 (Choronzon) is the same as the Jackal or Fox (ShGL), the secret sign of Shaitan-Aiwass, whom Crowley invoked as The Supreme Demon of Thelema (Will) Daath means "knowledge" in the sense in which this term is used in the biblical allegory of the "Fall"; knowledge that opened the eyes of a man to the creative nature of the solar-phallic energy within him, to his special connection with a woman , which is the external manifestation of this force (shakti).This Support (Daat) is the Entrance from the other side of the Tree, and its planetary representative is Uranus, which is also the entrance to the sexual magic of Set or Shaitan, as practiced in the eleventh degree of the O.T.O.

Using the paths on the other side of the Tree and summoning the Ghosts is fraught with danger because, as mentioned, the Qliphoth dwell on these paths, many of which are dead ends and have no way out. To fall into the trap of any of them is to succumb to the consciousness of the most evil influence that the magician will ever meet. Madness and death will take possession of those who get lost in them. In addition, if there is no way out, and the force is directed along these paths, it will inevitably hit the magician with a ricochet, like a boomerang charged with additional energy of evil influences that have accumulated in him during the flight. Despite the constant and inevitable danger of oversimplifying these complex and strange matters, it can be assumed that while the normal view of the Tree of Life represents the Magician in his relationship with present and future powers, the reverse side of the Tree symbolizes superhuman influences and those that existed before man. , and they invade his consciousness through the pillar of Daath. A minimum of these influences penetrates, so to speak, into the front part of the Tree, but when the operator passes through the Gate of the Eleventh Force Center, he automatically summons Choronzon and is subjected to a swift attack of atavistic forces.

The secret rites of Lycanthropy involve the transformation into a wolf (or other predator) on the astral plane. Adepts of the Cult of the Black Serpent say that this transformation is necessary in order to periodically restore the basis of the subconscious, lost or suppressed by the transition of man from the animal kingdom to the human world. Adherents of the Cult of the Black Serpent prefer the usual division of the Tree into two aspects - "good" and "evil", the position of the New Aeon, and consider the sefirotic aspects of the front side of the Tree as "positive" and the Qliphothic aspects of the paths of the reverse side as "negative". And the Magician is the one who has learned to invoke and control all these aspects. In addition, the sephirotic influences are grouped into positive and negative forces, formerly known as the "Radiance of Light", and later as the "Radiance of Reflected Darkness"; just as the Qliphothic influences are known as "Ghosts of Darkness" and "Ghosts of the Reflected Light", in the case of the Qliphoth the negative spirits are given primacy, because the Qliphoth themselves are negative in relation to the Sefirot.

Perhaps Choronzon is a distorted form of Khozar, the dark god of magic of Atlantis, who is one of the extraterrestrial entities that live in the darkness outside of our universe.

By means of an ingenious system of "esoteric technology," Berthier constructed magical devices capable of receiving impulses from those regions of outer space that are beyond Neptune. They also broadcast mysterious and strange music. In addition, he uses human occult instruments known as "Furies" (more or less the equivalent of the Crowley Woman in Scarlet), which, by communicating with the earth wobbles, are able to probe the chthonic levels of the lobular consciousness. From a scientific point of view, in this way Berthier is able to apply a formula that restores the primitive phases of the initial consciousness. This is reminiscent of Austin Spare's Atavistic Rebirth formula, and it is important that Berthier speaks of Spare as a member of the Inner (i.e. astral) Council of his magical cult.

In addition, these instruments, mechanical and human, are also part of the kalas in their magical manifestation, which is confirmed by Berthier's references to certain rhythms and drinks, which, if interpreted in the light of the tantric teachings of Kaula, suggest that he uses Ophidian (serpentine) wobbles in their lunar, neptune and even trans-plutonic form. Regarding these machines, he remarks:
"In fact, the most recent invention for the occultist is the rediscovery of something so ancient that it reverses the evolution of the universe to something absolutely original. Thus, the most advanced accumulator of magical energy is actually what was perfected on the planet Venus long before humanity emerged from the realm of dead nature."

This refers to Spare's conjecture about the magical laws of evolution, expressed in The Book of Pleasure:
"The Law of Evolution is a regression of the function that governs the progression of achievement, that is, the more amazing our achievements, the lower the stage of development of the function that governs them."

One of Berthier's "newest" inventions is the Zothyriometre. It is designed to streamline the astral and ethereal magnetic fields of energy into clear vectors of force that form a complex network of power centers. By establishing intersections, or by crossing between two fields, special vortices are created. These vortices can be used to concentrate huge currents of force; it acts more like an occult tube for projecting magical power into whatever dimension of the astral plane is required. This device is based on the system of marmas and sandhis, which the Tantrics compiled on the basis of the anatomy of the human body. They are embodied in the elaborate yantras of the Goddesses, in particular the Sri Yantra.

Another device that Berthier invented, the Mandalum Instrumentum, is intended to free ceremonial magic from the use of the physical instruments normally associated with the act. Mandala (Mandala) creates and transfers magical powers from one point to another. It can be described as an abstract temple in which parts of the instrument are the various attendants. Berthier explains that it has "been used by highly initiated ceremonial magicians who have outgrown the group rituals but still wish, in doing their work, to have the same symmetrical structure that is possible in lodges and temples. Those who are familiar with the General Lodge Ritual of Nu Isis Lodge, in which each attendant represented the planetary center in the concentration of forces from the transplutonic sphere of Nu Isis, will appreciate that all the energy received during the ritual, but not used, can be collected and re-used using the Mandalum Instrumentum.

The cult of the Black Serpent exists largely thanks to the adepts of Voodoo, and the classification of its magical devices, naturally, is consistent with the voodoo system of initiation. It includes four grades: Lave-tete or Initiate, Canzo or Approximate, Houngan or Priest, and finally Baille-ge or Hierophant. For these degrees, various types of magical mechanisms are intended. For the degree of the Initiate - all physical devices are intended, i.e., all those that really work on the physical plane. All astral instruments are meant for the degree of Canzo. Houngan are credited with mental devices; he works with the mental faculties represented by air. For the highest degree, the Hierophant - represented by Fire or Spirit - all intuitive devices are intended. Berthier remarks that "the whole system of the physical planes of initiation has recently been revived by certain eminent American occultists who have worked chiefly with the apparatus of the physical plane." In the secret papers of the "Monastery of the Seven Rays" there are references to a mysterious occult instrument that the ancient Chinese knew as the Kwaw-loon. Very little is said about this tool, but it is known that it is definitely associated with the Fire Serpent. It is made of a four-dimensional substance that reflects and transmits active and passive currents of radioactive energy in the astral light. In the currents of energy "that pass through the Kwaw-loon, messages are born to and from the 4D world of astral magnetism."

Given that Berthier's ultimate goal is absolute control over all magical systems, terrestrial and cosmic, it is not surprising that he has already established an extensive connection of occult influences wandering around the world, with special power centers located in Ecuador, in Liogane (Haiti), Madrid, Chicago, and again, after the unification of his Cult of the Black Serpent with the O.T.O., in London and New York. The secret teachings of the Cult reveal the seven main directions of evolution possible for each person. The "Monastery of the Seven Rays" embodies these seven stages of development and prepares the consciousness for the final stage of its evolution on this planet. But there is also a hidden or secret meaning in which the lines of evolution refer to changes in consciousness that create seven different types of existence during the present and next aeon. According to ancient magical tradition, the seven phases or directions of evolution were originally subordinate to one of the seven stars of Ursa Major. Their culmination, that is, the transition to the Eighth, or the highest stage, was symbolized by the birth of a male child from the Goddess - Set, whose power was manifested by his twin brother Horus, the Lord of the present Aeon. The twin formula is extremely important, as noted earlier.

The name of the ancient progenitor Odudua is formed on the basis of the vibration of such words as Od, Ado, Aud. Voodoo (Vaudou or Voodoo) contains the same magical flow. The cult of the Black Serpent teaches that Voodoo was an ancient religion of Atlantis and Lemuria, and it survived only in two occult centers, one of which is Lyogane (Haiti) and the other is located in the USA (Chicago). The Teaching of the Black Serpent is a presentation of the Secret rites that are held in the "Monastery of the Seven Rays". These two centers represent two forms of Voodoo. A primitive form is practiced in Haiti, and a more advanced form known as Voudon Cabala is practiced in Chicago, Illinois. Sexual magic is the basis for both centers, in which the Fire Serpent is identified with sexual radioactivity, or astral magnetism. This is located in the bodily centers, namely at the base of the spine, on the palms, and in the sexual centers proper. This construction is based on an ancient African tradition, which inherited the remnants of the teachings of Atlantis. Her magic reached its apotheosis in our world system during the civilizations of Egypt and Maya. These four centers of sexual radioactivity emit the most concentrated waves of astral energy known to occult science. The alchemists of the Afro-Vudu tradition knew about it as radio-activitas sexualis, which has four links in the bodily power centers.

In Crowley's Cult of Thelema, which is the basis of the O.T.O. , odic energies are released by some form of massage or magical masturbation, which, according to Berthier, "stabilizes the astral field of a person and makes his magnetic forces more harmonious and balanced." Of course, this is why masturbation is resorted to in moments of anxiety; it is a natural form of relaxation, which is instinctively resorted to in ordinary life:
Sexual activity is an excellent form of therapy because sexual radioactivity generates the strongest astral magnetic field.

This form of therapy can be more than a calming or tranquilizing effect, it can be used as a form of protection against sexual vampirism, which is extremely common today due to the widespread destruction of conservative rules of human behavior. Berthier, who had extensive experience in the social sphere and everything connected with it, believes that:
more than ever, we are becoming a decoy for sexual entities from dimensions of past history, whose existence depends on the absorption of sexual radioactivity.

Part of the liturgy of the Spiritual Gnostic Church which he composed contains magical invocations that protect the magician from sexual vampirism during his magical work. The invocations are constructed in such a way that the verbal forms of the mantras are filled with vibrations that create an insurmountable defense against such attacks. A wall of light surrounds the magician, light filled with solar-phallic power derived from our Sun. The inhabitants of the Klipot are deprived of the opportunity to take away the sexual fluid that is ejaculated at the moment of orgasm and "at the time when the negative and positive magnetic centers coincide absolutely, actually conducting metasexual and exciting radioactivity." In a moment of clairvoyance, this wall appears as a brilliant curtain of light. According to Crowley, this practice represented the reincarnation into the divine form of Harpocrates: an egg of bright blue light with flecks of gold; like a clear summer sky in the sparkle of the sun's rays. Sexual vampires, seeing this radiant wall of light, hastily rush towards it and smash to pieces, or - if it is especially strong - literally receive a death shock. This protective veil is so impenetrable that "even the Master cannot break through it." The veil exists until the magician dispels it by an act of will. At this point, the sexual energy stored within "explodes the outer atmosphere, creating blinding flashes of astral light that can destroy any dangerous entities that lurk nearby."

If the astral veil is not deliberately dispelled, then after about seven or eight hours it will gradually begin to lose its strength and collapse. During this time, she emits a bluish-white mist, which is misunderstood in connection with sexual radioactivity, mistaking it for her new form. Berthier noticed subtle shades of colors characteristic of each phase of sexual radiation. Its tones change in accordance with the stages of development, "in the beginning - a dazzling white light, while in the last stage, already in decline - it seems almost crimson."

Because of its short-lived nature, sexual radioactivity is difficult to analyze; therefore, it is better to study it at the moment when it is still assembled from the inside of the wall of light. The motivation underlying Voodoo teaching, which is mainly interested in the manipulation of odic energies in the human body, is considered for this reason also along with sexual radioactivity. According to Tantra, the lunar vibrations that emanate from a woman in the process of catamenia are also extremely radioactive, and although the adherents of the Cult of the Black Serpent do not specifically mention this, Berthier's interest in mysterious "rhythms" and "elixirs" gives the feeling that these are not alien to the Cult. aspects of teaching. Especially when we consider the shaktis or "furies" he gathers around him to perform his rituals. Bertier draws attention to the fact that:

"sexual radioactivity is not absolutely identical to the sexual fluid that a man spews at the moment of orgasm. The sexual fluid is magical in an undeveloped sense, and must be irradiated with radiation of mercury and silver nitrate under conditions of absolute control, before transferring its magical power to the one who claims it."

I think here he is alluding to kalas and lunar orphidian vibrations which play a very important role in the Kaula Tantra Circle.

Born in Chicago, Illinois in 1935.

He appears in JK Husmans' novel Downstairs, which is based on the author's real-life experience with the dark realms of the occult.

Retroversion of the mind.

The highest chakra, located in the region of the crown.

Malkuth-Muladhara.

Median pillar, vertebral column, or Sushumna-nadi.

"Magical Revival", 11 Chapter.

The secret rites of the Werewolves also originate from the "black Temple" of Atlantis, and in them the transformation into the divine form of the male animal or werewolves also takes place; in this case, the divine forms of Carrefour or Carfax, the god of death.

The Gemini formula is fundamental to the earliest African cults. Then she received her continuation in Egypt in the form of everything connected with Set-Hor. The sign Gemini is mentioned in relation to the New Aeon. In The Cosmic Teaching, on page 147, Dion Fortune says: "Keep in mind... The Sign of Gemini, the Forces signified by this Sign were influenced by Atlantis and will be influenced by the Earth later in our time."

Three pillars of the tree of life.

Michel Bertier.

As explained in "Aleister Crowley and the Secret God" (Chapter 7), in the 11th degree of initiation, the use of the homosexual formula is not necessary; on the contrary, it suggests the use of yoni in her lunar phase, and the "other eye", ayin or yoni, known to initiates of the Serpent cult as the "Eye of Set".

The symbol of this dark deity resembles the trident of Neptune, under whose name Khozar is known even to the uninitiated. The Chaldean letter Shin with its three flames is attributed to Set or Shaitan. The word "chozzar" means "pig". This animal was chosen by the adherents of the teachings of Typhon as a symbol of Set. In the Vama Marg Tantric cult, the pig was a secret symbol because it is the only animal known to eat human excrement. See Aleister Crowley and the Secret God, chapter 6.

Another incorporeal human spirit called by Berthier is Abat Bulan (1824-93), a French occultist whose name and work might have remained unknown to the world if it were not for the attention of J.C. Husmans, who used Bulan as the prototype of Dr. his novel Downstairs. According to The Encyclopedia of the Unexplained (Ed. Richard Cavendish, London, 1974), "Bulan believed that the way to salvation lay through sexual intercourse with archangels and other celestial beings."

Printed and published privately by Spare in 1913. Republished 1975 with an introductory article by Grant (93 Publishing, Montreal).

Nu Isis Lodge (known outside as the "New Isis Lodge" was an offshoot of the OTO organized by Kenneth Grant in 1955 for the purposes described in Aleister Crowley and the Secret God, Chapter 10. The lodge was active for about seven years until they have completed their mission.

That is, when a man and a woman unite the corresponding power centers.

That is, in its potential phase. This power is known in magical practice as Carezza. See "Aleister Crowley and the Secret God".

This time we moved to the Republic of Haiti to tell the story of Duvalier's father and son, who ruled the country in turn for almost three decades.

Haiti, known for its white-sand beaches and sky-blue seas, where there is usually a carefree and relaxed atmosphere, there have been events that amaze with their cruelty. One of the world's poorest countries was led by François Duvalier, a merciless dictator who emptied the treasury, tortured and executed more than 50,000 people. Under him, the slave trade and the sale of children flourished. Voodoo rituals helped him keep the local population in fear. There were rumors among Haitians that he was involved in the Kennedy assassination.

“One of the most dangerous voodoo spirits was called Baron Saturday, who, according to legend, sent the souls of the dead to the realm of the dead, but could also turn them into zombies. Haitians believed that this spirit dresses like a dandy: he wears a stylish black tailcoat, top hat and expensive glasses. In an effort to emulate this spirit, Haiti's dictator François Duvalier always dressed like this. In order not to debunk the myths about Baron Saturday, he even tried to speak the same way as he did - in a whisper, ”says one of the biographies of the former leader of the country.

Village doctor's recipe

Duvalier was born in Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti, in the family of a teacher and a journalist. Having trained as a doctor, he went to work in the village, then served the US military mission and trained at the University of Michigan. In 1939, the future head of state married the nurse Simone Ovid: she bore him three daughters and a son, who later also had to leave a bloody trail in the history of the country.

The intelligent doctor, whom the family was so proud of, suddenly gave up medicine and plunged headlong into big politics: in 1946, the dark-skinned president Dumarce Estime came to power in the country (previously only mulattoes occupied such high posts), who first made Duvalier deputy minister of labor, and then gave him the portfolio of Minister of Health. Over the next ten years, the country was shaken by political upheavals, as a result of which Duvalier had to lay low. However, further events did not cool his ardor.

Hiding from the new authorities, he read the treatise "The Prince" by Machiavelli and dreamed of unlimited power. Such a chance presented itself to him in 1956 after another coup. Unexpectedly for many, he put forward his candidacy for the presidential election. Then his opponents - the favorites of the race, teacher Daniel Fignolet and lawyer Clement Jumel - did not take Duvalier seriously, laughing at the self-confidence of the "young upstart". However, the doctor clearly should not be written off.

He did not sit idly by, throwing all his strength into organizing the riots. Duvalier set his supporters on the task of creating a feeling of panic among the citizens. Fignole became president, but he did not stay in power for long - he was arrested on the 20th day of his reign. The protests were brutally suppressed and new elections were called, in which Francois Duvalier had already won the victory this time.

The newly minted leader began to diligently tighten the screws: opponents were shot and imprisoned, public organizations and parties, except for the presidential one, were banned in the country, liberal newspapers were closed, and the property of disloyal businessmen was nationalized. , constantly subjected to persecution, was forced to change worship services. So, the prayer "Our Father" was addressed not to God, but personally to the leader of Haiti. However, despite this, the cult of voodoo became the main religion of Haiti.

Night of the Living Dead

Knowing that Haitians like to invent nicknames for their presidents, Duvalier nicknamed himself Papa Doc, and subsequently appropriated the titles of "unquestioned leader of the revolution", "apostle of national unity", "benefactor of the poor". However, the nickname Papa Doc stuck most of all. He also did not forget to proclaim himself the embodiment of one of the darkest loa of the voodoo pantheon, the lord of the cemeteries. The country has a new national flag with colors corresponding to voodoo symbols.

Not very trusting of the army, Papa Doc organized his own. The main support of the new dictator was the paramilitary detachments of semi-criminal personalities - the Tonton Macoutes. They did not receive money from the budget, feeding on the robbery of the local population.

They were led by voodoo sorcerers who horrified the illiterate locals. They wore white hoodies and sunglasses so no one could see their eyes. People were skinned, drowned, burned alive, stoned to death. Haitians told each other stories that the Tonton Macoutes could not be bribed or killed because they were "zombies who only obey Duvalier".

Every morning, Duvalier began with a meeting with the head of the secret police, who told him about dissidents who deserved punishment. As a result, the President signed daily lists of those who needed to be arrested and sentenced to death.

Under the dictator, a whole system of prisons and concentration camps appeared, where those suspected of disloyalty were kept. The most dangerous enemies were waiting for a special prison under the presidential palace. The arsenal of torture that was used there could be envied in the Middle Ages. In addition to the ancient means, there were also the latest advances in technology in this area. The local press regularly published photo reports with severed heads and torn bodies.

The other side of paradise

Meanwhile, the country's economy was rapidly declining. Only 10 percent of the population was literate, the rest could neither read nor write. Duvalier and his family filled their pockets with millions of dollars, which they subsequently transferred to Swiss banks. At the same time, the Haitians were dying of hunger, selling their children into slavery, hoping that at least the owners would feed them.

Duvalier especially got rich on blood sales. Local residents were obliged to donate blood, which was then sold to the United States: up to 2.5 thousand liters were sent to Washington twice a month. The money from this, however, also ended up in the pockets of the dictator. The so-called “presidential fund”, where millions of dollars were deducted, became the personal piggy bank of the president. Almost everything was taxed, including matches.

Kennedy assassin

In the West, they closely followed what was happening in the island state. Thus, the Americans saw that what was happening in Haiti did not at all look like democracy, but they believed that even though Duvalier behaved like a "son of a bitch", but he was his son of a bitch, pro-American. In addition, Washington decided that the established dictatorship was better than instability in Haiti, and continued to pour millions of dollars into the island state, which smoothly settled in the pockets of Duvalier and his entourage.

Having suppressed the putsch in 1958, the dictator assumed emergency powers and, with the help of the Tonton Macoutes, launched mass terror. During the reign of the dictator, more than 50 thousand people were executed in the country. 300 thousand people fled the country.

Three years later, he dissolved parliament. In the ballot elections, voters were offered only one candidate by the name of Duvalier for the main post in the country. After the votes were counted, it was announced that the Haitians "voluntarily elected him for a new term."