A True-Crime Exposé

By Dr. Harrell Rhome

Copyright ©2010 All Rights Reserved.

Harrell lives on the Texas Gulf Coast where he researches and writes about history, current events, world religions and metaphysics, his articles appearing in print publications and online. Look for his recent essays and research pieces on

This e-book feature is published in both Microsoft Word and Adobe pdf formats.

As some of you surely know, a search for truth can sometimes be a most elusive and confounding path, and may put you on a route never anticipated, making for a bizarre and curious journey. No matter how many maps consulted, you never know exactly what you will find. Sometimes when we arrive at truth it is like coming home to something resplendent and majestic. But truth is found at other junctures along the road. It should not surprise us, yet it does, that truth can spring forth in dark, often ultra-violent and hideous manifestations, from which we sicken and gag in primal horror – as well as ogle in morbid fascination. Yes, as a Palestinian prophet once said, sometimes the truth will make you free, but often as not, the reality of it may gnaw at you like a perpetually undigested bit of something you really wish you hadn’t eaten!

This exploration begins with controversy, centered on the book which is the source of many illustrative quotations, so I’ll address some key matters at the outset. In many ways, Voodoo and various associated sects are quite frightening, especially when your introduction probably came through a novel such as the one I cite or some even more garish comic book, fantasy magazine or horror movie. Practitioners of the Religion are mostly portrayed as part of a criminal class or as sorcerers practicing black magic and casting evil spells. But, in some ways, the overall image, the religious persona, has changed over of its centuries-old presence in the Americas. The public infatuation with Voodoo and related sects such as Santeria, if anything, has increased. And for better or worse, the overall fear factor has lessened.

Some say the Religion is the oldest extant spiritual belief system in the world. This is a hard claim to verify, but it could be so. Voodooism is an eons-old tradition, mostly coming from West Africa, also at the heart of the slave trade. In some modern forms and in some ways – and as strange as it may sound in light of the ancient traditions of secrecy – certain factions of the Religion are an evangelical and proselytizing faith.

Unless otherwise indicated, the passages cited are from Nicholas Conde, The Religion, 1982.

“The Yoruba were the dominant tribe in the coastal region of Africa from which the slave ships drew their cargo. Having been given the task of bringing the religion across the seas, their dialect remains the special language of all Voodoo. … Even the slave trade was seen as predestined. …as another strategy of the gods to export the religion from Africa, a turnabout on the usual line about bringing the Word to the heathen. We live in times when people everywhere are confused, wracked by doubt about the future, about the very survival of this planet. More than ever we need to be in touch with the gods, to be able to call on their infinite power and wisdom. And the Way exists; our Way. But too many ignore it. Now the gods can no longer tolerate being ignored. They want the unknowing to be educated.”

[Begin quoting.] The very word Voodoo had come from the Dahomean language -- vodun, an all-encompassing word meaning god, or spirit, or sacred object. …

The rituals are held always at night in a cloistered place, shut off from the eyes of the profane. A priest and priestess take up their positions by an altar containing a caged snake. After various ceremonies, believers approach and tell the snake what they most desire. The snake is then put on top of the altar and everyone brings an offering. A goat or other large animal may be sacrificed and the blood, collected in a jar, is then touched to the lips of all present, in token of a pledge to suffer death rather than reveal anything of the ceremony, or even to inflict death on anyone who would break the vow. …

The body of a believer was entered by the spirit of a Voodoo god. Not a devil, which many religions believed in, but a god. A benign possession, one that was good, and not to be feared….The explanation of the mystic trance given by the disciples is simple. A god moves into the head of a man after first driving out ‘the good angel’—one of the two souls everyone is believed to carry within himself. The eviction of this soul is responsible for the trembling and convulsion which happens at the beginning of a possession.” …

To be entirely fair, it should be noted that many Voodoo sects and its practitioners (such as New Orleans Voodoo) totally disavow animal sacrifices. Moreover, it is the Santeria religion and similar sects, not so much the Voodooists, who routinely sacrifice animals in their rituals.

THE RELIGION, AN INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY.

“Vaudou is an extremely vast universe, an African religion indeed, but also a European religion: in a word, a syncretistic religion that has blended together not only different African cults but also certain beliefs from European folklore.”

“All vaudou believers are in effect excellent Catholics, extremely pious. In their belief, there is no sharp break between the religion that they practice and in which they believe, and the Catholicism in which they are bound. Thus vaudou does not reveal itself as a religion opposed to Catholicism.” Metraux, Voodoo In Haiti.

Most readers may already know, but in Haitian Voodoo and other traditions, the names of Catholic saints are assigned to various Loa. One might burn a candle dedicated to a particular saint, such as St. Barbara, but accompanying rituals would be dedicated to the corresponding Loa, in this case, Chango. Arising in slavery conditions, this Catholic facade somewhat deflected any persecution for practicing the old ways of the Religion. This was the common practice especially in Catholic areas like Haiti and Louisiana. This is now spread to other forms of the Religion as well as to eclectic Hispanic brujeria y curanderismo (witchcraft and folk healing) traditions. This is evident in Mexico and the Southwestern parts of the USA. I am not saying that these genuine Mexican-American folk traditions are the same as Voodoo and other forms of the Religion, but there does seem to be a crossover, especially with Santeria. In many ways, there is not all that much difference between a Santero (Santeria priest) and a Curandero (folk healer) or a Bruja (witch). They deal with essentially the same problems and requests from clients; they use occult rituals; they operate under a Catholic veneer.

Today, the Religion appears under many names. This helpful Wikipedia chart lists the major sects and has clickable links for learning more about them. As you see, the chart includes only religions in the New World, not those in Africa itself. Over there, the Religion has several names; one of them is Juju. The Religion is growing. Some of the faiths listed below did not arise until the early twentieth century.

VOODOO AND MAGIC ARE INSEPERABLE.

“Many Haitians, in their anxiety to clear Voodoo of the charges which have so often been leveled against it, oppose the cult of loa and magic with the utmost vigour. To make this distinction (between the worship of the loa and magic) is only possible if the word ‘magic’ is restricted to meaning black magic and sorcery. In other words, the Voodooist regards as ‘magic’ any rite accomplished with evil intent, with or without the cooperation of loa. This essentially moral criterion could hardly be adopted in these pages. We must take – and have taken – magic to include any manipulation of occult forces, for any use made of the virtues or properties immanent in things and in human beings and any technique through which the supernatural world becomes submissive to domination and exploitation for personal ends.”

“Taken in this sense magic is inextricably mixed up in what people are pleased to call ‘the Voodoo religion’. Public ceremonies of homage to the gods always include elements which really pertain to sympathetic magic and which neither prayers, offerings nor sacrifices are able to disguise.” Metraux.

ORISHAS AND LOAS.

I cannot overemphasize the importance of the Seven African Powers in the Religion. This is a basic and central ancient Yoruban belief, an important part of many ritual observances. Believe me, there is much more to say, but here is a brief overview, describing the beginning of a ritual. As you see, the Seven Powers are addressed as gods.

Voodoo is essentially polytheistic, but ultimately there is a belief in one god, a Unitarian godhead. In the Yoruban faith, the supreme god is called Olodumare, but also known by other names. An Orisha (or Loa) is the spiritual presence of the high god. The supreme deity in Haitian Creole’ is sometimes called, Bondye or Bon Dieu, the Good God. Talk with houngans, mambos and the common believers. Just as no one will deny Jesus, no one denies that God is One; hence modern Voodoo can interact with mainline religions as well as other alternative faiths such as Rastafarianism, Nation of Islam, etc. The gods are not inherently evil. They incorporate all aspects of life. Hence, Voodoo and its gods have no real moral code in the sense of Western culture and spirituality.

THE RELIGION, EVIL INTENTIONS AND ANIMAL SACRIFICE.

Certain dark rites and rituals are intended to harm others. The ubiquitous and well-known “Voodoo Doll” stands out as the most visible symbol. The intent is obvious and the malicious mindset readily transfers to other more nefarious activities. Forensic psychologists and psychiatrists agree that sadistic criminals and murderers often have a criminal profile that includes cruelty to animals. Animal sacrifice is a ritual archetypal phenomenon found in most world religions. Indeed, it was the central rite of the old Hebrew Temple in Jerusalem. Animal sacrifices were surely among the earliest religious ritual ceremonies practiced by ancient humans. The growing Santeria religion has brought international focus to the issue, especially in Florida, where Santeria, Macumba and other forms of the Religion are successful Cuban imports. Of course, other extremist religions like some so-called Satanists do similar things with the helpless animals. In modern enlightened religions, the acts of animal sacrifice were given up centuries and centuries ago, as they should have been. As said, many Voodoo practitioners have given up the practice and disavow it. However, this has not happened across the board. In Africa, it is widespread, along with even worse ritual crimes.

This is a book review, accompanied by explicit text material, from Blood Secrets: The True Story Of Demon Worship And Ceremonial Murder by Isaiah Oke as told to Joe Wright, Buffalo: Prometheus Books, 1989. It was reprinted in paperback, but as far as I can tell, Oke never wrote another thing. His photo which appeared on the hardcover first edition, seems to be his only extant image, and does not appear via Internet search engines. I’m sure there’s a good reason for this. Nonetheless, and since it appeared as a cover photo, I’ll make a contribution to the online history of this fascinating story by reproducing both the front cover and the photo. The later Christian convert is shown in his ceremonial attire as a Juju Babalorisha high priest. I hope Isaiah Oke is safe and well and I wish him all the best, wherever he may be. In some ways, I hoped he would write more, but as you’ll see, perhaps he said just enough – or maybe much too much. You decide.

This African folk religion is called by many names; many call it Juju. Juju is a blood cult. Almost every ritual involves animal sacrifice and use of blood. According to Oke this does not stop with animals, ultimately moving to human sacrifice. The practice of ritual murder is an “open secret” in West African countries, but seldom addressed directly. As you will see, Oke links the widespread Juju blood rites to the overwhelmingly rapid spread of AIDS. This unique and shocking book truly reveals all about the primitive and cruel practices of a religion that is growing and thriving both in Africa and in the Americas through its derivatives such as Voodoo, Palo Mayombe, Macumba, Santeria, et al.

[Begin quoting.] There are two levels of Juju; one for all believers, and a special one which is only for those who have advanced training. One of the characteristics that all varieties of Juju have in common is the secrecy that characterizes Juju at the higher level of practice. I was undergoing the initiation to the higher level. Before an initiate undergoes any of the rituals, he is made to understand that death will surely follow if he should ever tell any of the secrets he learns. And, as you will see, my fellow Jujumen would do their best to see to it that the prediction came true in my case.

Many in the West want to believe that all this -- Juju, blood sacrifice, ritual killing, human sacrifice -- is something from the distant past, a relic of darkest Africa from the days before it was ‘civilized’ by the white man. That belief is far more comforting than the truth.

DESCRIPTION OF AN AFRICAN RITUAL MURDER.

Warning: this material may offend and shock some readers.

Isaiah Oke includes a chilling and grotesque description of an actual ceremonial homicide. This is a true story of horror, torture and terror far beyond anything in a Stephen King or Clive Barker novel. The setting of this human sacrifice is part of Oke’s initiation or ordination as a Babalorisha, or high priest of the Juju cult. He was groomed to succeed his grandfather in a transgenerational line of Babalorishas. Isaiah has already been named a Babalawo, a local priest of the animist cult. This experience with the “Doctor” leads him into far more than he had expected. You will not encounter anywhere a more frightening testimony to the very real existence of the powers of evil.

[Begin quoting. Explanatory notes added.]

“He [the Colonel] grabbed up a scalpel and thrust it into the white man’s side to a depth of several inches. The white man screamed and flecks of blood flew from his mouth all the way to the ceiling. The Doctor grabbed the scalpel out of the Colonel’s hand and threw it to the tile floor with a clang. ‘Do you wish this man to go to the Orisha having died an ordinary death? Can you afford to indulge your anger if it creates such waste?’ he shouted. The Colonel instantly looked regretful and almost abashed.

I looked around the room. The two soldiers seemed to be as shocked and unsettled as I was. But the Colonel was vastly amused by the incident. ... I was surprised to see an erection bulging under the sharply creased pants of the uniform. ... He dropped the capsule on the floor and turned to look at his collection of scalpels on the tray. ‘It is right that you should be afraid,’ he said over his shoulder. ‘That is the purpose of this ritual, to send you to the spirits in such a state that they cannot help but notice you. Only then can you be effective in pleading the Colonel’s case. I will put you in such a state by using pain. Think on this and know fear.’ He turned back to the table, his fingers stroking the handle of a gleaming scalpel. ‘You are alone,’ .... ‘You are lost. There is nothing you can do. Think on this and know fear.’ ... The first cut made by the Doctor was much more disciplined than the Colonel’s wild stabbing. He set the blade just above the sternum and a bit to the left. He let it sink into the white man’s flesh to a distance of perhaps a centimeter or so, just enough to separate the top layer of skin from the underlying tissue. He drew it downward evenly in a perfectly straight line until he got to the pubic hair. I could see the skin spread back behind the knife; it reminded me of plowing a furrow in a place like Georgia, where the soil is red, because a thin trickle of blood oozed up behind the blade as it passed. Without pausing, Drago went back up to the starting point. He moved his blade a little further to the left and proceeded to cut another track, as straight as the first.

Then he made a short cut up at the top of the man’s chest. ....

[For the sake of brevity and not to belabor what is already a horrible and frightening account, I omit a rather long and painfully detailed description of the central portion of the ritual, where the victim is skinned and Isaiah is compelled to participate. If you must know more, you should get his book.]

‘If it is the same,’ [that is, skinning a man as one skin’s an animal] ‘there is no reason you should not continue to remove the strips while I make the cuts.’ There were tears in my eyes, but he stood as cool as ever. He twined his fingers sinuously through my hair as he tried to comfort me just as though he were my grandfather.

‘I do need your help ... there is much to be done and little time to do it. I know this ritual can be difficult the first time. But remember your grandfather [a hereditary Babalorisha], do it for his honor if for no other....’ ‘Grandfather?’ I said. ‘Surely my grandfather could never have carried out this kind of ritual!’ A smile cracked the Doctor’s face. ‘No? Who do you think taught it to me? Of course, the old man only did it for your village, because he thought it would bring your people power and good fortune [the basic magical goal of the ceremony]. I don’t think he ever did it for a client, in fact, I doubt if he ever made ten naira in his whole life from his juju.’ The vague air of sympathy disappeared and he became all business again. ‘Now,’ he said, ‘let’s finish the job. And remember Isaiah: You can no more change what will be happening here today than that poor white man can.’ ... For the next three hours, the Doctor cut and I pulled. As we did, the Colonel talked to the white man, which was difficult at first. But it soon became easier: The white man screamed his voice hoarse and made very little noise after the first few minutes.

I don’t remember much of what the Colonel said to the white man; I felt like I was in one of those dreams where you work all night and wake up tired in the morning. But I remember the Colonel’s main objective because he repeated it to the white man over and over: to eventually take over his country. This the Colonel said again and again until at last, inevitably, the white man became the Colonel’s iko-awo [a captive spirit who serves the cause of another].

It took a little less than the four hours the Doctor had anticipated. By the end, the floor was almost carpeted with the little capsules of Ammonia, as well as with empty syringes. They had contained the drugs that the Doctor injected into the white man as the ritual entered its later stages, when it became harder and harder to bring him back each time he passed out from the agony of his ordeal. I have always told myself that the unknown white man was probably dead by the time I administered the coup de grace. Or that he wouldn’t have wanted to live in the kind of shape he was in and that I actually did him a kindness. These are the things I’ve always told myself about the 201st. cut, which I had to administer. …

After a break during which the Doctor had coffee and the Colonel drank some French wine from a squat bottle one of his men carried, we removed the white man’s entrails. That was a trivial procedure compared to everything else: a couple of quick cuts and done. The Colonel saved the liver in a plastic box that had a blue flower on its side and had a matching top which snapped in place; it looked very festive. Everything else was discarded. The hollow, skinned corpse was much lighter than it had been in life. We washed it and shoved a big iron hook through its back. Then we hung it up in the sky blue wardrobe, like a butcher might hang a chicken in the window. The white man had been tall and his toes nearly dragged on the floor of the cabinet. The Doctor told the Colonel they’d need to be ‘trimmed back’ as the now-empty body stretched out over time. I have heard florists advise people on the care of houseplants in much the same tone of voice. The Colonel had his men carry the wardrobe out to the ambulance. I was detailed to carry the big box of spices and herbs that he would have to apply to the body weekly, to keep the insects and smell under control, until it was fully ‘ripe,’ which would take about a year or so. Then the motorcade set off for the airport and long trip back east, leaving me a day older. BLOOD SECRETS, pp. 106-112. [End quoting.]

MORE INNOCENT VICTIMS: BLOOD RITUALS SPREAD SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES.

In addition to exposing the semi-covert ritual murder cult, Oke promotes yet another controversial theory. He says that the Juju blood rituals are a crucial vector in the spread of HIV and AIDS. This sensible theory was and still is ignored.

“The mystery of AIDS in Africa versus AIDS in the West is that women and men in Africa get it in more or less equal numbers, while in the West, it’s more common among men. Scientists have concocted many elaborate theories to explain this discrepancy, many of which depend on bizarre sexual habits on the part of the entire African population, children included. But one of the things I’ve wondered about is whether there couldn’t be a simpler solution: AIDS is a blood disease, spread by contact with infected blood. And who has more exposure to raw blood than a Jujuman? We cut ourselves and we cut others. We splash blood about. We even drink it. It’s part of our ceremonies, part of our rituals, part of our everyday lives. Men, women, and even children drink blood -- human as well as animal -- as casually as Americans drink cola. Could this be how AIDS is spread among us? How it was able to spread so fast and so far? And how it has affected our men, women, and children so universally?”

“I haven’t heard of any Western doctors or scientists who have seriously considered the possibility that our Juju rituals are responsible for the unique pattern AIDS has made in Africa. In fact those scientists to whom I’ve mentioned the idea dismiss it because they refuse to accept that human sacrifice is as common in Africa as I say it is. I can’t blame them; scientists no more want the gruesome facts of Juju to be true as laymen do.” Blood Secrets, p. 191.

With one in every four persons either infected or carrying AIDS/HIV in Africa (higher in some countries), this theory takes on a special significance. In many ways, this creates a national security risk. In South Africa and other countries, the military and forces are heavily infected. Moreover, younger Africans who would otherwise have served and led in the government and private industry are dead.

This brave man’s insider testimony on all these matters is easily verified by online or library research. Yes, all religions have extremist sects, but that is not the point. In some sects of the West African faiths, evil, truly black magic and sorcery from the Dark Side seem to play essential and ongoing roles. I am sure many believers observe The Religion from a higher spiritual level. Unfortunately there is an overwhelming preponderance at the less enlightened levels, of truly evil and hideously cruel criminal types.

I can’t call my final paragraphs a conclusion; not at all. Sadly, the voices above are correct. There is no end to this matter. These strange and deadly serial crimes continue because there is a cadre of willing and devoted believers who religiously and diligently carry them out. Or as could be in the first case, they inspire an unbalanced want-to-be cultist to act. In terms of ceremonial black magic, the ritual has been performed, regardless of who did it. Through knowledge of arcane cabals and secret societies, we know the sacrificial cannibalistic rituals are done to convey vast magical powers. By the way, it really makes no difference whether you “believe in magic” or not. If a black and evil spell creates a mindset aligned for worldly power and riches at all costs -- especially with the narco cartels and the uncounted billions they control -- then the “magic” has already acted on us all.