Who is Exu?

 

Who is Exu? There is no simple answer. For some he is a devil, for others a spirit, for some an ancestor, and still for others a god. Each Temple, each lineage, each person, will have various views on the Exu of Quimbanda.

First and foremost, Exu is agency. The ability to choose. An engagement with the world where the only thing we are bound to is the outcome of our actions. There is no moral high ground here, only a choice- which road will you take?If we know how to call, how to salute, how to appease, how to offer, how to relate, Exu may give good counsel, or even walk awhile with us. Exu is a choice made with open eyes, “the devil we know” to help navigate the world we don’t.

Laroyé!

Photo taken by Jesse Hathaway Diaz
Originally posted on Instagram @cabulamavilekitulakianjila
Reposted on Cabula Mavile Kitula kia Njila