Devils and Whores, Murderers and Thieves, Clerics and Sorcerers. These are the 'Good People' of Quimbanda, the spirits of earth and fire that stir lust and desire, grant luck and vengeance, and protect those who serve them. Statues and iron tridents covered in palm oil and blood, the air thick with tobacco and the smell of cachaça and gunpowder – what *is* Quimbanda?

Quimbanda is a spiritual system born in and because of Brazil itself: a child of West African magic and world-view mixed with Indigenous plant and spirit lore and some glossings of European witchcraft and sorcery. Originally a possession cult focusing on spirit contact and pragmatic workings, it has become a complex system incorporated into Umbanda and some lineages of Candomble, as well as surviving and adapting as its own practice. It has gained increasing popularity in the past few years due to material now available in English, but initiates are still less common here in the States.

Drawing from his knowledge and sixteen years of experience as a Tata Quimbanda, Tata Apokan (Cabula Mavile Kitula kia Njila, New York – Quimbanda de Angola & Kimbanda Kongo) will explore the worldview and spirits of Quimbanda, going into the various Exus and Pombagiras that find their home here at the crossroads of Fire. We will discuss its history and influences, and the nature and qualities of the Seven Kingdoms and how to approach them. We will discuss the importance of possession and divination, and showcase a few workings of traditional Quimbanda. We will look at the day to day of the terreiros (temples) and communities, and as well as the tools, technologies, and initiatic rituals of this rich magical system, and compare the way different prominent lineages view these spirits and how they work with them.

Last offered in 2019, and now with two additional sessions and constantly updated material, this course is a rare opportunity to deep dive into the world of Quimbanda on a foundational level, which allows for better personal study both inside and outside available modalities of initiation and learning. The course is not meant as a how-to, although planned future courses will be more directly hands-on to continue the study from the theoretical to the practical. The course will allow the student to more comprehensively understand the world of Exu and Pombagira, whether as a basis of praxis or of curiosity and comparative spirituality.

This class is taught in English, and will be six 1.5 hours sessions. Over the six weeks we will look at several key topics, including:

• Roots & Cosmovision: Exploring the histories and worldview of Quimbanda

• The Devil at the Crossroads: Exploring the various manifestations of Exu in Quimbanda, being the male retinue of ancestral messengers and familiar spirits

• A Rose for the Queen of Hell: Exploring the various manifestations of Pombagira in Quimbanda, being the female retinue of ancestral messengers and familiar spirits

• Landmarks of the Practice and Variations & Lineages: Exploring the various hallmarks of what is called Quimbanda, the shape of ceremony and ritual, the offerings and technologies on a broad level, a closer examination of possession, the Seven Kingdoms in overview, as well as how different lineages of Quimbanda view the cult and their specific contexts

• Workings and Medicines: Exploring the operative magic of Quimbanda through its workings and medicines both internal and external

• Workings and Medicines: Exploring the operative magic of Quimbanda through its workings and medicines both internal and external

• Temples, Houses, and Workers: Exploring various ways Quimbanda is practiced within Brazil, and increasingly outside it, including profiles of prominent Quimbandeiros

• Engagement: Exploring what it is to engage actively with these spirits, how to do so safely, and what opportunities exist at a distance for those interested.

This class is foundational and appropriate for anyone at any level of knowledge of Quimbanda.