Simbi · Water, Rainbow
and Magic in Voodoo

In Haitian Vodou there is not one Simbi but an entire family of Simbi Loa. Each one bears an epithet, and each has their own domain. What connects them is water — more precisely: freshwater. While Agwe and La Sirène rule over the sea, the Simbi are lords of the rivers, the springs, the rains, the underground currents. And they are the mediators of magic.

This article goes deeper into a theme from the Voodoo overview "The Loa · the Voodoo Pantheon". It describes the Simbi family in overview and shows why they are so central to practical shamanic work.

The African roots

The name "Simbi" comes from the Kongo region (Bakongo culture). There the Nsimbi are water spirits living in rivers, lakes and springs. In the diaspora — dragged with the enslaved to Haiti, but also to Cuba, New Orleans and Brazil — the Simbi family took its own paths of development. In Haiti it was integrated into the Rada pantheon while retaining traits pointing to its Kongolese origin.

A particular aspect: in some traditions the Simbi Loa are held to be guardians of children who died in water. This makes them protectors of those gone too early, and mediators between the world of the living and the souls of children in the other world. That is a tender, sometimes painful dimension of their work.

The most important Simbi variants

The Simbi family is large. The most common aspects:

• Simbi Dlo (Simbi dan Lo or Simbi Dlo) · the classical freshwater Loa · lord of springs and rivers
• Simbi Andezo · "Simbi between the waters" · who lives on the boundary between fresh and salt water · mediator between Rada and Petro
• Simbi Makaya · the Petro aspect · the sorcerer-Simbi, working with fast forces
• Gran Simba · the older, feminine form · matriarch of the Simbi family
• Simbi Anpaka · specialized in plant magic · the herb Simbi

Each aspect has its own preferences, colors, rhythms. Whoever works with Simbi learns over time to distinguish which aspect is currently being addressed.

Simbi as mediator of magic

Perhaps the most important function of the Simbi: they are the Loa who work with magic. Spells, talismans, healing utterances, energetic work at particular sites — all of this falls into Simbi's domain. Whoever wishes to perform a magical action calls Simbi to it. He is the technician among the Loa — the one who knows the practical side of hidden work.

This distinguishes him from Damballah (who works creatively, not pointedly-magically), from Papa Legba (who opens but does not himself work magically), from Ogou (who acts iron-hard, but not with fine magic). Simbi is the Loa of the fine tool. Anyone doing spiritual work with talismans, incense, consecrated herbs, charm bottles, works in his field.

Simbi does not make the great gesture. He makes the precise movement. He is the goldsmith among the Loa — one who achieves the greatest effects with the smallest tools.

The rainbow as connection

In some traditions Simbi is connected with the rainbow — which brings him into proximity with Damballah and especially Ayida Wedo. The connection: water and light, which together form the rainbow. The rainbow is in many shamanic cultures a bridge symbol — the connection between worlds. Simbi as water Loa and as mediator stands precisely at this bridge.

Practically: where a rainbow stands in the sky, Simbi's presence is palpable. Some practitioners pause for a moment when they see a rainbow and greet him inwardly. That is a simple and effective way to tend the relationship.

Offerings and ways of working

The Simbi Loa are more varied in their preferences than the great individual Rada figures, but a few constants can be named:

• Freshwater · from a spring, not from the tap, when possible
• Green and rainbow-colored elements · cloths, glass beads
• Herbs and plants · especially aquatic ones or those growing by water · mint, watercress, reed
• Small magic tools · candles, incense, colored threads, crystals
• Stillness · Simbi dislikes loud veneration · quiet, concentrated work

A Simbi altar is often smaller and more unobtrusive than a Damballah or Erzulie altar. It should have the character of a workshop — a place where work is done, not where display is made.

Simbi at Shamanic Worlds

In the Vodou lineage at Shamanic Worlds Simbi is called especially in work with talismans and consecrated objects. Whoever makes protective amulets, personal charm bottles or consecrated plant preparations asks Simbi for accompaniment. Without him these objects are less sustainable — with him they become effective tools.

For people seeking a quieter, inward relationship with Vodou — without the great loud ceremonies — Simbi is often the ideal entry. His work is delicate. It demands patience and exact observation. And it rewards the practitioner with a capacity valuable in every shamanic tradition: the ability to work purposefully with the invisible side of things.