The concept of the Ti Bon Ange, or "small good angel," emerges from New Orleans Voodoo traditions and is featured as Key 14 in the New Orleans Voodoo Tarot deck. This archetype represents the core aspect of the soul responsible for will, personality, character, and individuality. In divination and spiritual practice, the Ti Bon Ange serves as a guide toward self-realization, asserting one's true identity, and overcoming obstacles to the expression of the True Self. It is distinct from the Gros Bon Ange, which is associated with memory and the broader psyche. The Ti Bon Ange is described as the Persona generated by the Soul, distinct from the man-made personality influenced by societal structures. It is born of the union between the Soul and the Great Creatrix.
The imagery associated with Key 14 depicts a woman carrying a clay jar on her head while the Ti Bon Ange dives into the jar hands first. This clay jar, or canari, serves as a vessel for the Ti Bon Ange, providing protection from malevolent magic and the vagrancies of chance. It can be entrusted to a priestess or priest for safekeeping. This concept parallels the Cauldron depicted on the Thoth Art card, representing the body itself as the vessel where the Spirit and Soul combine. When the True Self possesses the body, the body becomes the safe container for the original personality.
In the context of Tarot, Key 14 corresponds to the card traditionally known as Temperance, but here referred to as Art in the Thoth deck. This card traverses the Path of Samekh on the Qabalistic Tree of Life, connecting Yesod (Foundation/Moon) to Tiphareth (Beauty/Sun). This path represents the journey from the small ego or personality to the Higher Self. The Art card signifies alchemy and the Great Work ("As above, so below"), involving self-control and self-sacrifice. It represents the restriction and control over the forces of existence, often described as a difficult path of balancing opposing forces.
The Nature of the Ti Bon Ange
The Ti Bon Ange is one of the dualistic aspects of the soul within Voodoo theology. It is specifically responsible for the individual's personality, character, and willpower. The term originates from Haitian Creole, derived from the French "petit bon ange," meaning "little good angel."
Unlike the Gros Bon Ange, which is the source of memory and personhood and leaves the body during sleep or possession rituals to allow a Loa to enter, the Ti Bon Ange is the seat of individuality and conscience. It is the voice likened to conscience that guides choices and defines the individual through the roads or paths chosen in life.
The Ti Bon Ange is described as being "clothed in light." It stands above the Abyss, casting light over the dark waters of the Universal Collective Unconscious. This light beckons the personality homeward to the soul, urging a remembrance of the Great Oath taken when "naught-0 became two-8," referencing the lemniscate of Western Qabalah (0=2). This signifies the turning and returning to the Solar Self or Sun/Soul.
The Tarot Key 14: Art and Temperance
The New Orleans Voodoo Tarot Key 14 is titled "Ti Bon Ange." In traditional Tarot decks, this key is often called "Temperance." The imagery of Temperance implies the heating and cooling of forged steel to make a keen, flexible blade or the slow cooling process of tempering glass. This process aligns with the Art Card's Path of Samekh (meaning "Prop"), which is attributed to the restriction and control over the forces of existence.
Master Theron, in his book 777, commented on the letter Samekh, stating: "Art is the term used to describe alchemy. Art is 'The Womb preserving Life. Self-control and Self-sacrifice govern the Wheel.'" The path leads from Yesod (the Foundation, associated with the Moon and self-reflection) to Tiphareth (Beauty, associated with the Sun and the Solar Source).
This journey is described as very difficult, where the enormity of the Great Work is experienced. It is the path of moving from the "small ego" and/or personality to the Higher Self.
The Canari and Spiritual Protection
A significant remedial and spiritual practice associated with the Ti Bon Ange involves the use of a canari, a small clay jar. This jar is entrusted to a priestess or priest and can be retrieved at any time. The purpose of this practice is to provide a measure of protection from malevolent magic and the vagrancies of chance.
The concept of entrusting a talisman of one's essence to a loved one before undertaking a dangerous etheric or astral journey was also practiced by Sorcerers of the New World. However, the text suggests a more profound internal application: if the man-made persona has been exorcised from the brain and the Solar You/Soul possesses the body, the body itself becomes the "clay jar." In this state, the original personality is safe at home within the body. This is likened to the Cauldron of Kaput (German for "dead") on the Thoth Art card, signifying the body as the golden cauldron where Spirit and Soul combine under the baptism of the combined water and fire of self.
Psychological and Qabalistic Correlations
The purpose of Hermetic, Qabalistic, and Gnostic symbols, such as the Ti Bon Ange, is to furnish descriptions that are relatable. Focusing on one symbol at a time makes them accessible. The symbolic language of the Mysteries has been superseded by the language of Carl Jung and other psychologists. Jung referred to the ability to consciously control visions as "lucid dreaming," which is known to help individuals correct personality disorders.
Robert Wang, in The Qabalistic Tarot, explains that the metals described in alchemical literature correspond to the Seven Chakras of the Hindus, the Seven Planets, and the Sephiroth of the Microprosopus (the lower seven on the Tree of Life). These terms serve as codes for seven distinct levels of objective consciousness. Therefore, when a Planet is said to rule a Sign of the Zodiac, it signifies the relationship of a Sign to a given center of energy in both the Greater Universe and the Human body.
The Art Card is the sign of Sagittarius, ruled by the planet Jupiter, which corresponds to the 4th Sephiroth, Chesed (Mercy). The goal of the Qabalistic initiate is the Art of awakening these Paths in the Human Body, aiming to "Know Thyself" and understand the "As above, so below" nature of the Whole Self.
The Duality of the Soul in Haitian Vodou
In Haitian Vodou, the soul is viewed as multifaceted. The Ti Bon Ange is the conscience that allows for self-reflection and self-criticism. It is the aspect of the soul that defines individuality. The Gros Bon Ange, conversely, is the psyche and the source of memory and personhood.
During rituals of possession, it is the Gros Bon Ange that must be prepared well and separated from the initiate to allow the spirit (the lwa) to enter in its place. The phenomenon of the spirit entering the body involves displacing elements of the participant’s psyche. This reveals complex gender dynamics, as any person can be a receptacle for either male or female lwa, regardless of the gender or sexuality of the possessed. This performativity includes concepts of transqueer possession, where a male spirit may mount a female practitioner and vice versa.
In this context, the Ti Bon Ange remains the core of the individual's will and personality, distinct from the displaced psyche during possession.
Tarot Divination with Key 14
When the Key 14 - Ti Bon Ange appears in a divination, it carries specific implications:
- A call to action based on who you are and your place in the world.
- Assertion of Self.
- Discovery of the True Self (Greater Self).
- An overcoming of obstacles to the expression of the True Self.
- The realization that "Your presence is enough."
This card encourages the querent to rely on their inner will and individuality, asserting their true nature rather than a constructed persona.
Conclusion
The Ti Bon Ange represents the essential, light-clad aspect of the individual's soul, governing will, personality, and character. Through the lens of Tarot, specifically Key 14, it guides the seeker on the alchemical path of Art, moving from the reflection of the Moon to the brilliance of the Sun. The practices associated with it, such as the use of the canari, offer spiritual protection, while the deeper understanding of the soul's duality provides insight into the nature of self and possession. Ultimately, the Ti Bon Ange calls for the assertion of the True Self, emphasizing that the presence of the authentic soul within the body is sufficient for spiritual and personal fulfillment.