THE DEITIES AND THE SPIRITS OF THE QUIMBANDA PANTHEON

If you are going to have suess in using the s!iritua" !rini!"es of this #oo$ as %e"" as &any of
&y other #oo$s %ritten a#out Qui&#an'a an' (an'o&#"e De (ongo re"igious tra'itions) it is
i&!ortant for you to un'erstan' the re"igious one!t an' s!iritua" funtion of the 'eities an' the
s!irits of the !o%erfu" Qui&#an'a !antheon* By un'erstan'ing the s!iritua" one!t of the
Qui&#an'a &agio+re"igious syste& you %i"" #e a#"e see very fast an' s!etau"ar resu"ts in your
s!iritua" re,uests*
A"though there are various for&s of tra'itiona" Bra-i"ian Qui&#an'a !ratie' throughout Bra-i"
an' the %or"') an' eah %ith its o%n re"igious vie%s a#out ho% the re"igion shou"' #e !ratie'
an' ho% the Qui&#an'a 'eities an' s!irits shou"' #e organi-e') I %i"" !resent to you in this #oo$
the &agio+re"igious syste& an' re"igious !hi"oso!hy as !ratie' #y the &e&#ers of the
A&erian (an'o&#"e (hurh* It has #een esti&ate' that there are over ./)000 Qui&#an'a
re"igious te&!"es in !resent 'ay Bra-i"* Qui&#an'a te&!"es are a""e' Terreiro 1#a$yar'2 or
Ten'a 1tent2* In Bra-i" eah of the Qui&#an'a te&!"es are autono&ous re"igious organi-ations
that fous aroun' a entra" s!iritua" "ea'er*
The s!iritua" "ea'er of the tra'itiona" Qui&#an'a te&!"e is a""e' 3Tata Nganga4 or 3Pai De
Santo4* Both %or's &eaning 3Father of the Mysteries of the S!irits4* The A&erian (an'o&#"e
(hurh is the first an' on"y $no%n "ega" re"igious organi-ation in the Unite' States that e5ists in
the %or"' that has #een for&a""y organi-e' an' struture' %ith &e&#ers fro& a"" aroun' the
%or"' an' fro& every %a"$ of "ife*
This #oo$ %i"" on"y e5!"ore the s!iritua" &ysteries of The Seven 6esser Qui&#an'a 7ing'o&s of
the 'eity &ore o&&on"y $no%n as E5u* The Qui&#an'a re"igious !hi"oso!hy #e"ieves that the
Universe an' Earth are 'ivi'e' into Seven 7ing'o&s or s!iritua" rea"&s* Eah of these s!iritua"
rea"&s has #een a!!ointe' %ith s!iritua" guar'ians #y N-a&#i*
These 'eities %ere !"ae' there #y N-a&#i to govern over these rea"&s %here these s!irits
resi'e* Eah of the Seven Qui&#an'a $ing'o&s 'ea"s %ith various as!ets of ho% &an$in'
re"ates to the s!irits as foun' in nature* The Qui&#an'a one!t is very o&!"e5) #ut I %i"" try to
e5!"ain it in a si&!"e o&!rehen'i#"e &anner for the !ur!ose of this #oo$ the s!iritua" !rini!"es
an' sare' theo"ogy of the Qui&#an'a re"igious tra'ition of the A&erian (an'o&#"e (hurh*
The Qui&#an'a !antheon of 'eities an' s!irits is o&!ose' of seven 182 outer Qui&#an'a
7ing'o&s an' seven 182 inner Qui&#an'a 7ing'o&s* These sare' $ing'o&s are $no%n as) The
9reater Qui&#an'a 7ing'o&s an' The 6esser 7ing'o&s*
The rea"& of Heaven %here N-a&#i resi'es is not onsi'ere' a ategory of one of the
Qui&#an'a 7ing'o&s #eause he is the 3(reator4 an' it is on"y through his 3Divine 9rae4 that
a"" of the outer an' inner $ing'o&s e5ist* In the Qui&#an'a re"igious syste&) N-a&#i is
onsi'ere' &asu"ine #ut an reate 'ua"ity in his %or$ an' in his sare' reations*
The first three 1:2 7ing'o&s of the Qui&#an'a 'eities are &ore o&&on"y $no%n as the
Qui&#an'a Trinity* The Qui&#an'a Trinity is o&!ose' of the three 'eities) E5u Maiora") E5u Rei
an' Maria Pa'i""a Reina* Together these three !o%erfu" s!iritua" fores govern the great os&os
an' the universa" "a%s of the Earth for N-a&#i* That is %hy the re"igious !ratitioners of the
Qui&#an'a re"igion venerate these three 'eities*
The veneration of the Qui&#an'a Trinity is a entra" s!iritua" #e"ief of our faith* Re"igious
!ratitioners of Qui&#an'a #e"ieve that the 'eities of the Qui&#an'a !antheon %ere !"ae' there
#y N-a&#i to %ath over the Universe an' over the ations of &an$in'*
;ithin the rea"& of the outer onfines of the 7ing'o&s of the Qui&#an'a Trinity there are foun'
the &ysteries of the inner The Seven 9reater Qui&#an'a 7ing'o&s an' The Seven 6esser
Qui&#an'a 7ing'o&s* The Seven 6esser Qui&#an'a 7ing'o&s are governe' #y an' ru"e' over
#y the Qui&#an'a 'eities of 7ing) E5u Rei an' the Queen) Maria Pa'i""a Reina* The 'eity Queen)
Maria Pa'i""a Reina is a"so $no%n as Po&#a 9ira #y the re"igious !ratitioners of the Qui&#an'a
re"igious faith* The 'eities 7ing) E5u Rei an' the Queen) Maria Pa'i""a Reina are #e"ieve' to have
seven 'ifferent s!iritua" !aths %hih are s!"it a&ong The Seven 6esser Qui&#an'a 7ing'o&s*
Eah of The Seven 6esser Qui&#an'a 7ing'o&s is governe' over #y a 'istint s!iritua" !ath of
the 'eities) 7ing E5u Rei an' the Queen) Maria Pa'i""a Reina* ;ithin eah of The Seven 6esser
Qui&#an'a 7ing'o&s) there are < (hief 9uar'ian S!irits of E5u an' Po&#agiras* These (hief
9uar'ian S!irits of E5u an' Po&#agiras are there to assist the $ing an' the ,ueen of eah one of
The Seven 6esser Qui&#an'a 7ing'o&s*

Eah one of these (hief 9uar'ian S!irits of E5u an' Po&#agiras are assoiate' %ith a s!eifi
s!iritua" tas$ an' assign&ent to s!iritua""y assist &an$in'* These E5u an' Po&#agira s!irits
o!erate un'er the 'iret o&&an' of the 7ing 1E=U2 an' Queen 1REINA2 that govern a !artiu"ar
Qui&#an'a 7ing'o&*
In the fo""o%ing e5!"anation of The Seven 9reater Qui&#an'a 7ing'o&s an' The Seven 6esser
Qui&#an'a 7ing'o&s) the %or' 'eity refers to a high"y evo"ve' s!iritua" fore that N-a&#i !"ae'
in harge of a !artiu"ar Qui&#an'a 7ing'o& an' the %or' s!irit 1N$isi2 refers to a s!iritua" fore
that is su#&issive to the 'eity s!irits*
In #oth ases) #oth fores 'o&inate an' have a !o%erfu" ontro" an' inf"uene over the 'estiny
of hu&an #eings* A"though the Qui&#an'a re"igious tra'ition #e"ieves that these s!iritua" entities
have a great i&!at an' inf"uene on the "ives an' 'estiny of a"" hu&an #eings) %e a"so #e"ieve
that N-a&#i at the &o&ent of the 3Divine At of (reation4 gave hu&an #eings the u"ti&ate 'ivine
gift %hih is 3free'o& of hoie4 an' the free'o& to 'ei'e %hat !ath %e shou"' ta$e in this "ife*
This i&!ortant one!t is one of the Seven Prini!"es of the Qui&#an'a Universa" (os&i 6a%s*
In the Qui&#an'a re"igious tra'ition there is no 3right4 an' there is no 3%rong*4 There are on"y
onse,uenes that resu"t #eause of our hoies an' fro& our 'eisions*
The Qui&#an'a s!irits an' 'eities %ere !"ae' here #y N-a&#i to assist &an$in' %ith %hatever
'eisions that %e &ay hose an' to s!iritua""y assist us in &anifesting our 'esires* That is %hy
the Qui&#an'a re"igious tra'ition is entere' on the veneration of the s!iritua" 'eity $no%n as
E5u* E5u is the Divine Messenger of the (rossroa's of "ife* ;hen %e 'ei'e to &a$e a 'eision)
E5u is a"%ays there !resent re&in'ing us that there %i"" #e onse,uenes to our ations #eause
%e have 3free'o& of hoie4* The rossroa's of "ife re!resent the &any onse,uenes or !aths
that &ay o&e our %ay #eause of our hoies an' #eause %e have 3free'o& of hoie4* The
re"igious !ratitioners of the Qui&#an'a re"igious tra'ition #e"ieve that the s!iritua" one!t of
3free'o& of hoie4 is a 3Divine Privi"ege4 #esto%e' u!on &an$in' #y N-a&#i* 3Free'o& of
hoie4 is not a right> it is a gift fro& 9o'*