?>>?Perhaps more so today than ever before, people are simultaneously searching for meaning in their lives and grasping for some sort of control over their futures. It should come as no surprise that many look to magick as a means of gaining this control. Exu is a powerful spirit who functions as Divine Messenger and Gatekeeper to the Spirit World. He sits at the Crossroads offering choices and possibilities to humankind. Exu represents balance: day and night, old age and youth, black and white, construction and destruction. He encompasses male sexuality, strength and fertility, and is privy to the mysteries of life and death. Exu is the lord of chaos and trickery, and the keeper of the life force/energy (ash?(C)). Nothing can be accomplished in the human world or the spirit world without the permission of Exu. Perhaps the most distinguishing characteristic of Exu is his transformative power. He is the one that has the power to break tradition, to question the rules, to breach the norm, and to promote change. Exu is particularly honored because of his role as Messenger to the Gods, which allows him to move freely among all of the domains of the Orisha. Consequently, he is not considered to be an actual Orisha. Instead, he embodies the essence of all of the Orishas and his power is immeasurable. Without Exu, none of the Orishas can manifest their power.

Exu, the Divine Trickster and Master Magician is one of Planet Voodoo's Applied Magick Handbook Series. It was written for the uninitiated and is meant to assist the reader in understanding the complex deity and related family of deities known as Exu.