St. Expedite

On April 19th, we celebrated the feast day of Saint Expedite and Papa Gede Limbo Lakwa. Papa Gede’s other feast day is November 2nd or All Souls’ Day. Papa Gede Limbo Lakwa or Gede Nibo is associated with Saint Expedite. We serve Gede Nimbo on Mondays by giving him his food, candles, coffee, and gin. He is able to rain money onto people, send other dead to an enemy, divine one’s fortune, release people from jail quickly, heal children, and so much more. He can bring gambling luck, wisdom, strength, prosperity, and courage. He is the most entertaining comedian of all the Lwa. He is Papa Guede because he’s the head of thousands of Guede. He’s a psychopomp and a powerful leader over the dead in the cemetery. He is also a great protector and overseer. He may save his servidors from fire, increase their business, and give protection from car accidents.

He’s the first son of Baron and a guardian of children. He may warn when there’s danger. Gede Limbo has miraculous abilities to accomplish requests quickly. He sends newly dead to do his work. While the dead work on his behalf, he’s playing cards or dice games and dancing. He is scandalous and known for being crude. He enjoys his money and eating. He doesn’t want to share his money and food with others, except children. Papa Gede comes to receive his offerings, but he rarely consults in 21 Divisiones, only if he has something very important to say. He may choose to give out winning lotto numbers.

Papa Gede in 21 Divisiones and Brav Gede of Haitian Vodou are similar. We serve Gede Limbo with the colors red, yellow, green, purple, black, and white. Some of his food offerings include black beans and rice, smoked herring, cake, boiled tubers with peppers, and a quartered orange with a white charm or sabbath candle inside. We serve his food offerings in jicara or calabash bowls. He enjoys drink offerings, including gin, rum, black coffee without sugar, and piman (rum with scotch bonnet peppers soaked in it). He also accepts red and white roses, cigars, two cigarettes at a time, and money. His tools include dice, playing cards, glasses missing a lens, straw or black hat, walking stick, banana leaves, and djakout or macuto (straw bag).

Consider working with Gede Limbo when you need help speeding up a process, are working towards a goal, feel progress is too slow, and are tired of waiting. If your situation is blocked, experiencing delays, detained or hindered, Gede Limbo can help you get it moving in a positive direction. Papa Gede can bring movement and progress in situations that have stalled for weeks, months, or even years. Some people finally win lawsuits after battling for years. Some finalize bitter divorces. Some find jobs after periods of unsuccessful searches but before unemployment runs out. When working with Gede Limbo, you will need to obtain a statue or an image of Saint Expedite and put it in a corner on the floor.

To petition him, you would use a sabbath candle or a 7-day candle, depending on your situation. You can give a small offering while he is working your case. When your case is resolved and you have received your results, you should give his offering very soon after. Since you experienced fast results, you should give him his offering just as quickly, unless you promised it on a certain day. You can leave offerings on his altar for three, seven, or nine days. When the offering is finished, you can leave it in a crossroads or cemetery.

Here is a prayer to petition him:

Saint Expedite, you lay in rest. I come to you and ask that this wish be granted. (State your request) Expedite now what I ask of you. Expedite now what I want of you, this very second. Don’t waste another day. Give me what I ask for. I know your power, I know you because of your work. I know you can do it. Do this for me and I’ll spread your name with love and honor and cause your name to be invoked. Expedite this wish with speed, love, honor, and goodness. Glory to you, Saint Expedite!