e Catholic religion, and the non-traditional society which focuses on religion of Voudoun. She describes the schism between the two groups as a gulf between two virtually distinct societies. There would be no problem, of course, if the gulf was real in every area, but in reality it is the traditional, Catholic middle- and upper-class "which governs the country, and represents it in all its economic, social and political contacts with the world" (15). This governing, traditional class expresses disdain for Voudoun, a disdain not shared by the author. Deren says her book, in fact,
was inspired by the conviction that this is a religion of major stature, rare poetic vision and artistic expression, and that it contains a pantheon of divinities which, in astronomical terminology, could be called a constellation of first magnitude (15).
Basically, in Deren's analysis, the non-traditional religion of Voudoun posits a human being who embodies divine and moral principles and makes those principles an integral part of his everyday life. This stands in opposition to the traditional Catholic religion which, says Deren, effectively separates the body from the spirit and the rel
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