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AFRICAN HISTORY & ORIGIN OF THE CROSS

cross-perfect-candle

AFRICAN HISTORY & ORIGIN OF THE CROSS

After reading the article below on the African history and origin of the cross, I think you will find it quite interesting.  The cross has a past that is shrouded in a mystery that has been intentionally hidden from the masses.

nkisi-sarabanda“Nkisi Sarabanda, symbolizing the signature of the spirit, is a representation of a bakongo cosmogram. This symbol portrays how the Congo-angolan people viewed the interaction between the spiritual and material world, or in other words between the living and the dead; the Congo-angolan people believe that these worlds are inherently intertwined. An Nkisi is a spiritual object used for worship purposes, and have been found in places where enslaved Africans have lived… Sarabanda connotes “the highest spirit”. Part of the symbol takes the form of a cross, because the Congolese had an inclination towards Christianity. Communication appears to take place at the center of the cross, where the worlds intersect, and it was believed that spirits sat at the center of the sign. The arrows represent the four winds of the universe, and the symbol as a whole resembles the form of a spiral galaxy; this indicates their interest in astronomy and affinity towards nature.”1

I was surprised to find the above excerpt on a government website, of all places, with a picture of a Bakongo symbol for the Congo nfumbe (spirit), Sara Banda. You can see an equal armed cross encased by a circle.  I felt that the short summary was good up to the part where it stated that part of the symbol takes the form of a cross because the Congolese had an inclination toward Christianity.  This is NOT true!

First of all, let’s look at the word “inclination”.  It means a person’s natural tendency or urge to act or feel in a particular way.  We know throughout history that there was nothing natural about indigenous (native) people abandoning the real Gods and Goddesses of the Universe for a religion that was manmade. We know throughout history that a variety of soft and hard tactics were/are used to force Christianity upon the people of the world. These tactics included gentle brainwashing to brute force. However, native peoples knew about the cross way before the acceptance of Christianity which was out of ignorance, fear and the necessity to live.  Sadly, this is still happening all over the world.

Many years ago I used to think that crosses were a Christian or church “thang”.  Thanks to the ancestors I have been awakened and now I know better. I’m excited to have learned that the Cross is an ancient symbol that came from the STAR BEINGS or SUN BEINGS and this symbol was given to the darker shades of people.  Star Beings have co-existed with the inhabitants of the earth for hundreds of thousand of years.

We have been purposely deceived, mis-guided, mis-educated, and mis-lead by the symbols we see today.  Anyone practicing a spiritual belief other than the so-called main religions of the world is considered a pagan.  By that definition, the cross is a pagan sign and symbol because originally it had nothing to do with the main religions of world such as Christianity, Judiasm, or Islam.

Throughout history and even today we are mis-lead in to believing that the most powerful symbols presented before us are symbols that originated from “caucasian” people (the colonizing people) but it did not.  This mis-education by the European “Elite” is meant to keep you from understanding that you are a powerful divine being and to make you afraid of your ability to tap into your inner power – giving them the power to control you.  They want to keep the masses of people brainwashed, fooled, and blinded so that people don’t see that the real “church” is the Universe and you can access its unlimited power.  The European “Elite” and the Church of Rome has a sinister plot of trying to make Christianity superior to all other spiritual systems that are older than Christianity by tens if not hundreds of thousands of years. To a great degree they have succeeded but people are waking up and this is a good thing.

It is of extreme importance that my melonated (dark & brown skinned) brothers and sisters understand that just because a cross is added to an ancient symbol does NOT mean that Christianity was included as part of the meaning. There are many people who are knowingly and unknowingly spreading untruths.  It is your responsibility to do your own research and become a seeker of truth. Just Google Pre-Christian Crosses and tons of information will come up.  The European “Elite” and the Roman Church has been spreading lies and false beliefs from the beginning of their existence and they alter truths, like in the excerpt above, as a way to validate Christianity by deceiving people to believe that the early people of indigenous spiritual systems naturally gravitated toward the Europeon version of Christianity.

In fact, according to The Encyclopedia Brittanica, 11th ed., 1910, Vol. 7, pg. 506: “Various objects, dating from periods long anterior to the Christian era, have been found, marked with crosses of different designs, in almost every part of the old world. India, Syria, Persia and Egypt have all yielded numberless examples… The use of the cross as a religious symbol in pre-Christian times, and among non-Christian peoples, may probably be regarded as almost universal, and in very many cases it was connected with some form of nature worship.”

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Credo Mutwa on Celestial Knowledge

The CROSS is a power symbol that is NOT owned by the Church, its missionaries, or the religion of Christianity.  The symbol of the cross was high jacked by the “religious elite” a massive group that has and continues to confuse, demoralize, dominate, humiliate even murder people around the globe.  Many dastardly deeds are done behind the image of the cross to mislead the ignorant and naïve people of the world.

The cross pre-dates Christianity and it is a sacred geometrical shape that is believed to have originated from BEINGS who live and come from our cosmic SUN.  These SUN BEINGS taught humans long ago the power of the cross as a technological device that could bring healing, renewal and life as well disease, destruction, and death.  It can be used to bless or curse.

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See The CROSS Above?

The cross was known ages before any missionary thought of stepping foot on to the continent of Africa and has different meanings than that of the Christian establishment.  It was believed that the most powerful of crosses were made of either wood, ivory, or metal.  There were several forms of crosses used from the earliest of times and the three main crosses used for healing was the perfect cross, the proper cross, and the Ankh.

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  1. The Perfect Cross or the Sun Cross – “Our people believed also in what they called the perfect cross, the most powerful cross of all. This was a cross, that had all its four wings of exactly equal length. [White people know this as the Celtic cross]. A cross, which is often imprisoned within a circle, with all its wings of exactly equal length, our people used this cross, drawing it in its many forms, healing some of the most horribly diseases, to which the body is prone. Before a person was treated for cancer, the herbs, the powdered herbs, which were to be used in this treatment, were first laid out on a piece of clean springbok skin on the likeness of the perfect cross, then spoon after spoon, they were taken and poured into a clay pot, which had been blessed several times.”2

This perfect cross is used in almost all African-based spiritual systems.  In the diaspora, it is seen in many nature-based systems such as Bakongo, Yoruba/Ifa, Lukumi, Santeria and Vodou. It is the symbol of the crossroads and is used in mystical drawings, veves and palo firmas.

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  1. The Proper Cross – is well-known today as the Christian cross. It is the cross seen throughout the recent ages as the cross with a long stem and short arms.  This is the cross that Jesus was supposedly nailed to and is the current cross that is widely used by churches all over the globe. Remember, this is another type of cross that was known and used by native people of the world before Christianity. This cross, too, is commonly used among many people within varying spiritual systems.  In cultures like Haitian Vodou, this cross is used to represent the gateway to the realm of the Ghede and is one of the power symbols of Bawon Samedi.

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  1. The Ankh or the Unsaid Cross – many people do not know the ankh as a cross. The Ankh is widely known in the West as an Ancient Egyptian symbol sometimes called the “key of life”.  However, the ankh is primarily known throughout Southern Africa as an ancient healing technology and a symbol of peace.  “The greatest users of the ankh, were the almost extinct Khoi Khoi or Hottentot people. The Khoi Khoi said, that the “unsaid cross” represented their Great Sun god, Heitsie-Ibib. The zulus, Xhosas and the Swazis and other Ngoni speaking peoples of South Africa, also believed in a Sun god, who died each evening to be reborn again each morning. Who died each winter and was reborn again each spring.”2

cross-xIt was stated earlier that crosses could be used for harm or evil purposes.  We know this type of cross as an X.  It is also known to many as the Saint Andrews Cross.  This X-shaped cross is believed to possess powers of evil and is used to place curses on people.

“It may be of interest to you to learn, that when a Xhosa person from the Eastern Cape, says, that you are crazy, you are mad he says, “Uphameene.” And the literal meaning of this word is, “You have a cross put upon you.”  A cross, which has made you cross witted, mad. In ancient times and even modern times, when an African artist, woodcarver or decorator of any kind draws a cross, he or she must take great care to only draw one of those crosses, that heal and not to dare to draw, carve or render in beads, one of the evil crosses, because Africans say, that the first person, that gets affected by a negative engraving or a negative drawing, is the artist himself. And the first person to be affected by a positive drawing or a positive engraving is the artist himself or herself.”2

There’s a common spiritual practice of placing jinx and curses on people by writing a person’s name a certain number of times and then writing Xs throughout the name to cross the intended person.  So if a person can be affected by their own markings, then all those people out there writing crosses on other people’s name, would be cursing themselves first.  In cursing others, you end up cursing yourself.  This is interesting…

Let me know what you think about this article on the African history and origin of the cross.  Write a comment below and let us know what research you found based on the content above.

Additional Sources on the Cross in other cultures before Christianity.

  1. T-Shaped Cross
  2. The Cross Symbol before Jesus
  3. Pagan Origins of the Cross – A Sun Symbol

Notes:

nkisi-sarabanda-gov-site

1. Nkisi Sarabanda
2. Mysterious Africa, the History of the Cross

The Downside of Ancestor and Spirit Communications

SPIRIT COMMUNICATIONS – THE DOWNSIDE

Many people ask, “How do I talk to spirits?” or “How do I communicate with the ancestors?”

In my opinion, the first and the most important thing you need to do is get stronger and more empowered within yourself so that the outer forces, energies, and spirits will interact with you in a positive and respectful way.

As I have stated on my BlogTalkRadio Show, LUMINOUS SPIRIT, you should not deal with the spirits until you can balance and control your mind and your emotions. At a bare minimum, you should have self control. You should know not to act reckless or harmful toward yourself or others. You should have a great sense of right and wrong. As I have said on numerous occasions, the spirits can see/sense our weaknesses, vulnerabilities, and faults. Therefore, “familiarity breeds contempt.” What does this mean? Since the spirits are very familiar with you and your faults they, sometimes, will not respect you to the level that they should if you go to them in a weakened or low vibrational state. This does not mean that they will not help you nor does this mean that you have to be perfect. Of course, we all have our shortcomings and character flaws, however; there is a way to approach the spirits with confidence and faith.

If you think about it, we do the same thing on the human/physical level. We, sometimes, will not respect, listen to, or hold our family and friends to a certain level because we are familiar with their faults and shortcomings. We know too much about them. We love them but we may not hold them to a high standard. We tend to feel like and will say to ourselves, “who are they to say anything to me when they themselves don’t do what they are supposed to do?” So, familiarity breeds contempt” and because of this, we must be careful when speaking with and calling the spirits toward us.  We must also be careful when calling ancestors whose characters and behaviors are unknown to us.

When approaching the spirits or ancestors we must deal with them from an empowered, mature, clear, and strong position. We must know what we want. If we do not know what we want, how would they know how to help us? As well, we should not go to them confused as this could attract other spirits which can stir in more confusion, just for kicks.  Our heads should always to clear and senses sharp.  For the same reasons we should not drink and drive because alcohol or drugs can impair our senses, confusion impairs you and makes you vulnerable to negative spirit/ancestral influence. Therefore, you do not want to communicate with the spirits mentally or emotionally unstable. Again, if we are confused about what we want or what direction to go in or who we want to be with or what are needs are, then it makes it difficult for the ancestors and spirit guides to know how to help us. When dealing with your ancestors or spirit guides, you need to be clear, concise, and sure. Even if problems or drama is happening in your life, it is beneficial to go to them as if you are a problem solver. You should go to them with resolve and with the mission and tenacity for attacking your problem head on. Be direct in what your needs are and have goals that they can help you toward. Important, you can make a list of your wants and needs, and tackle them one at a time. If some of your desires are similar you can group them together, but be clear.

DO NOT leave it up to your ancestors or the spirits to do whatever they want for you, this is a grave mistake. You have to remember that they have personalities and characteristics just like us. Each spirit will have their own agendas, ways of doing things, and ideologies that may or may not be helpful or supportive to you. Sometimes, the ancestors and guides may have an idea of what is best for you when in actuality their idea can hold you back.

For instance, say you are asking for money because you are struggling. Now suppose your ancestors have the idea that money is bad, causes all kinds of problems, and is the root of all evil. This ancestor or group of ancestors could, potentially, block your prosperity, feeling that they are protecting you and keeping you out of harms way. They may feel that they are doing you a favor by keeping money out of your path for fear that someone may take your money, you may lose your money or you may be robbed or caused harm in some way; this is a typical way of thinking. Some ancestors will criticize, judge, hinder/block or bless you depending on their successes or failures. Many ancestors will bring their experiences into your life, however, just because something happened to them doesn’t mean it will happen to you. We do the same thing in the living. Just think about how overprotective you get over your children or family sometimes based on your experiences and fears – based on your successes or failures? Just think about how, sometimes, you have an idea about how something should go for your child or a family member – you interfere – only to find out later that your idea or interference wasn’t the best approach. Well, the ancestors are no different – they can be overprotective to a fault sometimes. Now on the flip side, if your ancestors know that you are irresponsible with money, they may block your money all because they know that you will blow it, any way. They may also block your money or your other desires if they feel that you will get distracted and fall of your path. However, this should not be their call, although, they hold lots of power in our lives. On the downside, an ancestor or group of ancestors may not want you to get ahead out of shear misery – they never had any money nor should you.  Dealing with the ancestors can be tricky, sometimes.

Why would the ancestors think this way?  Usually, when a person dies they die with the beliefs that they lived with while on Earth.  If a person believed in the living that there are white pearly gates when you go to heaven – then they will have the same belief on the other side.  If a person believed that money was bad in the living then they will have the same belief in death.

Now, think about the hundreds and thousands of ancestors whose DNA lives in your blood. Just imagine a lot of these ancestors with their own opinions, feelings, and ideas about how your life should go. It is important that you have your own ideas and plans about how your life should go and take a strong stand to create and manifest that which you desire. Making it clear to your ancestors that they are there to help you and guide you to be progressive and successful but this starts with your own attitude. You will want to make sure that you are on path with your destiny, allowing your soul/Ori to express itself. You will appeal to the ancestors to help you achieve your goals without any negative interference or hindrance on their part. This is important to remember.

When approaching the spirit realm you want them to know what your end goal is. You want them to know that you are serious and those ancestors that choose to help you will be rewarded as you are rewarded in the physical plane.

For instance, if you are looking for a job, you can explain to them that you need a job but you also need help from them in acquiring opportunities for obtaining a job. You also need to let your spirits know that you have a plan to network, look in newspapers, online, etc. You will ask them to remove any and all blockages or interferences in the way of you getting what you need. This is all provided that you are doing your part 100% in the human physical realm. If the spirits see that you are procrastinating, some timey, and half doing your job to look for employment they may only help you a little bit or not at all. If everything pans out, you can give them a thank you offering for their help.

The reason you need to take a strong stand with your spirits and ancestors is that you don’t want them to get the idea that they can boss you around. Many people, spiritualists, priests and priestesses have been taught the wrong way to communicate with their spirit guides and as a consequence the spirits are running the life of that person and it is not supposed to be that way.

Many do not realize that sometimes the ancestors are jealous and envious of the fact that we are still living and because of this they can act funny toward us. Just because we may do ancestor reverence in many forms – it doesn’t mean all our ancestors are nice to us. There are many people that are spiritual, religious, scholarly, priests and priestesses of a high order that feel and have said, “STOP!, calling the ancestors to you!” They say, “you should not call upon your ancestors or any spirit until you are absolutely in an empowered place of being and then and only then are you able to help the ancestors elevate to a point where they are beneficial to you and the family line.” They understand that when you call your ancestors toward you unprepared, you are inviting more trouble into your life. The downside is that the ancestors will come with all of their problems (mental, emotional, financial, and/or physical) exacerbating yours and they can complicate matters.

On the same token, many people hold on very tight to deceased loved ones. When you are very close to someone that dies it is extremely hard to let go. The downside is that when you don’t let go, the deceased cannot elevate. They cannot go on to do what they need to do for the evolution of their soul or yours in some instances. So for those of you holding on to your loved ones, you must TRY hard to let go. Letting go allows them to move forward and come back to visit you at a later time.  Another point to the downside is stated in the above paragraph, they can complicate things for you when you hold on to them. They need their freedom. Even though you may be holding on out of love, that love chains them causing both the living and the dead continued suffering. This is NOT good.

By now, some of you may be thinking, “what’s the positive to ancestor reverence?”  Well, asking this question would mean that you haven’t read my other articles or my book and you should do so.  There are two sides to every coin.  We live in a dualistic reality and therefore we live both polarities – positive and negative.  So of course, there is a positive and beneficial side to ancestral worship which many people from various cultures speak about all the time but this article is to speak about the other side that we don’t hear much about.

For those of us who follow nature-based spirituality and honor the ancestors through worship and reverence, understand that we do not do this to imprison the ancestors or have them to work for us. We revere them so that they can help us. It is a partnership. Helping us, helps them to elevate but it also lightens the load and helps to clear karma for the entire blood line. To those unfamiliar, there are rituals and ceremonies done by specialized Elders that can align the ancestors with the living so that they are helpful and not hurtful to the family line. It is known and common practice that it is essential to spiritually heal the ancestors before extensive communication takes place.

What should you know if you decide to communicate with the spirits and ancestors?

You should know that it is the living person who is supposed to be in charge and in command when communicating with spirit, however; many people do not know this. You, the living person, are in control, although, you may need the help of the ancestors. As commander in chief – you must act like it. When the spirits see you taking control of your life and handling your business to make things happen they will follow your example. It will require you to be firm and confident like I said.

In most cases, it will require you to address karmic issues that may be plaguing your life.

The other thing that you want to do is call on the highest Power possible. This can be the Creator, God. This can be the Orisa, your Ori/Higher Self, this can be other high vibrational ancestors, deities, divinities, or forces that have power over the dead – keeping them in line and in check. Of course, this is all done in a respectful manner. You don’t want the ancestors or guides to stick it to you out of spite. You will notice in my prayers that I pay homage and make mention of the Holy Ancestors, Heavenly Ancestors, Mighty Ancestors or Omnipotent Ancestors because I only want ancestors of wisdom, strength, power, courage, prosperity, abundance, and confidence to come forward. You want to work with the ancestors that are the “shakers and movers.” You want to work with ancestors that know how build and create; the ones that understand currency and trade. They can make things happen. They play no games.

The lower vibrational ancestors and spirits will bring problems and issues from the other side into your life. My spirits are teaching me that it is not always wise to call every ancestor unless there is a higher power to keep them in check and keep them from negatively impacting your life. In the living, we say, “misery loves company.” There are ancestors or spirits that love misery and will be attracted to family members that they can make miserable. There are ancestors who can try to bring you down. However, as we become more empowered we can gain more control over this. I don’t want to be mean but you may have loved your mother or your father, your brother or sister, or some other kin but it doesn’t mean that they should be around you in a weakened state nor should they be around you to add more issues. If your loved one was a control freak in life, most likely they would be trying to control you from the realm of the dead. And if you are hearing un-supportive voices in your head, dismiss them immediately – you have the power. As I said before, be strong – spiritually, mentally, or emotionally. This way, you can lessen the impact of psychic (spiritual) influence coming from the low vibrations of a negative or un-supportive ancestor.

Another point I would like to raise is that the memories of all our ancestors live within us. These are the good memories as well as the bad memories. These memories affect our genes from birth. It is scientifically proven that we suffer from those that walked before us. This is known as suffering from the sins of our forefathers. Many of the problems that we have in our lives are genetic and a direct result of how our ancestors once lived in the past, for good or bad. For instance, not only can we be predisposed to health issues that run in our genes, from family members dead or alive, but we can also inherit emotional problems, negative behaviors, and poor character traits.

For instance, we all know that glaucoma (eye problems) can be genetic but so can procrastination, lack of motivation, or poverty. Fear of success can be a genetic flaw as well. There are millions of examples.

Maybe you had an ancestor that was a liar, a cheat, a manipulator, a thief, or abuser. These are traits that can be passed on to the living. Some people feel stuck and in a rut and don’t know why. They may be legitimately trying their best but no matter what, things seem to fall short. This could be the result of bad genes.

Now, you as the living person can alter this by not allowing these energies to run your life. You must find ways to counteract and override the negative memories or programming that you are struggling with in your genes. In a lot of cases this will not be easy.

For instance, say genetically you have poor parenting skills, you can counteract this by learning how to better communicate instead of being abusive. You can learn better coping skills, and maybe psychology to understand why people do the things that they do.

Maybe poverty or money problems are genetic issues for you – you can counteract this by learning the meaning of money, what it means to have money, how to manage it, and adopting positive ways of thinking about money.

Relationship problems are common and can be a big problem genetically. There have been examples where all the women in a family line have man problems. This can be the result of bad memories in the genes coming from an ancestor who felt that the women in the family can do without a man. This ancestor could have been hurt or traumatize by a man and therefore feels the need to protect the women in the family line. Even worse, this ancestor didn’t have a man or happiness and feels that no one else deserves to be happy. Maybe a male ancestor felt guilty that he could not protect someone when he was alive and now this ancestor feels that the only way to protect the women is by keeping men away – a sort of cock blocking. There are hundreds of examples that I can give.

I want you to know that ancestral trauma is very real and many of us suffer from this energy coming from our genes everyday in some kind of way. There are many ways to counteract the pitfalls. The simplest way is to decide to break the negative patterns plaguing your life or your family. This works well for many people. Teach your children to break the patterns as well. For they have the same genes that you do. Other ways are to eat better, think positive, keep your vibration high, high, high, learn to control your emotions and re-educate yourself about health and money for example. Whatever you don’t know – teach yourself and learn.

A lot was said and I have given you much to think about. On a positive note: we have many supportive, nurturing, beautiful, uplifting, and wise ancestors that can help guide our steps and protect us well. These are the ancestors that you want to be around you.

The Powerful Color of the Black Candle

What is the truth about the candle color and meaning of Black?

It is so weird how we accept definitions to words given to us without any question.  Where did our natural ability to question go?  What happened to the inner perceptions of what things truly mean?  Let’s take the color black for instance.  The color black is void of all color.  It absorbs light and it is a color that belongs to the vibration of Earth – the deepest recesses.  It is a color that can absorb all energies both positive and negative.  In many native american tribes the color black stands for stability, firmness, and symbol of victory.  In other places black is perceived as confidence, power, and strength.

Black the darkness, the greatest mystery – the unknown.  Too bad we cannot see the hidden workings; darkness is where germination begins.  Darkness – the blackness is how light emerges.  You were born in a state of darkness – the blackness of the womb.  How can this be bad?  Things are created in the dark.  The darkness is where we go to find the truth – the answers that are not available in the light.  Hiding in the dark is where you have your greatest advantage – the security of the dark brings comfort.  You emerge from the darkness into the light when it is safe to do so.  Black is the subconscious.  When you want to know what lies in the deepest recesses of the mind or spirit, remember that black is the color that can take you there.  To see what is hidden, let black take you in.  If you want to protect yourself, let black provide the perfect cover.  It is true that bad things hide in the dark but there are multitudes a great and good things that also live in blackness waiting to be discovered.

Black by nature absorbs.  With this quality you can let go of all you want to get rid of.  In the darkness, you strengthen all your other senses.  If you take the light away – you are forced to trust yourself.  Use black for ultimate stability and self control.  It is extremely grounding.  As black can create fear it can also diminish it.  Black is power and extremely beautiful.

The color black in ritual or candle work is the most controversial color of all which is interesting do to the fact that many people are addicted to wearing the color.  However, it can absorb energies around you that can be potentially harmful.  For instance, a person who is operating from low energy, sadness, melancholy, or depression should not wear black because it will amplify the already bad feelings.  On the positive side, the color can make people appear smaller and streamlined.  It can hide unsightly things.  It is considered a sheik and mystifying color.  There is no fear in wearing black but when it comes to spiritual work many people are afraid of the color.  The color black in rituals or candle magick has been wrongfully stigmatized.  Yes, there is a negative side to the color black but there is a world of positive waiting to be discovered.  What is also interesting and a point that is often left out is that all colors have a positive and negative side.

Black is a color that has been defined to be synonymous with darkness, dirty, sad, depressing, somber, mournful, death, disastrous, calamity, sinful, inhuman, fiendish, devilish, infernal, monstrous; atrocious, horrible; nefarious, treacherous, traitorous, villainous. The opposite is considered white, clean, or happy.

In candle and ritual work, the color black is a misunderstood color.  “Black is void of all coloring, therefore it does not radiate or emit any vibrations of its own at all!”  It only releases that which has been placed upon it.  For example, a black candle is not evil unless you charge it with evil intentions.  This is why people fear it so.  However, if you charge a black candle with good intentions then that is what it will release, good intentions.  It is a receptive color, it pulls inward.  Another example, a person who is depressed and wears black will only get more depressed because the color itself will absorb similar negative energies to it and will attract more of the same from the environment around them.  We already know many negative uses of how people use black candles in witchcraft, to cause harm and destruction, instead I would like to look at the positive uses and characteristics of the color black in ritual work:

•           Use black for deep meditation

•           Use for protection

•           Use to banish evil or negativity

•           Use to trap negativity thought forms coming from others

•           It can represent the deepest levels of the unconscious.

•           Use to get rid of nasty habits

•           Black symbolizes the light coming out of dark

•           Use for serious cleansing of the mind and heart or spiritual issues

•           Use when you need a miracle

•           Use black to reveal hidden enemies, plots, or tricks

•           Use to reverse a situation from bad to good

•           Use if you feel blocked (ex. If you feel your money blocked burn black to remove the blockage and to open the way)

•          As an Earth element, you can burn a black candle the same way you burn a brown candle except the vibrations of black run much deeper.

•        Black can be used for protection, binding negative forces, and breaking up obstacles and blockages.  Black can also be used to reverse and break up negative thought forms.  Black absorbs, conceals, or can create confusion and chaos.  It is used for new beginnings or used to obtain knowledge of hidden things.  Black is the container of light, and is one of the most powerful of colors.  Black influences self-control, endurance, patience, grounding, and stability.

So here you have it.   I hope that I have given you a new appreciation for the color Black, its meaning, and its power.

SPIRITUAL INITIATION

WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF SPIRITUAL INITIATION?

I feel this to be a powerful question because, for many, the process of initiation is misunderstood and the meaning is not clear in many modern-day, new age spiritual systems, particularly, here in the Diaspora.

The brief explanation is that initiation is important for you, the initiate, to obtain self realization of your true soul self.  Initiation “is supposed” to open the door to you reaching your full spiritual potential.  It enhances your current being, peeling away the illusions and false beliefs systems of the world around you.  It is a process that is meant to illuminate and purify you.  Initiation gives one a way to reconnect to the Divine self and to the Divinities and spiritual forces without.

The word initiation comes from the word “initium” which means entrance or beginning.  This would mean that initiation is only the first step – the beginning – of a new spiritual or shamanistic journey.  In many cultures, initiation is actually considered a “second birth” and a process for one to be born again.   Now, many people are under the misconception that they are somehow complete by getting initiated.  But as I said earlier, initiation is only the beginning and the first step in a series of steps.  At this point, you are the baby – you know nothing, yet!

Many people have different motives for seeking initiation.  One of the main reasons is to obtain spiritual knowledge of hidden secrets from those who hold certain secrets in a particular spiritual system.  HOWEVER, initiations are not for everyone.  Those accepted into initiation are usually those who either have something in them calling toward initiation or they have in them the potential to realize their true selves including the fortitude to carry out the conditions for obtaining those secrets which are not EASY.  Those initiated can attest to that.  Many people give up after getting initiated not realizing the responsibility and the arduous (difficult) tasks related to initiation and the path of growth afterward.  So basically you have to have a certain quality within to even join certain initiatory systems.

The initiation process is one in which the initiate receives energy and the transmission of spiritual energy from higher beings.  The energy coming from these spirit beings activates and opens the individual up helping them to enhance their already inherent gifts.  The spirit energy you receive is “supposed to” support, protect, and help you to grow.  This powerful energy from the spirit realm is “supposed to” give an individual illumination that will allow him or her to order their steps in life and develop their inner gifts and potentials.

Self development on a deep level, one of the most important aspects of initiation, is missing in many of today’s spiritual systems especially in the beginning stages.  Because inner work is either missing or not adhered to, many people are becoming lost and confused within the system of choice.  Inner work is an absolute must and is supposed to help the initiate grow step by step with the final goal being that you have fully realized your true soul self and can manifest your gifts at will.  Mastery over the mind, thoughts, and emotions are essential if one is to garner power from the spirit world.  Initiation is “supposed to” link the higher mind to the soul and then the soul to spirit forces.  As a result, one is able to deal with everyday life in a purposeful and disciplined way.

“Spiritual initiation takes willingness – willingness to be different, to see further, to increase your experience of yourself and your reality.  Initiation is an act of faith because we never really know where we will land as a result. We just know that we will be different.”

So summing it up, it’s not enough to get initiated.  Steady development and growth must be happening every day, month, and year.  Within your spiritual system of choice there must be clear processes for development that will help you on your journey.  So to answer the question, initiation is important for those called toward this process as it will help them to develop, learn and actualize their potentials and true soul selves.

HOW DO I KNOW IF I SHOULD BE INITIATED?

Generally speaking, a person will seek initiation when they have a strong desire to know their true self.  There is a feeling of wanting to be liberated from the everyday limitations and constructs of life.  There is often a feeling of incompleteness or a void as if something is missing.  Most people will start out on the journey inquiring and researching, reading books, and following specific teachers.

In most cases, a person is called by the spirit realm to be initiated or to become a shaman, guru, witch doctor, spirit medium, seer, healer, etc.  This person will usually have a bloodline (other people) in the family that have been initiated in a particular system.  This could be anywhere in the world.  The spirit realm will call this person to continue in the family footsteps.  It may be the soul’s calling/mission to follow a particular spiritual system and require you to become initiated.

For those who are aware of their spiritual mission, it may be better to accept the role voluntarily rather than having the initiation imposed and forced upon you.  If one chooses to ignore the call or try to avoid their mission– the spirits will cause havoc in their lives or even make them ill until they do what they are supposed to do spiritually.  Being initiated or becoming a shaman in many cultures is such a huge responsibility that the person called to the task will wait as long as humanly possible – trying to live and enjoy life before they have to give up so much.  Then there are other people who just know that this is something that they want to do.  These are usually individuals who have the fortitude, discipline, and inner strength to endure the arduous responsibilities of being an initiate and serving the people.  In these cases, a person will need to make sure that they are seeking initiation (no matter the system) for all the right reasons.

Remember, initiation is supposed to align the initiate with powerful spirits or forces and give this individual access to secrets that are not openly or commonly known to the average person.  The spirits or deities will recognize the new initiate as one of their own giving the individual access to many spiritual secrets including the ways of unlocking mysteries typically forbidden for those who are uninitiated.

If the initiation is done properly, the new initiate will have the ability to tap into the unseen and mysterious world of the spirits with authority and respect.  If the initiation is not done properly or the new initiate is not taught the proper ways of dealing with the realm of spirit, many potential problems can occur – disturbing the life of the initiate.

Another way you can know if initiation is for you is through divination.  However, this is tricky because in today’s time it is a bit difficult to discern if the elder doing the divination is telling you the truth or if they are pushing initiation just for the money, power, control, or using you as a trophy.  These individuals will cater to your ego.  They will say things like, “oh, you are going to big or you will have a thousand godchildren or you will be famous,” etc.  I’m not saying that those things can’t happen, but before it does, you will go through many life changes and challenging circumstances that may not be comfortable.  These people are dramatic and they love to romanticize the process of initiation.  Many people fall for it only to later realize it’s not quite how it was explained to them.  People will also hear things like “oh, if you get initiated things will get better – your life will change” or something like that.  Yes, your life should absolutely get better, however, for many people it is not immediate although in cases where people are ill/sick I have seen a vast improvement.  I’m not trying to scare anyone but many people have gotten initiated with high expectations only to find out that the picture was not exactly as told or things didn’t immediately get better as expected.  And in some cases, if the initiation was done wrong or incomplete – things got worse.  Fear tactics are also used to push people into initiation or multiple initiations in a short amount of time.  There are good and trustworthy elders out there, but there are twice as many bad ones, so be careful.

So how do you know if spiritual initiation is for you?  This is tricky.  For some people, it will be crystal clear because the spirit world will send you all the signs and validate it for you.  For other people, it may not be so easy to figure out.  However, if you decide it’s something you would like to go through then you should definitely take your time (do not rush into it) and get to know the people who plan to initiate you.  You have to look at the total picture and look into the lives of those wanting to initiate you.  If things don’t look so good then that may not be the place for you.

Also, get it in your mind that after initiation, it will take many years for the energies of initiation to settle into you and for you to learn the secret knowledge of power, healing, protection, and commanding of the spirit realm.  After initiation and while your spiritual journey unfolds it will require a lot of time and personal dedication on your part and may require a lot of money for your spiritual education.  In many cases, in order to learn from the elders or your godparents you will spend a lot of time away from home.  As far as the money, it is an investment into your spiritual future just like any other education like college or trade school.

My advise is to not fall for the romanticism of initiation and don’t get star struck by it.  Don’t let your ego be stroked into initiation and don’t look toward initiation in a power hungry or drama-filled kind of way.  There is nothing romantic about initiation or serving as a shaman.  For cultures that take initiation very serious – it is a very difficult undertaking and in many cases will cause for much personal sacrifice.  In some cases, the weight of the community will rest on your shoulders and the majority of you will be responsible for the wellness of other people’s lives.  As a real calling – your life is no longer your own.  It can be dirty, sweaty, gritty or physically challenging.  You can have many sleepless days and nights.  Your elders will be extremely strict and they won’t except excuses.  It is a lot of responsibility.  Again, I’m not trying to scare anyone – just telling it like it is.  Initiation can be very beautiful and rewarding but not easy.  Sometimes people get initiated and everything gets stripped from them and they begin to struggle through life – the tests begin.  Individuals don’t realize that they will be tested a lot.  How else would you grow your power?  How else do you emerge victorious?  The spirits will test your courage and your fortitude.  Just put it this way – initiation is more than you may think so serious thought and careful consideration must go into your decision.  I wish you peace on your journey.

Spirit Attachment

UNDERSTANDING SPIRIT ATTACHMENT…

“Some of these spirits are in the bardo, who have no control over their minds, wander aimlessly like vagrants. This is a very sad and unfortunate situation. They are generally untrained in the laws of the spiritual world and as a result, they have no true idea as to their true predicament.

These bardo spirits utter to themselves, What is going on here? Where am I? How did I end up like this? The sky is always grey, with no daylight or darkness to mark the day. Where exactly is this place?

During the bardo state, a spirit may see his own corpse lying in the hospital and exclaim in shock, `I am dead!` The spirit usually cries, feels despair, and suffers in pain.

The deceased usually searches first for his home, his family, his place of work and his favorite things.

However, the deceased will learn that everyone is unable to see or hear him. His home, his office, and his favorite things no longer belong to him, and he is left with no place to call home. Yet the deceased also discovers that he has gained a certain ability in the bardo state. He finds that his body is more refined than the physical body and he can move freely through all obstacles, much like spiritual traveling. He can roam at will through any rocks, earth, houses, as well as mountains and rivers with ease, with the exception of holy places. He can be anywhere by just thinking about it.

He can see other bardo spirits similar to himself. These spirits will often learn to move in packs. If the bardo spirits have some spiritual development, they can observe the celestial planes and see divine beings. However, most spirits in the bardo are rather lost and confused in their mind and could settle only in the second dimensional worlds.

Some of the bardo spirits are attached to their physical bodies and hence become corpse-bound ghosts. Others are attached to their graves and then become graveyard ghosts. Some spirits are attached to their homes and thus become home-bound ghosts. Then there are those who are attached to their spouses and consequently become spouse-guarding spirits. Still others are attached to their wealth and therefore become wealth-holding spirits. Some are attached to their children and become child-guarding spirits. These cases signify a further degeneration for these spirits in the bardo planes.

I have also observed that some bardo spirits attach themselves to the bodies of their romantic partners, while others cling to those they hate. Some have chosen to attach themselves to statues and idols. These instances are known commonly as spirit possessions (these are attaching spirits).

Some bardo spirits are known to have a craving for sleep, and are always sleeping. Hence they become sleep-addiction ghosts. Other examples are wilderness ghosts, tree ghosts, water ghosts, blood-thirsty ghosts, swift-moving ghosts, fragrance-consuming ghosts, sea-settling ghosts, lust-craving ghosts, meat-eating ghosts, dreaming ghosts, ghosts with magical powers, impure ghosts, human energy-stealing ghosts, alcoholic ghosts, gambling-addiction ghosts, etc.

These attaching spirits are the cause of more than 80% of all the mental, emotional, and physical suffering found in this world. Since we cannot see them, we take them for granted. Unfortunately, this profound spiritual ignorance allows this situation to become worse year after year.” by Dr. Mitchell Gibson

alex grey artist

alex grey artist

Are you wondering, what can you do to limit the affects of spirit attachment?

There’s plenty that we all can do. First, I think that we have to acknowledge that we are constantly influenced by spirits and other energies especially mentally and emotionally for good and for bad. People have to stop denying and/or pretending that the spirit world does not exist!  On many occasions our thoughts are not our own and we take on thoughts and feelings that do not belong to us. Perfect example, millions are influenced by subliminal advertising ads – someone else is putting these thoughts into their minds and influencing their feelings to buy things they don’t even need. Because many people don’t TRULY know themselves, they tend to believe that every thought or feeling is their own but it is not. This is particularly true for children who haven’t developed enough of their own personality and character to be able to distinguish the difference. Spirits are constantly placing thoughts into the minds of the people.  There are millions of people unknowingly being vampirized by spirits all the time.  Therefore, you must analyze your thoughts and feelings to know if it’s truly YOU or are you being invaded by outside sources.

In my opinion, one of the most important things you can do to avoid spirit attachment is to keep your vibration high. Lower vibrational beings will not be able to attach to you if your vibration is high. Lower vibrational beings (wandering or lost spirits) will only attach to those individuals in which it finds something in common. A depressed spirit will attach to a depressed individual because there is something in common. A negative spirit will sexually violate a woman in her sleep because her will and self confidence is low, she has left herself vulnerable on some level, the spirit sees this and takes advantage. These spirits attach to our weaknesses and our vulnerabilities. I think the main issue is that people do not understand how spirits attach in the first place. They attach to your aura and feed off your conscious and unconscious thoughts. They feed off of negative thoughts/feelings, even old feelings, traumas, and fears. Some of these things are in the subconscious that you may not necessarily remember but the energy or frequency of that old pain still exists therefore a spirit can attach to it.

Maintaining your ORI, keeping yourself spiritually clean – using plants/herbs that build the aura, staying positive, being in prayer, listening to quality music, meditations, and studying spirit – all these things can help.  You must study spirit and continue developing and strengthening yourself so you can discard anything that attempts to attach itself to you. Also using vibrational tools like tuning forks are extremely beneficial in quickly raising vibrations. I teach a course on this as well. Mantras and inspiring songs are good, too. Even with all this, the most effective is the state of your mind – your consciousness. Build your mind. Learn to control your thoughts and your emotions. Once people realize that they are not in total control of their lives and are apart of a bigger universal picture and all things are one in the same, they can have a happier, healthier, and spiritually strong and rewarding life.

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We attract spirits…

HOW DO WE ATTRACT SPIRITS TO US?

We are energy beings and we attract spirits. All things are energy just in different stages of denseness. Spirits see our energy. They see the colors in our aura and in our body. They sense our vibrations, frequency, and our scent. Like bees to honey – this is what attracts them – this is how they can follow you. Like a dog they can track you. So keeping your aura clean and healthy is important. Keeping your thoughts and feelings positive and on a high note is important. We can’t be this way 24/7 but living in goodness everyday is a great thing and can help keep the bad spirits away. Treating people good and treating them the way you want to be treated will also help. However, use your sword when you need to defend yourself. Step on the dark side when it becomes necessary to survive. We are also electromagnetic beings and like a magnet we can attract spirits/entities by our deeds. If your are dark in your heart & in your mind, then this is what you will attract and vica versa. However, just because you live in the light and by goodness does not mean that you will not attract anything negative. The “light” attracts all types of pesky bugs like moths, gnats, mosquitoes, etc., and we can attract pesky spirits the same way…

For those who saw the movie, “Predator”, remember how the alien was able to track the army men? Remember, how the alien would stop and analyze the body and head of the person before he would strike? The alien saw the men by the colors of the thermal heat emitting from their bodies. If you haven’t seen the movie, check it out on YouTube. Well spirits, do the same thing. They look at the colors in our aura and if it’s a bad spirit it can attack you by the weaknesses in your aura. So spiritual cleanings are extremely important. Be aware of how you might be attracting some unwanted energies. When bad things happen, check yourself from time to time. Ask yourself, “Is it me, am I doing anything to attract these energies, or maybe I’m not doing enough to keep these energies from affecting me?” Also, check your state of mind – look into your thoughts, what is your conscious mind saying vs. your subconscious? All is relevant. All of these things are what pulls things to us: our mind, body, spirit, aura, thoughts, feelings, words – attract good and bad.

Trusting yourself…

If you don’t trust yourself to make the correct decisions in your life then you have some inner work to do. Inner work means going inside your heart or your gut to find out where all your deep seeded trust issues are and then you work to heal them so you can regain your inner peace.

I ask you, “why don’t you trust yourself?”

For some, the answer could be simple. Maybe someone told you as a child that you will never be good at anything. Maybe they said, “you never do anything right”. They could have called you stupid, etc.  You grew up believing that you would make a mess out of everything.  In this case, your subconscious is playing a recording of the negative statements over and over in your mind and these negative statements continue to manifest in your life in different ways. Unfortunately, we are not aware that the subconscious is always at work.

Here you can simply reprogram your thoughts to more positive words that will build your confidence. And there are many ways to do this. Many will hold on to information, thoughts, and feelings for fear of being wrong only to find out later that they were correct. How I got over this was to tell myself that no one is 100% correct, and if I’m not sure about something, I just say I’m unsure.

There are parts of ourselves that are connected to the higher self and when it tells you in your gut and in your heart that something is wrong or right it will not miss guide you. You just have to be connected to yourself and learn to trust the feelings.

For others the answer may not be so simple because it requires them to look at some issues they may not want to look at. Burying issues will do nothing but fester and eventually come to the surface in another form which is usually unhealthy like a sickness. However, dealing with the matter will ultimately show you how to make better choices for yourself.

Inner work is apart of spiritual growth.  This subject is not talked about much in many spiritual communities because these communities place their emphasis on doing lots of work with outer energies such as spirits, Orisha, etc… While working with forces outside of ourselves are helpful, a strong foundation of spirituality can only be built for a person who is strong and balanced internally because much of what manifests outside of ourselves is a direct result of what is going on inside.  For example, a person who sleeps in a cluttered messy room would most likely be one to have a cluttered state of mind, a lack of concentration, and live with much confusion.

On the flip side, there are times when rituals (ebbo), spiritual work, or even spiritual baths can help to alter and strengthen us from the inside out. So I’m not negating this fact, I’m only emphasizing that in most cases it is up to the individual to heal themselves and to work to build trust within because no one can give you that – not even the spiritual forces, gods, and deities… Many of our trust issues are deeply embedded and suppressed, however, you can ask your guides to help and support you through the process of healing or maybe they can show you the areas that need to be worked on.

Trusting yourself is very important because once you gain confidence in yourself great things will manifest in your life and you will feel stronger and have a greater sense of well being.

How Does Witchcraft Work?

I get many emails about negative spirits; people asking “how does witchcraft work?”  I will try to keep my explanation short because this is a complex subject.

I feel that there are negative spirits bothering me. I’m being attacked and I feel that I may be the victim of witchcraft, what should I do?

The basic answer to this question is that you will need to make sure that you are actually the victim of foul play or you could have conjured up a mass of energy to attack yourself by thinking and acting negatively or being obsessive in your behaviors.

Many people do not realize that they can self-create a demon or attract bad spirits to themselves.  You have so much bad thinking and feelings going on that the spirits that like that type of energy will flock to you.  You must understand that all spirits seek out people, places and things of similar vibration or of similar interest.

For instance, if a person suffers from depression then it will be easy for that person to attract entities (spirits) that are depressed, sad, lost and confused.  If a person is negative in mind and heart then their thoughts and emotions will attract spirits of similar vibration.  Say that you are a descent person but you just have low self-esteem.  You could potentially attract spiritual energies of low vibrations and these spirits will attach to and feed off of the low thoughts that you have of yourself.  Simply put, a person will only attract energies similar to what exists within his or her self.  As the law of attraction states, like attracts like.  This is why it is important to remain in good character and have superior and positive thoughts.

Have you created your own demon with your thoughts and bad feelings?

Yes, this sounds crazy but it happens all the time.  In Afrikan culture, a self-created demon is called “elenini” – your own personally created monster.  Elenini is created when a person resists change; they hold on to thought-forms that resist self transformation.  These individuals are not learning life’s lessons.  They have restricted their personal growth on some level and is internally conflicted to the point of self-destruction.  They live having obsessive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.  A self-created demon also happens when a person persists to hold onto problems.  They worship the problem, complaining and making excuses to why the problem exists therefore keeping the problem alive in their hearts and mind.  Energies are then created to support the distorted view of what’s happening in their lives.  In this, they continue to suffer but only at their own hand.  For these individuals, they have made themselves believe that it is easier to live this way than to deal with the painful truths that live at the core.  This unresolved conflict eventually leads to tension in the body, tension in life, resentments and anger.  Elenini feeds off of negative energies, thoughts, and emotions – getting bigger and more stronger by the minute.  A person can create an elenini for any area of their life.  Some people have created an elenini in the area of love; no matter what they do they cannot find a partner.  The elenini has become the invisible partner “cock blocking” anyone who even dares to take an interest.  Others have created elenini in the area of money and finance; their thinking about money is so negative that a monster was created to ensure their suffering and poverty.  Eleninis have also been created out of fear and trauma.

“If a person is avoiding transforming ibi [inner conflict, resistance, or change], they will look for someone else to blame for their problems.  If there is no one to blame [like in witchcraft] they will create an imaginary demon that they can claim is responsible for the disruption in their life.  If the need to create a demon is strong enough the thought form will take shape and the monster will materialize in the physical world giving apparent confirmation the problem is external and not internal…In Ifa this phenomena is called elenini.  Real spirits always respond to the power of the word.  If you tell egun (general spirits) or Orisa (deities) to leave, they leave.  Elenini does not respond to the power of the word.  The more you try to dispel it in a ritual context the stronger it gets.  If a ritual exorcism is effective, the old elenini is replaced by a new manifestation far more powerful than the original.  The only way to destroy elenini is to starve it to death.  By this I mean you have to slowly work away at the internal conflicts that feed this spirit.

The only person who can destroy elenini is the person who created it.  This won’t happen until the person is ready to accept responsibility for the real problem.  If you try and banish an elenini in a ritual context the person who created it will view the ritual as a threat to their identity, they will resist the process by attacking you.  There is no easy solution to this problem.  My best recommendation is to refer the person with the elenini to a mentor, someone who has effectively transformed the real issue.  The ritual cleansing ends up looking more like a twelve-step program than an offering to spirit.” 2

Your thought-forms and your emotions have tremendous power and this energy is alive.  Most people do not know how to use this power and they stay stuck in negative thinking about everything.  These people are internally conflicted and self-destructive on many levels.  Most times the destruction is slow and subtle.  This is apart of their self-sabotage.  They obsess so much in bad thinking and feeling that nothing goes right.  This energy has to go somewhere, “so it stays home to roost”.  These negative thoughts turn into masses of energy that manifests into the physical taking on a character or a personality; a character/personality that you have given it with your bad thinking.  Millions of people love feeling victimized so a mass of energy is created to victimize them (the elenini).  People don’t realize that they are doing witchcraft to themselves.

If you feel that negative spirits are bothering you or you may have an elenini, then the first step is to look at your attitudes and character and make adjusts accordingly.  You must begin to do inner work at resolving core issues.  Give yourself a good spiritual bath or seek out a spiritual professional that can help you to get your life back.

ALADOKUN CAN HELP YOU TO GET BACK ON TRACK

 

In the case of witchcraft, I teach my students that witchcraft is the vision or the thoughts of what someone else wants to impose onto an unsuspecting person.  In witchcraft there are a variety of magical or spiritual items and techniques used to strengthen the vision of what someone else wants to impose onto the unsuspecting person.  Not to mention all kinds of spirits and sacred tools can be used to ensure the vision (job) is carried out.  For those who read my book, you will recall that I was going through a bad time and the good spirits said to me, “this is not your life – this is the life that someone else wants for you.”  Meaning, there were those who wanted to see me in a bad way.

So if you don’t have clear, concrete, and precise visions, goals or plans of how you want your life to go then someone else’s vision can take hold of your life.  You will live the life that someone else wants for you.  In retrospect, I realize that I was living my life without a solid spiritual plan of protection and because of my naivety the witchcraft was able to get to me.  This happened to me at a young age and I didn’t know I needed to protect myself from spiritual impositions or other people’s thoughts.

If your thoughts or feelings about yourself are NOT positive and strong, if you don’t have clear direction for your life then the spiritual energy sent in witchcraft will find a way to seep in and break down the small dreams and goals that you do have.  Witchcraft feeds off of the weak areas in your life like insecurity, low self-esteem, or lack of energy.  It will also feed off of things like confusion, drama, fears, frustration, indecisiveness, illness, lack of integrity, lack of money, anger, doubt, or guilt.  These are but a few examples.  For instance, if you are pessimistic and have consistent negative thoughts, it is easy for witchcraft or the bad spirits to feed off of your negative thoughts turning things from bad to worse.  Not to mention, your negative thinking will make the witchcraft even stronger.

Let’s take a look at a love relationship.  Say for instance you are in a relationship that’s going fine then it appears out of no where things just seem to go bad.  Witchcraft could be the cause?  Of course, there are many reasons why a relationship can go bad but in the case of witchcraft, the energy or contracted spirit will seek out vulnerabilities in the relationship like deception, insecurity, jealousy, or arguing over silly things, etc., and eventually the witchcraft will gain enough strength to break the relationship apart.  To avoid this, the persons involved in the relationship will need to protect the relationship and maintain strong visions of happiness, security, and longevity as well as be willing to nurture the relationship in all positive ways and communications in order to make it hard for the bad spirits or witchcraft to succeed.

To minimize the effects of such energies you must take a strong spiritual interest in yourself, in your life, and in your loved ones lives. Think positive every minute, work to strengthen your character every day, cleanse your aura, and clear negative energy in your home to keep the vibrations high.  It is better to do little things than to do nothing at all.  There are many things that can be done and small things go a long way to minimize and neutralize any bad spirit or witchcraft coming from someone else.

Click here to read more about spirits and how they influence us…

If you need additional help, I’m available for consultations, clearing of negative energies in the home, and I can make you a spiritual cleansing bath.  Just send me a message on my contact page and we can discuss further.

2.  Excerpt taken from “Ifa Theology – Inner Peace” by Awo Falokun Fatunmbi

 

How To Take A Spiritual Cleansing Bath

spiritual bathINSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO REMOVE NEGATIVE ENERGIES

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HOW TO TAKE A SPIRITUAL CLEANSING BATH

Step One:  Clean your house or space – get your house in order, remove anything you do not want or need.  Throw away anything that needs to be in the garbage.  Get rid of any clutter, for this attracts negative vibrations, especially in the corners, closets and under beds.  Organize your things in boxes or plastic storage bins.  Once done, you may choose to spiritually cleanse your work area or your home with a floor wash or herbal mixture and burn some sort of purifying incense to cleanse and uplift the vibrational levels (the air) of your living or workspace.  You can expect better results when you are totally focused on removing negative energies or concentrating on attracting positive ones.  If using a floor wash, pour ingredients in a pail and add enough water to mop out the entire house.  Mop house from the back to the front.  [Spiritually mopping out a house is traditional to the Voodoo religion and Santeria belief system.]

While mopping, softly speak out loud verbally, calling upon the Superior Angels to come and cleanse your space of anything that is not serving your highest purpose or destiny.  Then ask that the good spirits bring vibrations that are in light, peace, happiness, love, etc.  If you have carpeted floors, you can actually wring the mop and pass it over the carpet as you would a floor.

Step Two:  Creating sacred space or an altar is optional but beneficial.  If you choose you can create an altar or shrine by using a small table, a dresser top, or a corner on the floor, for the spirit of the ancestors and/or the spirit guides.  This is particularly helpful for anyone interested in ancestral veneration (ancestor worship).

Sacred space doesn’t have to be an altar but a state of mind. If you already have your sacred space created, cleaned and ready to work, then proceed to Step Three.

When setting your altar/shrine you may want to include pictures of your deceased relatives or items that belong to the ancestor spirits.  You can also add inspirational items for your guardian angel spirit or spirit guides and teachers.  Your altar/shrine can be fancy, moderate, or as simple as you would like it to be.  However or wherever you decide to create your altar/shrine, it should be in an uninterrupted place – a sacred place.  A place where you are sure no one will bother it.  The altar or shrine is the focal point or rendezvous place where you maintain a relationship with God and those who have departed.

The basic altar should include at least one large glass of water, a candle (preferably white), flowers (preferably white), a symbol that is sacred to you like the Cross, Star of David, a Bible, the Qur’an, a prayer book or writings of inspiration.  One of the reasons for using white and setting your altar with the indicated items is to set the mood for a very pleasant and uplifting environment that will attract intelligent, good, and superior spirits.  Remember, the color white is very cool and calming and the vibration of the color signifies purity and truth.  Other colors can throw off the mood and will attract other energies that you may not be ready to handle.  There are many variations on how altars/shrines are created depending on the individual, the level of expertise or the culture.

COMMUNICATE WITH THE SPIRITS

If you are a novice at communicating with spirits, it is recommended that you use only one glass of water or a maximum of three-glass setup and one candle on your altar or shrine in your initial stages.  For the beginner, simple is always better.  And when placing that glass of water upon your altar/shrine, dedicate that glass of water and that candle to God, your guardian angel, and spirit protectors so that you do not attract any other unwanted spirits that may be hanging around at the time.  For detailed instructions on how to communicate with spirits read, “Ancestor Paths – Honoring our Ancestors and Guardian Spirits Through Prayers, Rituals & Offerings.”

When dealing with the realm of spirit, the variations of how altars can be set and how they can be used are endless.  Within various cultures and spiritual systems, there are usually a few standard rules to follow, however, spiritualism is vast and every individual can do and will do different things when it comes to the spirit world.  It is not my intention to say what is right and what is wrong.  My true intention is safety.  I just want you to know how to be careful, to be aware, and to question how to deal with the spirit world.  I do not want you to bring unnecessary harm unto yourself by giving or exchanging energy and light with unwanted, mischievous, and dangerous spirits that do not belong to you.  I want people to learn how to be aware of what they are dealing with so that the correct decisions and actions can be made.

Your spiritual altar is your focal point for praying, healing, and using candles for ritual work.  Your altar is where you will bring all your issues, whether they are in reference to home, work, family, money, health, or healing.  After some time of working with your altar, you may see, feel, or hear a counter response from your guide.  Your ancestors or guides will on many occasions give you messages or reveal themselves to you through dreams, so pay close attention.

Step Three:  Choose a purifying incense to burn throughout the house, especially where you’ve created your sacred space.  Sage, Copal, Dragon’s Blood, and Frankincense are good incenses to keep on hand and to do your energetic clearing.  You will burn the incense starting from the back of your home to the front.  While passing the incense throughout your place – softly speak out loud verbally, calling upon your Guardian Angel Spirit, your ancestor spirits, any Superior Beings or Protective Spirits to come and cleanse your space of anything that is not serving your highest purpose or destiny.  Then ask that the good spirits bring vibrations that are in light, peace, happiness, love, etc.  Incense is also used to help you relax and focus upon your desired outcome.  It can also be burned to dispel bad energy or to attract good energy.

Step Four:  Now get your herbal mixture (the spiritual bath) ready.  If it is too cold then you can warm it in a pot on stove.  As soon as the mixture is warm to the touch remove it from the stove.  The cooler the better.  Pour into a bowl and pray over it your requests and desires.  Place it in the bathroom until you are ready for it.  Take regular bath or shower first.  When done take herbal mixture and pour down over the head, the back, shoulder, arms, torso, legs, etc.  While doing this and depending on the bath, you will either be asking for all negativity or evil to be removed or you will be praying for good desires like a job opportunity, love, money, protection, spiritual upliftment, or clarity of dreams, etc.  Do not dry off.  Put on light colored clothing, preferably white.  Proceed to step five.

Step Five:  Light a candle, meditate, pray and relax preferably for the evening. Light one candle everyday for 7 days.  Each time you light the candle you will meditate and pray your desires.  A significant reason for prayer is to announce and proclaim that all unwanted negative and evil thought forms, energies, or spirits must leave your spiritual sacred space.  In your prayers, you can ask God, your Guardian Angel Spirits, the holy ancestor spirits, and your spirit protectors to actually help you to rid your self, space, home, or work area of anything unholy. You want to remove anything evil or anything that is not serving your highest interest. You want nothing but vibrations of love, light, goodness, peace, happiness, etc., and to help achieve this.

To clean the tub when your done, add a cap full of ammonia to bucket of water and rinse tub and shower walls down.  You can also put in a spray bottle and spray everything down to clear any lingering negative energies.

If you have any questions, you can shoot me a message on my CONTACT PAGE.

If you would like to purchase a spiritual cleansing bath please go to the PRODUCTS PAGE.

Analyzing Dreams

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Our spirit guides/entities or ancestors many times speak to us through our dreams. Our subconscious mind or higher self will speak to us as well. It is best if you can keep a dream journal (a notebook) to write down what you remember in terms of any symbols, feelings, words, numbers, or events that occurred while you were in your dream state.  All of these things will give you a hint to possible spiritual messages coming through for you.  Once you gather all of what you remember, you can begin to analyze the meaning.

For instance, many people dream of water.  What does it mean to dream of water?  Water is very sacred spiritual and popular symbolization in all cultures.  For one we can’t live without water so it has a powerful effect on our lives.  Viewing this from a spiritual standpoint, water can represent many things.  So the first thing you will want to analyze in your dream is – in what context did the water appear in the dream and how did it affect you? What was your relationship to the water in the dream?  You will need to remember some key elements or details about the water.  Was the water clear or dirty/muddy or cloudy?  Was it bath water, ocean/sea, river, lake water?  Was water flooding a place in your dream?  Did a pipe break?  Were you drinking water?  Was water in a glass?  Was it running water from a faucet or flowing water like a river?  Once you take notice to as many details, you will then want to take notice to how you felt in the dream.  Were you sad, scared/fearful, happy, etc.   Maybe the dream is an answer to a question that you had, or validating some feelings or emotions that you are going through.  Maybe there’s an action you need to take or not take.  As you can see there can be alot to analyzing dreams.  Also note that the meanings are not always the same for everyone so it is important that you get into the how the dream made you feel.

Water can represent our unconscious mind or our emotional state of being.  Water is an element that is receptive.  Water is considered a living essence within nature, a part of our psyche, and the flow of life force energy.  It can be symbolic of our spirituality, knowledge, or healing abilities (internal or external).  Water can be viewed as coolness, peace, clarity, or a refreshment.  Water can also be reflective.  So depending on the context in your dream, water can have many meanings.  If water is sitting and not moving, it can mean stagnation or the need for you to be still.  If you were to see water boiling in your dream or the sea/ocean is turbulent, this can signify some type of turmoil going on in your life.  Or maybe your emotions are out of control and brewing indicating that you may need some calm or peace.  Better yet, sometimes when our emotions are all over the place – we need boundaries ourselves or we need to learn how to place boundaries toward other people and situations in our life.

We can probably write a book, alone, on the many meanings of water. The fun part, for you, is taking the responsibility upon yourself to decode what spirit is communicating to you…  Maybe other individuals on this blog will have other suggestions to dream interpretation.