There seems to be a sad but comical trend lately, of “initiated” Europeans accusing Africans of cultural appropriation for practicing spirituality that we grew up with, and is our ancestral birthright. Though I have in the past responded to this sort of thing with anger, when I took the time to realize how pathetic it is, and what kind of feedback they are going to get from Nature for it, I’m not mad anymore. I …
On August 5, 2012 a man entered a Sikh temple in Wisconsin, and murdered six people. As people in Africa and the diaspora, we are quite used to religious oppression, and generally take precautions to prevent terroristic attacks of our temples and even many churches. One of the duties of ushers for some and designated warriors for others, is to be at least a physical buffer between attackers and congregants. Others don’t seem to be …
Oshun is the west African Orisha/Goddess of joy, prosperity, romantic love, and the sweetness of life. Aje Shaluga is one of her husbands (or wives, depending on your tradition), and the owner of all material wealth and currency. Many if not most workings or spells for love and prosperity call upon Oshun, and if material wealth is involved, Aje Shaluga as well. When you go to a priest/ess or root worker for assistance in these …
As I’ve said in previous articles, some things are best put in the hands of a priest/ess or someone of that level. However, I understand that not everyone is going to take that advice. Also many people in the diaspora live in areas with no priests, or they’ve encountered one too many charlatans. Whatever reason you want to take things into your own hands, there are some things you should know before you do that. …
Usually, the reason a spell or formula doesn’t work is that for some reason, it is against Nature. Sometimes it is that the person doing the spell wasn’t prepared or qualified to do it. Sometimes it is something that simply cannot happen, on the level of dropping a rock and having it fall up instead of down. Sometimes the problem is that one’s Guardians or Head knows that getting what they ask for would be bad for …
