What is an Ancestor?

What is an ancestor or what is the definition of ancestor?  Traditionally “ancestors” are viewed as departed blood relatives: parents, children, grandparents, aunts, and uncles.  However, depending on the culture, the definition of ancestor has many meanings.  In some cultures, you cannot be considered an ancestor unless you have lived a good standing, morally correct life.  In other cultures, women are not considered ancestors at all.  However and generally speaking for most, “ancestor veneration” or “ancestor worship” (meaning to maintain an on-going relationship with those who have departed) is not only a tradition shared amongst our Afrikan brothers and sisters, but the concept has existed through almost every known culture including various parts of Afrika, the Pacific, South American, Indonesia, certain parts of India and Indochina, even among those of Islamic or Christian faiths.

Even Jewish people have been known to light candles and say special prayers honoring their family member’s anniversary of death.  And in celebration of All Soul’s Day, many honor the dead by putting gifts, flowers and food on the graves of their family members for it is believed that once death occurs, the physical body is left to decay and the soul transits into the realm of spirit where such spirit continues to live as an ancestor or a spirit guide.  In many instances, the living will leave money, clothes, animals, and messages at grave sites of their deceased relatives in hopes that the deceased might use these things on their journey.  In addition, many cultures will honor the dead with festivals, drumming, singing, dancing, and drinking for it is believed that to honor our ancestors is to honor our lineage and our roots and this is the first step to reclaiming our spiritual heritage.  Therefore, the ancestors are consulted for guidance, prayed to, venerated with rituals and are given offerings for their continued influence on the living by helping them to resolve their day-to-day problems.

Because so many cultures, primarily outside of the United States, believe that the invisible world plays such an enormous part in everyday life, it is custom and is extremely important to pay a great deal of attention to the dead and the ancestral family.  I think we all can agree that death is a universal fact and is the inevitable end of all human life.  However, in many cultures, life does not just end there.  The soul continues on, just, in another form (spirit) and in another world.  It is also believed by many that the dead are reborn into family members so that they can finish whatever business they were not able to finish while on earth and for these reasons a great deal of concern, care, time, and money is spent on proper burial rites.  From the preparation of the body all the way through to the prayers, ceremonies, and sacrifices given to help ensure that the deceased is satisfied and appeased for an easy transition from the land of the living to the land of the dead.  For it is believed that if proper funeral rites are not performed for the deceased, the spirit of the dead person will become a ghost to roam the world without peace, lost and confused with the abilities to harm and haunt people and relatives until it gains attention and proper acknowledgment of the proper burial rights, prayers, offerings, or ceremonies that will bring contentment to its soul.

In Afrika, the ancestors are called “egungun” and they, too, believe in the continued existence of the ancestors in the life of the living.  They believe that there is a link between the dead and the living and that the egungun represents ancestral spirits that periodically return from heaven to visit and commune with the living during a 7-day festival where honor is given and sacrifices are offered at shrines specifically set for the ancestor spirits.

How important is ancestor reverence?  Let's see, try to put yourself in the shoes of your ancestors.  If you were an ancestor and your family members and friends were to just forget about you, how would you feel?  If you were alone, lost, and confused in the spirit realm and there was no one person praying for you or giving you light so that you could find your way, what would you do?  If you wanted to save someone or help them to better their lives and they just ignored your messages, would you give up?  If you wanted forgiveness or just wanted know that you were still loved, and there was no one to show you some attention and your efforts was ignored, wouldn’t you feel alone and abandoned?  And God forbid, but, if you were ill and approaching death or you died suddenly, how important would it be to you that someone, even if one person, were to remember you?

Ancestor veneration is important because your ancestor’s memories continue to live inside of you, flowing through your blood.  Their memories, over time, become etched into your DNA.  These memories in many cases will continue to manifest (show up) in your life whether for good or bad.  What is deemed good or bad will depend on the issue or circumstance that is influencing you or your family.  Many people do not realize that their suffering or good fortune in many cases is a direct result of their ancestor’s past thoughts, behaviors and/or actions.  Simply put — just because a family member dies doesn’t mean that their energies are forever gone.

For instance:  if the ancestor was a great person, their good energies will continue to flow through the living family spreading goodness.  But if the ancestor lived a troublesome life, their bad energies could negatively impact an entire generation.   Sometimes an ancestor’s power (influence) is so strong that it could operate against your will — for better or worse.  In some cases, the ancestor’s interference can appear too bad or a hindrance but in actuality, the ancestor may be trying to protect you from an ill fate.   This is very common in issues of money where many of our ancestors believed strongly that “money is the root of all evil”.  In this case, the ancestor will block your money believing that they are saving you from some type of ill fate, devastation, heartache, or problems attached to having money.  Of course there are many reasons why your money could be blocked especially if the negative energy is coming from your own thinking but if your ancestor believes “mo’ money – mo’ problems” and that people get hurt over money, then they will block your cash flow for fear that you may suffer in some way.  In cases like this, you could opt to commune regularly with your ancestors asking them to bring blessings, explaining to them what your plans are for having money.  You could also ensure them that they do not have to worry because you are responsible and safe, that you will not brag or boast, and that you have protective measures in place for being able to store large sums of money, etc.  There are other ways to unblock the ancestors using traditional or modern methods but is just a simple hypothetical example.

Because the ancestors have such powerful influence over the living, you can see why many cultures find it important to honor the ancestors and why they place so much emphasis on maintaining a positive relationship with the ancestor spirits.  You can also see why ancestral healing would be extremely important for healing family and community dysfunction.

 
 

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Ancestral Healing

Now, in my continued search to further validate my point about the importance of ancestor veneration amongst various cultures, I came across another article online written by David Furlong called “Healing Your Ancestral Patterns” where he talks about the need to grab every opportunity to heal the family lines (ancestor lineage) because we are all linked to the universe through our ancestry.  In this article, Mr. Furlong enlightens us with an excerpt from a book called “Karma and Reincarnation” by Dr. Hiroshi Motoyama, Head Priest of the Shinto Tamamitsu sect of Japan which states:

“The parent/child connection manifests as one link in a long chain of ancestral karma that stretches back through time.  Your link to your family allows you to be born into that specific line – it is a link that needs to be understood and respected.  In this modern scientific age it is very difficult for people to accept the fact that they are responsible to their ancestors, that they are actually liable for the actions of their ancestors if the resulting karma has not yet been dissolved.  Many find it absurd to think that the actions of an unknown ancestor could possibly have anything to do with what is happening to them today.  But time and time again when investigating someone’s karma, I find problems that stretch back generations.  Their spirit is not just an individual entity, it is also part of the family spirit that births and nurtures it.”

Even in the bible, Numbers 14:18, there is reference to us as children suffering for the sins of our forefathers even unto the third and fourth generations clearly suggesting how integral the ancestors are to our lives and how we must learn and teach prayer and sacrifice including the giving of ourselves to keep us in harmony with our lineage.  This article further makes it clear that many cultures, both sophisticated and primitive, pay a great deal of attention to the ancestral family line proving that this form of veneration is one of the most widespread of all religious belief systems.

Many people venerate all of their ancestors without any emotional problems or hang ups but there are some who find it uncomfortable or they feel bitter about giving veneration to ancestors that have been abusive in some way or another whether emotionally, physically, sexually, and/or verbally.  Know that you have the right to NOT honor these ancestors.  While in many cases, it is understandable why someone may not want to venerate an ancestor that has caused harm to him/her or to another loved one, it is my plea to keep in mind that you must TRY TO forgive.  The forgiving is to bring healing to yourself but not in a way that makes you feel the blame.  Of course, it is up to you and what makes you comfortable.  I know this is easier said than done but when we forgive, we heal ourselves.  Many times, ancestors who have done wrong in life will seek light and prayer from you, wanting forgiveness, wanting repentance, and wanting to give, help, and do for you on the other side what they did not get to do in life, all because they have transitioned through “the light of understanding” and have come to realize their mistakes now that they reside on the other side.  If you can find it in your heart to pray for your ancestors who have done wrong, then great, it not, then you must do what makes you comfortable.

When praying to your ancestors, first you want to call upon their names (if known).  Call upon seven names from your paternal side and seven names from your maternal side.  If you do not know their names, then just say, “I call upon all my ancestors from the blood lines of the mother and father whose egg and sperm united to conceive me”.  This is a great statement to say for those who are adopted and don’t know their biological ancestors.  Ask your ancestors with true power to come forth.  Ask your ancestors with true knowledge and wisdom to step forth.  Ask your ancestors of great wealth to come forward.  Ask your ancestors of courage and strength to be with you.

[If you choose to pray for an ancestor that has caused harm to you or a loved one, you can say a brief prayer that you forgive them and that you pray for the soul of {name of person} to elevate and find the light, peace, and love in God that he or she needs that will bring peace to you, your family, and your home.  Also you will want to pray that the negative energies of abuse never cause anyone else any harm.  Ask the good spirits and your soul guardians to further you and your loved from future mental, physical and/or emotional damage.]

Either way, we need to pray for healing, for both the deceased, for ourselves and for generations to come so that we can alleviate as many dysfunctional and abusive patterns as possible so that they will cease and will no longer plague any member of the family line, directly or indirectly.  On another note, we also need to pray for ancestral healing from karmic energy.  Many of us have heard of karmic energy that affects an individual singly but multiple family members as a whole can also carry the same karmic energy, whether negative or positive.  From a negative aspect, I am sure that you can think of at least one family that just cannot get it together – they struggle and suffer for many reasons.   These families can carry a karmic energy of sickness, poverty, death, or even mental illness.  While in other families; drugs and judicial problems are prevalent.  Some would even view this type of energy as a generational curse.

Through ancestor veneration and healing, whether through prayers, rituals, or ceremonies we can work on healing the family and our ancestors in the spirit realm so that they can help us to heal in the living for a better way of living.  For this reason, I have written an “Ancestral Healing Prayer” that can be said at your altar or at any time that you get the feeling to help not just the deceased but yourself in the healing process.

 

ANCESTRAL HEALING PRAYER

by Aladokun

I offer light and pour libation with respect and honor for all my ancestors whose names I know (say all the names that you know) and all the ones I don’t know to uplift and liberate their soul(s) in the name and light of the Almighty God.  For it is through the love, the will, and the power of God that all souls are saved.

I offer prayer and protection by way of the Divine Creator for those ancestral souls and spirits that are in darkness, forgotten, or lost.  Let the light I offer fade out the shadows of fear and guide them toward the arms of God and to a higher cause.

I offer guidance to my ancestors and spirits by way of the Guardian Angels and Protective Spirits who by the power and order of God will assist them in their greater act of evolution.  Let the light I offer be a “beacon of hope” and serve as an escape and protective shield from the shadows of despair.

I offer love, compassion, and comfort to those ancestral souls and spirits that are suffering and depressed.  Let the light I offer lead them from discord and the miseries of their souls to the sanctuary of God and the joys of heavenly bliss.

I offer healing by way of the Supreme Being on all spiritual levels for those ancestors and spirits who were abused, afflicted, deceived, enslaved, hated, lonely, misguided, neglected, oppressed, pained, saddened, traumatized, and died tragically.  Let the light I offer to their souls inspire clemency, liberation, faith, love and harmony from today onward.

I offer forgiveness to the ancestral souls and spirits that want to repent, sincerely, for the error of their ways in both realms of life and death.  Let this light guide them to the truth, enlightenment and righteousness of God.

In addition, I forgive those ancestors and spirits that committed wrongs that have set their generational line “us that are living” in barrenness.  And I forgive those ancestors whose past sins I’ve had to suffer as a result of their own naivety, ignorance and inferior habits and traits.  Let the light I offer serve as a reminder for us in the living to acknowledge and learn not to make the same mistakes as the ones who lived before us.

In every way, I forgive those ancestors and spirits who need it most so that their souls will embrace in positive gratification a new and improved way of living in the spirit realm and that those souls will elevate in peace and awaken to eternal life as God promised.

In the name of God and through his mercy and blessings, let today be the beginning of a continual healing process for all my ancestral guides and release of all blocked and negative genetic energy patterns within the generational line steadily healing each family member including myself day-by-day.  As you, the Ancestors heal on the other side, we ask that you forgive us as you have been forgiven and help us to heal with free flowing positive and progressive energy for the better well-being of all concerned.

In God’s name we pray and may the Light, Power, and Peace of God be with us always.  And so it was spoken and so it will be!

If you loved this prayer to the ancestors, buy “Ancestor Paths” and FIND OUT MORE!  There are many more prayers for clearing and healing.  Keep yourself on track with methods that have worked for many people over the years.  YOU WILL NOT REGRET THE PURCHASE!

Ancestor Veneration

Many people have heard of honoring one’s ancestors, but what does this really mean?  There is such a deeper and more beautiful meaning to ancestor or spirit veneration than what one may think of from all the other broader and inferior meanings that we have been led to believe.  For one, ancestor veneration in many cases has been associated with voodoo, hoodoo, juju or some kind of craft that pertains to witchery.  In other instances, many people have felt an association with guilt or uncomfortable honoring their ancestors and spirits with candles and such, for they think that they are engaging in something wrong, however, this is so far from the truth that it is disheartening.

It is fact that our ancestors believed in life after death.  They believed that death was a continuation of life, just in another world – the invisible world.  From an African prospective, ancestor veneration served many purposes.  For one, many societies of Africa believed that the deceased not only needed proper funeral, burial, and cleansing rites but it was also very important that the deceased be freed or released from all bad deeds.  In these instances, friends, and relatives would gather around the body at the grave site and each person would recount all the bad deeds that the deceased did during their lifetime and after listening to all the misdeeds, they would all announce that they have forgiven him/her since he/she is now dead.

If the deed or the debt was financial in nature, a surviving family member would offer to pay off the debt.  This was all done to ensure a smooth and easy transition from the land of the living to the realm of spirit.  For it was the belief that since the deceased was totally cleansed and freed from bad deeds, he/she would have no other reason to linger in the lower realms to haunt or cause chaos amongst its’ family members or community.  On the contrary, the spirit would be happy and free to ascend to higher realms of obtaining supernatural powers that could be accessed and bestowed upon the family and the community during periodic spiritual visits from the deceased that would provide blessings, protection, long life, prosperity, good harvest, fertility, or whatever the desires, prayers and requests were from those still in the living.  Death was not only to morn, but it was a celebration of SPIRIT of continued life; a festive time of drumming, singing, dancing, drinking and eating – all to honor the dead for it is believed that to honor the ancestors is to honor your lineage, your culture, your roots and your self and is the first step to reclaiming your spiritual heritage.  Therefore, the ancestors were and still are to this day consulted by many for guidance, prayed to, venerated with rituals and are given offerings for their continued influence on the living by helping them to resolve their day-to-day problems.

It is my belief and my experience that there are lots of potential consequences for not giving proper ceremonial/death/funeral rites to the deceased or continuing to venerate them no matter what they did or did not do in life.  One of the consequences that we now suffer as a people is that we have become lost in so many ways, no thanks to colonization.  Slavery and the enforcement of Catholicism by Catholic missionaries almost totally succeeded in the annihilation of ancient traditional ceremonial ways through torture and every abuse unimaginable.  The breakdown of the family unit throughout slavery, especially for Black Americans, is so traumatic that it has affected millions of us on a cellular level even on the spiritual levels of death and birth (see the William Lynch Speech).  The breakdown and dysfunctions of the family structure has caused a ripple effect that has spilled over into the community, into greater society, and now even the world at large.  The curse of slavery still haunts many.  How are we going to save ourselves?  We may no longer be physically enslaved except for those jailed, but many of us are still mentally, emotionally, and financially enslaved!  We now have a dysfunctional living society that eventually turns into a dysfunctional deceased spirit society and who’s going to clean up the mess?  We are talking about a once strong community of cultural people who were almost totally annihilated over a four hundred plus year span from abuse, oppression, torment, and unjustifiable deaths.  What happened to all that bad energy?  In those times, who was going to perform the proper funeral, burial, and cleansing rites for all those dead souls?  How were they going to ensure that those unhappy and angry souls did not linger close to cause havoc on the world for all their sufferings?  Unfortunately, the answer was no one!  Our ancestors had major problems to deal with in just trying to survive day by day in an unfamiliar land and the dead, unfortunately in most cases became just a cherished memory.

Now, today there are millions of individuals who are raised in some congregation indoctrinated with man-made doctrines or Christian beliefs, whether Baptist, Methodist, A.M.E., Lutheran, Pentecostal, or Catholic but have now grown to adulthood somehow feeling as if there is something else calling to their soul.  One reason is that the traditions of the ancestors are deeply embedded in our blood, coded in our DNA, and is apart of our soul.  And the concept of church derived from those old ancestral traditions for which many of us can still feel the calling.  The slaves formed their own idea of “church” from cleverly orchestrating special meetings gathered either in the denseness of the woods or pretending to have “church”, in this way keeping the “Masta” in the dark, allowing themselves to discreetly and safely practice their traditions in hiding.  While attending these special meetings, they were able to create songs encoded with secret messages, maintain devotion and receive spirit messages through preaching, lying on of hands and receiving a form of spirit possession that involved shouting, dancing, and speaking in foreign languages better known as “speaking in tongues”.  Today, many view this as a manifestation of receiving the Holy Ghost.  However, these old African spirituals, rituals and traditions, concepts of nature, spirit and ancestor veneration is fighting to survive but through our DNA.  And because of such, you can sense that something else is calling to your spirit outside of all the conveniences and comforts that modern day society has awarded you.  And even with the freedom that science and technology has provided as a society, you are increasingly unhappy, increasingly unsatisfied and even more unfulfilled than your predecessors could ever imagine.  For many of you, it is a feeling of incompleteness and an emptiness that at one time or another you thought you could escape by using alcohol or drugs, or by obtaining wealth, sex, power, marriage, family, or love from some other individual whether it be the opposite or same sex.  You know that you live in a perverted society that is plagued with sexual overtones, famine, disease, crime, and illness.  The family structure is breaking down, communities are breaking down and even the earth is breaking down.  Though people surround you, still you feel lost, confused and alone.  You reach out, but you see nothing, you feel nothing.  You search for answers, for solutions – but nothing.  No one can help and you try everything physical and material within your power, but the void is still there.  Even with all of this, you continue to feel that something is calling to your spirit sending you on a path-finding journey of fulfillment.

Now, to answer the call of the spirit, the inner guide, many people are broadening their beliefs and education of spiritual systems from around the world.  And many do not understand or realize that it is the SOUL that is searching for THE spiritual home that will bring it peace.  With the help of the Ancestors, one can now find that peace or at least work toward the inner peace that their soul can call home.

READ THE NEXT TOPIC ON:   ANCESTRAL HEALING and the ANCESTOR HEALING PRAYER

A Lesson in Patience

PERCEPTIONS by Aladokun

When we work and communicate with spirits or Deities like the Orisa, the essence of TIME works differently.  Spirit and the universe do not operate per the human CLOCK.  Time is an illusion.  A matter of fact, there is no time in the invisible world at least not the way we would perceive it.  The universe and nature operate in cycles.  There are many cycles like planetary cycles and environmental/nature cycles that have to do with, for instance, the four seasons:  Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.  And within nature/the universe, there are energies and spirits that are more productive and beneficial depending on a particular cycle.  Humans operate the same way — for instance:  some people are productive during Spring vs. Winter.  So these energies within the universe, the atmosphere, and in your environment will need attending to and these energies (like Nature) depending on its cycle can either support you or seem to go against you.

So when you make any type of ritual, ebbo (offering), or even something as big as an initiation to the Deities (like Ocha), you will want energies in the universe, the atmosphere, the environment, and the spirit realm to support you and benefit you.  During different cycles, did you know that there are times when the planets are aligned in such a way that you should not start anything new because you will not receive the full benefit of what you are trying to achieve?

This is where patience comes in.  First of all, what is patience?  Patience is the ability to “keep trying” in the face of delay without getting frustrated or pissed off.  So when we relate this to spirituality, patience can mean waiting for the right time to get the best benefits but in the meantime, you continue pushing forward without anger.

In the Yoruba religion, Ifa says in Ogbe-Iyonu (Ogbe-Ogunda), “there is a benefit in patience, level-headedness and the ability to control one’s temper in the face of opposition, oppression, provocation, and outright intimidation.  Ifa followers also need to exercise constraint at all times.  It will benefit them in the end.  Even though it is difficult to see others cheating one and for one to keep quiet, nonetheless, Ifa has a way of righting all wrongs.  In Ifa, no wrong shall go uncorrected.  It is good for one to fight for one’s right, but one must not be oversensitive to one’s right.  Ifa is the greatest and most effective protector of people’s rights.  Ifa says that with patience and level-headedness, all good things of life shall be inherited by Ifa followers.”1 Ifa – The Key To Its’ Understanding by Fasina Falade

In the case of being spiritually initiated like to the Orisa, or to the Lwa in the Voudou Religion or receiving some type of ceremony – some would say that you are being married to the energies that represent nature.  When you partner with these energies, you must learn that there are universal laws operating in the background naked to the human eye.  Once you commit to this type of relationship, you must train yourself to see through the eyes of spirit so that you can respond accordingly.  Do not react to what is seen by the human eye for it can be deceiving and will make matters worse.  This is what makes divination so important; it allows us to get a proper and clear sight on a matter.

For instance, when we go through important ceremonies and rituals particularly in nature-based spiritual systems like Orisa or ancestor worship, we receive sacred shrines that belong to the Orisa/orisha.  (The Orisa are Deities that represent forces of nature).  Through divination, it is revealed which Deity will oversee your destiny and then you plan for your initiatory ceremony.  Now, the universe or God (Olodumare) knows what you are preparing for so the universe/nature needs to be in the proper alignment with your Ori (soul) and your human form needs to be ready to partner with it.  In addition, there are sometimes delays that will make sure that things in your ancestral line, things in your atmosphere and environment are promising so things go well for you.  If things around you or within you are off and not benefiting you, then these supporting energies have to work to clear the way for you – this means it may take more time than you originally thought it would.  When things are not going as planned, it’s just a matter of timing and if you are working with a supportive group of people you don’t need to frustrate yourself because in the end, you know you will eventually get what’s due to you.

From another perspective, patience may enter your life when "time" is delayed for the purpose of assisting you in building your character.  And how you deal with “patience” will depend on your personality and how you view situations in your life:

For instance, I needed to get a ceremony done and it took a year to get it done.  The problem was not that it took a year, the problem I had was that it was divined to be done in three weeks.  When I tell you I was pissed off, I was pissed mainly because I was told to have my ceremony done in 3 weeks and it actually took a year. I am making a very long story short but every time I would ask the Orisa and egun (the ancestor spirits) if it would get done, they kept telling me ‘no’ so I was practically losing my mind.  BUT I have to tell you – there were many things that I learned during that year.  First, I was looking at the situation from an unclear perspective and didn’t realize that the universe (the Orisha) had to set the stage for me to receive this ceremony and it would take a year to set that stage irregardless of my godparents involvement.

In not knowing how long it would take, I basically said to myself that maybe there are other things that I need to get done during the time.  Maybe there are things that I need to work on within myself. I knew there was a reason I needed to be patient but that wasn’t making me feel any better.  So one day I said to spirit I just want to understand why it’s taking so long.  I had already thrown obi (divined) and I had already spoke to the ancestors but I didn’t have the clarity to why I had this delay.  I don’t know the depths of  Odu in Ifa or how to throw dillogun which would have most certainly given me clarity, so one day in my personal moment, I decided to pull my rune stones out.  I keep them at my ancestral shrine/altar and I picked a stone called Jera.  This is the stone that actually means “One Year”, it means Harvest and Fertile Season.  Remember what I said earlier about the cycle of the Seasons.

Let me write to you exactly what this stone means:  Jera applies to any activity or endeavor to which you are committed. Be aware, however, that no quick results can be expected.  A span of time is usually involved; hence the key words “One Year”, symbolizing a full cycle before the reaping, the harvest or the deliverance.

You have prepared the ground and planted the seed.  Now you must cultivate with care. To those whose labor has a long season, a long coming to term, Jera offers encouragement of success.  Know that the outcome is in keeping with destiny so continue to persevere.  There is no way to push the river; equally you cannot hasten the harvest.  Be mindful that patience is essential for the recognition of your own process which, in its season, leads to the harvest of the self.

I wanted to type the exact meaning of “Jera” because it was so befitting of my situation and being patient can actually help you to build your character.  Understand, although I’m speaking of patience in a spiritual/religious context, you can apply this scenario to any situation in your life.  The flip side of this is that your situation may not have to do with patience at all but the irresponsibility of others.  Sometimes other people (priests or priestesses) may be irresponsible in not upholding there end of the agreement.  However, you will need to clarify this with spirit, Orisha, or Ifa.  You would have to ask (divine) if your delay is of a natural occurrence and is there something you could do (like ebbo, adimu, ritual) to move/influence the energies in your favor, or is there something you need to work on within yourself or in your environment, or if the person who is doing your ceremony simply bull shitting?  Once you have that answer you will know how to maneuver and proceed.

In my case, while being patient, I had to work on some things within myself.  With patience there is an element of work (the part about continuing to try) and self-discipline. During that time I did meditation to build my mind, I learned to be more self-reliant and independent.  So your character building may have to do with reflection, faith or trust building within self.  Your time of wait can be a germination period (developmental phase) or gestation (growth) period, or there may be a lesson that’s letting you know that you can’t have everything you want when you want it and you can’t push the river (force the outcome). The time of delay can also be about sacrificing or changes you need to make.  So how one deals or responds to patience will all depend on your personality, your temperament, and your situation.

I don’t remember where I got this but here is another view:  Patience binds, heals, and supports relationships. Impatience is divisive. It severs friendships, dissolves marriages, breaks up families, and breaks hearts. So, patience is also about maturity. Patient people do not throw away pets and possessions or relationships and responsibilities simply because things aren’t working out as originally expected. Patient people bring out the best in them. Impatient people bring out the beast in them.

I hope this lesson has helped you and given you some clarity, but “a lesson in patience” is not always easy to acquire so you will need to think about what Patience means for you.  Be well and in peace.

Ase o

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.”
— Dr. Mitchell Gibson
 
 
Alex_Grey_Self_Hatred_Endarkenment.jpg

ALEX GREY

-- ARTIST

 

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

There’s plenty that we all can do.  The first step is that people have to stop denying and/or pretending that the invisible world does not exist

People must study and be able to acknowledge that the spirit world, constantly, influences people mentally and emotionally for good and for bad. On many occasions your thoughts are not your own and alot of times you can and do take on thoughts and feelings that do not belong to you.

Here's a great 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 confident 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.

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 every day 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 you 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?

THE WORK OF WITCHCRAFT (Black Magic)…

I get many emails about negative spirits; people asking, “How does witchcraft work?” Witchcraft (also known as black magic, brujeria, or wanga) is used negatively to spiritually attack an unsuspecting person (the target) and it can work in a variety of ways. The opponent usually fits into three categories: rival, adversary, or enemy. Let’s define our players:

Player 1: Rival/Competitor: a person or thing competing with another for the same objective or for superiority in the same field.  An example would be two or more people competing for the same job or same position in a relationship.

Player 2: Adversary: someone who is against you or opposes your position. An adversary is someone who is against you in some way. Many times this word is used interchangeably with the word enemy.

Player 3: Antagonist/Enemy: someone who actively opposes you or your position. An enemy is hostile to someone or something. One that seeks to harm or weaken someone or something else. An enemy is one who fights determinedly and relentlessly; seeking to injure, overthrow, or confuse an opponent. An enemy is someone who will continuously use witchcraft (some form of black magic) to attack someone until they get their desired outcome.

Player 4: Target: the individual under attack. Many targets are unaware of the fact that many of the problems in their lives are not natural or normal. Misfortune, loss, illness, confusion, accidents, mental instability, relationship breakups are many of the signs that a spiritual attack has been initiated.

A rival, adversary, or an enemy can be:

  • anyone that you personally know like a friend, family member, or someone you frequently interact with like a colleague at work; or

  • anyone that you have seen in passing or had a brief encounter with like a neighbor; or

  • someone that you have never met.

When asking protection from spirit guides and/or ancestors, you can ask them to protect you from known and unknown enemies and adversaries.
— Aladokun

It is important to distinguish between an actual adversary/enemy and a rival/competitor. The person or persons (usually some kind of spiritualist) doing the attacking would be known as an adversary or enemy. I like to call them “spiritual bullies” because they hide behind and use spiritual means to harm or intimidate those whom they perceive as vulnerable or weaker in some way, and for whatever reason. Because the enemy assumes that they are anonymous, they feel embolden, cocky, and function from some kind of superiority complex where they believe:

1. they are stronger and have the upper-hand over their target; and/or

2. their spiritual abilities (know-how) and their access to other spiritualists, spiritual mediums and tools are superior to that of the person(s) being targeted.

In fact, the truth is that the enemy will use witchcraft (black magic) to defend some kind of delusion or as a defense to feelings of inadequacy and/or insecurity in some way. No matter the reason for the attack, the enemy is a threat to your peace and happiness, therefore, you MUST find ways to protect yourself and all the areas of your life.

An example of a delusion in a work/career situation: you are a hard worker, you come to work on time, you are resourceful, and you understand your job very well. The enemy, usually a person filled with jealousy or envy would perceive you as a threat when, in actuality, a threat doesn’t exist. The threat is in their “head.” This enemy is insecure so they spiritual attack you so that your performance declines and you begin to feel less than your true self. Then over time, a series of petty/bad incidents start affecting you, your job performance, and how you are viewed by others. At first you may think you are just having some bad days or that you are stressed and less focused when in fact you have become a victim of a spiritual attack.


Now that we know the definition of the attacker better known as the “enemy,” let’s move on to our question.

question: 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 first step in answering the above question is to have divination done to determine:

1) if you are the victim of some sort of spiritual attack; or

2) if you have conjured up a self-created "demon" that is attacking you.  A self-created demon is a mass of energy that grows every time you obsess negatively in your thinking, actions, and behaviors. Self-created demons usually stem from psychological or mental and emotional traumas. This created mass of energy can take the form of an entity that can bother or torment you. Many people do not realize that they can self-create a mass of energy that takes the form of an entity that appears to have consciousness and functions like an abusive, negative, and evil spirit. In addition, this self-created demon can attract a variety of other negative spirits and entities that can add to the problem.

what to do, if you are the victim of A spiritual attack or some sort of external/environmental influence:

  • you need to be able to defend and protect yourself. This is where divination comes in. Divination or some sort of spiritual investigation will help you to determine: a) the level of spiritual attack or influence; b) the type of person or entity attacking you and why; and c) how to cleanse, defend and protect yourself.

  • "the best defense is a good offense is the idea that a strong offensive action instead of a passive attitude will preoccupy the opposition and ultimately hinder their ability to mount an opposing counterattack, leading to a strategic advantage.”

Mao Zedong opined that “the only real defense is an active defense”, meaning defense for the purpose of
counter-attacking and taking the offensive. Often success rests on destroying the enemy’s ability to attack.
— The best defense is a good offense Archived July 8, 2008, at the Wayback Machine

what to do, IF YOUR ATTACK IS SELF-CREATED:

  • divination can help you to determine if you need spiritual help, professional psychological help, or both.

  • you need to analyze yourself to see in what ways you could be creating self attacks. You need to look at the different ways you are contributing to the chaotic, disruptive, and negative happenings in your life. Remember, you can create a mass of energy from your own thoughts that can transform into a living entity that will disrupt and cause blockages and limitations in your life. This is how self-fulfilling prophesies work. Self-fulfilling prophesies are based on false realities. For example, if you believe everyone to be an enemy, out of paranoia, then you will find it difficult to have any kind of friendly relationships with people. In your mind, every time there’s difficulty with others, your prophesy comes true. But in actuality, you created a living energy mass (demonic entity) from your negative thoughts and paranoia that makes other people feel that they must defend and protect themselves from you and your energy; thus putting the relationship in conflict.

  • Also, when you have too many negative thoughts and feelings, spirits that like this type of energy will flock to you, bother you, even torment 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 decent 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.

Thoughts are just as real as the cell phone that you hold in your hands. And when you have certain thoughts over and over again it forms a mass of energy that is called a thought-form. Thought-forms can be harmful as well as beneficial. Each time you have bad thoughts your thought-form will grow into a negative mass of energy. Each time you have good thoughts, your thought-form will grow into a positive mass of energy that can be helpful in your life. Your negative thoughts and positive thoughts can, also, cancel each other out leaving you to feel stagnated. If your negative or pessimistic thoughts out weigh the good, then you will more than likely experience negativity in your life. However, if you are more of an optimistic and positive thinker then you will more than likely have experiences of things working out for you in good ways even in the midst of chaos.

now ask yourself, Have you created your own demon with your thoughts and bad feelings?

Yes, this sounds crazy but it happens all the time.  In Yoruban culture, a self-created demon is called “elenini” – your own personally created antagonistic 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 are internally conflicted to the point of self-destruction.  They love 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 as to why the problem exists therefore keeping the problem alive in their hearts and minds.  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 hands.  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 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 thoughts 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.

Excerpt taken from “Ifa Theology – Inner Peace” by Awo Falokun Fatunmbi says, “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 that 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.”

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 a part 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 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 unto 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 adjustments accordingly.  You must begin to do inner work to resolve core issues.  Give yourself a good spiritual bath or seek out a spiritual professional that can help you to get your life on track.

ALADOKUN CAN HELP YOU TO GET BACK ON TRACK - contact me

So now let’s get to the question, How and why does witchcraft work?

In the case of witchcraft, it is used to spiritually attack an unsuspecting person. Spiritual attacks work mainly to:

  1. cause blockages and interference in the targeted person’s life;

  2. cause chaos, strife, and misery to the targeted person’s life;

  3. cut or tie the target off from the good and prosperous things in life;

  4. block opportunities and blessings from entering targeted person’s life;

  5. bring some kind of harm or ruin to the targeted person’s life;

  6. breakup relationships/marriages;

  7. cause accidents, violence, tragedy in the targeted person’s life;

  8. bring loss and misfortune;

  9. destroy business of rival competitor;

  10. destroy the reputation of targeted person;

  11. cause illness, insanity, and in some cases even death;

  12. and the list goes on.

Why does witchcraft (black magic) work?

  1. the target doesn’t know the needs of or how to strengthen their spirit guides/family and protectors. They may be too weak to fight back;

  2. the emotional, mental, physical, and/or spiritual bodies of the targeted person may be weak;

  3. low self-esteem and low self-image of target;

  4. target is vulnerable in some way; weaknesses are exploited;

  5. target is unsuspecting, unaware, and/or oblivious to the various aspects of life in general;

  6. target is preoccupied with matters that redirects their attention from spiritual/religious obligations;

  7. target lacks knowledge about the many invisible aspects of being human and the various ways in which one can be attacked;

  8. target lacks access to the appropriate (experienced) spiritual elders/teachers, education, and know-how;

  9. target is at a disadvantage in some way (the lack of resources, money, knowledge, and/or time);

  10. target is spiritually neglectful and lacks a daily spiritual routine;

  11. the enemy’s will to destroy is stronger than the target’s will to succeed and prosper;

  12. target lives by false, foolish, and delusional beliefs like “if I don’t believe in it, it won’t work;”

  13. target has no plans or goals and does not know what to do with his/her life;

  14. and the list goes on.

There are many reasons why people gravitate toward witchcraft (black magic). Some of the main reasons are:

  1. envy and jealousy;

  2. power, control, and domination;

  3. money, riches, and wealth;

  4. love or lust;

  5. selfishness;

  6. influence or to be highly regarded;

  7. to bring harm or destruction to someone’s life;

  8. to destroy a target as a perceived threat;

  9. to remove a competitor like in business, a contest, or a relationship;

  10. Sometimes there is no reason. Some people (the enemy) are inherently evil. They will pick a target they don’t like and will spiritually attack that person just because;

  11. and the list goes on.

I teach my students that witchcraft (black magic) is the vision, thoughts, or will of what someone (the enemy) wants to impose onto a targeted unsuspecting person through the use of spiritual means usually in the form of some sort of ritual.

For instance, you are in a happy relationship and someone (the enemy) decides that they want your partner. The enemy wants what you have. They want your life because they perceive it to be good. They don’t care that you worked hard and struggled for what you have. It becomes their thought and desire to use spiritual methods to cause problems in your relationship that could result in separation. Spirits can be placed in between you and partner to keep you from being close to one another and keep you from desiring one another. They will exert their willpower through spiritual efforts to influence your partner to feel as if they are missing something. Then the partner begins looking outside the relationship for someone believed to be more exciting.

The enemy will even look for weaknesses in the relationship to exploit like insecurities, communication issues, or lack of lovemaking. This is a classic example of a spiritual attack on a relationship. How would you protect your relationship from such a loss? Why should you lose your love and happy home just because someone else wants it? Why should you lose all you’ve invested in your relationship for someone else to reap the rewards and the benefits? Don’t settle for a life that someone else wants for you. Protection is key!

In witchcraft there are a variety of magical or spiritual items and techniques used to strengthen the vision (job) of what someone else wants to impose onto the unsuspecting person.  Not to mention all kinds of spirit-assistance and sacred tools are used to ensure the vision (job) is carried out successfully.  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.

Again, 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 all the areas of 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.  There are many things that can be done. Small things such as daily spiritual practices, prayers, cleansings, and rituals can go a long way to minimize and neutralize any spiritual attacks, negative spiritual influences, or witchcraft coming from the enemy. It is better to do little things than to do nothing at all.

What is meant by spirit assistance?

When a person does what is called a “spiritual work” whether for good or evil, they will invoke help from the spirit realm to enforce the “work” being done. In the case of a spiritual attack, darker spirit force is usually called upon for a variety of reasons as stated above. Called by different names in different cultures, these types of attacks are initiated by people who gravitate toward what is known as black magic, brujeria, the dark arts, wanga, or witchcraft.

Spiritual attacks are horrible because they can cause a tremendous amount of damage and loss if not addressed immediately. Attacks can range from light and annoying to heavy and destructive. There are usually early warning signs that a “dark work” is in progress but most people are either oblivious or they shrug off their many challenges, hardships, or struggles as normal. They don’t pay attention and ignore the many signs of odd happenings. They don’t treat their issues as unnatural blockages created by an enemy. Usually by the time they realize they are being spiritually assaulted, life have turned upside down going from bad to worse by the day.

However, there is a constructive side. A spiritual attack will make you aware of areas in your life that need strengthening and protecting. It will show your weaknesses. Once these areas are disclosed, you will know exactly what parts of your life to fortify and protect.

This is why it is important to be in tune to what is happening in your life whether bad or good. You will want to stop any potential threats to your prosperity and protect yourself as early as possible so that all the good things meant for you will make it to your hands.

Enemies are relentless so it is imperative to protect yourself, your possessions, and all that’s meaningful to you right away. And although it is upsetting to be under attack, take the time to thank your enemies for giving you the opportunity to make yourself stronger and for the lesson learned.

There are many areas in our lives that come under spiritual attack - areas that we may never think to protect. In my case, it was my website, “aladokun.com”. I had so many technical issues that, initially, I thought it was something that I was doing wrong. I couldn’t understand what was happening until one day my entire site went down. Years of information vanished. I went to my spirits to ask if there was a spiritual attack on my website and my spirits said, “yes.” I wanted to know who and the source of the attack. I asked the spirits, “do I know the person?” and the spirits said, “no.” I did my protection rituals right way. Then I contacted the hosting company and it was going to cost me a lot of money to get my site back up and running. I was pissed off and complained to my spirits that my enemies were causing me to have a financial loss and a shaky reputation which would cause people to have uncertainty about me. I was instructed to get an Ifa reading which I did immediately. The divination revealed that my site was under attack by someone that I didn’t know and that this person felt that I was the competition. They did a spiritual work to cause confusion so that potential clients would be uncertain about working with me. Needless to say, I did the prescribed ebo and after about 1 week, I heard the spirit tell me to call the hosting company again. I explained my situation and the agent was able to get my site back up and running at no charge. This experience taught me the additional areas of my life that needed protecting.
— Aladokun

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 contact me and we can discuss further.

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

ARTICLE: Why Black Magic is More Common Than You Think?



How to take a Spiritual Cleansing Bath

INSTRUCTIONS 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 on 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 the 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 the 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 every day 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 you're done, add a cap full of ammonia to a 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

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 of 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 much 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.

What is Voodoo? - What is hoodoo?

What is Voodoo?

“There is a voodoo mentality in the world that needs to change. Many people think that rituals, ceremonies, or candle burning can be dismissed as voodoo and hoodoo, or juju, and anyone who even tampers with these types of spiritual systems of devotion should be considered evil, a voodoo worker, or in some cases, a witch. This is what has been termed the voodoo mentality. Many individuals use the word voodoo with scorn and disdain, putting it into a negative context to refer to something evil or malicious acts, but the word voodoo derives from the word vodoun, which means “spirit” or the “spirit is present.” Vodoun teaches that we must recognize "spirit" in everything that we do. In every thought and in every action; the spirit is alive.

Vodou (this is the original spelling) is not hoodoo or juju, even though these words are used interchangeably by the uninformed. So what is hoodoo? The word hoodoo is a term or a nickname used loosely to describe rootwork or witchcraft in a negative context; however, "hudu" (this is the original Ewe spelling) is rooted in Afrikan ritual and magical religious practices, which are used mainly for healing and protection, whereas Afrikan witchcraft (practiced by women) and sorcery (practiced by men) have the sole purpose of being evil in nature. “Rootwork, or what many have come to be known as hoodoo, taken out of its original context, is a spiritual system born in the areas of the southern United States— Louisiana, the Carolinas, and Florida—and is based on Afrikan slave traditions mixed with a bit of Christianity, Judaism, Paganism, and Native Amerikan Shamanism. Hoodoo of the Amerikas (rootwork) is not a religion, nor is it considered religious, even though it can adapt to any one of many religious formations, like Christianity or Judaism.”1

“For root workers, known today as hoodoo workers, there are no governed structures or levels of hierarchy; it is more an individualistic study and practice of botany—herbs, roots, and minerals—blended with beliefs of myths and legends from many cultures, pagan and non-pagan alike, to spiritually manipulate the outcome of a person’s circumstance for either good or evil using supernatural means. Hoodoo practices are normally handed down from a practitioner or from an elder family member or teacher, with no need for initiation or ceremony.”1

On the other hand, vodou, totally different from hoodoo, represents a legitimate religion. It is a spiritual/religious system that derived from the traditions of the Afrikan slaves and upholds customary structures, levels of hierarchy, ethics, restrictions, and taboos; ceremonial initiations are mandatory. To truly understand the Afrikan spiritual background and heritage, we must first understand the extent of the slave trade, known as the Middle Passage.”

Notation:

This is a complimentary excerpt taken from the book, Ancestor Paths – Honoring our Ancestors and Guardian Spirits through Prayers, Rituals, and Offerings by Aladokun.  To learn more about the history of the voodoo religion and hoodoo traditions, you will need to read the book “Ancestor Paths”.

1.  Referenced from “Hoodoo – In Theory and Practice – An Introduction to African-American Rootwork” by Catherine Yronwode