Bantu Religion + Kongo Shamanism in California
SOURCE : An Aborisha’s Guide for Attending Elegbá and the Warriors
…Elegbá should be worshiped on Mondays… and preferably in the morning before heading outdoor for one’s daily routines. It is necessary to keep in mind… that once one accustoms Elegbá to this treatment, one must be… consistent. If you legitimately forget, there can be no [...]
SOURCE : Jungian psychology, archetypes and the shadow in Cuban Santeria
When an Orisha takes possession of a person, its psychic energies dominate the person for the moment. That individual, then, exhibits the extraordinary powers and exceptional knowledge of the future that are found in the natural attributes of the Orisha. From Jung’s point of view, [...]
SOURCE : Cuban Babalawo on Anthropocentrism, Ifa and Destiny
“It is an anthropocentric religion, meaning it puts man at the center of the universe. Man lives and dies, and all existence is within that space. There is no before and no after. It is about living, and about living according to your individual way of life.”
“It [...]
SOURCE : Palo Monte Video Documentary (Cuba)
I’ve added a couple dozen Palo Mayombe videos to my YouTube playlist, but the best find of all is probably this short documentary on vimeo. A lot of truth here in a short 5 minutes. (Hat tip: Candelo)
El Palo Monte from colectiva on Vimeo.
SOURCE : Caribbean Espiritismo altars: the Indian and the Congo | Art Bulletin, The | Find Articles at BNET
The creation of a firma is considered both an act of faith and an aesthetic act. In literal translation, firma means signature, and a cluster of firmas can act as a system of ideographic writing. Because they [...]
SOURCE : Prenda de Lucero Mundo – Palo Monte Shrines and Ritual
The mpungu of the nganga does its bidding through a principal spirit of the dead (muerto or nfumbi), conjured from the cemetery and incorporated into the pot through the presence of human relics… This muerto is considered to be the “general” or “overseer” [...]
SOURCE : Ndoki bueno ndoki malo: Historic and contemporary Kongo religion in the African diaspora
The religious traditions of Central Africans have been less a focus of attention than those from West Africa. Despite being often more widespread in the American diaspora, these traditions are often overlooked by academic studies or characterized as witchcraft rather than [...]
SOURCE : Exploring El Monte: Ethnobotany and the Afro-Cuban Science of the Concrete
It is very possible that the term ashé, the “power-to-make-things-happen”, may be the Afro-Cuban way of referring to a plant’s chemical constituents, its magico-medicinal properties. A recent study by Edward Ayensu provides an important clue for understanding the logic of the Lukumí classifications [...]
SOURCE : Ashé’wé Osayín
The twenty one photos included on this voyage are some of the plants used by the Lukumí for ritual and medicinal purposes. Most of these photos have been taken in Miami and Cuba. The majority of these herbs (identified by an asterisks) are indispensable for ordinations and other ceremonies. [...]
SOURCE : Inexplicata-The Journal of Hispanic Ufology: High Strangeness in High Office: Paranormal Politics
A servant in the Castro household told the ailing Fidel’s mother that if she really wanted to save young her son’s life, the boy had to be rayado en palo (consecrated to the Palo Mayombe cult). During the course of the child’s [...]
