Bantu Religion + Kongo Shamanism in California
SOURCE : The Baptist’s Head – The African Diaspora: An interview with an initiate
I think that in general the African traditions as found in the Americas lack any “spiritual” or “personal growth factors.” I think that most of the hard core practitioners are actually “unenlightening” themselves, as explained earlier. In fact, they are [...]
SOURCE : Advice to Orisha Worship Newcomers on finding a Godparent
Orisha traditions are communal and hierarchical. These are not “do-it-yourself” traditions, and you cannot self-initiate. This is a lineage based system – with levels of initiation, and it takes time to move through these levels and be trained. Not everyone [...]
Trying to learn Palo Mayombe from a book is like trying to learn karate from a movie – without hands-on instruction from a legitimate teacher, you will have no idea what you are doing and will probably just wind up injuring yourself.
On the other hand, if you are interested in learning about more Kongolese shamanism, [...]
SOURCE : The Badger Herald: ArtsEtc.: Santeria more than just occult religion
Palo’s spiritual leaders, Paleros, use the spirits of the dead, or los muertos, to carry out requests of petitioning clients. Paleros, unlike Santeros, readily name themselves as brujos.
Gato consulted with Ruben Texidor, a renowned brujo/palero from San Francisco in the service of less scrupulous [...]
SOURCE : Palo Monte
A Prenda (foundation, cauldron) is like the whole world, only small which you use to dominate; that is why the “Ngangulero” (owner of the cauldron), introduces in his cauldron all the spirits; there he has the cemetery, the mountain, the river, the seas, thunder, the swirl, the sun, the moon and the [...]
![[Bob Burman, race car driver] (LOC)](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2037/2163470598_fb7571cdab_m.jpg "[Bob Burman, race car driver] (LOC)")
SOURCE : solomonic : Message: Clarifications on my Spirit Pots posting
There is a world of difference between knowing ABOUT Palo (even if one has had extensive conversations with Paleros, or studied the subject extensively), and having the LICENSE to work with a prenda. Why? Because initiation confers SOMETHING directly via the physical and spiritual body [...]
SOURCE : Ifa yesterday, Ifa today, Ifa tomorrow: On finding a godparent/spiritual mentor/Oluwo/Olorisha their role and yours.
Are they truly initiated? seems like an obvious question, but one often not asked. While some folks may be offended, they shouldn’t be, you don’t know them, they don’t know you. You can ask what their lineage is, who [...]
SOURCE : “The Good Gangulero”
The first thing that a Gangulero needs to know, not to mix the family with the religion, what happens is that a lot of Ganguleros let their feelings run them and that is a big error a lot of them commit.
I mention this because in my career I have seen the [...]
SOURCE : African Spritual Systems – Assata Shakur Speaks
In my Palo Mayombe religion it is the same as well, when an individual is presented to the main Nganga it is the Tata who confirms with the Nkobos if (1) Palo is in this individuals path and (2) if that particular lineage and rama is for [...]
(Kongo) – a nganguelero’s assistant, a sort of “right hand man”.
A bakanfulo knows the major palo rituals and assists the head priest with initiations, keeping an eye on ritual participants (especially those who have gone intro trance states) to make sure they don’t hurt themselves.
If the head priest becomes possessed, it is the bakanfula’s job [...]
