Africa Speaks Reasoning Forum

Obeah
Obeah, as practiced in Jamaica and the Caribbean, takes the USE OF and KNOWLEDGE OF ancient occult powers orginally handed down over the centuries by word of mouth from the remnants of a once very powerful and celebrated religious order in remote ages, now lost in the mist of time, and combines it with Shamanism --- as practiced mostly by tribal people who spoke Ashanti from West Africa --- Sorcery, Voudon (Voodoo), and witchcraft.

It is a dying breed shrouded in secrecy known and practiced only by a select few. Even fewer ever truly enter the ranks of Obeah and able to successfully wield its will and awesome scope unscathed. An Obeahman can use ANY system and fuel it with the power of Obeah without the danger of disrespect FOR the gods, but, depending on circumstances, not necessarily without repercussions FROM the gods and the natural order of things. Obeah is potent, compelling and in the wrong hands, both deadly and dangerous. It's secret lies in its POWER. Even White Light Shields can and do weaken, collapse, or be rendered impotent, buckling under to another's stronger power when pitted against each other in tests of strength.

It is thought that the Ashanti and the Dahomeyans are the carriers of the wisdom of Obeah. That it was slaves from west and-north-Africa that brought this current of power to Jamaica and Trinidad-Tobago. The tradition of Obeah captures several lines of occult transmission. The Obeah it self is best seen as an multi-different source of extreme power. In a way, in that Obeahmen have been around and practicing their craft for centuries, and long before the term came into popular culture, the Obeahmen are the TRUE Chaos Magicians since they can use any system they want and fuel it with the power of Obeah, without the danger of disrespect for the gods. In Trinidad you will find Obeah blended with Muslim faith with Hinduism and Christianity. Also in Sierra Leone there are certain tribes which declares themselves as Muslim but who use the Quran to perform powerful magic with the help of Angels and Djinns. Similar traditions are to be found in Trinidad-Tobago as well. In the succession I belong to Obeah is blended with Orisha-worship, which is the most common manifestation of Obeah. Orisha worship in Trinidad has two main fractions "Spiritual Orisha" which are very Christian in its practical way. They also avoid blood-offerings. The other one "Baptist Orisha" is a more pure and ancient line of Orisha-transmission who accept blood-offerings and function very much like Orisha-worship you’ll meet elsewhere in the world. Still I might add that Voudon (Voodoo) is perhaps the closest "brother" to "Baptist Orisha"

There's a very cool musician from the Carribean named Exuma. Obeah I think is one of the themes that runs through his music, like in songs 'Obeah man come back' off Exuma's Reincarnation. The sound of his music also has some of that Obeah which you just described. Exuma could be a man who sings about Obeah or he could be an Obeahman or a man who believes in Obeah. Even his name has a life after death significance which may be part of his affiliation to Obeah. Either way his music is great and not as internationally recognized as I think he should be.

Kevin

I am very interrested in knowing more abt obeah. I know alittlebit about it from before, but mostly I know abt witchcraft (scandinavian). The type of obeah I know of is from West-Africa (Gambia and Ghana) and some from Uganda. I allso know about the Nnangas in Zimbabwe.

I know that if u want to do witchcraft, a part of it is what you are born with and the rest is what you learn. You mainly have to be born with the power, and then somebody teach you how to control it. Is it like that with Obeah too?

Is it not mainly the same thing?

Still searching..

Bless..

Indeed, like other popular traditional African religions everywhere in the Diaspora, Obeah is ancestrally determined. A western person can develop himself or herself through the study of Obeah but ultimately he or she will not experience its profound spirits, as the ancestors control our mysteries and there is a direct ancestral tie to this tradition. As a result, it's very important for all races to honor their own ancestors... Black African people in the Diaspora do have a special relationship with traditional African religions because the Deific ancestors of Obeah and other traditional African religions are in their blood.

I wonder, why is it imperative for you to associate Obeah with Witchcraft that is the rites of Satanism? Obeahmen in traditional African religion are not Satan-worshippers you are mistaken. The balanced and self-respected Obeahmen only carries the legacy of our ancestors. They deal with the truth of African ancestral philosophy and metaphysics, while witchcraft worshipers represent Satanism that has little resemblance with the indigenous African philosophy. 

It seems you are confusing "Wicca" (the joyful indigenous spiritual philosophy that honor Nature and celebrate its many faces, including the Earth Mother process of being fertile and fruitful) with "Witchcraft" (Satanism).

B.K

Witchcraft or what is considered witchcraft is a very interesting subject. I read the satanic bible and was impressed. People get caught up in the stereotypical view of satanism and never see it as a practical philosophy. I would go so far as to say some of the satanic ideals remind me of pragmatism. And just like any religion or group it has its good sects and its bad sects.

Many philosophies look good on paper.

black people arent proposing satanism on the africa speaks board are they?

It seems you too know nothing about true traditional African religion being brainwashed in this Western system of things.. With a little in-depth research into the historical background and nature of Witchcraft you will come across this art working with the spirits of evil through various ceremonial tools of Black magic.. Too many people like you have been, brainwashed, bamboozled and hoodwinked into believing that our Black African culture is nothing than the popular art of Sorcery you know little about or its practices.. You should at least know that in its pure form Obeah respect Mother Nature, the phases of the moon, the dancing, sharing and general spiritualism and mystical insights!
I warn you, those who forsake the straight path of Higher Vibrations to wander with the lesser spirits of Evil invariably fall victims of their imprudence. Witchcraft is destructive. Everyone knows in African indigenous cultures that Witchcraft is a form of Satanic art like necromancy, sorcery and vampirism, and is less complex than the pure knowledge of ancient African religion because Witchcraft is worldlier in its fundamental. Witchcraft is based on human selfishness and yes it is selfishness that is the fundamental cause of all worldly evil.

As every theological belief and magic art, spiff off occurs. Some loose sight of the originating concept and take it upon themselves to undermine and corrupt the morals and transcendentalism arts of indigenous cultures. So, I think you and Murungu should take time, and caution before blindly following this Satanic religion as well as its arts and practices.

B.K

Bantu Kelani you must have misinterpreted my words. I do not believe that our culture is merely about the art of sorcery, and I do not follow the satanic religion. What a poor assumption. You beloved must be brainwashed in order to use the term " Black Magic " in the first paragraph of your response. Is it not true that in order to form an opinion about something, whether to praise or condemn it, you must first learn as much as you can about the subject? This is the art of war. I ask you have you, and are you afraid to read the satanic bible, which in all actuality is nothing more than a book?  In all philosophies the goal is the highest good, and within that philosophy's boundaries what is considered selfish by others may not be selfish to them. I refuse to play a game of who knows more about traditional afrikan religions because that proclamation is based on who has read the most books, and not on overstanding the application of religion and its beneficial or counterproductive properties. Seen. Contrary to popular belief satanism is not about vampirism, necromancy or sorcery, as I stated earlier you have different sects in every religion and all practitioners do not practice the same things.

one love

Sometimes words and their meanings get confusing. I think what Murungu meant by 'witchcraft' was not satanism, but rather wicca. And the reason why you gone hear many people in the carrybeyond say bad things about obeah, is that we associate it with what you calling 'witchcraft', i.e., selfish destructive practices usually resulting from jealousy, greed, etc.... because of the dog-eat-dog nature of the society that slavery created, many people consult obeahmen/women for negative purposes like that, or for things like, to try and get a visa to go to the U.S. And nuff of the obeahmen/women is pure frauds anyway, I'm sure there are those with a real overstanding of the powers and who use these powers for good, but nuff of them is money-hungry confidence tricksters, that's a fact.
As for satanism, I glanced at that same satanic bible in a bookstore once, and apart from bald white people getting dressed in ridiculous costumes and drooling over naked women lying on altars, the main impression I got was it is a 'religion' which worships the ego and individual greed/lust for power, it seems in fact like a more honest version of what many so-called christians promote, basically it's saying might is right, selfishness and extreme individualism are virtues not vices... it seems like it is the honest 'religion' that goes along with fascism and capitalism. Well quite apart from the connotations of the name 'satan', I would have nothing to do with such an ideology.

Very good assessment GMan.

Indulgence instead of compulsion

People often mistake compulsion for indulgence, but there is a world of difference between the two. A compulsion is never created by indulging, but by not being able to indulge. By making something taboo, it only serves to intensify the desire. Everyone likes to do the things they have been told not to. " Forbidden fruit are sweetest. "

Webster's Dictionary defines indulgence thusly: " To give oneself up to; not to restrain or oppose; to give free course to; to gratify by compliance; to yield to." The dictionary definition of compulsion is: The act of compelling or driving by force, physical or moral; constraint of the will; ( compulsory,obligatory )." In other words, indulgence implies choice, whereas compulsion indicates the lack of choice.

When a person has no proper release for his desires they rapidly build up and become compulsions. If everyone had a particular time and place for the purpose of periodically indulging in their personal desires, without fear of embarrasment or reproach, they would be sufficiently released to lead unfrustrated lives in the everyday world. They would be free to plunge headlong into whatever undertaking they might choose instead of going about their  duties halfheartedly, their creative urges frustrated by denying their natural desires.....
The simple fact of the matter is that the very thing which has lead this type of person ( a religious hypocrite or blind faith individual ) to a faith which preaches abstinence, is indulgence. Their compulsive masochism is the reason for choosing a religion which not only advocates self-denial, but praises them for it; and gives them a sacrosanct avenue of expression for their masochistic needs. The more abuse they can stand, the holier they become.

From the Satanic bible, pages 81-82,  p.84 2nd pg.

This makes sense - for example, years of repression in the Catholic church turned out perverted homosexuals within the priesthood(or this may of been one of their PRIVILEGES as members of the priesthood). This text also sounds like a study of psychology, the powers that be study well psychology and thus they know how and why people think the way they do and thus can MANIPULATE people.

Gman...I agree with your assesment of the Satanic Bible...I read some of it in a wicca bookstore...the passage just posted was interesting...BUT I read some of what you described in it also. I think that corrupt systems of belief have to be very intelligently stated to trick us into accepting them...Capitalism is an example :-X

I view Christianity and Satanism as 2 sides of the same distorted coin. Much like my view of democrats and republicans...

Yes I.
The passage Preach quoted is indeed quite reasonable. But I dare say I could leaf through Hitler's 'Mein Kampf' and find SOMETHING reasonable in there.

 
My knowledge of traditional African religion (especially Dahomean Vodoun and Kongo ngunza) doesn't come form books but through rituals. Conducting rituals with symbolic objects and gestures bring appropriate guidance because we can transcend superficiality i.e the prejudice of the Western World.. Traditional African religions are very complex. So, IMO, their ethical worthiness and powers cannot be grasped in books as you think.. As for myself, the mental, spiritual and emotions impressions I have of traditional African religions are not with reason but with paranormal empiricism.. like most people who have true connection with the Other World and the ancestors anyway.


It's not correct to say that the majority of obeah priesthood is pure fraud. Most of the knowledgeable and skilled practitioners of Vodoun priests I know (in fact, Obeah priests too I'm sure) are good, law-abiding people. They would prefer we act with love and compassion towards all other things. But, it's up to us to whether we use the Power of the Loas (spirits or Creator Source energies) to rob a bank, or to campaign for nuclear disarmament. The responsibility is right into own selves! Also, if you knew anything of the fundamentals of magic, you would know that the Obeah priest only magnifies the energies of our own minds. It is the follower of Obeah who must harness the energy of his own mind with his power of WILL to an end destination to obtain achievement and success. So, simply having the Obeah priest, diviner or healer prescribing rituals as well as giving us advices does not mean that they will have "power" or "effects", we must tune ourselves to the vibration of the source of all energy in order for us to receive their effects. The fulfillment of our plans always come from self and must first be within self.


Yes indeed, Hitler and the Nazi party possessed traditional religious and magical knowledge that they used for selfishness and harmfulness! Today, even the CIA continues to exploit the same knowledge and powers for espionage to wreak havoc and destruction the world over. Their morbid use of Shamanic traditions is no more than Satanism characterize "philosophical and practical proper".


B.K

Yes B.K.
No disagreements with anything you say here really. Just to clarify I never said the majority of obeah practitioners were frauds, I said "nuff" of them are, where I come from anyway. In any aspect of life under this system, you will find people who are willing to make a profit by exploiting the weak, desperate and gullible. To put it in context, you find the same thing in churches, government institutions, etc., I am by no means singling out obeah as more prone to fraudulency than any other institution as it exists under this system.
Do you know anything about cumfa? This is an African spiritual tradition in Guyana, distinct from obeah though they might intersect (a cumfa practitioner might also be an obeahman/woman), which from the limited information I can find about it seems to derive largely from Congo. There were a number of Congolese who were brought to Guyana as indentured servants after slavery ended, who were able to preserve more of their spiritual traditions intact, than the slaves were. I don't know if it exists anywhere else in the caribbean, to my knowledge most of the new world African traditions are more Yoruba/Dahomey/Fon-based, while cumfa is supposedly more Congo-based. It involves 'possession' by a number of spirits who represent different cultures (African, East Indian, Native, European etc.) for the purpose of healing maladies and solving life crises. From the research I've done into various traditions that deal with 'possession' this is a very common thing worldwide, becoming 'possessed' by spirits which represent the traits or supposed traits of different cultures. There is an interesting book I remember reading as an undergraduate dealing with the zar 'cult' in Sudan, which has many similar features, I forget the name of the book but it's by Janice Boddy, a white anthropologist, and is written in that annoying academic lingo (code), but worth wading through the horrible prose style and reading still for the information in there.

Gman,

Cumfa could be a Kongo derived religion in Guyana I don't know, because it's not a popular rite in DRC Congo, Congo-Brazza or even Angola. The rite mot present in the Bantu Kongolese regions is Nungza. The Nungza believers posses a priest (nganga), divination, possession, spirits allies, the assistance of the ancestors, drumming, dancing and nkisi (magic), mostly just like the Cumfa religion I suppose.. I am glad to know that a Kongo derived tradition has still a solid base in Guyana.

B.K