As many people reject the spiritual after-effects of colonialism and accept their ancestral calling, psychological preparation is necessary for a smooth transition into a new life of actively embracing the gift.
Apartheid laws which deemed ubungoma (African medicine traditional healing) a crime contributed to black people adapting to western ways of doing things, behaviours and traditions over African spirituality.
Under Apartheid laws, The Witchcraft Act of 1957 prohibited the practice of ubungoma and it was punishable by death, says Makhosi Nomabutho who accepted her calling in 2014.
She says our history of apartheid and colonialism played a big part in the misunderstanding of African spirituality and perpetuating the stigma that surrounds it.
“Our laws now permit us to practice African spirituality, so more people are beginning to freely do so. Pre-1994, this was not allowed...” Nomabutho says.
Like many apartheid laws, the Act has proven to have a long-term effect on culture and the African way of life. “Because of the Witchcraft Act, many people were fearful of embracing their spirituality and following the ancestral path because ubungoma was essentially a crime. Even years after apartheid, our spirituality is still mainly associated with witchcraft, and not healing, by some. Through apartheid, many narratives have been planted in order to deter people from African spirituality. Colonialism existed to divorce us from our identity and our culture.”
Over the past few years, there has been an increased number of people embracing African spirituality, says spokesperson of the Traditional Healers Association Gogo Phepsile Maseko.
This has come in the form of teaching and learning about African healing, making African spirituality a part of daily life and for some, even accepting their ancestral calling.
Maseko says the increase in people who are accepting their calling also stems from a rise in the level of consciousness amongst African people, as well as an increased yearning to uncover one’s true identity.
“As black people, we have been engulfed by Western ways, behaviour and traditions. But there is a deep awakening and there is more consciousness amongst our people. More people are wanting to know exactly who they are. The consciousness is deepening,” she says.
Experiencing continuous problems which may serve as a hindrance from living a fulfilled life also leads many people to the path of African spirituality and ultimately, African healing.
“When you encounter problematic situations and negative energies in your life, you are bound to look deeper into what exactly is happening with you. In the search for who you are and what is truly happening, there might be a revelation that there is unrest with ancestors (probably from your maternal or paternal side). Therefore, your ancestors would want you to heed their call to do ancestral work,” says Maseko.
Upon accepting one’s calling, a lot of preparation is necessary.
For Mpho wa Badimo, a sangoma who first received her calling when she was still in varsity, the journey required way more than organising all she would need while away from her family and the life she was used to for the duration of her training.
“What I picked up from my journey is that one definitely needs psychological preparation because you are going to undertake a new life. The old person you were spiritually dies and you take upon a new life which comes with your newly found purpose and the spiritual gift you have been given. Initiation is not easy. It is a process that humbles you to appreciate your gift even more.”
Maseko believes that letting go of the familiar is most likely to cause trauma. As such, more needs to done by the association and spiritual teachers (ogobela) when it comes to facilitating the mental preparation of those who undergo the initiation process.
Psychologist Kgomotso Masokoane says accepting one’s ancestral gift needs one to prepare themselves s a psychologically.
“In losing an identity that you know and moving to a new way of life, the psychological effects can range from anxiety, fear of the unknown and mental confusion. For ukuthwasa (initiation) specifically, the psychological effects can range from experiencing illness, auditory and visual hallucinations, delusions, mood swings and even social isolation,” she says.
Ukuvala
Frowned upon by most traditional healers, the ritual to close off one’s spiritual gift remains an unspoken and controversial subject.
We ask Gogo Phepsile Maseko, spokesperson of the Traditional Healers Association, for her commentary about ukuvala (blocking ancestral calling).
Why is the ritual of ukuvala discouraged by traditional healers?
“If your ancestors have pointed you out and chosen you, and you decide to shut it down, they will obviously be mad at you. There are a lot of things that can happen.”
Do you advise against it?
“I would not suggest ukuvala because you might be closing off something that would have changed your entire life or even saved the life of out your entire family.”
What is your advice for someone who has yet to prepare for their calling?
“There are a lot of things that can happen when you close off your gift. We see people in car accidents, the death of individuals or even families, conflict within the home, losing a job and just general havoc. I would say do not close off your gift. Rather get someone who is good and can help you delay it so that the psychological mind is well prepared for the journey.”
“Being mentally prepared can help minimize the trauma and anxiety. Discussing with your family about what becoming a sangoma will mean for you and your loved ones can help prepare you, and will help both you and them to acclimatize to the new you that will return. This also includes how they will need to address you and your changing role within the family”.
“There is quite a lot of work that needs to be done in terms of getting the psychological aspect prepared. It is not easy to leave something you’ve known all your life for something you don’t know. That shift creates a lot of anxiety,” she says.
However, despite the path being hard and demanding in many aspects, Mpho wa badimo, Makhosi Nomabutho and Gogo Phepsile Maseko all suggest it is a journey worth embarking on for everyone who has been called.
“You are born gifted and later experience the calling. An ancestral gift is a beautiful thing. To reject the gift would be to destroy the roots of a life-giving tree,” says Mpho wa badimo.
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