TRANSFERENCE OF SPIRITUAL AND ESOTERIC POWERS IN AFRICAN TRADITIONAL
RELIGION
INTRODUCTION
Before we take a look
into the methodology of transference of esoteric and spiritual powers in ATR, it
will be of great importance to first take a look into the key terms in the
above;
AFRICAN
TRADITIONAL RELIGION
What is African Traditional Religion? RELIGION is a fundamental,
perhaps the most important, influence in the life of most Africans; yet its
essential principles are too often unknown to foreigners who thus make
themselves constantly liable to misunderstand the African worldview and beliefs.
Religion enters into every aspect of the life of the Africans and it cannot be
studied in isolation. Its study has to go hand-in hand with the study of the
people who practise the religion. When we speak of African Traditional Religion,
we mean the indigenous religious beliefs and practices of the Africans. It is
the religion which resulted from the sustaining faith held by the forebears of
the present Africans, and which is being practised today in various forms and
various shades and intensities by a very large number of Africans, including
individuals who claim to be Muslims or Christians. We need to explain the word
„traditional‟. This word means indigenous, that which is aboriginal or
foundational, handed down from generation to generation, upheld and practised by
Africans today. This is a heritage from the past, but treated not as a thing of
the past but as that which connects the past with the present and the present
with eternity. This is not a “fossil” religion, a thing of the past or a dead
religion. It is a religion that is practised by living men and women. Through
modern changes, the traditional religion cannot remain intact but it is by no
means extinct. The declared adherents of the indigenous religion are very
conservative, resisting the influence of modernism heralded by the colonial era,
including the introduction of Islam, Christianity, Western education and
improved medical facilities. They cherish their tradition; they worship with
sincerity because their worship is quite meaningful to them; they hold
tenaciously to their covenant that binds them together. We speak of religion in
the singular. This is deliberate. We are not unconscious of the fact that Africa
is a large continent with multitudes of nations who have complex cultures,
innumerable languages and myriads of dialects. But in spite of all these
differences, there are many basic
similarities in the religious systems—everywhere there is the concept of God
(called by different names); there is also the concept of divinities and/or
spirits as well as beliefs in the ancestral cult. Every locality may and does
have its own local deities, its own festivals, its own name or names for the
Supreme Being, but in essence the pattern is the same. There is that noticeable
“Africanness” in the whole pattern. Here we disagree with John Mbiti who chooses
to speak of the religion in the plural “because there are about one thousand
African peoples (tribes), and each has its own religious system. This is a
religion that is based mainly on oral transmission. It is not written on paper
but in peoples‟ hearts, minds, oral history, rituals, shrines and religious
functions. It has no founders or reformers like Gautama the Buddha, Asoka,
Christ, or Muhammad. It is not the religion of one hero. It has no missionaries,
or even the desire to propagate the religion, or to proselytise. However, the
adherents are loyal worshippers and, probably because of this, Africans who have
their roots in the indigenous religion, find it difficult to sever connection
with it. Before we had foreign investigators to give the world an idea of what
the religious beliefs of the Africans looked like, there were theorists who have
never been in Africa but who regarded it as the “Dark Continent” where people
had no idea of God and where the Devil in all his abysmal, grotesque and
forbidden features, armed to the teeth and with horns complete, held sway. These
theorists had fantastic tales to tell about Africa. And one such tale was
recorded in a Berlin journal which Leo Frobenius read before he ever visited
Africa to see things for himself. Among other things it said: Before the
introduction of genuine faith and higher standards of culture by the Arabs, the
natives had neither political organization nor strictly speaking any religion
....Therefore, in examining the pre-Muhammadan conditions of the negro races, to
confine ourselves to the description of their crude fetishism, their brutal and
often cannibal customs, their vulgar and repulsive idols and their squalid
homes…. But, as a contrast to these
theorists, we have genuine seekers after truth who showed their doubts as to
whether there could be any people anywhere in the world who were totally devoid
of culture and religion, especially with particular reference to the knowledge
of the living God. Prominent among such people were Andrew Lang, Archbishop N.
Soderblom, and Father Schmidt of Vienna. Father Schmidt, for example, maintains:
…the belief in, and worship of, one supreme deity is universal among all really
primitive peoples—the high God is found among them all, not indeed everywhere in
the same form or with the same vigour, but still everywhere prominently enough
to make his dominant position indubitable
SPIRITUALITY
The term spirit means “animating or vital principle in man and
animals”. It is derived from the old French ‘espirit’, which comes from the
Latin word ‘spiritus’ which mean soul, courage, vigour, breath” and is related
spirare, “to breath”. In the vulgate, the latin word spiritus is used to
translate the Greek pneuma and Hebrew ruah.
The word over the years has come to bear spirituality in the English
language. What then is the English “ spirituality”?
Spirituality is the process of personal transformation, either in
accordance with traditional religious ideas, or increasingly oriented subjective
experience and psychological growth independently of any specific religious
context. In a more general sense, it may refer to almost any kind of meaningful
activity or blissful experience. We should note that there is no single widely
agreed definition for the concept. According to Waajiman, the traditional
meaning of spirituality is a process of re-formation which aims to recover the
original shape of man, the image of God.
Spirituality is a concept synonymous with the Africans. Alik shahadah
is quoted to have said
“Beyond a shadows of doubt, the most definable characteristic of the
African people is our intrinsic reverence for divinity”
ESOTERIC
What is esoteric? The word
esoteric is gotten from the Greek word “esoterikos” which means “inner”. Therefore, the English “esoteric” simply
means “understood by or meant for only the selected few who have special
knowledge or interest”. It is also defined as “restricted to or intended for
enlightenment or initiated minority, especially because of abstruseness or
obscurity.
There have been many types of secret
esoteric societies. Some were created for sinister purposes, some out of religions to
further their agenda, some were created with good intentions, and some today
have well meaning people in them doing good.
Not everything esoteric or occult is from the dark side.
Fundamentalist Christians often label everything esoteric as Satanic, but it’s
not; some of it is actually a remnant of white ancient knowledge. Some societies
began as fully fledged esoteric orders, but became watered down with time,
lacking people with sufficient inner awakening to participate in
them.
Many of these became infiltrated by dark forces as people motivated
by greed and power took control of them. Their original good intentions were
hijacked to fulfil sinister purposes.
It is necessary to have levels of secrecy in many areas of life, in
some areas of government for example (assuming the government is working for the
benefit of its citizens). Esoteric societies used secrecy out of necessity for
their own protection. They needed that secrecy to protect themselves from people
who would have destroyed their school. Not everything secret is bad; esoteric
knowledge has been protected by hermetic silence.
TRANCEFERENCE
Transference is a phenomenon that is characterised by conscious or
unconscious redirection of feelings, attitude or qualities from one person to
another. One definition of transference is “the process of moving someone or
something from one place to another. When it has to do with spiritual powers, it
may be defined as passing the extra ordinary abilities from person to a
subordinate or even an inanimate.
Having done justice to the key terms, let us now go ahead to discuss
the methodology involved in the transference of spiritual and esoteric powers in
African Traditional Religion.
METHODOLOGY OF POWER TRANFERENSE IN ATR
Transference of spiritual power is a feature present in most if not
all religions. Be it Christianity, Islam, Budahism,Shamanism, there is present
transfer of power. The only difference is the form and means through which this
is done. African Traditional Religion is not an exception and so below, we
discuss the various processes involved in the transfer of spiritual and esoteric
powers in ATR;
MAGIC AND SOCCERY
In ATR, the practice of magic and sorcery is usually involved because
the transfer of esoteric and spiritual powers involves extra ordinary
means. The transfer of spirits is
usually a very common practice in ATR which could be from the chief priest to
his subordinate or to a person so desired.
DIVINATION AND ENCHANTMENT
In ATR, the use of divination which is the process of using signs and spiritual or
special powers to predict the future or foretell events and to discover hidden
knowledge usually by interpretation of omens or by the aid of supernatural
powers. Also, enchantments is involved to make the process of transferring powers
complete.
RITUALS, OCCULTIC PRACTICES, AND INITIATION.
In ATR, initiation is usually common and in the process, some
incantation are being done which involves mystical and cosmic connections. They
involve ceremonial practices done either in sacrificing or performing other
practices to propitiate on behalf of the deity to make the transference of the
esoteric and any mysterious powers complete because most spirit cannot be
transferred without appeasing them and make proper sacrifices.
NECROMANCY
Through the practice of necromancy and other diabolical means: in ATR
the transfer of exoteric and spiritual power in connection with the transference
of the spirits, involves using necromancy which means invoking the spirit of the
dead up to make the practise more real and traditional.
CHARMS, AMULETS AND MEDICINE:
In ATR charms are vital means by which one can get power also with
the use of amulet. Using medicine as well makes the practices real.
References;
F.F Bruce “esoteric and mystyrious powers”.
Anderson, Allan. Zion and Pentecost: The Spirituality and
Experience of Pentecostal and Zionist/Apostolic Churches in South Africa.
Tshwane: University of South Africa Press, 2000.
Berglund, Axel-Ivar. Zulu Thought Patterns and Symbolism.
London: Hurst, 1976.
Blakely, Thomas, et al., eds. Religion in Africa. London:
James Currey, 1994.
Bosch, David J. The Traditional Religions of Africa. Study
Guide MSR203. Tshwane: University of South Africa, 1975.
Mad oh
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