Thursday, June 25, 2015

Working with Spirit Says Much About Who We Are: The Result


(Yesterday, I wrote about the ritual we did with Simbi Makaya this past weekend. A fiery, hot Kongo spirit, he worked hard, and focused on one initiate in particular. This is what occurred following the rites.  The results are not typical, and each rite can end very differently. -- Mambo Vye Zo)


 
Monday afternoon, AK called.  He said he was surprised by how quickly the gad had worked.  I asked what happened.  He then related to me the events that had occurred on Saturday at home around 8pm. That was approximate to the time we were in ritual here with Makaya. And it was so clearly a Makaya event, I was surprised too, but then – it is Makaya we speak of here.

Apparently, AK and his partner (who I will call PK) have been experiencing tremendous difficulty with a neighbor's family and dog.  This neighbor’s kids are obnoxious and loud.  They constantly damage people’s property at the townhouse complex where AK lives.  The same neighbor’s dog is a nuisance. It appeared on AK’s patio area and barked threateningly at him and PK through the patio doors.  Repeat complaints to management and a trip to court have resulted in multiple fines for the neighbor who still continues to let the kids roam the neighborhood unsupervised.  Their dog is always outside off leash, charging at people and defecating everywhere.  

Saturday evening, PK texted AK, saying she caught the one of the neighbor’s boys climbing over their gate to get into their patio.  She was angry, as she’d previously told the boy she did not want him doing that. However, it felt rather pointless to complain, as she and AK had  tried everything to stop this behavior, yet the family continued to allow their boys to roam unrestricted in the complex.

On Sunday evening, PK thought she heard explosions.  A bit later, she was surprised to see a fire truck and approximately ten firemen in the backyard by the bad neighbor’s patio.  There had been a fire, one that did not damage any other property but this neighbor’s. AK observed that Makaya certainly cuts with precision: one side of the neighbor's planter box was completely ruined and will have to be rebuilt. Much of the junk stored on their patio was toast, literally, and the divider separating their patio from the unit next door was singed only on their side.

All this occurred around the time Makaya was sitting with AK here in Pennsylvania, and talking about AK’s partner.  I was a bit taken back, not by the action of the fire (that made perfect sense to me,) but by the immediacy of it all.  I said to AK that Makaya doesn’t do huge damage unless warranted. Mostly, he is a tit-for-tat kinda guy.  Like a mafia godfather, he inflicts revenge and quickly for those he likes.  Obviously, he likes AK (and PK by association.)  I am sure the neighbor will be busy with their own damages, and hopefully not with AK and PK's property. I reminded AK that he promised to create a sculpture of Makaya.  (AK had asked what he looked like, and of course, Makaya was very pleased to answer in detail.)  Makaya is such a narcissist that having his image created was enough to get him to act without asking.  It seems the King of the Sanpwel is quite taken with my initiate, agreeing to protect him for a graven image.

This is how a bargain is often struck in Haiti between a servitor and spirit.  A vodouisant will be approached by a spirit looking for a relationship. It can happen in ritual, in private work or just on the street.  It’s not unlike meeting a new person and asking to become friends. Sometimes there is a formal introduction as there was on Saturday night.  Other times, the spirit makes itself known either by approaching the servitor in dreams or through active engagement. If the servitor agrees to the relationship, then the spirit will work with or for the servitor. 

It most often happens with a ghede spirit. Despite the proliferation of Lwa on the web, the ghede are the most readily available to work. They are bored, restless and want to be of use. Striking a bargain with the living is one way they can make amends for their lives, be productive in their spiritual  amelioration and find solace in their loneliness.  Many of the dead in Haiti have not had the cleansing rites of consecration that free them from their earthly bondage. By working with or for a servitor, they can earn their way into the next life, escaping their earthly imprisonment and moving forward on their own path.

But it has been known to happen with a larger energy stream such as a specific Lwa as well.  I reminded AK that this was a special scenario, that it might not repeat itself, and that he should pour only a single shot of Dewar's for Makaya if he felt inclined to do so.  For all we know, it could have just been a coincidence. But I think not. After we hung up, I thought about this event, and realized a deeper truth.

I believe that perhaps AK and Makaya have had a long standing relationship, one that transcends this lifetime and dimension.  The spirits are omnipresent and omniscient.  If, in another time or place, AK worked with Makaya, then the godfather of Vodou would certainly remember his faithful servant.  I was told Makaya spent a lot of time with AK.  He was also quite taken with one of the Mambos and one of the Sevi Kanzo kids.  I believe that when a spirit comes calling unbidden, you and it have a long standing relationship.  If you didn’t believe in the continuum of life, then this could surely make you into a believer. How else would one explain the confluence of Makaya sitting with AK and asking about his partner, while simultaneously extracting revenge for the partner (unbidden), on the neighbor?

As Makaya renews his relationship with AK, I will say that this isn’t a bad thing.  But it needs to be handled with care and thought.  Just as the Godfather in the movies would ask impossible things in payment for favors, I would urge caution in asking anything of this Kongo entity.  The universe that birthed him was a harsh one. And his work here is often the same.  How we act with spirit says much about us as magicians.  Invoking a dangerous spirit for fun or entertainment tells me that you are careless and thoughtless (and will most likely be bitten by said entity for wasting its time…) Ask a deeply moving question of the same entity and you might be surprised to find a powerful and faithful ally by your side.

When handling a dangerous being such as a deadly serpent (or a fiery spirit like Makaya) protection is the primary gesture.  We must act protectively to ensure a good outcome.  All Spirits are the mirror of Heaven; they are both terrifying and beautiful -- angelics as well as demonics. We are their reflection here on earth (angel or demon, take your pick these days...)  When Heaven and Earth connect with one another, a calm demeanor, a firm hand and a decisive Will ensures a good outcome for both parties. Otherwise, all hell will rain forth. And no one wants that to happen, especially this mambo.


Makaya! O ye Makaya!
Makaya, O ye Makaya Lembo!
Makaya men soley, ap leve djabo!
Makaya!
 



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