Spirits Come from Water: An Introduction to Ancestral Veneration and Reclaiming African Spiritual Practices

by Ehime Ora

Spiritual power creates physical changes. This is why colonialism’s first step was religious conversion by separating individuals from their ancestral tools. This step was the most violating and profane experience for Africans on the continent.

When you deprive individuals of their spiritual technology, you open them up to a kind of cultural vulnerability that pokes holes within their strength. Disrupting their ability to reach for the Divine allows their spiritual fortification to become easily compromised. As a result, you expose them to mental brainwashing, opening up the vulnerable to easily succumb to any oppressive regime imposed on them.

May everything I touch turn to pure gold and silver; may everything I create prosper beyond my expectations. May my hands be used to cultivate the goodness that is my birthright; may my hands remain open to receiving the Creator’s favor. Do not allow wickedness to be born out of my hands; may my hands lead me only toward opportunities that create positive action for myself and my community. May everything I receive be doubled in ways where I can properly invest in those around me, leading us all toward collective upliftment. Àṣẹ.

A good way to start thse day

Orí, as I begin this journey to get closer to you, break me away from uncertainty. Allow me to believe these prayers are reaching you. Provide me with unshakeable faith on this journey to reconnection. Allow me to remain open to your wisdom. Carve out the best path for me to walk on. May hope remain at my side today. Even if bitterness arrives, let my perspective remain strong in faith. Let my day grow to be sweet with surprising blessings of wealth, relationships, and opportunities. May good luck and fortune never run dry for me. Àṣẹ.

Great ori prayer

There is no such thing as evil ancestors. In fact, within the Ifá spiritual practice, we believe that deceased relatives undergo “screening” before joining the ancestral collective. There are certain checks and balances in place to prevent wickedness from seeping into the higher collective; those that have conducted harm during their time on Earth are made to return and properly sort out their behavior in a new body. When we answer the call from our ancestors, we are opening ourselves to a transformative connection with the highest and most evolved deceased relatives.

Africans and the diaspora to become speakers for fear

The largest impediment to our continued learning

Orí, I pray to you today to connect me deeply to my ancestral lineage. Today as I begin forming a bond with my ancestors, allow for our relationship to grow in strength. Open me up and shift my perspective toward divine trust. Allow me to surrender to their messages. Let me not doubt the wisdom that’s given. May this journey be the beginning of sincere nourishment and fresh starts, for me and my lineage. Àṣẹ.

Beautiful

the life you materialize when you focus on integrity. The biggest sacrifice is striving to be accountable for yourself and your actions, including pivoting when necessary.

Prayer is simply intentional conversation with the Divine; you are more than welcome to speak normally rather than come up with some kind of Shakespearean flow.

Bodies of water serve as another gateway for Spirit and ancestral remembrance. Beyond the ocean, rivers, lakes, and streams serve as holders for lineage memories. Many cultures have used water bodies as spiritual resting spaces for the departed.

Water holds memory

Within African spiritual practices, a crucial deviation from Abrahamic faiths is the lack of a devil. The absence of this philosophy can evoke an unusual response from those of mainstream religions;

The caterpillar can only form its chrysalis when it stays still. The butterfly is only born after the slow moments. Feeling stuck or stagnant is actually the precursor for incredible change.

Life is as gorgeous as it is poisonous. We can absorb energy, belief systems, and values from external sources until we become a shallow expression of ourselves—until we lose ourselves completely. This is the month we uncover narratives that have been projected onto us, layer by layer.

This is what happens when one is indoctrinated

When we rely too much on external wisdom, we risk losing ourselves in someone else’s journey.