MORE EXPLANATION ON MAGIC: VIS AVIS TRADITIONAL AFRICAN RELIGION)
Some Christians may ask why this write up?
Where I was born, there are some traditional ceremonies accepted by the Church and entire communities. The origin of these ceremonies are only known by few initiates. An example of these ceremonies is the "New Yam Festival".
From my findings, this is a ceremony to thank the god of yam, by extension the god of Farming called "Njoku". None of the initiates will eat the new yam before this day of the celebration. Sacrifices are made on the day proceeding the day of festival. My late pagan grand father would lavishly kill many Fowls and Rams with libations to Njoku, the god of Farm and harvest. The orthodox Church has no problem with this. having known the truth and the implication of this festival, I and others abstained and we keep abstaining.
22 Abstain from all appearance of evil. 1 Thessalonian 5:22 (KJV)
- White Magic: is sometimes called “good magic” it is used for protection against evil forces.
This kind of magic is favored by the society.
Moreover, it can be use for such as bringing rain, predicting the future, winning the love of somebody, having more children, bumper harvest or abundant crops, more cattle’s as well as increasing once future.
Things use in white magic includes: charms Amlets, herbs, feather, and chanting of magical formulas.
Black Magic: is used to harm people or property, it is feard and opposed by the society. It is practice at night and without approval and it is associated with witches and sorcery.
Imitative Magic: Works with the principles that like produces like; or the effect resembles the cause. In other words things that look alike have an effect upon one another.
The hurting of some one with imitative magic is done by hurting an effigy (image) of that person prepared out of mud or other material by the magician. He tries to hurt the image with nidle, knife, thorns or other weapon and whatever damage done to the image; results in the life of the person intended to harm.
There are many example from African lives. In rain making rites, water is spewed into the air to cause rain to fall by imitation
- Contagious Magic:
based on the notion that things once joined must remain so and can effect one another at a distance, even after physical contact has been removed.
For instance: Harmful charms can be made from a man’s hairs fingernails, toes nail, clothes, bathing water, sleeping mats and anything that is his. For this reason people are often afraid to leave around such item which once in personal contact with them.
Personal Magic: This is intended to serve personal needs. Individual may purchase personal charms for protections against evil forces.
Such magical substances includes: mixtures of leaves stuff into horns, gourds or leathers packets which the owner wears. The most common personal charm is ring.Public Magic: It is seen in the charms used to protect house, compounds, fields and villages.
Charms are produced by medicines, men out of materials such as herbs root backs, insect, skin and bones, leaves and animal horns.
These are empowered magically through the repetition of set words.
Charms may be use for various purposes: attracting a lover gaining employment, passing exams, winning money, protection from witches and protection from sickness.
Although, charm may be a kind of medicine, but medicine have the effect of a charm.
The distinction between charms and medicine is thus: charms are use as protective magic while medicine are use for healing magic. The effectiveness of medicine depends on two important ingredient.
The materials used in preparing it.
The use of words.
WITCHCRAFT AND SORCERY:
There is no much distinction between witchcraft and sorcery but some times people see a man who is doing sorcery as a day witch and a woman who is doing witchcraft as a night witch. One thing we should know is that both acts are evil.
One cannot practice witchcraft except it is inborn in him or he is initiated into in by some one.
What is sorcery?
It is the use of blacking magic or medicine against somebody.
METHOD USED BY WITCHES:
A Witchcraft can use the fingernails, hairs, clothes or other possession of the victim.
When this materials is in their reach they can burn it or prick it.
They can enter into animals or insects like Vampire and grasshopper. E.t.c and use them to harm a person.
Transmigration means; the state when a witch will leave his body and enter into animal or use any other object to do his work.
Like I have earlier mentioned they can change to a fly or beings. They can dig near the person’s house and hid their charm at the door post of that person, so that when passing he will die.
The spirit of the witch leaves him/her in the night. Many African people, (not all) made distinction between the sorcery and witch.
Both are feared, but their works defers, the name used for both may be the same, but they often distinguish as day witch and night witch.
The day witch or sorcery is a conscious and deliberate evil doer; this is in contrast to the witch who works during sleep at night.
The sorcery uses the techniques of magic and drives power from medicine, while the witch acts without rites and spells and uses hereditary psychical powers to attend his ends (desire).
Anybody can practice sorcery, if he buys specially prepared charms and then place it near some one’s house. In contrast, the witches posess mysticall and inborn power within herself without the use of rites or spells and medicine.
A sorcery is not a threat to the society as a whole, but towards an individual alone.
Witchcraft is restricted only to those who are inborn witch or who has been initiate to it, while a sorcery can be practice by anybody who wants.
KINDS OF WITCHCRAFT:
These are two major kinds of witchcraft.
a. The evil eye- which is called “Layri”
b. The next one is called “Latan”.
The evil (layri) witchcraft power can affect a person through his eye. By merely looking at a person he can bring harm to that person.
“Latan” is one who can cause death by causing a person to dry up and waste away. Lata imploy material substances and spells. Which can be place in the roof or garden in the intended victims.
METHODS USE BY WITCHES:
To inflict harm on the victim, a witch may use fingernails, hair, clothe or other possession of the victim which he burns, pricks or wished evil to.
It is believed that by inflicting harm on what once belongs to a person, that person is authormatically harmed.
CHARACTERISTICS:
Most witches are women.,
Witches are evil themselves and performs wicked deds.
Witches are against the society and people fear them.
Most witches are born witches.
Their spirits can fly at night, while their body remain at home.
They enjoy dancing and suck people’s blood at night through ince.
Every kind of misfortune and evil may be blamed on witches and witchcraft.
For instance the wasting away of a person’s body and the swelling of his internal organ is evidence that a witch is eating his soul and drinking his blood.
SORCERY AND MAGIC.
A sorcery can be called a black magic.
Definition of sorcery:
A sorcery is a conscious deliberate evil doer; who uses medicine charm and black magic to harm somebody.
Also a sorcery can use snakes and leopards to harm people. There is a belief that a sorcery can cause a dead corpse to rise up.
SACRED SPECIALIST.
This A.T.R specialist are some times called full time by their gods, these are the people the human beings contacts whenever they have problems that needed the spirit help e.t.c. the following diagram will help us understand their position.
This is the position of witch doctor who is also called medicine man, Shaman, traditional or native doctor. He receives power and information from demons of evil spirit, for he has a direct contact with them, just as a child of God has a direct contact with Jesus Christ.
Some people argues why they should be called witch doctors, it is because they help those who are being troubled by the witchcraft . when such people come to them (the witch doctors) they will heal them or even they may kill the witch if they are told.
Notice:
A medicine man may not necessarily be a herbalist, but may sometimes perform the work of a herbalist.
One can become a medicine man through hereditary, his parents or by having strong conviction that demons wants to use him for such purpose.
When you see somebody who strongly have conviction to be a medicine man it can be, spirit has prompted this in him. Age limit is not a barrier.
32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John 8:32 (KJV)
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