http://www.articlesnatch.com/rss2/shamanism shamanism Articles from ArticleSnatch.com Rss Follow Up Thu, 16 Feb 2012 22:01:36 -0500 I am a big fan of scary movies. In fact, one of my favorite movies growing up was The Exorcist. Now that I am a grown-up, I understand that the movie was incredibly sensationalized. However, as crazy as it sounds, I believe that the movie had an element of truth. There are people who get possessed by mysterious entities. Some people may call them demons; others may say they are evil spirits or negative energies. In Yoruba, these spirits are called the ajogan. Ajogan are demons that attack and take you away from your natural self. Although I have never heard of any cases where people's heads started to spin. I've seen people totally lose contact with reality. The ajogan work in two ways, they can either pull you down, or boost you up by giving you a false sense of self. The ajogan are tricksters and master manipulators. They will work to blow your head up by stroking your ego. Having your ego stroked is like having your pictures photo-shopped. It starts out with little changes, that aren't really you. You use the slimming feature to erase pounds off your stomach and thighs.Yoruba]]> Demons]]> Evil Spirits]]> Negative energies]]> http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Yoruba-And-The-Concept-Of-Demons/3667521 Thu, 16 Feb 2012 18:56:33 -0500 http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Yoruba-And-The-Concept-Of-Demons/3667521 Voodoo, not to be confused with Vodun can be used in the practice of witchcraft. I like to think of Voodoo as malware that disrupts the natural flow of energy. Much like a virus, Voodoo spells operate to gather sensitive information and or to gain unauthorized access to your computer system (your mind). The virus' ultimate goal is control and exploitation. I can't understand why someone would want to intentionally corrupt files. However, people do it everyday in the spiritual world. They do it through the power of intention. Of course there are 101 thousand books on display about intention and how it's great to attract abundance, love, and peace into your life. But, the power of intention has a "dark side" that's crueler than Darth Vader. Your intention actually directs the flow of energy. If your intentions are to help your nephew get out of the hospital and be healthy, then positive energy will be directed towards him. If your intentions are to see your boss drop dead from a stroke then negative energy will be directed toward him. However, there's a catch! People who are spiritually developed vibrate at much higher frequencies.Spells]]> Curses]]> Witchcraft]]> Voodoo]]> Yoruba]]> Ifa]]> Negative Energy]]> http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Curses-And-Spells-In-African-Religions/3657353 Mon, 13 Feb 2012 23:10:18 -0500 http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Curses-And-Spells-In-African-Religions/3657353 I never believed that it was smart to put an animal in a cage. We hear stories on the news of animals attacking their owners. There was the 200-pound chimpanzee that attacked and maimed an innocent woman. There was the killer whale that seized a trainer in its jaws, dragged her to the bottom of the pool, and thrashed her around until she was dead. There are countless other stories that have aired on You-Tube and on Animal Planet about tamed, docile animals suddenly turning violent. People are shocked when things like this happen, as if they don't understand the dangers of repression. Locking up our emotions is like trapping a wild beast in a cage, sooner or later; it is going to fight to be free. I am often amazed when people describe Yoruba, Vodun, and even Santeria as primitive. Yes, there are numerous deities that embody the forces and elements of nature such as fire, water, and earth. But people in these religions have an individual connection to the natural world. Our ancestors lived closer to the earth and had a grave respect for nature.Emotions]]> healing]]> Orisha]]> Orishas]]> African based religions]]> http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Getting-Back-To-Our-Nature/3656854 Mon, 13 Feb 2012 18:59:18 -0500 http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Getting-Back-To-Our-Nature/3656854 Within the last two centuries, African based religions such as Candombl AND eacute;, Vodun, and Yoruba have gotten a bad reputation, partly because of the practice of witchcraft. There are all kinds of wives tells about voodoo and brujeria. As a result, many people become "part-time" believers, flocking to African based religions only when other religions have failed them. This has resulted in people looking for a quick fix, or ways to assuage their immediate needs and desires. This way of thinking is not what Yoruba is about. Yoruba as a religion guides people back to their true nature through practice and initiations. Getting back to your true nature means aligning your earthly consciousness with your heavenly consciousness. But so many of us live just to fulfill our immediate needs. We become hustlers, swindlers, liars, and cheaters, without understanding that we have to experience the consequences of both our intentions and actions. If we constantly put out negative energy, we will constantly receive negative energy. This results in the hamster wheel effect, where we re-create the same experiences and situations over and over again until we learn from our mistakes.Yoruba]]> Initiations]]> Orisha]]> Orishas]]> Ilekes]]> http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/The-Yoruba-Religion-And-Initiations/3647110 Fri, 10 Feb 2012 07:54:13 -0500 http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/The-Yoruba-Religion-And-Initiations/3647110 Spirit possession is perhaps one of the most difficult subjects to write about. Many people have researched the topic, and yet still don't have a clue. This is because spirit possession is more than a supernatural or paranormal event. It is a means of healing and communication. It is no secret that spirit possession plays a huge role in African diasporic traditions. However, it is a subject that is widely misunderstood. We are now living in a time where science and spirituality are starting to merge. And we can now use quantum theories to explain spirit possession. Now, we are going to go back to the old Yoruba principles, and explore the belief that everything in nature is both good and bad. And that one cannot exist without the other. This means that there cannot be a problem without a solution, an illness without a cure, or strength to combat a weakness. It is our conditioning that allows us to become incredibly linear so we can't understand parallel realities. In dummy terms, the solutions to all of our problems already exist! We just have to find them.Spirit possession]]> http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/The-Spirit-Possession/3643167 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:47:09 -0500 http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/The-Spirit-Possession/3643167 It is commonly known that drumming is used in African diasporic traditions to help people go into a trance. The drum is associated with the Yoruba deity Chango for two reasons. The drum is not only a musical instrument, but also a tool that helps to regulate the human heart. Also, the beatings of the drums represent the vibrational frequencies of energy. These frequencies have an effect on brain waves and electrical impulses on the body and soul. For years, anthropologist and historians have studied African traditions, and never understood the ceremonial dances around fire. The Yoruba deity Chango rules over the domain of fire. Fire is not only a major earth element; it is also a symbolization of the spirit mounting the soul. During altered states of consciousness, the body begins to change. The drumming alters the autonomic nervous system, increasing the heart rate, blood pressure, and pulse. In dummy terms, the body gets burning hot. The spirit possession pushes the body to its most elevated state, where it begins to burn away impurities that have been inflicted on the soul.spirit possession]]> http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Chango-And-The-Spirit-Possession/3640773 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:18:09 -0500 http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Chango-And-The-Spirit-Possession/3640773 The advent of the internet has sounded the death knell of bookshops. The number of bookshops has halved and there are many cities and towns where there are no bookshops at all. However, the closing of bookshops cannot kill the passion for reading. Though most people equate the closing of bookstores to the death of reading, it is not really so as books continue to enthrall readers of all ages. Though the internet led to the closure of bookshops, it has on the other hand led to the opening of online books stores. Just as any regular bookshop where one can find different categories of books neatly stacked and displayed, in an online bookshop one can see the same. However, both differ in one aspect. In most regular bookshops, books are generally classified into fiction and nonfiction thereby making selection of books extremely difficult. However, in online bookstores, books are classified into various categories so that people can easily select books of their choice. The following are some of the categories of books available online.Online books]]> online shopping]]> buy books online]]> Valentines]]> http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Different-Categories-Of-Books-Available-Online/3630674 Mon, 06 Feb 2012 04:21:01 -0500 http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Different-Categories-Of-Books-Available-Online/3630674 energy]]> personal growth]]> self help]]> spirituality]]> http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Energy-And-Influences-For-February-2012/3625256 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 23:32:15 -0500 http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Energy-And-Influences-For-February-2012/3625256 motivation]]> shamanism]]> spirituality]]> shaman]]> shamans]]> nlp]]> http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Feeling-Stuck--A-Shaman---s-Guide-To-Moving-Forward-In-Your-Life/3607490 Sun, 29 Jan 2012 22:54:08 -0500 http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Feeling-Stuck--A-Shaman---s-Guide-To-Moving-Forward-In-Your-Life/3607490 I couldn't help but get back to my favorite scary movie, the "Exorcist." It's not only a movie that defined my childhood, it was a work of art, a classic that revealed the basic protocol for dispelling negative energy from people who are possessed. First, you must pray, and then you throw around a little bit of holy water. Then you hold up a cross, look away, squeeze your eyes tight and hope for a miracle. I like to watch and write about fantasy and horror movies because it allows people to " walk on the wild side." It allows us to enter a gateway where the physical and spiritual worlds collide. The cross, in the movie and in real life has a number of meanings. For one, the cross is used to ward off evil. It can also provide a gateway or chamber to higher worlds. An X also obstructs or blocks negative energy. Wearing a cross as a necklace works as your own "do not enter sign" for the symbol protects you from marauders and other negative energies. Holy water is used for many purposes.African Religions]]> curses]]> Spells]]> Negative Energy]]> Ward off evil]]> Cross]]> Sound]]> Water]]> Healing]]> http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Warding-Off-Evil-In-African-Religions/3603446 Fri, 27 Jan 2012 08:44:07 -0500 http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Warding-Off-Evil-In-African-Religions/3603446 Ogun, the Yoruba deity of war and iron is much more than people perceive him to be. There are a lot of stories that portray him as being a fearless warrior. He is a deity that is stringent, bold, and powerful and will stop at nothing to get what he wants. However, the most powerful warrior in the Yoruba religion has a dirty little secret. He has a heart, a big one. I mentioned in previous articles that Ogun is associated with the manipura chakra. This chakra works as a storage unit, housing our judgments, opinions, and beliefs that we have gathered about the world and ourselves. The third chakra is also a source of cognition, where virtually all thought forms are produced. Our power center also works as an energetic field that surrounds our body. It protects us from external influences and it ensures that we receive information that is necessary for our survival. Just imagine a huge fort surrounded by a fleet of soldiers with machine guns. Their job is to keep the riffraff out, and only let in the people who are going to bring happiness, love, and piece into your life.ogun]]> spirituality]]> deity]]> orisha]]> Orishas]]> http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Ogun--The-Deity-Of-Compassion/3595475 Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:16:07 -0500 http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Ogun--The-Deity-Of-Compassion/3595475 Eshu Elegba says that people need to be careful about the contracts that they sign. They need to be sure the read the small print, the addendums, and the information that is exchanged nonverbally. I am pretty sure that this non-verbal exchange of information is the energy that is passed from one person to another. People need to be sure that they are not signing their life away or putting themselves at a disadvantage. Most people would agree that energy is information in its most basic form. We, as human beings, as living organisms are nothing more than energy that vibrates at different frequencies. When we interact with people, our energetic bodies merge and we began to share information with them. However, there are some people who just want to take and not give. These people are commonly called bloodsuckers, energy vampires, and psychological manipulators. These are the people who give off bad vibes, or the people you just don't like, but can't understand why. They operate based on the 80/20 rule. An even, 50/50 exchange of energy is not enough for them. They want to suck you dry. However, they will only take 80% of your energy.Eshu-Elegba]]> energetic Vampires]]> orisha]]> orishas]]> http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Eshu-elegba-And-Energetic-Contracts/3582052 Thu, 19 Jan 2012 10:17:51 -0500 http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Eshu-elegba-And-Energetic-Contracts/3582052 Among the West Africans and aspirants in the United States and the Caribbean, Orunmila is recognized as a primordial deity that was present at the beginning of creation. According to legend, around 2000 B.C, Orunmila was born again as a priest teaching aspirants an advanced form of spiritual knowledge and ethics known as the Odu. Orunmila also led a league of priests known as Babalawos. From the holy city of Ile-Ife, he instructed them on how to use the Odu to help aspirants to overcome their karma and stop the cycles of reincarnation. Karma is a retributive process whereby we re-experience certain situations in life, until we learn a lesson, or get back on our right paths. Babalawos not only use the Odu to guide us and to help us pick up on certain patterns and mistakes that we have made in past and current lives. They work with our energy, also known as ashe to help us reach a divine state of oneness. We reach a divine state of oneness when our earthly consciousness, known as the Ori is elevated and developed to an extent where it can be unified with our heavenly consciousness.Ifa Yoruba]]> Orunmila]]> Odu]]> Orisha]]> http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Ifa-Yoruba-And-Reincarnation/3566721 Sun, 15 Jan 2012 11:17:31 -0500 http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Ifa-Yoruba-And-Reincarnation/3566721 2012 forecast]]> January 2012 forecast]]> spiritual]]> stress]]> http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/2012-Forecast-For-January-And-Wisdom-Tips/3556468 Thu, 12 Jan 2012 03:22:26 -0500 http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/2012-Forecast-For-January-And-Wisdom-Tips/3556468 Many people ask me to tell them more about Shamanic Witchcraft and how it works. I"ve been a public practitioner of Shamanic Witchcraft for years and I still find this such a big question! I"ll do my best to shed some light, all grace, please, as these ancient ways of making the unmanifest manifest aren"t easy to explain. Shamanic Witchcraft, by my definition, is a blending of earth based practices. Shamanic Witchcraft, like all magick, is about liberation, independence and empowerment, the things that set Shamanic Witchcraft apart from other modalities are the tools used and the initiation rights of passage. More about that later, let me start with definitions and then show how Shamanism and Witchcraft link together. "There is no real beginning date of witchcraft - it is present in all ancient cultures and can be found (in varying forms) as far back as we humans go. Shamanism, as we know it now, traces its roots through Russian anthropologist work in Siberia in the 1900s but is also very ancient. " The accepted definition of SHAMAN is:""A first definition of this complex phenomenon, and perhaps the least hazardous, will be: shamanism = technique of ecstasy.shamanism]]> shamanic witchcraft]]> soul retrieval]]> hypnosis]]> http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/What-Is-Shamanic-Witchcraft--Your-Guide-To-Understanding-How-It-Works/3542569 Mon, 09 Jan 2012 01:04:59 -0500 http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/What-Is-Shamanic-Witchcraft--Your-Guide-To-Understanding-How-It-Works/3542569 personal growth]]> relieve stress]]> self help tips]]> http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/December-2011-----Get-Ready-For-Acceleration-And-Be-Prepared-To-Relieve-Stress/3421983 Mon, 05 Dec 2011 11:29:44 -0500 http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/December-2011-----Get-Ready-For-Acceleration-And-Be-Prepared-To-Relieve-Stress/3421983 Kamu Lodge, a unique adventure camp perched on the banks of the Mekong River, has launched a two-day journey deep into the heart of Lao culture and a Buddhist way of life that has remained almost unchanged for centuries. The traditional Lao long boat embarks at 9am from Luang Prabang and journeys upstream to Dan Village, a secluded place where locals are working to rebuild a Buddhist pagoda. The next stop is Doun Khoune, the private shrine of King Sisavangwatana, the last king of Laos. This is followed by a visit to the Pak Ou Caves, where devotees have left thousands of Buddhist icons over the years - a must-see for Luang Prabang visitors. "Buddhism is as much a part of Lao history and tradition as sticky rice and fish sauce," said Kurt Walter, group general manager of Apple Tree Group Hospitality. "Seeing these shrines and holy places up close is as near as you can get to the soul of this country, to what makes the people tick. It's not just a religion, it's a whole way of life.mekong river]]> cruise]]> kamu lodge]]> hill tribe]]> culture]]> caves]]> http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Mekong-River-Cruise/3375347 Wed, 23 Nov 2011 02:26:26 -0500 http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Mekong-River-Cruise/3375347 Bob Makransky]]> Makransky]]> positive thinking]]> denial]]> happiness]]> i]]> http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Just-Think-Happy-Thoughts-/3363844 Sat, 19 Nov 2011 15:50:55 -0500 http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Just-Think-Happy-Thoughts-/3363844 This is the time to renew your commitments, your intentions and your priorities. It is the month to refresh your environment, to refinish and brighten what has dulled, to rekindle important friendships, to recharge relationships, to bring more chi into the body and to re-determine your goals and the path to reach them. November is a more masculine month with plenty of energy available for moving forward. We have had times supporting movement previously this year. The difference now is that everything has shifted, giving you more access to the quantum field and to what is possible. You need to acknowledge this difference and expand your awareness to accommodate it. The image is of being in a small pond where you know your limits and your limitations, the edges and the boundaries. The pond has become too small however you are used to navigating within it. The enclosure of the pond has been removed and we find ourselves in a vast ocean not being able to use the sight and feel of the enclosure for navigation. What is necessary now is to trust the inner navigation, your inner radar.awareness]]> consciousness]]> empowerment]]> free help]]> http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/November-Forecast-2011/3321594 Thu, 10 Nov 2011 04:48:21 -0500 http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/November-Forecast-2011/3321594 universal church]]> universal life church]]> ulc]]> religion]]> advice]]> spirituality]]> spiritual development]]> shamanism]]> paganism]]> http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Shamanism-Course-Offered-Online-Through-The-Ulc-Seminary/3199080 Tue, 18 Oct 2011 12:45:23 -0400 http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Shamanism-Course-Offered-Online-Through-The-Ulc-Seminary/3199080