Podcasts about lucumi

The Dragon, Wolf, and Owl tackle the ins and outs of keeping your home spiritually refreshed. In addition to covering some simple staples for each kind of room, basic omen divination for when something is off, and discrete ways to elevate the vibe while living with roommates, the gang also considers the importance of managing the ambient dead—especially in getting them to leave you well alone when you're conjuring. Support us on patreon.com/TheFrightfulHowls and follow us at twitter.com/FrightfulHowls.

Send us a textIn this episode, Leandra and Elyse celebrate 100 episodes! We look back at the guests we've had, give you some behind the scenes of how it all began, and tell you our plans moving forward. Our guest is Lilith Dorsey. Lilith hails from many magickal traditions, including Afro-Caribbean, Celtic, and Indigenous American spirituality. Their traditional education focused on Plant Science, Anthropology, and Film at the University of R.I, New York University, and the University of London, and their magickal training includes numerous initiations in Santeria (also known as Lucumi), Haitian Vodoun, and New Orleans Voodoo. They are a published Black author of Voodoo and Afro-Caribbean Paganism, Love Magic, the best selling Orishas, Goddesses and Voodoo Queens. Their latest book, Tarot Every Witch Way, is available now.Click here to join the Unbound Priestess Summit Jan. 9-10th 2025.

In this episode of Fabulous Folklore Presents, I chat to the legend that is Lilith Dorsey! We talk about tarot, some New Orleans lore, and why the city has such an unusual reputation, and why people are so drawn to love magic!  Lilith Dorsey M.A., hails from many magickal traditions, including Afro-Caribbean, Celtic, and Indigenous American spirituality. Their traditional education focused on Plant Science, Anthropology, and Film at the University of R.I, New York University, and the University of London, and their magickal training includes numerous initiations in Santeria also known as Lucumi, Haitian Vodoun, and New Orleans Voodoo. Lilith Dorsey is also a Voodoo Priestess and in that capacity has been doing successful magick since 1991 for patrons, is editor/publisher of Oshun-African Magickal Quarterly, filmmaker of the experimental documentary Bodies of Water :Voodoo Identity and Tranceformation,' co-host of The Pop Occulture Show on youtube, and choreographer/performer for jazz legend Dr. John's “Night Tripper” Voodoo Show. They have long been committed to providing accurate and respectful information about the African Traditional Religions and are proud to be a published Black author of such titles as 55 Ways to Connect to Goddess, The African-American Ritual Cookbook, Love Magic, Orishas, Goddesses and Voodoo Queens, Water Magic, the newly re-released Voodoo and African Traditional Religion and Tarot Every Witch Way now available. Buy Tarot Every Witch Way: Unlock the Power of the Cards for Spellcraft & Magic: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/12992/9780738776323 Find Lilith online at: https://lilithdorsey.com/ Catch up with Lilith on Instagram at: https://instagram.com/lilithdorsey Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Enjoyed this episode and want to show your appreciation? Buy Icy a coffee to say 'thanks' at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/ Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social Tweet Icy at https://x.com/IcySedgwick

Yemaya knows Erinle is a younger man, but they still enjoy each others' company. References Cuoco, Alex. African Narratives of Orisha Spirits and Other Deities Fuente Alvarez, Esther. Lucumi, Yoruba People: The Genesis Book of African Orisha Deities and their Presence Cuban Santeria 

Yemaya the Mother whose children are Fish. Mother to the Orisha. Lets take a look into this powerful Orisha. References: Cuoco, Alex. African Narratives of Orisha Spirits and Other Deities Fuente Alvarez, Esther. Lucumi, Yoruba People: The Genesis Book of African Orisha Deities and their Presence Cuban Santeria  Mason, John. Orisa: New World Black Gods

Carlota Lucumí (unknown - 1843) led a violent uprising against plantation owners in Cuba. She was kidnapped from Yorubaland and forced into slave labor in Cuba. To organize a rebellion against her enslavers, she found covert ways to communicate like sending messages through the music of a talking drum.   For Further Reading:  Carlota Lucumi, “La Negra Carlota” Rethinking Slave Rebellion in Cuba This Black History Month, we're talking about Revolutionaries: Black women who led struggles for liberation from violent governments, colonial rulers, and enslavers. These women had the courage to imagine radically different worlds – and used their power to try and pull those worlds into view. History classes can get a bad rap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn't help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? Enter, Womanica. On this Wonder Media Network podcast we explore the lives of inspiring women in history you may not know about, but definitely should. Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we'll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know–but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more.  Womanica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.  Womanica was created by Liz Kaplan and Jenny Kaplan, executive produced by Jenny Kaplan, and produced by Grace Lynch, Maddy Foley, Brittany Martinez, Edie Allard, Lindsey Kratochwill, Adesuwa Agbonile, Carmen Borca-Carrillo, Taylor Williamson, Sara Schleede, Paloma Moreno Jimenez, Luci Jones and Abbey Delk. Special thanks to Shira Atkins. Original theme music composed by Miles Moran. Follow Wonder Media Network: Website Instagram Twitter See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Eugenia Rainey studies religion as negotiated process. She explores this process at the intersection of Lucumí, an Afro-Cuban religion, (also referred to as La Regla de Ochá or Santería) and medicine. Her work focuses on how the cultural competency paradigm that emerged out of Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society influenced the adaptation of Lucumí practice outside of Cuba and racial identity formation in south Florida. Rainey's identity as Cape Verdean and multiracial inform her scholarship on processes of racialization in the United States and Latin America. With her thorough grounding in religious practice, her work highlights devotees' experiences and perceptions of the medical encounter. Through this research she seeks to better understand how the healthcare infrastructure impacts lived religion and how Lucumí in the US accommodates the healthcare needs of devotees as well as the healthcare infrastructure. Her research is supported by the Mellon Foundation, the Reed Foundation, as well as Tulane University and Dartmouth College. Visit Sacred Writes: https://www.sacred-writes.org/luce-cohort-spring-2023  

In this episode, we'll meet two fascinating people who are remixing beliefs, spirituality, and religion every day. Dr. Rev. Aaron Davis is a minister and hospice worker. He is also a practitioner of Lucumi, Espiritismo, and a Rootworker. Thorn Mooney is a religious studies scholar and academic. She is also a Wiccan High Priestess. They share a distinctly American story of seeking one's religious and spiritual identity – a story that's more common than most of us realize.

Organizers Rev. Trisha Parker, Rev. Bobbi Jo Smith, and Rev. Rayna Templebee of the Summer Magick Festival in Orlando, Florida join me to discuss their upcoming event! www.summermagickfest.org   Summer Magick Festival is an earth-based spirituality convention with workshops, celebration, and community in a comfortable hotel setting. Headliners, rituals, and musical entertainment have been chosen to encourage tolerance between the many different earth-based faiths and foster planetary stewardship. We are a family-friendly event with programming for our young ones as well as close proximity to all the wonders of the Orlando theme parks. Join us for a new kind of Florida festival! Rev. Trisha Parker, a 3rd degree Gardnerian and 2nd degree WISE-ATC priestess, is an ordained clergy member and professional Tarot reader. She holds a Bachelor of Ministry degree from Woolston-Steen Theological Seminary where she now teaches several classes. Trisha coordinates Phoenix Festivals, is a member of NE Florida Pagan Leadership Coalition, and holds a position on the Advisory Board of the ATC Archpriesthood as High Purse Warden. She and her partner and High Priest, Eric, are founders of Wiccan Church of Florida – ATC. Rev. Bobbi Jo Smith is a 3rd degree Gardnerian High Priestess who presides over Coven Albion's Spirit in Orange Park, Florida with her High Priest and husband Dennis. She is a founding member of the Mystic Moon Church of Wicca where she serves on the Board of Directors. Bobbi Jo is a board member/secretary of the Temple of the Earth Gathering which sponsors the Florida Pagan Gathering biannually.  Rev. Rayna Templebee is a daughter of the Ocean Mother and High Priestess of Beachfyre Coven in Miami, Florida. She is an Elder in the Georgian Tradition of Witchcraft, and a faery seer in the House of Brigh. Rayna is also a Lucumi aboricha and priestess of the Mt Shasta Goddess Temple. 

Respect is a term that is heavily utilized in the Lucumi belief system; however, there are examples that I pose where the term is misused by individuals. Here are my thoughts. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-crypto-wonder-podcast/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-crypto-wonder-podcast/support

Lilith Dorsey M.A., hails from many magickal traditions, including Afro-Caribbean, Celtic, and Indigenous American spirituality. Their traditional education focused on Plant Science, Anthropology, and Film at the University of R.I, New York University, and the University of London, and their magickal training includes numerous initiations in Santeria also known as Lucumi, Haitian Vodoun, and New Orleans Voodoo. Lilith Dorsey is also a Voodoo Priestess and in that capacity has been doing successful magick since 1991 for patrons, is editor/publisher of Oshun-African Magickal Quarterly, filmmaker of the experimental documentary Bodies of Water :Voodoo Identity and Tranceformation,' and choreographer/performer for jazz legend Dr. John's “Night Tripper” Voodoo Show. They have long been committed to providing accurate and respectful information about the African Traditional Religions and are proud to be a published Black author of such titles as 55 Ways to Connect to Goddess, The African-American Ritual Cookbook, Love Magic, Orishas, Goddesses and Voodoo Queens, Water Magic and the newly re-released Voodoo and African Traditional Religion. lilithdorsey.com https://twitter.com/lilithdorsey m.facebook.com/LilithDorseyAuthor/ *Podcast Recipes Can Be Found Here* SPONSORS The Robin's Nest www.TheRobinsNestMA.com www.facebook.com/therobinsnestma The Robin's Nest is a full-service Premiere Metaphysical Shop. We welcome you to enjoy everything that we have to offer at The Robin's Nest… Friendship, Community, Creativity, Unique Gifts, Custom Crafted Potions & Wares, Magickal & Ritual Items, Divination Materials, Candles, Crystals, Specialty Designed Clothing, Ritual Wear and more! We are also proud to offer World Class Workshops and Gatherings by Passionate and Knowledgeable Instructors and Readers that stir the Spirit to Inspire the Magickally Minded and Curious alike! Come visit The Robin's Nest, your new home away from home.

  In this episode we welcome back Eric Purdue, this time to speak about Lucumi/Santeria. Eric is an initiated santero, and is able to give us a good introduction to this practice.   https://www.ericpurdue.com/       outro by Lolomis

Cultural Humility with Phoenix Smith! Welcome to the tenth installment of the Cultural Humility Podcast series presented by Indigenous Vision! We're very honored to have Phoenix Smith on the show this week! Phoenix was a part of our March 2022 cohort and brought so much wisdom to our dialogue we just had to invite them to explore the work further. J. Phoenix Smith earned a Graduate Certificate in Ecotherapy in 2011 from JFK University in the world's first ever Graduate Ecotherapy Certificate program and a Masters in Social Work from the historically-black Howard University in Washington, D.C. Prior to coming to the field of Ecotherapy, she has been a public health leader in the field of HIV for over 25 years, managing and leading public health programs in the U.S. They are also an Initiated Elder in the Indigenous Afro-Cuban religion Lucumi to the Oricha, or Deity of Nature known as Aganyu, the Spirit of the Volcano and of the Wilderness. They provide spiritual counseling and guidance including divination and Ecotherapy. Learn more about Phoenix's work here: https://theaesj.com & https://www.ecosoulwisdom.org The Cultural Humility model provides a method to advocate and maintain accountability by redressing the power imbalances in our communities. For over two decades, the model has replaced the insufficient notion of “cultural competence” with a cyclical approach that embraces critical self-reflection as a lifelong learning process to create a broader, more inclusive view of the world. Register for the next Indigenous Vision Cultural humility training for Jan 2023, register here! Learn more: https://www.indigenousvision.org/culturalhumility/ The Cultural Humility model is sourced from a Train the Trainers session taught by Dr. Melanie Tervalon and Dr. Jann Murray-Garcia, along with their published article: melanietervalon.com/wp-content/uplo…cia-Article.pdf Jann Murray-Garcia - 'Cultural Humility' 2013, a video on the scripts we hold: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZUP6CrHAXA This podcast is produced by Melissa Spence.

Brief summary of episode:Dr. Kokahvah Zauditu-Selassie is a retired Professor of English at Coppin State University in the Humanities Department. She earned her Doctorate in the Humanities from Clark Atlanta University. She is the author of “I Got a Home in Dat Rock: Memory, Orisa, and Yoruba Spiritual Identity in African American Literature” in Orisa: Yoruba Gods and Spiritual Identity in Africa and the Diaspora, as well as several journal articles including, “Women Who Know Things: African Epistemologies, Ecocriticism, and Female Spiritual Authority in the Novels of Toni Morrison, Dancing Between Two Realms: Sacred Resistance and Remembrance in African American Culture. She is also the author of an award-winning book of critical essays titled, African Spiritual Traditions in the Novels of Toni Morrison a 2009 publication of the University Press of Florida. Her research focuses on highlighting ritual acts of memory and resistance. A priest of Obàtálá in the Lukumi Yoruba tradition, she is a descendant of a matrilineal group of Vodun believers from New Orleans, Louisiana. Currently she is studying the traditions of Osain in the Lukumi system and in other global African cultures, as well as indigenous systems in the Americas. Her current publication is a novel titled, The Second Line. She can be found on social media at @comptonauthor. The Truth In This ArtThe Truth In This Art is a podcast interview series supporting vibrancy and development of Baltimore & beyond's arts and culture. Mentioned in this episode:Dr. Kokahvah Zauditu-SelassiePHOTO CREDIT: SCHAUN CHAMPIONTo find more amazing stories from the artist and entrepreneurial scenes in & around Baltimore, check out my episode directory. Stay in TouchNewsletter sign-upSupport my podcastShareable link to episode ★ Support this podcast ★

Mel collects Latin American and Caribbean paranormal stories. As a first generation Cuban American, she's no stranger to Lucumí and Santería practitioners warning of spirits in her family's home. But when she comes face to face with angry ghosts in her own space, she's found ways to make them go away. We're excited to bring on Mel Trahan of ¡Ay Ghost Mio! on this episode.Check out Mel's podcast at https://ayghostmio.weebly.com/ her Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/ayghostmio/ and her TikTok at https://www.tiktok.com/@ayghostmioOur sponsors are our bread and butter. Please consider visiting one of the shops below and show them so love!CoraCreaCraftsInspired to create some spooky artistic wonders? Check out https://coracreacrafts.com for Medieval, witchy, vintage supplies such as leather-bound books and papers with antique anatomy drawings on them and use code HomespunHaints for 15% off.The Smell of Fear Candle CompanyWant your house to smell like an Edgar Allan Poe story? Check out the collections of spooky and horror-themed scents and get a candle shaped like a skull at https://thesmelloffear.com and use code HOMESPUN15 for 15% off!Support our Patreon at https://patreon.com/homespunhaints

COVR Award Winner, Lilith Dorsey visits to discuss all of their latest happenings! Lilith's website, https://lilithdorsey.com : Lilith Dorsey M.A., hails from many magickal traditions, including Afro-Caribbean, Celtic, and Indigenous American spirituality. Their traditional education focused on Plant Science, Anthropology, and Film at the University of R.I, New York University, and the University of London, and their magickal training includes numerous initiations in Santeria also known as Lucumi, Haitian Vodoun, and New Orleans Voodoo. Lilith Dorsey is also a Voodoo Priestess and in that capacity has been doing successful magick since 1991 for patrons, is editor/publisher of Oshun-African Magickal Quarterly, filmmaker of the experimental documentary Bodies of Water :Voodoo Identity and Tranceformation,' and choreographer/performer for jazz legend Dr. John's “Night Tripper” Voodoo Show. They have long been committed to providing accurate and respectful information about the African Traditional Religions and are proud to be a published Black author of such titles as Voodoo and African Traditional Religion, 55 Ways to Connect to Goddess, The African-American Ritual Cookbook, Love Magic, the bestselling Orishas, Goddesses and Voodoo Queens and the award winning Water Magic.

Ever Velasquez is an artist and curandera/santera.Ever's performance /photo series Baños and collage series use the visual language of Yoruba religious culture to explore the legacy of colonialism and its interweaving with the Lucumi religion, which she practices with a personal look into both personal spiritual look of ancestral self- care.The inspiration for the works were sparked by dreams and spiritual divination. Ever is fully initiated crowned priestess of Obatala and OshúnShe studies so she can preserve and defend this knowledge that has survived colonization while her continued work cultivates traditions for generations to inherent. While resisting the prejudices that continue to battle to this day from colonial religions .

#Spirituality #ChurchPeople #Orisa #kimburrell This episode we sit with Lucumi priest of Oshun David Sosa we will focus on ways we can expose and remove charlatans, abusers, and false teachers from our respective religious and spiritual groups. You can follow David Sosa: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialdav... Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/DavidSosa-D... Make sure you follow us on social media: http://youtube.com/TheaNvkaiTree http://facebook.com/aNvKaiTree http://Patreon.com/aNvKaiTree http://instagram.com/aNvKaiTree --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/anvkai/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/anvkai/support

En komiker som får oss att skratta och en förebild som får oss att minnas. Veckans gäster är aktuella i pjäsen ‘Den omättliga vägen', en samproduktion mellan The National Black Theatre of Sweden och Dramaten. Support till showen http://supporter.acast.com/checkpoint-med-anbara-brandon-och-nicole. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

The roles of the godparents and godchildren in Lucumi have been criticized for quite some time and here is my take on it --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/the-crypto-wonder-podcast/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-crypto-wonder-podcast/support

The first part to a series of episodes regarding the roles and activities of godparents and godchildren in the Lucumi community. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/the-crypto-wonder-podcast/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-crypto-wonder-podcast/support

Orisha adherents in the Lucumi faith-based system and its relation to the economic standings today --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/the-crypto-wonder-podcast/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-crypto-wonder-podcast/support

On today's episode of the A Pinch of Magick podcast I'm joined by Lilith Dorsey and they share their contribution to the book The Modern Craft: Powerful Voices and Witchcraft Ethics. Lilith shares about ethics and the world of African Traditional Religions. Lilith shares about her own experiences as a practitioner, and among other topics we discuss stereotypes, the idea of 'do no harm' and the importance of curse and protection magic. About Lilith Dorsey MA Lilith Dorsey M.A., hails from many magickal traditions, including Afro-Caribbean, Celtic, and Indigenous American spirituality. Their traditional education focused on Plant Science, Anthropology, and Film at the University of R.I, New York University, and the University of London, and their magickal training includes numerous initiations in Santeria also known as Lucumi, Haitian Vodoun, and New Orleans Voodoo. Lilith Dorsey is also a Voodoo Priestess and in that capacity has been doing successful magick since 1991 for patrons, is editor/publisher of Oshun-African Magickal Quarterly, filmmaker of the experimental documentary Bodies of Water :Voodoo Identity and Tranceformation,' and choreographer/performer for jazz legend Dr. John's “Night Tripper” Voodoo Show. They have long been committed to providing accurate and respectful information about the African Traditional Religions and are proud to be a published Black author of such titles as Voodoo and African Traditional Religion, 55 Ways to Connect to Goddess, The African-American Ritual Cookbook, Love Magic, the bestselling Orishas, Goddesses and Voodoo Queens and Water Magic. They are a recent contributor to The Modern Craft. Connect Website: https://lilithdorsey.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lilithdorsey/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LilithDorseyAuthorCome and share you thoughts over in our magickal community: https://circle.thewitchacademy.com/c/community/ Or join me over on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themodernwitchway/ Lean more about the magick of you: www.RebeccaAnuwen.com

My guest this Sunday is someone whose name might ring a bell with many of our listeners out there, it's author, practitioner, Lucumi initiate and astrologer Eric Purdue who just published a brand new translation of Agrippa's ‘Three Books of Occult Philosophy' in fall last year with Inner Traditions. Eric has been drawn to mythology, magic, astrology and occultism since his high school years and as a musician living in Chicago he had access to books on all subjects that interested him. However, ultimately a fellow band member pointed him into a direction that subsequently turned out to be spot on in giving him the phone number of a Lucumi practitioner who also happened to have a deep interest in Western Esoteric Traditions such as the Picatrix. At age 18, Eric met this teacher and got a crash course in possessions, séances and a lot more work that led him to become an initiate of this specific Lucumi tradition and it was also through this lineage that he received the recommendation to study astrology. However, being used to Lucumi divinational techniques which are usually very accurate, Eric was soon disappointed with modern astrology. Due to the fact that his interest in Golden Dawn style ceremonial magic had already receded he was trying to work with Agrippa's ‘Three Books' – which btw can't be overrated in terms of relevance – and he first focused on Christian astrology and then on traditional astrology. In our conversation Eric will take time to explain the main differences between modern and traditional astrology, we will talk about how Arabic influences managed to preserve a vast amount of knowledge, touch upon free will and the use of certain celestial objects, their pros and cons and a lot more. Of course, another main focus of this episode will be Eric's motivation that led him to pursue an 11 year long journey in order to translate and publish Agrippa's life work. In any discussion about the ‘Three Books' Agrippa himself can't be left out so we will also talk about his life and explore how he ultimately got away with the work he was doing despite of the inquisition at his heels. Another fascinating topic will be what exactly the (in)famous ‘Fourth Book' consists of and who might have authored it for real and we will also try to answer some further questions such as how to use the ‘Three Books' in practice and what they have to teach you which is actually far more than just doing magic. Eric Purdue's author page with Inner Traditions And this is a link to Eric's personal page Music played in this episode This week we present to you beautiful music from the 16th Century! Tempvs Fugit caused a sensation at the 2002 Calvi Festival of Polyphony. The group was singled out not only for its unusual vocal technique, but also for its innovative repertoire from the Nebbiu region, the result of research by the ethno-musicologist Corinne Bartolini, with harmonisations by Antoine Tramini. Their repertoire includes prayers for Holy Week, a 16th century Genoese processional song and the Vultum Tuum Mass, a Roman office from the very earliest times with a slight Byzantine touch, conceived as a depiction of the Virgin's face in sound.   1) VENI SANCTE SPIRITUS - L'ORME SANGUINE (Track starts at 8:36) 2) VELUM TEMPLI - VEXILLA REGIS - CHRISTUS VINCIT (Track starts at 56:39) 3) PERDONO (Track starts at 1:36:55) Intro and Outro Musicespecially written and recorded for the Thoth-Hermes Podcast by Chris Roberts

Voodoo Priestess Lilith Dorsey, M.A., joins me to discuss her latest book, Water Magic: Elements of Witchcraft. Water Magic reveals the amazing possibilities of using water in your modern practice. Once you learn to access the enormous depths of this life-giving and powerful element, it will enhance your magic and help you grow into a better version of yourself. Cleansing and strong, the power of water is all around you and in you. Lilith Dorsey presents many ways to incorporate water into your magic, from washes and baths to spells and rituals. First, discover how to use the symbols of water in your magical workings. Next, learn the histories and wisdom of rivers, lakes, and oceans, as well as water's relationship to the wheel of the year. Finally, explore water and its manifestations in mythology and lore and meet the gods and goddesses who rule over the element. We Talk about Voodoo and African ReligionsHaitian Vodoun - A spiritual system based in natureThe Voodoo connection to witchcraftThe meaning of water in dreamsThe importance of ancestral energySpiritual bathsMaid of the mistsWater botanicalsWate GoddessesGemstones and waterSacred water sitesShells and water Lilith Dorsey M.A. hails from many magickal traditions. Their traditional education focused on Plant Science, Anthropology, and Film at the URI, NYU, and the University of London. Their magickal training includes initiations in Lucumi, Haitian Vodoun, and New Orleans Voodoo. Lilith Dorsey is also a Voodoo Priestess and has been doing magick since 1991 for patrons, filmmaker of the documentary Bodies of Water: Voodoo Identity and Tranceformation,' and choreographer/performer Dr. John's “Night Tripper” Voodoo Show. In addition, they are proud to be a published Black author of  Voodoo and Afro-Caribbean Paganism, Orishas, Goddesses and Voodoo Queens, and Water Magic. https://lilithdorsey.com/

Stephanie Chats with the incredible Lilith Dorsey, Voodoo Priestess, Filmmaker, Author & Choreographer Lilith Dorsey M.A., hails from many magickal traditions, including Afro-Caribbean, Celtic, and Indigenous American spirituality. Their traditional education focused on Plant Science, Anthropology, and Film at the University of R.I, New York University, and the University of London, and their magickal training includes numerous initiations in Santeria also known as Lucumi, Haitian Vodoun, and New Orleans Voodoo. Lilith Dorsey is also a Voodoo Priestess and in that capacity has been doing successful magick since 1991 for patrons, is editor/publisher of Oshun-African Magickal Quarterly, filmmaker of the experimental documentary Bodies of Water :Voodoo Identity and Tranceformation,' and choreographer/performer for jazz legend Dr. John's “Night Tripper” Voodoo Show. They have long been committed to providing accurate and respectful information about the African Traditional Religions and are proud to be a published Black author of such titles as 55 Ways to Connect to Goddess, The African-American Ritual Cookbook, Love Magic, Orishas, Goddesses and Voodoo Queens, Water Magic and the newly re-released Voodoo and African Traditional Religion. Share --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thegeode/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thegeode/support

Jake has experiences in several different ATR’s and shared some great information with us! Topics covered: - Initiations and spiritual ceremonies (specifically Lucumi and Palo) - Fashion and spirituality - Ideas for Cleansings for yourself and Ancestors! - His transition from solely doing fashion design to starting his spiritual business - His history with Lucumi and Palo Mayombe - Coconut divination - Tips for looking for teachers and god parents - His candle line, Celestial Acumen - Spiritual Hygiene and cleansing Jake Peak on IG @ jakevpreizt Candle Products site: celestialacumen.com REGISTER FOR THE TAROT AND CYBERWITCH ACADEMY at millennialsoulfood.biz SIGN UP FOR MY PATREON -> www.patreon.com/millennialsoulfood

     Traditional Astrologer, author, practitioner of Lucumi, Mr Eric Purdue joins us in this episode. We talk about his new, and very anticipated translation of the monumental work of polymath Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim. It was a true pleasure to have him on the show. https://www.ericpurdue.com/ https://www.innertraditions.com/books/three-books-of-occult-philosophy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWoparZ1xqg        

Argos Gonzales is a mindfulness instructor for both educators and students, and in this episode he shares his personal spiritual journey. We discuss:Parenthood, teenage rebellion, and the powerful vision his own father had before he was bornThe transformational power of a near-drowning experienceArgos' journey in the Lucumi tradition, shamanism, and meditationRigidity, fluidity, and finding balanceHow to develop your intuitionWhy meditation might feel like it “makes things worse” and how to sit with and through thatPrayer as ritual and prayer as a conversationMindfulness as a secular practiceThe inclusivity of mindfulnessAgency and mindfulness within radical social justice workWhat to do with angerModeling mindfulness and making it fun for children“Can mindfulness bring greater clarity and greater intimacy into what your spiritual practice is?”Little Flower YogaMindful SchoolsMBodied WisdomMBodied Wisdom InstagramMary Magdalene RevealedEva’s InstagramEva’s WebsiteKyley’s InstagramKyley’s WebsiteHello Universe Website

Ancestral Eyes E31welcomes Ofunshi Oba Koso, Babalawo and Shaman with your hosts Teresa Sliwinski and Jean-Jerome C. Baudry! Ofunshi Oba Koso is a traditional healer and spiritual diviner known as a Babalawo from the Yoruba religious tradition. Trained from an early age by both Lucumi and Traditional Yoruba elders, Ofunshi brings a unique perspective of African spirituality through his vast knowledge of Afro-Cuban syncretic religious practices such as Santeria (Lucumi) and Palo Monte, as well as Ifá as it is practiced in West Africa today. Baba Ofunshi was chosen by a divine oracle to carry his family's ancestral staff, which has been passed down from generation to generation to uphold the traditions of his ancestors. His wisdom and traditional knowledge are widely respected, and his counsel has been sought not only in the religious realm but also in social and political arenas. In addition to his work as a spiritual guide to many, he is also actively involved in global movements to improve the lives and conditions of Africans and African descendants. Ofunshi's most recent activities include serving as a member of the International Coordinating Committee and panellist for the First World Summit of Afro-descendants held in Honduras (August 2011), presenting a paper on spirituality and tradition at the International Meeting of Writers and Poets of African, Indigenous, and Sino Descent in Costa Rica (October 2011), and serving as a delegate to the United Nations for the General Assembly high-level meeting on the 10th Anniversary of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (September 2011). Baba Ofunshi also serves as a member of the steering committee for the new Department of Afro-descendant, Indigenous and Sino-descendent Studies at the National University of Costa Rica. Baba Ofunshi holds a degree in Cultural Analysis and Promotion from the University of Havana. To reach Ofunshi on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ofunshi.koso If you would like to be a future guest on our show please write to us at jjbaudry@ancestraleyes.ca! Remember to tune-in every Friday @ 8 pm EST for our live show!

Lilith Dorsey M.A. , hails from many magickal traditions, including Celtic, Afro-Caribbean, and Native American spirituality. Her traditional education focused on Plant Science, Anthropology, and Film at the University of R.I, New York University and the University of London, and her magickal training includes numerous initiations in Santeria also known as Lucumi, Haitian Vodoun, and New Orleans Voodoo. https://www.instagram.com/lilithdorsey/ https://twitter.com/lilithdorsey https://www.youtube.com/user/lilithdorsey https://lilithdorsey.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/crossroadsncauldrons/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/crossroadsncauldrons/support

Intro- Practice modulating the love you give My cat Lulu is giving me the perfect example to talk about modulating the love you give. After practicing giving love unabashadley, the next step is figuring out how to modulate the love you give so that the being you want to give it to can receive it fully. Lulu came today, jumping into my lap, wanting all the love I have to give. But if I just blast out all the love I have for her, it would overwhelm her little, anxious nervous system. I had to give it fully, in a way she could handle it. You can modulate the love you have to give by giving it through your eyes, or softly through your fingers, or a cup of tea.  The problem isn’t that you are too much. It isn’t that you have too much love to give. It’s, sometimes, that we’re not conscious of the type of transmission wave we’re sending out. And now we get to be conscious of it. Make the giving of it an art, and your Love will be a gift.  Chiquita Brujita interview Chiquita Brujita is a lifeforce that came out of a cry for divination. What started as one night of performance art became a system of divination that included digital dancing, full moon fortunes, and marketing of handmade prayer candles that trouble the notion of what we pray for.  Santeria practitioner and very aware that tools presented to me as part of my Black, ancestral magic have always been co-opted in some way by Catholic imagery. I’m best known for the prayer candles. It was supposed to be for one day, and it just took off. I started working with one of the largest Latin parties in NYC, and began producing a tropical circus, and creating joy and community. Brought this dance floor life into public, mostly white spaces Community is something we need, before we need it.  Looking at the possibility of moving out of New York City, buying land, stocking up on money, due to the financial ramifications of COVID-19. Matrilineal lineage in La Regla de Ocha/Lucumi/Santeria. I studied the religion in college, to understand my grandmother, myself, and my mother. Through this academic lens, I learned of the things she would never say to me. Alice Walker “In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens.” Maternal energy of nurturing spirit happens in ritual.  This is about the power to assert yourself as a Divine Light, as a child of God.  See sacred space wherever you are. That’s why I make prayer candles. I wanted things people could have that were self-affirming, and useful for them calling in Spirit.  Syncretism with Yoruba Orishas and Catholic Saints. A bruja’s approach to COVD-19: Feeling my rage and how systemic it is feeds my purpose of being joy and light. How do you spark joy within yourself right now? It’s not easy. Joy is evolving. It is temporal. You can be present in the moment and feel joy. When I spend too much time in the unknown or the nostalgic, or I wish I did, or I should have...that’s what kills my joy. Ground bitch, ground! You have to laugh. I am in deep gratitude for community Basic rituals- guasha and facial oil Drink hot lemon water with turmeric and black pepper Walking and hiking when I can Dancing Zoom with friends Houseparty app Let go to make space for the new blessings that are coming That means taking the space to grieve what you’re letting go I find my joy by identifying my anxiety God never gives us more than we can handle It’s hard to find solitude when everyone is expecting me to be reachable because I’m on lockdown. So I pull the Hermit Card, which just confirms that I need cave time. I’m making Zoom Boxes, and each one comes with party stuff for your face and room--to set up your Zoom Vibe.   Q&A : How do I do a facial cleansing ritual? Make a ritual out of cleansing your face. USE FACIAL OIL!!!! You can use either a Guasha or your fingertips to do lymphatic drainage facial. Facial oil recipe: Argan, Jamacian Castor Oil, combo of essential oils-lavender, rosemary, frankincense, and peppermint.  A little bit of the oil on your face Make sure your hands or Guasha are clean. Use your fingertips, quickly move your fingers in an upward motion. Soft, but firm, upward strokes all around your face. Around your eyes, use just your pinky finger. At least 60 seconds, in the morning and at night Will detox your lymph nodes in your face--imagine what that means energetically! Cleansing your crown, third eye, and throat chakras! Write me, let me know how it’s going! Send in your questions: queen@growthequeendom.com; IG and FB-  Online video coaching with me through BEAM+Flow “Embodied Flow Sessions” (bodywork, feelings, hormone balancing, creative coaching)- beaming@beamandflow.com IG and FB:  or @chloecofresi Moment of Flow “Feast On It” by Cleo Wade  

My guest for this episode is author and Voodoo Priestess Lilith Dorsey, who joined me to discuss her new book Orishas, Goddesses and Voodoo Queens. Lilith has been a magickal practitioner for nearly thirty years, with training involving initiations in Santeria (also known as Lucumi), Haitian Voudon and New Orleans Voodoo. She is also the editor of the Oshun African Magical Quarterly, as well as an accomplished filmmaker and choreographer. Her new book explores the concept of the divine feminine in African religious traditions, and how it was understood and venerated both in Africa, as well as in the Caribbean and United States, where new magical practices emerged as a result of the diaspora of those people who were transported to the new world as victims of the slave trade and used ingenious methods to preserve their spiritual identity. It was a pleasure and a privilege to talk with her about these fascinating subjects. Enjoy the episode!   For more information on Lilith's books and her Voodoo Universe blog, please visit https://lilithdorsey.com/. You can find her on Twitter @LilithDorsey.   The Some Other Sphere intro music is from Purple Planet Music. ‘Hubbub’ by Chris Martyn/Geoff Harvey.  

The inaugural episode of Coffee & Divination! Featuring renowned Geomancer, Hermetic magician, and Lucumi priest, Sam Block. About the podcast: Divination is the art of obtaining knowledge through hidden means, and has been a part of civilizations around the world - likely for tens of thousands of years. Divination can help us understand situations, answer questions (mundane or spiritual!) and give us insight on the threads that weave our lives together. While our world undergoes this time of upheaval, studying and practicing the arts of divination can help us navigate and plan for the roads ahead.Each month, host JoAnna Farrer (Assistant HPS of the North Wyldewood Coven, in the Temple of the Spiral Path) will interview a different expert on divination, ranging from Geomancy, Tarot, Astrology, Oracles, Runes, and more, and we want you to be a part of the show! All podcast interviews will take place LIVE on Zoom, so you can listen in, and submit questions for our guest experts.-- Theme music: "Come with Me" by JoAnna Farrer. Also featuring Alasdair Fraser, Natalie Haas and Yann Falquet.-- Ending music: "Pollen Path" by Elana Low

This is more for the open minded this is just the intro on what topics I want to cover and my testimony on my religion stay tuned this is definitely going to be interesting for those like me who are curious , interested , or are in the Lucumi traditions this was like a trailer on what I want this podcast to be about and other things like motivational stories thanks !!

Eni and Andrew discuss how to approach traditional religions from a place of respect. They explore some misunderstandings and how to get around them. They also talk about the realities of practicing from a distance.  Both share from their journey in two different lineages in two countries. This conversation is important in the wider dialogue of appropriation going now around traditional knowledge.  Be sure to check out the bonus episode on proverbs around this topic for Patreon supporters here.   If you want more of this in your life you can subscribe by RSS , iTunes, Stitcher, or email. You can book time with Andrew through his site here.  You can find Eni on her site here or Facebook here.  Andrew is as always here.  Thanks for joining the conversation. Please share the podcast to help us grow and change the world.  Andrew Transcript   Andrew: Welcome to another episode of The Hermit's Lamp podcast. I am here today with Eni Acho, who is an Orisha practitioner and priestess. She runs a wonderful Facebook group, but also ... website's called About Santeria, where there are lots of great conversations about the traditional practices and approaching the traditional practices of Orisha traditions, especially centered in Cuba. I think that given what I've seen more and more online and other places in conversations with people, this conversation about how do we approach a traditional religion as outsiders, is one that I think is really important. Andrew: I think that there's a lot of misunderstandings, I know I had a lot of misunderstandings or misconceptions about what things might be like. I think that these dialogues are important and obviously for my own personal tradition, but I also think that some of these conversations apply to any other traditional religion that you might approach as well. Eni, for those who don't know you, give us the lowdown. Who are you? What are you up to? Eni: Hi. My full Ocho name is Eni Acho Iya, which means the yellow dress of my mother. That's because I'm crowned to Oshun. Oshun is always associated with the color yellow. I was crowned in Palmira, Cuba and my lineage is called Palmira lineage. It's called the countryside or [inaudible 00:01:47] in Cuba to distinguish it from maybe what you might find in Havana or Mantanzas. But Palmira is one of the traditional centers of the Lucumi religion in Cuba. It was founded by the descendants of slaves who were taken to that part of Cuba to work in the sugarcane fields. After they were emancipated, they founded their own town, Palmira. Eni: It has three of the most traditional and oldest Lucumi religious societies in Cuba. The Sociedad Santa Barbara, Sociedad San Roque, and mine, the Sociedad el Cristo which is associated with the Sevilla family. A lot of people who practice Ifa know the name of [inaudible 00:02:30] or [inaudible 00:02:32] famous Babalawo's from Palmira. And that's my religious family, the Sevilla family. So I guess that's probably who I am, religiously speaking. And I've been running this website "About Santeria" for around six years, I think. As an educational website that aleyo's, outsiders can go to, to get basic questions answered. And just recently I created this page you referred to on Facebook so people can discuss some of the ideas. I'd like to invite anyone who's interested to take a look at that and welcome to the community if you decide to join us. It's a good community. I think lots of very knowledgeable priests in there and good conversations are taking place, so I'm happy with that. Andrew: I think it's great. There's lots of really knowledgeable priests, which is a great part of the equation. They're all, at least all the ones that I know, personally or through online interactions, they're all really solid people as well. Which is a really important part of that conversation too, right? Just because people know something doesn't necessarily mean anything anymore. There's this distinction that can happen between those things. That's one of the things that I also dig about that space and why I'm actually hanging out there as opposed to other spaces, where maybe people know stuff, but their character isn't as inspiring to me. Andrew: One of the things that I find really interesting is this idea of the distinction between what's going on now in a general way, and how stuff was a little while ago, or how things still are in certain parts of the world. Right? So you're from ... your practice and your connection, your family is in Palmira. What's it like there to sort of be born there and live there and practice this religion from that place, from a sort of real traditional community structure? Eni: I feel really fortunate to have had glimpses into everyday life there. I've been going there for over 20 years. And because of my work, I've been able to go and spend considerable amounts of time, like three months at a time, six months at a time, because my university here in Washington state has an exchange program with the university of Cienfuegos. And as an academic, that gave me a license, as ... the United States, it's not always that easy to go to Cuba, but because of my academic license, I've been able to go to Cuba pretty often, spend a lot of time there and really get to know the people very well. I've literally seen a whole generation of people grow up and I know what it's like from their point of view to be born there and be surrounded by this community. Eni: And I think it's important for your listeners to understand that this need that we have as outsiders, as people living in a different culture, we're always thinking, "how can I get in to that community"? Or "how can I get into the religion How do I find my way there"? It's always this destination or goal that people are looking for. And the big difference to me is that for people in Palmira, you're already there. You don't have to look for anything. It's all around you. It's in the air you breathe. And that's not to say that every single person that lives in the town is initiated in a religion, they're not, but certainly their neighbors are, or their cousin or their aunt or their grandma, people down the street. It's everywhere around you. And so if you have a concern, if you want to go get a reading done, you don't have to wonder where can I find a Babalow, where can I find a Santero? They're right there. And everybody knows them. Eni: There's a lot of accountability because literally these same people have lived there and their ancestors have lived there for 150 years and everybody knows who everybody is. Small town in Cuba, you don't have secrets. And I think that that makes it a really different experience because I've seen babies in their mother's arms at drumming ceremonies, because our ceremonies, our drumming for example, tend to be open to the public, people who live in Palmira, everybody comes and the whole family comes. So you have babies that can't even walk yet in their mothers' arms who are keeping time to the rhythm of the drum. And they are totally comfortable in that environment and they grow up with that. I've seen four year olds playing with their little stuffed animals, their bunny rabbits and teddy bears, and they're acting out an ocha ceremony that they've seen their parents do. So when you grow up with it all around you, that takes away a lot of the mystery. So it's not secretive. It's not hard to find. It's there. Eni: Our tradition in Palmira tends to be, for the most part, that we don't initiate very young children. Most people, if their family is religious, everybody in their family tends to get initiated, but they always leave it up to the individual to decide once they reach a certain level of maturity. And so typically you'll find people not getting initiated until maybe they're in their early twenties. That's changing. People now are doing more younger children, but we believe that it's not everybody's destiny to be initiated. That has to be something that's determined on an individual basis. But there are lots and lots of families where half the brothers and sisters are initiated, half aren't, and the cousin show up and they help out with the cooking and the cleaning before and after the ceremony. So everybody is involved in it and everybody feels connected to it, whether they're initiated or not. It's very comfortable. It's very organic and natural to just have it there. And that's such a different experience from what most of us outside Cuba. Andrew: I was in Matanzas last year playing for egun, for my godmother, passed away. Some of the things that struck me were, first of all, everybody knows everybody as you say. Right? You know, we're driving around the city with my godfather and he's like, "Hey, pull over" he leans out the window and has conversation with somebody and they'd keep going. Secondly, I don't know about architecturally in Palmira, but in Matanzas there are no windows on the windows, the doors are open. It's hot and you want those breezes. And so we're there doing the formal meal that's part of the ceremony and neighborhood kids who people know, or maybe they're children of people who are there, drift in, say hi, act like kids and run at the back and go and get some sweets or some food-[crosstalk 00:10:08] and they leave. Andrew: We were doing the drum in the front room and there's no ... the window's open and people are just walking by looking. People are walking by and they'll just start having a conversation with somebody who's there that they know. And it's very different than my experience of other things which it's done in somebody's house probably in their basements where do you see it? You don't see it anywhere. Right? As opposed to there. And also, as you say, driving around, you drive around and Oh, is that another drum going on over there? Oh yeah, it is. We should go by, Oh, is that another drum going on over there? There you go. You know? Eni: It's exactly like that in Palmira and it's hard to hide a drumming ceremony when the houses are so close together and all the doors are wide open. And everybody kind of spills out into the street and that interaction you were describing what the kids coming and going and people coming in and out all day. That happens literally every single day. When I'm in Palmira, I feel like I'm sitting in my godmother's house but it's like a train station with people coming and going and just, "Hey, what's going on?" and "anything going on?" And they have, you maybe know this expression in Spanish, radeo bemba, which means word of mouth, how the word spreads really quickly from person to person. So if somebody is going to have a drumming or somebody who's got an ocha birthday party or whatever's going on, everybody in the town knows everybody and they're very likely to just go by and drop in And see what's going on. Andrew: I think that this sort of leads to this idea of what does it look like to, as I said, is what are we looking to arrive in? I mean, really one of the things that we're looking for, whether we understand it or not when we start out is, we're looking to be welcomed into somebody's family. Eni: Yes. Andrew: We are looking to build a relationship and a connection hopefully to the community, to those people. I was at an event, I'd been hanging out with the Orisha community in Michigan where I was initiated 19 years now, 20 years, a long time. And we were having a conversation and somebody mentioned something and I'm like, "I was there when ... I helped make that person, I helped make that person, I helped make this person. I was there when this person was made, but I wasn't made yet". And there's this like longevity of connection, right? Whereas a lot of people sometimes come to these things with this idea that you're going to just arrive and be welcomed in, just arrive and suddenly everything's great or just arrive and you suddenly can get access or get recognized or whatever. But it's not really that way. I mean ideally it's not that way, right? Eni: No, you're absolutely right. And I think that a lot of this has to do with our understanding and we use the words in our religion. We talk about aleyo's, outsiders, strangers literally. And people in our culture tend to find that a little bit offensive. They think that means that they're not welcome. But in Cuba, that's not what it means. We simply differentiate for ceremonial purposes the people who are initiated, the Oloricha's. They have a certain role, a certain function, they do certain things. And if you're not initiated, you do other things and the rules are not identical. There is a hierarchy there. Not based on your worth as an individual or how smart you are or anything else. It's just are you initiated or not initiated? If you are, go in that room, if you're not going the other room. Right? Eni: I think Americans and, I don't know, maybe Canadians as well, people from outside that culture had a really hard time with that because we here in the U.S. where I live, we have such a consumer mentality and we identify something that we want and then we think "I'm going to get it. It's my decision, it's my choice. I'm in control of the process, here's my money, how much does it cost? Here's the money, okay, now I have it and it's mine." And they expect some kind of immediate acceptance or, "now we're the same. Okay. Because I paid my money and I'm just like you." And that is not how it works. Andrew: No, exactly. And that sense of entitlements that can be there is definitely a problem. And I think in two ways. One, as I know you do too, I get contacted by people sometimes who are like, "I need you to crown me" and I'm like, "my friend, I am not ... I don't even know." Why would I choose to incur a lifelong and perhaps more than this lifelong connection with you as being responsible for your spiritual wellbeing and to some extent your practical wellbeing forever, when I've never even met you. You know? So that's the challenge. And then the other side of that, of course, in a world where we're approaching people that we don't know who are not aleyos, but complete strangers irregardless, there's not that community knowledge of you should go see ... whatever, right? It should be because "I think they could be a good person for you, I think they could guide you, this person's a renowned diviner you should go see them." You don't have that connection. Andrew: And so all of these people, no matter what we think we know about them from seeing them on social media, they're all strangers too. And that's where so much of those problematic situations where people will be like, "Sure, yeah, absolutely. You've got the money, just give it to me, we'll be good." And then it's not good because those people on the other side are just looking to take that money and take advantage as well. It's a big problem. Eni: It's a big problem. And I think that a lot of it has to do with the fact that people just get too impatient and they want it now. And a lot of times they don't even know why they want it and they don't even actually know what it is. And so the process always, in my opinion, has to be organic. It has to happen in kind of a natural way, right time, right people, right place. And you can't force it. I think that that's the key thing. You're not in control really. It's going to happen when the Orishas and your egun want it to happen. And the more you push and resist and try to get it all to go your way, I think you're just creating a lot of trouble for yourself. Andrew: One of the expressions that ... I didn't have the pleasure to meet your magua but a very famous oricha who's connected to my godparents ... one of the expressions that I hear, they used to say a lot was, "no, no, what you need to understand is, orisha is the boss here". We as people, we have our say and we get to make our choice. And it doesn't mean we have to accept everything or ... it is a relationship. But at a certain points your orisha needs to be the ones that we trust to dictate and to find the right time and space and, and all of those things. It's like the proverb, "every head is looking for its home". Not every little person, not every house, not everybody's situation is in right alignment for anybody. Right? Maybe someone comes to Palmira and they're like, "Oh, this actually doesn't fit for me". And not pushing there, not trying to push ahead one way or another makes the most sense in that situation. Eni: My own experience I think is a good example of that because I went to Palmira for the first time just because I was invited to somebody's house for dinner and I had absolutely no intention of making ocha there. It wasn't even on the horizon for me. I knew about the religion, I liked it, I was interested in it, but kind of from an academic standpoint. And I went to dinner at a colleagues house, a professor from the university and she introduced me to another professor from the university, her neighbor who lived the next block over and he turned out to be the head of the Sevilla family, a familia who was running a casto at that time. Eni: And I just became friends with that family and visited them for years, just dropping in and having coffee and chatting with them. And I wasn't showing up on the doorstep all the time saying, "teach me about the religion I want in help me, you have to be my godfather. It happened in a very gradual way where I started getting readings. I think most of us began that way where we get readings that guide us. Eni: Then over a long period of time, year. Little by little it came out that I needed to get this or I needed to get that. I got my warriors, I got cofa de orula and then it wasn't until I got cofa de orula [inaudible 00:20:06] in eka, was that I eventually needed to make ocha, and that was really stressed. Eventually, one day before you die. And my godfather said, "Think about it. Don't do it now. You need to kind of wrap your head around this and think about what it means and take your time and do it when you're ready". And I don't know, about four, three or four years later, it just happened like serendipity. That's what we're talking about here. These things just kind of all come together magically almost. I got a sabbatical from my university, I got a scholarship, it was a grant, that paid me to go to Cuba to do this research project I was working on and that turned out to be the gear I was able to make ocha because I was able to be in Cuba. Eni: And that's the experience I wanted with those people that I have known for many, many years and it just happened in a very natural way. And if someone had said to me 15 years earlier, "Oh yes, you're going to go to Palmira and make ocha". I would have said, "what's Palmira I don't even know what you're talking about." Andrew: I think that it's, even for me, I went looking for the religion. I had been explore ... doing Western ceremonial traditions and initiatory groups for a long, long time. And I had sort of hit this place where I felt like I really needed to connect with something deep and traditional. I was trying to figure out what that was, where this was in a pre-internet era. It wasn't like you could just jump on Facebook and find a bunch of things. And eventually I found my way to the community in Michigan and even at that, although I received my elekes and my warriors, I still was involved in that community for eight, nine years before I was crowned. I was one of those things like, "yeah, someday you should do that". Andrew: You should start putting aside your money and when you have the money you should think about doing it. One of the things that I noticed with people I have conversations about it now sometimes is they get to the end of the reading and they're like, "okay, but what do I need to receive? When do I need to make ocha?" One of the questions that I often returned to them with is, "well, is your life horrible? Is your life a hot mess? Are you sick? Are you like having horrible problems? You're reading doesn't say you're magically afflicted? Is there something going on? Your life is a disaster and you need to be saved from it". They're like, "Nope". I'm like, "man just keep living your life and as you need things, stuff will surface if you need things". Andrew: And I think that's another thing that, we don't understand. I didn't understand fully myself, even though I was aware of it going into it, is this notion that within the tradition, these things are medicines of a sort. They're there to either provide very specific kinds of guidance or specific energies or to counter specific energies so that we can live our life to the fullness of our destiny. As opposed to being things that we can collect or accumulate or that give us status or those kinds of things. You know? Eni: That's exactly right. That's how I feel about it too. And, and I think it's hard for people to understand that maybe they don't want to hear it when they're so enthusiastic and so determined that this is going to be their path. That's what they want to do. And one of the things that I hear a lot, and I think you do too, is people get frustrated and say, "okay, you're telling me to be patient, but what am I supposed to do? Just sit here and wait?". They want tips, how can I do something to make me feel like I'm moving forward? And so I actually do have some suggestions if you're determined that you want to learn and do more with this religion, I have some kind of practical tips that might get you started. Andrew: I'd love to hear them. Eni: I break down things into little lists, but I think many people begin with kind of an academic approach to it. So they read books and you mentioned 20 years ago we didn't have as many resources as we have now. Now we have the internet, we have lots more books than we used to have. We have all these religious forums on Facebook and many people are offering online classes of this kind or that kind. And all of those approaches are limited. I think that's the first thing I want to stress is that there's nothing wrong with reading books. There's nothing wrong with reading stuff on the internet, but there are lots of buts attached to that, lots of limitations because yes, there are some good books out there. Fortunately, thank goodness people like Willie Ramos is writing really good books on David Brown and other people who have the credentials and the research methodology down. And what they present is accurate and very good and very helpful. And that's always great to read. Eni: But I remember when I first started looking for books on religion, there are some really wacko books out there because now anybody can publish a book. It's all self publishing. You might go on Amazon and look for books and you might find 20 different titles and you just don't know which ones are good and which ones are not good. You can read the reviews but those are always written by somebody's friend and they don't necessarily tell the truth. You have to be careful when you're reading books too. First of all, evaluate the source. Who is this person writing the book? And if they say magic moon goddess has been practicing 300 world religions for the past year and a half and she's the author of this book on Santeria, I would not necessarily consider her a reliable source because if she's not even initiated what does she know about the religion? Eni: But if it says, "Willie Ramos is a professor of history who wrote his thesis on Havana in the 19th century" and whatever, and he has written these books that are published by university presses and published in scholarly journals. For me, that's an indication that those are serious things that I can read. And even after I read them though, I remember when I first started reading some of those books like David Brown's "Santeria Enthroned". It's a great book. Eni: But I didn't understand it. I was reading it and half of what he was talking about I had no idea what any of that meant and it took me years to realize that I was going to have to piece together all of this information I was accumulating and put it into some meaningful pattern because to my knowledge, there's not one book, a Bible that you just go to and it tells you everything you need to know. Every book will tell you a little bit or something, but nobody's going to tell you the whole story and you have to decide how does this information fit in with other things. You have to analyze it. And the same is true, especially on the internet because there is some good stuff on the internet but there's also a lot of terrible misinformation and the religious forums are the same. Andrew: One of the things that's really important to understand is, not only is there not one book that can tell you everything, It wouldn't even be possible, Right? Like the scope of this tradition is so massive. And when you start talking with someone who's an elder [inaudible 00:28:41] they're a knowledgeable Babalawo, whatever right? Someone who has lived in the tradition for such a long time, the amount of things that come up that are just different situations. I was at a ceremony recently and the person running it was like, "Oh yeah, you know what, your name's Oba tilemi right? Because I know the sound for that one." And so they sang the song that relates to my ocha name, which maybe I had heard it before, nobody had highlighted it, but I never pick that up before because there are so many songs for Shango. There's so many songs for everybody. There's so many stories, there's so many pieces and ceremonies and ideas and advices that it just expands in an unbelievably sophisticated way. Eni: They say the more you know the more you realize you don't know. It truly is a lifelong, lifelong process. But reading books is not a bad place to start given all these limitations that I've talked about. Because I think the positive thing about it is that way at least people who are interested and burning and to know something, feel like they have a little bit of control. Like, Oh, I found a book, I'm so excited and that's great, but it's limited. And eventually, like you mentioned earlier, this is about belonging to a community. And so sooner or later you have to get out of the world of books and meet people in a religion. It must be a personal experience and you must become part of a community because you cannot do this on your own. Eni: And you know that's full of challenges as well because then you have to say, how do I meet these people and are they legitimate? Are they going to cheat me? Is this community a good fit for me? You have to consider things like your physical proximity, because if you're like my ocha community is in Cuba and when I made ocha there, I had to decide, am I going to be able to go back to Cuba on a regular basis? Do I have the money to be able to travel? Does my job allow me to go there whenever I want? Eni: You have to really think about these things because if you don't live near your ocha community, you've got to travel. You know that. You also have to think about the language and the culture, and this just completely confuses me. I hear about people who go to Cuba, they don't speak Spanish, they know nothing about Cuban culture. They make ocha, they're there for a week and they go home and then they say, "I don't have a good relationship with my godparent". I'm like,"well, who is your godparent"? "I don't know. Some guy that lives in Havana." Eni: If you don't speak the language, if you don't know the culture, how can you fit in that community? How can you learn anything? And like you mentioned, you also have to consider a character there of the people. Are they upright people? Are they honest people? Do they have good reputations in the community? I've been talking just about the Lukumi practice, which is my practice. But for a lot of people who are at the very early stages, they have to decide what branch of this religion do they want. A lot of people want traditional Yoruba and they want to know about those practices in Nigeria. I don't know about that. I can't teach you that. I'm Lukumi. Andrew: Well I think that's also a whole other branch, right? But the problem remains the same. You and I would likely have equal ... we'd be next to ground zero by just dropping into Nigeria or wherever. I'm just going to go hang out with some traditional people. It's a roll of the dice. Right. You just never, hopefully it's good, but you never know given that every other day I'm befriended on Instagram by a Nigerian Prince wants to help remove the curses on me if I'll just send them a bunch of money by wire transfer. That stuff is out there, it's everywhere. Eni: And not only that, but our actual ceremonies are different and we have the same basic route. But, I only know how to do ocha ceremonies in Cuba and if I went to Nigeria, I'm sure they do it differently. I can't just walk in there as a functioning priest and expect to be accepted in this community because I don't know anything about them and they don't know anything about me. Before you waste time reading a million books on Lucumi, and then you decide I don't really like Lucumi, I want to be a traditional Yoruba. Make that decision first I think. And focus on what resonates with you. Andrew: I think one of the other things that I would say if you're reading books and I'd love to hear your thoughts on this as well, is the more a book on Orisha tradition talks about what you could do or should do on your own, the more likely I am to think that it's not helpful at all. There are some folks that there where they're like, do this super power Orisha bath and it's like, well, probably not right? These things come from, ideally come from, divination or they come from the ashy of an elder who speaks of where they come from. You know, an Orisha possession.And they don't come from, "huh, I really wish that this was different, maybe I should do this thing", right? Eni: I honestly don't think a reputable priest would write a book like that. I'm sorry, that probably sounds really harsh. But the books that I value ... Andrew: Please, feel free to be harsh, that's fine. Eni: The books that I value are written either from a historical perspective, maybe I'm just a history buff. But that really, really helped me to understand how this religion came to Cuba and how it transformed and who are founding mothers and fathers were and how the religion spread. And having a historical foundation, to me, has just been so valuable. That really helped me. Eni: And I also like books, like the most recent series that Willie is doing where there's a whole book that's just about, Oshun and another book that's all about Obatala and he talks about, these are the songs and these are the prayers, and these are the herbs, and these are the characteristics of Oshun and these are the different roads. That's great. Because it gives you more profound insight into who that Orisha is. But it ... I never ever have found a book helpful that starts telling you, "okay, you're not initiated but you can still throw the shells and learn how to read them and do these spiritual baths and make up all this stuff. And you don't need a priest and you don't need to be initiated". If I see that, I throw that book in the garbage. Andrew: Yeah, that's totally fair. I think one of the things I think is also significant and understanding tradition is one of the things about understanding initiation, especially, well even becoming, just taking on somebody, becoming someone's godparents, you're becoming part of, in a way that lineage, right? That lineage is tied to those people and to those places. My lineage goes back to Mantanzas and when I was there with my godfather, he took me to meet certain people and certain Orishas who are close to the sort of origin of that. And there's this living legacy of those connections from me to my godparents, to their godparents and so on, all the way back to the beginning of this tradition as it stands now in Cuba and then beyond into sort of the, the reaches of history. And that's really significant. That's a really important part of this tradition because without that lineage, in some ways nothing happens, right? Like what happens without that. Eni: That's exactly how I feel. I feel so grateful to be able to go to a place like Palmira and [inaudible 00:37:22] when you go to Mantanzas, same thing, it's like you have a very clear sense of this is where it comes from. I'm connected to this and it gives you such a grounding that it ... I don't even know how to explain it, but it's just really powerful. And I want to connect to something that you said earlier because when you were talking about somebody just contacting you out of the blue and saying, I want you to be my godfather, or please initiate me immediately. Here's the money. I think it's important that people understand that priests have to be selective about who they choose to initiate because it's a big responsibility. Like you said, it's a lifelong commitment. Eni: And if I don't know you and you turn out to be a crazy person, I'm bringing you into my religious family. I'm bringing you into my house and you're going to disrupt everything and make everybody miserable and cause trouble. I don't want that. There really is this kind of trial period and a lot of people who want an immediate access are so put off by that. They'll say, "I went to somebody's house and I asked them to be my godfather and he said, no". Well that's because he doesn't know you and it's premature and it's like you said, why do you need to be talking about making ocha right now? There's nothing to indicate you need that. So this idea that priests should be available 24/7 and a lot of people think "Oh, our religious communities or our centers or wherever we do our ceremonies. They imagine it like some kind of community center or maybe a Christian Church where there's this physical building and there's a little office attached and the priest gets paid a salary and sits there 9:00 to 5:00 and receives people. Eni: And to my knowledge, I have never seen anything like that in our religion. We do our ceremonies in our homes most of the time. And I'm not going to invite a stranger into my home. It's my home. That can really be off putting to people who are new to the religion, but they need to understand that you have to gain someone's trust. They just think they're protecting themselves. Like, "how do I know my Godfather's not a crook and he's cheating me"? Well, that is a concern. You need to know that. But at the same time, the godparent is looking at the potential godchild saying, "is this person a good fit? Do I want to do something with this person"? And people don't like to be judged. They think, here's the money, take it, give it to me. Andrew: No, for sure. I think it's kind of like asking somebody to marry you on the first date. It doesn't make sense. And if the person agrees, well, 99% of the time you should be really suspect about that because that person's got some issues. Go deal with those issues, right? Eni: Exactly. Or it could be like "we have never met, we just know each other from Facebook. Do you want to get married"? Andrew: It's such an interesting modern phenomenon. Right? Eni: Yeah. And another thing that's connected to this that I think is really difficult for newcomers or people who are looking for the way in, is they don't understand that some knowledge in our religion is only meant for priests. It's not open library, here's all the information in the whole world that anyone can access. Traditionally it's been passed by oral communication from generation to generation. You learn it from your elders, you learn it from hands on experience, some information you simply cannot know before you've been through the ceremony yourself. So when somebody comes with a million questions and the potential godparent is saying, "I can't tell you about her. That's not for you to know", Or "that's something only priests do". People get offended by that and think, "Oh, it's secretive they won't share their knowledge". Andrew: I think it's one of those things, and also depending on what we're talking about, I think it's fair for people to ... for the keepers of the tradition to honor the tradition by managing where that information goes. And if they think you're going to be online telling all your friends about this and that and making orisha baths and selling them on the internet when you're not even initiated or whatever, then probably they're going to hold that back as well. There needs to be the evidence of respect over time. Eni: Yeah, for sure. Going back to my little tip sheet though, after the recommendation of get to know people in the religion, sometimes people don't even know how to do that because they say, "where I live there isn't anywhere, It's not visible or I can't find it". So sometimes you have to start with just a wild goose chase in a sense that you might look for some public events that are advertised maybe on Facebook or in your community. Somehow you might look for like a tribute to Oshun at the river that's going to happen on such and such a date and everybody's invited. You make a point to go to that and you can meet some people. Or maybe if you get invited by somebody you know to an ocho birthday party or a drumming, definitely take advantage of those kinds of invitations that come your way. Eni: If you don't know anybody in the religion who could invite you to something, you could even just start with universities in your city or cultural centers, because a lot of times they'll have performances of some kind that's related to Afro-Cuban culture and there might be dance ... Orisha dancing or there might be drumming as performance. There might be lectures, films, scholars who work on that topic. And that's a place that you can meet people. If you just go to the performance or the dance, you might meet somebody who would then invite you to something. So I think that's a pretty safe way to do it if you can find something like that to attend and just keep going. You're going to see the same people showing up and you'll start talking to them, they'll start talking to you. That's a good way to meet people. Eni: Botanicas, a lot of people will say, "Oh, I went to the botanica and I met somebody". I think that can be good. There are some good botanicals, but there are also some shady ones. Andrew: So many shady ones. Eni: Yeah, so many shady ones you have to be really, really careful. You can't just walk into a botanica and assume that the person behind cash register is an orisha, maybe they're not. You can't just go in there and buy a bunch of stuff and ... be very, very careful about the botanicas. It's possible you could meet somebody legitimate there, but it's very likely you're going to meet as a person who wants to scam you. Andrew: The thing is, because I run a store, right? It's not a botanica the sort of sense that it focuses on orisha stuff in that sense. But it's not that dissimilar either. I sell candles and herbs as well as a bunch of other stuff. But I think that that's where also ... do some reading and know what it's really about, and what things are and so on, that you can ask the person some questions and see what happens. Andrew: There was a time where I sold more orisha specific stuff and people would come in and they'd start asking me questions, who were initiates and then they quickly realize, "Oh yeah, okay, this guy's an initiate, he knows what's going on". You could have a certain conversation about stuff and that doesn't need to mean that you need to be an initiate to know about that. But you could be like, "Oh well, where were your initiatives? Who are you an initiatives? What's your lineage? What's your orisha?" or whatever things that can come up and you can gauge things from that person that way and sort of feel them out a little bit. Eni: Absolutely. And by all means, don't walk into a botanica with a wad of money in your hand and say, "I want to get initiated". That's not going to work out well. Or they'll say, "my uncle can initiate you, step in the back room". Go ahead. Sadly that has happened so you have to be careful. Eni: I think social media is similar in a sense that you can be on these religious forums and you can meet some great people on social media. I met you on social media. There are definitely some good connections to be made on social media, but you have to be so careful and don't just put out there, "Hey, I'm looking for a godparent who wants to initiate me". There are also charlatans on social media. You don't know who's who's going to grab you. So for me, the most reliable starting point, Sooner or later you've got to get to a point or you can go get a reading, a consulta. And by that I mean by an orisha or by a babalawo who will use the traditional divination tools of orisha to tell you what's going on with you. I have nothing against taro cards and psychic readings and all these other things. But that's not how you find out what's going on with oricha. Andrew: Exactly. I've created and made an orisha tarot deck that is not for marketing orisha things. It is for exploring and understanding the philosophies and the ideas. Exploring how some of these worldviews overlap in the worldviews of tarot. But if you go and somebody says, Oh yeah, "[inaudible 00:47:51], your Orisha with my taro deck". You should get up and leave maybe even ask for your money back, because it's not what it's for. It doesn't work that way. Eni: I think that finding a good diviner is so crucial. That's to me, a turning point because if you can find a good, reliable, honest diviner, that person is going to be able to guide you. Even if that person doesn't turn out to be your godparent, that person is going to be able to hook you up with the right people if they're a member in good standing and in their Orisha community. I think that having these kind of warning signs to look out for, that's very important. You need to go understanding that if you sit down with a diviner, you've never been there before, the first thing he says is, "Oh my God, something really horrible, your children are all going to die unless you make ocho right now". If somebody starts pressuring you like that and trying to manipulate you and make you be really afraid and you have to be initiated right now, that's a warning sign to me. Andrew: One of the things I think that people ... in life there's not always solutions. But one of the things that I understand now at this point in my journey is I've been through some very hard stuff. Last year my business burned to the ground. It's not easy, life isn't always easy. But when I got a reading about that with my elder, it was so comforting. Even though there's a ton of hard stuff still in front of me, and there are ways of which we can approach difficulties and there are ways in which we can make a bowl, do little ceremonies and offerings or whatever, to make our situation better for almost every situation. And it's one of the things that I think is fascinating and different is that there's not ... sometimes there's a miraculous transformation. Andrew: Sometimes there's something you do and it just turns everything around. But there's always something to do, even in difficult times. Approaching it with fear or putting fear into the other person's heart, it's one of the worst things that I think people could do. Divination should come with solutions as well. Advice to mitigate it. And even if it comes we have this sort of orientation where it comes Okinawa, where it comes ... what you brought from heaven. Meaning you can't change it. But we can use it. You can find ways to mitigate your suffering. You can find ways to fortify your strength. There are solutions. If people are working to make you afraid, it makes me so mad when that happens. So, don't fall for it. Eni: And the solution doesn't have to cost $2,000 all the time. There are lots of solutions that are much less expensive. We always just start out with fresh water, omi tutu and coconuts and fruit and things like that. And a lot of times a simple abo an [inaudible 00:51:13], prepare some rice pudding or [inaudible 00:51:15] or whatever it doesn't have to be $2,000. Eni: I think that if people get to the point where they can find a good divine and rely on that information and understand the process of divination and what it's for, that is definitely going to put them on the path they need to be on. Because as we said at the very beginning, not everybody needs to be initiated. If your life is fine and you don't need to get X, Y, or Z, you don't need it, you're fine the way you are. And you don't need to go into the religion thinking, "I'm going to acquire ... I want to have 30 ori shots and I want to have the fanciest soperas and beautiful decorations. That's great, but that doesn't make you a more devoted orisha worshiper than the poor, simple Cuban who's just got his Orishas in a little clay pot. Andrew: I remember talking to this person and they gave all their money to buying things for their Orishas. And they're like, "well, the orisha is going to give it back to me twice as much". But then they were always broke because they were always spending all the money they got on ... You know and at a certain point you have to be mindful of the realities of these dynamics and even if the Orishas did reciprocate one of their offerings with double the amount of investment or they were so happy they blessed them, that's great. But then when you take that blessing and you turn it ... and you don't put it to use in the way it's intended. That's not helpful either. Eni: It's not all about material wealth either, because we have to remember that this religion came from, for the most part, very poor people. People in Cuba, the old people, a lot of times they didn't have anything. If they could go out and buy one apple to give to Chango on their Orisha birthday, that represented a big sacrifice. That's all they could do. They weren't going to go get a loan to buy something better, but they spent their money buying that apple for Chango and they gave it with love and they spent the whole day sitting there with Chango and praying and singing and receiving friends and godchildren. Those people are incredibly blessed even though materially they're poor, they have a really rich spiritual life. And for the most part they have long life, good health and they would say that their life is going well. Even though from our perspective it's like, "Oh my gosh, you don't have anything, you're so poor". They have what they need. Andrew: I think that it's funny because people have often a very strong reaction to the financial part of the religion, that we have to pay money for these things to happen. And I get it, it's not always easy, it can be a lot of money, especially in North America. I mean really anywhere, any Cubans, a lot of money for people who are in Cuba. Also, it's not just people ... I almost want to say their, despite the way in which money plays such a significant role in the tradition, so many of them are less capitalists than a lot of people are They're less caught up in that consumerism. And so they are way more content with doing things and being a part of things and showing up. Eni: There are lots of different ways to make sacrifice. You can sacrifice your time, you can give your attention, your love. There are many, many ways to show devotion. It doesn't have to all be about money. Andrew: Exactly. Do you have anything else on your list there? Eni: I have a little summary. Andrew: Okay let's hear it. Eni: We've talked for a long time here, it's been really interesting. But first of all, I guess I want to stress that there's only so much that you can do alone. This is not a religion that you can practice all by yourself. There's no such thing, in my opinion, as self initiation. I really don't like it when people just appropriate and steal little parts of our religion and say, "well I don't like that other part. I'm not going to do that, but I like this little part, I'm going to do this". No, you're either in it or you're not in it. And if you're in it, it means you follow the tradition and the rules of your house. You have to show respect that way in my opinion. Andrew: I want to add to that point, I live in Toronto. There are a few other people in the area, but pretty much everybody here travels to do anything of any consequence. There are no Ochas happening in Toronto, there are no whatever. What it means to, even for me, who has dedicated a lot of time to study and to try to learn the tradition and so on. There's so much that you can only learn by watching somebody do it. And whether that's how you peel the stem out of a leaf or whether that's how you put things together in a certain way. There's all this knowledge that it's just deeply practical that nobody would ever even think to explain to you because you would just see it by being in the room. But when you're not in the room and you're reading about these things, you can learn a bunch of stuff, but still doesn't mean that you know how to do anything, which is a really, I think, important distinction to understand. Eni: Oh, absolutely. That was one of my points as well, that if you're geographically isolated from a large Orisha community, you are definitely going to have to either travel a lot or move. I feel so bad for people who say "I live somewhere in the middle of Nebraska and I want to be initiated". Well unless they moved, I don't think that's going to happen unless they can travel a lot. You have to be practical. Some people live in these isolated communities where there is no Orisha community and if they can't travel and can't go anywhere and can never participate in anything, there's definitely a limit to how far they can go or what they can do. Y Eni: You do have to be proactive like we talked about, you have to get out there and look for opportunities and connections, but at the same time you have to be really careful that you don't fall into the wrong hands and you have to be patient as things happen in their own way. Sooner or later at some point you're going to need a mentor. And usually that turns out to be a godparent who can lead you along. You can only go so far on your own. Eni: My final point, and the one that is the most important that I say over and over again, is you just have to have faith that if it's meant to happen, it will happen in the way it's meant to happen and you can't control the process. Andrew: Absolutely. I think that is a great summary and maybe that's a great place to wrap it up. For people who want to follow along more with what you're doing, how do they connect? Remind us of your websites and how do they connect with your new Facebook project as well? Eni: My website is www dot about Santeria, all one word and no capital letters aboutsanteria.com. www dot about Santeria dot com. If people go to that website, there's a little button, click here to contact me, and you can write to me and I'll write back. Or you can go on Facebook and we have the About Santeria page where people can find connections on Facebook to what's on a website. And there's also the About Santeria community forum and that's open to aleyos, non initiates as well as priests and the Lucumi. I'm keeping a focus on Lucumi because I'm not qualified to talk about traditional Yoruba and I want the focus to be on Lucumi. Andrew: Perfect. All right, well thank you so much, Eni for making time to be here. We've been talking about it for a while and I'm really glad that we finally got our time zones coordinated and made everything happen. Eni: Thank you for the invitation. I really enjoyed the conversation. Andrew: Oh, it's my pleasure.

Argos Gonzales is a mindfulness instructor for both educators and students, and in this episode he shares his personal spiritual journey. We discuss:Parenthood, teenage rebellion, and the powerful vision his own father had before he was bornThe transformational power of a near-drowning experienceArgos' journey in the Lucumi tradition, shamanism, and meditationRigidity, fluidity, and finding balanceHow to develop your intuitionWhy meditation might feel like it “makes things worse” and how to sit with and through thatPrayer as ritual and prayer as a conversationMindfulness as a secular practiceThe inclusivity of mindfulnessAgency and mindfulness within radical social justice workWhat to do with angerModeling mindfulness and making it fun for children“Can mindfulness bring greater clarity and greater intimacy into what your spiritual practice is?”Little Flower YogaMindful SchoolsMBodied WisdomMBodied Wisdom InstagramMary Magdalene RevealedEva’s InstagramEva’s WebsiteKyley’s InstagramKyley’s WebsiteHello Universe Website

Hey folks. Toni and I talk a lot about connecting and grounding, our lives as readers, the role of science and mystery in this process, and Toni's ideas of the Void! This one goes deep so buckle in for the ride.  Be sure to check out the Patreon bonus too for supporters which includes approaches to experiencing the state of voidness we talk about in the episode.  Think about how much you've enjoyed the podcast and how many episodes you listened to, and consider if it is time to support the Patreon You can do so here. Catch Toni on Facebook here or through their website here.  As always Andrew is here. If you want more of this in your life you can subscribe by RSS , iTunes, Stitcher, or email. Thanks for joining the conversation. Please share the podcast to help us grow and change the world.  Andrew You can book time with Andrew through his site here.  Transcription Andrew McGregor: Welcome to another episode of the Hermit's Lamp podcast. I'm here today with Toni Puhle. And I met Toni at Readers Studio, which is a big card reader convention event in New York City in the spring every year, and I really enjoyed their approach to working with the cards, because unlike some of the more maybe popular stuff that I was running into or had been running into, Toni is deep into the fortune-telling side, deep into the sort of more European practices and decks like Lenormand and other things that have been going on for a long time, but for some reason never really gained their popularity in North America, but have been doing so in the last number of years. So for those who don't know who you are, Toni, why don't you give us a quick introduction? Toni Puhle: I am Toni, I'm also known as the Card Geek on social media and founder of the World Divination Association. I teach systems, I teach students around the world how to to read systems like Kipper cards, gypsy cards, and also Lenormand and how to go back to basics and do the predictive-style reads of the old-fashioned fortune tellers. On top of that I teach the spiritual side of life, such as pendulum dowsing, pendulum healing, also symbol healing, all kinds of courses that I have through my years learned and what I ... I tend to teach what is important to me or important to me as a person, and I am a practicing Hoʻoponopono teacher, and if you mix all that in together with a super practical person who loves theoretical physics, who loves the theory of everything and try to break my brain daily on quantum physics, quantum field theory, and how we can actually explain all this amazing spiritual stuff we are doing, but in a super practical way. Toni Puhle: And then if you throw in some Marvel characters and generally a whole heap of superheroes, you've got a rounded version of who I am. I'm from the UK, you can tell by the tone, but I'm currently living in Munich, Germany, so speaking German and English. So if I do lose a word as we're talking, it's probably because my mind is in German mode. Andrew McGregor: Mm-hmm (affirmative), totally fair. Well I'll just remind you and you can be like "Oh yeah, yeah, English." Toni Puhle: Exactly. Andrew McGregor: Okay, so very important question. Toni Puhle: Yes. Andrew McGregor: Current favorite Marvel character? Toni Puhle: Oh, I have so many, I can't choose one. I love Dr. Strange, I love Thor. Iron Man is my all time favorite and- Andrew McGregor: Of course. Toni Puhle: ... that will never change. Andrew McGregor: Yes. Spoiler alert, he saves the world. Toni Puhle: And I also love Loki, I like both sides of the coin in Marvel. Andrew McGregor: Nice. Yeah, Marvel stuff gets a lot of play around my house. Toni Puhle: I also have two boys and I've pushed them in that direction so I can actually watch more. Andrew McGregor: For sure. Well that's your job as a parent, right? Toni Puhle: Exactly. Andrew McGregor: I remember there was a time probably around when my kids started being like five and six where I was like "How about we not watch that, how about we try this instead? Hey look at this Spider-Man thing, hey look at Scooby Doo, these are great." Toni Puhle: Yes. Andrew McGregor: As opposed to some of the other stuff where you're just like, "If I have to listen to that again my head's just going to melt right out of my ears, I can't deal with it," so ... Toni Puhle: I absolutely love going back with the kids as well, because Lloyd, my eldest, he is sort of a retro kid, he loves to go back to what I used to watch as a kid and then talk through it with me. And we talk daily on the way to school, we talk daily about the theories of Marvel and who or what movies are coming out next and the properties of each superhero and how we would use that property if we had it in our lives, and I think that's also a spiritual side to life where you also consider what you would do if you could. Andrew McGregor: Yeah, well, and I think that that's one of the parts of magic, right? What would we do if we could, and then how can we? Toni Puhle: Yes. And that's also throwing the physics in there, because there is the practical sense to it as well, is there any way we can explain how we could possibly do that in the future? Andrew McGregor: Mm-hmm (affirmative), yeah. My eldest, we always have these conversations after stuff, like the Ant-Man movie where they end up in the "quantum realm," right? Toni Puhle: Yes. Andrew McGregor: And my eldest is just like "That's not how it works, that's not even a thing. They just made that up so it'd look good in the movie." Toni Puhle: But I love it that she thinks that. Andrew McGregor: Yeah, for sure, right? And they really, it was one of the things that when they started homeschooling, they went to the library and one of the first books they checked out was Quantum Particle Theory. Toni Puhle: Amazing. Andrew McGregor: I was just like "That's awesome. You're 10 and that's what you want to read, great." Rock on. Toni Puhle: Amazing. Andrew McGregor: Mm-hmm (affirmative), for sure. So maybe let's start with this. Hoʻoponopono, what is it? Toni Puhle: Yes. Andrew McGregor: It's a lovely-sounding word, what does it mean and what's it about? Toni Puhle: It is. It's actually quite misunderstood, it's called the art of forgiveness. It comes from Hawaii, and I actually learned about it probably eight years ago, maybe more. And I started doing the prayer, and the prayer is quite simple. "I love you, I'm sorry, please forgive me, thank you." And like most people who start with Hoʻoponopono, at the beginning I thought I was sending people into balloons or bubbles and light and letting them go into the distance, the art of forgiving other people. Toni Puhle: But actually when I researched it and started living the Hoʻoponopono prayer, it is about taking responsibility for our actions right now in this moment in time. It's a belief system that we are all one, the collective consciousness if you like, the return to zero, the null state at which we are born in spirit, and then returning to that. Because everything that's incoming these days, all this information, social media especially, everything that's incoming is all something that we deal with, we react to something, and they're actually only physical things in the physical human existence, but if we return or if we can find a way to return to our nullness, our voidness, then we don't need to react. The need has gone, and you react in a very different way than you would have before. You may act angry or you may act hurt. We're taking responsibility for any problem that arises and we're saying "Okay, we're here and we send the prayer up to this nullness, this void." Toni Puhle: Some people will call it God, other people will call it void, but you send your prayer up and you are taking responsibility for your part of returning to void. And the more we cleanse, the more we return to void. Cleanse is just saying the prayer, technically. More you return to void, and the more even and more neutral you are as a person, I had times where I would have outbursts, et cetera. If I'm in the car and somebody had annoyed me while driving, I was not the calmest person. And it was when I realized that I actually needed to sort me out first, and that's where Hoʻoponopono really sent me on the path of accepting responsibility for me. Andrew McGregor: I think it's so important, right? I think that we all need to find that understanding of where we are and what we're responsible for and what we control, and all of those things in a way that allows us to be freer to be in the moment, maybe is a good way to put it. Toni Puhle: Yeah, exactly. And I think also, there is this part of me that does want to break my brain and learn as much as possible, but it's also important to filter out which bit of that learning is important for now. Andrew McGregor: Yeah, for sure. Toni Puhle: And taking responsibility for learning the right parts for you, and also taking responsibility to accept that you don't know everything. Andrew McGregor: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Well, and I think that my question for you then is, right, so if you're returning to null and to void, or whatever we want to call those things, where do you exist in that? What are you in that? Toni Puhle: I am null and void. I am a part of the void. It's not commonly accepted, and the physics world don't like to hear it, but I strongly believe that quantum field theory will give us more information on the null state, more information on the void state. They call it a field, I call it a void. And I am part of that void, as we all are. My human existence is completely separate to that void at times, when I lose sight of who I really am. But then the ... Sorry, go ahead. Andrew McGregor: Well, so are you nothing, then? Are you nobody? Are you just that void state? Toni Puhle: No, I am- Andrew McGregor: Where's the part of you that is driven to start this World Divination Association? That doesn't sound very null or void. What's that distinction? Toni Puhle: The distinction is that when you are in null or void, that is when the inspiration comes in. That's when the information comes in that is useful. We're so used to hearing white noise all the time that we can't actually hear, null or void may be the wrong word for it, but we can't actually hear the information that is important. So until I enter my state of null or void, the information that's coming out of me may not be the best information for everybody else. Toni Puhle: And the WDA was a spark of inspiration. The Kipper book I wrote was something that came to me and I had to do it and I had to do it immediately. And it feels like a drive, and I use the word void because I can't explain it, in my psychic development courses, I can't explain it in any other way than your head has to be empty. There has to be no external information coming in except that spark from above or except that message, if you want to call it a message. So the returning to void is more of a state than a being. Andrew McGregor: Yeah, it reminds me of the idea that we need to just find that deep, deep silence, right? Toni Puhle: Yeah. Andrew McGregor: And we don't just mean, by deep silence we don't just necessarily mean stop thinking, but actually- Toni Puhle: No. Andrew McGregor: ... stop identifying with anything, right? Toni Puhle: Yes. Andrew McGregor: You know, and there's a meditation that I often do with people where it's like, you go through and sort of dissociate from your body, dissociate from your emotions, dissociate- Toni Puhle: Exactly that. Andrew McGregor: ... from your thinking, and your memories and so on and so on and so on, dissociate from the world, and then you get to a place where there's something left. And it's- Toni Puhle: Yes. Andrew McGregor: ... definitely you. Toni Puhle: That's you, that's what I call void. Andrew McGregor: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Toni Puhle: Personally, and I think people who have or suffer with depression actually understand that feeling a lot better without even realizing it than people who don't. So I think depression has a lot to do with spirituality or where we are on our spiritual journey, and that emptiness isn't ... Sometimes a horrible feeling if you aren't used to it, it is an emptiness, like you say. And there's something leftover, but you're not sure what. Andrew McGregor: Yeah, I mean, it can be that long Dark Night of the Soul piece, right? Toni Puhle: Yes. Andrew McGregor: Like who wrote that, St. John of the Cross? There's a book on that, right? And that place where it's like, you find despair so that you can find the light. Toni Puhle: Yes. Andrew McGregor: But I think that that's one of those touchy areas where it's like, sometimes that's true. Sometimes this world just sucks, right? Or biology or whatever- Toni Puhle: Sometimes life just sucks. Andrew McGregor: ... and so there are lots of ways to look at that. So if you're listening to this and that doesn't feel helpful to you, just [crosstalk 00:15:08]- Toni Puhle: No, this is true. Andrew McGregor: ... It's a particular kind of relationship to that for sure, in the same way that shamanic sickness or near-death experience for some people and in certain situations can really open up to a similar kind of thing or other kinds of experiences. It doesn't mean that everything is that way. But yeah, for sure. Toni Puhle: No. And like I said before, I think we have to accept that we don't know everything. Andrew McGregor: For sure, right? Toni Puhle: Whatever we talk about, we can talk about until the cows come home, but at the end of the day we can't prove it. Andrew McGregor: No, for sure. Well, the proof is in the practice, I think, right? Toni Puhle: Yes. Andrew McGregor: Is it helpful, is it getting me somewhere, is it helping me move forward? Am I making real change or sustaining the life that I have that I want? I mean I think that to me those are the, the longer I journey on a path with divination and magic and other things, those become the real measures of what seems helpful or important. Toni Puhle: That's very true, and for one person it'll be different to another person's journey. Andrew McGregor: Mm-hmm (affirmative), for sure. For sure. So how did you find Hoʻoponopono living in Germany, or maybe you found it while you were in the UK? Did you visit Hawaii, did someone bring it to you, how did it show up in your [crosstalk 00:16:35]- Toni Puhle: No, like most things in life, it turned up on my doorstep. I think the paths or the routes that we go down just happen to either turn up or you've made a cosmic order for a certain path to go on, and they show up at your door. And honestly, when I first started reading about it, I used it as a coping mechanism at the time. And it was shortly after I had my first boy, Lloyd, and I think it was more of a getting through the day coping method, and I didn't truly understand it as a lifestyle until recently. Andrew McGregor: ... Mm-hmm (affirmative). Toni Puhle: So it was, like everything, it showed up. Andrew McGregor: Well, and I think that spiritual paths are often like that, right? Toni Puhle: Yeah. Andrew McGregor: They take us where we need to go, not necessarily [crosstalk 00:17:51]- Toni Puhle: Whether we want to or not. Andrew McGregor: ... whether we expect it or not, right? Toni Puhle: Exactly. Andrew McGregor: Like even when we grow up around stuff, I think it's always difficult to truly understand what's going on in someone else's experience, and so as we become a practitioner or a leader or teacher or whatever, it all starts to change and grow and we grow through that too, right? Toni Puhle: The reason I like Hoʻoponopono for that is because you aren't projecting your ideas on anybody else. The taking responsibility yourself means that you look at the person who's sat opposite you and you aren't seeing them through your own experience, you are seeing them through a, I'll use void again, through a void experience where there are no expectations or no preconceived ideas. And you don't actually need to understand their journey, but you can still play a part in it. Andrew McGregor: I think that's actually a really interesting point, too. I find when I'm reading for people, there's a sort of idea that people put towards me that I understand everything about them, or even everything that I'm saying, right? And sometimes, there are times where I have a deep level of understanding about it, and then there are times where a peculiar phrase that I wouldn't normally use comes out, or I use a metaphor that I don't remember ever using before. And there's something in that process that emerges that makes a ton of sense to them, but to me I'm kind of like, if someone asks I'm like "I don't know, I just said it. I was just doing the work and letting the work come through me," right? Toni Puhle: I presume also that you forget those reads very quickly afterwards as well, because you've probably passed on the message that needed to be passed on, and it didn't have to become a part of you. Andrew McGregor: Mm-hmm (affirmative), for sure. I forget a lot of readings. Toni Puhle: I do too. Andrew McGregor: It's too hard to hold onto them, it's like, I'm just going to just be super loose about this and let it go, and then- Toni Puhle: I think that's the only way when you do regular readings. Andrew McGregor: ... Mm-hmm (affirmative), for sure. Okay. So on one side we got the void, and on the other side we've got time, space, and prediction. Toni Puhle: Yes. Andrew McGregor: Right? What's the relationship? For you. Or if you want to share some math or something. Toni Puhle: I have a super dodgy relationship with predictions and fortune-telling, et cetera, because while I do have this side of void and spiritualism, et cetera, I have this side where I use systems, and I actually use systems for a reason. And I probably haven't shared this many places, but I use systems so I don't have to channel. When I channel, I don't ... I can do it all day long if I want to, but I have built up barriers through the years to stop the channeling happening, because I am more comfortable passing on a predictive read and a fortune-telling read when it's clear in the cards. Toni Puhle: I think this is this duality within me that I need proof, and the physics side of Toni, and then the void side of me that is letting loose and letting everything happen. So I have this two sides of my relationship with cards and spirit that at times I struggle with, personally, but that's because my physic hat comes on one day and I think "Oh my goodness, how can I tell them that that's going to happen when the only proof I have is a system in front of me?" But I do it anyway, because that's part of being a fortune-teller and part of being a predictive reader. And when I get emails back saying how wonderful and it's amazing that you will predict, because I think a lot of readers these days don't want to predict, they want to use it as a psychological tool or some kind of tool for making people feel better, which is awesome of that's the root or aura person that you are. Toni Puhle: I'm not that person, I want to know what's going to happen next week when I go to the shop down the corner. I'm quite simple, a quite simple person. I want to know if I'm, for example, moving house this year. I want to know where my journey is going and I want the building blocks along the way. I want to see exactly what's happening. So I do the predictive side of it, and I do have my void side of it where I will channel and I will bring in messages, but I prefer the systems because it's in black and white in front of you, and that's probably the proof that I require for my physics hat person. I require the proof of the system in front of me. Andrew McGregor: I think that looking for evidence or corroboration in what you're doing is one of the most important parts of doing divination. When I'm reading cards for people, I'm pointing at the cards and I'm saying "Look here, you can see it yourself. Look at what this person's doing. This is you, this is this." When Carrie and I teach mediumship through charm casting, right? We're looking for that corroboration. It's like, well, okay, you want to speak to your grandmother, it's like, "Oh, here's the gardening tool, me and my gran used to spend all our time out back puttering with the flower pots." It's like, okay, now we've got some corroboration, right? Now we've got some evidence. Toni Puhle: Exactly that. Andrew McGregor: And I think that channeling and open receiving messages is great too, and there can be evidence in that process as well. Toni Puhle: There can be. Andrew McGregor: Depending on who you're working with and how that's coming, but yeah, where there's no evidence, where there's no relationship. Something lovely might be going on there, but I don't actually know and understand what that is, and therefore I'm skeptical. Toni Puhle: Exactly. I do teach, I can't say I don't do it. I teach automatic writing, I teach all the qualities of becoming a great medium, or some people want to call a great psychic, for the predictive reads. But I think it's super important for that corroboration, but I also think it's important to have a process that you go down for that. So that yes, I do have information coming in, but I make sure that information is coming in when I'm in void. I'm very much controlling my environment and myself so that I have the physics me who is in human existence and controlling it, but then the other side, when I am in void. So I am controlling when I am entering void, and I can do a very practical and physics-minded predictive read using systems, because it's all there in front of you. Andrew McGregor: So when you're channeling, right, what are you channeling? Nothing? The void? Something else? Toni Puhle: No, no, sorry. The void that I am in is my free space for messages and for spirit, for ancestors, for any form of fae, garden people, any elementals is probably the better word, or other species. So the void is creating the place for me to do that, it's creating a null zero in me. It's basically my spirit, but not using the words. Andrew McGregor: Right. Toni Puhle: It's my free spirit and my free place for people, or people is probably the wrong word, for spirit to come in and give me the information that I need. Andrew McGregor: Sure. Entities, right? Toni Puhle: Yes. Andrew McGregor: Yes. Although some people get nervous with that word, I think it's the best word, to be honest. Because it implies an autonomy that some other words that people choose sometimes get rid of, right? Toni Puhle: I think the problem with me is that I'm always looking for the right word. Andrew McGregor: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Toni Puhle: And maybe I like void, it's a word that makes sense to me. It doesn't necessarily make sense to anybody else, but it's a word that I've given it that actually makes sense in my existence. Andrew McGregor: Mm-hmm (affirmative), yeah. I mean I think that it makes total sense, right? I think of it this way. When I'm going to work or channel for people, I center myself in a really sort of deep, compassionate place ... Toni Puhle: Yes. Andrew McGregor: And I open up myself to what wants to come through, right? And people always like "Well how do you read the cards?" Or "How do you do whatever?" I'm like "Well, it's psychic, it's ancestors, it's my guide, it's psychology." Toni Puhle: It happens. Andrew McGregor: It's my 30-odd years of study, it's blah blah blah, and it's like, I don't seek to control anything around that. I just sort of point it towards the process, right? Toni Puhle: Yeah, it's more like- Andrew McGregor: And then what needs to emerge emerges. Toni Puhle: ... preparing the place, yeah. Andrew McGregor: Yeah, and it's not about deciding ahead of time, at least for me, well, this is going to be where we're going to be really strictly this way, because I only read one system of cards. All I work with is Marseilles cards, so I don't do anything else with people in general. But one of the things that I love about that deck is that for me, it also is, to steal your word, a void space, right? To me the beauty of the Marseilles is that it will accept all of those things and feed into all of those processes in a way that personally I find other decks harder to hold that energy, because they're more deliberately specific. Toni Puhle: Yeah, and I think we, you said a really nice thing, that we're holing a space for that. And I explain it sometimes like, when we're born we come in with no expectations, no preconceived ideas, and it's like returning to that state. Andrew McGregor: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Toni Puhle: And that's when the information is incoming or the reader incoming or whatever word you want to put it, the entities are incoming. Andrew McGregor: Mm-hmm (affirmative), for sure. So we had a lovely heap of questions that kind of came in on Facebook, and if you listen to the podcast and you don't follow me on Facebook, you might want to, because it gives people the opportunity to pose questions that I look over and try and bring some of them anyway to the thing, to the podcast and to the guest. So a some of the questions seem centered around ideas of measuring or discerning or categorizing different things. Somebody was asking about the ghosts or the spirits in their house, somebody was asking about how do we measure their own energy, and other things along those lines. And so I guess what I want to sort of try and summarize that question as a starting point is, how do you discern the qualities of the energy or the entities that are around you? Or when you're working? Toni Puhle: The first thing I do is return to void for me, and return to nothingness so I can sense what's around. So the inside me or the spirit of me can actually feel, I guess feel's the wrong word, there aren't words big enough for that. But when it comes to spirit, there are so many different feelings that come attached to them for me personally, and I explain it like personalities. Andrew McGregor: Yes. Toni Puhle: So you will have people in your life who just rub you up the wrong way, and sometimes a spirit will come in and they'll do exactly that, they will rub you up the wrong way. Then fae, for example, they come in and it's more of a buzzing mosquito type energy that you are dealing with, and the way I discern what's around or even the energy within the environment that I'm in, I bring myself back down, as you say, your centering, but I bring myself down where I can feel what level that energy is at. Toni Puhle: And once I discern what level it's at, whether it's a high vibration or a lower vibration ... I work with pendulums, obviously, the word vibration, obviously I work with vibrational healing as well. And so an entity will come in for me with a vibration, and it is that vibration that I then, I detect it, but then I also assimilate to it, so that my energy can then accept the energy that's incoming or can accept them in order to receive a message or in order to understand why. Andrew McGregor: Mm-hmm (affirmative). And do you categorize them, good and bad? Toni Puhle: I don't categorize them in good or bad, I think there's a fine line between good and bad, and I- Andrew McGregor: But if you're working with the fae, there's no line, there's just chaotic, right? Or whatever, right? Toni Puhle: That's exactly what I- Andrew McGregor: There's no morality, per se. Toni Puhle: ... That's exactly what I teach. And they really don't like me at times, they can be really onerous, the- Andrew McGregor: Sure. Toni Puhle: ... fae, to deal with, and they aren't really fond of me. But I- Andrew McGregor: When you were talking about sort of spirits, I think you said something like spirits in your garden or whatever, right? But the first thought that came to me was the idea, what's the message? "Get off my land." They're like "Why'd you build this crap here? Get out of here. Why isn't it wild?" Toni Puhle: ... I had a problem when I moved in this house at the beginning, because I stepped over some lines in the garden. And my youngest can actually see elementals, and he saw quite a few in the garden who weren't really pleased with our presence. Andrew McGregor: Right. Toni Puhle: But going back to good, bad, dark, light, it's all a different level or a different vibration, and I deal in vibrations rather than what's good or what's bad. If something has a vibration that I am uncomfortable with, it doesn't necessarily mean it's bad. I have had higher beings, I don't know what you want to call them, come in who actually, your instant reaction is "Oh my God, what on earth is this?" But it's a being that can help you on your path, not necessarily something who's there to do harm. Andrew McGregor: One of the things that I find myself more and more interested in when I'm talking to people around this kind of work these days is people are very focused on what is the message, right? Toni Puhle: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Andrew McGregor: Which is 100% understandable. But I'm actually always really curious about why this is going on. Especially if it's a more negative, for that person, experience, right? I'm like "Well, that's cool that this thing," or uncool or unpleasant or whatever it is, right, "That's interesting that there's this thing happening, and you're having an unpleasant experience with it," and certainly we can deal with that, there are plenty of ways to resolve that. Andrew McGregor: But what I'm most interested in, because I'm like, "Why is that happening? What's the mechanism that's causing that to occur?" Because these things, they're not random. It's very rare that a person strolls down the street and acquires a random thing, if people walk down the street and acquire a random thing, it's because of something in their energy that permits that or encourages that. Toni Puhle: Yeah. Andrew McGregor: But they're also not necessarily destined in the way that people also talk about that, right? People are like "Well, it just had to be that this thing showed up at this time to make this happen." It's like maybe, possibly, but often there are other reasons at play. So I'm always really fascinated at sort of the mechanisms of why that happened, why has it happened now, what are the situations that brought this about? It's like your physics mind, right? It's my sleuth mind, I'm like "Okay" ... Toni Puhle: What I don't understand is why everybody thinks there's always a message, or why they always have to be sent to the light. There's instant reaction, "Oh, we need to get rid of them." And again, going back to my beliefs in quantum physics, the field theory, I really think it has something to do with fields, and the filed in which spirit are, the field in which we are, coexisting somehow. I obviously can't explain it until a good physicist pulls his finger out, but I did actually write into a podcast and ask one of these CERN physicists why or how we can explain this quantum entanglement and whether that could explain me doing something and then it having a ripple effect at your end, for example. They answered, but they don't know the answer. Andrew McGregor: For sure. Toni Puhle: So I want to know why. I'm like you, I don't necessarily need to hear a message. Andrew McGregor: Yeah. I think that this idea of messages and the universe constantly talking to us and so on, it is and it isn't, but I think that it's, why would it be different than all the input of ... I live in Toronto, I live in a very big, metropolitan center, right? There's a constant input of information, right? Toni Puhle: Yes, that's exactly it. Andrew McGregor: 99.99% of it is noise. Toni Puhle: That's exactly it. Andrew McGregor: Some days 100% of it is noise. Toni Puhle: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Andrew McGregor: It's not for me- Toni Puhle: That's right. Andrew McGregor: ... I'm just around and it's happening. Toni Puhle: And that's where Hoʻopo comes back in again, because it is that white noise, that constant white noise. And whether it's white noise from spirits or white noise on the physical level of life, it is still white noise. And only when we are free of all that constant information can we actually hear what we need to hear. Andrew McGregor: Mm-hmm (affirmative). For sure, right? So a lot of the questions, the other thing here was this question, right, or this idea of intention in the questions. A lot of questions that sort of centered around how intentions impact readings, how does being clear about intention affect the process, so on and so on. How does, for you, right, so the void state is, sounds like a very neutral state, right? Toni Puhle: Yes. Andrew McGregor: You're not actively generating anything, because you want to sort of be- Toni Puhle: Received. Andrew McGregor: ... be present, and/or receive, right? Toni Puhle: Mm-hmm (affirmative), true. Andrew McGregor: So what's the active component of that, what's the intention component around your practice or your life in that? Toni Puhle: I teach to nail down intention so far so as if you were a lawyer. Andrew McGregor: Uh-huh (affirmative). Toni Puhle: So I am a huge Judge Judy fan, and I will watch her just to see how she nails down people so they can't give a squiffy answer. But the reason I do that is not because of going against void or anything like that, it's because you can't go wrong. If you have asked a clear question, you can expect what kind of answer. So when you are learning to read cards, when you are learning to do anything, if you are clear in your intention, it's for you only, it's you that wants the answer. So you are doing it for yourself to make sure that there is not an inch of leverage in the cards and their interpretation so that you can be 100% sure that you've nailed that predictive read. Because if your intention is skewy in the first place, it's for your mind only. How can your mind be understanding an answer if it hasn't been clear on what it's asking? Andrew McGregor: So number one, go watch Judge Judy everybody, get yourself an education. Toni Puhle: Yeah, exactly. Andrew McGregor: I love it. There are lots of things that are ... I learn from so many different places. And I remember way back in the sort of newsless days of the internet, I was on this Thelemic group and there was this person there who, I don't know, they had a PhD in something or other, and all they would do though was they would just read people's posts, and then explain the logical fallacy in their statement, right? Toni Puhle: Okay. Andrew McGregor: And I spent a long time reading a lot of posts from this person, and taking notes, literally, I'd be like "Oh, that's a neat one, what's that one? That's a neat one, what's that? Oh look, this is where I do that," until I started seeing them in the rest of my life, the logical fallacies. Because we think that we are, it's easy to feel clear, it's easy to think that we know what we're asking or how we're asking it, right? Toni Puhle: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Andrew McGregor: But it's so woodgy-woodgy in our brains, like it's not as crystal clear as we think at all. Toni Puhle: I also think, too, because I speak, well, three languages, I think when you are a language-speaker you understand the nuances in language a lot more than somebody who is just a pure English speaker. That does not bemean in any way, I just mean you understand that there aren't words that exactly incorporate the meaning of what you're trying to intend or come across with. Andrew McGregor: For sure. Toni Puhle: So what our intention is may not be clear to somebody who's sat next to us, which means, in turn, it may not be clear when we lay the cards. So if we learn how to formulate our language as if it were a legal document, then you are covering all the bases to make sure that you have clarity when it comes to the answer. Andrew McGregor: That makes a ton of sense to me. It reminds me of, there's an author called Milan Kundera, wrote a book called The Unbearable Lightness of Being, but they wrote other books, I can't remember the specific ones now. But a lot of their books sort of start with this thing, they're like "Well, if you spoke Czech, there's this word. And this word kind of means this." And then the whole story is an explanation of that, and when they circle back a the end of the book and be like "See? Blah. This word." Toni Puhle: Yeah. Well I've noticed it most in speaking German, obviously. They will speak English with a different nuance than I will speak German. There will be the same words when you look at them in the dictionary, but they mean different things, they feel different. So when you say one word in English and you say the translation in German, it will feel different, and that means the message is already on a different level. Andrew McGregor: No, for sure. Yeah, absolutely. So intention as clarity of question, right? Toni Puhle: Mm-hmm (affirmative), yes. Andrew McGregor: Intention as clarify of self around question. Toni Puhle: Yes. Andrew McGregor: And Judge Judy will teach us the way. Toni Puhle: Yes. Andrew McGregor: I feel like we need to make some saint candles for Judge Judy now. "Please Judge Judy, give me the clarity to ask a solid question and get a solid answer." Toni Puhle: I watch her just so I can see how she nails them down. Andrew McGregor: For sure, right? And I think that that's such an interesting and helpful process. When I read for people, there's definitely these times where they ask this question and I'm like "So what I hear in your question is that you want me to tell you that everything's going to be okay." And then they're like "Well, maybe." I'm like "Well, that's 100% fair. Welcome to being human, we all have that. But also if we open the cards, I can't tell you what we're going to see." Toni Puhle: I think it's- Andrew McGregor: We're going to see what we see. Toni Puhle: ... similar to, I have a few pet hates. They're not really hates at all, but there are questions that I think a newbie who is reading shouldn't use at the beginning, because it harms their future predictive reads. For example, "Should I do something?" Andrew McGregor: Yes. Toni Puhle: Who is to say whether you should or you shouldn't? Who is spirit to decide what you should or shouldn't do? Andrew McGregor: Well, I have an idea about that. Toni Puhle: Go ahead. Andrew McGregor: So I actually love that question. Toni Puhle: Really? Andrew McGregor: Yes. Right? But, I love that question because of my religious practice. So as a priest in the Lucumi tradition, in Afro-Cuban lineage who has studied and practices divination within that system and so on, the idea of should we do this thing rests in the beliefs that we have some kind of destiny, that we're not here with an open-ended clean slate of everything that anything could be on target, but only certain parts of the buffet are actually in a real deep level of alignment with who we are and why we chose to incarnate at this time. Andrew McGregor: So for me, the should question, especially in the religious context, is one that makes a bunch of sense to me, because I feel like there are things that at certain decisions we should and shouldn't do if we want to stay in alignment with that actual purpose. Toni Puhle: But is that not in line with your own guide and already having the relationship and the knowledge of your guides, who they are, who your ancestors are, and this long learning process of understanding who they are and that they are working in your best interest, rather than somebody who's coming to the table and asking the "Should I?" question and not knowing who they are requesting that information from. Andrew McGregor: I mean I think it really depends on what the nature of the should is, or the nature of that question is. I was just talking about this with my elder recently, because we were talking about the context in which me making sure that I'm divining about stuff makes sense for me in the coming year, because of what came out in the reading. And it makes sense for me to think about all those things, it makes sense for me to be clear about them. It makes a ton of sense to not use the should question as a scapegoat or permission or abdication of control ... Toni Puhle: Yeah, exactly that, mm-hmm (affirmative). Andrew McGregor: But it comes to a place where there are things that are beyond knowing, we butt up against that mystery, and does it make sense for me to make this change in my business in a certain direction? And I have a bunch of ideas- Toni Puhle: But you see, that's a slight nuance in question, asking whether it makes sense to do something rather than asking for the permission to do something. Andrew McGregor: ... I don't think of should ... I think that some people use should questions- Toni Puhle: Maybe it's a language thing again. Andrew McGregor: ... Well, I think some people use should questions as point of permission, right? Toni Puhle: Yes. Andrew McGregor: "Should I break up with Betty?" Look, if you don't like Betty, break up with Betty. Toni Puhle: Exactly. Andrew McGregor: Just get over it. If you're already asking that question, there's something you need to figure out there and the cards don't need to tell you that. But I think that there are lots of questions that, "Should I do this thing?" We could phrase them in different ways, "Is this in alignment with my true self to do this?" So on, right? "Is this the time for this to happen?" But for me should, and by the time I get to a should question, it's only those things. It's only the level of question. Toni Puhle: Well that's perfect for me as long as you have that understanding already. I think it's coming to the table and asking permission to do something that I ... The only reason I see it as an issue in new readers is because they see it as a strict yes or no, "Yes you should," "No, you shouldn't." And there is, then, in the answer, it's often unclear, then, to a new reader, whether the cards are positive 100% yes or whether they are a nuance of yes, or whether they are a strict no. And I think the intention when they sit down to ask those questions when starting colors the read, then, afterwards with their own emotional projection or on ... It allows a looser read, or allows emotions to come in. Andrew McGregor: Yeah. I'm definitely with you. If you're going to ask a question like that, there's no space for ambiguity- Toni Puhle: No. Andrew McGregor: ... in the question, in the process. There's no space for open-endedness. It's like look, I'm going to do this or I'm not. Am I going to do it? Toni Puhle: Yes. Andrew McGregor: Does it make sense, yes or no? And that's where diligence and discipline ... Toni Puhle: Yes. Andrew McGregor: In the reading of the cards. Because for me it's like, if I'm going to ask a yes or no question, I'm only going to read the cards in a certain way. I might go do another spread if I want other information. Toni Puhle: That is it, exactly that. Andrew McGregor: But I'm like, that's it. Toni Puhle: And actually, in my book, I used the yes and no question, which uses the least cards in the deck, I did it as an advanced spread in the back of the book for the reason that they have to, or readers have to understand that there is a difference in the way that you're reading. Andrew McGregor: Yeah. And just to pull it full circle, maybe, I think that your capacity, anyone's capacity to be good at those kinds of questions rests on your ability to be clear about what you're asking and your ability to be centered in what you would call the void space. Toni Puhle: Yes. Andrew McGregor: Right, or what I would call [crosstalk 00:54:23] different- Toni Puhle: Yes to that. Andrew McGregor: ... because if you can do those two things, then you can rocket out with that stuff. Toni Puhle: 100%. Andrew McGregor: But if you can't do those things, then it's like, you're moving towards my metaphor of how Ouija boards work for people who don't have a lot of experience with spirits, right? It's like, pick the busiest town square that you got, go there, put on a blindfold, and then out loud ask for an answer to your question. Wait for somebody to tell you, and then wait a while and leave, never knowing who that was. Who was that person? Do they have something valuable to add? Toni Puhle: It's also similar to dowsing, because we all can influence the outcome of dowsing by our own experiences, and carrying that into the question. Andrew McGregor: Yep, yep. And our subconscious and shadow have direct control to our nervous system, so therefore it's pretty easy for unresolved stuff to make its way there too, right? Toni Puhle: Exactly. Andrew McGregor: Yeah. Toni Puhle: Yes. Andrew McGregor: So it's been great chatting with you today, but I think we're kind of hitting the point where we should start wrapping this up though, even though I think I could sit and chat with you all day. It's going to just sound like this "I agree with you. Yes, I agree with you." Toni Puhle: I agree. Andrew McGregor: "I agree with you." Toni Puhle: Definitely. Andrew McGregor: So people should definitely be following you and checking out where you're at and stuff. Where should they come? Where's the best place for people to find you on the internets? Toni Puhle: I'm all over social media as @TheCardGeek is my hashtag, and if you look for the World Divination Association, you will find me on most platforms. Andrew McGregor: Excellent. Well thank you so much for taking the time today, and for ... Yeah. Organizing your schedule. Toni Puhle: Thank you for having me. Andrew McGregor: Yeah, my pleasure.

In this episode Kelle welcomes Brian Audin on to Spirit Sherpa to discuss the magickal path of Ocha. Brian shares some details about how the religion is constructed as well as a high level understanding of the cultural history which brought it to be. Brian also shares some suggestions on ways that people can learn more about the path as well as some recommendations for how to step into it if you’re interested in learning more.References:-For more information about Kelle Sparta or Kelle Sparta Enterprises:--Website: www.kellesparta.com--Email: kelle@kellesparta.com--Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KelleSparta1/-For more information about Joe Caliendo Jr (Joey C) or Honu Voice Productions:--Email: joeyc@honuvoice.com--Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HonuJoeyC/-To join the Spirit Sherpa Podcast After Party Facebook Group:--Website: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2262979307345944/-Driveabout (Spirit Sherpa Theme): Driveabout (Full Version)--Written by: Kelle Sparta--Performed by: Kelle Sparta and Daniel Singer--Produced by: Daniel SingerKeywords:spirit guides, spiritual guidance, spiritual therapist, spiritual counseling near me, spiritual therapist near me, types of spirit guides, 7 spiritual laws, metaphysical properties, finding your spirit guide, contacting your spirit guide, list of spirit guides, contacting spirit guides, my spirit guide, spiritual guidance near me, spiritual energy healing, spirit guides and angels, spiritual guide near me, a spirit guide, spiritual marriage counseling, angel spirit guides, spiritual psychotherapy, free spiritual guidance, spiritual healing therapy, angels and guides, the spirit guide, your spirit guide, metaphysical healing, channeling spirit guides, spirit guides in dreams, meeting spirit guides, asking spirit guides for help with love, spiritual healing hands, shaman spirit guide, spiritual guidance counselor, psycho spiritual therapy, understanding spirit guides, metaphysical properties of, spirituality guidance, i need spiritual guidance, spirituality and psychotherapy, master spirit guide, guide to spiritual awakening, spiritual couples counseling, Kelle Sparta, The Spirit Doctor, Spirit Sherpa, Spirit, Spiritual Life, Manifestation, Magick, Realms, Shaman, Shamanism, Wicca, Paganism, Life Transformation, Personal Journey, Ocha, Lucumi, Santeria, PaloCredits and Licensing:“Spirit Sherpa” is the sole property of Kelle Sparta Enterprises and is distributed under a Creative Commons: BY-NC-ND 4.0 license. For more information about this licensing, please go to www.creativecommons.org. Any requests for deviations to this licensing should be sent to kelle@kellesparta.com. To sign up for, or get more information on the programs, offerings, and services referenced in this episode, please go to www.kellesparta.com. This episode of “Spirit Sherpa” has been produced by Honu Voice Productions. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

An interview and performance from Akinlana Lowman a visual artist, drummer and capoeira martial artists. We sit down and talk about his journey as an artist and the Lucumi beliefs.

Mani C. Price is a visionary artist based in New York City with a focus on empowerment, symbolism and magic. She shares her thoughts on her family tradition and practice of Lucumi, her Solomonic-based Spirit Boxes she designs, and the importance of the voice of women in esoteric forums, among many other topics. Mani’s Website: http://manitheuncanny.com/Mani’s Kickstarter project about H.P. Lovecraft: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/manitheuncanny/the-unnamable-hp-lovecraft-short-animated-film?ref=user_menuMani’s ‘Orphne’ project: http://www.indyplanet.us/orphne-1/Mani's Spirit Boxes - http://docsolomons.com/wp/product/custom-spirit-boxes-by-mani-c-price/*********Subscribe to Glitch Bottle!*********---------------------------------▶︎Get the show on iTuneshttps://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1235137914▶︎Subscribe on Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/alexander-eth/glitch-bottle▶︎Subscribe on YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/user/glitchbottle

Mani C. Price is a visionary artist based in New York City with a focus on empowerment, symbolism and magic. She shares her thoughts on her family tradition and practice of Lucumi, her Solomonic-based Spirit Boxes she designs, and the importance of the voice of women in esoteric forums, among many other topics. Mani’s Website: http://manitheuncanny.com/Mani’s Kickstarter project about H.P. Lovecraft: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/manitheuncanny/the-unnamable-hp-lovecraft-short-animated-film?ref=user_menuMani’s ‘Orphne’ project: http://www.indyplanet.us/orphne-1/Mani's Spirit Boxes - http://docsolomons.com/wp/product/custom-spirit-boxes-by-mani-c-price/*********Subscribe to Glitch Bottle!*********---------------------------------▶︎Get the show on iTuneshttps://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1235137914▶︎Subscribe on Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/alexander-eth/glitch-bottle▶︎Subscribe on YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/user/glitchbottle

Queen & J. are two womanist race nerds talking liberation, politics, and pop-culture over tea. Drink up! On this spot of tea episode… We’ve been doing a Black centric podcast for almost four years only to find out that some of you don’t know what Black is or where to start. So we take a deep breath and discuss Amara La Negra, explore Blackness, who gets to claim it, what that sh!t really means in the US & throughout the Black diaspora, and the global anti-Blackness that is not as foreign to Black Americans as they think. This week’s hot list: That Love & Hip Hop racism, Amara La Negra, xenophobia vs. anti-Blackness vs. colorism, Black identity, the African diaspora, transatlantic slave trade, what is "regular Black", your racial I.Q. and mad other problematic sh!t. Tweet us while you listen! #teawithqj @teawithqj WEBSITE www.TeaWithQueenAndJ.com SOCIAL MEDIA Twitter: twitter.com/teawithqj Instagram: Instagram.com/teawithqj Facebook: www.facebook.com/TeawithQueenandJ Tumblr: teawithqueenandj.tumblr.com EMAIL teawithqueenandj@gmail.com DONATE www.paypal.me/teawithqj OR www.patreon.com/teawithqj PAY BLACK WOMEN Support a WOC organizer as she navigates several court dates to determine her immigration status. More info: https://www.youcaring.com/alejandrapablos-1008122 NOTES & EXTRA TEA Learn more about Lucumi: http://www.okayafrica.com/10-things-you-need-to-know-before-practicing-lucumi/ This week’s closing clip features a young Oprah Winfrey: https://twitter.com/_MsVixen_/status/950369017805623296/video/1 Engineering by Indie Creative Network: www.icn.dj/ Libations to our friend Casey who helps keep this show running by giving his money to Black women. Libations to Ohene Cornelius for our show intro, check out his latest album Flight Risk available everywhere online now. You can find Ohene on instagram and twitter @ohenecornelius and online at www.ohenecornelius.com Libations to T.Flint for our News That's Not News intro! Find him at www.TFlintVoices.com

The values we share in interfaith spaces are often rooted in deeply personal beliefs and customs. We hear about one of those traditions today from Taryn Harris, a follower of the Lucumi tradition. Incorporating beliefs from Africa, Europe, and the Americas, the Lucumi community is a small but vibrant group in the United States. Taryn shares with us the story of her first experience with the tradition and how that encounter provided the foundation for her own interfaith commitment.

This week we talk to author, translator and Lucumi priest, Eric Purdue about astrology, synchronicity, accuracy in divination, hurricanes destroying your library and all things Agrippa.   For show notes, you can go and bother Eric on Facebook here!

Rev Payshence- Lilith Dorsey M.A. , hails from many magickal traditions, including Celtic, Afro-Caribbean, and Native American spirituality. Her traditional education focused on Plant Science, Anthropology, and Film at the University of R.I, New York University and the University of London, and her magickal training includes numerous initiations in Santeria also known as Lucumi, Haitian Vodoun, and New Orleans Voodoo. Lilith Dorsey is a Voodoo Priestess and in that capacity has been doing successful magick since 1991 for patrons, is editor/publisher of Oshun-African Magickal Quarterly , filmmaker of the experimental documentary Bodies of Water :Voodoo Identity and Tranceformation, author of Voodoo and Afro-Caribbean Paganism and The African-American Ritual Cookbook, and choreographer for jazz legend Dr. John's "Night Tripper" Voodoo Show. She believes good ritual should be fun and innovative, and to that end she led the first ever Voodoo Zombie Silent Rave Ritual in 2013, complete with confused Thriller flash mob. Chasing the Supernatural- Host Josh Bender has former guests back on the show to talk about an exciting investigation at the Old South Pittsburg Hospital in Tennessee. Guest include members from Maine Paranormal Society and Horry County Paranormal Investigations. 

Rev Payshence Radio: Lilith Dorsey M.A. , hails from many magickal traditions, including Celtic, Afro-Caribbean, and Native American spirituality. Her traditional education focused on Plant Science, Anthropology, and Film at the University of R.I, New York University and the University of London, and her magickal training includes numerous initiations in Santeria also known as Lucumi, Haitian Vodoun, and New Orleans Voodoo. Lilith Dorsey is a Voodoo Priestess and in that capacity has been doing successful magick since 1991 for patrons, is editor/publisher of Oshun-African Magickal Quarterly , filmmaker of the experimental documentary Bodies of Water :Voodoo Identity and Tranceformation, author of Voodoo and Afro-Caribbean Paganism and The African-American Ritual Cookbook, and choreographer for jazz legend Dr. John's "Night Tripper" Voodoo Show. She believes good ritual should be fun and innovative, and to that end she led the first ever Voodoo Zombie Silent Rave Ritual in 2013, complete with confused Thriller flash mob. She is the mother of two daughters, several spiritual godchildren and lives in Brooklyn with her fish Beta Zoid. Her family has owned Boston Terriers and been spiritual people for as long as anyone can remember. To learn more about her religion and her realms please visit her blog Voodoo Universe.

Lilith Dorsey M.A. hails from many Magickal traditions, including Celtic, Afro-Carribean, and NativeAmerican spirituality. Her traditional education focused on Plant Science, Anthropology and Film at the University of Rhode Island, New York University, and the University of London, and her Magickal training includes numerous initiations in Santeria also known as Lucumi, Haitian Vodoun, and New Orleans. Then stay tuned for another episode of 'Green Magic Green medicine with your host Susun Weed! Susun is an author and teacher who teaches this half hour herbal medicine class! 10 pm eastern time. To check out her books go here:http://www.herbalmedicinehealing.com/store/store_results.php?Category=1&Section=Books Join us in our circle!!!

Author of The Secrets of Afro-Cuban Divination, among others Ócha'ni Lele has been immersed in the culture of Orisha worship since 1989. By 1995 he had received several initiations in both Santeria and the Congo faith Palo Mayombe and in 2000 he made Ocha and was crowned a Santeria priest. His latest book, Osogbo, explains how misfortune works in this world as living spirits that plague humanity and how they are also a catalyst for self-development and conscious evolution. Friend, Follow & Bookmark our links: Kimbisa.org KDCL Media

WELCOME TO TAROT TUESDAYS WITH INTUITIVE TAROT READER KISHA GIBSON! Call in and get a FREE mini reading 818-369-0368 I am Kisha Gibson, Intuitive Tarot Reader and Motivational Manifestation Counselor. This week I welcome Master Tarot Reader and Meditational Drummer GEORGE MENSINK! George is in Breda, Netherlands and will be calling in live from Europe! George Mensink was born in 1967, in 1993 he got his first tarot deck from a guest teacher during his first year of his study for becoming a nurse. The following years were spent to make a career in the hospital as a nurse ending as an intensive care nurse in 2004. In that year he picked up the Tarot and studied it deeper and deeper and got a professional diploma in 2012. His favorite tarot deck is the Lucumi tarot. In 2006 during a vacation in the Algarve (south of Portugal) he came in touch with the Powers of the Orisha. This got his interest and he started to explore the beautiful world of the Orisha’s. The combination of images of Orisha’s and the world of the tarot made him love this deck. He wrote a book about this deck, this book is now at the publisher and will be hopefully printed this spring. Another passion of George is music. In 1990 he started as an experimental poet with tapes, followed up with his electro punk band Abattoir Rouge and then solo as an experimental sound artist. During his experiments with sounds he discovered more and more the trance element in sound and rhythm and started a drum meditation and trance journeys. Dreams are very important to him.  He developed a way to read dreams with tarot.  A book about this method is now at the publisher and will be printed this spring. George Mensink can be contacted at www.hetdonkseoog.com or www.facebook.com/hetdonkseoog Kisha Gibson can be contacted at www.myastrologycoach.com

Jesse Hathaway Diaz is a Tatá Quimbanda and crowned olosha. Initiations in several forms of Witchcraft, lifelong student of Mexican curanderismo, a Santa Muertero, root worker, professional reader, and Freemason. He is an artist and performer, and is co-owner of Wolf & Goat, their online store opening July 14. His blog can be found at Serpent Shod. He was recently published in Serpent Songs, an anthology of Traditional Witchcraft curated by Nicholaj de Mattos Frisvold for Scarlet Imprint. He is currently writing a book on Santisima Muerte. Troy Chambers is an initiated Quimbandeiro, vodouisant and Obeahman.  A self-taught artist working in clay and mixed media, his subjects focus heavily on Quimbanda spirits, Saints, and the folkloric spirits and beasts of Western Europe. He is a published author and copy editor for Scarlet Imprint, currently working on several books, including a book on Goblins. His artwork can be found at his online store, Wolf & Goat, selling handcrafted magical goods. KDCL Media on FB Candelo’s Corner on FB

KDCL Media & The H2O Network welcomes Oba Oriate Ernesto Pichardo, Co-Founder of the Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye and will be speaking on the spiriual licenses as it applies to practioners of the Lucum tradition.  Oba Pichardo is a priest of Shango of 40 plus years, and is recognized throughout religious, academic, political, and social communities nationwide for his outstanding contributions to African Diaspora studies. http://www.church-of-the-lukumi.org/ On Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ChurchOfTheLukumiBabaluAye/info    

Tim Wise, author, anti-racism advocate. His latest book, "Colorblind: The Rise of Post-Racial Politics from Racial Equity," is the topic of our discussion this morning; Akiba Timoya aka Akiba Onada-Sikwoia is African, Blackfoot, Choctaw, Cherokee and Irish. She is Two-Spirited and has been participating in Native American Ceremony for the past 24 years. She is also a member of the Lucumi community and a child of the Orisha. She and DON 'LITTLE CLOUD' DAVENPORT "I am one of the founders of the Black Native American Association in Oakland, California. I am a Seminole with Creek/Chickasaw, Muskogee and African (Nubian/Sudan) Ancestry and of the Bird Clan. I was born in Jackson, Michigan which was on one of the routes of the Underground Railroad where slaves fled to Canada." They will speak about the first annual Black Native American Pow Wow at CSUH this month, Sept. 17-19. Visit www.bnaa.org for the details. The pre-Pow Wow panel is 6:30-8:30 9/17. The procession starts at 1 PM both Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 18-19. Dan Hoyle, "The Real Americans" is our next guest. "The Real Americans," Hoyle's solo performance has been extended through Nov. 6 at The Marsh Theatre Wednesdays-Saturdays, in San Francisco. Visit www.themmarsh.org We close with artist, Somi, who will be at Cafe de Nord in San Francisco, Sept. 16, and at the Monterey Jazz Festival, Sept. 18, then on to Holland. Somi didn't make it, because she is scheduled for next week, 9/10 at 8:30 AM, so tune in then--Mars is in Retrograde. Yes, blame it on the planet that already speeding, I skipped an entire seven days--wow! Meklit Hadero, Somi's friend came to the rescue with a cut from her latest release I like a lot: "Soleil Soleil." We close with a prerecorded interview with Ernie Silva appearing with "Heavy Like the Weight of a Flame," at La Pena Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck Avenue, in Berkeley, Sept. 9-10, 8 PM