Santeria, Charms and Spells.

It's officially 2011. This reminds me of many New Year's Eve spent at the beach in another country, where devouts of Iemanja, some deity from the sea, would go in the water, men dressed in African style white pants and women dressed in long white skirts made of cheap fabric and tulle as a symbolic gesture. They would invariably make offers of white roses, champagne, cigarettes, and perfume to the deity. One notices that the majority of these credulous individuals come from a background of poverty. I understand and agree that scarcity is not shameful, but I could not help but think their hard earned money was being spent on an illusion. Traditions and people mixed and mingled on these occasions. While my group would just wait for the fireworks and toast with champagne at midnight, others had their own rituals. And I would always wonder...

Not too long ago someone asked me if what I believed in and spoke about involved santeria. It is sometimes difficult to convey that a world where the incarnate and discarnate coexist does not mean witchraft or magic of some sort is involved, and for the most part, I rather drop the subject. Time will tell. It is also difficult to explain that one knows both situations, and I that knowlege leads me to having no sympathy for anything that has to do with certain spiritualist groups. Many moons ago, as a project for College allied to my innate curiosity, I went to a Center of Umbanda - a cult of possession that mixes Afro religion with some Catholicism and Spiritism. I cannot stress enough that this is just a disguise for purely African religion that uses Catholic Saints' names and later some of the teachings of Kardec. Reason being of the Catholic part is that back in the days, slaves used Catholic Saints' names for their gods and goddesses as an aritifice to deiceive "Massas" and practice their trances and whatnots without being punished: Iemanja, for instance, is many times considered the Virgin Mary or St Barbara. Much later they began to use teachings from Kardec, partly to make theirs a more respectable doctrine. Allow me to reiterate: Santeria and alikes are NOT Spiritism, and real adepts of Kardec's teachings do not, at any rate, follow any of their rituals, charms, beliefs, etc.

Back to the subject. At this center, which I went all of three times, I saw simple and naive citizens, some were really simpletons, and others were wiseguys. I was received amicably, they requested I come dressed in white, and out of respect for them and their creed, I did. Picture a very poor house literally hanging in the middle of a slope, and quarters bigger than an efficiency built in the back. Once you come in those quarters, you can see in the background a picture of Jesus on the wall, a statue of Jesus in the middle shelf, among other statues representing deities of the waters, rivers, and so on called Orixas. This altar built for these Orixas is called a congar. The first two times I went to this 'temple', always accompanied by a male colleague, I found everything amusing. The beat of the drums is hypnotizing, and though I would stay in my seat and not move for a whole two hours, it still made me feel like moving to its rythm. I managed a straight face throughout both visits, pretended to believe those who said to be in trance and wanted to help me in my love life (funny... even who does not know me wants to fix me up with someone... must be karmic ;o ). These pseudo-psychics would speak in an old man's/woman's voice, the supposed spirit would say they were known as Grandmother this, and Grandfather that, all terms used during slavery in this particular country (remember 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' - Uncle was just a term, not kinship). They would also refer to the 'mediums' as their 'horses', not their channelers. I recall there was one who said he had been a sailor. They all had one thing in common: they could predict people's future, they could make the man of your dreams come crawling after you in seven, fourteen or twenty-one days (are these kabbalistic numbers??), give you recipes to make the arthritis pain go away. All they wanted was some cachaca (sugarcane brandy), farofa (yuca wheat toasted with bacon), flowers, etc. These were actually humble "spirits", compared to other horror stories that will be left for a next time.

I'll 'fess up and say there was no need to go a third time since I had all the material I needed. Nevertheless, I still wanted to go one last time. Not because I believed in what they did, but I just wanted to go - nothing happens by coincidence. It turns out that night, without my knowing, was the night of the "Gira-grande", loosely translated as "The Big Turn (of events?) performed every three months to appease the 'left-line', in other words, the entities of darkness. I found out this consists of drawing curtains to cover the congar, Jesus and all the other 'saints' who belong to the "white line" (not as in skin color, but in white magic), and worship the ones from the dark side, entities who protect the Center and their followers from other enemy centers, who are likely to conjure up spells to kill, hurt or take away "powers" from other sorcerers. These entities are known as Exus, devil-like entities; pombagiras, reportedly spirits of prostitutes who dwelled by ports and mingled with sailors and the likes of them; and little devil children that for the life of me, I cannot remember their names. Well, these people were no longer dressed in white - they were now in black and red. The flowers were red, tobacco galore, and the farofa was now garnished with red chili peppers and raw red meat. To the right of the quarters, terracota mud plates were placed with dead chickens swimming in their own blood. I wish PETA had been there.

My first instinct was to move, vamoose quick. I was stopped on my tracks by one of them saying I couldn't leave with the risk of being followed by one of those spirits and become unable of ridding myself from their influence. Until this day I swear I do not understand people who defend these practices as a religion. How can something that practices "good" (forcing someone, by spells and whatchamajiggas to be in a relationship with you is not what I call good, or even calling your channeler a horse, pero bueno...) and evil at the same time be actually compared to any Christian philosophy (okay, I'm not including the Inquisition here, but let's think straight). Anyway, when the people came to a trance, some would laugh hysterically, their eyes were half shut and their expressions smug - I can't help but think they were amused with me! They would crawl on the floor like beasts, stick their fingers in the chicken's blood and taste it. One grabbed a chunk of raw red meat and ate it without making a face; another ate a whole chili pepper without wincing. A Circus of Horrors. One man came up to me and tells me he knows what I want, and he will give it to me if I bring him a black cape and tall hat (the channeler was actually dressed that way, cheaply made but it seems to be a trademark for Exus). I know I did not pass out, but I have no memory of how I left and got home that night. I just know I swore I would never set foot in that place ever again.

Years have gone by, and mainly what I learned is that there is mystification in these cases, the "mediums" are flakes; there are also those who enter some twilight zonish hysteria induced trance and believe they are taken by spirits; others may actually be channelers of very lowly spirits who mock the believers. Though they cannot actually eat or smoke, they 'live' on their channeler's energy and what they consume. These are the so-called "vampires" who suck the life energy and will out of you. All in all, negative forces grow bold and stronger in this atmosphere. Thankfully, where there is a flick of Divine Light, it takes over the Darkness. I choose the light. Now, it's time for The Spirits' Book" - Occult Powers, Charms:

551. Can an ill-natured person, who can command the help of a wrong-doing spirit, cause harm to his or her neighbor?

"No, God would not permit it."

552. What should we think about the belief in the power of some persons to cast spell over other?

"Certain people possess a very strong suggestive power. If their own natures are bad, they may well use this power for injurious ends, in which case they may be seconded by other ill-meaning spirits. But let us caution you: do not believe in any pretended magical power. It exists only in the imagination of the superstitious, who are unaware of nature's true he laws. The 'facts' that have been produced to prove the existence of this pretended power actually derive from imperfectly observed and, above all, imperfectly understood natural causes."

533. Some people claim to be able to control the wills of spirits through formulas and ritual acts. What is the effect of these practices?

"Those who claim so in good faith lack real knowledge and expose themselves to ridicule. On the other hand, if they are knowlingly making a false claim, they are rogues and deserve to be held accountable for their misrepresentations. All such formulas are mere hokum. There is no 'sacramental word', no cabalistic sign, no talisman, that has any power over spirits. Spirits are are attracted by thoughts, not meaningless sounds or material objects."

-- Haven't spirits sometimes dictated cabalistic formulas?

"Yes. There are spirits who will give you strange signs and words and prescribe certain acts, and with these you may be able to perform what you call 'conjurations'. But you can be quite sure that these spirits are simply having fun at your expense. They amuse themselves with your credulity."

555. What meaning should we give to the term "sorcerer"?

"When they are honest, those whom people call sorcerers or shamans are persons gifted with exceptional abilities - for example, healing power or clairvoyance. When they use these powers to do things you do not understand, you conclude that they have supernatural powers. Many of your learned scholars have passed for sorcerers in the eyes of the unenlightened,"

So, let us not forget that Spiritism has NOTHING to do with Santeria. Please stay away from instruments such as Ouija Boards that, jointly with irresponsible craving for news on what the future might be, attract frivilous spirits to your side. This can be more harmful than you may expect, in more ways than one. Animal cruelty is not part of our equation, nor statues or talismans or rituals of any kind.