Exorcism with Ashes

During these years of practicing the religion. I have come across situations which have challenged my knowledge and interpretation of religious ideological concepts. These situations have been moments where I have experienced the manifestation of divine grace(ashe pron(ah-she) within me. They have been last moment incidents where I have been called upon to resolve a situation without prior notice or advance preparation. Such was a situation which occurred some four years ago which has forever stayed imbedded in my data bank of resolutions.

While working in one of my godchildren home in Queens, NY. I received a phone call from Miami where a friend of the family was going through a great ordeal. Her name was Sidka. She said to me "please help! Jose is going crazy! something terrible is upon him! he is hurting himself! wants to throw himself out of a window! we have him sedated!." Needless to say she was crying, frantically, and didn't know what to do, and did not want to call rescue or the police. As I calmed her down, my mind instantly zeroed in on what I knew of Jose. Jose was a gardener. A hard working man which owned a landscaping business, and apparently had clients with very large yards, whom had enemies. Instantly, what occurred to me was that he had stepped on some evil witchcraft in one of his clients home during work. I immediately took out my divination chain(okpele), and asked Ifa, if this was true & the answer was "yes". What most people don't know about Miami is that, it is very strong in positive and negative hoodoo. You would have had to live there in order to recognize it, know it and live through it. The party city to most is also a mega-tropolis of hoodoo voodoo(LOL). Just think of it. It is the gateway to the caribbean, south, & central americas. There isn't a neighborhood that does not have a spiritual store close by. Those coming from these regions have deposited their traditional practices, food, & culture in Miami. Establishing the fact that Jose's situation was negative spirituality(evil witchcraft) related. I automatically knew that he would have to be exorcized of this and soon, before he gets committed to a psycho ward. All of a sudden the thought of ash, armasigo, & cascarilla, came to mind. Immediately, I asked of Ifa, if with these three ingredients I can devise a healing therapy which would cast away the negativity that had befallen Jose. Bring to ease his affliction, and helping a distressed family from afar. Needless to say the answer. Well, here goes the instant recommendation I suggested.

Boil some armasigo(gumble limbo) plant, leaves, or bush, add a little palm oil, generating a spiritual bath. Let cool, remove the plant and add white rum, aguardiente(fire water), or overproof rum. Make enough for two gallons or two baths. Obtain a cup of wood or charcoal ashes, and a cup of crushed cascarilla. The person needing the work done to them is to be stripped of all their clothing in the bath tub. Their face and whole body is to be powdered with the ashes, and the armasigo(gumble limbo) bath is to be poured over their head & body. They are to then shower or bathe as normal with soap and fresh water. The next day they are too repeat the procedure, yet this time they are to powder their face & body with crushed cascarilla, followed by the armasigo bath and regular shower.

A week later, I received a call directly from Jose expressing his gratitude and told me his version of the story. It was very funny as he explained it, we both laughed throughout his version of it. Specially the part where he mentioned something jumping off or out of him as his wife poured the first bath over him. Then, the second bath just re-enforced the expulsion and brought him peace. He further explained that where he first started to feel funny was at a clients yard, where he knew that they had a shed in the back full of mysterious stuff. He apparently got to close to the shed or ran over something ill intended for his clients; with the lawn mower or weed eater. The part of his story which was not funny, was were he mentioned having the overwhelming sensation of throwing himself in front of a truck. What really amazed me was that when I generated this particular healing therapy solution. It was intended to help him temporarily until I arrived in Miami a couple of days later, in order to work on him directly. There are much stronger rituals within the Ifa system of therapies which can be applied to this situation. Yet, it actually took care of the his problem. He didn't come visit me for a follow up reading and ritual cleansing until 3 months after.

This particular ceremony is not just for semi extreme cases such as Jose's. It can also be for those that feel depression, anxiety, desperation; those that work in hospitals, or which have dangerous jobs, where they have witnessed the deaths of others. Anyone who's suffered traumatic situations which have not left them. All those feeling as if, something dark is attached or latched on to their bodies; those coming out of prison, or returning from war. Most folks are unaware of the negative energies which we pick up. These energies can be spirits or entities nourishing themselves with/of our darkness. When these negative spiritualities stay imbedded within us for a long time, they continually influence our darkness, not allowing our positive energies to take its turn in generating good things. Hence, we need help or support in casting them away.

Also note that this is a simple ceremony which can work on most. Yet, for stronger negative influences nothing beats a true exorcism. Now, in my book an exorcism does not only imply removal of diabolical entities. They are also applied for the same reasons that I mentioned above. Expulsion of negative energies which we have attained through traumatic incidents in our lives or cast upon us by way of channeled witchcraft. I perform such rituals and much more powerful ones on myself & others, just to remain positively focused. These rituals get rid of negative spirits or witchcraft. I get smacked every now in then just by being in spiritual wars line of fire.  

Many years ago while pondering on the thought of the following statement; "from ashes to ashes, dust to dust." I came to the understanding that ashes can be used to get rid of negative spirits. I guess because we do become dust all over again during our after death   decomposition process. We become solvent fertilizer and nourishment for mother earth. Hence, the ground takes all that decomposes only to recycle it over again and give back in new growth or life. Ashes made from any organic substance which has been incinerated or put to fire signifies a return to earth. It sends a message to an entity or spirit that it has returned or should return to earth. As in "go back! and nourish the ground you came from!" Then, it leaves the premisses. Ash is used in spiritual baths that we babalawo's make for clients for these purposes as well as in teas for removal of ingested witchcraft. Ash is also a base ingredient in organic soap, so it has natural cleansing properties. 

The white chalk powdered egg shell(cascarilla), is one of the religions power substances. I always say "Never under estimate the power of an Egg." An egg is a simple representation of life force being generated. The whiteness of the shell is what the life is in cased in, it is part of its spirituality and its protection. Henceforth, white powdered eggshell is a spiritual substances for countering or removal of darkness, blocking it, and generating peace.

The gumble limbo plant or also known as the rubber plant in some places, because of its rubbery sticky resin, has healing properties. Its tea can be used for treating some diseases and other ailments. It is one of our Yoruba Lucumi power plants of expunging negativity and healing. My great grandma used this plant quite often, and in most of her healing therapy applications. I have always looked at it as having the power of making negativity bounce off of people (get it, rubber plant).