African Water Spirits
Water is seen as a great source of spirituality and life source in many traditional African societies. Water Spirits and other Spirits connected to nature, as well as certain animals are revered. These topics were often discussed when I underwent ‘Ukuthwasa’, which is part of the initiation when becoming a Sangoma/ Traditional healer where I undertook my training on the borders of Mozambique and South Africa. I enjoyed being part of many such discussion attended by village Elders during my training, and was fascinated by tales of the Spirits who controlled the rain, inhabited water masses and the sky. During times of intense drought, rituals and offerings are made to these revered water spirits, as well as to the Ancestors to bring about desperately needed rains.
The Ancestors are generally revered within an African community and seen as part of, as opposed to apart from family here on earth in physical form.
Whilst still living in South Africa a couple of decades ago, I formed a close friendship with a lady who soon became my best friend. Our worlds and upbringings vary greatly. She is an academic, but as we got to know one another better over time, her husband confided in me that she was extremely intuitive and that he’d witnessed her have premonitions which had come to pass. She’s certainly given me some random predictions, some of which have already passed, and others, shall yet to come to pass, but I have a strong feeling they will soon be manifesting! Her name is Sally and on a call today she reminded me of her story about the ‘River Man’, a magical experience she had decades before and which she had only shared with her husband and myself for fear of it being dismissed as total nonsense. Besides, it probably wouldn’t have gone down too well in her academic world too well in those days!
Sally’s story of the African River Man was mysterious and fascinating to me and I love such stories of Angel and Spirit rescues when a mortal is in trouble.
Sally was living in suburban Johannesburg in South Africa when her mysterious experience occurred, and was out walking her dogs alongside a well-known river there called the Jukskei River. It was quite a well-kept beauty spot in those days and a favourite walk for her and her fur kids on weekends. The dogs were enjoying the fresh water and their adventurous spirit prompted Sally to cross the river by stepping on some rocks which appeared to be secure enough. She thought the water looked shallow enough and proceeded to carefully cross over to the other side, much to the delight of the dogs who found this to be great fun. But whoops, Sally stumbled on a rock she hadn’t spotted, falling into the icy cold water.
As fortune would have it, Sally had attempted the river crossing quite close to home, but what she hadn’t accounted for was the steep riverbank she’d struggle to navigate with her now, swollen ankle and foot. Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, an elderly African gentleman appeared and he offered his help. He said his name was Amos and she was grateful for his assistance. She was a bit dazed as she held onto him, and she only let go of his supporting arm once she felt that she had gained her composure and felt steady once more. As she turned to say ‘thank you’, he was nowhere to be seen. Except for Sally and her dogs, the whole area was deserted!
In those days, Sally was a teacher in a well-known township called Soweto. On witnessing her limping around in discomfort, one of Sally’s students named Thobeka insisted on taking her to the local Sangoma / Traditional healer. Sally’s student made arrangements for her to visit the Sangoma a couple of days later and accompanied Sally as an interpreter (The Sangoma spoke no English).
On entering the humble dwelling of the Sangoma, Sally felt as if his eyes were scanning her intuitively. He ushered them in to sit down on some simple seats made from large cut-down barrels. Without requiring any information, the Sangoma immediately boiled some African herbs (muti) and once they’d cooked and cooled to his satisfaction, he proceeded to make tiny incisions across Sally’s foot in several places. He then proceeded to rub in the herbal potion.
Only after doing the therapeutic aspect of his healing did the Sangoma proceed to talk and (via Thobeka translating), he told Sally that her biological Ancestors had been trying to catch her attention for a very long time, but that she didn’t appear to be hearing them. The Sangoma was insistent that Sally had her own calling to become a Sangoma herself. Sally replied; “perhaps I was unable to hear my biological Ancestors because I was adopted!”
To Sally’s surprise, the Sangoma described the man who had helped her at the river a couple of days previously and reassured her that he was actually a benevolent water spirit sent by her Ancestors to protect her from further harm!
Sally’s foot healed well, and although she didn’t fully follow the path of the Sangoma through intense training, I have witnessed her using alternative therapies to help people and pets with their ailments and, Sally, has, for many years been a wonderful support and inspiration on my journey in working with my Ancestors and, more recently an inspiration to me in producing my oracle deck called; ‘Messages from the Ancestors’.
