Karma and justice in the ATRs

Rampant in facebook groups is people casting all kinds of witchcraft on other people who don't believe that anything bad will happen to them as a result of their actions.

Firstly lets have an accurate definition as I understand it in the EAST: karma is a result in your life based on your actions and whether you are following your dharma: your duty and spiritual path. If you are off your spiritual path and destiny, karma can result good or bad things can happen to pull you back to your orientation. Its not as pat as do bad things bad things will happen, but it can sum it up in general. Some people need something nice to happen or they become more hardened and cruel only knowing suffering and never hope or kindness. Other people need a foot up their ass.

Even if we do not have karma, x3 etc in African traditions does not mean there is not cause and effect, some people call that karma: punishments or negativity in your life that can happen based on your own energy and actions. I think people do not like the idea of centralized power of a vengeful Judaic God, so they reject the notion of consequences for your actions.

I am not talking morally grey area, like if one does a spell which disadvantages others, nor to those who believe in moral ambiguity who are lost. Lets see what happens when someone comes for you or your family or someone you care about. I'm also talking about harming someone innocent for pettiness or completely selfish reasons. I'm talking about harming people's children for example.

Negative actions can be considered just without consequence, "right" to do for protection, when people oppress you, however other solutions must be explored, and sometimes cleansing and continuing to be in the grace of God is the best choice to keep it moving. Keep in purity is protection kind of like a teflon aura. A dirty hand cannot make another hand clean. One hand washes the other is a proverb often cited in the ATRs for cooperation and in keeping spiritually clean. You can cleanse yourself but still have to answer in your heart, you can cleanse yourself, but it doesn't rinse out a bad mind or head. There needs to be some self reflection.

Your protective spirits got you. It warns against unclean spirits in the New Testament.This choice will reward you with other gifts and spiritual boons as you are owed a debt. Jesus said "has thou received recompense"....what reward do you choose?

In terms of spiritual protection it is generally believed in these traditions that the innocent party will likely come out on top in a witch war even as a slightly weaker practitioner, and especially if they did not throw witchcraft first. That is all the justification a normally chill practitioner would need to hex you back. Even reversals are tricky if the other person can pick up on what you did. People ask how to hide their work and the answer is there are tricks but nothing is 100 percent fail proof. A skilled diviner can still find you or reverse back your witchcraft and a taste of your own bad medicine.
People can hire other people also to defend them who cannot defend themself, more than you bargained for.

Maybe they just keep cleansing and breaking your work, and in your paranoia or lack or results keep obsessively spending more time and money. Many people underestimate their opponent.
Now you are engaged in a co$tly in time and effort, and in losses, drawn out back and forth or stalemate if you didn't get your ass handed to you at once. Time you could have and money spent on getting ahead and enjoyment.
Strong practitioners can come out on top who are unjustified, but will suffer directly or in other areas indirectly, eventually.

In Ifa lineages of Nigeria and Ocha in Cuba/Santeria, there is the concept of Iwa Pele that some translate as good character but actually some say is gentle character from wisdom. This is being in alignment with the power of ancestors and the Orisha beneficial spirits. These good spirits protect you. 

There are bad spirits known as osogbo who are the bad things in life the opposite of blessings. They hang out together: witchcraft/evil magic, war, gossip, false imprisonment, disease, poverty, untimely death etc and are invited into your life.
Ellegua also opens and closes the gates to the osogbo spirits of misfortune. People abusing these traditions meet an ugly end. What holds back these osogbo in the folk stories is humility and charity (love for fellow man or sympathy towards these spirits as appeasement). However charity to this end, with hate in your heart, is only a temporary stopgap measure. Negative spirits give bad thoughts, cloud the mind, provoke and thrive in unhappiness anger and fear, create evil suggestions and inspiration.

You go against your good/ancestors and moral spirits you got to answer to them. Ashe or personal power comes to us by being in accordance with the spirits. You would have to be spiritually deaf or willfully ignorant to never hear your spirits advise against something, never ask for counsel, or ignore these advices at times. You know that voice in your conscious thats often times your main spirit guide to do the right thing. This connection weakens and they step back when we distance ourself and disrespect our ancestors living in disgrace.

Spirits of justice such as the Iyami are said to be "witch mothers" of which a path of Oshun is a part of, they mete out justice and punishments to those who abuse their power. A bunch of avenging pissed off mommy bears but they are bird women. Like the siren, the harpy, the vulture and owl figures prominently as primordial forces.

People approach spirits like St Michael who is known for God's justice and against evil. Spirits of Justice like Ogun do things in their own time they are concerned with, not just because a human asks to enact justice. People think they can then go to these beings for their own motivations with no consequence?
The fiery aggressive Vodou Petro Lwa reason of coming into existance was to combat slavery and oppression in the name of freedom. For Example the Lwa Dantor protects children and doesn't like a bully. We are the children as the result of our ancestors. "the slave master dies at the hands of the slaves" "live by the sword die by the sword" clarifying proverbs.....

When we appeal to spirits to help us they are using their divine powers. They help us out of mercy, love, charity and not just reciprocity as they cannot be bought. As many songs in the traditions of Es piritismo and Vodou in spanish ask for the mercy "misericordia" from the Lwa or elevated spirits to alleviate our suffering. The balance is to provide them with gratitude and energy to fulfill their mission, but also to do charity for others, often in their name or at their request. This is part of the relationship held with saints etc, but also in the traditions religiousity, as many forget its not strictly witchcraft. These traditions are also concerned with self improvement towards our own spiritual progress as a decent person. Charachter is seen as wise and noble rarely stooping to a lower gutter level or to dirty ourself and our crowns shine. This is seen in Ocha and Vodou that we crown and baptise our spirits on our head, and the ceremony is much like a coronation of royalty.

In Vodou and Quimbanda spirits such as certain Exu and the Ghede are tasked with recruiting unclaimed radical dead, often malevolent people, into service to work until they have paid their debt towards spiritual progress. In this regard they are like the priests of the dead. They would otherwise not have veneration to empower them. The slavery or servitude can exist between us and the spiritual realm and has consequences for how the contracts or spiritual vows and initiations are upheld following our death. Not much can be said about it, but an example is between the Nfumbe spirit of the dead and the Palero/a in Mayombe, Congo derived Cuban tradition. How the Palero/a chooses to use the spirit dependant on them, they have to answer for in my understanding.

This spiritual progress is also seen in spiritualism and their philosophy into working with the dead in Caribbean spiritism and all over the world with mediumistic seance traditions. Our destination after death and ancestral status depends on our life lived. We do not regress but we can suffer as a result of re- incarnations and as a spirit. There is a whole group of suffering tormented dead the anima solas and intranquil spirits. These mechanisms give a system of justice and mercy even if there is no "hell" the closest we can say is trapped, ceasing to exist and purgatory as the closest. Besides hell on earth being a physical human reincarnating over and over in this realm in a spiritual quarantine and short sightedness.

It is considered the imbalance which must swing of scales and certain spiritual laws. The archetype of lady justice, Venus, Libra, goddesses such as the Greek Themis and the laws of the egyptian Ma'at and Anubis of truth order and justice against chaos. The pendulum must swing the other way, or "chickens come back to roost". The imbalance is what leads to the tree of death or evil, the qlipoth in western systems away from truth, light, blessings, mercy and life into the obscurity of shadows.

This is not judgment necessarily but exposing truth against illusions as in the tarot. Linked with judgement card as it relates to the dead, and temperance as it comes to personal qualities of prudence and ascension. Those sagittareus arrows upwards of truth and justice, alchemy, light and fire. There are many spirit guides and hunters like of Indios with their arrows of truth and justice, spirits such as Ochosi or Watariamba and deities like Artemis.

Look at the tarot cards of the 2's of cups: love/union of swords mental balance of coins change, wands of worldview and plan of action.

Often these people espose free will for themself, and equality, but these are related.

Imbalances create spiritual blockages and illness. First there would be a need to have enough awareness when bad stuff happens that you could have messed up via magic or spiritually. Without any awareness you fail, there is no perfection and continue to have a messed up life with no responsibility. In ignorance these people often are playing around with volatile forces that can burn them. In a lack of spiritual hygiene and ego they often mess themself up.

If you believe you are guilty it is somewhat correct that is why punishment is attracted to your life ( a self fulfiiling prophecy or manifestation/command/program), but not the only consideration. This is a European western view from chaos and ceremonial magic being applied onto African traditions. That "Everything is mind and controlled in an individuals mind" becomes the antithesis to tribal community religion and the good of society vs sociopaths. This false sense of control lends no accountability in working with real spirits who are not thoughtforms or just archetypes.

People who believe there is no spiritual authority or nothing greater than themselves are under delusion. Firstly these are monotheistic practices, and God's law is justice, truth and love or they "God" are a liar. not a good God This power is even more concretely evident when these same people use biblical versus and prayers in hoodoo. Yes largely symbolic but others placing themself under and calling deities authority to command spirits who enact certain principles People who believe that they themself are the ultimate God, because they have no faith, an inherent component in these traditions. They have humongous ego and lack humility which blinds them spiritually. This lack of clarity muddies visions, discernment of spirits who flatter them, intelligence and spiritual gifts or insights. Spiritual guides begin to distance themself as we do not listen to good advices and good spirits.

This hubris is now the cause of the "karma" effect. Because there is the belief in lack of accountability, there is no need to enact protections (as the self as ultimate power) nor do cleansing. People wallow in all kinds of spiritual stench, and this negativity begins to physically manifest into bad situations, bad health, blockages etc.  
Never doing the math, never having spiritual faith as it lacks convenience.

People conveniently forget the hermetic laws despite using it as karmic excuse. Correspondences, resonances, like attraction, similarity, vibration. Alot of people keep negative work in their house and invite negative beings around themself and feel negative. Some desperate for anything to happen not taking things seriously.
These negative beings can be vampiric.
What is sad is that innocent bystanders can get hit such as relatives, children, and pets.

People cast spells on people who have spiritual protection and guardian spirits and strong ancestors who will come back and teach you a lesson. People who don't know what they are doing, in their ignorance get their hands slapped.

Fail safes

In the end people will continue to blunder around, but there is a fail safe called godparents, mentors and keepers of sacred spiritual technology. Don't teach people things that can really damage someone else if they are shitheads or if they are at fault. Thankfully secrets still exist, as I see what people are posting about to harm others, it is of no concern for the most part. Mostly negative emotional energy being used. They will slow on their spiritual progress not knowing how to reverse or resolve these conditions.

The other fail safe is they are likely to torpedo their own life in general ignorance. Creating and practicing things with little insight, can be dangerous. Unintentionally hexing themself. And NO intention is not everything. You spread hotfoot mixed with goofer dust all over your house against an enemy by accident on your enemy candle spell that can backfire.
People using their own blood and ancestors to do evil end up shooting themself in the foot as it ties themself and bloodline to the negativity and work!
They mess with the dead, demonic spirits and entities who are not having it and turn around and attack them instead.
Working with just one type of energy also can throw a person into imbalances. ie left versus right hand and not the middle path or pillar as a strong internal balanced tree or universe. Each planet, emotion or energy has a resonance with organs in our body. I have seen people who consider themself experienced witches only work with dark goddesses, lunar and earth energy have all kinds of health problems, as they ignore the male life force giving solar energies.

And finally that they can't control themself, are reactive, impulsive and are easily swayed and tossed around as a lightweight opponent with no stability or strategy. Their mind and emotions are unable to come into alignment. which is part of the Orisha known as Ori their head linked with destiny and Iwa pele. To control themself is to mature in honesty, to have moderation, work on themself as a human being and on their personality. Discipline focus and control and knowing the self, the self awareness which has not been mastered, the self they raise above all.

Is there no consequence: No, is there karma: not exactly what you might call it......
This article will never convince evil people but to inform more about the views in these traditions as I understand them, and to console and stregthen your resolve of those undergoing trials.

Sancista 7 Crossroads

African & folk magic perspective of the Broom & Trees

The well known European aspects of the witch has the broom as an instrument of moving energy, performing marriage and the couple hopping over as a sign of fertility as an implement that contains both sexual polarities and some made of corn fiber. We should note flying ointments being placed on the handle and used internally for "shamanic" journeys, and the pole of the broom as an axis point or world tree.
Jumping the broom was also incorporated in African American folklore which has African roots of stick bundles and can be found in many cultures. It represented the home, change, and new beginnings. The broom represented being scattered and the handle represent God's hand that brings them together.

As the broom represents new beginnings, some buy a new broom for the new year as part of their new year or end of year house cleansings, for a more positive start to the new year, and to leave behind the bad energy

The broom could be made of several trees and plants such as birch for rebirth or cinnamon for love, good luck and prosperity, like a wand, different sacred woods could be used for various intentions as an extension and conduit of the practitioner.

 In neopagan aspects the broom could be used to open and close the threshold and portal of the magic circle depending on the direction and by raising or chasing away energy.

These aspects certainly did collide with other indigenous ideas in the new world. Sweeping and repetitive tasks do lend to a meditative state where the mind wanders or daydreams into a psychic or receptive state to receive messages. When cleaning the house spiritually some tie a white or red cloth around the waist with cascarilla and wear a head wrap as not to be carried away from the spiritual energies being kicked up using song and prayer. The energy or ashe deposited during ceremony in ritual area is also deposited around and blessings are picked up when the spirits see you tending to the area in service.

Floor sweeps of powders and dried herbs are used along with this action to increase intent and cleanse the house of negativity or maintain sacred space in preparation for ritual. Herbs like eucalyptus remove unwanted energy and people from visiting swept from the back door or farthest point out the front door. Some sweep from east to west as the sun sets to chase energy away. A sweep to draw things in for prosperity is done the front door to the back of the house after mundane cleaning so that all the luck isn't swept out. Although there is variations depending on purpose and if one has a backdoor. Special care is taken to the front step and where tricks and powders might be laid against the house occupants.

A broom can be placed upside down behind the front door on the inside of the house to discourage visitors and unwanted people to the house. Some say this encourages poverty and uncleanliness. A broom was hung over the door for protection to sweep away bad energy upon entering, and still to this day by neopagans.

There are many superstitions or folklore about the usage of brooms such as not to sweep against someones feet, under someone or place on a bed, or carry someone else's broom into your home. When you move you need to leave your old broom behind or throw it out because it carries the negative energies such as poverty  from the past you do not want to bring to your new residence. If you move to a new place and see a old broom dispose of it right away. You must upright a fallen broom and watch the way it falls. Superstition from different cultures about brooms can contradict each other, such as not burning a broom.

A broom gathers energy such as deposited at the crossroads to take bits of trash or dirt, to control an area, or gather spirits at the graveyard. Typically then the handle or staff would be tied with a red cloth as it indicated it is now empowered by the dead or "hot". You may see this in Rara band processions in Haiti or against certain altars. The items gathered are then used or the spirit employed. These marching and dancing military-like musical bands are known for activism, popular protest, celebration, warfare as seen with congo aspects. Kalfou is associated with the broom, whip and whistle. As Legba opens the way for Rada and are in divisions of Lwa families, so does the Baron open the way for Ghede, or Kalfou to the Petro nations of Loases, as well as djabs or evil spirits.

Saint image for Kalfu, some use the crucified Jesus

Rara 

 The broom can be used to sweep away the bad much like energy healing movements and the use of herb bundles or brooms on the energy body. After a bunch of herbs is used to say, cleanse the house, the stalks are broken to break the bad energy, sometimes as an asperger to sprinkle solutions. Sometimes also florida water is poured over them on cement and lit on fire. The broom can be sprayed with different spiritual waters before use.

The broom is linked to the dead and spirits as much as the cauldron.
Our palo or baston de muerto is used for calling the dead from the earth by tapping the ground 9 times. This egun stick can be tied with 9 different color cloths for the clothes of the dead ancestors such as egungun dancing masquerade outfits. Many in Sanse also keep a ritual broom to clear the space before misa tied with 9 colored ribbons to indicate the dead. This also indicates the winds of the dead or air. Much like some of the fly whisks of some of the Orisha such as Oya, or whips to keep away unhealthy influences or gather energies. This is also much like the royal fans I wrote about that remove "bad airs" or sheild and protect against spirits. Such as the use of birds or feathers to also sweep away bad energy.

                                                                           Egungun

Legba has the cane for opening to the other Lwa which is tapped 3 times at specific areas which is tied with 7 different color ribbon for the families of Lwa of the higher spirits.
Legba Avrada is pictured with a broom and one is sometimes kept behind the front door for ritual purposes only. He is linked to the Gran Chemin or big road that the Lwa come down on. For this purpose he can be seen as clearing the way. I keep a palm frond bundled one. Legba Avrada who some use the saint Lazarus to depict is said to be a wanderer (which Lebga isnt?) but likely said so because the broom touches many or all places on earth. Some use the image of St Martin de Porres.

We gather dirts from different power areas to make a world/tree or use its powers in folk magic or Palo said to be 21 for the roads and also herbs or sticks/branches as roads or branches that make all possibilities. In Palo the Mpungo would be Lucero the road opener, whose number is 21.

 The palm is sacred to Lwa Mambo Ayizan among other Lwa as one of the possible world trees as brooms had/have wooden handles and palms are used to sweep the streets. The palms for her are shredded and are used to filter energies and protect in the temple. The sweeping end of the broom thus is corresponded to earth/dirt and roots/the dead. Palm fronds can be hung over the door like a sweeping car wash and are often used to cover and protect the new initiates face and with the straw hat in Haitian Vodou. A broom likewise can be hung over the front door for protection. Ayizan is associate with the house temple or Hounfort, the priesthood and initiations. She is Loko's wife who has an aspect also dealing with priests and healing leaves of the tree some see as an path of Legba, and an aspect of Ayizan as Legba's wife.

When I visited Cuba, I saw men sweeping the street with long palm fronds. This is done many areas of the world such as Spain and India.

Trees are viewed as one natural repository of Lwa along with stones and other features. 2 are often planted as a doorway near the entrance of the temples. The potomitan or central pillar in the temple is just that an axis mundi like a tree to also the upper realms in which the spirits travel the trunk to our world or as the ghede come from the ground. Each Lwa also has their favorite trees or are associated with them for where they are located, and Dhambalah a snake Lwa hangs on them.

Trees were natural meeting places and groves for spiritual work, along the Loases of the forest and maroon escaping slaves to the mountains for revolution and the Indios. Trees such as palms or Ceiba/Mapou/Iroko/Kapok silk cotton were viewed as access to ancestral realms. Often the forest was used as burial grounds. Old broom handles could be used to beat drums, again made from tree trunks. The trees were necessary for survival of medicine and foods, as well as the sticks and leaves of magic usage. Winds that rustle the tree leaves is one voice of the Mpungo Osayin. The Lwa Gran Bwa is our like spirit who is a tree that rules over all wild plants. Some brooms are made from long grasses in Africa.

Many other spirits use brooms such as the Lwa Filomez, and some spirit guides like gypsies and madamas for spiritual cleansing and as a spiritual tool.

The vueltas of St Lazarus are also associated with the purifying broom, the dead, earth and sweeping of dirt floors. He uses it to spread sesame seeds of diseases, to clean and remove conditions, but the ajon-joli are also used in prosperity work.

Much like Babaluaye (the king-father of earth)'s sacred costumes or Omulu's figure besides skeleton was covered completely with sweeping palm raffia to hide his disfiguring scars from disease and smallpox. Their dance in spinning sweeps and kicks up dirt and the dead. This spirit also known in different tribes as Sak/gpata is viewed as one of the oldest and ancestral Vodoun.

I once had a dream of him a skinny scarred old dark black man was watching me from a thatched hut In Africa, and I was cleaning the dirt temple yard with a bundle of scratching sticks tied into a makeshift broom. An apprentice then showed me a saint statue of St Lazarus that she was cleaning. There were women working in a small garden where I could make out cabbages.

                                                                                                  Sancista 7 Crossroads