Newsgroups: alt.pagan Subject: Real Paganism 1/2 From: mark.leach@netline.co.za (Mark Leach) Date: Sat, 30 Jul 94 00:10:00 +0200 I came on board a while ago to look for some pagan ideas for a book I'm writing -- (not a horror, a romance). I had a lot of fun with various water fights, Invisible Pink Izzy's, Lisa-Ann's brackets, various dragon squashings, ice-cream dunkings, and other not so fun things like JW, Litchfield, and various over-the-top scoldings by people who should know better than to take themselves so seriously. What I didn't get much of, was a sense of strength in paganism western style. Not in numbers, they don't really matter so much, but in real belief and day-to-day usage of it amongst even its professed supporters. Ah well... It seems that western style paganism has lost rather a lot of its vim and vigour over the years. This is not a flame or anything, just a comparison of western paganism (as practiced in USA and Europe) to African paganism. Paganism here in Johannesburg is an everyday, almost universal theosophy that is practiced on a practical basis by people who see no problem in also being christians for some of the time. The basis of the paganism here is ancestor worship, shamanism and various forms of animalism, with the whole thing divided into two sides: the medicine man on the one side and the witch on the other. These are definitely seen as the good and bad sides of this general belief and there is strong support and belief for both sides. Do not confuse the african witch with his or her European equivalent, however, as this would entail offering sympathy where there really should be none due. On the good side (and I don't use these terms emotionally) there is the medicine man or woman (the Sangoma). He or she treats the sick, foretells the future, throws protective spells on people, and offers advice on life and love etc as well as interpreting what the ancestors are saying. To do this usually requires the throwing of the bones, and the administration of "muti". This is pagan medicine and can be bought in many muti shops throughout the cities in the form of powdered herbs and roots, as well as various animal bones and powders. The Sangomas have always looked after the various members of their tribes, and now with westernisation urbanising the tribes, many of these have followed their patients to the cities. This has resulted in the rather incongruous situation where the costs of a visit to the Sangoma for a bad chest (where the remedy might be a sliver of bark punched through the ear lobe and left for several days) can now be claimed for on medical insurance. Muti shops take credit cards and can also be claimed for as medicines on insurance. The main area of muti shops in Johannesburg is right opposite the entrance to the stock exchange -- as if all the voodoo shops in New York were lined up opposite Wall Street -- and muti shoppers mingle with stockbrokers everyday. Most decisions are made only after consultation with the Sangoma as to how the future looks and what the ancestors advise. But most of the Sangoma's business is protecting the clients from the evil spells of the witches. These are evil Sangomas that will use foul spells to harm people. Now I realise that this may sound a little like JW at the moment, "so the bad witches and the good witches use their spells against each other in a never-ending story for little folks...." The thing is, it is a living, breathing religion. Two months ago, three people were found burned at the stake. They had been "sniffed" at a witch-smelling ceremony and promptly executed. In a witch-smelling all the people in the village are gathered together and the medicine man goes into a trance, shaking and shuddering his way through the ranks. Should he "smell" out a witch, that person is immediately gagged, bound to a stake and burned. No talking, no defence, nothing... Instant immolation. Poor witches... Last week, the body of a seven year-old boy was found. This was a typical and fairly common "muti" killing carried out by witches, in that he had been decapitated and his genitals removed. These parts of the body -- especially of a young virgin male child and pubescent virgin girl -- are particularly powerful in the casting of spells. The spells in question are usually those that cause death -- although whether this is due to the power of suggestion or not is really up to the observer. The bodies of the young victims are usually found quite easily as it seems that the knowledge of their murder increases the power of the witches. Poor victims... Thing is -- these deaths took place not 500 years ago in some half- forgotten hamlet in Europe. They took place this year in a war between "good and evil" witchcraft that has gone on for 2 million years. Living in the midst of this intense belief and day-to-day practice of the various forms of witch craft (that were later taken to Haiti, the West Indies and South East USA to become Obeah, Voodoo and Ju-Ju), I have realised that the westernised stuff is a little pale, pastel and plastic. The power seems to have gone out of it to a large extent. [ Continued In Next Message... ] --- SPEED 1.40 [NR] ş Okay, I know I'm paranoid ... but am I paranoid enough? === Subject: Real Paganism 2/2 From: mark.leach@netline.co.za (Mark Leach) Date: Sat, 30 Jul 94 00:10:00 +0200 [ ...Continued From Previous Message ] I don't know -- maybe one shouldn't make comparisons -- they just don't stand up. Anyway, for what its worth and those who give a toss, that's Pagan Africa today. (Well, a veeerrry thin skim off the surface anyway.) Maybe Alt.P people should try living here and experience some real paganism. Wotcher.