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A collection of ConjureMan Ali's thoughts about magic, the occult, and spirituality.



Thursday, June 28, 2012

At the Crossroads by Scarlet Imprint

Scarlet Imprint has just opened up their new title, At the Crossroads, for pre-order. This book is an anthology that involves the intersection of the new world and old world magics. It focuses on the interaction between the African diasporic traditions with the European traditions.

It has pieces by some amazing authors like Nicholaj de Mattos Frisvold, Jake Stratton-Kent, Michael Cecchetelli, my fellow AIRR member, Balthazar, Christopher Bradford, by yours truly, and many other familiar names.  I don't think ever before has there been a gathering of such varied backgrounds from initiates of Vodou and Lukumi, to Tatas of Palo and Kimbanda, from Conjure Doctors, to Goetic Necromancers. The intellectual baby of this august gathering is certainly fated to be interesting, insightful, and deeply impactful.

It is a book worth checking out for those interested in either the African diasporic traditions or the goetic and grimoire traditions of Europe. The focus of this anthology is significant to today's current occult interests and will likely have an important impact on the direction occult study will take in the decades to come and I am not just saying that because it contains an article written by me ;-).

You can preorder your copy here

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Quimbanda: A Brief Introduction

Quimbanda is an Afro-Brazilian cult that is growing in popularity here in the United States thanks in large part to the stellar works of Nicholaj de Mattos Frisvold. It has always been a significant part of Brazilian culture and its history and impact on the rest of the Afro-Brazilian religions is worthy of anthropological study.

The term "Quimbanda" comes from the Kimbundu work "ki-mbanda" which refers to a healer-diviner involved in a cult of possession. The root of this cult is with spiritual practices of the Kongo and Angola which was colonized by the Portuguese and bought to the new world via African slaves transported to Brazil.

The kimbanda and nganga priests that were brought to Brazil formed Calunda cults that revolved around possession by Kongo fire spirits and working with the forces of Kalunga. Along with the Macumba practices these Calunda (also sometimes called Cabula) cults formed the basis of Quimbanda.

Macumba, an often derogatory term, was used to refer to black magic or the sorcerous practices of Afro-Brazilians. These practices were heavily influenced by Kongo sorcery, European witchcraft, and Amerindian or Caboclo shamanism. The firey Bantu spirits that formed the core of the Calunda cults became the masters of macumba and from this was born the cult of Quimbanda which can be seen in contrast to Umbanda, a separate religion that resulted from the dividing of macumba.

In the 1920's the medium Zelio formed the religion of Umbanda which took some of the spirits of its predecessor Macumba and Calunda and restrained them under the power of various Orixa, Caboclo, Saints, and Preto Velhos. In contrast, Quimbanda was relegated to the "left" and was viewed as a cult of darkness and fire. It would be more accurate, however, to view Quimbanda as a preservation of the older cults of Calunda and the practices of macumba and therefore a preservation and continuation of Bantu magic and religion.

Quimbanda works with two enties, who in of themselves are legions, Exu and Pomba Gira. These two spirits are highly complex spirits whose nature is often difficult to convey into words. Ultimately however they are spirits of night and fire tied to natural sites of powers and lines of spiritual ancestry. They are called upon to carry out works of magic and divination. True to its Bantu roots, Quimbanda is a cult of posession in which Exu and Pomba Gira ride the mediums and Tata and provide prophecy, give advice and consultation to their devotees, and perform healings and magic.

These spirits are renown for their devestating power and are often called the kings and queens of reality as a result of their ability to manifest the desires and petitions of their devotees with amazing speed. It is this speed and efficacy that has garnered their reputation as hot spirits. Exu and Pomba Gira are also reputed to be amoral, but this should not be confused with immoral or evil. These spirits do not judge those who come to them and will just as swiftly work for spells of healing and mending as they will for spells of break ups and destruction. But Exu and Pomba Gira are wise just as they are powerful and they are just as ready to teach as they are to work magic, if one has the courage to listen to what they have to say.

Given their complex and often hot nature, working with Exu and Pomba Gira  is one that should not be done without proper guidance and consultation from an initiate. There is a proper protocol to working with these spirits who are very big on respect.

Just like its spirits, Quimbanda as a cult has a fierce reputation for being a cult of powerful sorcery and necromancy. While the fire of Quimbanda cannot be denied; its potential for providing wisdom and sustenance for the spirit that thirsts for primal truths also cannot be denied. Quimbanda, like its Bantu roots, does not discriminate between spiritual elevation and material happiness. A blessed person is one who is spiritually evolved *and* one who is provided for physically. This is what the cult of Quimbanda offers and promises.

In the end, Quimbanda is a spiritual tree born of an ancient Kongo seed, planted in Brazilian soil, nourished with European and Native American influences that blossomed into the force it is today--a cult of spirits of night and fire giving wisdom and power to life.



Monday, June 11, 2012

Join Me Today on Candelo's Corner

Today I will be the guest on Candelo's Corner, a prominent radio show revolving around Palo and the ATRs. Join me today at 5pm pacific/ 8pm Eastern as we talk about Hoodoo and the ATRs.

If you have a blogtalk radio account be sure to log in so that we can talk in the chatroom. You can join us here.

You can learn more about Candelo's Corner here.