CROSSROADS UNIVERSITY Fall 2016 Issue

CROSSROADS University

Fall 2016

PASSING DOWN THE ROOT, ONE COURSE AT A TIME IN THIS ISSUE

It’s that time of year again, when we prepare to say goodbye to the dog days of summer and welcome in the cool breezes and vibrant colors of the fall season. Halloween and Day of the Dead are right around the corner, and soon we will be stepping into the shadows with the Ancestors, lifting the veil, peering into the world of the Invisibles, all the while dancing to the rhythms of the crossroads drums.

In this issue, I wanted to speak to our students about two things I think are important topics of study: Working in the Field and Ancestor Reverence. Both of these concepts are primary in our curriculum, and when implemented and practiced, serve to strengthen the power of the root when held in the students’ hands.

Working in the field is a foundational practice for a rootworker. We believe that to be a

rootworker you have to dig roots, gather plants, and otherwise “get your hands dirty.” That’s not to say you can’t buy your supplies from a reputable supplier. You absolutely can, and most modern conjure workers will. Even in the not so distant past there were the “swampers” who were the ones who went into the swamps and the wilderness to gather the herbs, roots, and plants and sold them to the local pharmacies and conjure doctors in the cities. Some of our students find themselves liking this idea and adopting this role. Some of them end up supplying to others and others simply do it to keep their own medzin chest stocked. Nearly all of our students never see the world the same way again once they go on their first swamper walk and learn to see their environment with the swamper’s eye.

As the traditions we teach are African and Indigenous American based ancestral traditions, it makes sense to revisit the topic of Ancestor reverence on a regular basis. In this issue, I have attempted to explain the reasons why Ancestor reverence is so vital in our lives and suggest simple ways to pay homage to them.

May the Ancestors guide and protect your every step!

In the Field Summer is a prime time for wildcrafting and gathering roots. Using a field journal to document your activities can be just what the conjure doctor ordered.

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Ancestor Reverence Building an ancestral altar is not difficult to do, but it does require preparation, intention, and effort.

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Welcome Back! by Denise Alvarado

As summer ends and fall begins, Crossroads University gears up for an exciting new season of conjure. And, you just never know who might show up…

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Field work is a primary activity for students attending Crossroads University, and summertime is a prime time for wildcrafting and gathering roots no matter where you are in the world. Our experiential assignments give students plenty of opportunity to get out in the field and explore what is available in their local regions. We firmly believe in the concept that in order to call yourself a rootworker, you have to be willing to…well…dig roots.

Why is Fieldwork Important? Do you know what magic and medicine grow in your backyard? Or in your local park, forest or nearby mountains? You would be very surprised at what grows beneath your feet and towers above your head. Fieldwork requires you to get outside and take a look around you. It helps you to develop an intimate relationship with the tools of your trade. Most importantly, it helps you to develop a healthy respect for Mother Earth, whom we must honor in our workings. She is, after all, our oldest earthly, living Ancestor.

The Field Notebook Using a field notebook to document your findings and works is an invaluable practice. You would be surprised at how many times you think you remember what time of year a particular plant grows, or when a particular plant blooms, or what a particular herb looks like, only to find that when you need the information, you can’t remember the details at all! So get into the habit of keeping your field notebook with you to keep track of all your wonderful discoveries in the field.

Be sure to take notes for every activity. Jot down your thoughts and feelings, and when out in the field on assignment, make note of anything significant. These things can and often do affect the outcome of any working. Writing down your observations will help you identify trends and provide insight into your state of mind and being while performing certain activities. You may find in the future that these notes come in handy. Some things to note:

• Time of day you engage in an activity

• Day of the week • Place of activity • Weather • The state of the place of activity

(i.e. cluttered home, barren landscape, in a field, in a country cemetery, etc.)

• Who is present • Name of the activity • Date • How you are feeling (tired, happy,

sad, mad, hungry, etc). • Animals around you • Buildings • Plants and trees around you

A great conjure doctor is acutely aware of everything going on around them. They observe even while doing. This allows them to see opportunities that arise in events and in the people around them. For example, if you have a boss that needs fixin', you can amplify your work if you know the time of day when he or she is most busy, overwhelmed or seemingly stressed. These observed vulnerabilities can be used as strategic times to lay a trick. Make a note of these types of observations in your notebook.

CONTACT US

Did you know your instructors are available to you via text messaging? Text us any time with questions, concerns, or just to check in!

You can find our contact information in the Crossroads University Facebook group and in the course websites.

In the Field by Denise Alvarado

Journal Tips

This is an excerpt from a page from a Mequaki medicine man documenting the use of Lobelia root as a love charm.

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At Crossroads University, we teach that ancestor reverence is the single most important thing a person can do to ensure success in any ritual endeavor. Ancestor reverence is where it all starts. If you want to practice an African-derived tradition and wish to skip over this foundational teaching and instead grab a doll or a candle, then you will never understand what that tradition is all about. The African-derived traditions and indigenous traditions in general are borne of ancestor-based cultures. We are the literal breath of our Ancestors; all we are is because of them, and we are the vessels through which our Ancestors evolve and elevate.

Who Are the Ancestors? There are essentially three kinds of Ancestors: blood ancestors, cultural ancestors and regional ancestors. Blood ancestors are those who share our direct biological bloodline: grandparents, great grandparents, aunts, and uncles, for example. In Ifá, the spirits of departed ancestors - whether related by blood or religious lineage – are referred to as Egun, meaning bones. It is believed that we continually incarnate through our ancestral bloodline. When a person is born, a Babalawo will divine which Ancestor has been born, or rather, who has returned, through the birth of the child. Knowledge of seven generations of your Ancestors is important in this context. Elevation of the Ancestors is also important for this reason. Ancestor elevation is what heals the toxic and breaks generational curses. Returning again and again gives our Ancestors a chance to continue to grow and evolve. It is a somewhat complex topic and one that we explore in our courses and in special chat sessions with our resident Babalawo, Baba Eli.

Cultural ancestors are those who share your culture. In New Orleans Voodoo, one may remember the historical figures that have gone on before us who have a positive influence on our lives. People like Marie Laveaux and Doctor John would be considered cultural Ancestors. Geographical ancestors are those who lived and died in the same geographic location as where you were born. They traversed the same ground as you, sat under the same trees, swam in the same waters and are buried in the local cemeteries. You may call upon these Ancestors for assistance when needed.

Help! I’m Adopted! For those who are unable to find their direct lineage due to adoption or a lack of information, cultural and geographical ancestors can fill in the blanks. Furthermore, we are all related ultimately; thus, your ancestors are my ancestors and my ancestors are your ancestors in its purest sense. Adoption is an issue quite a few students find as a challenge when doing our ancestor assignments. We are prepared to help anyone who is adopted to begin their Ancestor reverence, and other students with similar situations are more than happy to help, as well.

How to Honor your Ancestors Among the Yoruba in Africa, it is commonplace for people to make regular contact with the spirits of their ancestors. Most people have ancestral shrines within their homes and participate in community ancestor rituals. This is where the formal communication, interaction and petitioning of the ancestors occurs. Here in the United States, many people construct ancestor altars in their homes and honor their ancestors through daily acts of devotion, as well. A simple

libation consisting of pouring water on the ground is an easy and wonderful way to honor the Ancestors. Making a pot of beans from scratch is another way to honor your ancestors. Setting a plate at the dinner table and offering a taste of all that is served is another easy way. This is a common practice in Ifa and also a common practice in Native American traditions – “We eat, they eat…we drink, they drink.” In fact, food is one of the strongest links to the Ancestors that exists. Any time you make a pot of stew that was your grandmother’s recipe, for example, you are reinforcing that link to your ancestors and creating a stronger bond. Making that same pot of stew with this awareness in mind - as a deliberate act of Ancestor reverence – makes the connection that much more powerful and meaningful. Come to think of it, pots are one of the strongest existing cultural artifacts linking to ancestral memory. Pots are literal and figurative containers of knowledge, culture, and wisdom. Think about it. Ancestral pots, food pots, chamber pots, broken pots on the graves of the Dead, copper pots, water pots, clay pots, women and pots, pot bellies, smoking pot – and dare I mention a tea pot- each of these pots hold a multitude of ancestral stories linking past with present, them to us.

Ancestor Reverence by Denise Alvarado

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How to Make an Ancestor Altar There are many different ways to build an ancestral altar depending on lineage and tradition. In Espiritismo, there is the boveda. In Yoruba, it is common to bury ancestors under the floors of the family home. In New Orleans, we have our infamous above ground tombs and catacombs in our many Cities of the Dead. The tomb of the ancestor is the foundation of the ancestral shrine. We also have ancestor pots. In the past, ancestor pots that were encountered by the Portuguese in Africa were referred to as fetishes. But I digress… Building an ancestral altar is not difficult to do, but it does require preparation, intention, and effort. The first step is preparation.

Prepare Your Sacred Space The very first thing that should be done is to clear the area of any and all clutter. In Ifá, as well as some Native traditions, a space filled with clutter invites spiritual Negative Nancies. Meddlesome spirits love clutter and disorganization. In the Native way, a cluttered, dirty home is one that will be passed over by the spirits that would otherwise bestow blessings upon the home.

Smudge Your Space After the space is cleaned physically, it needs to be cleansed spiritually. This can be done by washing the floors and wiping down surfaces with a spiritual wash of some kind like Florida Water and smudging the area with sage or cedar smoke. To smudge the area, you can use a sage bundle or place sage leaves in an abalone shell or another fireproof dish and light them. You may use any number of incenses for this purpose as well, such as Palo Santo, Sandalwood, or Seven African Powers incense.

If you are using and herbal smudge, you should say a prayer to the spirit of the herbs and tell them what you want them to do. I was taught to whisper gently into the herbs. Some people speak more forcefully. I think this is just a matter of what works best for you. End with breathing on the smudge with the word “ashé” (pronounced ah-shay). This indicates an ending to the prayer.

Following the prayer, light the smudge and wait until the flame has diminished, leaving a cloud of smoke. The smoke is fanned with a large feather, but you can just use your hand if you do not have a smudging feather. Smudge the four corners of the room from top to bottom and the center of the room top to bottom. All of the items used on the altar and the table or surface that will function as your altar should be smudged as well. The container you use to smudge the area should be kept on the altar and used only for keeping the sacred space cleansed. When you are doing this, you should focus your mind and intention on

the task at hand and refrain from being distracted by other people, activities and negative emotions such as jealousy, anger and hate. When you are done cleansing the space, smudge yourself starting in the front and at the top of your head going down to your toes.

Construct the Altar Now you are ready to construct your altar. To create an altar, you will need:

• A table, flat stone, or shelf • White cloth • Photos and mementos of your

ancestors • White candle • Glass or crystal bowl of water • Fresh-cut flowers • Incense • A portion of each meal of the

day

TYPES OF EGUN In Ifá, the ancestors are categorized into more than three groups:

• Egun baba/lya: Souls of our immediate family.

• Egun ilu: souls of the founders of a clan or community/town

• Egun idile: souls of one’s relations/blood lineage

• Egun eleko: Spirits of friends met in past lives.

• Egun enia sasa: Souls of great priest/priestess/famous people

• Abiku: Souls of children who die during or after childbirth

• Ebora: The spirits of fire and lava.

• Eleye/Aje: Witches • Oso: Souls of warlords and

indigenous medicine men. • Egun gun olufe: Souls of

Babalawos • Egun Igi: Souls that inhabit

trees

Source: https://sites.google.com/site/theyorubareligiousconcepts/egungun-the-ancestors

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• A dish with nine different types of earth, including graveyard dirt

Drape the white cloth over the table or shelf. If using a stone, leave it bare. Place the glass bowl of water in the center of the table and the white candle behind the bowl. Arrange the photos, mementos, flowers, and dish of earth on the altar in a manner that pleases you. The plate of food should go in front of the bowl of water. You can add a small white candle directly into the food, as well.

Light the incense and your candle and offer it to the four sacred directions—east, west, north, and south—then place it behind the bowl of water. Begin speaking to your ancestors by introducing yourself. You can now talk to your ancestors about your problems and ask them for guidance. When you are finished, offer them the food and drink and thank them for listening. Take a moment and meditate on your life, focusing on your blessings and abundance. Visualize passing on all that is good to your ancestors who have gone before you and to those yet to come. To conclude, pour water on the ground and say: “I give thank for the wisdom of the ancestors. Let it be so.” At any time, you can focus on the positive aspects of your loved ones and pour water for them. Do this daily or weekly, while saying their names out loud. You can remember them by offering them some of the food you eat every day. A point of clarification: we do not worship our ancestors. We honor and respect them, and ask for their guidance.

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ESSENTIAL CROSSROADS UNIVERSITY

Swag Find essential swag and a few handy tools to assist your rootworking and conjure doctoring

efforts at the Crossroads University Spirit Shop.

CROSSROADS UNIVERSITY POCKET FIELD JOURNAL

Handy for the rootworker and stylish to boot, these handmade pocket journals are the perfect accessory to keep your notes organized. Printed in full color on 100% acid-free recycled paper, you can select from blank, lined, grid, or checklist style page inserts for use in recipe keeping, note taking, or field work! 48 pages.

CROSSROADS UNIVERSITY MESSENGER BAG ROOTWORK LABEL

Take it biking, take it in the field, or take it to work; the custom Crossroads University Messenger Bag is the only bag you’ll need for your daily conjure adventures. Designed with rugged/weatherproof construction, this bag will stand up to your day and withstand indoor and outdoor conditions.

Our custom designed Rootwork labels are meant to assist you in organizing your finds. Circle the category, document the date and location, and make any notes of importance for quick reference.