spiritualist in benin city

Peter McCawille, SMA, was working in Benin City. His son Esigie controlled Benin City, while another son, Arhuaran, was based in the equally important city of Udo about twenty miles away. View the profiles of professionals named "Spiritual Healer" on LinkedIn. Filbert knew of an important Voodoo ceremony occurring in Cotonou. spiritualist in benin citypapa smurf tattoo. Her second husband, Frank Sweeney, died in 1987. 2. His twosons, Paul, born in December 1951 and his younger brother, Brian, born in November 1953, just after his father had gone to Nigeria, were not old enough to fully understand the circumstances surrounding their dads death at the age of 37. Some Voodoo priests use herbs to cure the sick - and possibly to poison enemies. People across West Africa, especially Togo, Ghana and Nigeria hold similar beliefs but in Benin it is recognised as an official religion, followed by some 40% of the population. Spiritualist belief developed during the early decades of the movement. A miraculous spiritual adventure to Benin City | Society of African It remains an important source of palm kernels, palm oil, and lumber. The next day I would witness something extraordinary. Two brothers, Joe and Ger, and a sister, Eileen Irwin, still reside in Castlebar. These gatherings evolved into the Sunday church services that became common in spiritualist churches in the 20th century. Water, quartz and cowry shells were also heaped on the cast beads. McCawille in the cemetery on Wednesday, 10th March, to which all those local people who had helped in finding the grave were invited. Brian, Sr. was born in 1917 into a family of 9 boys and 5 girls. Across Africa, the practice of divination is a way of knowing that is widely used and widely varied. By the 1100s, the Edo people gained independence from the Ogisos. I wandered the city's caramel-coloured, sandy streets, noting sumptuous architectural landmarks such as the Portuguese Fort built in 1721 to administer slave transportations, and Afro-Brazilian mansions of emancipated slaves returning from the Americas. Thanks to the kindness and co-operation of the Chief Executive of the Hospitals Management Board, Dr. M. A. Osumah, and the Secretary, Mr Ofure Oriafor, the grave was located. I would like to say thanks once again. On the initial visit the place was overgrown with tall grass and it was impossible to recognise any graves. As he told me about Voodoo's living dead we consumed Johnny Walker whisky. Benin: A Country Armed With Powerful Spirituality - YouTube Died at Auchi. IGHODARO AYELALA SPIRITUAL TEMPLE Nigeria company profile - address A musty odour reeks from dehydrated bits of crocodile snouts, hippos' feet, pigs' penises, whole chameleons, pangolins, and (look away pet-lovers) cat and dog heads. The residents also participated in Benin City's prosperous trade market. Although the specific age of the home is unknown, the architectural style suggests it was built in the mid to late 1800s. : WELCOME TO EEK OF SPIRITUAL EMPHASIS | THURSDAY | 08-04-2021 The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user. As reported by The Guardian, Benin city was virtually free from crime, and its residents never went hungry. Brian began his quest for information about the whereabouts of the grave by contacting the Colonial Office in London. 6 talking about this. In 1843, English Methodists began in Benin spreading among the Gun people from the coastal region. However, today's Benin City remains one of Nigeria's most prosperous centers of trade. In a village north of Ouidah, the group met with a. The syncretism of Beninese religious life ensured some would be worshipping animist deities later that day. I politely refused seconds. Voodoo Day is a public holiday and there is a national Voodoo museum. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. After two days in a taxi with a driver called Filbert, the coastal plain subsided to a rippling landscape of green bush and ochre roads, studded by granite hills. In Benin, Christianity is the most practiced religion with more than half of the entire Christian group belonging to Roman Catholicism. The funeral Mass took place on 22nd March, 1954 at Holy Cross Cathedral. The oba became the supreme political, judicial, economic, and spiritual leader of his people, and he and his ancestors eventually became the object of state cults that utilized human sacrifice in their religious observances. For all of us gathered around the grave it was a rare moment of great celebration and intense joy. Fa divination retains its popularity because many believe it really works, and a consultation is not usually viewed as conflicting with other religious views, such as Christianity. McCawille with his request for information. Iya,as it is popularly called by Binis, is the largest man-made earthworks in the world. Authority and power are affirmed through observing ancestral veneration rituals. At The Tree of Forgetfulness, Remi explained how "slaves would circle nine times to magically forget everything, so they weren't sad in their new lives.". Tradition asserts that the Edo people became dissatisfied with the rule of a dynasty of semimythical kings, the ogisos, and in the 13th century they invited Prince Oranmiyan of Ife to rule them. A Christian worship service inside the Cotonou Cathedral. The palace, which is centrally situated at the heart of the city, was erected by . In 1974, the Guinness Book of Records recognized the historic Benin City for its extensive network of walls, which surrounded the entire kingdom and divided it into nearly 500 separate villages. And despite myHammer House of Horrorexpectations, not a drop of sacrificial blood was spilled, nor did any eye-bulging zombies grace the affair. Portuguese captain Lourenco Pinto, who visited Benin City in 1691, said "Great Benin is larger than Lisbon; all the streets run straight and as far as the eye can see. Amid the British Punitive Expedition, Commander R. H. Bacon disputed reports that Benin was a productive, modern, and civilized city. Spiritualism in Benin What is Spiritualism? Chatwin's narrative of bloodthirsty African kings, slavery, and French and Portuguese ambitions, is enthralling. The Non-Catholic Christians in Benin include Jehovah's Witness, Rosicrucians, Methodists, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Unification Church, Assemblies of God, Seventh-day Adventist, Celestial Christians, and Baptists. The palace, which was declared one of Nigeria 's UNESCO Listed Heritage sites in 1999, is an architectural wonder. It was designed to be worn suspended on the chest or hips during important ceremonies by the two large side hoops framing the face. In 2020, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival will feature a program about the West African nation of Benin and how communities connect to their environment through spirituality and traditional knowledge. We passed coachloads of white-robed Christians fresh from celebrating the apparition of the Virgin Mary at Dassa-Zoume. Other variants of the system are found across the region, a result of its dynamic history. It communicated to visiting ambassadors, traders, courtiers, and subjects the power and wealth of the Oba (the king). Fr. The work you done on evil spirit it's unbelievable. Tradition asserts that the Edo people became dissatisfied with the rule of a dynasty of semimythical kings, the ogisos, and in the 13th century they invited Prince Oranmiyan of Ife to rule them. Her tomb is still displayed near the Oba market in Benin City. The city also manufactures furniture and produces beer and soft drinks. VideoOn board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry, Indian officials wife distraught as his killer is freed, I didnt think make-up was made for black girls, Why there is serious money in kitchen fumes. Blood is a nourishing force, one that builds community as it is shared between and among humans and spirits. As reported by The Guardian, the walls were largely destroyed during the Benin Punitive Expedition of 1897, and no known trace of the walls remain in the modern Benin City. The client purchases ingredients as determined by the diviner, and the diviner prepares and executes the sacrifice, accompanied by sung and chanted prayer. Benin City has a renowned teaching hospital and a number of factories. If you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health, drawing on spiritual energies or forces through spiritual healing in Benin can be extremely beneficial. Benin City | History & Facts | Britannica Spiritual healing can be very empowering for the client, as there is a desire on the healers part to enable each person to heal themselves. However, prior to 1897, the network of walls was nearly 10,000 miles in total length and enclosed more than 4.000 square miles of land. Some simply scared the crowd. King Ghezo's intricately carved throne rests upon four skulls of rival chiefs while beyond all taste (amid fine Portuguese silks and British cut-glass decanters) is a royal flywhisk assembled from a human cranium attached to a horsetail. This is far from the truth. Animals are often sacrificed in order to bring good luck. As Pope Benedict XVI visits Benin, widely seen as the home of Voodoo, Virgile Ahissou from BBC Afrique explains the reality behind what is often a misunderstood religion. For more information about spiritual healing in Benin, please feel free to contact our friendly team of experts today! Late in the 13th century, royal power began to assert itself under the oba Ewedo and was firmly established under the most famous oba, Ewuare the Great (reigned c. 144080), who was described as a great warrior and magician. Roman Catholic Christians account for 27% of Benin's population. To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. No matter whether your intention is rooted in the physical, emotional, or spiritual, while the healing transmission occurs your body, mind, and spirit re-emanate and heal at the deepest essential levels. But, as my guidebook informed, Mami Wata is the mermaid-like goddess of water who 'offers happiness and fortune to those with courage to meet her at the seaside'. 13th19th century). They started to swop stories and mention of his dads death in Nigeria all those years ago nurtured in Brians mind the desire to locate his fathers grave. b. See more information about the objects on Learning Lab. Brianssudden death was a huge blow to his wife, Patricia, who is still hale and hearty and living in her native Dublin, and the other members of his family. Brian contacted Fr. Averting my eyes, it brushed its horsehair flywhisk across my face. Although spiritualist practices have been motivated by mere curiosity and fascination with the supernatural, they have also been driven by more serious concerns about the fate of the human soul. "The priests pray for bad spirits to fly away," said a neighbouring man, before a shriek rippled the now feverish crowd. The strong involvement of emotion in both the acceptance and the rejection of spiritualism has made it difficult to appraise impartially the evidence for and against it. Islam in Benin accounts for 24% of the population. His Dahomian lineage was restored in 1995 after Marxist government rule ended and although his powers are limited these days, he's a charming man. I lost all my hopes getting rid of this evil spirit after trying many years get rid of him but you made the impossible thing into possible and that is out of our life. Brian, Sr. was born in 1917 into a family of 9 boys and 5 girls. The Magnetists had specialized in spiritual healing and the public demonstration of magnetic phenomena (which included hypnotism). However, they realized they still needed a leader. First National Spiritual Assembly of Nigeria, 1970. spiritualist synonyms, spiritualist pronunciation, spiritualist translation, English dictionary definition of spiritualist. As reported by Google Arts and Culture, Oba Ewuape faced harsh criticism and rebellion from the kingdom and chiefs almost immediately after his appointment. However, upon further inspection, they realized there were clear patterns in the architecture and the actual layout of the city. 1504; the son of Ewuare) and Esigie (early to mid-16th century; the son of Ozolua), who enjoyed good relations with the Portuguese and sent ambassadors to their king. From the 15th through the 18th century Benin carried on an active trade in ivory, palm oil, and pepper with Portuguese and Dutch traders, for whom it served as a link with tribes in the interior of western Africa. As reported by Black Past, Benin City still has an Oba, who fulfills a traditional cultural role and participates in local and federal governmental proceedings. The Voodoo spiritual world consists of Mahou, the supreme being and about 100 divinities - or Voodoos - who represent different phenomena, such as war and blacksmiths (Gou), illness, healing and earth (Sakpata), storms, lightning and justice (Heviosso) or water (Mami Wata). Joseph Omesa (later Monsignor) replaced him. It has none of the negative connotations it has in the West and many of those who are officially Christian or Muslim also incorporate some Voodoo elements into their beliefs, especially in times of crisis. 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Copyright 2023 - Yasseen Spiritualist - All rights reserved. When Mami Wata'sVoodoosis(followers) filed in, predominately women in white robes, I was very excited. Rituals, related to the Benin cosmic view form an intrinsic part of life. communication is possible between the material world and the spirit-world under certain Spiritualism - Belief and practice | Britannica I sensed the Voodoo floodgates were opening. A harmonious female choir sang beautifully and gyrated before the head priest who sat with an ivory cane beneath an inflatable Santa Claus. Possessed by the dead, men wore flamboyant sequin-spangled capes adorned with animal and human motifs. A pioneer Missionary to the North America born on the 16th June 1947 at Iguogie, in Benin City. Contrary to the British troops' description of the Benin Kingdom, other visitors described the city as civilized and clean. The term has been applied to traditional African religions.. May Brian Senior rest in peace until the day of the Resurrection. The Slave Trade, Depopulation and Human Sacrifice in Benin History. In The Slave Trade, Depopulation and Human Sacrifice in Benin History, author James D. Graham recounts Commander Bacon's impression of Benin City. Spiritual guidance questions and answer sessions by Dr. James L. Thompkins and Dr. Leon Moss: Dr. Leon Moss : www.holy-tab: Spiritual: Iam Ubuntu: I am Ubuntu Ministry is available for the community for worship service. Spiritualism absorbed many of the assumptions of the Magnetist movement but maintained that healings were the result of spirit influence rather than magnetic power. Protestantism and other Non-Catholic Christians in Benin account for 16% of the population. Female leadership and business management has been essential in the history of these churches. If they fail to work in unison, any one of these can place stress on the other parts so the healer, client and spirit all work in harmony to restore the proper flow of energy. Since that time, increasing numbers of people throughout the country have been finding inspiration and guidance in the teachings of Bah'u'llh. The walls around the perimeter of the kingdom were also surrounded by deep moats, which provided Benin with another degree of protection, The Guardian reports Benin's walls were "four times longer than the Great Wall of China, and consumed a hundred times more material than the Great Pyramid of Cheops," and reportedly took the Edo people an "estimated 150 million hours" to complete. According to the most recent 2020 estimate, the population of Benin is 52.2% Christian, 24.6% Muslim, 17.9 Animist and 5.3% follows other faiths or has no religion. Yet what really captivated me were the tales of Voodoo, a practice that is still followed by over 60% of Beninese today and considered the state religion. Spiritual healing in Benin originates in spirit and is a popular practice based on energy flow. largely similar to how they were in the material world, although without any physical Benin City, also called Edo, capital and largest city of Edo state, southern Nigeria. Remi, a local guide, showed me the marketplace where slavers bartered 15 male Africans for one cannon. The kingdoms prosperity declined with the suppression of the slave trade, and, as its territorial extent shrank, Benins leaders increasingly relied on supernatural rituals and large-scale human sacrifices to protect the state from further territorial encroachment. Generations of Dahomian Kings fought internecine wars, maintained female Amazon warriors with a penchant for decapitation, and sold slaves to the Europeans to equip themselves militarily. What's for sale at a Voodoo Fetish Market, West Africa (Shutterstock), More goods on sale at a Voodoo Fetish Market (Shutterstock). True to his word, when Fr McCawillerevisited the cemetery on the Tuesday morning the cemetery was cleared and with the help of some photos that had been taken of the grave shortly after the burial and a name plate which was sent by the extended family and on which were inscribed the words In loving memory of Brian McCormack. 2023 BBC. The other form of Fa divination involves fadekwin, or the sixteen sacred palm nuts. Roman Catholicism is by far the largest religious group in Benin and is followed closely by Islam and Vodun. Once again I was being swept along by a society offering a magical snapshot of life and beliefs before European Christianity arrived. Support the Folklife Festival, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, sustainability projects, educational outreach, and more. Benin City has a renowned teaching hospital and a number of factories. Vodun is the center of the religious life and has female priesthood which can be hereditary being passed down from mother to daughter. The figure disappeared into the night. Bishop Patrick J Kelly of Benin City was present at the mortuary for the removal of Brians remains to the Holy Cross Cathedral in Benin City. Chatwin's narrative of bloodthirsty African kings, slavery, and French and Portuguese ambitions, is enthralling. He explained that diviners can save lives by solving both spiritual and physical problems. I would like to say thanks once again. The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes. On a side street in Mgomilite district, crowds assembled by an abandoned petroleum tanker. Contemporary Fa divination usually involves a divining chain, called an akplekan or an opele, after the seeds out of which it is made. The Royal Palace of the Oba of Benin. Yovo, yovo, bonjour. His son Eweka is regarded as the first oba, or king, of Benin, though authority would remain for many years with a hereditary order of local chiefs. It is quite small at 9.6 inches high, 4.9 inches wide, and 2.4 inches deep (24.5 cm H, 12.5 cm W, and 6 cm D). Religious Beliefs In Benin - WorldAtlas After communing directly with the powerful Dankoli fetish, a further half-day's drive north at Savalou, Filbert and I returned south for my last day in Benin. Photo by Rebecca Fenton. In Benin, descent is patrilineal, as only the father appeals to ancestors on behalf of the family. Omissions? In Benin, Fa is predominantly associated with two ethnic groups, the Fon and the Yoruba. I met an English-speaking teacher called Yvette who took me to see a local Fa reader. "White man,' growled a deep baritone voice, before moving on. A persons condition after death is directly related to the moral quality of his human existence. One of the most notorious of Benin City's sacrifices was Queen Iden, who was the wife of Oba Ewuape. Fr McCawille visited all three searching for any information about the whereabouts of the grave of the late Brian McCormack Snr. Diviner Aboubacar Otunba Taiwo gives an Ifa consultation in Porto Novo, Benin. Written nearly 30 years ago, it tells of Dom Francisco de Silva, a 19th-century Brazilian migrant who became Benin's most notorious slave trader. While we spoke, local television showed a wild-eyed man carrying a slaughtered goat's head in his mouth by its severed neck ligaments. St. Joseph Catholic Church On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry. The harmonious singing commenced, as before, but altogether more frenetic. A core belief of spiritualism is that individuals survive the deaths of their bodies by ascending into a spirit existence. The weaker obas sequestered themselves in their palaces and took refuge in the rituals of divine kingship while indiscriminately granting aristocratic titles to an expanding class of nonproductive nobles.

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