There are five main sources of power, where any spell caster or wizard receives their authority, in the West African magical tradition. These are the power of the magician in question, the power of nature, the power of the ancestors, the power of spirits, and the power of God. They are used and invoked in almost all African rituals.
1. Power of Wizards
First, in West African magic, from Palo Mayombe to Benin Voodoo, the power of any spell, incantation, or ritual depends on the power of the person performing it. Not everyone can sit down and cast a spell. This is in direct contrast to the notions of Western eclecticism where anyone can study, write, cast and perform a spell.
In West African traditions, magic is performed only by those who have gone through many years of rigorous training. In many cases it may also be necessary for the person to be from a heritage, or family line, of Priests. In certain voodoo traditions in Benin, for example, it is the spirits that determine whether a man or woman will become a priest or priestess. Those who have spiritually inclined relatives are much more likely to be selected than those who do not.
All of this makes African witches have a reputation as some of the most powerful and feared in the world. Few people will tell you that they are afraid of a curse cast by a Wiccan, but if it is from someone who was born and raised in Africa, who studied and learned the native traditions and has risen to a status of esteem and power in his or her respective tradition then the situation changes. The power of the mage is a force to be reckoned with.
2. Power of nature
Africa remains largely rural. Despite widespread urbanization and industrialization, Africa has remained largely rural. This is reflected in the powers and traditions of African magic. Many spells in West African cultures invoke the power of nature. We see this both in the invocation of the spirits of nature and in the preparation of natural remedies to be consumed.
Many will point out that much of Western medicine was initially learned from African traditions: traditional herbal remedies in Africa were found to have great medicinal benefit. But it goes much further than this. Even inert substances, such as meadow grass or raffa, can take on spiritual and magical qualities when used in a ceremony. Blessed natural objects, plants and leaves that would otherwise have no effect on a person, have been shown to have the power to curse and heal, and to render insane or cure insanity.
One of the most common examples is, of course, guiso de atar, a blessed food served by a woman to keep her boyfriend or husband faithful. The natural power to ensure fidelity and stop cheating is found in many African spells.
3. Power of the Ancients
All African magic requires communication with the ancestors. This is why the wizards of Africa who cast the most powerful spells are also those whose fathers and grandfathers, or mothers and grandmothers, cast the most powerful spells. They maintain direct communication and link with their ancestral spirits.
These ancestral spirits will guide the magician in each work or ritual. They will impart instructions and secrets that cannot be learned in any book or from any man. Essentially direct spiritual remedies that are only learned and passed on after one’s own death. That is why communication with the ancestors is essential. They are part of the recipe to perform any spell or ceremony.
The power of the ancestors is also important because they help during the casting of the actual spell. They also give their spiritual power and ability. In Africa, you never have a single man or woman working on a spell. In addition to the living participants, you will also have the ancestors of that man or woman casting the spell along with them. Therefore, the more spiritually powerful the ancestors were, the more spiritual power will go into the ritual. That is why many families in Africa, such as the Remis or Dagbononons, earn a solid reputation for having a long line of healers and spell casters.
4. Power of the Spirits
Petitions to the spirits are essential in any African ritual. The spirits in West Africa are innumerable and not everyone works with, or even knows about, all the spirits that exist in Africa. They are a multitude and cover all aspects of life and death. They also range from small and mischievous spirits to large and powerful entities.
Any given spirit will have many spirits below it that are available to it. It is these spirits who are asked and asked to give their power and will to a spell. It is also these spirits to whom offerings are made. This may be in the form of animal sacrifice, but not all spirits use animal sacrifices. Many spirits accept sacrifices of grain, alcohol, cigarettes, and even small items of monetary value such as coins and beads. This all depends on the spirits that are invoked.
There are spirits that govern all domains of life. The spirits used in a ceremony to cast a love spell are going to be a different group, for the most part, than the spirits used in a ceremony to cast a curse on a person. There are still significant pantheons of spirits that are invoked in almost every spell, but the real keys and secrets to African spells are the spirits they control. The hierarchy of spirits and the spirits below them that go out and do the work. These are the spirits with which only the initiated African Priest or Magician will learn to work.
5. The power of God
All African traditions teach about a single deity, even the spirits are below him. That’s why many Africans have no problem fusing Christianity with traditional spiritual practices. And actually, there is no conflict with Christian practice and most of the spiritual traditions of Africa. Both believe in a single benevolent deity that rules the world. Both believe in their messengers, the Spirits or Angels, and both believe in divine reward and punishment.
God, or Bondye, is always prayed to and called upon in all African ceremonies. God is seen as the origin of all things and also as the ultimate giver of spiritual authority. He is also the first source of life and energy in the world. This means that all power, for good or ill, must originate from this source. That is why prayers to God are offered in each type of spell. Even when he curses an enemy. It is believed that in every action one should honor and consult God.
