Nsala Malongo,
As I have been very busy with obligations at home and at work it has been hard for me to post and keep putting out information so please understand. Throughout the years as you know we all have grown and have seen Palo flourish but I am worried. A lot of the intermeshing of Palo with other religions has been talking to people around my immediate circle and people abroad. One of my concerns is the Hoodoo phase that many americans have first hand dealings with. Especially in the Bayou, Louisiana an even into Georgia. As many people have Gullah and geeche communities who are heavily are Bantu based some who practice hoodoo but have indigenous practices as well. My fear is and I have seen it are these new charms, Baths, and conjuring bags with names like, siete rayos charm, Or Mama Chola love soap. etc…..
This is not Palo Mayombe this is another marketing scheme with people who are claiming to be practicing religion as Mayombe is more of cultural expression and a free understanding practice yet it generally does not follow dogmatic views. Instead mayombe is a set of Laws based on spiritual ethical and moral views that we put in place to control such debauchery like making a new religious ideological view among other things. I have told people and I keep seeing it that Mayombe is losing a battle to Free Market and enterprise. As much as people like to market their little classes of Palo, and announce on the radios and vehicle through social media. Mayombe and any form of ritual practice can not be explained in an academical view we have to do the teaching in Muna Nso’s. If people get salty by this writing you know my attitude, my number and My I don’t Give a flying Fuck attitude. Mayombe is not a religion of esthetics but the beauty of our practice is in the Natural essence that is Malongo Yaya(mother nature) Unfortunately you have a lot of predatory people in this religion who sell anything to make a quick buck. A few years back we had that bullshit artist who sold you the Ultimate Crown (scbvlm). What a crock of shit!…. You also had all the Bullshit from other practitioners with 101 ceremonies done but master of none.
Interesting enough now its the Hoodoo craze….. Practitioners of a practice please give validity to your beliefs and stop intermeshing cultural beliefs because it is marketable venture. How do you honor those that worked real root and never once knew what the hell was Nsasi or Zarabanda? Yet now it seems a dime of a dozen are now mixing Palo and Hoodoo. Even those hoodoo practitioners who are not even initiated into Palo…. Have some dignity and stop selling a pipe dream.
I am a pragmatic person but I will call bullshit when I see it. That is straight bullshit. To all the serious practitioners of Hoodoo I respect your craft and I am just trying to inform those who are doing this to stop. It is not part of Palo Mayombe.
TATA MUSITU