AN OP-ED ON INITIATION
I was a part of an interesting online discussion last week about something called the Abramelin Rite. I am going to assume everyone reading this may not know what Abramelin is, and so will give the short-story version. Abramelin is an initiation ritual that has a six and eighteen month version of itself. The end result (or, is it the beginning?) is that you receive your Guardian Angel IN your head for the rest of your life. This rite is considered the beginning of a lifelong practice of magic as well. You connect with your Angel then go about procuring demonic familiars and a general command over chthonic spirits.
The reason I am bringing it up, though, has to do with my own general sense about people’s perceptions of in-depth initiations. In our contemporary time, we tend to have two versions of initiations. The newest comes from the New Age tradition, and to me this aspect of New Age has become an overculture that dominates the view of what an initiation is. What I mean by that is that you can go through a distance-learning process of initiation to a spirit or tradition and then practice it, usually within a day or a few hours time. I am not knocking this. It is its own spirituality, and it works for some people.
But, as I said, the beliefs around this sort of initiation process is dominating the minds of people and becoming the gold standard through which other initiation processes are considered. So much so that they are bringing that perspective into ages-old processes that are more indigenous. Thus, there is an uptick in folks asking if there are shortcuts and ways to procure something like an Abramelin Guardian Angel or Orisha without going through the hassle of an in-depth process.
Yes, indigenous initiations are a hassle, and that hassle is precisely why it is not for everyone. I think even some of us indigenous practitioners know this is how our ways are perceived, and sometimes we too will capitulate toward these New Agey notions. I actually saw someone advertising a virtual initiation and revelation of secrets of the Congo spiritual tradition. Based on me knowledge of Congo spirituality, that is not even possible from a distance. But I know people will jump on it, and then end up coming to someone like me to fix what breaks when they do. Lordt!
To these ends, I am going to speak to the process of becoming a Santero. Not the secret stuff, but what it takes. It is public knowledge that a person who chooses to become a priest in any Orisha tradition goes through a seven-day rite, then spends a year in white with a LOT of restrictions on their personal life. But, it is far more than that! The process takes years to complete.
The first step is you enter into an Orisha house. For that to even happen, the Godparent-to-be must bring you before their Head Orisha, and they divine to see if that Orisha even wants you in their house. If they say no, it’s a no. The no could be for different reasons. One could be that Orisha is not your life path. This bucks a lot of our egos. Most of us want what we want. But this is the beginning of an important reality check: you are not in control of your process in the Orisha world. The no could also be that you are not a fit for that house, or vice versa. If you get this sort of no, take it seriously. It is acceptable to also ask why if you’re not told why.
If you make it past that step, then you soon after arrange for receiving your elekes. These are the pretty beads you see Orisha devotees wear. As you are preparing for that entry-level initiation, your godparent will start to teach you espiritismo. I have written extensively on espiritismo already. But espiritismo in the Derived African traditions is how we compensate for losing the connection to our Egungun ancestor reverence due to American slavery and European colonialism. The ancestors are foundational in Orisha traditions, so much so that you will not progress if you do not develop your mediumship with them.
I have had people come to me with spiritual problems from houses that fixate on Orisha and almost ignore eggun/ancestors. 90% of the problems these people bring is because there are unaddressed problems with their ancestors. In some cases, their ancestors were never consulted to see if they even gave blessings for them to engage the Orisha tradition. They then have to fix what is wrong with their eggun to be able to progress spiritually. I have seen this so much as a diviner that I know it is a problem.
This first part alone can take a few years. In addition to these issues, you will be working on yourself from the moment you step into an Orisha house. The self-work never ends and actually INTENSIFIES the further you go into the tradition. Each initiatory step also means more is expected of your behavior.
Also, and this part I have written about a bit too, this whole time from beginning to priesthood, you will be at a lot of ceremonies working your ass off. A Kariocha ceremony to make someone a priest takes the entire community. You will be tired and exhausted from ceremonies that last 12+ hours, well into the night. Then you come back a few hours later and have worship, which can last another half day. That whole time you will be working and doing whatever a priest asks you to do. And none of that changes when you are a priest.
The next step is to receive your Warriors. This step means you now have Orishas you have to bond with and take care of. Here is where you learn what it means to have Orisha in your life. You also start learning the sacred songs, the chief sacred prayer, and also how to divine with them. This period of time you are receiving a lot of information that takes time and study to achieve proficiency.
The final step (for most) is making Ocha, becoming a priest. There are other steps prior to this, and a few after, depending on your personal destiny. But the time between receiving Warriors and becoming a Santero will take a few years. There is a ton of learning to do, on top of the fact that you need to put in the time of working ceremonies. You work ceremonies because they are where you learn the tradition. When you sit around plucking chickens with priests, they talk about some of the secrets. Who Orishas are. How they do what they do. And when you go to a worship session, the Orishas will also come down and tell you that they see your heart and faith for the tradition.
The entire process toward the crowning of an Orisha on your head takes five years minimum. I believe my process toward priesthood was more like 7 or 8 years. Other indigenous traditions are much the same. I heard that Candomble is even longer, and that you don’t even get to take your Orishas into your house until your godparent says you’re ready to!
Finally, the other thing often not said is that priesthood is not meant for everyone. Not everyone needs to become a priest to fulfill their destiny. Many do not progress beyond the step of initiation into the tradition because that is all they need.
All of this is why Santeros and Santeras do an eye roll when people say they have an Orisha fully in their life. Yes, they can be with you spiritually. But being with a person spiritually does not equate to having them the way an initiated Santero has them. No one “has” them unless they go through the initiations. The steps are in place for a reason. Your soul has to be aligned with the energies for it all to even work. The Crown must sit properly on the Head, and it is a heavy Crown! There is no shortcut or workaround.
It is not wise to try to shortcut an initiation to a Head Spirit. The same danger exists in Abramelin. You are building the power and authority to be able to command the demonic host, including the big demons like Satan and Astaroth. Why in the world would you want to shortcut that and not receive the medicines fully? Resist the urge of New Age processes dictating how we all should practice. They have a truth, but it is not the whole truth, nor is it universal. The medicine of initiation is there for us so we can achieve our destiny. Don’t let anyone take that from you.
