Finding an honest Babalow

Hi my name is Michelle and I recently moved to Atlanta from Boston, I was born in Jamaica and have been living in the States for 24 years. my great grandmother was a Obeah woman in Jamaica so I grew up with spiritual knowelege and was raised a Rastafarian. I studied Kemetic Teaching's under Dr Terri Nelson, in Boston. however my root's are in Yoruba and Palo. I am a numerologist, tarot card advisor, astrologist. and have done all sorts of spells. I was inniciated into the Yoruba religion and recived my eleki beads. my Orisha's are Oshun and Obatala. however becoming fully inniciated seem's wrought with politics and greed. all I need at this point is to be inniciated. this summer I will be traveling to Pensulvania to be inniciated in Palo myumbe. I was also recently scratched and told I need to become a Palera. it has been very fustrating for me. being on this path for the last 15 years and practicing. I am also an ordained minister and will be completing my Masters and PHd in Metaphysics later on this year. its my hope to beging my business in healing, teaching and helping people connect to their ancestral powers and Orisha's. without the gimmick, politics and greed. I have a passion for this work and there are a few like me, who once inniciated will go into business together. it is very sad that in these types of religious path's greed, gimmick and politics dominate. while I understand the spirit behind money. it astounds me someone would go to a Babalow and be in forecloser with all utilities turned off and was still being told to come up with money they could not afford to be inniciated. I have heard horror stories from people who came into contact with greedy Babalows and shady Priest and Priestess. it is my hope to help people on their spiritual path regardless of their ability to pay. as for money I know I will be richly blessed as Oshun and Obatala, have already told me. because of the purity of my spirit. well this was just my rant, I'am intrested in hearing from other who have had similar stories.

Iboru Iboya Ibosheshe,
While I may agreed with some of the statements made not everyone is greedy nor prescribe to money as their primary means of making a living. I have been a preist (babalawo) for the last three years and have seen people and charge 3 cents (for those who cannot affort $21.) I work for a living and have two jobs to support myself. Unfortunately, in order to do some jobs for people you need money. Doing initiations does not come cheap. Others will charge you for materials, animals, and other priest and preisteses will charge you for their services. I believe people should pay and invest into their religious ceremonies. Now if you can't afford it and the orishas want you to do osha and it is and emergency then arrangements can be made. It is the godfather or god mothers' responsibility to help the person. I helped an ile (house) where someone needed to do Osha because the person was ill. I freely gave my services for free because of the urgency and so did everyone else I meet. I believe a lot of people will be willing to give as long as they are not abuse. i don't believe in free luinches but I believe even more in giving. We have to keep in mind that the things we used do not come free and some how we need to come up with the money. We can't be abusessive but we can't short change ourselves. I know people that can afford initiatitions and be the first to complain about paying and yet I know people who do not have money and be the first to pay because they recognize the value of what they are getting and they understand ebbo (sacrificio-Sacrifice). Let me not continue. The only tghing I always ask don't judge everyone the same because we are not. We will come across good people and bad people.

Thank you for your reply, I am reffering to me and many other friends who have run into unscrupolous babalows. take for instance my girlfriend who's house was in forecloser, with all her utilities turned off. and the babalow we were dealing with, told her she would not be inniciated and recived her eleki beads unless she had the 250.00 my friend only had 150.00 he claimed the oracle told him she cannot make it unless she had the money. when we got to the babalows house we spent 18 hrs making our own eleki beads, he told us we were supposed to be ogungun priestess and the cost would be 3500 dollers and we also had to journey to Afrika to be finally inniciated. in fact this evening I'am attending a misa with a babalow and his wife who told me the whole ceremony the former babalow did was incorrect, a friend of mine paid 1200 dollers for a babalow to do work for him, another friend was out 36,000 dollers dealing with shisty babalow. another friend paid 1500 for his eleki beads. while I understand money has an energy and must be paid for services. a babalow who tell's some one in dire financial straights sorry I can't help you the oracle said you need all the money up front, I take a personal affront with that. call me idealist but when one deals in the spiritual realm, there must be a higer moral and ethical code of conduct one ahears to. here in the United States being a babalow is big business and people like myself who wan't to link back with my ancestral linage do not take kindly to being ripped off by people using the spiritual realm. there are many people being taken advantage of and this is not right. blessing's to you being an honest babalow. I know when I have been fully inniciated I will be an honest priestess. money is important no one wan't to see a poverty stricken babalow. and the babalow must be richly financially blessed. I am just speaking on mine and plenty others in the States. don't get me wrong there are honest babalow's and palaro's. but there are many shisters in these type's of religion.

My point is that it is not every Babalawo who acts in such a manner. There are several things in your message that is of concern to me. I never knew a babalawo putting the elekes on anyone (the only eleke allow for a babalawo as far I know is the Orula Eleke) the others are given by a santera or santero. I am an Ifa practitioner of Cuba Ifa and it may defer a little so I am only telling you from my experiences). Usually santeras or santeros charge at least $350. but in instances were a person is losing her house exceptions can be made especially if the godmother or godfather is giving the elekes. The other thing the if it is not pressing to receive the elekes right of way the person should wait. Dealing with losing the house of more important. The help shopuld have diverted to that not the elekes. You also have to consider that there are expenditures attach to any ceremony such as buying the ewe, rum, other ingredients, preparing Osain, animals needed and so on. Individuals cannot expect the person giving the ceremony to tak up the expense. We need to be maindful although I know may of abuse their position as priest. In no way I am defending those who abuse their position and they should be ashame of themselves. I truely understand your point and do not desagreed with what you are saying. The only thing I ask is not to judge everyone the same. There many of us like myself who works for a living. The religion in my case is to fullfil a spiritual need and at the same time I am able to help others. For me it is not big business because I am not involve because of the money. I would starve to dealth if i depended on that. I have worked all my life and do nopt have the need nor do I want to have the need of making money of of others. There is really no point to it because eventually those who abuse their position as priest have to answer to their guardian Angel and Olofin. If they are babalawos then there is Orula to answer to. The negative consequences would be to great to pay. My advice before having anything done ask questions and listen to others who have dealt with these so called priest. But keep in mind that there are good people out there doing good work. Don't lose faith because everything will turn out alright. If you have any questions, please email me and I will try to help aas much as I can.

Eyiogbe

Eyiogbe, Thank you so much for your reply. I have since found an honest Babalow with a wife who is a Palera. last night I attended my first Miesa and was very please to have been contacted my great grandmother who realy appreciates all the work I have done for her. Please make no mistake that because of my recent experience, that I view all Babalow's as crooks. I know these ceremonies cost money, that I fully expect. but if a ceremony cost 1200 and I am being charged 3600. then something is wrong. the Eleki beads I paid 250.00 for all 12 of them was taken off my neck by the Babalow and broken and had stuff done to them and I was instructed to throw them into the river. these eleki beads also had something done to them so I could have been this former Babalow's 5th wife so now I am out 250.00 and have to get new one's made for 300.00, as a single mother with 3 children and a self employed small business owner. I would by lying if I said I was in dire financial straights. but I'am by no mean's rich either. just getting by comfortably. last night ceremony the cost was 25.00 a head and there were all type's of food there, although I am a vegetarian I ate well, the Babalow's wife who cooked all this food, of course money was spent. this has never been an issue of money. its just the outright fleecing of some Babalows. as for me I am finally happy I have met up with a community in which I can grow spiritually and my inniciation will cost 1200, I am also going to be taking some classe's there. this is what I'am talking about. not only do they educate you, they will give you the neccessary tools you need on your spiritual path. if you don't mind my asking why are you working 2 jobs when your a Babalow? while I know you are honest the idea of working 2 jobs when you work in the spiritual field in unbelevible to me. I am witch and I had a clientell in Boston in which I cleaned up pretty nicely. just doing the tarot, numerology and astrology I was making 600 dollers a month. and that's not including spell's. I never turned anyone down that came to me who did not have money, in fact a much I got paid, I did a lot of unpaid work. when I first started I did unpaid to people to show my skills and then word got around and I developed quite a following. now in a new city once I have completed all the neccessary inniciation, I plan to add that, I already have some clients, but focus on that very little for now.

I am glad that you found someone who meets your needs. I work two jobs basically because I want to. I teach at night and the income is part-time. where I live there are plenty of Babalawos, santeros (as) and Palo Mayomberos. My clients come to me by work of mouth. i don't advertise nor do I go out looking for clients. I figure I would let my reputation speak for itself. Some prients up my way create an illusion which pretty much draw a clientale that lose their money to of them. Abuses occur everywhere and people have become scketical about dealing with any priest. My clientale once I help them and fix whatever problem they may have do not come back unless they have another situation. Like I said before as a babalawo in my ile we only put the eleke of orula. The other elekes are done by a santera (o). In the Lucumi tradition the person only gets five elekes Shango, Eleggua, Yemaya, Oshun, and Obatala.
The other thing is that I schedule people and I am organize with what I do. I don't let people dictate when i should see them. Also so weeks are better then others. In reality I can't complain. I work for a living and my spirituality and religous affairs I then to separate it as I tell people I also have a life. This way I am free to do some things I like to do. Unless there is an emergency that needs immediate attention. Must of my clients are refer by word of mouth by the very same clients I take care of. I also have 10 godchildren and they keep me busy. Last night one of my goddaughter did a cerebration to Oya her guardian Angel. It was fun.

Eyiogbe, wow!! you are a very busy man indeed. I am most honored to have linked with you, the information you said about the eleki beads were the same thing that was said by this Ogungun priest. I am happy to have finally found a community in which I will florish spiritually and cultrally. when I did the meisa (don't know if the spelling is correct) but my great grandmother Alice came through, I have met her on many occasion's she died when my mother was 14, but visited my mom and me each time we carried a child. so to meet with her in the seance gave me geat pleasure and to be told my ancestors were please that I pay homage to them, inspires me to pass this on to my children. my 2 younger one is receptive. but my oldest 17 is not very receptive. this will change as grandma told me in the seance to not be so harsh with my girls. I know this is bias. I love my girls but my son is the apple of my eye and quite frankly I cater to him. so I was midly chastised to treat them equally. I also found out she was a witch, my gandmother is a decendent of slaves brought to Jamaica called the Maroons, I am quite please she was a witch, now I fully understand why I was natually gifted as a witch also and it make's sense now to me when I was little the thing's that used to be passed on to me in spirit. I did not doubt for one miniute I was going to meet up with the right spiritual teachers, my soul sought them out in earnest. and I am very happy to be a part of the community. I thank you so much for offering the help and totally dig where your coming from. till next time my friend "in Light"

Michelle I too understand your problem. I live in Chicago and priest here do like money. My only issue is that I have been involved in the faith and have spent over 2,000 as a college student with no job begging for the money and in the end I have more problems than I did before I knew what the Orisha were. I have stopped going to these people because most of them have issuse and need my blessing more than I need theirs. Yet I too have a need to be initiated and am sad because I made this promise to Shango in heaven. Yet when Obatala makes honest loving really spiritually developed people then I will be initiated. Until then I will speak to Shango myself when it rains and let Him know I haven't forgotten

Bendicion, Eyiogbe is correct and is truly a sincere priest. I would only add that if you (in general) truly feel that your ashe leads you to a house then you must listen to your don and see spiritually, if the home is for you. Don't make moves out of haste or frustration. Visit different Botanicas or homes of Crowned priest or priestess. Do not speak of your problem. If your ashe tells you this is home then you will know. Ask and allow Eleggua to open the gate. Believe me he will let you know. I truly hope you are happy with your new Padrino and if you truly belong in Santeria, Palo or whatever Religion you choose then the journey is not hard; but only long and rewarding.

trixenfire I feel for you, it seem's this religion is filled with people who do not live by any type of moral, ethical or spiritual code of conduct. its as if they belive doing a blood sacrifice is all it take to absolve them of their dubutchery. we are not looking for perfect teachers, but at the same time a spiritual teacher must live by moral, ethical and spiritual code of conduct. last time I spoke I was in a house and left as I did not feel I was being spiritually fed. while I liked the person as a human being, spiritually I did not feel they could do anything for me. I studied Kemetic teachings and never once did I experience the kind of shady characters, or unethical practice's in that religion. I just don't understand why in the Lukumi Yoruba religion the priest and priestess, Madrina and Padrino. behave they way they do. I will not stereotype a whole religion, but the majority of them I have run across they leave little to be desired of the religion. as a person of extreemly high intellect, its hard for me to deal with the drama that goes on in this religion. for now I will just ask Shango for advice. I will not search for a teacher anymore, If I'am ment to have a teacher one will run across my path. trixenfire I will do just like you are doing.