Land Amadlozi Ancestors – Nemimoya Yomhlaba
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ZULU WORDS & MEANINGS;
Amambhulo – dream-vision-thinking; pronounced – amam – bhoo – lo
Amadlozi – Ancestral spirits; pronounced – amad –shlo –zee
Umoya – spirit energy or air and wind, life force; pronounced – u-moy-yah
Amadlozi nemimoya yomhlaba – Ancestral Spirits of earth-land; pronounced – amad-shlo-zee, nem-mee-moy-ah, yom-shla-bah
Uhlanga – Reed; pronounced – u – shlang – ga
Abaphantsi – ancestral inner earth world; pronounced – aba – pantsi
LAND ANCESTORS – Ancestral Consciousness
Simply put Ancestral Consciousness is the dimension of wisdom, knowledge, awareness, Umoya, and frequency of manifestation of the Ancestors or Amadlozi; from family members to other ancestral beings such as animals, trees and star nations. This is a collective consciousness which is accessed either by individuals or soul groups of beings.
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Land Ancestors
Land ancestral guides are a group of beings and guardians who have been specifically assigned to work with the Earth dimension and the planet Earth. They have complete memory and knowledge of the Earths life time and purpose; they also help connect people with the Earth consciousness and the voice of the earth itself.
The land and the people are considered kindred in Africa and by the Zulu in South Africa. Sovereignty of the land was a spiritual process that required the recognition of both male divinity and female divinity. When a member of the people worshipped a King or Queen they were in fact worshiping a human incarnation of that divinity and expression of the divine being of the land. This was not treated lightly and great creation was expected from the incarnation of King and Queen in rites that helped protect the land and ensure its continued abundance.
This is something which is found in other cultures in other parts of the world and is a deeper route to our ancestral consciousness as a race of human beings. This sovereignty also comes from a deeper knowing of the emersion of the human race from the earth herself. The Zulu speak of the first woman and man coming from the great reed or uhlanga, the reed bed giving birth to humanity in this earthly realm. In Zulu; this version of the tree of life is known as uhlanga Lwe zizwe; the ‘Reed of all nations’.
It is because of the reeds association with the water that it becomes particularly sacred for the Zulu, as it is water that is seen as the truest form of life force and the giver of life; it is the waters that it is said that we all come from. The reed is considered a symbol of the tree of life; the tree of life being seen and recognised in so many other cultures including the Zulu culture.
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It is said in one traditional creation tale that the tree of life came about because the Goddess ‘Ma’ had petitioned the Source being, great source or Source Spirit for a partner.
“The goddess’s eyes lit up with a glow of joy so intense that only a goddess could have felt it and still lived. The liquid fire flowing through her veins grew hotter still and roared through her quivering body and her chest, heavily laden with its immense breasts, each with a sharply pointed nipple of emerald green.
“Great being” she asked “what kind of companion will you send me?”
“You are what shall be known in the future as female and your companion will be your opposite, male.”
“A male” cried the goddess in intense joy! “Will he be as beautiful as I am?”
The great being answered “In my eyes nothing is ugly, nothing is beautiful.”
The great being became silent despite the goddess asking more questions. The goddess went to rest on the mountain and as the Sun rose she heard a loud terrible voice calling her name.
Come, O’ my mate, I await you!
The goddess with great joy burst from the mountain towards the voice, arms outstretched. “My mate, my mate.” She cried.
Then her voice faded into silence, hungry limbs reached from the dust for her form, not arms like hers but vines and branches encrusted with granite, diamonds and iron ore. They came from a huge trunk like the biggest Baobab tree that grew on earth. The mouth was green with fang like teeth, a long green tongue and legs that were roots and crawled like a spider.
“Come to me” Said the tree. “I am the tree of life your mate.”
The goddess screamed and immediately ran away, crying to the great being to get rid of the creature!
The tree pursued her over every mountain, plain and valley; no matter how hard she tried the tree of life was always one step behind her.
At last both the goddess and the tree reached bleak, barren waste lands which later became known as the Kalahari. The goddess plunged into a great lake there and still the tree followed.
Eventually she flew from the lake up into the sky; finally the tree of life could not pursue her. So he took a giant ball of mud and rock and threw it into the sky. It hit the goddess and she fell from the sky where the tree of life waited catching her up in his vine like arms. It is said that the ball of clay and rock is still in the sky to this day where at night it shines its pale silver light upon the earth.
After her capture the tree of life held fast to the goddess; and then after many years the goddess felt a stirring in her womb, it grew greater and greater until she began to cry out. So long was her labour that it is said that she had time to count the stars of the universe…
Finally she gave birth to the first race of humans on earth…
A strange thing happened to the tree of life at this time, green buds came from his limbs, clouds of seeds came from him and where they landed trees grew, grass and mighty forests crept across the earth. The tree of life bore snarling, living animal fruit. From the branches they fell to the ground and left for the forests, all life descended from the great tree. Soon there was song on the earth, the song of life…
Narrated by Credo Mutwa
The tree of life is one of the most respected deities all across Africa and its varying symbols and images are carved in many African artworks. The Zulu people still hold ceremonies around this connection. For the Sangoma this has deep connections with the ancestral consciousness as the goddess Ma and the tree of life are considered part of the Ancestral consciousness which moves humanity in a deeper connection and is connected to the greater Ubuntu.
Sangomas recognise that there are beings which are alive and reside in the land, that are conscious of the earth and the universe in a way that we are not. They hold wisdoms that can only be received through a change of conscious state and an interaction with the other world. This is sometimes referred to as Abaphantsi; this is also considered part of the ancestral consciousness or a place where the ancestors can reside. Abaphantsi is considered to be an otherworldly part of the earth dimension; a world within worlds.
It is similar to other shamanic concepts throughout the world where there are worlds co-existing in or on Tree of Life symbol the Earth. There are sacred sites scattered all across South Africa and southern Africa which have always meant a great deal to the Shamans and Sangomas. Many of the sites have special sacred beings that live in these places and are treated with reverence for their greater role in the consciousness of the land as well as the role they have to play in community.
One of the greatest roles is that of making rain. This is very important in South Africa where during the winter rain can be scarce. The spring rains are one of the most important natural events for this land and are eagerly welcomed and desired. The Zulu and other tribes believe that the greater ancestors have a role to play in this; although they believe the rain its self is created by the Great Spirit, they are acutely aware that the ancestors have a role to play and can with hold or aid in the creation of rain at specific times.
“Rain was there like all other things, but the ancestors use the rain, taking it away or sending it at the wrong time… this is why we talk to them first when we do not get rain; a drought can be caused by an imbalance, when this is restored the rain can come”
Axel Bergland (Zulu quote)
The king is seen as paramount in this role of rainmaking and if he fails he is able to call in specific rain making Shamans, or the Inyanga to ‘make the rain fall’. The rain maker’s skill is seen to reside with chosen persons who most often consider themselves separate to the Sangoma. Although they talk to the ancestors and work with the greater ancestral consciousness, they specifically refer to the ‘Lord of the Sky’ when speaking about the calling of the rain.
Special medicines are created by the rainmakers to be used in the ritual, and then the sacred site is approached which has potent and focused connections to the rain-making process. It is said that a cool and calm temperament is required by the rain-maker and the medicines are stored also in a cool calm dark place. Rain is considered to be fertilization of earth by the sky.
“The Sky and Earth are like twins like my two fists are like twins. One is like the right fist and right foot; that is the sky. The other is slightly gentler like the left fist and foot; that is the Earth. Being twins they are also husband and wife.”
Zulu Rain Maker
So deeply revered is the connection to the watering of the earth to the sexual act of man and woman that there is a Zulu saying which speaks of the success of a man in making his wife pregnant. The saying goes ‘he is working with water’, at the time of union.
The Zulu people understand that water has a male and female influence, as does air. This they recognise so deeply that on hearing a thunder storm they will pronounce it as either predominantly male or female.
The conscious union of the body of earth and sky is seen as part of the greater ancestral teachings, something which every person is expected to be aware of in the process of life and death. It is taught to the next generation so that they may know how intimately connected they are to the life and death process of the great ancestral earth, and how much the ancestors themselves are part of the co-existing worlds that live within the earth dimension.
This is perhaps one of the greatest tasks the ancestors have; they facilitate the consciousness of earth and life on earth in all its forms. They teach that the Umoya, life force in everything can be felt at anytime within the human being and that if we choose to be conscious of it we can co-create with the earth as a conscious being. In fact this is the skill of the Rainmakers and shamans who have learnt how to consciously co-create with the ancestors and earth realizing that both are intimately entwined.
These beings that exist in the land are collectively referred to as Amakhosi; but also have specific names which are dictated by where they reside and the physical form they may sometimes choose to take. Many of the land spirits can be involved in a Sangomas training as they often take a person to the ancestral dimension also sometimes known as Abaphantsi.
For every individual working with their ancestors or amadlozi it is important to start to recognise the ancestral connection we have to both earth and sky, that we are made up of it and are not separate from it. It is our inheritance and our gift to the future, finely balanced to help us know truly who we are and why we chose an earth incarnation.
If we do not become conscious of this we will act out of balance and this will co-create a sense of isolation and a feeling that we do not belong. This is not our truth and the ancestors know this; the land ancestors or Amakhosi live the wisdom of our earthly-ness and harmonic resonance at the same time to our heavenly-ness or sky-ness and they are willing to teach us if we choose to listen very carefully and accept the truth of who we are as Ubuntu and our human integrity.
We all have a sacred role to play in the creation or destruction of life and its is through consciousness, awareness and a lack of ego that will discover what that role is and how we must honor what we have inherited through the many life times we have lived. The earth and land is our family, our kindred, our soul mate, our ancestral foundation in terms of humanness and we must learn to treat it so.
TASKS – Amadlozi – Land
Please give your answers in written form to your mentor with the other homework on your hand in date for module.
How do you experience the land being a conscious entity?
Write notes and send to mentor on hand in date.
What has your perception been so far about the tree of life?
Write notes and send to mentor on hand in date
Go into mediation with your Umoya tree space and ask the ancestors to be present. Ask them to show you or communicate to you further about the tree of life… Don’t force the answer and allow it to come gently, whether it be a feeling, vision or word communication… try not to edit… practicing this kind of communication is key to ancestral relationship. Remember to give thanks at the end.
Write notes and send to mentor on hand in date
Go into mediation with your Umoya tree space and ask the ancestors to be present. Allow you’re self to feel the vast presence of the goddess ‘MA’ in the natural world around you… How do the ancestors respond to this energy? Don’t force it and allow it to come gently, whether it be a feeling, vision or word communication… try not to edit… practicing this kind of communication is key to ancestral relationship. Remember to give thanks at the end.
Write notes and send to mentor on hand in date
Go into mediation with your Umoya tree space and ask the ancestors to be present. Ask them to show you or communicate to you how the other-worlds are connected to our everyday reality? Ask them to show you why it is important to humanity and the greater consciousness which we share… Don’t force the answer and allow it to come gently, whether it be a feeling, vision or word communication… try not to edit… practicing this kind of communication is key to ancestral relationship.
Remember to give thanks at the end.
Write notes and send to mentor on hand in date
Go into mediation with your Umoya tree space and ask the ancestors to be present.
Allow yourself to start to practice listening to the land… you don’t need to have a question to ask the land… just listen and the land will tell you what it wants to…
Allow it to come gently…
Remember to give thanks at the end.
Write notes and send to mentor on hand in date
Make an offering to your ancestors in your Makhosini space, something which you feel represents your connection with the earth so far… make the intention of your offering love and gratitude and then allow yourself to sit in the space for a while… How does it feel?
Write notes and send to mentor on hand in date
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Copyright Sarah Wager January 2011
