Nowadays, people just become faith and spiritual healers, psychics, clairvoyance, fortunetellers, astrologers and traditional healers without seeking the powers to do so successfully. In old times, these people would go distances seeking powers from those who specialize in giving powers to perform miracles and to sustain in their spiritual realm.
Even the prophets, pastors and some church bishops travelled very long distances looking for these powers. These powers help them do wonders in the church which earn them larger numbers of the followers/members and big names for themselves. (For an example, there are pastors in Nigeria who have earned big names and have accumulated a lot of wealth from these powers. We have few of them in South Africa as well.
Now if you want to see that all this is Muthi magical powers not Holy powers as it is said, watch the Nigerian films and every Traditional practice, Magic and witchcraft or against Witchcraft that relates to these pastors’ operations. It is all business and they are not wrong for looking for Muthi powers, they need them because people of this time hardly believe, they want extra-ordinaries so the Pastors are giving them extra-ordinaries.
THE TAILS OF YOUR TOTEM ANIMAL
Tails are used for Traditional Spiritual purposes by humans. With Animals, Tails are meant to be flexible; they may be used in visual communication with other animals, fly swatters and other pest removal.
Physical and Spiritual Tail Care
Keep your tail clean, Cool and Dry, repeatedly exposing your tail to moisture such as rain will cause the hide to deteriorate as will too much heat. If your tail gets a bit dirty just on the surface of the fur, wipe it off with a dump cloth; dump cloths are very good at cleaning fur, especially old stains or dust and grime. If it gets really filthy and if the tail is not vintage you can carefully hand-wash it in warm water and a gentle soap and hang it out to dry immediately (do not apply heat). Make this your last resort, however.
Application of Excessive Force must be Avoided on the Tail
The worst thing you can do to your tail is pull on it, touching and other gentle use is fine; do not let people yank on it. Children must not be enthusiastic about treating these spiritual tails as toys or tug on the tails. Spiritual tools must be respected by all humans.
In-Case of Breakage
Sometimes accidents happen and the Tail Break, this is hardly the end of your tail! (Ishoba) I offer free repairs on everything I make including tails no matter the reason of breaking. If your tail breaks, don’t feel bad! Just send it back and I will put it back together for you.
Connection with the Spirits of the Tails
If you are so inclined you can connect with the spirit of the tail itself. If you first get the tail, spend some time sitting with it, smoothing or fluffing the fur/hair and getting to know the physical attribute.
As you are doing so, see if you get any impressions of the personality of the tail. You may be used to speaking with spirits; and if you have not, see what thoughts, emotions, or images cross your mind as you handle the tail.
If you feel like you should keep it at a particular place, let it be its place. If you get any commands from the spirits about your tale just follow.
Before you put the tail on to use
ask the spirit of tails for permission by the way of rituals, if the tail spirit seems to say “no” then put it back in its place for few days and try to clean yourself from the iniquities that might be causing you problems with the tail spirit and try again or just try to ask why.
May be an offering of a chicken might be needed by the spirits for the permit of use of your ishoba. (Ukubika ishoba edlozini). If you can use the tail, thank the spirit. Some people may have some traditional fists and small rituals for introduction/replacement/reintroduction of a tail in their traditional spiritual use. The deeper connection with the spirits depend on the animal at which it came from, try to research about that animal as to what it eats, where it lives, what it does, what are its strengths and weaknesses, what is its relationship to human, in this clue you will have an idea as to the character of your tail spirits.
Tails are called “Ishoba” in IsiZulu, they are used in visual communication by animals, as they are also used as fly swatters etc, so are they with spirit mediums/sangomas and fortunetellers as the swatter of the dark spirits that interfere with their visuals and massages during foreseeing and healings.
Tail/ishoba is something used as a swatter for bad spirits that hinders you from seeing spiritual visions during foretelling or when you are working on somebody chasing bad spirits.
You can get tails for spiritual powers and perform wonders with your work.
I shoba liyinto yokuphebeza imimoya ephazamisayo uma uhlolela umuntu noma usebenza nje, ikakhulukazi ma ugxosha bona omoya ababi.
In the past few years, there has been a growing trend of people wearing animal tails as part of their outfits. At festivals and concerts, animated and renaissance fair and even out on the street, you can find people wearing real animal tails on their hats, jackets, belts etc around the globe.
For a lot of people these are simply fashion accessories, something fun to have. Yet there’s a lot more potential there, and I feel a need for a greater appreciation of the fact that these are the remains of once-living animals, not something created in a factory out of plastics but soothing that goes with the spirit of nature, the spirit of animals, the spirit of tails and the spirits of the forests. It is spiritually centered.
Generally speaking, these tails have become the by-products of the fur industry other than the products straight from the animals that portray them.
Fur coat manufacturers generally only use the part of the pelt that wraps around the main part of the body; tails faces and legs are largely discarded. Rather than ending up into the open land, where they may harshly pollute the land, water and air, these remains instead are rescued by the craft industry for use in creative pursuits.
For the crafters they seem just tails but with those who wore them as the fanatics of fur tail wear, they feel the presence of the animal, the forest and the tail spirits within or around them.
I am one of these crafters but specializing in traditional fur animal hats and Powered Tails for Spiritual use in an African traditional religion as a Sangoma, Nganga, Traditional leaders the Rain Queens, some African Goddesses and so forth.
For some time now, I’ve been putting tails on craft as aMashoba powering them with Muthi and selling them, using a unique mixture of source of powers.
I developed these aMashoba (tails as tools for a spirit medium) for strength and artistic appeal. However, I don’t just make them for looks.
As with all my art made with animal parts, my primary focus is on giving these remains a better existence than being a trophy or status symbol (which is a spiritual life with people using them other than just animal remains or just tools for some rituals).
The fur animal skins and their tails are sort of a smaller version of the full hide dancing skins that I started out wearing in my own practice as an African traditional religion spirit medium/Ancestor worshiper, and then making for other people as well for very same powers as a traditional healer and a spiritualist.
They allow the wearer to connect with the spirit of the animal that once wore the skin, to feel a little of what it might have been to be a Buffalo, a Jackal, a Hyena and so on; and it allows the skin spirit to have a body to wear again, even for a little while, an so the powers from these animal spirits rise to meet with your challenges in the spirit realm within your spiritual doctrines, allowing you to perform miracles and wonders not magic.
Sometimes the spirits are angry at their deaths, and often the injustices of their lives if they were brutally killed. In such cases, there’s a good bit of work to be done with the spirit before it may feel ready to be incorporated into art and the gift of powers and spiritual usages, whether as a dancing tail or otherwise.
Many of them welcome the chance to be appreciated for what they are, be cleansed put into use. Though I can’t make the dead alive again, but whoever takes the tail or other art from that animal home can help provide a better afterlife through the use and the connection with the spirit world (for that particular animal).
What I would like to share are a few practices that may be used to create a more respectful relationship with the spirit in the tail, and to be more mindful of its origin.
Some people buy a tail specifically for spiritual purposes. But what if you happen to already have a tail, maybe one given to you, or purchased before you knew there were spirits to be worked with? The practices I will discuss are designed to be used regardless of the origin of the tail.
When you first get the tail:
Don’t treat it like purchasing a lifeless object. Treat it as though it is a living being, and honor the spirit inside it.
Even if you don’t literally believe in spirits, remember that these are the remains of a once-living being and it has the spirit that you doubt, in the first place ask yourself why you have it, where did all your interest of having a tail or tails initiate.
Don’t just automatically put the tail on to use like a piece of clothing. Feel the energy of the tail, and maybe even silently ask the tail if you can put it on to use. If you get a strong sense of “no”, then respect that and try to consult with the spirit mediums to find the solution.
At home:
Find a good place to make a home for the tail. Keep it away from dampness and heat sources, and away from where impure people can get hold of it since it is a powered iShoba and not just a tail and no cats and dogs would like to chew on it, it is much, much stronger/harder for their teeth with its spiritual powers given to it by the power spirits. Let the tail know that this is its special place. If the spirit indicates wanting a different place, though, listen to its wishes.
Take time when you can, even a few minutes a short period to sit and talk with the spirit in the tail. You can hold it during meditation, or talk with it while carefully removing anything that may have settled on it.
When using the tail:
Ask the spirit’s permission first, every time. Even if the answer is always “yes”, it’s a nice polite formality, a small ritual of honor.
Be aware of your setting and intention. Are you using it just to show off at a traditional gathering, traditional dance ceremony, or just to impress your clients as a traditional healer and a spirit medium? Or are you going to use it into a ritual as part of sacred traditional tool?
If you and the spirit feel comfortable enough, try doing some shape shifting work. In a safe and secure ritual environment (whatever that is to you, whether solitary or in a spiritual gathering) invite the spirit to connect with you and “ride” your body for certain duration of time; meanwhile, use the tail as though it were a part of your own flesh. You can enhance this experience by moving like the animal to the best of your ability dancing to the drum bits of your spiritual traditional dance (don’t worry about looking stupid; you’ll do just fine and feel the connection of the spirits).
If the spirit asks to be a part of other sorts of ritual, this may be another good way to strengthen that connection. Or if you have ideas for incorporating the tail, ask the spirit what it thinks and feels about what you propose.
This is just a starting point to help you and the spirit of the tail get to know each other better.
You may develop your own practices that work well for you. The point of all this is to allow you and the spirit more opportunities for connection, so that the relationship goes beyond simply “ornament, the use of the tail and mature to other spiritual relations. Fashion may come and go, but the depth of a good spiritual partnership can last forever.
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