Although I’m definitely enjoying learning about African traditional religions, I do have one complaint: Despite the fact that all the sources emphasize the importance of ritual in African faiths, there’s virtually no detailed information available (at least to outsiders) on what exactly those rituals should look like.
Sure, you can find plenty of detail about the life passage rites of certain African peoples—especially gory details about things like ritual circumcision. But since I prefer to bypass circumcision this month (call me crazy), I’ve been a little disappointed to find so little information about simpler, everyday rituals.
Luckily, I did manage to find some detail about one common African religious ritual—the pouring of libation. So that’s the ritual I’ve chosen to perform. And I’ve got to say, I kind of liked it (except for the apparent waste of booze, but I guess I shouldn’t look at it as a waste, right?).
You can pour libation for various reasons, but it’s always done as a way to communicate with the spirits of your ancestors. You pour the libation in some special spot—near a shrine dedicated to your ancestor, near a tree, on the ground. Apparently, it doesn’t really matter, as long as the place is special in some way to you and your ancestors.
What liquid you choose to pour depends on what you hope to accomplish. As the Africa Speaks Website explains, “Water is for cooling and heating and creating or reconciling relationships. Liquor is fiery and is usually used to rouse, cement, ignite, protect and perform strong purification. Wine is mid-way between the two and is good for friendly relations, creating comradry [sic] between man and spirit.”
I chose to use wine, since the purpose of my libation ritual was to express a little friendliness toward my ancestors—maybe more than I did when they were alive—and to thank them for their help in the gradual improvements that have been taking place in my life over the past few weeks.
The process of the ritual is pretty simple—at least as far as I can tell. I gather that it can be far more complex when it’s carried out by someone with actual religious training, but obviously, that’s not me, so I kept it straightforward and easy.
First, you say a prayer to “awaken” the ancestors and get their attention so they’ll be there with you for the purpose of the ritual. You’re not supposed to bother them just for the fun of it. You have to have a reason—even if it’s only to say thank you or to ask for their support.
You pour the liquid at the designated spot. I picked the ground beneath a really gnarled and ugly tree in my backyard—it seemed old, like my ancestors, and it’s still standing and growing, despite lightning strikes and storms, so it’s strong, also like my ancestors.
You’re supposed to talk to the spirits of the ancestors as if you’re talking to a living person. That was easy enough for me. I talk to everybody the same way—even my dogs. So I said my prayer, thanked my ancestors, and poured the wine.
Once that’s all said and done, Africa Speaks says you have to close the libation ritual with Ase. Although it doesn’t give any specifics, the Website says Ase is just a spiritual declaration, along the lines of saying “Let it be done” or “Let it be so.” I imagine many religions would view it as saying “Amen.”
Easy enough, right? All it takes is a few minutes, a short prayer, and a cupful of booze. I kind of like that. Of course, now I have to go out and buy more wine, but I guess I shouldn’t complain. Twelve dollars for a bottle of cheap merlot is a small price to pay for the goodwill of my ancestor spirits.
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