Ancient African Traditions

Started by PierceDebutante, December 26, 2022, 04:19:48 PM

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PierceDebutante



Vivienne stood stark naked at midnight across the pasture from the horses in a private nook. A spot that she had found once she had been invited to live in with Regina. A fire crackled and sparked in the cool night air. She wore a native mask from Africa, her home country. It was a full moon and the light shown on the trees and water that lapped against the shore a few yards away.

Any American that came across her would think she was crazy. Of course, she was not. She was practicing the ancient beliefs of Animism. If there was a way to describe it in English she would, but the English words escaped her.

The Anthropological definition is; Animism is a particular sensibility and way of relating to various beings in the world. It involves attributing sentience to other beings that may include persons, animals, plants, spirits, the environment, or even items of technology, such as cars, robots, or computers. One theme is the existence of various kinds of ‘spirits’ and ‘souls’. Spirits are understood in a broad sense that encompasses the spirits of beings or things, deities, and energies. Active things like animals, trees, and rivers are ‘people like us’ because, like human beings, they possess certain kinds of souls. It is these shared souls that imbue animals, trees, and rivers with a sentience that enables them like humans to move, grow, and breathe. By contrast, static things like stones, skis, and food products are ‘not persons’ because they only share one soul in common with humans and lack the kind of sentience that would enable them to move and show signs of animated life, consciousness, and motivation.

Living in Africa, she of course was taught all of the different beliefs of the Southern part of Africa. In college she had the opportunity to spend time in a village that practiced Animism. She was invited to rituals and was taught by the elders of the village the spoken stories of the sacred ones. She had never felt more African than she had then.

Continuing the practice and adding pieces of VooDoo to “speak” to her ancestors. There is not one way to practice Animism, it is based on the community values and traditions.

Dancing in the fire light in the old ways while chanting to the spirits only made her feel even more connected to her heritage and upbringing. Planting her bare feet into the ground she used her hands making the fire dance to the beat in her head. Then continuing to dance and chant, showing deep respect and devotion. The warmth of the fire chased off the cool air that wrapped around her like a vice tickling her delicate flesh.

Her body was adorned with body paint, her palms covered in Henna designs. She had been preparing for this night for over a month now. Anointing her tools with sacred oils. She followed the instruction she had been taught and eventually tweaked it into her own.

She was a Pierce after all.


Roles

Coven
Mentor
Teacher
antagonist
Vivienne M Pierce