The report card on African-American health is grim:
*African Americans have the highest death rate for cancer than any racial and ethnic group in the US.
*The death rate for Black Americans with diabetes is 40% higher than other races and cultures.
*Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness among African-American men and women.
*African-Americans have twice as many strokes as white americans, and black women are more likely to get heart disease and die from complications than any other group.
Experts say these inequalities are linked to glaring social and economic disparities in work, wealth, income, education and housing. And the fact that millions of African-Americans have no health insurance further compounds these problems.
But there’s also a glimmer of hope…
A growing number of African-Americans are embracing African healing traditions and other alternative health practices that can help save lives, leading experts say.
“There are aspects of health that are not being met by modern science,” says Charles Finch M.D., a physician and scholar who has worked extensively with traditional healers in West Africa. Finch believes modern science has a lot to learn from African healers.
A graduate of Yale University and the Thomas Jefferson School of Medicine, Finch blasts the Western medical establishment for suppressing indigenous healing systems and ridiculing traditional healers who have been providing outstanding health care for thousands of years.
African healers are highly trained and can often diagnose and treat illnesses using spiritual methods long before their Western counterparts can even detect them, Finch says.
Divination is the key to understanding what is happening with the client. Ifa divination, a system that originated with the Yorubas of Southwest Nigeria, is the most popular from of divination in the West. This ancient system can also be found in Santeria, an Afro-Cuban spiritual tradition that blends Yoruba religion and Roman Catholicism.
David Cumes M.D, a South-African born surgeon who has also been initiated and trained as a sangoma, or healer, is also a firm believer in the efficacy of African healing traditions.
“African healers laugh at us,” says Cumes. “Africa has aboriginal spiritual technology that we are only now beginning to appreciate. Theirs is the original medicine. Western scientists believe that they are on the cutting edge of the new age of healing. However, we may have missed the boat entirely. We may be technical wizards, but when it comes to the human spirit, we are really only beginners.”
Finch and Cumes will share their insights in the upcoming documentary film, “Across The King’s River,” which explores how African healing traditions intersects with science.
James Weeks, producer of “Across The King’s River,” says one of the goals of the film is to clear up misconceptions about African healing traditions. The film will be directed by acclaimed director Stanley Nelson, whose latest film, “Freedom Riders,” won three Emmy Awards for outstanding picture.
For more information about “Across The King’s River,” visit www.acrossthekingsriver.com
“Men get caught up in the socio-economic nightmare of giving away most of their time in order to survive,” says best-selling author and shaman Malidoma Some. “We didn’t come into this world to give all our energy to stay alive, we came here to live. The biggest dragon is the one that tells us we have to work eight hours a day, and we end up being so tired that the very thing our soul is yearning for we don’t have time for.”
“The dragon wants us to be introverted,” Malidoma says on his website. “Men usually fool themselves into serving the big dragon. We must endanger the problem by confronting it,” he insists. “It is to be dug out of its hiding and exposed to the air. It cannot breathe oxygen. The light of day is lethal to it. That’s why the dragon tells us that we should be safe, because the dragon wants to be safe. We end up actually serving the very thing we want to be rid of.”
I first interviewed Malidoma more than 10 years ago in a tiny office in the hills of Oakland, CA. You can hear excerpts of our conversation at my other website, tamarindyears.com. But little did I know back then that I would one day be working on a film – and that Malidoma would appear in it. As I read his words about “slaying the dragon” I thought about my own escape from Corporate America earlier this year and how leaving the rat-race to pursue my passion was the best thing for me and my family.
A refugee from Corporate America – a happy refugee. That’s how I think of myself these days. Malidoma’s lifework and message about slaying the dragon strongly resonates with me at this juncture of my life. I’ve come to believe that we are all called to slay dragons – “dragons” that stand in the way of who we are and what we are called to do. Dragons that stand in the way of what’s healthy for us and our communities.
My journey toward this film has taught me that it’s possible to fight the dragon and win. No, it wasn’t a quick, easy fight and at times I’ve had my doubts. But we are on the verge of receiving funding for a film that will have a significant impact on the lives of millions. For now, it seems like the dragon has retreated to the corner. With the help of the ancestors and the orisas, hopefully it will stay there!!
P.S. For a treasure-trove of wonderful newsletters by Malidoma Some that have been archived, click here:
The journey toward this film continues to teach me that the elders, the orisas and my spirit guides truly know what they are doing and do it well. And so I must tell you that I believe your spirit guides know what they are doing too. Don’t be discouraged if you feel you’re not making progress or if you think you’re at a dead-end. Be patient, the key is to listen, trust and follow-through.
See..the heart always knows but the head always doubts. Begin and end with the heart. The heart is a seat of high intelligence and travels far ahead of your logical mind. Every step you take with the heart is connected to a higher purpose – a higher will – that time will reveal to you. When the “appointed time” comes, many events and people that have entered your life will make sense to you. The purpose behind each step will be made clear (once you learn how to listen).
I didn’t always believe that each step we take with the heart is divinely guided. But each day my convictions grows. The more I awaken, the more I realize I’m not the “doer” – only a “vessel.” I feel both awe and gratitude for Spirit. I also feel inspired to share the lessons I’m learning along the way with others.
Know that there are no accidents. And there are no coincidences! Trust that you are being led where you need to go. Blessings!
“There’s nothing that a master Ifa diviner cannot see – there’s nothing that a master Ifa cannot know.” So says a sacred verse in the Ifa spiritual tradition. But lately I’ve also come to believe that there’s nothing that a highly skilled awo (diviner/priest) cannot do.
I say this because I have encountered “Giants in the South.” Who are the “Giants in the South?” An extraordinary duo of entertainment industry experts who believe so strongly in our film that they will ensure that it gets funded. They are also providing the necessary management and legal support to make sure that the full potential of “Across The King’s River” is realized.
In the book, “The Alchemist,” author Paul Coelho, one of the main character says: “When you want something, all the universe conspires to help you achieve it.” Why am I sharing this quote with you? Because I believe it’s true.
But here’s the key, you must want it badly enough. And you must be willing to support it yourself. You must also understand that kindred souls may have a vested interest in seeing your vision come to fruition – but you’ll never discover this if you surrender to the temptation to give up.
Kindred souls have their own reasons for coming to your assistance. In my case, the “Giants in the South” understand the impact that art has on the subconscious minds of the masses and they refuse to support “shit.” They are willing to support and fund “Across The King’s River” because they believe it will a significant impact in the lives of millions.
I’m grateful for the leadership and the commitment of the “giants” I’ve discovered. They have changed my life and the course of this film……..the journey to the vision of the ancestors continues.
Allow yourself to be guided – you’ll be surprised at how far you can get.
One of our sacred verses says: “The way of Ifa is very straight – it doesn’t deviate.” I love the sound of this. Yet it doesn’t mean that there’s no room for flexibility in our spiritual practice or worldview; I think it means that we can count on the guidance of this great Spirit just like our ancestors did. The wisdom of Ifa is steady – and sure!!
This verse speaks to me because the power of Ifa and the elders is becoming clearer and clearer to me as I continue on the journey toward this film. After years of working diligently, doors are finally beginning to open. Yet, I know that doors are not opening only because I’ve been working hard – they are opening because I am not working alone.
So much of what is unfolding (and what will be) can be traced to the elders and the powerful that they do every day l’agbara orisa (through the power of orisa). The elders seldom tell me what they do, why they do it – nor do I know when they do it. Over the years, I’ve learned to sense intuitively when they’ve done some sort of spiritual work.
We will never deviate from the mission the ancestors have assigned to us – empower others to return to something they have abandoned a long time ago – the power of their own visions!
