It is practically a Caribbean tradition to hear that a neighbor practices the Obeah to someone you know. However, it is a taboo subject and actual Obeah rituals are rarely discussed except among practitioners. Few know how Obeah works. Even fewer know where Obeah’s power comes from. This will reveal some of that mystery, as well as the African and ancient spiritual forces behind it.
There are four independent spirits that influence the spell a man of Obeah can choose, as well as a fifth category of ancestral spirits. The spirits are Ogun, Sakpata, Mama Wata, Eshu and the final group of ancestral spirits belonging to an Obeah man. The man of Obeah learns his art by tradition, but perfects it with the specific help of his ancestral spirits. Obeah’s deities, the spirits, can also be viewed from an allegorical or Jungian point of view. On an allegorical level, each of these spirits represents force, destruction, creation, the opening of spiritual power, and tradition, respectively.
In most spells, the first issue to decide is the role of Ogun, the spirit of strength and war. It would be wrong to trust Ogun in a matter of love, where a caring spirit like Mama Wata should have dominance. Ogun may still have a small role, but he wouldn’t be a dominant force. If we do not want an especially powerful ritual or excessive force, the ritual with Ogun must be proportionate and gentle. Alternatively, the result can be overwhelming, unpredictable, or unstable.
Sakpata is a spirit that refers to destruction, specifically pestilence. If a curse is in order, Sakpata can play an important role in the ritual. Again, with a love spell, Sakpata would be less relevant. There are also some exceptions. Sakpata, who has a certain command over agricultural affairs, is also an important spirit in finance. For example, a spell for money can involve Sakpata and Eshu, or other spirits.
Eshu should be mentioned before proceeding further. As the spiritual guardian in Obeah, the conduit to the spirit world, Eshu is invoked in all rituals. Eshu may also be the only force behind many, as he is said to have mastery over magic and spirit power. It is Eshu who gives visions and psychic abilities. Eshu is often related to Papa Legba, in Vodou, or Saint Lazarus in a spiritual Catholic interpretation.
Therefore, we cannot say much simply by knowing if Eshu is involved. Eshu can be involved in curses with Sakpata, or even in healing spells with the same spirit, again, Sakpata. This is one of the reasons why the Obeah has been less codified and less exposed than other Afro-Caribbean religious traditions. The ambiguity of many rituals has made it obscure to discern the meanings of the uninitiated.
If Eshu represents the link to the spirit world, our actual ability to cast a spell, then it is the ancestral spirits of Obeah that make each individual unique. Obeah, technically, is a form of shamanism, although less commonly associated with the term. This is because it is based on the contact of the spirits; both unrelated and ancestors of the practitioner. This is one reason, although it is a primarily African tradition, the modern Obeah has incorporated occult traditions from Western Europe. Mixing began in Jamaica as early as the 1940s, with LW de Laurence’s tracts and publications.
The man of Obeah must deal with many factors in order to choose the correct spell. Knowing which spirits to work with is required and the main principle behind Obeah is the spiritual forces that drive it. Like a spiritual painting, it must be designed with the proper balance. This is the only way to guarantee both the safety and the accuracy of the ritual.
Safety is of the utmost importance to the man from Obeah. The reason is that, when it comes to spirits, the danger lies with the direct practitioner. Traditionally it has been common in the Caribbean for many people to visit an Obeah man, but only a few practice it. Obeah will return to the person attempting the ritual. He would not do anything to the person using the services of an Obeah doctor, as they did not participate in the ritual themselves. This provides a level of safety for the client, but a level of danger for the physician. Therefore, safety is always a concern for the Obeah man. You must respect the spirits and act according to their will to ensure the safety of the spell.
Reliability is the final basic element of why a spell is selected or discarded. The ritual just has to work. Few expect a spell to change their life overnight. But it must work consistently and quickly. Those who practice Obeah experiment and ultimately are left with the best and most functional spells. That is why Obeah is as powerful as it is practical. He has been able to discard less functional spells and integrate new practices to speed up results. Obeah gets a reputation it deserves for having effective rituals.
The balance of spiritual forces, concern for safety and reliability are the cornerstones in selecting or creating an appropriate Obeah ritual. A lack of any of these can make a ritual dangerous to perform or not work. However, Obeah is a growing tradition with more people learning and practicing as knowledge spreads. This will make experimentation with Obeah more common, but the spells will stay consistently strong, even if they change, because we use those that just work.