Part 2 of the thread on Ukuthwasa nobunyanga - The process.
A lot of people inappropriately use the word “isithunywa”. The Idlozi which has possessed you is called ‘isithunywa’. The Isithunywa is also governed by the owners of ‘ubunyanga’ and ‘isigodlo’ or ‘umsamo’.
It is then Isithunywa that determines ones speciality in healing. This can be with impande or water or even prayer. That’s why it is possible that your initiation can call for you to end up being a pastor or priest. We need to stop thinking that religion and culture are at war.
There are people who can be possessed by more than one isithunywa. You find that it’s more than one ancestor – idlozi, and these amadlozi operate at different levels, and gets initiated at different times. That is why this process has no set time frame.
The purpose of Ukuthwasa is aid Idlozi Lakho to mature and grow well enough to attain full expression in body, mind and lifestyle. It is only then when your healing gift will be completely revealed and realised to you.
During this process the most important and critical thing is the amaphupho-dreams, which they use most of the time communicating with you. It is these dreams-amaphupho which your initiator-ugobela must listen.
These dreams are telling you and him the direction to be taken. It is painful that most of the time the initiator of nowadays do not listen to their –amathwasa’s– dreams-amaphupho, and this hampered the process of ithwasa.
After the process the initate must graduate and also thank the ancestors for these gifts and for carrying them through the journey. This is called Ukuphothula and nokubonga izikhwama
This is where a goat/sheep is slaughtered slaughtered at the place of imitation. A cow and goat are also slaughtered at the home of the initiate. Other initiates and healers attend the graduation where there must be drums, singing and dancing.
Later the ithwasa will have to slaughter another cow which will be shown by the idlozi to the ithwasa through in a dream, its colour, sex and age (whether young or old). Normally this cow is white, and it is for thanking the gift which has been given to an individual.
This is called ukubonga izikhwama. Ukubonga izikhwama is an indication that this is a highest gift from the ancestors which is only given to a chosen few. After this the person can now start practicing either as Isangoma, abalozi , umthandazi or any other form of healing.
That’s it for now. Tomorrow I will speak on ukupathiswa, the types of healers and finally what to do if you have been wronged by uGobela and still need to complete your invitation. As well as those who have completed but they’re gifts are not availing themselves or working.
