Thoughts in Fragments

Reality in certain versions of traditional African cosmology is characterized by an infinite web of relationships that incorporate every aspect of the physical and non-physical worlds. Every fragment of the universe is in a timeless procession toward reintegration into Ultimate Wholeness. The web of relationships forms a cyclical structure of wholeness, at the centre of which is Liiso Ddene, the Great Consciousness or Intelligence. This Great Spirit is constantly spewing particles of itself that permeate and animate the physical world. These are the energy moving behind the otherwise lifeless material world, temporarily separated from Wholeness but intent on reintegration.On this procession back into Ultimate Wholeness, you and I find ourselves: fragments of the Great Intelligence trapped in our physical bodies yet bringing these bodies to life. My journey as a particle of Wholeness begins before my entry into this world, when my soul splinters off Ultimate Being and floats in the realm of the unborn until it enters my body at birth. My journey through this world is punctuated by a series of key transitions by which my individuality melts into the sub-wholeness of community, bringing stability to this potentially unstable phase of the journey. The transition from childhood to adulthood turns me into a responsible and recognized participant in the wholeness of community. From adulthood I move into the ranks of the elders to participate in linking the community with the wholeness of the ancestral world beyond. Then, upon my death, I will join the living dead for a well-deserved rest. From there my journey will continue into the ancestral realm and on to the realm of divinity, which is the final stage before my reintegration into Ultimate Wholeness. Now, the worldly phase of this cosmic procession happens to be the most volatile and most critical stage. It is here that so much may go wrong. Our subjectivity; that inclination to embrace reality on our own terms interferes with the presumed objectivity of wholeness. The conventional narratives of traditional African spirituality therefore emphasize the importance of maintaining community wholeness. The wholeness of the community is claimed to reflect Ultimate Wholeness itself. Breaking away from the wholeness of community in order to assert one’s individuality jeopardizes not just the individual sojourner’s progress but more critically the delicate balance of wholeness in its multiple dimensions. Herein is the essence of evil and the reason for the perpetual dialogue between this and the worlds beyond.According to African religious discourse, there are many evil spirits in this world. At least some of these are believed to be the spirits of those whose reintegration into Wholeness has been delayed or frustrated. They are the ones who – during their sojourn in this world – chose to dislocate themselves from the wholeness of the community and were inclined to assert their individuality instead. They would have been perceived as conceited, narcissistic, anti-social and as driven by the desire for this worldly greatness at the expense of others. When the bodies of these people reintegrate into Wholeness upon their physical death their spirits are left stranded in this world, unable to continue their cosmic journey. Thus, stripped of their connection to the great procession, the “evil” spirits resort to deception and malice: tormenting the living in order to lure them away from the wholeness of community and sabotage their journey. It is therefore the elders’ obligation to appeal to the ancestors and through them to the gods for help to rid the community of all such demons and spirits that roam this world with malicious intent