Part 2 of Samaita's mediumship initiation story, being left to survive for 8 months by himself in the bush, relying on his ancestor for guidance. The story is followed by a discussion about spirit mediumship, touching on topics such as how a person is chosen by the spirits to be their medium, what qualities a person must have, the relationship between ancestors and guardian spirits, and more. ::: Mediumship in Shona Traditions In the Shona traditions, spirit mediumship is the practice of allowing your specific ancestor(s) or guardian spirit(s), who are chosen by your ancestors, to manifest through your physical body. Rather than simply channeling, the spirit inhabits your body for an certain amount of time to share wisdom, insights, and perspectives from the spirit world and information from the time period the spirit was alive. Those who are spirit mediums are specifically chosen by the spirit world for this task. There are certain initiations one must go through that test and shape one's character in preparation for being a medium. Initiations tend to have multiple processes over time, and can span days, months, or many years. Becoming a medium is a process that takes time for the body to mentally and physically conform to the powerful energy it must learn to allow to inhabit it. Initiations prepare the medium to be of service to people and spirituality, and for the medium to gain a better understanding of who their spirit(s) are, and what medicine they carry to share with humanity. ::: Jonathan Dube, also known as Samaita, which means he is of the zebra clan, is a kind hearted Shona man, who lives a busy life as an initiated spirit medium, traditional healer, herbalist, community counselor, & musician of native cultural music. He is also a father, grandfather, and husband. A pillar of support and guidance for his community, he serves from his dhare (essentially a spirit house and place of healing) at Dzimbanhete Arts & Culture Village, a project he started with a dear friend to keep the traditional Shona traditions alive. Fatua is an initiated spirit medium; she spent three months living in the bush with Samaita and his family, and a few of her fellow initiated friends, in order to expand her practice and continue her initiation process. ::: Samaita (Jonathan Dube) Dzimbanhete Arts & Culture Website Fatua @fatua.soul fatuasoul.com Sponsored by: Soul Melody Cacao @soul_melody_cacao https://www.soulmelodycacao.com
