Obeah is a topic that not too many people openly discuss in the Caribbean. Most people only mention the word when they feel that something isn’t quite right in their lives.
When I was growing up in Jamaica, I would often hear the word being thrown around in conversations, but it was always used as a joke or to scare someone who was being a bully.
As I matured and gained interests such as watching “Dark Shadows” , reading books about horoscopes and the occult, I grew curious about the word “Obeah” that was often thrown around in conversations.
Although my Granny was a religious woman, she always used to say, that the purity of one’s soul usually attracted more evil. Therefore, as a praying woman, she knew about the mysterious effects of the pagan religion they call Obeah and in some countries, Santeria.
Granny was generally ambivalent to talk about such “dark subjects”, but one day I decided to “push the envelope” to find out about this macabre activity.
It was a time in life when I had started Convent School, girls were dating boys and the conversations were brimming with all sorts of interesting anecdotes. I would hear girls say such things like, “If you really like that guy, you betta get some “oil of don’t leave me” or “mek him something nice and tie him to you”.
I often wondered what in God’s name they were talking about. So, I mustered up the courage to approach Granny about the “forbidden” subject..
“Granny, what exactly is Obeah? I have been hearing this word since I was little.”
Granny gave a deep sigh and then belted out a hearty laugh.
“Do you really want to know what Obeah is?”
“Yes, Granny, but first, is it something bad and scary?”
Granny responded, “Anything that has nothing to do with the Almighty is a sin.”
My interest grew by the minute and I became more adamant to find out about the subject.
Granny continued, “Most people only use Obeah because they are usually ignorant, jealous or envious of other people. It is involved with devil worshipping and is used for evil.”
I suddenly realized that this word “Obeah” was not as simple as everyone portrayed it to be. It was a word that was associated with sinister happenings.
I turned to my Granny in a quizzical manner, “So, Granny, you mean to tell me that if somebody is jealous of you, that they will use Obeah against you.”
“Yes, my love, people do strange things when they are desperate.”
“For instance, when Mrs. Sandringham’s daughter was doing excellent in school, getting Distinctions in her A Levels and O levels, all of a sudden she came down with a mysterious illness. The poor girl almost died. They took her to all sorts of Doctors both in Jamaica and overseas and they all could not find a scientific explanation for her illness.
It wasn’t until they sent for me to pray for her, the spirit told me something wasn’t right. I told them to take the child to Dr. Maccabee. Altough he was a Medical Doctor, that man was blessed and he could see beyond the physical world.”
I was enthralled with Granny’s story about this mysterious subject, and I wanted to delve further.
“Granny, what happened when they took her to Dr. Maccabee?”
“That man took one look at Natasha and said, “Whatever is wrong with this child is not medical, it is spiritual. Call it “High Science”.
“High Science Granny?”
“Yes, that’s what he said. I prayed for that child morning, noon and night until God gave me a vision.”
I urged Granny for an explanation, “What happened with the doctor? Did he do anything?”
“Dr. Maccabee studied abroad in African countries and Haiti, so he gave Mrs. Sandringham the name of a Bush Doctor. Mrs. Sandringham asked me to go with her, but as you know, I serve the Lord, so I went, but sat outside, and waited for her to take care of her business. The first thing the Bush Doctor said was, “Dem envy you poor daughter, she have envy and covetousness written all over her. Dem trying to mek her mad, but her spirit is strong. She’s too bright and intelligent and it mek some people nervous.”
My eyes were filled with surprise and astonishment, to find out at such a tender age that people could be so wicked to cast a spell on someone because of mere jealousy.
“Well, Granny, what did Mrs. Sandringham do? Did she run, and think that the Bush Doctor was crazy?’
“No, she didn’t run and he was not crazy. I had a vision the night before we went to the Bush Doctor and in the vision, I got a message from God that Natasha allowed one of her classmates to play in her hair and they cut off a piece of the hair when she wasn’t paying attention. Natasha had long hair all the way down to her bottom, so it was quite easy to snip a tip of her hair without her noticing. All the Bush Doctor did was confirm my vision and give Mrs. Sandringham some herbs and prayers to say. I think he even gave her the initials of the person who was trying to destroy her daughter.”
“What happened Granny? Don’t stop the story there, tell me nuh?’
“Between myself and Mrs. Sandringham, we boil the herbs and gave Natasha to drink. I had a vision to douse her head in olive oil, limacol and white rum and wrap it up with a red scarf for nine days. We prayed my prayers and the prayers from the Bush Doctor, and on the tenth day, Natasha started having convulsions, then she started throwing up. If you ever saw the slime that came out of her, you would die. The next day, Natasha was fine, as if nothing was ever wrong. Now she’s a big time Brain Surgeon in Tennessee.”
“What a wickedness these people do, eh Granny?”
“The Bible tells us that there is evil in this world that’s why we have to stay close to God and his word. That is our protection from envy, jealousy and strife. In every creation there is good and evil. I think that there is good Obeah that can be used to counteract evil, like the Bush Doctor that Dr. Maccabee sent us to, he was working with good spirits and the energy of God.”
“Granny did you ever experience Obeah in our family?”
“Let me think…..Oh yes! When my cousin AllSenior’s wife collapse for no earthly reason. Everyone was mystified. Doctors came from all over the world and couldn’t find any plausible explanation. She was a beautiful, healthy woman and one day she just fell down in her kitchen. After that, her hair started falling out and it was like she was a zombie, she could not stay awake for more than five minutes at a time. They called me up and told me about it. That same night my mother came to me in a vision and told me that there is a woman that is secretly in love with AllSenior and she is trying to break up his marriage , and she throw a “blow” to his wife.”
“What’s a “blow” Granny?”
“A “blow” is a evil wish or thought fueled with lots of negative energy. AllSenior’s wife was supposed to die, but with the grace of the Heavenly Father, we prayed, fed her herbs and lit candles. She was never the same again, but was victorious, because she stayed alive and kept her husband until God was ready for her.
“Gee Granny, why are people so evil?”
“Who knows sweetheart…..That’s another discussion, for another time.”
My education of Obeah came to me in my pre-adolescent years from my Granny who was extremely religious, but was aware that evil loomed in this world. I was fortunate to receive the information from an authentic source. Granny also taught me that many people will claim they have spiritual powers and are “gifted”, however, the true healers of our society usually ask for little in return and function on God power. She also mentioned that with everything, there is cause and effect. Never wish someone evil or plot against them, because Karma will get you every time. She followed up her wisdom with the story of the man who sought an Obeah woman to gain riches and notoriety. At first, it worked and he became one of the most prominent citizens in Jamaica and then one day out of the blue, plagues started taking hold of his family and his house eventually got washed away in filth. Literally.
There wasn’t any scientific explanation for this occurrence, except, “We reap what we sow.” The Bible says, that the evil and those who practice iniquity will flourish like olive trees, but that happens only because, when it is time for them to fall, their demise will be great and unforgettable.
It is always best in matters of life, love and success, to make nature take its course. So, I leave you with the words of my everloving Grandmother, “If you can’t do good, don’t do bad.”
In Memory of LB, MB and JM, M.D.