Emakhosini with Gogo Nomalanga

" Spirituality  is chosen while  religion  is often times forced. Being  spiritual  to me is more important  and  better than being  religious . True  spirituality  is something that is found deep within oneself. It is your way of loving, accepting  and  relating to the world  and  people around you." It has become quite popular in recent years to distinguish between spirituality and religion. It’s true that there are valid distinctions between the two, but there are also a number of problematic distinctions which often and unnecessarily divide the two fields of thought. One principal problem with attempts to separate religion from spirituality is that the former is saddled with everything negative while the latter is exalted with everything positive. It is important to note the fact that many of the negative things which people attribute to religions are features of some forms of some  religions  ...

The first occurrence of speaking in tongues occurred on the day of Pentecost in  Acts 2:1-4 . The apostles went out and shared the gospel with the crowds, speaking to them in their own languages: “We hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” ( Acts 2:11 ). The Greek word translated tongues literally means “languages.” Therefore, the gift of tongues is speaking in a language a person does not know in order to minister to someone who does speak that language. In 1 Corinthians chapters 12–14, Paul discusses miraculous gifts, saying, “Now, brothers, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction?” ( 1 Corinthians 14:6 ). According to the apostle Paul, and in agreement with the tongues described in Acts, speaking in tongues is valuable to the one hearing God’s message in his or her own language, but it is useless to everyone else unless it is interpreted/translated. A...

Many of our choices are between good and evil. The choices we make, however, determine to a large extent our happiness or our unhappiness, because we have to live with the consequences of our choices. Lately I have come to realise that it doesn't take much for someone to get involved in evil doings/work. Sometimes the person may not even be aware that they have deviated from correct path because hey are blinded by the darkness and evil forces around them. I have also come to learn that some people will cross your path, befriend you and you innocently take them under your wing, mentoring and sharing sensitive/confidential information with them in the process. You know you have a good relation going but when evil strikes, its almost as if that relation /friendship never existed.  Now if you are weak, you will easily fall prey to evil but if not then good for you! Evil attacks in different ways and it is entirely up to us to fight it at all costs. We cannot be weak, we must not...

The intimate relationship between the living and the dead is revealed through the importance attached to the concepts of umphefumulo (soul), umoya (spirit), the shadow (isithunzi) and the ancestral shades’ brooding (ukufukamela) over the lives of their descendants just as a hen broods over her eggs. Unless appropriate rituals are performed and actions taken, this brooding can lead to misfortune, illness, madness and vulnerability to sorcery and witchcraft.  From an African perspective, ancestors are regarded as custodians of our lives. They can bring good luck and bad luck equally if they are pleased or angered respectively. Healing by ancestors is achieved in a sense that they provide us with a sense of rootedness; they anchor us, and they confirm our identity. Therefore if one looks at healing as an act of one making healthy, we can argue that nothing heals a person better than knowing who she/he is, (descendancy) what she/he is about (purpose) and where she/he is going....

I think it's high time that we set the record straight on some issues. Yes we do distant readings and as such the outcome of the reading will determine the steps to be taken thereafter. Now, the norm is that we prepare, package and post your parcel to you overnight at your own cost. However we have recently had strange requests where people expect us to give them a list of imithi  to buy and put together on their own. Which basically translates to us giving away isikhwama. Bakwethu Preparation of umuthi does not only mean mixing of the different izimpande it also extends to ukubusisa and transferring of healing energy to impande. So please bear that in mind as well. To our clients abroad, please note that the weight of your parcel contributes greatly to postage cost, that said we also do not do AR (Advise of delivery) without prior as this is an extended service and will therefore add onto the cost of postage. However should you require this service then kindly indicate.

What is “Amanzi amnyama”?– This is a situation where abangasekho are in complete misery and have no good communication amongst themselves and their human families. This situation could be deliberately brought about by someone with the aim of creating instability among the living, the dead or both. Lolu wuhlobo lokuthakatha olwejwayelekile ukwenzeka ozalweni Iwasibongo sinye olumonazelanayo noma olungezwani. Kuyenzeka kubekhona oyedwa nje ozalweni ozokwenza lolu hlobo lokuthakatha, ethakatha abantu bozalo Iwakhe. Uma ephehla amanzi amnyama usuke ephendula amadlozi ngokusebenzisa inhlabathi yamathuna ayihlanganise neminye imithi emibi ukuze amadlozi akubo alufulathele uzalo. Ngalolu hlobo lokuthakatha usuke ewaluthe ngendlela·yokuthi abheke yena yedwa kumbe yena nomndeni wakhe, amenzele izinhlanhla, amvikele emikhuhlaneni nasemashweni. Uzalo-ke lapho alulungelwa lutho, kuba mnyama konke kulo kuzekuyobheda nasenzalweni imbala. Imisebenzi yamanzi amnyama ibonakala ngokuthi kuy...

As I've mentioned before in the first article, amaphupho/dreams have different meanings for different people and their umsamo because amadlozi and amathongo communicate with their subjects through them. It is for this reason that communicative dreams should be followed up on and their true meaning should also be confirmed with those who are gifted in the interpretation of dreams. Having said this however; there are dreams that can/may generally be interpreted outside of a formal consultation. Those dreams are believed to have universal meanings for certain tribes. Even so, it is still always advisable that when one gets communicative dreams they must look into them to get a clearer understanding of the messages that are being communicated through this channel. What causes one to forget their dreams? I have heard many people complain that they cannot remember amaphupho abo. Often time you will wake up knowing very well that you had an important dream, but for the life of you, ...