These articles are written by Members of AFSANI to share with you their views on various topics concerning Akan culture and spirituality. The topics will include those aspects of the culture and spirituality which had a great or the greatest impact in their everyday lifestyles (hair, attire, names, family, etc.). Therefore, there is no right or wrong answers to the questions or comments which you might have since these are very personal experiences and perspectives on the topics of their choice. We encourage you to visit this page often as it will change as members write their stories. Enjoy the page and leave us your comment.

HEALING
By Okomfo Enyo Akosua

"Nyame, biribi wo soro na ma emmeka me nsa."
"God, there is something in the heavens, let it reach me"

Spiritual, physical and emotional healing are not separate in Akan spiritual ideology. In Akan society the spiritual life of an individual is connected to all aspects of one's life. A persons spiritual walk also involves their daily day-to-day life obligations and how they function, so if one becomes ill the illness is not viewed just as being physically sick or just emotionally or spiritually ill, instead one is seen as sick in theses areas at the same time. Therefore, the total healing of the person has to occur on all of these levels. "Me Kra adwame afiri me ho" my kra has gone away, (this is said to happen due to trauma illness, etc) this was the state of my being on my first trip to Ghana with Nana Akua Kyerewaa Opokuwaa, founder and Chief Priest of AFSANI.

My first trip to Ghana was in the summer of 1998. I had battled breast cancer for many years along with some emotional and spiritual illnesses. All of these problems had been addressed in the standard "western" perspective as one having nothing to do with the other. Different treatments and approaches for each of these problems where developed but, no one in the western philosophy could see or think of my problems from a circular perspective; instead, the tried and true Eurocentric linear approach was the method of the day and I was still suffering. I had lost my hair, I was having what they call focus seizures, my arms where swollen twice their size, and I was in extremely bad health physically, mentally and physically. My spiritual life was almost none. I had just discovered the Akan way a year before but was not sure in which direction I wanted to go with it so, I was spiritually weak and lost. I did not know that this trip would change my life and teach me about the true understanding and steps needed for a person to be healed.

My spiritual mother and teacher Nana Akua Kyerewaa Opokuwaa took me to a shrine in Ghana where the Okomfohene did a divination for me. The Okomofohene begin by saying how I had come into this world not very strong and how I had, had many illnesses and challenges. I listened closely. The Okomfohene stated that Nana Asuo Gyebi wanted me to go into training so he, Nana Asuo Gyebi the great healer and protector could heal me. Nana Asuo Gyebi wanted to heal me from the inside out! It was probably plain to Nana Asuo Gyebi that my illnesses that were manifesting in the physical realm also where connected to the spiritual realm. My going into training and strengthening my spiritual essences, the Okra or Kra, my life force, okrateasefo (the living soul), the Okra the transmitter of my destiny, nkrabea (fate) the part of Nyame that was place in me at the time of my birth, and by strengthening my Sunsum (soul, spirit, given to me by my father, father's ancestors) which was lost and confused because it was not functioning to it's fullest potential in the spiritual, physical or any other realm, would give me the strength to heal on all levels. This was a new concept for me. Healing always begins in "Western" culture by looking at the outward appearance of the person and not what was in the person. My western mind still had me trapped and it took me eight months after I got home from Ghana to begin one of the greatest faith and healing walks of my life.

During the past eight years my life has been full of blessings and healing. During the first years of my faith walk my arms healed and my body became free from the major physical illnesses that had been plaguing me. As my relationship has grown and developed with Nyame and my patron Deity Nana Asuo Gyebi, many other self made obstacles to healing have been eliminated. This has been the greatest faith walk of my life. As I began to surrender my self to the understanding of Nyame (the one who would not die, the one who created all things including death and then beat it) I begin to learn what was meant by the proverb. "Obi nkyere abofra Nyame", which means no one points out God to a child. The understanding of God is already there, deep inside the child. One does not have to show a child God, for a child in their trusting innocence believes and knows God. In the child's belief in Onyame Obatanpa (mother-father-God) or Odomankoma (the one who gives us grace), the patience and caring that Nyame has for us is seen in the child's actions of acceptance, obedience and the child's ability to accept and use the manifestation of healing that the great creator Ananse Kokuroko has for us. This is how all of us must be in order to receive and have the Abosom and the Nsamanfo work in our lives to heal and care for us.

Healing is not easy. It takes trust in yourself and belief in the Supreme Being. This is what I have learned about healing; 1) that you must create your own personal relationship with your patron Deity (if you are initiated). For everyone who is uninitiated, you must create your own relationship with Nyame, the Abosom and Nsamanfo in order to create a vehicle and the desire for the healing to take place; 2) You must have a love affair with and be obedient to Nyame, the Abosom (deities), the Nsamanfo (ancestors) and yourself and; 3) Do not doubt or wait for Nyame, the Abosom or the Nsamanfo to fail but instead know and expect miracles, blessings and healing, nothing less then that. It has been through my God Mother Nana Akua Kyerewaa Opokuwaa's strength and unwavering belief that I have seen the examples of faith in practice and I thank her for those lessons.

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