Spiritual Checklist for Rituals

5 ancestral tips to help you perform your rituals the right way

1. If you are slaughtering a cow, remember to announce (ukubika) the cow the day before with a sheep or goat. This sheep or goat cannot leave home and is to be eaten only by the family the following day.

2. If you are slaughtering a cow be sure to NEVER let ANYONE take the upper limb (Imikhono). Those are to remain with family. Do not allow healers or prophets to take this part or the heart. There are other parts which must remain with family but these two are the most important.

3. Run and manage your ceremonies yourselves. There is no need to be paying a healer to come run the ceremony and ritual for you. They should give detailed instructions, and you just simply follow them.

4. Think twice about who speaks eMsamo and burns imphepho. This should be the eldest male who believes in idlozi and what is about to happen. If you do not have this or you would like to break protocol you will need to mention eMsamo why you are breaking protocol.

5. Be inclusive. If someone can’t make it, tell idlozi why they could not make it and ask that they are not excluded in the benefitting from the ritual. This helps idlozi not see them being disrespectful or as if they have turned their backs on ikhaya.

If you need more help or details on specific rituals, then let’s have a session.