Page 36 - Dark Matter:Women Witnessing Issue2

blood of the animal that is offered is understood to be a potent conduit for human prayers to reach the

Other World (similar to the rising smoke of sacred herbs in Native America such as sage and tobacco).

Suffering in the human realm is understood as evidence of imbalance in the unseen world. Therefore,

the ritual work that restores balance in and with the Other World is the foundation for peace in this

one.

Throughout Africa, the peacemaking process is a time when apologies are offered and accepted. It is

considered a serious affront to the community and to the spirits to refuse a sincere apology because

this perpetuates a state of imbalance.

These activities engender an exchange of respect and humility, creating tangible results in daily life, as

can be seen in the way the Mourning Feasts inspired the community and released pent-­‐up grief. More

importantly, these rites create a dialogue with the Other World and among human beings in ways that

acknowledge and engage with Nature and the spirit realm as the primary nexus of those relationships,

seen and unseen, that establish peace through heartfelt exchange and mutual accountability.

Nature responds. Often, Nature initiates the communication, through dreaming and synchronicities –

inexplicable coincidences too numerous to be attributed to mere chance, too timely to ignore, and

cohering into a clear message or discernable pattern. It is our responsibility to learn how to pay

attention and how to interpret the signs. Master General, a rebel commander who considers himself to

be a traditional man and is also an Imam and a Pentecostal preacher, told us that, according to

traditional understanding, elephants are considered to be a sign that peace is coming. Three months

prior to the ceasefire that finally ended Liberia’s civil war, Master General and his troops were on their

way to attack Monrovia. In the forest, he saw a mother elephant and her calf. “I knew that God had

spoken,” he told us. “No more war in Liberia!” He commanded his men to lay down their arms on the

spot, and decreed that anyone using a weapon from that moment forward would face a firing squad.

“How many men were with you that day?” we wanted to know. “How many men laid down their guns

because of the elephants?”