Home2015November11THE SIGNIFICANCE OF BLOOD IN SACRIFICES Intro. to Yoruba THE SIGNIFICANCE OF BLOOD IN SACRIFICES When African Traditional Religion is mentioned to most people who have no knowledge of it, the first thing most ask is if sacrifices are done within the practice. Once they hear yes, they will run or scream “the blood of Jesus!” (lol). A mind is a terrible thing to waste, and people just do not take the time to try and understand certain things. Blood is life. Every human being comes thorough blood when being born, it is what sustains all living things. Below is part one of an article written by a Babalawo whose name is placed at the end of the post. The article is very lengthy, and even though I could not stop reading when I received it (it is that good) to make for easier reading for you all, I will post it in two parts. I applaud his work here within this article, as it will make clear to many the importance of blood in sacrifice (Ebo in Yoruba), or as the article is titled, The significance of blood in an Ebo. I will post part two by tomorrow. Obara Meji The Significance of Blood in Ebo Spiritual ebo or offering is a very important element of worship in many African Traditional Religions (ATR). The purpose and usage of blood in spiritual offerings is an aspect of ATR that has been largely unexplored scientifically. One reason for this may lie in our limited understanding of spiritual sacrifice as it relates to the physical functions of blood within the circulatory system of complex organisms. The purpose of this post is three fold: First, we will provide some general background and a perspective on what ritual/blood offering is in the Yoruba/Ifa context. Then we will provide some scientific background and explanation of the physical functions of blood. Lastly, we will lay out a possible explanation for the purpose and function of blood in rituals based on a hypothesis that addresses the scientific significance of blood in ebo in the body. Ebo/ritual is about exchanging with the spirit world. Let us first consider one perspective on the utility and function of sacrificial offering of animals, by understanding it within the context of Ifa (as an example). There are many ways of perceiving,understanding and contextualizing ebo – Here, we will only consider one such interpretation. From my perspective, The notion of ebo is predicated on the idea that there are two aspects to the world – namely the physical and the spiritual. These two realities are often thought of as simultaneously existing realms/dimensions/realities/planes of existence. One of the fundamental cornerstones of African spirituality is that there is a certain amount of coupling and linkage between these two worlds. This is evidenced very easily through the observation of the birth and growth of human beings and animals. Take a deer for example – the a deer becomes pregnant,consumes food, and within a certain time gives birth to a second deer. This second deer appears as a result of the physical processes and actions of the mother deer (i.e. mating and eating to provide energy to the growth process), yet the second deer is considered to have its own spirit – which is exemplified through its ability to make its own decisions and carry out its own actions. The process of birth serves as a very clear example of the coupling and connection between the spirit world and physical world. The idea of ebo is predicated on the manipulation of this coupling between the two realms. In an ebo,similar to the birthing process, a person uses physical measures/acts to cause something to take place spiritually. This process is sometimes viewed as the physical act of stimulating a shift or change of “energy” in the spirit world, or it is sometimes viewed as the process of appeasing a particular spirit/divinity. Whatever view is chosen, it is usually thought that the physical act itself has caused a change in the spiritual world. This change or shift in the spiritual world then leads to a corresponding change or response in the physical world, which is usually the objective of the ebo in the first place. The idea of ebo is that a person can use a physical act to cause something spiritual to happen. The spiritual occurrence then has an a secondary effect on the physical reality, which satisfies the person’s objective. It is important to note the several consequences of viewing ebo from this perspective –most notably that ebo is not symbolic. The idea is that the actual act of making the offering (physically) causes the spiritual change and subsequent physical changes, as a form of spiritual chemistry (a set of reactive events). This means that the results of the ebo are independent of whether or not the people effected by it “believe” in it or not.There are many examples that I have personally witnessed of this phenomenon – but the main idea is that an ebo can be done without someone’s knowledge all together. If it is done correctly and accepted, the subsequent spiritual response and secondary physical responses will take place without any dependence on anyone’s belief. It is in this sense that we can draw an analogy between ebo can be thought of as a being analogous to and chemical reactions. To clarify this analogy of ebo as a form of spiritual chemistry, let us consider a simple example. If you put your hand into a glass of sulfuric acid, regardless of whether or not your (highly misinformed) intention was to heal the skin on your hand,you will burn and damage the skin on your hand get burned. It is this series of “reactive” responses in both the physical and spiritual realm that allows us to understand why death is at the center of spiritual offerings. Just as the birthing process is a clear indication of the connection between the physical and spiritual realms,death also serves a similar function. Just after a person or animal dies, physically the same cells and physical parts continue to exist in the physical reality (i.e. they do not disappear). However, despite their remaining physically present there is some fundamental change that takes place, such that the heart stops and the body becomes inactive. So what causes the body to be alive? Why does the brain send signals to keep the heart beating while alive, and then suddenly stop when dead? Most cultures around the world attribute this change of state to the spirit of the person or animal. The idea is that the spirit of the person or animal, when alive, caused those physical processes (brain activity) to continue, however, upon death the spirit goes through some process and “leaves” the body that somehow does not allow such that these physical processes can no longer to continue. Naturally, we conclude that something spiritual takes place when a person or animal dies and thus this series of physical steps is often used to initiate a change or stimulate an effect in the spirit world. Therefore, we might expect that when an ebo is executed the phenomenon of death is a central process. The key question that remains, however, is why blood? Why not some other part of an animal’s body? Are there not other ways to cause such a shift/change/alteration in the spirit world? The significance of blood in ebo should become clearer as we investigate the function and role blood plays in the sustaining of life itself. The function of blood in complex organisms. Let us now proceed to some discussion on the functions of blood within the circulatory system of complex organisms. Blood is an essential component to higher and more complex life forms. It is a specialized connective tissue in the body. Connective tissue is the material between the cells of the body that gives tissues form and strength. Other forms of specialized tissue are cartilage and bone.Within the circulatory system, blood plays several significant roles that help to regulate the proper function of the body as we know and understand it. There are three basic types of bloods cells within the circulatory system: Red Blood Cells (RBC), White Blood Cells (WBC), and Platelets. All blood cells are produced in the bone marrow and originate from a special cell called the pluri potential hematopoietic stem cells. The specific functions of each type of blood cell are: – RBCBC – • Also called Erythrocytes. These cells: Contain hemoglobin and are primarily responsible for carrying oxygen throughout the body. The videos below give you a better picture of the how red blood cells flow through the body and the mechanism by which oxygen is transported through red blood cells. Path of the Red Blood Cell Article written by Babalawo Asegun Oladigbolu Àìsanra tó ajá ológìnní, kìí ṣe tàìjẹun kánú, bíran ẹ̀ ṣe mọ ni. / Cats relative smallness to dogs isn’t for lack of what to eat; that’s how cats are – Yoruba Proverb Obara Meji Share This Previous ArticleIFA-ORUNMILA Next ArticleTHE SIGNIFICANCE OF BLOOD IN SACRIFICE PART-2 November 11, 2015
