“But it would not be long before Olosi would rise again, instilling greed, and pittingman against man. Thousands of men, women and children were captured and sent to beslaves in the New World. It was in this world that Olosi could work his magic, temptingman to follow him and practice his ways. It was a world that was filled with desires andrichness that turned noble men bad. Millions were dying, from disease, starvation, andmere depression. Olosi’s presence was too strong. And the Natives of the land and theblack slaves were not able to stop him.
“Ex-priests from Africa understood that they needed to work together in order tosurvive. To do this, they needed to preserve their culture, religion and traditions. Theyunderstood that faith was the only way to give them spiritual and moral strength. At thattime, a secret society was formed. Olosi, as cunning and ugly as he was understood thepower of unity and oneness. He used sorcery to plant another seed in the Spaniards’heads. Anyone known to be in secret societies was persecuted, whipped without mercyand even hanged. Olosi sat back and laughed as he watched whole villages burn down,crops being destroyed and woman being raped.
“The priests in these secret societies continued to have meetings, away from thebarracks and often in the middle of the night. More slaves, free black men and nativesjoined. One of them was able to sing the infectious tune of Changó, a deity whorepresented the force of fire. Another priest waved his machete in the air and beckonedOggún, the tireless and fearless warrior. Changó and Oggún are rivals, but theircontrasting energy worked to create insurgencies all throughout the Caribbean. TheSpanish were afraid. They had paid a great deal of money for their slaves, and realizedthat if they died or were murdered, they would lose out on their investments.
“The strife continued. Many of the priest realized that war would wipe both the blackand native populations out. So they worked together again to bring another deity,Obatalá. He is the father of all Orisha, the creator of the human body. He is the naturalforce of fresh air, and he was called to bring peace. The Spaniards began to realize thatslaves worked better when clothed, fed, and lived in proper working conditions.
“Then something really great happened. The woman deities were called and so thereal forces of creation began. Yemayá, the mother of fertility and the overseer ofsaltwater were summoned, along with Oshún, the mistress of romance and seduction whoresides in our rivers. The help of these deities allowed woman to seduce their masters.Mixed children were born, singing the tunes of the sacred Orishas. But there was stillsomething missing. The priests worked diligently and some even got discouraged,because no one knew how to properly summon Orúnmila. He was the deity of divinationand would be able to determine their fate.
“The slaves went back to work, enduring long days of backbreaking labor, workingin coal mines, probing for gold, and cutting long sticks of sugarcane. They worked forendless hours, under a burning sun. Until one night they heard the sound of a drumbeating in the distance. It was midnight, and slaves from every plantation on the islandwere drawn to it.
“It was a sight indeed. All the Orishas, including Orúnmila were gathered around acampsite.
“’We are the Seven African Powers,’ Orúnmila said. ‘Your fate has changed, but allthe forces of nature are inside of you. If you master them, then you will be free.’ Peoplelooked around, aghast, not understanding what Orúnmila meant. They were slaves, howcould they ever be free? Suddenly there was a huge wave of light. In one quick flash, asynchronization of religions was born. Yoruba deities were associated with Catholicsaints, and African traditions were kept alive.
“Now it’s time for you to learn the secrets of our past, and the key to our survival.It’s time for everyone to look inside themselves and master the forces of the Universe.”
Her voice echoed throughout the room, and I wondered how a woman so frail couldhave a voice so strong. She bowed her head, and made an attempt to curtsey as sheslowly exited right off the stage. The drums began to beat, and the dark skin tenor stoodup and sang.
“Nelly, it’s time for you to go back,” he sang.
No. No. I don’t ever want to go back there. The elderly woman looked at me andsmiled. “We’re here, we’re always going to be here,” she said.
“Nelly, wake up!” I winced as I was slapped hard across the face. I jolted up to asitting position, like a zombie who had just been awoken from the dead. My chest heavedin and out as I looked at Ali. He was hovering over me. When he saw that I was awake,he stopped and sighed with relief.
“Shit!” It took me forever to wake your ass up,” he said.
I sat up. I was groggy and began to rub my eyes. “It was like you were in some kindof coma or some shit,” he said standing up.
“I’m okay,” I said while resting my hands on my knees. I could feel him staring atme. I avoided eye contact with him.
“I was just a little tired that’s all,” I said meekly. There was a long awkward silence.I could sense that Ali knew that there was something different about me, but he didn’twant to say anything.
“Come on, let’s go and find some food,” he said while grabbing my hand andhelping me up to my feet.
~ ~ ~
Chapter Seven
Do you know what hallucinations are?” Dr. Ontarian asked. Of course I know whathallucinations are; I am fucking crazing. Remember? She read my expression andlaughed gently.
“Of course you do, I mean, do you know where
