The first time I met a sangoma in South Africa, and what happened next

I’d like to share an excerpt from an interview by Jurema Silva for The Edge Magazine. She asked me about the different countries I’ve lived in and what they taught me spiritually.

Watch the full video here (46 minutes).

My intuitive gifts came out with the help of the first sangoma (traditional African spiritual practitioner) I met back in 2003.

I think the reason that my gifts came to fruition at the time I lived in South Africa was because South Africa is now a warm and loving vessel for spiritual teachers and healers because it was oppressed.

For a really long time.

Traditional African spiritual practices were illegal under the apartheid system, the segregation system. Any spiritual practices that were not strictly Christian.

According to the official church, you know, the official church was aligned with the government. It was fully in line with the apartheid government and helping to oppress the people.

So under those rules, you could not do anything that wasn’t aligned with pure strict, very conservative Christianity. So then when it changed, it really changed.

The beginning of my story goes like this:

As soon as I arrived in South Africa, I said, “I’ve got to figure out how to how can I see a sangoma, this is really important to me.”

I arranged to see one, and she lived in a township, which is very, very far away from where I was staying because you know, in South Africa, the land is assigned in a very disparate way. Very unfair.

I drove and drove and drove and drove and drove and drove and drove way way way far away. I arrived. I arrived really late. (And she was mad.)

She threw the bones for me. And she said, “Okay, you are gifted and you have to start practicing. You need to align with your maternal line, your mother, your mother’s family.”

I said, “Okay.” She said, “You need to go buy this cloth.” She held out a cloth for me, and the cloth had a pattern of oak leaves.

Later I found out that different sangomas wear different patterns of cloth, it’s a thing. You go to a sangoma shop, and there are all of these different kinds of — it’s like plaid, it’s kind of like a tartan in the Scottish tradition, right? Your clan has this pattern.

I said, “Okay, I’ll do that.” So I went to the shop and I bought that cloth and I wore it on my shoulders and she said, “Talk to your mother’s people, your mother’s line, ask them for help.”

I went home and I lit candles and then I looked down at it and I really thought about it and you know what? My mother’s last name is Quirk. Her maiden name is Quirk. And you know what the word quirk means? Oak Tree.

What a beautiful message … so spot on and so reassuring and loving and comforting. I felt loved and guided.

And so South Africa is a great place, now, to be open. I was able to get on the radio and have my own radio show. It was a warm and welcoming environment, for me.

(That was an excerpt, here is the full interview.)

I’m a psychic coach for successful, intuitive women. I download your divine guidance and teach you how to do it yourself. Amplifying your inner wisdom saves you time, decreases worry, and leads you toward your financial freedom. Get my free “100 Questions” book: https://shannonwalbran.com/100questions/