B A N S I D H A R A

"Oh my my, quite a gathering! Lots of visitors for Banny!"

*Currently setting up temporary house atop one of the flat rocks at the Playground. Setting up a small fire pit and adorning the space in various items, consisting of various animal hides and skulls, candles, a number of plant herb bundles, full satchels, masks, a number of gourds containing unknown liquid and powdered substances, feathers, beads, gems, jewelery, ceremonial headdresses, knives, empty jars, and woven mats.



Titles: The Witch Doctor, The Doctor, Seer, Diviner.
Age: Unknown.
Month Born: October.
Voice: X

The Doctor's Training
The doctor learned his business in the ordinary way, being trained by a professional, to whom he acted as an assistant till duly qualified. He was a man of a peculiar, nervous temperament, known as such from childhood and seeming to develop special powers after a dangerous illness. He underwent a severe initiation, spending a great deal of time alone in the wilds. Some say that this condition is brought about through possession by a spirit. It is not clear whether the man felt anything at the time, but after reaching his home he took ill, and began to see visions; a procession of beings in endless march across the heavens, going westward, arrayed in feather headdresses and carrying their sleeping-mats.

Services
It is believed that the spirits of his father and mother are contained in his "medicine gourd," and it was they who give the answers to the questions asked. Though divination processes are diverse, set routines are followed. The diviner's body can become a vehicle for communication through spirit possession. Otherwise, some type of device is employed, from a simple sliding object to the myriad of symbolic items in a diviner's basket.

Bone Divination
In a “reading” the person comes with a specific question – any kind of question or issue can be presented – and the answers and information that are gained from the Bones reach into all levels of one’s being and contain in depth spiritual and psychological insight. The bones represent all of the forces that affect any human being, anywhere, whatever their culture. The primal energies and attributes the animals represent hold enormous power. Bansidhara has several pouches containing the bones of numerous animals from around the world, and may use each in answering a particular question, depending on what is being asked.

When thrown to the ground, bone combinations reveal specific meaning. Divinatory consultations occur in times of crisis, when there is insufficient practical information available to cope with life's hazards. In these situations diviners enable people to acquire otherwise inaccessible information by generating a shift to a contrary, paranormal, mode of cognition. Because the language of divination is cryptic, all revelations are translated and discussed. During this dialogue between the diviner and client, known facts are scrutinized in the light of a different perspective and old elements are reorganized into new arrangements. Diviners indicate the cause of misfortune, locate stolen property, identify witches, and recommend specific therapies. Sensitivity to the dynamics of personal relationships greatly enhances a diviner's success.

Voodoo
Voodoo is primarily used for healing, religious ceremonies to call or pacify the spirits, holding initiations for new priests or priestesses, telling fortunes, reading dreams, casting spells, invoking protections, and creating potions for various purposes. These potions are for anything from love spells to death spells; all for a hefty fee of course. Key items are used in the many rituals of voodoo, and Ban must be given enough time to prepare. His geographical area of influence is called the parish. An eclectic array of items covers the altar in the temple or hounfort; a peristyle is a roofed or open space where the public voodoo ceremonies take place. The items on the altar would be used in its rituals and include objects that have symbolic meaning: candles, food, money, amulets, ritual necklaces, ceremonial rattles, bottles of rum, bells, flags, drums, sacred stones, and knives.

One ritual that takes place one year and one day after the decease of a relative is the one that refers to the belief of the two parts of the soul. The two parts consists of ti-bon-ange (little good angel) and gros-bon-ange (great good angel). The gros-bon-ange is the body’s life force, and after death, the gros-bon-ange must return to the cosmos. To make sure that the ti-bon-ange is guaranteed a peaceful rest, the gros-bon-ange must be recalled through an elaborate, expensive ritual involving the sacrifice of a large animal, like an ox, to appease the ti-bon-ange. If the ti-bon-ange spirit is not satisfied and given a peaceful rest, the spirit remains earthbound forever and brings illness or disasters on others.

Customers
Gehirn & Herla: Bone divination ceremony requested. Completed.
Payment: Free of charge.

Top image by Apeldille.
Background image by ~raduluchian of Deviantart.