Kongo Shamanism and the World of the Unseen

In the world of Kongo witchcraft, people don’t go to a “better place” when they die, but instead linger on as powerful spirits with their own appetites and agendas, the inhabitants of a hidden realm just as vast, bewildering and morally ambiguous as our own.
What’s more, this afterworld (or underworld) is not at all separate from the sunlit world of the Earth but mingles and mixes with it in an endless interplay of gods, shades, forces and energies in constant motion, eating, acting and reacting among and unbeknownst to us.

Spirits as numerous as the stars in the sky

Accordingly, tragedies, misfortunes and diseases are never “just accidents” but are always caused by:

• ancestors who have been ignored or disrespected
• nature spirits (e.g. trees or streams) who have been offended in some manner
• evil ghosts deliberately sent by witchdoctors hired to make mischief
• the unconscious envy and resentment of living rivals and competitors

It goes without saying that there is no such thing as “random good luck” in this model either. From success in school, business or romance to robust  health and abundant personal wealth, most of the blessings people have in their lives are largely due to the influence and protection of their own departed ancestors – whether they realize it or not.
Pacts, Secrets and Ethics
Unlike ancestral spirits, the elemental forces of nature and the earthbound dead can be fierce and unforgiving. For this reason, Palo priests (called “paleros”) learn how to control these more volatile energies through the secret pacts and occult initiations which make up the core of the religion itself.
Eventually, some also acquire one or more ngangas – a sort of tribal “witch’s cauldron” which allows them to dispatch these spirits to heal, bless or curse with startling speed.
Because the energies and spirits Palo priests send on behalf of their clients are so fast and effective, Palo is sometimes characterized as an amoral form of “black magic” or sorcery.
In truth, the religion is simply Central African in outlook. It’s a beautiful religion with great hidden depths, but like many tribal traditions it values survival based on a practical view of human nature over idealistic theories about “the way people should be.”