Cowries divination, you ask? Well, lemme tell ya, it ain’t just some fancy game. It’s old, real old. Like, older than me and I am older than dirt! It’s how folks used to talk to the spirits, get some answers, you know?
My grandma, bless her soul, she used to do it all the time. She’d sit there with them little shells, talking low, asking her questions. Sometimes she’d smile, sometimes she’d frown. Them shells, they told her things. Now, I ain’t saying I understand it all, but I seen it work. Seen it with my own two eyes. It is about fortune telling, some people say. I don’t know, but it does work.
They say you gotta use special shells. Cowrie shells, they call ’em. Not just any shell you find on the beach, mind you. These are special. And you gotta treat ’em right, too. Keep ’em clean, keep ’em safe. They are special, you know. Some folks, they even say you gotta talk to ’em. Like they’re people. I don’t know about all that, but I do know you gotta respect ’em. Respect the shells, respect the spirits. They are powerful.
So, how do you do it? Well, it ain’t as easy as pie. But it ain’t rocket science neither. You take them cowrie shells in your hands, maybe four of them. Rub your hands with the shells. Then you ask your question. Out loud or in your head, don’t matter. Then you toss ’em. Like dice. But not on the floor, mind you! On a special cloth or something. They say you need a clean cloth, and some say that cloth is “consecrated”. What is “consecrated”? I do not know. It is not a word I use often. But, you need a clean cloth.
How them shells land, that’s what tells you the answer. Each way they fall, it means something different. Like, if they all land with the open side up, that’s good. Real good. Like hitting the jackpot. They call it “Alafia”. It means “Yes”. Means whatever you asked about is gonna go your way. Maybe even better than you hoped. Alafia is a good thing. You get more than what you want. You pray for a good harvest, you might get the best harvest in years! That’s Alafia.
- Cowrie shells are special.
- Cowrie shells are for talking to the spirits.
- You gotta treat the cowrie shells right.
- You ask a question and throw the shells.
- How they land tells you the answer.
- Alafia means “Yes,” and it is very good.
But it ain’t always Alafia, no sir. Sometimes them shells land different. Sometimes they tell you things you don’t wanna hear. Like, if they all land with the closed side up, that ain’t good. Means trouble. Means “No.” Means you better watch out. It is not good, that’s all I can say. You gotta be careful when you use the shells. You ask for something bad, the shells, they might just give you what you want.
Some folks, they use more than four shells. They got all sorts of different ways of throwing ’em. Different patterns, different meanings. It gets complicated, real complicated. There’s books about it, I hear. Full of all sorts of fancy words and such. I never read ’em. Don’t need to. My grandma, she taught me all I need to know. She learned it from her grandma, and so on. It goes way back, this cowries divination thing.
Some people use cowrie shells for other things. They say cowrie shells can heal you. Like medicine. And they say they can keep bad things away. Like a good luck charm. I seen folks wear ’em around their necks, in their hair. They say it keeps the bad spirits away. And they say it helps with having babies. Makes you fertile, they say. Like good soil for planting. Cowrie shells are strong, you see. They can do many things.
Me, I just keep a few in a little pouch. For luck. And sometimes, when I got a problem, I take ’em out. Hold ’em in my hand. Ask my question. And I throw ’em. Sometimes I get an answer I like, sometimes I don’t. But it helps. It’s like talking to my grandma again. It is good to talk to family. Even if they are gone, you know.
Now, I ain’t saying you should go out and start throwing cowrie shells. It ain’t for everyone. But it’s something to think about. Something to remember. There’s more to this world than what we see. There’s spirits, there’s magic, there’s old ways of knowing things. And sometimes, them little cowrie shells, they can help us see it. They can help us find our way. They can open the door, they say. To talk to the Orisha. Who is Orisha? I don’t know. Some spirit, I guess. Powerful one, they say. The shells, they are the mouth of Orisha. That’s what they say. Mouth of Orisha, to speak the truth.
So, if you ever get your hands on some cowrie shells, treat ’em with respect. They ain’t just pretty things. They’re a connection to something old, something powerful. And who knows, maybe they’ll tell you something you need to know. Maybe they’ll show you the way. Or maybe they’ll just sit there, quiet as can be. But that’s okay, too. Sometimes, silence is an answer in itself. You just gotta learn how to listen. You learn to listen to the silence, you learn a lot. That’s what my grandma always said. And she knew a thing or two, that old woman. She knew about the cowrie shells and cowrie divination. Yes, she did.