Excerpts

From Volume 7: Shakers of St. Vincent

The Shakers of St. Vincent

St. Vincent is one of the Windward Islands in the West Indies, located approximately 190 miles north of Trinidad and 100 miles west of Barbados. The island is lush with vegetation and holds a volcano, Mt. Soufrière, whose previous eruptions have caused extensive damage and loss of life. The early slave trade transplanted African spirituality upon its shores and by the turn of the twentieth century, a religion thrived that was rooted to both African traditions and Protestant Christianity, most notably the Methodist Church. This religion, characterized by intense displays of ecstatic expression, became known as the Shakers or, as they often call themselves, the "converted people" or "Spiritual Baptists."

In 1912, an ordinance was passed "to render illegal the practices of 'Shakerism' as indulged in the colony of St. Vincent." In spite of constant prosecution, the Shakers thrived. The ordinance was not repealed until 1965. Today, the Shakers of St. Vincent comprise a vibrant community of spiritual practitioners. "Prayer houses" or "praise houses" are scattered throughout the island where meetings, often lasting four to five hours, are regularly held.

Baptism and mourning are their most important rituals. No one is baptized unless they first have a dream, vision, or spiritual sign. Once baptized, the initiate is eligible for participation in their most sacred ritual which is called "mourning," or "taking a spiritual journey," a "pilgrim journey," or "going to the secret room." There they seek a vision through prayer and fasting, which typically lasts between six and twenty-one days. In the visions, Shakers find instruction and knowledge, ranging from metaphysics to the practice of healing, passed on to them. This learning from the spiritual world is sometimes called "going to school." It is the core experience of the Shakers.

This volume of Profiles of Healing opens the largely unknown visionary world of the Shakers of St. Vincent. When a Shaker seeks spiritual healing, they set on a journey that traverses through spiritual death and rebirth. In this healing odyssey, the seeker surrenders all their troubles and suffering from this life to a powerful spiritual process, so that one's troubled soul may be reborn with new meaning and vitality. The journey may direct one toward the healing of physical sickness.

Again, the name of this visionary journey into spiritual healing is called mourning. One's life is symbolically buried and mourned, opening up the possibility of a personal resurrection. What makes the St. Vincent Shakers unique among the global mystical cultures is the extent to which its members seek and find visionary experiences. It is not reserved for the few initiates, but available to every member of the community. On this small island in the Caribbean, thousands of people have been spiritually healed and educated through powerful visionary pilgrimages.

Mother Superior Sandy

Back in the old days, when I was a little girl, my parents told me that we could not worship God as we like. We had to hide away in the mountains and other places. If they caught us worshipping they would lock us up.

When I was young, I contracted jaundice and turned yellow. My urine was black and I was unable to get out of bed. The doctors gave up on me and everyone expected me to die. It was then when I first saw the spiritual world of Jesus. I was shown how I would go on my first mourning. I was told it would last ten days and that I would be given what I needed to help others. I saw all these things while I was on my sickbed.

Then an angel, looking like a woman, came to me and showed me three leaves. She told me what they were and instructed me to tell my mother to brew a tea from them. I called my mother and told her what happened, and she made the tea. I was well in three days. This miracle led me to always trust in the Lord.

Years ago, when I was a school teacher, I was transferred to the Georgetown government school, in the north of the island of St. Vincent. I dreamt one night that I was traveling along a road we call Number 4. I looked up and saw a long line of people marching in a procession up a hill. They were robed in long white gowns that touched the ground. I said out loud, "I wonder who those people are and where they are going?" I didn't see anyone, but a voice said to me, "They are the saints from Mozambique." Being a school teacher, I knew that Mozambique is in Africa. The dream then took me to a beach where there was a very large building. There someone placed me under the water of baptism.

In the dream, the person who baptized me said, "When you feel the power of the Holy Spirit, planes will come and take you into a far away country where you must go and preach the gospel." When I looked up, I saw a pole in front of me that had two buttons. He told me to press the buttons. After I pressed the buttons I heard a plane, and looking up, I saw planes pass overhead. Looking at the gentleman, I wondered whether I had to go elsewhere to preach the gospel. Then I woke up from my sleep.

I pondered that vision very much and made up my mind to take my baptism and go to the mourning. When I got into the faith, I was about 18 or 19 years old. Since I've been doing this work, I've placed 212 children in the waters of baptism. And I have placed 411 people on the mourning ground. I wish I could see them in front of me now.

Mother Ollivierre

I once dreamt that I went to a river and got baptized. Immediately I went to the room and mourned. Right away, the spirit came into my body. When you are lying on the ground of mourning, it is very hard. In my first mourning, I traveled until I reached a place with the light. When I reached the light, I was able to see a little house and a gentleman who greeted me. He sent me into a garden to pick some flowers. I then went straight up a narrow road toward a hill. As I was going up the hill, I met some people.

One of them was an old man with a long beard who was in the bush. He was cooking and gave me some food. He said his name was Joseph. That's what a spiritual journey is like.

I glorify the name of the Lord and give Him praise because He touched me. He still touches me today. When He touches me, I get the Holy Spirit. I praise my God. His mercy is ever faithful.

When you go on a spiritual journey, you are often given a job that you must perform. For example, you might be appointed as a "spiritual watchman," which requires you to go to a different church and evaluate their spiritual work, checking to see whether there is a spiritual war going on.

Or you might become a "prover." The prover holds another person's hands and shakes them, which enables the prover to learn things about that person. They know what you did today and what you did ten years go. Other jobs include "inspectors," "divers," "hunters," and "pointers." There are many spiritual jobs.

Some people are given the gift of healing and they may heal in different ways. They may use their hands, special oils, or incense. Every sickness requires its own type of medicine, so you must find the healer with the correct medicine for your condition. Healers go to a special spiritual school where they learn how to doctor others.

The spiritual world may also gift you with a special color. These colors represent different places in the world. For example, green represents Africa while yellow represents China. Sometimes you get a mix of colors. If you're sent to Africa, you learn to dance and drum. In China, you learn to fight with a spiritual sword. If you're taught to be a spiritual warrior, your spirit will be wild. Your job, then, is to clear the field of any disturbances.

After you finish a spiritual journey and receive a particular job or responsibility, you get paid by receiving a special colored cloth. It's a gift. Sometimes your spiritual parent or pointer will see this cloth without you telling them. They might even see it before you mourn. They then dress you in this robe when you leave the mourning room, before you go and face the congregation.

Pointer Warren

In the world of the spirit, there are lines and ropes. The lines usually go horizontally like power lines. They carry the spiritual electricity and you can use them to make a phone call to God. They can look like lines of light. There are also ropes of light hanging from the sky. If you go near one of them they can take you anywhere. These are powerful things to see. Only those on a high spiritual path see these ropes. When you see one, concentrate on it and go toward it. Reach for it and don't let go. It will take you somewhere.

'Doption is another special gift from God. When the spirit adopts you, you must move and let it come out. It will bring up a special sound that sometimes sounds like a drum. If you are deep in 'doption, it can give you a vision and even take you on a spiritual journey. 'Doption is communication from the Holy Spirit. When it pulls on you, it can give a spiritual sight. When it's on you, you can prophesize, see into others, and even heal them. God is great. He gives us these gifts. The greatest gift He gives us is the sweet love of Jesus. I love Jesus. He makes me sing all day. I start singing and keep singing until I fall asleep. His joy makes me sing. I have to sing. There is no other way. People see the light in different ways. Sometimes they see the lines and the ropes. If they go near it, they will be taken on a journey. They can see a lighthouse or a bright sun. Jesus is the light of the world. He shows himself in the Light.

When I travel in the spirit world I see the lines of light. I go near them and they take me on a journey. Also, there are many schools in the spirit world. They have taught me many things. I am a grateful student.

I remember that in my first mourning, I had a vision of gaslights. Then a man came to me and said, "You are a wonderful man." He then put those lights on my head. It was wonderful. I love Jesus. I am holding on.

When we humble ourselves as a child to God, we can go all the way and be touched by Jesus. Once I received a special blessing in which a cloud poured rain on me. It rained only on me. That was a gift.

Sometimes when I lie down in bed, I feel my head vibrate. It makes me want to sing and makes my body shiver. Sometimes when the Spirit walks inside me, I feel like a cloud. I'm so happy that sometimes I want to fly away. I want to fly. The Spirit is so sweet that It lifts me up off the ground.

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