Exploring various complexities of religion

If there’s a book that’ll give you a lot to think about, it’s got to be one which explores various complexities of spirituality. 

How does having visions and speaking with the ancestors coexist with Christian faith? Is it possible for ancestral worship and religion to coexist?

Well, Tirelo Ole Makgeledisa explores this phenomenon in her new book, Voices of Jesus and Ancestors. She believes that spirituality goes beyond the constructs of religion.

Her life begins in a village from where her family soon moves to the town of Munthiri in Mahikeng. He father, mother and older sister, and younger brother are a tight unit but the family tries in vain to obscure the community’s view of domestic violence and ambiguous spiritual activities: The family is christian, yet Tirelo’s mother is a sangoma, and Tirelo has a calling. 

The book is a personal story from Tirelo Ole Makgeledisa of being caught between a calling to be a traditional healer or Sangoma and Christianity.

Her battle between the two leads to depression as tradition dictates the two cannot co-exist. She hears voices, experiences visions and is haunted by nightmares and the thought of being labelled a witch if she chooses to become a traditional healer.

In 31 chapters, Makgeledisa narrates her journey and challenges of being caught up between tradition and Christianity. She speaks about how she started having visions and hearing voices at the age of eight and how she was scared that she had a calling to thwasa. She kept the calling as a secret for many years. But at the age of 19, Ole became a born-again Christian.

Speaking about her book, she said she observed spiritual battles experienced by her mother and people around her who had an ancestral calling.

“My mother and the people in my family had an ancestral calling. I’ve always been able to prophesize and have visions. I’d always hear the voice of an old man guiding me – protecting me from danger, or not to make certain decisions,” she said.

While Makgeledisa does not know who this voice belongs to, she says she has grown to listen to it and follow its guidance. Growing in Mafikeng, she was told an experience associated with having visions, or the ability to prophesize was demonic – it had a stigma to it. 

“As much as the scriptures defined what I understood to be spirituality, I started to realise that spirituality goes beyond religion. The conundrum I was in, with regards to this gift I have, gave birth to the book. I decided to write about my experiences.”

Makgeledisa has consulted with traditional healers to find out if indeed, what she has is an ancestral calling, and find out it was not.

“There are different types of callings. The gift of having visions, and being able to prophesize is not necessarily that of an ancestral calling. My family is spiritually gifted, and therefore, there are different realms of spirituality that exist. I’ve done my extensive research and I now realise there is nothing to be afraid of.”

She shared that for the longest time, she internalised what Christianity had said about ancestral connections.

“Christianity has always demonised ancestors and any connection they would have to human beings. It (Christianity) has always implored on us that ancestors are evil. For the longest time, I agreed. So now, I had to go through the process of unlearning so many things – my ancestors are connected to me. Why is it that we, as black people have so much self-hate for our forefathers, those who came before us? I certainly embrace them. I strongly believe they are part of who we are.”

According to her, the spiritual voice guides her through her life experiences. She believes religion is not the only thing that defines spirituality. She finds spirituality to be broad, and religion is just one aspect of it. The ancestors are very integral in her life.

“If I’m in pursuit of something, it (this voice) would guide and let me know to go for it or not. If something is not for me, it will tell me that is not my path to take. Even in relationships, I would know which one is likely detrimental to my well-being,” she said.

Voices of Jesus & Ancestors forces readers to think differently about Christianity and consulting or connecting with ancestors. 

The 45-year-old mother of one is a Technical Director at ENCA, a 24 Hour news station based in Johannesburg. She has a degree in BA Communications from Northwest University and an Honours Degree from the same University. She studied film production majoring in scriptwriting and editing. She started her career in television at Bophuthatswana Television Station as a vision mixer trainee.

Readers can get a copy of Voices of Jesus & Ancestors from all major bookstores.