by Sharon Chambers

Priestess Bvanessa Ashun-Staffiere, also named  Ewuraba (pronounced Ay-RAB-ba) performs the long awaited ritual which will hasten her return to the land of her birth, Ghana to assume the title and crown of Queen Mother on Saturday, June 1, 2013.

The exiled African Priestess lived in the UK where she attended school during her youth and in USA since 1972. On May 20, 2012 Bvanessa Ewuraba engaged in a consultation with the renowned gifted diviner, Malidoma Patrice Somé of the Dagara tribe in Burkina Faso. It is in this manner that she learned of the critical and very important task that she must fulfill before returning to her homeland.

Bvanessa Ewuraba said “The message that was revealed is that I was specifically chosen by the Ancestors long ago, to perform rituals on this side of the Atlantic Ocean to send HOME the Spirits of the Ancestors who perished in the Atlantic Ocean during the Middle Passage voyage of the Slave Trade—yes, to send their Spirits back to their various and respective places of origin on the Motherland continent.”

She explained that she was chosen because of her royal lineage for this monumental task.  She was informed in the consultation that that only a person born of high African royalty can assuage the atrocity of the Middle Passage; not a master shaman nor a great medicine man or woman, but only one born of high African royalty.  “It is a royal assignment,” she said and identified her lineage as Nana Ama Abakomah the 3rd Queen Mother of the Edna and Asiam Kingdoms in Ghana.

Bvanessa, committed to carrying out the final assignment in Jamaica, the other two occurring in the USA, chose the beautiful & mystic location of Jackie’s on the Reef, Negril overlooking the vast Caribbean ocean. Jackie Lewis, a yoga practitioner and owner of Jackie’s on the Reef was the facilitator of the royal ceremony that took place. Jackie with the help of Sharon Parris-Chambers, ordained minister and writer invited two well-regarded Jamaican Priestesses to be present. Accepting the invitation were: Mama Gloria Simms (Independent Cultural Ambassador, Director of Maroon Indigenous Women Circle) and Mama Lily (Nyabinghi Priestess & Indigenous Healer) other invited guests were: Enoch Chambers, Precious Beckford and Carol. Laura Gibbons-Bowman (Dagara Elder) accompanied and supported Bvanessa during her journey. The total complement of persons was nine, which is attributed to ‘completion’.

The ritual included the use of offerings consisting of Kola nuts (Bizzy), vinegar, milk and live eggs (naturally fertilized). The Kola nut –to pacify and stabilize energy; the Vinegar – symbol of a new life; Milk – nourishment and the ushering in of a new era and Live eggs –  symbol of a sacrifice instead of using a chicken.

The ceremony began with a prayer of intention by Bbanessa Ewuraba, just before there was a clearing of the space with burning Sage. Each participant was invited to speak; the prayer was closed and the exhilarating offering exercise began.

Each participant gave offerings to the ancestors prefaced by their own prayers and similar intentions starting with bizzy, vinegar, live eggs and concluding with milk.

The overcoming experienced by Bvanessa Ewuraba was most powerful, she said of the experience “the ritual allowed energy that came from somewhere, the universe, the ancestors, entered my womb. I became the mother of the universe. I felt the pain of my children that passed away long ago. I wept deeply. When Mama Lily, Mama G, Sharon, and Precious embraced me, the energy was still there, but together, we embraced these spirits as part of ourselves. This ceremony opened the portal under the Atlantic ocean, allowing the ancestor spirits who had perished during the TransAtlantic Slave trade to go back to the Continent of Africa, returning to their original home.”

During the healing embrace, Bvanessa Ewuraba expressed her profound gratitude to the priestesses for ministering to her and helping her through this most important rites of passage in her life.  The ceremony ended with a circle of prayer with the focus on giving thanks & praise to the ancestors and asking for blessings and guidance from the Most High (Jah).

This ritual ceremony is anticipated to have a profound impact on the island of Jamaica as the trapped negative energies are now freed from our atmosphere and land, opening the way for healing of our troubled nation.

For more information in this transformational and historical experience please contact Jackie Lewis at 876-412-4916 or [email protected] or Bvanessa Staffiere at [email protected]

Photo Caption: [Front row: – Left Mama G Simms, Bvanessa Ewuraba in Blue. Back row: Left to Right -Sharon Parris-Chambers, Mama Lily, Precious, Laura Gibbons-Bowman & Jackie Lewis. Missing are Carol and Enoch]