Dear Starseeds,
I manifest this finds you well. This sacred writing is about a journey I took to Mississippi to bid farewell to my family’s matriarch, after the heavens blessed her with a 100 year, 19 day run here on earth. Enjoy the read!
On Windsday, August 21, 2024, my blood tribe gained a powerful, century-lived ancestor by way of my great-aunt Eddie Lee. The daily numerology was a 1, ideal for new beginnings. She departed from us 19 days after her 100th solar return. She came from Orun(Heaven) on Friday, August 2, 1924 on a life path number of 8. She was the lioness (Leo Woman) who told my mother she was carrying me before even she knew I was there, or so the story goes. She was an unorthodox woman of God, a Daughter of Jerico, an Eastern Star, a girl-mom of 7, and an all-around Renaissance woman long before bossed-up women were a cultural norm. She was truly a Jackie of Many Trades, and drove her Cadillac until age 96/7/. She was a strong, powerful energy during a time where racism and sexism were mutually hostile, and technology was not advanced. Meaning, she was gangsta in ways our generation of women couldn’t fathom. She and my grandmother were and are my earliest reflections of the strong, feminine energy that runs in our blood. We all called her Madea. You know the drill…almost every black family has one. My mother simply called her “Muh,” and I followed suit.
Premonitions of her passing were sent to me, my mother, and my spiritually inclined cousin for some time in advance, as if our ancestral bloodline had given us the heads up. These omens came through dreams and waking life visions. However, one can never prepare for the actual visit of Iku.
The journey to Mississippi was an enchanted one, filled with the presence of the Orisa the entire 8 hours. On the smooth, blissful roads we took, there were 21 cemeteries, (Iba Oya,) 14 railroads, (Iba Ogun,) and 10 rivers (Iba Osun.) We journeyed through Texas, the tips of Louisiana and Arkansas, and at last, The Sip! There were winding roads filled with woods, swamps, and beautiful sceneries of old country towns. For the rest of the family, it was a time for mourning, adjusting and celebrating the life of our Matriarch. For me, it was all of those things too, with one thing more. Priestess work… on TURBO. After all, Oya is the Mother of the Ancestors, and I am my mother’s child…
The rising of the homegoing service came more like a family reunion. So many cousins I hadn’t seen since I was baby, and the love was still there. There were certain cousins that I naturally gravitated to, as if they were more of divine assignment… I love how Mississippians show respect for funeral processions. Cars were stopping and pulling over everywhere, even from the oncoming side of the road, hitting their hazards as we passed by. Everyone wore white…except me. I wore Oya colors in a vibrant violet hue.
Great-Aunt Eddie Lee’s homegoing service was at her home church, New Jerusalem. Three is a charm, as this was my third time visiting this church. The first was for her husband’s funeral, the other a family reunion when I was 13. If I didn’t know better, I would say that my great aunt was ayinde, or an ancestor spirit that speaks at their own funeral. Her spirit certainly spoke to me clearly, and confirmation later came from those who repeated key phrases she said while living. It brought about an intensity in my mediumship, almost as intense as the homegoing ceremony itself. I felt honored to be related to such strength, and to be of love, strength and comfort to my cousins…and a messenger for Muh?
One thing was very clear…my great aunt, alongside my grandmother, birthed a generation of women with VERY strong energy, all of us walking riots in our own right. Just being in the presence of my cousins was grounding, a reminder of what I was born with, the strength and power in my veins.
The highlight of the entire experience? My CRAZY favorite cousin Gayle HIGHJACKED THE HEARSE!!! Yes, you read correctly. She somehow managed to put the funeral director in the passenger seat of his own car, and drive her mother to the cemetery! This was her ultimate “deuce up” to Muh, which was how they greeted one another. See what I mean by us being walking riots?
After the cemetery ceremony and repass, my mother took me through the small town in Mississippi where she grew up, then to our family cemetery. My favorite part of this journey was seeing the little girl emerge from my mother as we visited places that held her childhood memories. I was familiar with the roots of my patriarchal lineage, and to see my mothers side of it made me feel…complete. We visited our maternal ancestors, visited my grandfather’s old house, and discussed hidden gems of our family history…or should I say herstory. Our journey home was just as pleasant as the one that carried us there, filled with Orisa grace. Two of the many peace lilies that surrounded Muh’s casket came home with us. One went to my mother’s house, the other came home to my Egun(Ancestor) altar. I named it “Muh.” Her leaves touch me often.
Thank you, dear reader, for allowing me to share a more personal experience in ancestry work. May it inspire you to record and preserve the history and memoir of your ancestors. Doing so provides much needed grounding, while keeping the memory of your ancestors alive.
Ekuse Hinde, and Libations.
Ase in Love,
iiiYansaje T. Muse
P.S. HERE is a link to an article I wrote about some wisdom Muh shared with me while she was here! Also, see the Facebook photo album HERE.
