Magic 201: Strength

I’m running into a lot of people who are confused what strength means right now, so I might as well discuss it.

If you talk to people who have been in the ATRs (African Traditional Religions) for awhile, they will tell stories about mambo or houngan who endured: threats; violence; people in their face screaming; problems with the law; godchildren who try to hurt them; etc. The mambo or houngan spoken well of are the ones who lead the situation, not the people lead by the situation. This does not mean they react the way people think they should. In fact, the mambo or houngan spoken well of are often the ones who seemingly underreact, or whose demeanor is distinctly cooler than might have been expected in the situation.

This does not mean they don’t react, nor does it mean they don’t have whatever feelings you might expect. It means their self-control is sufficient to prevent reacting without having understood the consequences. A bit later in maturity and healing, a mambo or houngan won’t be able to get it up (emotionally speaking) for attempts to trigger them in the first place. They’ll recognize an attempt to control them and won’t need to respond to it, emotionally.

We measure maturity by the ability to be in control of one’s reaction in a situation—the strength necessary to rule your internal state, which is demonstrated in your external state for people who have the eyes to see it.

That strength is not, as many would say, something you just have. If you’re constantly sweating when trying not to react to a situation, that is not strength, yet. If you react consistently without thinking, that is also not strength. If you need to inflate your sense of self-worth before exercising authority, that is also not strength.

Those scenarios are, however, stages in getting to strength.

Strength is the result of a lot of healing, a lot of trials, and a lot of elevation. You cannot get there alone.