SPIRITUALITY

My Journey to Becoming a Stick Diviner

Freeing Shamanic Work from the Psychoanalytic Model

Becoming a Stick Diviner

In 2009, I had just finished the first draft of a novel based on the life of my great-grandmother from the Abruzzo region of Italy. My great-grandmother was a Strega which means she was an indigenous healer and wise woman in her village: a witch. I wrote the book about her to try to find her. And indeed I did. At this time I was led to a receive a stick divination. Stick divination is a technology from the Dagara people of Burkina Faso. It was brought here to the U.S. by Malidoma Somé. The man I was receiving this divination from, who would become my mentor, had worked with Malidoma for many years and was eventually initiated into this technology in Africa by Malidoma’s sister. In this divination I was “claimed” by this tradition and told I too could become a stick diviner.

Confused to have an African tradition present itself to me as I was just getting back in touch with my own Italian medicine lineage, I was hesitant. Not able to see the gift being offered for what it was and concerned about issues of appropriation and colonization, I acted in ways that I see now were very disrespectful. I laughed in the face of this possibility and ignored the…