@Bilqees 2 September 2022

A spiritual process III **A spiritual process I** https://read.cash/@Bilqees/a-spiritual-process-29840ce2 **A spiritual process II** Choima continued to plead with her father profusely. She even threatened that she was going to hurt herself if anything happens to her soon-to-be husband. At last her father agreed to call her uncle so that they would proceed with the ritual rites. Chioma's uncle then instructed both of them to to come meet him in the village the following morning. When they finally got to the village , chioma met her uncle in a deep discussion with some group of elders and It was obvious that they were discussing her problem. As soon as the elders saw her, they all stood up to greet her which made her quite confused. Her uncle explained to her that it is part of tradition that they accord the bride of the gods with as much as respect. Chioma was perplexed to say the least. After the warm welcome, the elders berated her father for allowing the problem to linger this long before bringing her to the village for the necessary rituals. The villagers were already getting worried about who the gods have chosen as the bride this time around . This phenomenon wasn't so strange afterall. The gods chooses a bride every five or seven years amongst the female children born into a particular family. Most parentse usually bring their daughters for cleansing as soon as they start noticing a sign at an early age that she's the chosen one. Ofcourse the elders respected chioma's parents new religious path but religion is one thing and customs is another thing. The both have to be respected. Chioma's father admitted his mistake and apologised for his ignorance. Chioma was handed over to three older women who would preside over the rituals and they set off to work immediately without saying a word to her. After stripping off her clothes, she was asked to kneel down in a circle drawn with a white chalk and the women began to chant over her head with their eyes above her head. Chioma felt really awkward and she tried to cover some sensitive part of her body with her hands but the three women weren't bothered. Their chants were getting louder and louder till one of them slipped into a trance and started speaking in another language that chioma couldn't understand. The woman's eyes had gone completely red and the terrible sight of her sent cold fears through chioma's naked body. After the incantations was over. The three ladies dragged chioma to the back of the house and began to bath her with some black soap and native sponge under the bright sunlight. Fortunately, no one was around the area . The three women didn't take it easy with her as they scrubbed her skin so hard that she began to cry. When they were done bathing her, she was given a very white but long wrapper to tied aroun her body. Then they proceeded in coating parts of her face, chest, hands and legs with a white chalk.

**Image source** https://www.plat4om.com/amazing-african-traditions-you-didnt-know-about/ She was then to the shrine for the second phase of the ritual. There she found a little boy holding a fruit basket while sitting a small stool. The three ladies told her that she would remain in the shrine for three days. Chioma thought this was ridiculous and she immediately demanded why she should stay alone in this dark hut for three days. " This is the most important phase of the ritual and it would also mark the end of the spiritual process. You wouldn't eat anything as you would not feel hungry in these three days neither would you feel the urge to ease yourself. I must also warn you, no matter what happens here, you should never cry. The bride of the gods is not supposed to cry in the presence of the gods. And by the way, you wouldn't be alone, that little child seated over there would keep you company till the three days are over". The older of the three ladies said to chioma before they left. That night, chioma kept hearing strange and fearful sound within the shrine and when ever she tried to sleep, she would have nightmares of masquerades chasing her. The little boy kept looking at her through out the night with an indifferent expression in his eyes. Chioma was almost losing her mind and she felt like crying, but the gods had forbade her not to cry. ...... ***************************** Thanks for reading. ♥️😁