Journal #1: The Luy-a Experience

Luy-a or ginger  (Zingiber officinale) as it is locally known is one of the "root crop" widely use as medicine in folk healing and in magick. It can be seen cultivated locally and sold as ingredient in Pinoy meals. Luy-a is a well known ingredient for fish dishes and pork stew, it is known to remove "fish smell" in dishes. 

Medically, luya is also known to have a lot of chemicals that are beneficial to health. It is anti-microbial and is quite effective against salmonella and parasites. The plant's leaves when grounded can be used as a  poultice and the root can be made as a tea to alleviate sore throat and helps with cough. The root can also be sliced and heated and can be a remedy for rheumatism. It can disinfect wounds when used with alcohol, and it can be a cure for headache, diarrhea, constipation and a lot more. 

The magickal uses of ginger are also a lot. It is used by ancient priests to invoke the power of fire, Mars and the Sun and to raise the energy of the body. Ginger is also used in rituals to "speed things up" and used for prosperity and to spice things up in bed. As a healing herb, one may chew ginger and spit it on the afflicted part of the body. It can even be used to charge tools and amulets when burned and to calm a storm. 

Here in the Philippines especially in the magickal practices in the island of Panay, healers and Babaylans all use ginger to "diagnose" the illness of their patients. My maternal grandmother and some aunts use this to diagnose the source of the illness. My lola would get a piece of ginger and whisper prayers to it, asking the spirits to help her out. She would then pray "Our Father" then make crosses on your head, your forehead, the pulse, stomach, knees and feet. After that she would ask the luya the sources of the illness, while chipping off the luya as she asked. She would ask it if the illness was caused by spirits of the forest, the dead, the living, the elementals of the air, of the rivers, the waters, etc. The confirmation that she was waiting for is if she yawns or burps after she mentioned the "cause" of the illness. Once she determines the cause, she would then blow at the ginger, touch the top of your head and pray for healing. The ginger would then be pinned to your clothes for protection. 

Last October 16th, I tried my luck in doing a diagnosis with ginger. Since my spiritual path is Paganism, I tried revising it, different from what my grandmother used to do. First, I did the usual devotional to the Gods I worship, then to the spirits of the place. I then say a prayer to my ancestors and from there, I called to them to assist me in my rite. I called to the spirits of the "Dis Manes", the ancestral spirits and call to them by invoking the bloodline. Once I was done calling them to help me, I started asking the ginger to inform me of my body's weak points. I started chipping off part of the ginger and mentioned all the possible "causes" of my perceived "sickness". However, the moment I asked the ginger to inform me of my body's ailments, the areas of my body, which I felt something wrong started to throb in pain all at once. As I held the ginger in my palms, I was shown a few things, body parts that are weak and needed to be healed, some other images that I cannot remember anymore since they flashed really fast. The two things that stuck to me were one- a red entity, as if drenched in blood and a woman with a crown, with a very dirty face. I don't know if these beings are from my bloodline, or if they are benevolent or malevolent. I guess I need to study this diagnostic method more. Holding a ginger feels different as I have felt the same exact feeling I feel when I raise energy. Probably there is more to ginger than using it to diagnose illnesses. It might be a conduit to contact the ancestors and the guides, to make communication with them, easier. 

-Images from the Internet-