From 50 Years
in the Feri Tradition
by Cora Anderson
"how beautiful is the black lascivious
purity in the hearts of children and wild
animals..." ~african proverb
The Black Heart of Innocence is an important
symbol in the Feri tradition. According to Cora Anderson..."This sign was worn by
young men and women during religious festivals in Dahomey
in the days of the Songe empire....as an ornamental sacred
object, this may have been the first ornament shaped
like the Valentine day heart..."
I was first introduced to the concept of *black heart* by two wonderful witches and teachers in the Reclaiming tradition...Reclaiming is a neo-pagan tradition with roots based in an older tradition called *Feri*...both Reclaiming and Feri focus on the awesome power of the human body, mind, spirit and heart...to create change and transformation of earthly life...socially, politically, economically, spiritually & environmentally...
Black Heart focuses on the fact that all light comes from the darkness...and my personal experience and exploration of *black heart* has taught me to express myself with beauty, honesty, purity & innocence... if you have ever looked at the world through the eyes of a child, you know what I'm talking about...honoring and expressing (oppossed to repressing) our wild animal nature through the act of sex is also black heart...if you have ever observed the natural habits of animals...you will notice that they act purely on instinct...without inhibition or a need to justify their behavior...we humans are sexual beings by nature...and being sexual is being connected to the life force...this is a very sacred symbol and can be a great tool for self-empowerment if your heart is "innocent, wild, black & free"...
"...all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals..."
BLACK HEART
an original pagan song
written & produced with "Love & Anarchy"
by a dear friend, witch, & teacher
in the Reclaiming Tradition...
by T. Thorn Coyle
chorus:
"Innocent, Wild, Black, Free!
Oh, pulse, entering into me.
Innocent, Wild, Black, Free!
All life, earth beating through me!
Blue, blue, the heart of the flame
Blue, blue, ancestors calling me.
Orange, red, the heat of desire,
Oh life, She is kissing me!
Dark, dark, the earth it pumps into me
Dark, dark, ancestors singing.
Deep, deep, surrendering up to power,
Oh life, She is kissing me!
come to me now, lover and mystery
come to me now, kiss me all over
come to me now, desire spilling into me
Truth, life, sensual beauty"
