Let’s get something straight right now: Not everybody is meant to be scratched. Not everybody is meant to have an Nganga. That’s not shade. That’s spiritual law. You can’t fast-track your way into mysteries you weren’t born to carry.

Let me break it down for you:

1. ANCESTRY.

Palo is not just “Black magic.” It’s not just “Afro-diasporic.” It’s not even for “all melanated people.” It is BANTU. Let me say that again: BANTU. That means the spiritual technologies come from Bantu-speaking peoples—Congo, Angola, Central Africa.

And within those Bantu cultures, not everybody was a Nganga. That role had to be earned. You were trained. Initiated. Prepared. You didn’t just “buy” your way in.

Now here’s where folks get confused:

“Why are so many Cubans and Brazilians in Palo?”
Because Latin America received more Bantu captives during the slave trade than the United States. The Portuguese and Spanish colonizers Christianized Bantu people long before the English or French got involved. So yes—there are more Brazilians, Cubans, and Dominicans walking around with direct Bantu spiritual inheritance than your average African American. That’s history. Sit with it.

“But what about white people in Palo?”
Some white folks got Black and brown blood hanging off their family trees like fruit. And let’s not play—money talks, especially in the U.S., Cuba, and Mexico. But just because you can pay doesn’t mean the spirits will keep you.

Palo is only ONE expression of Bantu spirituality.
There are other branches. Other Ramas. There are Bantu techniques in Haitian Vodou (Makaya, Bizango), in Umbanda, in Hoodoo even. But just because something resembles Palo doesn’t mean it is Palo.

2. PATH.

Not every soul is called to this. Before you even talk about rayamiento, a qualified Tata needs to read you. And not a half-ass “Yeah, you good”—I’m talking a proper registro to see if you even belong in that house, that Rama, that current.

Some of y’all are getting scratched by people who won’t even train you. They’ll take your money, give you a show, and toss you to the wolves.
And don’t forget:

Nkisi are not “sweet” spirits.
They are not your spirit guides. They are not your angels. They are not omniscient, all-forgiving beings. In some ramas, they don’t even work with mpungo (Bantu deities). They just work with the dead. And any random spirit in a prenda can say anything if you don’t know how to filter. That’s how people get finessed and fucked up.

Just because a palero tells you “you could be a palero” doesn’t mean you’re chosen. Let’s stop confusing curiosity with calling.

3. ENERGY.

This is spiritual work, not spiritual cosplay. Every person has a different energetic capacity. Some of you were not born to be mediums. Not born to be priests. Not born to carry pots.

Some of you won’t develop psychic gifts in this lifetime. And that’s okay. What’s notokay is trying to force your way into a rank you were never destined for.
You get scratched too high—past your spiritual clearance—you might crack. You might break. You might die.

Palo is not soft. These spirits will check you. Your own nkisi will wreck you if you break pacts.
This is a covenant, not a costume.

Let’s make this plain:

The real Nganga is the Tata or Yayi.
The pot is a tool. The person is the portal. If the priest isn’t right, the prenda is just a pile of bones and dirt with an attitude.

So no—you’re not getting an Nganga just because you asked.

And while we’re at it:

• Most Ramas don’t even let women receive Nganga.
• Some only allow female nkisi.
• Some don’t permit women to receive anything until after menopause.
• If someone’s trying to scratch you without a Yayi present at your rayamiento? RUN.
  That’s not a ceremony. That’s a setup.

Let me say this louder for the folks in the back:

EVERY. RAYAMIENTO. NEEDS. A. YAYA.
No gender balance = no initiation. Full stop.

A lot of y’all are out here getting scratched with no protection, no follow-up, no training, no backup. Just you, your trauma, and a prenda you’re scared to light.

Not every Tata is a real Tata.
Not every Tata has the license to scratch you.
Not every Tata can build a prenda.
Not every prenda is even real.

So no. A non-initiate is not getting a prenda.
Sit with that. Get your readings. Find your path. But stop disrespecting a sacred technology just because you’re impatient.

Palo will humble you. Or bury you.

Choose wisely.