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In Kenya and across much of Africa, the healing process is deeply embedded in cultural and spiritual life, often passed down through generations.
But unlike formal professions, the role of an African healer is not typically chosen; it reveals itself.
According to Mugwenu, a practicing herbalist, the gift for spiritual healing often manifests from childhood and the signs may not be obvious at first.
How to recognise giftedness in African healing arts
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1. Vivid, unusual dreams or visions
These dreams, according to Mugwenu, are a spiritual nudge that your ancestors are trying to awaken you to your calling.
Occurring at times as visions, they often involve sacred acts such as feeding people, performing symbolic actions or having interactions that seem spiritual.
Unlike ordinary dreams, they leave the individual shaken, deeply moved, or spiritually enlightened.
2. A deep connection to nature
Those called to spiritual healing often feel a magnetic pull toward certain elements of nature.
“For example, when you were a child, you found that maybe you spent a lot of time at a certain tree. You are drawn to specific trees, rivers, or animals. They even seem to speak to you or appear in your path often. This could be the Earth trying to activate your calling, and that is how calling starts,” he says.
According to Mugwenu, these aren’t coincidences. Healers often rely on nature as a channel to activate their gift and to administer it for the benefit of others.
Children, especially, may show early signs by seeking solitude in nature or feeling comforted by it in ways others don’t understand.
3. Unusual spiritual sensitivity
Healers are sensitive to spiritual energy. This can manifest as sensing when something bad is about to happen or feeling drained when around negative energy.
Some people even experience unexplained physical symptoms, like migraines or fatigue, when in the presence of spiritual imbalance.
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This sensitivity often comes from what Mugwenu calls an “inherited calling” passed down through generations of healers and mediums.
You sense maybe there is something about to happen because you have got what is known as an inherited calling. As I said, it is not something you can go to school to learn. It is something you inherit. So many healers are born into spiritual families.
4. Stuck in unexplainable life challenges
If your life feels blocked or filled with hardship despite your efforts, it could be that you’re resisting a spiritual calling.
Mugwenu Doctors say that when people ignore the ancestral summons, they often experience stagnation.
It could be that the ancestors are calling you, but you are resisting, and maybe you have a calling. They chose you when you were a child, but it reaches a point where you have not realised that you have got that calling of being a spiritual healer.
However, once they acknowledge the calling, often through rituals or mentorship, their life paths become clearer and more purposeful.
5. You radiate healing energy
A natural ability to bring comfort or solutions to others effortlessly.
People might feel better after talking to you, or you may say things that often come true. This ability to predict or shift someone’s emotional state through conversation, prayer, or mere presence is described as “healing energy”.
6. If you are drawn to African healing arts
Lastly, curiosity about African spirituality, rituals, or herbal remedies could indicate a spiritual awakening.
Those with a true calling find themselves constantly researching or seeking spiritual guidance.
They are naturally drawn to the work, even before formally accepting it.
According to Mugwenu, the journey to becoming a traditional African spiritual healer is deeply personal, often mysterious, and always sacred.
Editor’s Note: Mugwenu Doctors & Services exercise doctor-patient confidentiality; neither the patient’s file, records, identity nor secrets are shared with a third party or made public unless the patient, on their own volition, wishes to give a testimony.
Mugwenu doctors’ offices are located in Majengo, Vihiga County in Western Kenya and are available on call or WhatsApp +254740637248, mugwenudoctors@gmail.com or https//www.mugwenudoctors.com.
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