CENTINELA, EL GRAN SANSE
CENTINELA GUARDIAN OF
THE SANSE TRADITION
"Centinela Alerta? Alerta Esta!"
When I began this blog a year and a half ago, one of the first articles I wrote about was on the importance of the Centinela as this Spirit and "Division" is viewed within the Sanse tradition. A short while after I had come across a video on youtube about a person proclaiming, that their Madama, who in life was a Southern Baptist, was his alleged Centinela, and he proceded to say his Centinela's name for the world to know. Now I never attack anyone, as this is not my nature, "unless in self defense" but I have to be responsible enough to fix the misinformation as would anyone who follows a tradition.
The video made me a bit confused because, one, a Madama / Madamas are not, nor were they ever in life Southern Baptist. "Spain ruled the Latin Countries it colonized with an Iron fist and Catholicism was the dominant religion. At the time when these woman lived, many where often Cuban woman of African descent who not only where followers of Catholicism in public, but also practiced their ancestral traditions in secrecy, these Madamas where Iyalocha "Santera" priestesses. Any one caught practicing any religion out side Catholicism was deemed a heretic and was punished by death, this of course included any denomination of a Christian religion outside of the Roman Catholic doctrines, remember the Spanish Inquisition and its mindset came to the Americas with the Spaniards. It was not until the ending of the Spanish American war, and the independence of many of these Latin Countries from Spain, that other religious belief systems "often of African or Indigenous descent" as well as Spiritism and Brujeria and its folk branches came out from hiding and began to be practiced in the open. Southern Baptist missionaries, Pentecostals and other Christian traditions where then introduced to these countries in the latter part of the 19th century and early years of the 20th century. Often the people who began to follow these new religions were the Jibaro and Guajiro rural folk, as these traditions often shunned its nose from towns and cities of a more African population.
Know Madamas although some were Housemaids, most were respected midwives and healer woman who took care of the Spanish aristocratic white children, but the Afro Cuban Madamas were regarded in a similar fashion as the Voodoo Queens of New Orleans of old, who practiced Catholicism during the day and at night participated in outlawed rites and were highly respected within their African communities. They were woman of authority, dignity, strength and pride, who as I have stated practiced Catholicism but also kept the African Religions of their ancestors alive.
I have noticed a trend in many American practices where spirits that belong to La Morenas, Las Negras, and Las Congas are often being confused and grouped up as being one and the same, with las Madamas = plural or La Madama = singular. "But those things are a part of Espiritismo Cruzado and Espiritismo Criolla, and another subject in itself.". As my Abuelita would say. " en el mar hay peces de todos los colores." and "Cada cavesa es su mundo."
The Centinela as is viewed in Puerto Rican Sanse is the head Punto Spirit of our Cuadro Espiritual and very similar to the Haitian Vodou concept of the Spirit known as Gros Bon Ange "The Soul", while the Emisario "messenger" spirit that works under the Jefes of your Cuadro would fall under one of the Spirits of your Comisiones, such as a Madama, Gitana, an Indio, a Pirata, an Arabe, est, est, est, and this Guia which is also known as a Guia Prinicpal, represents the Consciousness or the voice of the Higher Self, which is also similar to the Ori in Lukumi Santeria. The Centinela is like the voice of the Soul which is the human anamalistic drive and will. Yes a Madama can be a Guia Principal of the cuadro espiritual, while a Sanse is the mouthpiece or messenger of the Misterio, and lastly the Centinela itself is the main punto and mouth piece of the whole. "The collective higher consciousness."
Centinelas have their own Court or Comision as we call them in Sanse, Santerismo,Espiritismo Criollo, Folclorico or Espiritismo de La Caridad and other Espiritismo traditiones. Now although some Comisiones can be found in all Espiritismo traditions, some have Comisiones or Courts that are not known or not as popular in another tradition, for example. In Puerto Rican Sanse, and Espiritismo Criolla we have la Comision de los Sanse and La Comision de los Centinela. These are not known in traditions such as Venezuela Espiritismo de Maria Lionza which has Corte de los Vikinga or Corte de los Malandra Calé, just as Cuban Espiritismo Cruzado or Espiritismo del Cordon has La Comision del Triangulo or Comisión de Santa Clara: which are not as popular or known in Puerto Rico or Venezuela. Even in Puerto Rico itself, being a small island, Espiritismo traditions such as Evangélico Espiritista, and Trincadistas "which are similar to Trinidad and Tabago's Spiritual tradition known as Spiritual Baptists, has Guides that are not used in Sanse, Santerismo or Espiritismo Criollo / Folclorica.
Now back to my point, because I am jumping around. One major important factor of ones Centinela is that one is taught by one's Padrino or Madrina, is that one never is to reveal ones Centinela's name to anyone or for that matter the identity of your Centinela in public, for this reason we often hide it or synchronize it with a Catholic Saint, such as Saint Sebastian, and use that name when we talk of our Centinela, to protect its true identity. The Centinela is our private guardian and messenger, and his / her name is never revealed to anyone. When we call Centinela by his/her true name, we do so in private, and use the term Centinela or the name San Sebastian or San Se for short in public.. Many Sancistas I know also call him, El Gran San Se, "the Great Ancestor".
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